Triberias: Mark of the Called

The Light of Hope

VII.

The Light of Hope.

BETHESDA.

420AA, after the Great Ascension.

She glided towards him, her once ink black robes now a shiny black with a golden vinelike embroidery. Her once dull grey eyes were now a shimmering silver. Huge silver eyes that glinted in night light even as she took in the bewildered expression that he had on plastered on his face.

"What are you?" he finally croaked out, ignoring the background sounds of the chaos that was now raining on a confused command centre back at the Hub.

"What are you?" The man repeated his question.

Havillah stared back at him at loss on how to respond. On one hand, she herself was in shock and she could not even begin to explain what had just happened to her or the visions that had assaulted her. On the other hand, how could she explain to him her origins when all his responses until then had all been sarcastic. This was not normal and not even she, a Great could begin to explain it.

"I will not ask you again." He said as he stood up to walk away from her.

Quite panicked, Havillah reached out her hand and tried to stop him.

"Fine. I will tell you, but I doubt that you will believe me anyway." she replied her thoughts going back to Killion and to his original reaction to her official introduction. "I am Havillah, daughter of Jaykob and Tamaar, elder of the Great. I am a Great and until recently, I actually lived in a city up there. " she said pointing upwards and the young man followed her finger quite obediently until he saw where it was pointing and scoffed at what must have been a very outrageous explanation.

"Really?"

She nodded.

"And you expect me to believe that?" she seemed to mull it over for a moment and then, she shook her head no.

"Killion had some trouble believing it so I guess, you too must have some trouble as well. "

And rightly so, the young man thought as he stared at her, studying her for any signs of deception and then, he suddenly sounded a mirthless laughter, one that was aimed more at the situation and not the words that she had just spouted.

"I guess you are right. " he said as he began walking again and Havillah felt herself heave out the sigh that she had not known that she had been holding.

"Will you now take me? To see Killion that is?" she ran up to him and gazed up at him pleadingly. For a moment he just regarded her and her weird explanation. Then, he sidestepped her and continued walking, not knowing how to respond in the wake of such a development.

Either she is mad or she is telling the truth. He thought before responding. "I won't and even if I wanted to I simply can't."

"But why?" she continued to ran after him. "I just explained everything!"

"Did you? Really?" At that the girl kept silent. "Anyway our Captain is out at sea and as you can see, it is still dark outside." The soldier replied pointing out at the blackness that had once again engulfed the night with its shadows. "I cannot risk it."he added. "There maybe more terrors out there." but even as he said it, Havillah could tell that he doubted it. For this darkness did not bare in it the blanketting evil, but was rather the result of a heavy rain cloud that had moved in to block the moon's rays.

"Fine, How about in the morning?" she asked him, refusing to give up.

"What about it?" His remark was snarky and Havillah could not help but narrow her eyes at him even as she fixed with him with an irritated glower. However, he did not even turn to look at her. Instead, he bent over his head and began to study the screen that had been mounted on a panel appended to his armour on the back end of his right fore-arm. Left with no other choice, she breathed out a heavy sigh and tried it again.

"Please..."

The soldier first paused and then he raised his head to face her.

Am I finally getting through to him? Unknown to her, the man had been weighing all his options and had suddenly decided that it was not favourable to invite his captain's wrath if she was truly who she said that she was.

"Fine, but only because you said please." He finally replied before shutting down the screen and the panel with it.

Too exhausted to protest, Havillah let the young soldier to drag her inside one of the abandoned buildings and there, they waited out the night within the sanctuary of its still sturdy walls. With everything that she had been through up to this point, her banished self was feeling exhausted and there with nothing else to do, she sat down on the bare floor and folded an elbow to rest her head. It only took her a few moments and she was fast asleep, managing to catch a few hours of dreamless slumber. That is, until she was woken up by a hand that was shaking her, telling her that it was time for them to leave.

"Are they back?" she asked groggily noting the relative darkness that was still enveloping the room that they had chosen to occupy.

"No. It's morning!" The soldier hissed. "We need to get going if we are to find them before dark."

Havillah sighed as she gathered herself feeling irritated by the young soldier's methods. She shook off imaginary dust from her now gold and black Triban robes and proceeded to follow the irritating man out of the derelict mansion.

"You know, you never got round to telling me your name." she tried in an attempt to start a civillised conversation.

"You never asked." his responses remained rude despite her attempts at being cordial.

Whatever! The girl rolled her eyes at his statement and continued after him, struggling to catch up with his long and heavy strides that were leading them into a wide but empty tarmacked road. Still, I should not give up, she told herself. This was the only other human that she had met and interacted with in this world below and if it meant that she would have to try harder to win him over, then she would have to give it her best, she reasoned.

