You should have helped Io. Gone with her, at least! Why did you let her go alone this time? You knew that something was different. That there was something wrong. Why didn't you follow her? On and on these thoughts rang through Dagan's mind and with every self-accusation, his rage grew. With his rage, came an internal sort of fire.
By the time Dagan and Eden left the cave, the air around Dagan seemed colder, but his vibrant shoulder-length red hair moved as if there was a breeze, his feet barely touched the ground, and the fire burn inside of him moved in a peculiar pattern. There was just enough time for Sorcha to rip Eden off Dagan's back when everything started to burn.
One minute Dagan was seething with rage, the next it felt like something had snapped. He could barely hear Sorcha screaming at him to find water, but it felt like he was wading through the sludge. Huh? He was burning. Wait, burning?
"Dagan! Dagan! Find water now! You are on fire!" Sorcha screamed. She laid Eden on the ground and scrambled up to her feet. She had to get to Dagan. The closer she got to him, the colder it got and the faster the ice grew across her body. Separate plates formed on the sides of her neck, sternum, and lower belly. Additional plating protected her forearms armed with dozens of small tooth-like icicles. Segmented bone-like ice cubes covered the little ice cube's spine, giving her a draconian-like experience. On her head, a braided crown had manifested with a horn on each side.
The closer Sorcha got, the more alarmed she became. Dagan blazed brighter and brighter. The fire around Dagan had started at red, but when it flickered with hints of orange, Sorcha could feel a sense of foreboding being to form in the pit of her stomach. Not good! Just as Sorcha was about to grab Dagan, she was wrenched backward. The ice dissipated leaving streaks of white flashing against the leftover dirt.
"A Cloudburst is about to appear! We have to run now!" Eden yelled as they pulled Sorcha off the rocks and down the small precipice and near a flatland of boulders. Sorcha screamed in protest and tried to get back to her twin, but Eden just would not let go.
"Eden why! Dagan needs us. Something's wrong we need to-" Sorcha stopped when she saw the look of fear in Eden's red eyes.
"We have to go Sorcha. If we stay here we will die. We won't leave Dagan but we need to be alive and for us to do that." Eden grabbed hold of her hand and gently tugged her down the side of a particularly large boulder. When they had gotten far enough to hear normally, Eden stopped and faced Sorcha. "Look, Cloudbursts happen randomly and are the foundations for surviving here."
Eden pulled her gently along the edge of the boulder field to where the treeline was. Once there, Eden leaned down, caressed over the exposed roots of some nearby trees. "Wherever and whenever one occurs, evolution follows. Thaumatos, this world, does not allow for the weak to survive and these violent storms are just one of the many tests." Eden whispered something so softly, that Sorcha couldn't catch it, but it she let out a gasp when a root appeared from the earth wrapping around itself around her and Eden.
Sorcha got stuck on the first part of that explanation screeched, "But Dagan-"
"Stop that!"
FLICK!
Uwwaaa!!! Sorcha cried as she held her grey claws to her forehead and stared at him with teary kitten-like eyes.
"But Dagan burst!" Sorcha defended herself.
"Yes, he bursted. It's going to help him. In fact, we should probably prepare ourselves too, if he is bursting then chances are we will too." Eden replied as they called on more roots and wrapped the both of them in a large cocoon.
"Sorcha listen to me." Eden continued as they wove the roots through each other, strengthening their shell.
"Cloudbursts are different for every creature. They happen when there is a lack of growth and development or certain conditions of a being create an anomaly. If there are several of the same species in the vicinity undergoing similar conditions this can create a chain reaction. It's a good thing to go through a Cloudburst." Eden grunted as they continued weaving the roots, their rich chocolate, skin growing greyer and greyer, and tiny granules of dirt started to fall off their skin. The cocoon had reached fifty meters in diameter.
"While we change and become more powerful as we grow older, Cloudbursts are like a fortunate encounter that gives everyone the opportunity to have a jump in their growth. It's even better if you can go through three or five of them." Another series of roots braided together and begin to split the large space in half.
"Strong enough to protect and not hide?" Sorcha frowned at the small wall but she kept focused on Eden. What she got thus far was that cloudbursts were not bad and in fact, made them stronger. Dagan was safe, and she and Eden were going to get strong really fast.
