Chapter Text
The first sign of the apocalypse was the feeling that the earth was slipping away. As an earthen soul, Calantha could feel the roots and ground with every step she took. Each animal, leaf, mineral, root, and speck of sand had a soul and personality she knew better than herself.
An orchestra of life that only her kind could know.
That connection to the natural world was the deepest and most sacred part of her.
As of five minutes ago, it started to peel away. It was like she was being slowly closed up in a tank of water. She knew the world was still there, but it was being sawed away.
It was horrifying. It was like she was losing her sight, hearing, limbs even. A feeling she’d known since birth leaving her.
The first choice she made was to get up and run to the High King.
As a council member, Calantha could make a high priority report and request an official meeting. As a friend, she could hope that Seraphina would leave the back door open.
As she ran, she saw others in a similar state of confusion and panic. Whatever was happening wasn’t a closed case, this was a far more dangerous situation than Calantha thought.
We’re the others affected too? Was this happening in the fire compound? The sea? What could possibly have triggered this?
She leapt up the flight of stairs that led to the High King’s office, in the dead center of the camp. She reached out and slammed the door open. A part of her felt awful for definitely scratching up the walls, and normally she’d apologize, but that wasn’t important right now.
In front of her, High King Telemnar was standing at her desk, a pot of ink spilled and dripping onto the floor, looking up at Calantha. In her hands was the Ring of Arantar (an ancient artifact passed down from king to king). It was shaking and glowing intensely.
"Sera, what the actual fuck is going on?"
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Calantha stared at Seraphina, who scowled and pointed downward to the floor. Cracks spread from where Seraphina was standing, across the room, and out across camp from what they could see through the doorway to her office. "I have no idea. I’m not some omniscient old man who likes to be vague like Gandalf or Dumbledore. In all my 563 years of life this has never happened before-“. Her face paled.
Calantha snickered. “You might not be vague but you definitely are old-“. She stopped suddenly, seeing Seraphina’s pale face. “What’s wrong?”
Calantha reached out to her clearly frightened friend, but was almost thrown away when the ground suddenly started to rumble and shake.
The feeling of the world fading came back tenfold. It was nauseating and horribly painful. Calantha gasped, clutching the fabric over her chest and sunk to her knees, breathing heavily through her teeth.
Seraphina rushed over, grabbing onto Calantha’s shoulder. “I’m alright, I’m okay… probably.” She managed through her wheezes.
Seraphina scoffed, helping to steady her friend, “Thats what idiots in large amounts of pain say to avoid bringing down the mood.”
“The world is tearing itself away, Sera. This is bad. And judging by your face I think you know why.”
Seraphina, her face still pale, choked slightly. "I wish I didn't... But assuming its the same thing as last time... We need to get everyone over here, and make sure everyone from your element is being firmly held onto by two different people from a different element. Don't ask why."
"Last time??? What do you mean last time? And why do I and others of the earth element need to be basically restrained by people of other non-earth elements??"
Seraphina glared at her. "Do you want to shoot into the never ending expanse in the void and maybe turn into shreds because you're moving too much from already collapsing and almost dying on the ground right now? I'd assume not. Let's go."
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Seraphina hauled Calantha up and the two raced outside her office, stumbling and holding onto each other as the ground shook. As they emerged outside, others streamed towards them, and towards the middle of the camp where the big tree was, as almost as if they'd instinctively known to gather there. She could see campers of the earth element, struggling and falling, some collapsing in pain as they tried to head towards the middle of the camp, and then being lifted back up and carried by some of the campers from other elements towards where they all were converging. Looking at the collapsing earth campers and grabbing Calantha as she fell again, Seraphina half carried, half dragged Calantha towards the campers already gathered, and dropped her next to Caelus (of the storm element) and Mira (of the sea element). "Hold onto her tight," she ordered them, and then ran off towards the others straggling behind, whether it be the collapsing earth campers or those from other elements struggling to carry them. Hurrying the approaching campers towards the others, she then turned and ran farther past them and to her brother Fintan, who was herding their two youngest campers, 8 year-old Edan (of the fire element) and 7 year old Azalea, who was crying with fear. She scooped up Azalea, and holding her to her chest, dashed towards the other campers, Fintan following close behind with Edan.
The ground shook more violently as they reached the others, silver cracks widening into gaping chasms as campers grabbed onto each other and the earth campers to support them. Seraphina held Azalea tighter in her arms as she leapt across a gap in the ground, and coming to a stop next to the others. "Hold onto each other! Link arms! D-" A deafening boom sounded, silver light shooting out of the chasms and wrapping around campers and buildings alike as the pained screams of Calantha and Azalea, among some other earth campers rended the air. The ground below them disappeared, and Seraphina wrapped her arms around a writhing Azalea and held her to her chest as they plummeted into the void. They were tossed around, occasionally slamming into other campers, Seraphina getting her nose smashed by a particularly hard impact against the back of another. She held Azalea in her arms tighter and moved a hand over the back of her head to try and protect her from harm. She was again slammed against another camper, with greater force, this time knocking her unconscious. And just as soon as it began, it was over.