"That's true, but now I am asking." she finally responded after a short pause had lasted between them. He did not respond immediately and she almost gave up and went back to walk behind him, taking in the scenery and the beauty of the pieces of architecture that were littered all over the place. The paint looked a little bit peeled off in almost all of the buildings and some of the walls were cracked up where others had crumbled, but most of the buildings were still intact and still maintained that same allure that reminded her so fondly of home.

"Gabriel!" the soldier finally croaked out as a smirk formed on Havillah's face.

Gabriel, she thought, staring back at back of the dark form, trying hard to connect the seemingly sweet name with the grumpy soldier who was already marching off ahead of her.

"Hurry up!" he called out. "We do not have all day!" The soldier yelled out even as he noticed that she had slowed down her walk to an easy pace.

With the smile still tagging on her lips, she quickened her steps and managed to catch up. The two of them then soldiered on even as more light continued to filter in. The sun's rays streaking the once bland and grey sky with a pink and orange glow that marked its burst out of the eastern horizon. Havillah took in all this beauty in silence and every once in a while, she would burst out into a little jog even as she tried to keep up with the longer strides of the soldier who was still guiding her.

Slowly but surely, they left behind the abandoned district and the further they moved east, Havillah noticed that the streets were growing narrower and that the houses were also getting smaller.

Eventually, the pair burst out into an open air market space that was beginning to bustle with activity, even as the traders began stir and air out their wares. Havillah wanted to stop and stare, maybe grab some breakfast or something, but the young soldier would not let her. Instead, he kept on leading her at a fast pace and in no time, they came to a stop before a dock, one that was much smaller than some of the bigger harbours that she had already seen from the city's viewpoint.

As she studied it, Havillah came to the conclusion that it was a part of the same port that she had seen back then when she had dropped off Killion not more than seventy two Triveria hours before. But now, it looked empty of people and a little too full of boats. However, she was still convinced that it was the same port.

Once on the docks, Gabriel took off again, this time leading her through northern route that was along the portside. Still looking around, she followed him and he led her to the farthest point north of the docks and to a sail boat that was tethered up there.

"Get in." he told her without ceremony even as he began to untie the ropes before throwing them into the little boat.

Havillah did as she had been instructed and settled back in the middle of the boat, too scared to touch anything and risk the temper of the military man that was stewing before her. What is his problem anyway? She could not tell, though she was sure that she had not imagined it, and that he was much grumpier than he had seemed that day before.

"Are you always this grumpy?" she found her mouth moving even without her permission. In response, the young soldier quit all his activities and turned to stare at her, his face marked by what she assumed to be an advanced version of an irritated glower.

It has to be. After all who can tell what is happening behind that dark visor? He had had it pulled down all morning and only his tone of voice and body language had told her what exactly he was feeling. Yes, and the fact that he was now showing his face spoke volumes to her.

"I do not know about you, but I am always wary of enigmas and you, just happen to be one great one. That and the fact that I should now be resting, sleeping away the effects of the night, but I cannot do so now that you have compelled me to take you to our beloved dear captain!" He yelled before turning back to his efforts at unfurling the sails.

"Okay...so you are grumpy." Havillah responded. "and sleepy, but how can I help?" shevadded as shev stood up to join him by the wheel.

"For one you could pray that the winds change direction and that we find them alive and well." He told her as he turned the wheel to steer the boat out of the docks.

"I can do better." she thought with a smile. Virtue was now humming deep in her veins and as she flexed her muscle the first responded in a way that she had thought she would never feel again. What had really happened? Havillah wondered as she looked down at her Triban garbs. They were still dark but a distinct golden embroidery was now shimmering by the edges.

"Let me guess?" Gabriel stopped turning the wheel as he turned to regard her with what she assumed was a skeptical look in his eyes. "You can also control the winds?"

"You know what Gabriel? I liked you better when you thought that I was just a damsel in distress!" Havillah snapped back already weary of his sarcasm. Her patience was wearing thin after the long day before and from a longer morning that involved handling the irritating man-boy that was now standing before her. Still, he was not as bad as the twins and she at least had to be grateful for that.

For a long while, Gabriel did not respond and for a moment an uncomfortable silence reigned between them. Finally he spoke up and she could finally understand him and where it was that he was coming from.

"It could help if you just gave me an explanation that I can work with." he suddenly said as she gazed away from the sea to look at him.

"I did," Havillah replied quietly. "but it is not my fault that you do not believe me."

