𝐁𝐄𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 // 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘤

𝔱𝔴𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔶-𝔱𝔴𝔬

They all knew what was coming...what they had to do. Their smiles were transparent. It was easy to know that whatever emotions they were trying to hide couldn't simply be ignored. Death could be only hours away and no matter how hard they tried to look past it, it lingered in their heads despite them claiming that they would give their lives without a moment's notice. It was the anticipation that made the thought completely unbearable and the deafening silence only made it worse. No one had said a word since they had left the island, causing the dreadful hours to drag on more.

Of course, they understood that these outcomes had been in the job description the entire time, but now it felt real. The end felt too close. But isn't that how heroes are supposed to go? To go down swinging, fighting for your homes and your family. Except the reality of it all was that they weren't going down in such a way. The fighting had ended, but the war hadn't. They aren't even granted the chance to fight for their lives. It all came down to fate and whether it was on your side or not.

They had been questioned so much. What they didn't know is that people from their own kingdoms didn't trust the prophecy and wanted to take matters into their own hands. If it weren't for the magic users and their ability to smother the uprisings, all the kingdoms would've fallen to a civil war. Many didn't believe that a group of children could handle the pressures and responsibilities of a journey that had so much importance.

But they were doing it, and they were doing it together.

That's what mattered.

They found themselves staring blankly at the bottom of the boat Morana had recreated using the pieces of wood that had washed up onto the shore. The waves were rather calm, slowly rocking them back and forth as they approached the island. The surrounding air felt heavy on their tired bodies. For once, it wasn't the burden of evil but was the burden of their decision. The right thing didn't feel right. What if the evil still reigned after they destroyed the stone and they wouldn't be there to stop it that time. It came down to a hunch, a lucky guess. But it was their best bet.

Every muscle in Corrine's body felt tense but they relaxed as soon as she felt Eros's fingers brush against hers. He grabbed her hand that rested on her leg and gave it a squeeze. In response, she turned her hand over to interlink her hand with his. They wanted to share a smile, but it felt impossible. Instead, Corrine turned to Bai, who was sitting next to her with his eyes trained on the land that inched closer. He too relaxed at her touch and was able to shift his eyes away from where he stared long enough to wrap his arm around Kai's shoulders. Kai took Andrea's hand, she rested her head on his shoulder. Seeing this, Axel hugged Nizhoni closer to him, slowly rubbing circles on her shoulder. Nizhoni reached out to Darron and squeezed his shoulder while he snaked his arm around Aurelia's waist. Aurelia was the only one of them that could muster a smile as she reached out to offer a hand to Morana, who accepted it graciously.

It was the reassurance they all needed.

And in silence...they found togetherness.

But moments like that can never last forever. Soon, the bottom of the boat started to skid across the sand as they entered the shore. Corrine and Darron both got out of their sides of the boat and hopped down into the water, then grabbing the sides of the boat to push. The rest filed out to help and were able to secure the boat on the beach.