A bright blue sky, stretching from horizon to horizon. A warm sunlight casting shining rays all over the land. When I look out of the window of the carriage, that's what I'm hoping to see. Of course, none of that happens.
All I see when I look out of the carriage is the grim and dreary blackness that only occurs on the Day of Darkness. There is no moonlight, and there is no joy riffling through the air. There is only despair and sorrow out there.
Within the last twenty-four hours, the world lost three brave souls who did not deserve to die. This was all because of Merava, the Imp Queen. She was a plague upon my country, and I would do whatever it takes to kill her.
As the carriage pulls into Greenwald Village, the sun is almost ready to rise. Neither Kavella nor Kael have had any rest, and I feel sorry that they have to go through this. I blacked out, and I feel a little rejuvenated from the bit of sleep I experienced…but they have had no rest.
"The next train arrives tomorrow night at seven," the Spiritguard driving the carriage says. "Ms. Borden wanted me to tell you that. You should get some rest for the time being, and don't forget to buy some new clothes. You can't exactly be incognito if you're wearing that Spiritguard uniform.
On those words, the carriage driver takes off, looking for a place to park. He must be exhausted as well, and he went out of his way to help us out. That was good of him…and to think, I never even asked him what his name was.
We are all exhausted as we stumble into the village. Our light blue and white Spiritguard uniforms are all we have…well, that and our weapons. Our first order of business should be getting to the bank. That way we'll have some money and we'll be able to get some rooms at the hotel here. Then we can get some rest.
When we arrive at the bank, we find that it won't be open until eight in the morning. That isn't too far away, but it is still inconvenient. We won't be able to withdraw the checks from Ms. Borden for two hours, still.
The three of us walk over to some benches that are sitting by the train tracks. It is completely desolate here right now, and it is a fairly open space, so we're certain nobody will be able to hear us. Since we can't get any rest until eight at the very least, I figure now is as good of a time as any to talk to my comrades about what has happened. The three of us haven't had a chance up until now to talk in privacy about our mission.
"I know what you're thinking, Sigmund," Kael looks at me pensively. "You don't have to worry, though. I'd follow you to the end of the world if I had to. You're my best friend, and I won't give up on you no matter what."
I sit down on the bench next to Kael, and Kavella crawls up on the bench to our left. When I look down, I see that my Spiritguard uniform is still stained with Lance's blood. It makes me shiver. I didn't ever want something like this to happen.
"If you want to talk about what happened, at the end, I'm here," Kael pats my shoulder. "It's good to let loose sometimes. You've been so quiet this whole time, and you're scowling."
So what if I have been quiet, and so what if I'm scowling? I have more than enough reasons to be angry right now. Everything that has happened in the past several hours has been a disaster, and now the three of us are in a village that's unfamiliar to all of us, waiting for a train that won't come until tomorrow night. What exactly are we supposed to do until then? Just sit around and twiddle our thumbs? Play a game? The time for happiness and enjoyment is done. Every thought I have in my head right now is just stressful and terrible.
"Lance died because he was charging at Merava, trying to save our Squad Leader," I tell Kael. "He went up and attacked Merava, knowing completely he'd probably be killed. At least, that's what it seemed like to me. It felt like he'd known, and he accepted his death."
Saying those words reminds me of the sword that I am currently wearing on my back. The sword, Crossed Heart, can only be used by someone who has accepted death into their hearts. After seeing Lance go down the way he did, I feel like I can finally understand the power of that sword. Before Lance fell, I didn't really have a good grasp on death. My father had died when I was little, and I cried, but it didn't have such an impact on me. Seeing Lance sacrifice himself like that was entirely different.
"Marc broke down when he saw Lance and our Squad Leader die," I finish. "He…he was crying in the grass, and trying not to be seen. He must have lost the strength to run away. And that bitch…she killed him anyway. It was terrible, Kael."
Kael nods his head. "That Spirit will pay for this," his voice comes out in a way I've never heard before. He normally is able to keep such a calm, relaxed demeanor to himself, but when he speaks I hear a deep, tumultuous anger. It's a little bit scary, I won't lie.
"I wonder what Natalia and Mira are up to," Kael says as he sits back, relaxed. The brief spell of fury that overtook him seems to have subsided. He wants to think of happier things. "They have no idea what happened. They don't even know where we went. They'll probably miss us, huh?"
"Especially Natalia, you were like a little brother to her."
"Hah, yeah," Kael looks down at the train tracks reflectively. "She was like a big sister to me too. She was so much smarter than she gave herself credit for, and she was so talented when it came to fighting, too. And then there's Mira. She…well…"
"Did someone have a little bit of a crush on Mira?"
The voice comes from Kavella. She is laying down on the bench, but I see her head tilt up and a faint smile creep up on her lips. She's trying to be happy.
"No!" Kael says, looking suddenly flushed. "She was a nice girl, that's all. Kael forces a smile, but in a moment it transforms. It seems real. "I can't believe nobody ever told you, Kavella," he chuckles.
She looks over at him inquisitively. I glance over at Kael, knowing full well what he's going to say.
"About why I don't have a crush on Mira. I, uh…I'm attracted to guys, Kavella."
Her eyes widened for a moment, and then she looked over to me. "O-oh. You…"
"No," Kael shook his head, smiling sheepishly. "Not Sigmund, just me."
"Oh," she replied. It sounded almost as if she breathed a sigh of relief. "Too bad for Sigmund, then. He could do a lot worse than you, Kael."
Kael laughs for a moment, although he quickly becomes serious again. "When did you get in such a joking mood, Kavella?"
"I'm glad to be out of there. Arcona Village," Kavella says. "We're finally free, and if we let our emotions become too negative, we'll lose who we are. I'm just trying to look forward, that's all."
Kavella sits up on the bench and finishes her thought. "We all know we need to kill Merava, but there's no need to act so stressed and depressed about it. We can't let her bring us down. We should be happy, even happier than normal, and prove to Merava and whoever else wants to mess with us that they can't ever bring us down!"
Kavella's words make a lot of sense. I've never known her to be someone that is so inspirational, and yet those words have more of an impact on me than any other statement I can remember. What she has said is revolutionary, and she's right. The happier we are, and the more we embrace life…the less of an impact Merava will have on our lives. If we can stay positive and fight through it all, we'll be much better off.
For a few hours there, I felt like my anger and my hatred was absorbing me. What would I have become without Kavella's advice? Would I have become a two-dimensional person, who had no other desire other than killing Spirits and getting revenge? Life is about so much more than revenge, or getting even.
It's undeniably true that Merava needs to die, but that alone shouldn't dictate my life and change who I am. I am Sigmund Felice, a proud young man who has wanted to be a Spiritguard for his whole life, and that dream has officially become a reality. Not only that, but I am a friend, and I have many friends. Kavella and Kael are two of the best people I could ask for to be with me. Looking back, I realize how silly it was of me to let my revenge boil up so high.
Merava needs to die. But I won't suffer any more because of what she has done. I will be strong alongside my friends, and I will undo all of the hatred she spawns. Right here, right now, I have begun that process. I have undone the burning hatred in my own heart.
"You know, Kavella, you're pretty smart."
She smiles a bit and flicks her hair. "I do my best, Sigmund."
"I think we're all tired out of our minds," Kael laughs. "Look at us. Kavella's being friendly, Sigmund's dishing out compliments, and I'm…well, what am I?"
"You're too tired to form a sentence," Kavella notes.
"Yeah. We need some rest, that's for sure."
We continue to talk for a while, laughing and joking, and letting all of the negative emotions we built up from last night fade away. I don't know if this happiness is permanent, but for now it is a good escape.