"Sure." he suddenly fell into a fit of deriding laughter. "That you're a 'Great' and that you come from this fantastical city in the sky?" he put it out so snidely that the girl found herself going mad with annoyance.

"But it is true!"

"Oh please!" The man retorted even as she glared back at him brazenly. The two of them locked gazes for a while, with neither of them willing to back down. That is until Havillah thought otherwise of the situation and chose to look away.

"You know what? It doesn't matter." she finally decided even as she retrieved her hands from the warm haven that was the wide sleeves of her black Triban robes. "Just show me the way to Killion and I will be out of your hair." she added as she clapped her hands together and as expected, her Virtue responded by creating a warm bright light that emanated from the centre of both her capped palms.

She stretched it out and it formed a huge bright halo which she then condensed into a small ball of light. Havillah then swirled her hands around the glowing ball and slowly the light slightly faded, leaving behind a pulsing crystal that was the size of a small ball suspended in the air that was before her.

"What...what is that?" Gabriel stumbled as he took a step backwards. His jaws fell wide open even as he stared back at her and the crystal that she had in her hands with a bewildered look in his blue eyes. In the space of time that she had created it, the man had had stepped back a few paces from the wheel and he was still pulled back.

"A hope crystal," she replied in a perfunctory manner.

Disregarding his reaction at her response, Havillah reached out her right hand and held the crystal. The crystal continued to glow and she pushed it to pulse even more. With whispered words, she commanded her creation to launched itself up, glowing so brightly that its light covered the entirety of the sailboat. As commanded, it rose up and finally settled at the top mast of the boat's main sail awaiting the rest of the commands that she would place within the Modus.

Havillah reached out her hands and whispered some ancient words. As expected, thin tendrils of light dislodged themselves from within its centre and spread out downwards, wrapping themselves around the boat's hull to form a thin film of shimmering light that covered every surface.

Havillah connected her mind to the crystal and as she did so, the boat lurched forward and began swaying back and forth, steadily rising out from the water.

"What are you doing to my boat?" Gabriel suddenly cried out in alarm.

Havillah regarded the man with a cursory glance before turning back to her creation. "Making it fly?"

"Why does she she say it like it's a most obvious thing?" Gabriel mummered and Havillah rolled her eyes at him. Unlike before, her senses were now sharpened that even the slightest sounds was not lost to her.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to get back before nightfall?"

The soldier could not reply.

Surely! Havillah rolled her eyes again before diverting her attention back to the task that she had at hand. To make it fly, she raised her palms up above her head and suddenly, the boat lurched upwards in tandem with her actions.

"What are you doing?" the soldier screamed as he fell down. Flushed red with embarrassment, he turned to look away from her and once again, he hid himself behind the black screen of his helmet's visor.

Slowly Havillah watched as he gathered his wits about him and composed himself. Then, he stood up and readjusted his hands upon the wheel before turning to face her with a more composed but irritable mien that was visible again with the opening of his visor.

"How am I supposed to steer this thing now ?" He muttered irritably and the girl sighed as she moved forward to demonstrate it to him.

"Same as you do in the water, but if you like, I can always connect your mind to the crystal and it will do whatever you will it to."

"You can do that?" the young man gulped again and Havillah nodded even as he rolled his own eyes at that. "Of course you can." she could hear him mumbling before he added. "Fine, do whatever you must. Just make sure that you do not fry up my brain in the process."

She nodded again and looked up to the crystal. With more whispered ancient words, several strands of light detached themselves from the crystal's centre and wandered down towards her. She raised up her hands as though she was twisting them like threads around a spool, weaving the strands delicately as she slowly directed them towards Gabriel. The strands seemed to dim for a moment even as she adjusted the wavelength before allowing them to flow through his forehead and disappear deep into the recesses his forehead.

Suddenly the boat lurched backwards and she turned to give the man a pointed look.

"Focus!" Havillah hissed back at him and he glowered back in response even as the boat locked again.

"Give me a break, I am new to all these and you are yet to give me any solid instructions." he roared back and Havillah easened her sour look. If she had been better, this would have gone much more smoothly and yet she was supposed to be among the best in the practice of the Second Virtue. She was still not good enough, she knew it and so, she had no business being too hard on him.

"Fine, just focus. Keep your mind on the direction that you want the boat to go and the crystal will do the rest." she told him and the soldier nodded.

Gabriel closed his eyes and focused, but still, nothing happened.

"You need to see a clear cut image, so I suggest that you open those eyes this instant!"

"Fine!" He retorted and as his eyelids fluttered open, the boat lurched forward and flew eastwards at a tremendous speed.