Chapter Text
Viren stared at the glowing cocoon across from him. He had lost track of how many days had passed since he first woke in the cave. It could have been months, for all he knew.
His strength had yet to return after Claudia brought him back from death’s door. Though, he was beginning to suspect the weakness he was feeling was due to Aaravos ripping his power from him in order to be reborn in the realm outside the elf’s mysterious prison.
At least, that was what he assumed had happened to the strength he had been so accustomed to feeling, as the dark magic coursed through his blood. But perhaps it had left him when he had died?
Viren covered his face with his hands. That was such an odd thing to think about. He had died. He had plummeted to his death, while Prince Callum had risked his life to save the hideous elven girl who was responsible for his death. His fingers slowly trailed down his cheeks, coming to a rest on the coarse beard along his jawline.
Callum. He had grown wings. The boy had used magic without having to sacrifice a creature of Xadian origin. It was an impossible feat, and yet the young prince had done it somehow, which made Viren question all that he knew about magic.
Once more, his gaze drifted to the shadow within the illuminated cocoon. Aaravos’ voice had been with Viren for so long that it was odd not to hear the deep whispers in his ear. He felt lost without the elf to guide him— tell him what to do now that he had lost everything.
Well, nearly everything. He still had Claudia. Somehow.
The broken crown was sitting on a rock, only a few feet from where Viren sat. It still had his blood on it. Claudia had wanted to hide it, but he had insisted she leave it there as a reminder of his failure. And of the life that he had lost.
They had yet to speak about what Claudia had done to revive him. Viren knew that he should bring it up, but after Claudia had disposed of the body, it seemed like his opportunity to broach the subject had passed. So they let the awkward tension of unspoken deeds linger.
The soldier that had been lain on the cavern floor was one that Viren had known. Lukale, a young man that had just started a family of his own the year prior to this great war. He had been a kind-hearted man, and one of the first to pledge their fealty to Viren after Ezran had abdicated the crown. Viren supposed that Lukale could have willingly given his life for Viren’s, but judging from the way Claudia refused to even look at the corner where his body had been stored, it was obvious the sacrifice had been forced upon him.
While Viren was grateful to be breathing once more, he worried the cost had been too much for his daughter to bear. The days where she had been alone after the battle with nothing but a corpse of a father and a strange cocoon to keep her company, must have been traumatic for her. There had been some evenings where he had woken up to the sound of her quietly crying on the opposite side of the cave, but when Viren had asked if there was something wrong, she simply had wiped away her tears and said she was just relieved to have him back.
Viren groaned as he climbed onto his feet. It was still difficult for him to stand without the support of the walking stick Claudia had found for him a few days ago, but he was determined to rebuild his muscles so he had enough strength to venture outside of the cavern and get a breath of fresh air.
Supporting himself by placing a hand against the cavern wall, Viren made his way over to the cocoon and stared up at it. The shadow in the center was growing larger and there was a soft thumping emanating from it, as though it were the cocoon’s heartbeat.
“This is all your fault, you know,” he muttered. “I just wanted to protect humanity. So how did it come to this?” Viren half expected to hear Aaravos’ snide response, but there was nothing. Only silence.
“How could you do this to me?” he demanded. “I trusted you, Aaravos. And now you have abandoned me when I need you the most.”
Viren was livid. Angry at Aaravos, but mainly at himself for so foolishly following the elf like a child blinded by the promise of the power to accomplish their dreams. The worst part was, Viren enjoyed every moment of it. He had a taste of true power and had let the darkness dictate his decisions.
“Dad?”
He turned. Claudia was standing near the cavern entrance with an arm full of logs for the fire. Despite spending days together, Viren was still shocked each time he saw her stark white hair on the right side of her head. Yet another reminder of his failure.
“What are you doing up?” Claudia asked, tossing the logs aside. She rushed to Viren’s side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to offer extra support.
“Claudia, please,” he mumbled. “I am capable of standing on my own.”
She laughed weakly, but ignored his protest and led him back to the rock that he had been using as a seat for the last few days. “I know, Dad, but you need to take it easy until your strength has returned.”
Viren sat without further argument and watched as his daughter gathered up the logs she had discarded. With care, she stacked them near the small fire pit then placed a couple in the dying flames to revive them. Though she appeared calm, Viren noticed a slight tremble in her hands.
“Claudia,” he began but felt his throat tighten before he could ask her if she was okay. He knew that her answer would just be a lie to appease him. “Thank you,” Viren said instead. “For staying with me during all of this.”
“Of course,” she replied, holding her hands out near the flames to warm herself as the temperature in the cave continued to drop the closer evening approached. “You’re my dad, Dad. I won’t leave you. We have to stick together.”
Viren offered her a smile, but there was a sadness in her tone that made the air heavy with thoughts of their missing family member.
“I will make things right with Soren, Claudia,” he reassured, but hesitated when her eyes narrowed and her lips curled with anger. “Claudia?”
She let out a deep breath and faced him. Her hand brushed a strip of white hair behind her ear and she bit her lip. “There, uh, there is something I need to tell you, Dad.”
Claudia stood, walked to his side then knelt down next to him. Delicately, she took his hand in hers and said, “It’s about the battle.” She paused, eyes searching the ground for a moment before meeting Viren’s once more. “When you were at the top of the Storm Spire, Soren, he…” Her grip tightened around his fingers. “The illusion. He thought you were going to kill Prince Ezran and he… Dad, Soren stabbed you.”
“What?”