Ten Ways To Walk The Same Path
A bit more uplifting than the last ones. Hopefully a little better too.
Spoilers till the end of the series, as usual.
#57 Nightmare (Neviril/Amuria) - Hurt & Confort
‘It always begins the same way. We’re both in our Simoun, then suddenly something really dangerous appears in the sky - I can’t remember what it is. I look up for you...’
Neviril took a deep breath, trying to stop her hands to shake by clutching the sheets.
‘But the danger is too close from us now, so we try to draw a Ri Maajon - one we never did before - and we fail it.’
There was a short silence, then : ‘And you disappear.’
Amuria placed her hand over Neviril’s.
‘Don’t be silly. This will never happen.’
#54 Sleep (Neviril/Amuria) - I Go To Sleep
Aaeru always wanted her to leave her bedroom. She was hitting against the door, shouting things she didn’t want to hear.
She could tell that Paraietta wanted the same, even if she was much more subtle than the irritating blond. After all, Paraietta was her friend for years, and the only thing she wanted was for Neviril to get better.
But she didn’t want to get better. She wanted to stay in her bed, sleeping, searching for Amuria in her dreams. Even if she knew it only hurt her in the end, she wanted to see her again.
#85 Child (General) - Farewell
First the mutiny of the Plumbum Priestesses, and now this. Ahead of them, in the reddish sky, four ancient Simouns were drawing a forgotten Ri Maajon.
They couldn’t tear their eyes of those elegant lines, something they had never seen before, except in old books, and would never see again.
The Calm Morning Sea.
Under them, the sea was as quiet as the sky, silently reflecting the Ri Maajon in its pure blue water.
‘We all have been young girls’, he said.
We all have been free. We all have been rebellious. And we all have followed our heart.
#23 Magick (Dominura and Wapourif) - Clarke’s Third Law
‘I can’t dismantle the Simoun. The Simoun are sacred, you can’t touch them.’ Wapourif said, shaking his head.
‘But we need too, in order to understand how they work.’ Dominura sighed. Convince the young man was far more difficult than she imagined.
‘We won’t understand how they work anyway, since they’re Gods’ tanks. They use their power.’
‘Power which is only some kind science we don’t know about.’
Wapourif was shocked by her words, but he kept silent. He couldn’t go against a sybilla, especially Dominura.
‘Leave me the night to think about it.’
#5 Eternal (Aaeru/Neviril) - Lost In Time
‘I’ve lost the count. I can’t tell how many days have passed since we left our world.’ Aaeru said, watching the clouds passing below them.
‘I can’t tell either. But I think our time is going slower than their own.’ Neviril answered. It was a strange feeling, to be separated from all the things they knew, from their reality.
‘They said we were the Eternal Maidens. What does it mean ?’
‘I don’t know, Aaeru. I don’t know.’
‘If we’re eternal, we won’t be separated, will we ?” Aaeru asked.
‘No.’
‘Then it’s fine.’
#3 Church (Anubituf/Guragief) - Romanticism
The Arcus Prima still looked majestic, even half drowned in the sea. From where they were, they could see the broken window Aaeru and Neviril used to fly away. It had never been repaired, making it easier for the rain to erode the old metallic structures.
‘I still miss it, you know.’
Anubituf didn’t answer.
‘I miss the church.’
‘Why the church ?’
‘Because it’s where you kissed me.’ Guragief said, smiling.
His lover just snorted.
‘It wouldn’t hurt you to be romantic once in a while, you know.’
‘I know’, he said, leaning against him. ‘I know.’
#49 Otherworld (Aaeru/Neviril) - Crossing Paths
‘Hm ? What did you said ?’ Aaeru asked, still concentrated on the piloting even if they couldn’t see anything anymore. The Ri Maajon was achieved, and they were floating in an intense white light which was almost blinding them.
‘I didn’t say anything.’ Neviril answered. The light was beginning to fade, and they could see the forms of the clouds all around them.
‘Eh ? But I heard someone say my name...’
In a flash of light, they saw the land, far below them, a small village, a river, and the unmistakable trail of a Simoun. Then they were gone.
#35 Touch (Yun/Onashia) - Human Touch
The feeling of a warm human body, then of sand, then nothing.
She already knew what her touch was going to do to Onashia ; she knew it was the only thing she could do to free her soul. She had thought she would feel free from her duty towards her dead comrades as well.
But she wasn’t prepared to the sadness that took over her. She buried her head in Onashia’s clothes. They had no scent and smell like old, but clean ones. She wore them, looking at her reflexion in the shallow waters.
It was her place.
#34 Contact (General) - United We Stand
They were seven, seven sybillae wearing only underwear and a white cloak, standing at the entrance of the Spring.
They were talking, trying to hide their fear, and discovering they didn’t knew each other. But that didn’t matter. Because they were seven sybillae from the same Chor, and what they had lived together created a bond deeper and stronger than anything else.
Some had been lost and one had come, but it was still the Chor Tempest, the best Chor of all Simulacrum.
They forgave each other, and held hands. And, together, they walked into the warm water.
#72 Warm (Erri) - See ?
See, the water here is warm. It shouldn’t, since the Spring get so few of the sunlight. But against all odds it is, and you know that when you’re shivering it’s not from the cold. So you have no excuse to stay on the edge, have you ?
See, outside the air is soft and warm. You’re not wearing much but you aren’t cold, and your body should feel relaxed. It isn’t. You can look back, but you can’t get back, and that’s breaking you in two.
