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3 years. Ike had only gotten 3 years of peace, and every minute it felt so, so far away already. First the Laguz Alliance, second the combined force to take down Begnion. And now, he had to let bygones be bygones once again and team up with his enemies against a god. The idea was still ringing in his head a little. Yes, Begnion is still the main enemy, but everything else had changed. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, even soldiers under his command, had been turned to stone, just like that. In the blink of an eye, the whole world froze, and it was him who had to try and thaw it out. Marching through miles of snow also wasn’t a boost for morale. They had stopped to make a camp, but here Ike stood, bearing the frigid temperatures, wandering around in search of nothing. His morale, just like everyone’s, was critically low. Reyson had a vision and found a Satori sign, so why couldn’t he have one? He didn’t feel inadequate, he just wanted to do more.
“Oh great goddess Ashe- I mean, Yune… If there’s anything, anything at all I can do, please just give me a sign…” He stared up at the sky, almost expecting a star to fall on him. He wasn’t really the type to pray, but knowing and having proof that the gods are real was enough for him to at least try. And this time, his prayers were answered.
“Ike?” Soren opened the zipper of his tent to look at Ike, a small candle in his hands. “Is everything okay? I’ve never seen you pray before.” He looked closer at Ike, the almost distant gaze in his eyes becoming more apparent. For a moment, he looked almost hopeless. “The cold might be getting to you. Just come in for now.” He knew that something was wrong, not from the cold, but if he needed help, it would be better to help Ike while in private.
Ike was in a bit of a daze, like he was expecting something to happen. He was searching for a vision, partially dozing off in the middle of the snow, hoping that something would guide him. Soren’s hand acted as that guidance, pulling Ike into the tent. Soren held a fire tome to his forehead, the heat from the well used tome seeping into his skin, thawing out his thoughts. For a moment, he lets out an exhale he didn’t know he was holding. “...Soren. Sorry, I got lost in my head.”
“I could tell. What has you so stressed? I’m here to help if you need me, you know I’ll listen.” He grabs Ike’s wrist, checking his pulse. It's racing, even as Ike himself is cold to the touch. “If you don’t want to talk, that’s okay too. Just let me help.” He didn’t need to use a staff, instead, his words would have to be the tools for the job. “Sit, even someone like you would get tired from walking this far.” He sat down next to Ike, and just hugged him. Just held him there like he was the most important thing in the world, and stayed with him. “You’ve done enough already. You deserve a break.”
Ike let out an exhale, his pulse slowing down to keep pace with Soren’s. For what felt like the first time in a while, Ike allowed his eyes to close. “Thank you.” Warmth flowed back through him, and he began to drift off…
“General! There’s an attack!”
…Even if only for a few minutes.