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“Boys can you come down here?” Their mom shouted up the stairs. Her voice sounded tired and worried. Elex and Eryx gave each other a look the only other time they heard their mother sound like that was when Fintan's heal- no, nothing like that could ever happen again. Right? And if it did, could Liora survive again? She'd been lucky last time getting away with only a few burns, but Kenric, well Clay was never the same. He used to be cheerful and now, it was like all the color had been drained out of his life except for anger burning like the everblaze that killed his brother. He'd only really talk to Azrail, or Oralie. A shell of his former self, like his parents. Eryx tripped being saved only by his brother grabbing his arm.
“Thanks.” Eryx mumbled
“Don't mention it,” There was an akward pause “You don't think-”
“I hope not.”
“We're only twelve we shouldn't be dealing with this.”
“World's not perfect.”
“It used to be.”
“I don't think it ever was, we just were ignorant to it.” Eryx says, as they walk into the living room the same room where they found out Kenric- he shut the thought down.
“Sit down boys.” Their mother told them looking exhausted. They sat down, she took a breath of air and “The summit has ended.” The boys looked at each other that was good news wasn't it, summits could last months, wasn't it good it only lasted a couple of weeks. “but,” There it was the other shoe dropping, what would it be, the orges demanding a war, but nothing could prepare for his mother saying “The peace summit has fallen, the castle is destroyed, they don't know how many survivors, or fatalities there are.” The twins were silent. Their mother grabbed both their hands “I'm sure it'll all turn out okay, let's go wait at Eternala with the others.
“The others?” Elex asked the question Eryx was thinking but he just couldn't get his mouth to move
“The rest of the councilors families, including the Fathdoms.” and with that the family stepped into the light.
Time skip five hours later
The twins ran to their sister as she apeared with the rest of her colleagues, she was covered in dust, but Elex and Eryx still ran to hug her
“Wait where's Terik?” One of the elves standing there asked, Eryx recognizes the voice as Azrail, Terik's fifteen year old sibiling “Where's my brother?” they shouts in question tears streaming down their face, “He- he's not dead! Right? He can't be? Not like,” Their voice broke and they sank to the ground, Clay broke away from Oralie's hug, and hugs Azrail
“No, he's-, he's going to be fine.” Oralie tells them from where she stands with the rest of the council.
“Then where is he?” They ask again
“He's with Elwin he's going to loose his leg, but he'll be fine.” Azrail pulls away
“It was close though? Wasn't it? He almost died?” Oralie nods “I thought our world was supposed to be safe, perfect.” They looked at their hands, “But it's gone isn't it?”
“No.” Emery's voice cuts through the silence, his voice was shaky like Eryx had only heard once before, at Kenric's funeral, his eyes were also red from crying. He was hugging his little sister. She hadn't even started Foxfire Eryx relized, and this was the second time her older brother had nearly died, she was only seven. He and his brother were only twelve, what had the worl- “We will not let the peace we've held for centuries dissipate.”
“Is that the same thing you said about my brothers death? It was a setback on peace but it's fine?” Clay's eyes were burning with fire the same color as his hair. He looked like a carbon copy of his brother just younger and smaller, same fire red hair. Ironic both their hair is red as fire and that's what killed Kenric in the end.
“Kenric's death was a horrible accident that nobody could've predicted.” Bronte told Clay
“Yeah, maybe so, though I do have arguments about that with moving Fintan out of Exile for his healing.”
“Well the dwar- “
“But big surprise that Fintan wanting to enter the peace summits was for other reasons than just offering his perspective to the world” He put air quotes around the words with his fingers, venom dripping off his voice
“That's enough!” Bronte snapped “We understand you're mad Mr. Fathdom, but we did not decide this, in fact we were against this, so do not blame us.” Clay scoffed rolling his eyes, he grabbed Azrail's arm helping them off the ground
“Leonidas let's go!” The boy ran over to the other two and the three leaped away, leaving the rest of them standing there Kenric's mother walked over looking so much more frail than the first time Eryx had seen her all those years ago, even her husband looked smaller. He'd always been a big man, much like his eldest son was.
“We're so sorry councilors,” She said before being interrupted by a coughing fit leaning entirely on her husband
“Yes, we'll talk to Clay.” He says
“It's ok, he's grieving, and he wants someone to blame and he thinks that someone is us.” Oralie tells him in a soft voice, softer than Eryx's ever heard. Kenric and Clay's father nods and whispers to his wife
“Let's go my love, you need to rest.” her nod seems distance, and then they’re gone in a flash. Just like how one moment Kenric was there and then he was gone in a flash of everbalze leaving on empty hole in everyone's heart that can never be filled.