See, your tears are warm too.
Spoilers till the end of the series, as usual.
#57 Nightmare (Neviril/Amuria) - Hurt & Confort
‘It always begins the same way. We’re both in our Simoun, then suddenly something really dangerous appears in the sky - I can’t remember what it is. I look up for you...’
Neviril took a deep breath, trying to stop her hands to shake by clutching the sheets.
‘But the danger is too close from us now, so we try to draw a Ri Maajon - one we never did before - and we fail it.’
There was a short silence, then : ‘And you disappear.’
Amuria placed her hand over Neviril’s.
‘Don’t be silly. This will never happen.’
#54 Sleep (Neviril/Amuria) - I Go To Sleep
Aaeru always wanted her to leave her bedroom. She was hitting against the door, shouting things she didn’t want to hear.
She could tell that Paraietta wanted the same, even if she was much more subtle than the irritating blond. After all, Paraietta was her friend for years, and the only thing she wanted was for Neviril to get better.
But she didn’t want to get better. She wanted to stay in her bed, sleeping, searching for Amuria in her dreams. Even if she knew it only hurt her in the end, she wanted to see her again.
#85 Child (General) - Farewell
First the mutiny of the Plumbum Priestesses, and now this. Ahead of them, in the reddish sky, four ancient Simouns were drawing a forgotten Ri Maajon.
They couldn’t tear their eyes of those elegant lines, something they had never seen before, except in old books, and would never see again.
The Calm Morning Sea.
Under them, the sea was as quiet as the sky, silently reflecting the Ri Maajon in its pure blue water.
‘We all have been young girls’, he said.
We all have been free. We all have been rebellious. And we all have followed our heart.
#23 Magick (Dominura and Wapourif) - Clarke’s Third Law
‘I can’t dismantle the Simoun. The Simoun are sacred, you can’t touch them.’ Wapourif said, shaking his head.
‘But we need too, in order to understand how they work.’ Dominura sighed. Convince the young man was far more difficult than she imagined.
‘We won’t understand how they work anyway, since they’re Gods’ tanks. They use their power.’
‘Power which is only some kind science we don’t know about.’
Wapourif was shocked by her words, but he kept silent. He couldn’t go against a sybilla, especially Dominura.
‘Leave me the night to think about it.’
#5 Eternal (Aaeru/Neviril) - Lost In Time
‘I’ve lost the count. I can’t tell how many days have passed since we left our world.’ Aaeru said, watching the clouds passing below them.
‘I can’t tell either. But I think our time is going slower than their own.’ Neviril answered. It was a strange feeling, to be separated from all the things they knew, from their reality.
‘They said we were the Eternal Maidens. What does it mean ?’
‘I don’t know, Aaeru. I don’t know.’
‘If we’re eternal, we won’t be separated, will we ?” Aaeru asked.
‘No.’
‘Then it’s fine.’
#3 Church (Anubituf/Guragief) - Romanticism
The Arcus Prima still looked majestic, even half drowned in the sea. From where they were, they could see the broken window Aaeru and Neviril used to fly away. It had never been repaired, making it easier for the rain to erode the old metallic structures.
‘I still miss it, you know.’
Anubituf didn’t answer.
‘I miss the church.’
‘Why the church ?’
‘Because it’s where you kissed me.’ Guragief said, smiling.
His lover just snorted.
‘It wouldn’t hurt you to be romantic once in a while, you know.’
‘I know’, he said, leaning against him. ‘I know.’
#49 Otherworld (Aaeru/Neviril) - Crossing Paths
‘Hm ? What did you said ?’ Aaeru asked, still concentrated on the piloting even if they couldn’t see anything anymore. The Ri Maajon was achieved, and they were floating in an intense white light which was almost blinding them.
‘I didn’t say anything.’ Neviril answered. The light was beginning to fade, and they could see the forms of the clouds all around them.
‘Eh ? But I heard someone say my name...’
In a flash of light, they saw the land, far below them, a small village, a river, and the unmistakable trail of a Simoun. Then they were gone.
#35 Touch (Yun/Onashia) - Human Touch
The feeling of a warm human body, then of sand, then nothing.
She already knew what her touch was going to do to Onashia ; she knew it was the only thing she could do to free her soul. She had thought she would feel free from her duty towards her dead comrades as well.
But she wasn’t prepared to the sadness that took over her. She buried her head in Onashia’s clothes. They had no scent and smell like old, but clean ones. She wore them, looking at her reflexion in the shallow waters.
It was her place.
#34 Contact (General) - United We Stand
They were seven, seven sybillae wearing only underwear and a white cloak, standing at the entrance of the Spring.
They were talking, trying to hide their fear, and discovering they didn’t knew each other. But that didn’t matter. Because they were seven sybillae from the same Chor, and what they had lived together created a bond deeper and stronger than anything else.
Some had been lost and one had come, but it was still the Chor Tempest, the best Chor of all Simulacrum.
They forgave each other, and held hands. And, together, they walked into the warm water.
#72 Warm (Erri) - See ?
See, the water here is warm. It shouldn’t, since the Spring get so few of the sunlight. But against all odds it is, and you know that when you’re shivering it’s not from the cold. So you have no excuse to stay on the edge, have you ?
See, outside the air is soft and warm. You’re not wearing much but you aren’t cold, and your body should feel relaxed. It isn’t. You can look back, but you can’t get back, and that’s breaking you in two.
See, your tears are warm too.