Chapter 76: Ad Astra Per Aspera
One evening, Yemoja and Flea were practicing the various Silach-Ruki martial-art exercises and maneuvers together while Ylenia and Zarya prepared the evening meal. Flea had long since memorized every Vykraja pose that Yemoja could teach him. She had deemed him a fellow master of the skill, but still insisted on daily practice and meditation so his skills would stay sharp.
Towards the end of their session, Yemoja remarked that the eclipse was only a few days away. Her comment caught Flea off-guard, making him falter mid-pose. Had it really been seven years? What once felt like a far off event was now suddenly impending.
"I sense you are apprehensive," Yemoja noted, seeing Flea's reaction upon hearing the news. "Do you still doubt Zarya can do it?"
"No, I have no doubt she can. It's just-" Flea let out a breath. "I guess I've gotten used to things here and… What are you going to do once we leave?"
"Do not worry about me," Yemoja said reassuringly. "I will do whatever Ylenia is comfortable with and I have faith in the Great Fire that we will all be where we need to be once the eclipse is done."
Flea nodded. He knew this day would come and yet it felt selfish to leave. He'd be back in his era, knowing that Yemoja had long since passed in the distant past. He felt weird mourning a friend who was sitting right next to him, alive and well before his eyes. Changing the subject, Flea suggested they stop for the evening and both go see how Ylenia and Zarya were doing in the kitchen and assist with preparing supper.
~o~O~o~
During supper, Zarya pointedly asked Yemoja and Ylenia if they wanted to go through the Gate too. Ylenia immediately turned down such an idea, saying she could not leave Umbria and her family. Yemoja likewise expressed that it would be impossible for her to leave Ylenia.
"Besides, wouldn't it be a bad idea to bring them to the future?" Flea asked, certain that such an idea would endanger Yemoja and Ylenia.
"My dad moved to the future to be with my mom," Zarya argued back.
Yemoja smiled and told Zarya that it had been her father's destiny to meet her mother and join her in the future. However, Yemoja argued, as tempting as it was to see the far future, it was not her fate.
Zarya frowned but accepted Yemoja's answer. She knew Yemoja well enough to know that as open minded as Yemoja had been to accept her and Flea, that Yemoja strongly believed in things like fate and destiny and the dream of her great fire.
"When we say goodbye, I'll miss you, Yemi," she said softly.
Yemoja's smile softened and she let out the smallest sigh before saying she would miss her and Flea as well.
~o~O~o~
Two days before the eclipse, Ylenia went to visit Umbria while Yemoja stayed at the keep to oversee the final preparations. Every scroll and book was sorted through, with Yemoja taking the star charts while Zarya claimed the enchantment books by Melchior and the one by Belthasar in which he wrote about the Epoch as well as a few spell books. She tried to shove all of the books into her messenger bag, which had somehow lasted the last seven years with only a little bit of mending, but found herself needing to carry them in a rucksack provided by Yemoja.
Meanwhile, Flea decided to leave behind many of the gifts Esen had given him. A chessboard would be useless to carry if they had to travel to from the Gate to Truce and he could always get a new board if he truly wanted. He also had mixed feelings about keeping the dresses and make-up, given how Esen had felt Flea was selfish for accepting the gifts. Besides, he realized, the dresses would be outdated and stand out back in his era. So he finally decided to leave them behind as well. The hand-held mirror, however, he decided to keep as it was useful and finely crafted.
That evening, Yemoja presented Flea and Zarya each with wooden medallions depicting the same symbol as Zarya's charm and her own pendant. The wooden pendants hung on cords that were made of braided threads. Yemoja told them that she had been working on these items for quite some time in preparation of their departure.
"You both may not hold faith in the Great Fire. I accept that," she said. "However, it would bring me great comfort knowing you carry their symbol. It is my gift to you."
Flea and Zarya accepted the gifts. Flea apologized to Yemoja for not having something for her. Yemoja smiled and told him that she would be okay. She had made the gifts, expecting nothing in return, simply because she cared. Flea smiled softly and thanked her again while Zarya hugged her and echoed the sentiment.
~o~O~o~
The day of the eclipse, Zarya and Flea made sure they had their belongings gathered. Yemoja had insisted they pack some food in case the Gate opened up somewhere far from civilization. Flea, not wanting to repeat the hell that was the first two weeks of being in the current era, readily agreed to packing plenty of food for him and Zarya.
Once everything was packed, they made their way to the clearing.
At the clearing, Yemoja drew a circle around the center of it, adding the necessary symbols from Zarya's books around the circle. She explained that the ritual mentioned in the book would require an immense amount of magic, perhaps all of Zarya's own reserves and then some, so she and Ylenia would assist by lending their own magic to her. She looked to Flea and asked if he had any experience in sharing his magic. Flea admitted he had never done as such but he could try. "Once Zarya starts drawing upon the shadows, you may feel a tug or a pull. Let it happen and do not be afraid," Yemoja explained. "Trust in her to only take what she needs but not everything. With the three of us helping, it shouldn't be too much of a burden for anyone."
