"H-HUH!?" I let out with panic as I suddenly spasmed awake. The cold dark ground was under me, however. Not a pool of my blood. Or, someone else's blood...
"You are back." Lightning commented as he snaked around me and looked me deep in the eye.
"B-But I..." I struggled to get out as I realised that I did not win. I had been beaten back and sent over a sudden drop. I had my skull split open and was ready to be found by Undwote...
So why was I here again? Shouldn't I have died...?
"Thank you." Lightning then said, much to my surprise and shock. And I just could not grasp why he bent down as if to bow before me.
"I failed! I failed!" I cried again and again as I realised what this meant for Mother. Lightning's tremendous power would not be mine. The purity of his body would not let me prove my case... Mother was doomed to die one way or another and I would never go home again!
"Failed? No, but first, allow me to help you now." Lightning told me as he suddenly surged into my body.
"EINERVAENE!" roared Brewbrt as he once again shot forward to intercept some kind of spell. But, this time, I didn't disappear. Instead, the world was golden. Everything glowed with what I could only describe as divine light.
"Let loose my power, Master!" Lightning begged as I felt a tug in my arm. One that went away as I raised my hand before me. And, all of a sudden, this great force built up in my arm. With one flick, it all then came out.
The blast that was shot at me became nothing and the crack of thunder travelled further. A tremendous tremor shook the mountain and I felt an aura of heat caress my skin. But the light from the lightning blinded me and I couldn't see anything. So bright, in fact, that I couldn't help but hide my eyes and flinch away until all went quiet.
"Brewbrt...?" I let out with worry, opening my eyes once I no longer felt blinded even with them closed.
"E-Einervaene..." he let out with shock as he awkwardly fell to the ground before me. My newly acquired, awesome power. It had struck him into a state of emotive paralysis.
"Are they gone?" I decided to ask him as my gaze went downwards towards the bright golden glow coming from my hands. For a moment, I could only hear my heavy breathing as relief and joy filled me. Finally!
I had done it!
MY LIGHTNING WAS GOLDEN!
"L-LOOK!" I screamed with delight before I laughed to the heavens as I let loose a barrage of lighting from each finger tip.
"You did it!" he breathed with excitement as he slowly rose to his feet. Only to fall down again as the severity of his injuries made themselves clear.
"Hold on!" I told him as I rushed down to his side. With this new power, there was no way I couldn't heal him! But, to my shock, when I tried to pass on my power to him. I only saw blue sparks.
What? How was this possible?
"My power is yours alone, Master." Lightning reminded me as he suddenly snaked from my body. His long, electric body curled around Brewbrt's floor-bound one as his voice boomed like thunder. A terrifying sound that left my ears in pain.
"He's injured, I need to heal him!" I told him, but Lightning refused and snaked back into my arm.
"Don't worry about me, Einervaene. I'm not as frail as I look!" he jokes as he shudders out some of his pain.
"At least let me take this gold off..." I beg Lightning as I glance at the arm he seemed to be nesting in.
"I'll allow it." he tells me as he suddenly shoots out and latches onto the gold.
"E-Einervaene!?" Brewbrt squeaks as the gold starts to bubble and pop.
"Lightning!" I nearly shout as this looked like it would just exasperate the issue. Yet, it didn't the metal popped and metal and flowed away but not one sign of pain came from Brewbrt.
"Thank you..." Brewbrt added on as he slowly nodded. Not all of the gold was gone, though. A very thin layer remained on the armour he had on. Almost as if it was painted on.
"I-I'm so sorry! I'll fix this!" I tell him as I try to get Lightning to remove the rest of it. But he only raised his hand and patted my shoulder. A smile on his face as he moved his leg about.
"This is a reminder and a memory I won't mind keeping!" he exclaims as I help him to his feet. A relaxed expression then overtakes him before he suddenly takes the sabatons off. His soon barefoot then flexed and stretched in the open air. Exclamations of joy drowning out all other sounds before I found my eyes occupied.
"The village, it's..." I say as I stare out at the seemingly undamaged village. There were no more ruins anymore. Only well-looked-after houses and businesses. But it was all still empty.
No one was here...
"Now, to explain how you succeeded." Lightning spoke from my arm as an urge began to fill me. One that left me wanting to walk in a specific direction. As if I had been given directions.
"Hold on!" Brewbrt complained as he quickly put his clothes and armour back on to chase after me.
"It feels weird to walk these paths." I tell him, even if it did not mean much to him.
"I can only guess you've been on quite the adventure, Einervaene." he said, a smile on his face as he looked out at the mistless forest.
A difference which made me snap in a way, "Nothing strange has happened, right?"
"Outside of those things coming out of nowhere, no, why?" he asked me as I looked out at the machineless forest.
"Does that include when Thunder pulled us out of that forest with all those mangled machines?"
"Who's Thunder?" he asked, confused by what I was talking about.
"Our guid-... No, never mind. Ignore me." I tell him with a sigh as I just accept what has happened. Whatever I did back then has clearly changed a lot about this place. But what did I do...?
I thought it would've all been the same largely if Brewbrt still had a foot trapped in thunder-gold...