"Yes, our world, Thaumatos disdains the weak. It is practically a sentient form of life on its own and it always seems to know which places need to be pushed. However there is a risk, Cloudbursts are aggressive magical storms, and can kill just as easily as it can create the right circumstances to mutate."
Sorcha took it back. Cloudbursts were not safe. Dagan! Sorcha's eyes went wide. Just as she was about to speak, Eden flicked Sorcha on the forehead again.
"Ow! Stop that!" Large luminous kitten eyes stared at Eden in reproach as Sorcha's delicate grey claws once again rubbed at the red spot.
Eden sighed, "Is Dagan weak?"
Sorcha shook her head no.
"Do you want Dagan to get stronger?"
Sorcha bobbed her head up and down.
"Dagan has to focus everything he's got on surviving this. If we distract him, it could kill him. Do you want that?"
Sorcha shook her head and clenched her claws. "I-I," She hesitated then stopped. Taking a deep breath, a thin layer of ice growing reaching out, forming fine intricate patterns over her body. Frost coated her brow again only this creating an ethereal her crown, giving her a fey if somewhat cold sort of beauty alienation. "I want to go out."
Eden quirked an eyebrow, "You are not bursting. If I let you go out there you could die if you don't start bursting in time. Dagan is different, he is already in the process so the chances of him dying at this moment are lower than you starting a burst in the middle of another Cloudburst. However, if you burst out there the strength of the Cloudburst increases, that's why had to get some space. It is possible that this could make it more difficult for the both of you. Although, Dagan may be past the most dangerous part. You could put him in danger because the storm could intensify if we time this incorrectly."
Sorcha slumped. It was one thing if it was just her but increasing the danger to Dagan as well. She just wanted to help. Dagan wasn't the only one that was grieving over Io. Everything that had happened since Io left and then the realization that Io was dead left Sorcha numb inside.
As much as she didn't want to endanger, Dagan, even more, she wanted to protect him. She wanted to protect Eden too. Sorcha straightened her shoulders, she never want to lose another loved one again, and if this was the best way then...
"Eden," she began, "do you think if I go, Dagan would be fine?" She asked. She had to, from the way Eden spoke this was not an opportunity to take lightly and if she could not just burst, but also help to intensify it for both Dagan and her to grow even stronger, then that would be for the best.
If it had been back in their old world, Sorcha would have never taken the risk, but Io had always taken care of them after she had found them. There was no Io now. And Dagan? She knew that Dagan had protected her and kept her naive of what exactly he had gone through, but she had been there to wrap the cuts, apply salve to burns, put ice packs on bruised and bloodied areas. She had begged her twin to stop but all Dagan had ever done was smile gently, and lovingly patted her on the head. Thinking about it caused small beads of water to run down her cheeks, turning into beads of ice. This time, could she really ignore an opportunity to get stronger if her twin could handle it?
Do you still want to go out?" Sorcha nodded, "Yes, I want to get stronger. I don't want to be left behind anymore. Io-" Sorcha sniffled, "Io is gone because of us. It's our fault. We did not help. I, I don't wanna lose you or Dagan."
Eden looked for any sign of weakness, in her gaze, but even as tears ran down her cheeks Sorcha did not back down. "Alright, but if you are going, I am too. Dagan wouldn't want me to let you do this on your own and he is strong enough to handle the both of us if we burst." In their mind, Eden slumped in relief. The last thing that they wanted was to miss out on a Cloudburst and Dagan would never want either one of them to go through this alone if possible.
Besides, beings that burst at a young age were not just stronger but also tended to live longer. Survival of the fittest right? However, there were many creatures that took delight in targeting their kind. For Wildlings, their bodies were like treasure, strengthening them. Bursting, simply weighed the odds in their favor.
"Okay here is how it will work, Sorcha the best thing you can do now is to stay calm. This is going to hurt, maybe a lot, maybe a little, I don't know. Every Cloudburst is different." Eden further instructed as they tightened the separate roots around them and Sorcha. This ought to do they thought, that way they could stay close to one another.
----
Ominous clouds churned in the night sky, spewing flashes of indigo that electrified the air and struck the ground in brutal strikes. Amidst the striking, Dagan's feet left the molten ground at one point. Everything hurt so much that he had curled into a ball, it felt like he was being burned from the inside out, leaving him feeling empty and desolate.
