Chereads / Isles of Divinity / Chapter 6 - Wake up solveig!

Chapter 6 - Wake up solveig!

Solveig found herself standing on the soft sands of the beach, her bare feet sinking slightly with each step. The water lapped at the shore in a calming rhythm, its crystalline clarity reflecting the brilliance of the morning sun. It was a truly magical sight. The sky stretched endlessly above, a perfect dome of azure unmarred by clouds. It was breathtaking, serene—the kind of place one could only dream of. Yet, amidst all this beauty, a sense of dread lingered.

But Solveig couldn't feel at peace.

Her hand—the one that had been nothing but bone, stripped to its core—was whole again. She flexed her fingers, marveling at the smooth, unblemished skin. It was a miracle, a sensation she hadn't felt in what seemed like a lifetime. Relief washed over her like the tide, but it carried a sharp edge of suspicion. The flesh-eating mist had taken her hand; she had already come to terms with that fact. So why had the island now magically healed it? It made no sense.

She turned, her eyes falling on the wreckage of the ship. The twisted remains of the vessel lay scattered along the beach, and nearby, the others were still. Bram, Arcia, Orden—none of them stirred. Their bodies were motionless, as if frozen in time. All the running had drained them. Solveig's superior physical prowess allowed her body to recover with minimal rest, but it was not the same for the others.

Solveig's heart quickened.

Then she saw it.

A creature emerged from the jungle's edge, its gelatinous form shimmering in the sunlight. It moved with a predatory gait, its translucent body revealing grotesque organs pulsing within. The thing was bear-like in size, its limbs dripping with viscous slime. Its organs reflected the bright sunlight as it padded closer to the unconscious figures.

To Bram.

Solveig's body reacted before her mind could catch up. She sprinted across the sand, her boots pounding against the ground. Adrenaline surged through her veins, a primal instinct overriding every thought. There was no hesitation, no moment of doubt.

Solveig slammed into it with her shoulder, the force of the collision sending them both sprawling. Sand flew in all directions, and the monster's viscous body rippled as it let out a wet, gurgling snarl.

She spotted a shard of wood jutting from the wreckage—a jagged piece broken off from the ship's hull. She snatched it up mid-run, her grip tightening around its splintered surface. Solveig rolled to her feet, her makeshift weapon raised.

The creature came at her again, its movements deceptively fast for something so bulky. Solveig sidestepped, the edge of the wooden spear slicing through one of its limbs. A spray of viscous fluid hit her arm, burning like acid. She hissed in pain but didn't falter.

The creature retaliated, swiping at her with a limb that stretched unnaturally long. Solveig ducked, the attack grazing her by mere inches. She countered with a vicious thrust, driving the jagged point into the thing's side.

It shrieked, its body convulsing, but it wasn't done.

The monster lashed out again, its gelatinous mass slamming into Solveig and knocking her to the ground. The air rushed from her lungs as she hit the sand, but she held onto the spear.

Solveig gritted her teeth, forcing herself to her feet. The creature loomed over her, its translucent organs pulsing with sickly light. It lunged, its gaping maw aiming for her throat. The creature had an obvious flaw—all its vital organs were visible.

With a roar of defiance, Solveig pivoted, using the creature's momentum against it. She drove the spear upward, the jagged point piercing through the monster's core.

The creature let out a final, agonized shriek as its body collapsed, melting into a puddle of quivering sludge. Solveig stood over it, her chest heaving, the broken weapon still clutched in her trembling hands.

Solveig exhaled sharply, her chest rising and falling. The gelatinous beast lay defeated, its translucent remains oozing into the sand. She turned to Bram, still motionless on the beach. Relief surged through her. He was safe.

But as she gazed at him, her own triumph faded. Her mind betrayed her, dragging her back to a memory she had tried desperately to bury.

The day she failed.

Fifteen-year-old Solveig stood at the threshold of her family's large, timber-hewn home, snow swirling outside in the biting wind. Despite the cold, her breath steamed with barely contained excitement. Her massive frame, already towering at 6'6", filled the doorway as she pleaded with her father, the village head of their small warrior settlement on Drakoya Island.

"Take me with you, Father!" she insisted, her voice resolute but tinged with desperation. "I'm strong enough now. I can hunt the talons with you!"

Her father, a towering man with a grizzled beard and a presence like a glacial mountain, crossed his arms. "Solveig, no. It's too dangerous. Polar talons are not prey for a child to chase. Your time will come when you are ready."

"I am ready!" she protested, her voice rising. "I can be just as strong as the other warriors. Stronger even!"