Flea nodded. He looked over at Zarya who was standing near the center of the clearing. It felt like just yesterday that he had woken up to her healing him and saving his life. She had grown so much in the last seven years. Not just physically (he finally accepted she was taller than him and stopped manipulating his height around her), but also in other ways. She still had a slightly lyrical way of speaking and would slip into old habits of simple phrases or contrary statements if she was frustrated, but her words had become almost as clear as his own. The stormy emotions of her early teen years had settled and her temper, which had never truly been an issue, had calmed.
"It is time. The eclipse will come soon," Yemoja said, snapping Flea out of his pensive and wistful thoughts. She then called Ylenia and Flea to approach the edge of the circle so they could assist Zarya.
The air grew cold and the sky darkened. Flea began to glance up but Ylenia reached over and put a hand on his shoulder, cautioning him against gazing at the eclipse. She told him it could blind him if he dared to look at the sun during the event. Flea decided to heed Ylenia's warning and not argue. Looking at the ground, he saw the circular shapes of the sunlight slowly turn crescent like the phases of the moon before becoming rings of light.
As the world plunged into darkness, Flea felt an immense surge of euphoric bliss. He had never experienced such a surge in shadow magic before. Flea supposed, in the rush he felt, that he had always felt stronger at night or in darkness, but this was different. His blood ran cold but in a way that made him feel empowered, as if he could take on anything. His senses felt sharper and more refined. He had always felt a connection to shadows and darkness, but now it felt as if he was one with the surrounding darkness. He glanced around to see Ylenia and Yemoja focused on channeling their magic to Zarya. He could feel Zarya drawing magic from the shadows. There was a faint tug in the ambient magic, as though she was trying to draw magic from him to fill her own reservoir. Letting out a breath, Flea let his magic flow into Zarya.
Meanwhile, Zarya felt the biting cold of her connection to shadow magic intensify. It felt exhilarating, although it bordered on overwhelming. As she stood there, Zarya felt the center of the clearing drawing her magic from her, like water rushing into a whirlpool… but it was different. It felt like a distant storm brewing or an ember growing to a forest fire… like wind becoming a maelstrom. She could sense the Gate's presence becoming stronger.
With her connection to the shadows, Zarya could feel everyone's presence through their magic. Just as Yemoja had taught her through meditation, Zarya drew their magic to her until it mingled with her own magic, creating a vast ocean of power.
Imbued with everyone's magic, Zarya spread her arms and echoed the incantation Yemoja had taught her. She closed her eyes to focus and spoke slowly and clearly, making sure she pronounced each word correctly. There was no room for mistakes, not when she only had minutes to cast the spell and call forth the Gate.
"Voda zovet veter, veter zastavlyayet ogon' tantsevat', ogon' zovet teni. V etom sliyanii efira, mezhdu nebom i zemley, zaklyucheny mechty mira… V garmonii s zhizn'yu etogo mira otkroy put' k reke zvezd i vremeni."
Zarya opened her eyes at the end of the incantation. From where he stood, Flea could see Zarya's eyes were dark spheres filled with swirls of starlight. Flickers of fire, snow, lightning and motes of shadows swirled around her, giving the impression of a translucent black opal shield surrounding her.
In the darkness brought on by the eclipse, Flea saw a pinpoint of light form in the middle of the clearing. The air began to twist and distort as the pinpoint of light grew to a small marble-sized orb of shadows, that little speck of light still at its center. Electricity crackled around the orb, flowing around like waves across the orb's surface as the orb grew in size, filling with more shadows. Time seemed to slow down as the sounds of the forest hushed and the breeze in the air ceased.
A circular rift suddenly flew open as the orb suddenly expanded in the blink of an eye. Before everyone stood a circle of twisting shadows and blue lights. Flea found himself frozen in awe at the sight. Suddenly, Yemoja placed a hand on his shoulder and urged him to enter first so Zarya could close the rift behind her. They had maybe moments before the eclipse ended.
Flea nodded. Adjusting the strap of his rucksack and picking up Zarya's bags, he approached the Gate. At its edge, he hesitated. Looking back at Yemoja and Ylenia, he forced a smile and reluctantly waved. Zarya, who had already thanked Yemoja for everything and hugged Yemoja and Ylenia farewell before the ritual, picked up her bags and gently grabbed Flea by the arm and pulled him into the rift. As they stepped past the threshold of the Gate, Zarya turned back, her eyes back to normal, and waved goodbye to Yemoja and Ylenia. With a bright smile, she shouted out a final goodbye before the Gate snapped shut.
And just like that, Zarya and Flea were gone.
The warmth and light of the sun slowly returned and, within moments, it was day again. A faint summer breeze whispered through the clearing. Yemoja stood there staring at the empty clearing where her friends had just stood moments before. She felt an overwhelming surge of emotion and found herself weeping. She had never said it to Flea or Zarya but they had been like family to her. Knowing they were gone forever, it was like losing her husband and child again.
A gentle hug from Ylenia comforted Yemoja somewhat. She smiled at her beloved friend and turned to return the embrace. After a moment of silence together, Yemoja murmured that she was ready to depart. Activating the enchantment on her bracelet, Yemoja assumed the form of a Daemon and followed Ylenia away from the clearing and to her new life.
Spell Translation: "Water calls forth wind, wind makes fire dance, fire summons shadows. In this amalgamation of the aether, between the heavens and earth, lies the dreams of the world…. In harmony with this world's life, open the path to the river of stars and time."