Odd. it was just so odd. All he had wanted to do was take Eden and Sorcha out of that cave. Maybe back to the river where they had eaten all that tasty fish, and once everybody had finished and gotten their strength back up, they could look for Io together. It wasn't that he didn't understand that Io was probably dead, as she had never left them alone for this long, but she could also be grievously injured and needed help.
It didn't work out that way though. Dagan's default was calm, but Io had nailed it when she said that he was like a sleeping volcano. Years of torment, rage, and fear had left their marks. Io had helped Dagan... Fix himself, yes, but that didn't mean that all that rage simply went away. He just didn't need it. Usually. Figures though that when he needed to calm the most, was when he raged the hottest. One minute, Dagan thought he had everything under control, the next thing he knew, he was like this.
Even that act of opening his eyes was painful. It was as if all of his senses were on overdrive. The fire was soothing but tortuous. Who knew that fire had texture? Dagan focused on watching Sorcha and Eden moving further away. They were upset but ok. He watched Eden erect some sort of cocoon and he could feel the tension that had pulled his body taut loosen. Good, they were safe.
The storm intensified and molten rock, meters below Dagan's feet began to bubble and spew lava. Dagan stared raptly at the cocoon, with Io not around it was vital that he step up and take more responsibility. That they all stepped up to take care of each other. Dagan knew that it would take time.
He winced and grabbed at his head from pain. Face twisted from the pressure building inside his skull, Dagan obsessively grounded himself in the fact that Sorcha and Eden were safe. Dagan blinked once and the ball of roots was gone. Dagan looked around frantically for any hint or clue that they were ok. His awareness spread out and Dagan sank into it slowly going over every bump, dip, and groove as far as his senses would go. Nothing.
No no no nononononono! Not again!!! Dagan wanted to scream but he all could do was open his mouth, bright red veins mottling and twisting under his skin as he let out a silent wail of anguish. The fire that was coated him flickered completely from orange to red in an instant as the possibility that he may have lost Sorcha and Eden as well.
Powerless! You're useless Dagan! You couldn't save Io, and now you can't even save Sorcha or Eden. It's just like that storm that they went through right before they came here. Teasing them as if it was not going to strike at them but changing its mind at the very last second, killing them. The fear that they had shared as it had grown near.
The months of being on the run, never seeming to get any further away. Dagan admitted to himself that maybe, just maybe if it had just been Io, that she probably would have gotten away. Alternatively, he knew that Io would never abandon them. She had made it crystal clear exactly what she was willing to do to keep them safe.
Dagan's vision went red, then black, before clearing up again. He was so tired. Tired of running. Tired of loss. The fear that that Io was dead, that Sorcha and Eden were dead too. That he was all alone. That he had been left behind. He could feel his will dimming like the coals of the fire dying out. What was the point of coming here? He would rather be back in their old world if it meant that Io and Sorcha were alive. What about Eden then? Dagan slumped. No, no he couldn't think that way. Meeting Eden was not something that he could regret. That alone had made it worth coming here, but... Dagan shook his head, trying to keep focus but it felt as if his thoughts were slipping away like a fire running out of fuel.
Dagan mentally clawed his way back up out of the dying embers. It was one thing to lose someone because he was weak. It was a special kind of pathetic to lose to his situation. To let his environment dictate whether he should succeed or fail. To not even try for himself. To let another control his fate. Nor would he let his regret, guilt, and rage be the chains that bound his mind. This was not how he would live or how he would die.
Dagan would use his uselessness as his foundation to grow stronger, to not give up. This environment would be what ended him but it would be the whetstone that he sharpened himself on through the various trials he had lived through and would continue to do so in the future. He would keep pushing forward because he had already done the hardest part and that was to deny others and fate the pleasure of seeing him submit to his inner demons. He had already walked through the abyss once and this? This was nothing in comparison.
If the world wanted to take his loved ones away then he'd burn it to ash. Dagan could feel himself starting to calm down, as his resolve settled. Once he got out of here he'd find Sorcha and Eden. Io too. Even if it was just her corpse and after that?
After that, they'd live. They would explore this new world. They'd laugh. They'd make new memories. They'd eat lots of yummy things, experience new things. They would take care of each other. Protect one another. The flames that encapsulated the Dagan brightened until they radiated a warm orange glow and everything went white.