Her father's gaze softened, though his voice remained firm. "You sure do have your mothers confidence but Strength isn't enough, Solveig. Hunting is more than muscle. You'll learn that someday. But not today. "

His words stung more than the cold wind outside. As he left with the hunting party, Solveig's fists clenched. She wouldn't wait for "someday." She needed their respect now.

That night, she hatched her plan.

Solveig crept from the house under the cover of darkness, her twin brother Solvar catching her just as she reached the edge of the village. Solvar had always been her shadow, smaller but equally determined, solvar always had sharp senses from childhood with an even more keen sense for his sisters mischief.

"You're sneaking out, aren't you?" he said, his breath fogging in the icy air.

"I'm going to hunt a talon," Solveig replied without hesitation.

"No amount of convincing will make you go back will it? Solvar asked , seeing his sisters eyes he let out a heavy sigh, that look in her eyes, there's no changing her midn now.

"You'll need someone to watch your back," Solvar said, grinning as he grabbed his coat. "I'll come with you, im better at tracking than you anyway."

Despite her protests, Solvar joined her, and together they ventured into the frozen wilderness. Hours later, they found themselves by a frozen river, its surface glittering under the pale light of the moon. There, a small flock of polar talons, their massive 15-foot forms majestic yet monstrous, pecked at the ice.

Solveig crouched low, gripping her spear tightly. "Stay here," she whispered to Solvar. "I'll get close and take one down."

But as she crept forward, a roar shattered the stillness.

From the treeline burst the saber-toothed bear, its massive form thundering onto the frozen river. Its white fur glistened like frost, and its glowing yellow eyes burned with primal rage. Two enormous saber teeth jutted from its jaws, sharp as ice shards, gleaming in the moonlight. The beast roared, a guttural sound that reverberated through the icy valley, shaking Solveig to her core.

The flock of talons screeched and took flight, their wings beating furiously against the freezing air, but the bear didn't chase them. Instead, it turned its attention to the two human figures stranded on the cracking ice.

Solveig froze, her legs trembling beneath her. The bear's sheer size dwarfed anything she had ever seen, each paw landing with a thunderous crack that splintered the ice further. Its breath came in hot, visible gusts, curling into the night like smoke from a furnace.

"Run," Solvar whispered, his voice barely audible over the bear's growl.

The bear crouched, its muscles tensing, and lunged forward with terrifying speed. Solveig barely threw herself to the side in time, the bear's massive claws slashing through the air where she had been standing. She hit the ice hard, sliding several feet, her breath knocked from her lungs.

"Here! Over here!" Solvar yelled, waving his arms to draw the bear's attention.

The beast's glowing eyes locked onto him, and it charged, its claws raking deep grooves into the ice. Solvar dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the swipe of a massive paw.

"SOLVEIG!" he shouted, his voice desperate.

Her hands fumbled for the spear, her breath coming in panicked gasps. The bear loomed over her brother now, its claws poised to strike. With a yell that was more fear than courage, Solveig hurled the spear with all her strength.

The weapon struck the bear in the shoulder, embedding itself deep into its thick fur. The beast roared in pain and fury, spinning to face her. For a moment, its eyes burned into hers, and Solveig felt the full weight of her decision.

The bear charged again, each step shaking the unstable ice beneath her feet. Solveig tried to backpedal, but her boots slipped on the slick surface.

"Move, Solveig!" Solvar screamed, his voice cutting through her fear.

The bear reared up on its hind legs, its shadow falling over her like a storm. She scrambled backward, but the ice cracked loudly beneath her, groaning under the strain.

Solvar acted without hesitation. As the bear lunged, its jaws open wide, he hurled himself at Solveig, shoving her with all his strength.

Solveig plunged into the freezing river, the icy water swallowing her whole. The cold was a brutal shock, stealing the air from her lungs. She flailed, desperate to reach the surface.

When she broke through, gasping for breath, the scene above was chaos. Hunters from the village had arrived, their torches lighting up the night. Arrows rained down on the bear, each shot drawing another enraged roar.

"SOLVAR!" Solveig screamed, her voice cracking as she clawed at the ice, trying to pull herself up.

Her brother stood defiantly on the ice, his small frame dwarfed by the beast. Blood poured from a deep gash on his shoulder, staining the ice red.

"GO!" he yelled at her, his voice raw with pain and determination.

The bear roared one final time before the hunters' arrows finally struck true, one piercing its throat and another burying itself deep in its heart. The beast collapsed with a heavy thud, its blood pooling around it.

"SOLVAR" Solveig screamed as she woke up in a dimly lit tent covered in a thick medical scent, her body aching and her mind racing. She burst into the medical tent, tears already spilling as she saw him.

The world felt distant and muted as Solveig pushed through the flaps of the medical tent, her legs trembling beneath her. The warm, heavy air inside hit her like a wave, carrying the coppery scent of blood and the bitter tang of herbs. It was suffocating.

