Songbird: What it Means to be the Hero

{-Rennyn-}

His mind was running through the possibilities, sometimes quicker than he was able to process them. No matter what Dhymos as doing, it wouldn’t be good. Would Rennyn be able to defend them all on his own? Well, if he couldn’t, then it was his own fault for whatever happened to them. He couldn’t be responsible for any more lives—he’d never wanted to.

Yet he glanced up at the others, having a casual conversion as if completely oblivious to the danger at hand, and knew he didn’t have an option. He needed to protect those three more than anything else. But… what about the townspeople, if he wasn’t there to protect them? They definitely weren’t prepared for the things Dhymos had planned; he refused to expect anything else.

He had less answers the further he thought about it. So, he eventually came to a resolution: he was just going to do everything he could here, then worry about the rest later. Or… at least, that’s what he told himself.

It was with mixed feelings he acknowledged the conditions about Xarena’s departure—that she, and likely several other guards, might get involved if they take too long.

He was brought out of all forms of contemplation, though, when he realized something. All of this was matching up, showing signs and patterns he’d come to recognize over his lives.

“This is it,” Rennyn announced, gaining their attention. “Whatever Dhymos plans on doing, this is where he’s going to do it.” He drew his sword. “It doesn’t look like anything’s started yet, but be on your guard. We can probably still keep it from hurting anyone.”

Seldir gained a solemn air, too, as he asked, “What do you need us to do?”

“And how does this work?” Lyrei questioned, far too excitedly for the matter at hand. “You just said ‘later’ when I asked the first time. Only spirits should only have magic and not the summoning kind. I mean, we all saw that Viragi, Kharis, and Ether had magic, but how? Is Dhymos doing something special? Is it just some weird thing that he was able to take advantage of? I need to know.”

Rennyn, at first, considered completely denying the request—they had better things to do than to share stories. But he acknowledged, somewhat, that her questions would only be quelled by being answered. So, he came up with a compromise. “Let’s start to deactivate this first. You see all those marks around the trees? We need to try to get rid of those. Don’t just put a line through them—that’s not going to work. You’re going to need to destroy it. It looks like there’s a few rocks over there you might be able to use. That… should be enough to take care of it…”

Kaylin had more confidence than he did, nodding. “That’s where it’s drawing its power from. Get rid of that, and it’s nothing more than a couple of doodles.” She picked a couple of rocks off the ground and handed them to Lyrei and Noa. “Don’t feel bad for ruining anything here. A few scratched trees aren’t really important compared to what will happen when this finishes.”

They took the rocks, nodded, and all five went to different parts of the clearing.

“So, now that we’re all working and everything…” Lyrei began casually. “Do you have any guesses on how this is possible?”

“Dhymos has been able to do all sorts of things that shouldn’t be possible. The existence of these lives being the first of them. I don’t need to know the specifics to know that it’s probably best not to think about it.” Honestly, Rennyn wasn’t sure if that was really all he knew—if that was the extent of his knowledge, or if the rest was hidden away somewhere. But he wasn’t going to go digging for it, either.

He didn’t exactly have a reason to think it would go well, after all.

Kaylin surprised him, though, by her response. “It’s true that a part of this is because Dhymos makes the rules—he had the power to do this, and to bend certain things to better suit him. But this kind of power didn’t just come from him. He’s been… collecting things, across the lives. Things that have renewed, or strengthened, the abilities he already had. They’re what’s been keeping him going—the real reason all of this is still possible.”

“He can carry stuff over between lives..?” Noa asked a bit more cautiously.

“I’ve never noticed him doing that,” Rennyn pointed out, glancing at Kaylin. He didn’t know if he was confused or mildly panicked at the thought. “He’d mentioned some of it, sure, but I don’t think I ever saw him use them again. And it hadn’t even been all the things it sounded like he’d gotten his hands on.”

“I’m not as ignorant as you think, or perhaps hope, that I am,” was her simple response. “I know the basis of what happened, even if I wasn’t there for all of them. Believe me when I say, there’s more to what he’s able to do than what I think you realize.”

“Well if you know something I don’t, wouldn’t it be better to tell me?”

“What he’s able to do isn’t the problem—it’s how we’re going to stop him. If I haven’t told you already, it’s for good reason. And you know what happens when you decide not to listen to my warnings.”

The reminder of the event made him freeze. It was clear in his mind; how he’d chosen to discover something on his own, and what it ultimately cost him. Not just him—everyone there. Everyone he dragged into it.

But he was lifted back up out of the spiral not because of an ally, but by a voice he knew was a foe.

“I’m a bit curious now. Just what happens if he doesn’t listen to you?”

Rennyn turned around to face the person—Kharis, who all-too-casually made a small flame dance around his hand.

They all knew why he was there, and likely what he wanted, so Rennyn instead said, “Get out of our way if you don’t want a fight.”

“I think I should be saying the same thing to you,” Kharis remarked. “We let you go the first time because Viragi said that we weren’t supposed to get involved. But now it’s my mission to be here, and you’re actively trying to stop it. It’s only fair that I return the favor, isn’t it?”

Rennyn gave a quick, near desperate look at the others. Lyrei and Noa both stepped back and closer to Seldir, where Rennyn could perhaps hope they’ll be safe. He tried to give a similar cue to Kaylin, but she instead moved closer to him—and, more likely than not, in the range of whatever happened between Kharis and Rennyn.

“I think you’re severely underestimating the situation,” Rennyn said. He sounded calm, collected, even while his mind was running to all the other possibilities. If there was one thing he could do despite anything, it was the thing he’d spent all the other lives doing—fighting.

Kharis smirked. “Don’t you see what we’re in the middle of? I’m the one with the advantage.”

“You might be able to slow us down, but you’d get rid of this in the process. I don’t think Dhymos would be pleased to know you destroyed a part of his plan just for a tiny chance of stopping us.”

Rennyn was, truthfully, holding on to the hope that Kharis would see this as a rash decision. Dhymos, under nearly every circumstance, wouldn’t have ordered this; not unless he wanted them all dead, and Rennyn had the feeling he wanted to toy with them a little longer before then.

Kharis, however, must not have known that. A part of it made sense—he hadn’t been around Dhymos as long, hadn’t had time to pick up on all of his more subtle habits.

“See, this is where you’re still wrong.” Kharis smirked. “Why don’t we test it? See which one holds up longer—the five of you, or something Viragi has proven will withstand anything?” The flame in his hand grew bigger.

He was partly doing this to put on a show. Unfortunately for him, it was a threat in Rennyn’s eyes, and he certainly wasn’t about to let this happen.

Rennyn stepped closer to Kharis, mentally preparing himself for the fight he already knew was coming. As calm as he could, he instructed, “I want all four of you to head back. I’ll be right behind you.”

“I’m not leaving you alone here,” Kaylin pointed out, stepping closer to him.

Seldir understood the situation better, though. He pulled her back. “I’m sure Rennyn can handle himself. Sounds like he’s got the experience.”

“Fine,” Kharis mumbled, only sparing a glance at the others before his gaze returned to Rennyn. “It’s you that Dhymos wants anyway. Care for a dance, Songbird?”

“Overconfidence is only going to get you killed.” Rennyn waited only a moment later—when the others properly started retreating—to take the initiative.

He had the feeling this wasn’t going to be a difficult battle. And if it wasn’t, all he needed to do was give enough room between Kharis and the others. He could manage on his own for that long.