"Ah, you two. Did you find what you were looking for?" an old man asked as he slowly came out of a gap in some trees. But, despite the clearly ancient visage of this man, I felt like I recognised him. But from where did I recognise him...?
I couldn't quite put my finger on it...
"Wait, that amulet!" I say as I notice the piece of jewellery hanging from his neck.
"Yes, my Dad made it for me a long time ago."
"Th-Thurge!?" I exclaimed as I started to see some similarities.
"That is the name I was given by Thurnmourer at his anvil." he explains with a smile as Brewbrt moves ahead slightly.
"Yes, well, thank you very much, Thurge. But, we'll have to be on our way now."
"Okay! It's been nice seeing you two, I hope you go back with what you wanted!" he happily tells us as his wrinkled, but muscular hand takes Brewbrt's for a firm shake. And when he turned to me, he smiled even more.
"Thank you?" I told him, not sure how to react to meeting someone who should be dead... No?
"Hello again, old friend." he croaked as he gently held my left arm. From which the lightning that sparked across it then leapt onto him. And he laughed gently before it stopped.
"So, uh, see you around, I suppose?" I tell him as I slowly move away. Stopping once I spot a familiar spot. And once more, a grave stood there. Once again, it was decorated with hundreds of amulets and other things.
"It's nice to finally meet you again, Maelta, if that name means anything to you now." Thurge whispered to me as his hand stopped me from moving.
"I am sorry..." I tell him before he shook his head at me.
"No, there was no way I could've saved her, or any of them," he comments remorsefully, "But thanks to you, I can honour them all. Preserve their memory."
And I smile back at him, awkwardly laughing as a blush came "You're welcome."
But before I left, I made a point of going to the grave. And I slowly looked at each of the amulets. Trying to remember who it might've belonged to by either remembering their face or name. Until I stopped when I saw Torque's one.
He had shown me that in the brief time I was there and explained it all to me...
"Sorry for any trouble I caused you." I told them, somehow hoping they could hear me before I left. But, I looked back when I started to hear laughter and other noises. Nothing was going on, though. So I turned once again, only to repeat it.
It was only when I reached the very far edge of the forest that I finally caught something. Ghostly images were travelling about in the village. Yet Thurge remained at the grave. A smile was still on his face as he waved as we departed.
"I still don't get it... How did I succeed?" I asked Lightning as we walked down the path. My staff tapped against the rocky incline as we got closer to the bottom. Then, we travelled the tunnel I once saw being loaded with what I now know were explosives.
"You made him promise something, and that promise stayed with him for all time." Lightning answered with a satisfied rumble before he went quiet. And when we stepped out into the open. I was amazed by how calm the sky was. There was no perfect storm guarding this mountain.
The skies were clear and calm. It felt safe to travel here, in fact. But the Bubbling Sea remained. Although, that was calmer too.
And it looked like it was, for lack of a better word, freezing over. Waves were slowly coming to a still and bubbles refused to pop. It was calm and tranquil, like an undisturbed lake. But I still had some weariness in regards to travelling it again.
"I think we should be fine flying over it this time." Brewbrt says back to me as he walks down some steps. A heavy thud accompanied each sudden drop he went through.
"Is it?" I relayed to Lightning who gave what seemed to be a purr of approval.
"Well, alright!" I let out as I reached out for a cloud I saw in the distance. Smiling as I slowly watched my body convert into golden lightning before I shot up straight into the sky. And although I did not feel faster or any different right now. I was ecstatic and the golden trails I left behind me.
Me, of all people, leaving behind golden trails of lightning as I flew! Even my laughter sounded out as if I was thunder itself! As if my body had become a storm personified! More so than before, anyway!
I was happy and joyful and nothing would change that! But all this galavanting had to come to an end. So I landed right next to our camp. Which, interestingly enough, was in the same spot.
Only this time, it lacked the signs of that storm from before. Where we had to set up a camp purely because it was too dangerous to travel. But none of the signs were here now... So what was going on?
"Do not worry for the similarities, the world you left is still the same."
"R-Right..." I let out as both relief and disappointment filled me. I was glad that it was all still familiar. But that meant all of the painful experiences I had felt up until now were still out there. I still left behind my friends.
Nin was still chasing that murderer...
"So! Where to now?" Brewbrt asked with a smile as his mess-inducing landing kicked up quite a disturbance. And, with a frown, I wiped some of the dirt off of my face. Simply burning the rest off with my new power that I was quite enjoying. Yet, I felt as if I had to temper this kind of behaviour...
I had it only for one purpose, and that was to save Mother! But what would happen once the trials ended? When the courts disbanded? When the rumours ended?
Would Lightning leave me and with that it would all start over...? No, I would deal with that when it came, not now.
"Home, we head... Home." I answered slowly and ponderously as I took in its meaning. I would finally be going home! I would see all of it again! After so many years!
I just... I just couldn't keep it together! I was so happy right now! Even with all the problems I left behind here!
I was going to go home! I was finally going home!
"Einervaene?" Brewbrt questioned with a smile as he walked past me. Seemingly to avoid the light going into his face.
"I-I'm fine!" I tell him as I smile widely with a brightness that matched the orbital-halo itself!