Sprinting through the trees and tall grass at the edge of Elk City, Allegra yells at Orien to catch up to her. She throws herself over roots and beneath branches, eager to race her sister again after all these years. Even with the years on their lives, it starts to feel like no time has passed. Allegra keeps a firm grip on the sword and its crimson handle resting against her back.
Already in the distance stand Chaos, Calamity, and Lynx-- or Esther, rather. The twins prefer their new names, seeing them as symbolic, While Lynx is ready to let the world see her for who she truly is. It’s been a while since the group reconvened; life in Elk City has been busy for Allegra, Orien and Julius, with fixing the Sentry system and all, but there’s nothing they’d rather be doing. Their reunions have been limited to brief calls and letters sent back and forth.
Allegra hardly breaks a sweat, but Orien rests her hands on her knees, panting. “The city outskirts haven’t always always been this dense with trees, have they?”
“Oh, don’t make excuses. Any luck with the eyes, boys?” Allegra says, pointing to the twins’ black eyes that match their father’s.
“It’s honestly growing on me,” Calamity responds. “We’ve settled all our scores with this crow soul, so it feels nice to be proud of ‘being a beast’-- and have something to show for it.”
“Yeah, because the yelling and utter mayhem wasn’t enough,” says Esther. Her loose blouse drifts gently against her body as the breeze darts between the trees. Its cream color shines in the patches of sunlight that shine through the clouds. The outskirts of Elk City aren’t dense with foliage, but there are gentle clearings between the trees if you know where to look. The city’s been less adamant on border protection, instead directing their watchful eyes inward at what they can do for the beasts rather than to them. Allegra wraps her arms around Esther. “How have you guys been? Hard at work, I assume?”
Julius slides beneath the low branches and tumbles into the clearing. “You could say that,” he says. “You would not believe how many meetings I’ve had with angry senators who know nothing about lost souls.”
“He handles the politics, I handle the Sentries,” Allegra continues. “We make it work, but he comes home in Politics Mode and I have to talk him down from it.”
“Glad to see things going well between you two,” Chaos says, “considering his reasons for wanting to kick the shit out of you.”
“Which I have apologized profusely for, to the point at which we almost considered a swear jar equivalent. An apology jar.”
“A ‘sorry I narced on you’ jar.”
The leaves rustle across from them. A woman pokes her head out from between the trees, gazing into the clearing. She has warm skin, a knife sitting idle in her utility belt, and long, black hair that sits delicately over her back. Instead of the cautious gaze these beast tamers have grown used to, it’s a curious one. Someone who accepts adventures with open arms, with no weapons drawn. Her appearance is unfamiliar, but the soul behind it they’re well acquainted with. Orien steps forward hesitantly before glancing back at the group. Esther nods. “Go,” she says.
Orien places Wendy-- or Naira, now, especially now that she’s free from her wendigo-esque characteristics-- into a gentle embrace. She comments on how much happier Naira looks, how much lighter she seems to tread the earth. She steps back and lets Esther take her place. Naira is swept up into the air in her tight grasp. She places a gentle kiss between Esther’s eyes.
“You look great,” she says humbly.
“Me? Looking great? You look weightless! I’ve never seen you so… curious. So happy to be alive.”
Naira chuckles. Soon enough, the whole group has welcomed her back and commented on how happy they are to see her. Even if it’s not the face they’re familiar with, everything about her demeanor is a mirror image of who she’s always been: a gentle, protective figure who sees the true value of a life.
Allegra pulls the scabbard from her back before Naira places her hands out in front of her. “Keep it,” she refuses. “It belongs with you. I think letting go of it is a good way to close that era of my life-- or lives, rather. My days of fighting are over.” Allegra smiles and unsheathes the sword. Its crimson handle is a perfect partner for the cobalt edge of Orien’s blade. Two swords made for each other, always belonging to two fighters working in tandem.
Above the clearing, the dark clouds begin to part, bathing the group in warmth and light. Allegra dozes off on Julius’s lap while Orien chats with him about his work with the Elk City senate. Chaos and Calamity chase each other across the clearing, throwing twigs and leaves into the air with the aim of pinning them to a nearby tree with a throwing knife. Naira tells Esther about her travels from the last six months with a beautiful youth in her voice. Soon enough, the clouds drift away from Elk City and disappear across the horizon.
Allegra always felt that her life in Elk City was comfortable. It fit together like a puzzle, even with Orien’s temporary absence. In hindsight, when she saw no pieces out of place, she was only looking at a fraction of the whole. As a Sentry, she swore to protect life; and life extends beyond city walls and fear of the unknown. It reaches the odds and ends of the earth, born from Genus’s blood, built in Lumen’s image, overseen by Necros’s eyes, and maintained by Chronum’s hand. Although clumsy, it stands as a testament that it existed in its raw form. It is touched by malice and corruption, plagued with misfortune, but the hands of compassion learn to tame it. Remind it what it means to be alive. Life will forever be imperfect at best-- but it is worth saving.
It will always be worth saving.
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