Her eyes searched frantically until they found him.

Solvar lay motionless on a cot at the far end of the tent. The boy who had always been so full of life now looked unnaturally still, his face pale against the stained blankets. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths. The rhythmic sound of dripping water from melting ice outside the tent filled the silence.

Solveig's breath hitched as she stepped closer, her boots crunching softly on the packed snow beneath her feet. She could barely recognize him. His once-strong frame was marred by jagged wounds, each one a painful reminder of her recklessness. His chest and arms were wrapped in thick, hastily applied bandages, dark with dried blood.

And then her gaze fell to where his leg should have been.

Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground beside him, her hands covering her mouth as if to hold back the torrent of emotions threatening to escape. The blankets stopped short at his thigh, revealing the cruel truth. Where there had once been a sturdy, unyielding leg, there was now only a jagged stump, wrapped in blood-soaked cloth.

She couldn't breathe. Her chest felt tight, like the air had been stolen from her lungs. She reached out with trembling fingers, brushing the back of his hand. His skin was cold, his fingers limp.

This is my fault. The thought struck her with the force of a hammer.

Memories of the icy river flooded her mind—the crack of the ice, the roar of the bear, Solvar's final act of bravery. She could still see his face as he shoved her to safety, the desperate determination in his eyes. He had known what he was doing. He had chosen to face the beast alone, knowing the cost.

Tears blurred her vision, streaming down her face as she clutched his hand. It felt so small now, so fragile. She used to tease him about how she would always be the stronger one, but this... this wasn't what she meant.

Her shoulders shook with silent sobs as she pressed her forehead against his hand, the weight of her guilt pressing down on her like an avalanche.

The tent felt too small, too stifling. The sounds of the village outside—muted voices, the distant crackle of fire—felt like they belonged to another world, one she no longer recognized.

Her father's heavy steps approached from behind, but Solveig didn't look up. She couldn't. She couldn't face him, couldn't face anyone.

Solvar's labored breathing was the only sound that mattered. She stayed there, kneeling beside him, her tears soaking into the blanket. The weight of her failure was unbearable, but she refused to leave his side.

It wasn't just her brother lying broken before her. It was her dreams, her ambitions, her very sense of self. She had wanted to be brave, to be strong. Instead, her foolishness had cost her brother everything.

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the tent's fabric, casting long shadows across the space, Solveig made a silent vow. The person she had been, the girl who had sought glory and admiration, was gone. She would never again act so selfishly, so recklessly.

But no matter how much she promised, no matter how much she swore to change, it wouldn't undo what had been done. And that truth was the heaviest burden of all.

-----

Orden's boot slammed into Solveig's side with enough force to tear through the leather. A sharp, guttural cry escaped her lips as she jolted awake, gasping as though she had just surfaced from drowning. Her eyes, wide and wet with tears, darted around in confusion, her breath hitching.

"Wake up!" Orden barked, his voice urgent but gruff, his own body trembling with the aftershock of the hallucination.

Solveig blinked rapidly, the remnants of the illusion lingering in her mind like fragments of a terrible dream. Her hand instinctively brushed against her side, where Orden's boot had landed. Slowly, she looked up, her vision clearing enough to take in the monstrous figure before her. The grotesque, jellyfish-like creature loomed over them, its translucent body pulsating faintly, its tentacles writhing and latched firmly to the heads of her companions.

"What... is that?" Solveig whispered, her voice hoarse.

"No time," Bram muttered, his voice tight with urgency. He was hanging just a few feet away, his body twisted at an awkward angle as he nudged his head toward Arcia. "Wake her up. Now."

Solveig followed his gaze to where Arcia dangled, her body limp, her head slumped forward. For a moment, Solveig hesitated, her muscles still sluggish from the lingering effects of the hallucination. But as she focused on the sight of the creature's tentacles latched to Arcia's head, something inside her snapped back into place.

Gritting her teeth, Solveig swung her leg back, preparing to kick Arcia awake the same way Orden had jolted her. She drew in a sharp breath, aiming carefully—

But before her boot could connect, Arcia's head snapped up, her eyes flaring open as if jolted by an unseen force.

"I'm awake," Arcia said sharply, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. Her hand instinctively moved to her side, where the tattooed dagger began to shimmer faintly, the edges glowing with a faint blue light.

Solveig froze mid-kick, her body tensing in surprise. For a moment, their eyes met—Arcia's steady and determined, Solveig's still clouded with a mixture of confusion and relief.

"Good," Bram said, his lips curling into a faint smirk despite the dire situation. "That's one less thing to worry about. Now let's figure out how to kill this thing."