Golden Dawn

|Chapter 39 ~ Golden Dawn|

"Do you even have a destination in mind?"

I sighed in relief as our group stopped for yet another few minutes in order to reorganize our supplies and tend to Ferîan. Jacob had directed the frustrated question at the Defender - who was busy sharpening his blade next to the unconscious Ferîan. We had started our day of traveling very early, so early in fact that the forest itself still seemed to sleep. There were no sounds in the forest other than our own muffled footsteps and the trees casted long shadows over the plantation that grew beneath.

Lex tended to Ferîan's less fatal wounds with a wet cloth she had ripped from Christa's long desert attire and moistened in a small brook. She paused her work at the question. Angelus did not seemed fazed by Jacob's irritated tone and in fact just appeared more exhausted than the rest of us. It wasn't obvious, but I could make out the dark circles bellow his eyes on his otherwise perfect face. His midnight galactic sword glistened in the early morning light and I once again admired the alien beauty of the stunning weapon.

"I do not know." The answer was uncomplicated and Angelus held Jacob's gaze with his own steady one. "It is not what I want to tell you, but it is unfortunately the truth. The only objective we currently have is to get out of this forest and heal Ferîan in the waters that surrounds it. I know nothing of Statera nor wether we'll be safe here while searching for the sphere."

Jacob did not look impressed by the Defender's answer, but managed to contain his annoyance as he sat down next to Angelus. "For once, you are just as ignorant as we are." 

Although his eyes turned hard, the Defender said nothing as he continued to work his blade against the stone in his palm. Lex caught my gaze and shrugged. The journey was making everyone on edge and I couldn't blame them. For all we knew, we may never reach the waters Angelus spoke of. Not only does Ferîan die, but we may never have a way to reach The Glade ever again. I'd also never find out what happened to me back when we fought the Ertheon. 

My heart ached at the thought of The Glade. I never thought of Nova Terra as my new home nor did I ever think things would turn out as they did. When I however, thought of a place to rest, the peaceful clearing somehow immediately came to mind.

I didn't know what to make of it. The idea of home was always a surreal concept to me, even back when I was too young to grasp the world around me. I now suddenly understood how difficult it was to reach a place where one felt safe and loved. 

I smiled slightly at the thought and suddenly felt Angelus' eyes on my face. My heart hammered against my ribcage, but I refused to meet his gaze. I hated the feeling in my stomach. Hated  what I would see in those red eyes.

The sudden shatter of a branch caused our entire party to jump to our feet. I immediately drew my weapon from one of our travelling packs and Angelus angled his blade so quickly it disappeared from sight for a moment. Lex sheltered Ferîan's body from whatever was approaching us, raw panic in her blue eyes.

When Christa and Quîncîn appeared through the bushes however, we all visibly relaxed. "What the hell!? We almost shot you!" Jacob growled as he lowered his firearm that was directed at Christa's chest seconds before.

I was just about to share in Jacob's furious outburst when I noticed our two companions' expressions. Something started inside me when I saw Christa's eyes. They gleamed.

"You have to see this." Quîncîn suddenly whispered, completely baffled and I was shocked at the absolute stupor in his grey eyes. I suddenly hoped it wasn't another monster.

* * *

I winced when yet another branch cut into my cheek as we pushed through the brush. Ahead of me walked Christa and Quîncîn, ushering us through the forest. Lex muttered a curse from behind me and I would have laughed at her vast knowledge of swear words, were it not for my aching legs. We were busy climbing sheer uphill and my lungs were parched.

I was just about to ask how long we were still going to walk when I almost bumped straight into Jacob's large back. We had stopped our advance and I shivered at the sudden draft that came from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh my god. " Jacob suddenly exhaled. I sidestepped Jacob's large figure to get a better view of whatever caused everyone to be so awestruck and froze. 

It was my turn to be awed. There was no way to accurately describe what exactly I was looking at.

Our group stood atop the crest of the "hill" we were so busy climbing. No - I realized with a start - it wasn't a hill but a large mountain. A mountain that looked out over the most beautiful landscape I ever saw. The slight spray of water wafted into my face and drew my attention to two large rivers that fell down the ridge and accumulated beneath us in a large shimmering lake. Hills, valleys and taigas stretched out in front of me and in the far distance stood a ridge of snowy glaciers that reached the very sky above the clouds. The mountains surrounded the entire landscape just like a wall would a kingdom.

Only this wasn't just a kingdom. It was an entire world.

I forced my gaze a little to the right and gasped. A structure of silver, ice and glass was built against the side of a mountain. The court was rooted next to a lake, forests surrounding it in beautiful dark green undergrowth. The structure was built with such craftsmanship it almost seemed to fade in with the rest of the landscape. Towers, balconies, ridges and roofs were all interwoven into a complex maze of a creation that much resembled a kingdom. Waterfalls fell down the mountain, missing the structure just barely and flowed into another lake beneath it, shimmered in the morning sun.

I tried to breathe, but all the air seemed to have left my lungs. The morning sky was the most magnificent. The sun created a flaxen ridge around everything it touched. Like light silk it enfolded Statera in every morning colour that existed.

A golden dawn greeted us.

Gold liquified in every river and blade of grass. The ice balconies and glass hallways of the court against the mountain shimmered like a thousand jewels and diamonds. The wind felt cold on my face as it whispered through my hair. The hum of something magical, something like pure life  pounded through the rock beneath. The landscape was alive with much more than mere natural physics. There was energy and vitality in the soil, in the rivers and rock. The wind carried the whispers of voices. Female, male and animal all blended into one another, all praising the world around them over and over again.

Tears filled my eyes and the sun brightened on my face, so dazzling it drenched my vision in gold. Next to me, my friends were so still I almost forgot they were there. Angelus with the limp Ferîan and Quîncîn, seemed shaken to their very core. An emotion that went much deeper than mere awe.

It was in that moment when I knew we finally made it. When all our sorrows and fears evaporated like the mist that hung over the glaciers in the distance. We had reached our destination and were alive.

I felt new power surge into my veins, my bones and even my very soul. The Sphere of Statera was very much here. I could feel its energy in everything that grew and drew breath around me. Project Golden Dawn changed my entire life in the mere blink of an eye. It even managed to transform me into a being I could not even begin to understand nor comprehend how the occurrence was even possible. 

We were unfortunately not quite at wit's end yet.

I knew what awaited us as soon as we stepped foot down the mountain. 

We still had purpose. A deadline that if we were to miss, would most definitely result in the fires of war. One that would engulf everything we now see before us in complete and sheer annihilation. Flames that could just as easy destroy everything we have accomplished as if it was merely futile. As if it all had meant nothing. And I knew there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen.

War Will Come.

And I'll be prepared.