Songbird: What it Means to be the Hero

{-Noa-}

He remembered how, once, a bad storm had swept through Silvium and a lot of the surrounding areas. It did a lot of damage—more damage than any storm had within his memory, at least—and it was up to Aymer to determine what should be done in order to recover from it. And, well… that resolve to help lasted up until he realized that his sister had been out there during the worst of it. She was okay, of course; maybe a couple of scratches, but she’d weathered worse while she was traveling. She didn’t see the point in why he was so focused on what could’ve happened to her, and why he chose to prioritize that over properly addressing the people who were looking up to him. In the end, it took him days to finish arguing with her, and the other lords of Ilatenes had already stepped in to help the people.

Aymer had chosen to ignore the big picture for the tiny detail that, at the moment, felt like the whole thing. And while it didn’t make anything better, at least it didn’t make anything worse.

Not like what Rennyn was doing.

“We have to make sure we know what Viragi is doing,” he stressed.

They were right outside of the guard outpost, but none of them probably expected to actually go anywhere for a while longer. Not as long as Rennyn kept trying to convince them of something everyone else must’ve acknowledged wasn’t the best idea at the moment.

“What Dhymos is planning to do later isn’t going to matter if we can’t find Lady Mira as soon as possible,” Kaylin countered. “We’re going to have much bigger problems if something happens to her.”

Seldir nodded. “If they were planning something big, we probably would’ve found signs of it by now—or at least heard a couple of rumors. But it seems like there’s only one mention that they might be involved in this, and whatever you learned while you talked to that old woman when we split up. It’s not worth the risk of a distraction.”

Noa even dared to mumble, “We all know you’re scared, but so are they. They need Lady Mira back. It’s a lot more immediate threat than what Dhymos might be planning right now.”

“But what if there is something serious that Dhymos is planning? How are we supposed to know about it then?” Rennyn didn’t seem to understand what the rest of them were saying. Or… maybe he did, and he didn’t want to admit it. Either way, it definitely didn’t fill Noa with any form of confidence. “For all we know, he’s planning something big, and going now is the only way to stop him. Meanwhile, the mercenaries aren’t going to do anything serious to Lady Mira—they can’t, unless King Merith wants to deal with a civil war. We have the time.”

“Guys, I think we have to acknowledge that we’re not going to be able to talk him out of this,” Lyrei remarked with a frown. “I’m pretty sure the only option here is to follow along. I mean, either that or split up, and I really don’t think we want to leave Rennyn more or less alone with Viragi.” She paused for a moment, then added, “But I don’t think this is a good idea either, Rennyn. Our focus really should be on Lady Mira and whatever they’re planning…”

Rennyn definitely didn’t see the same concerns everyone else did, or at least pretended not to. “You’ll feel grateful that we did once we’ve done it. Whatever Dhymos is planning, it’s much bigger than anything the council members could have planned. This won’t just have to do with one nation—it’ll deal with every bit of the world.”

And that seemed to be the end of it. Kaylin sighed and mumbled, “Then I suppose we should start heading to the east. Let’s hope we can find something out, I don’t think it’s likely he was around there recently…”

…

Noa considered sharing his story, but he didn’t feel like he really had any position to. He wasn’t like Rennyn and Kaylin, who’d experienced this kind of thing before; he wasn’t like Seldir, who may not have done the exact same things, but certainly had experience in something. He was reminded that, once again, he was just Noa, with nothing significant about him. So he stayed quiet, because he figured that, even if they were willing to listen, he didn’t really have any agency to say anything.

Luckily—if it could be called that—it didn’t take too long for them to start seeing signs that, yes, Dhymos’s minions had likely been here. Not… like that was particularly a good thing. Rennyn barely seemed to notice; it seemed to be up to everyone else to make sure there wasn’t actually any danger into the situation they might as well be walking right into.

“I wish I could say I didn’t expect you to come but, well, we’re all here, now aren’t we?”

Rennyn immediately drew his sword. “Come out, Viragi! You can’t hide forever.”

“Who said I ever intended on hiding?” Viragi walked out right in front of them. He held his hands up, but his smirk proved the fact that everyone knew it wasn’t really a comforting gesture. “You’re the ones who are rushing into this situation. All I did was wait here and wonder if you were going to come.”

“What are you planning? Don’t try to play tricks—I know Dhymos has to be working towards something. You’re his most reliable minion, aren’t you? Whatever you’re out here for, it’s got to be something important. Something big.”

“You were the ones who didn’t believe me when I said I was simply visiting an old friend. How did that go, by the way? I’m sure Cettia enjoyed whatever half-truths you told her about me.”

“You’re not dragging any more innocent people into this! You’re going to tell us what you’re planning, or I will make you.”

Viragi simply stared for a moment. Then he burst into a loud and threatening laugh. Once he finally stopped, he dramatically wiped away a tear, then said, “I believe you’ve forgotten which one of us can control the very ground beneath your feet… and that all I have to do is keep you from one of your friends, and you wouldn’t dare get any closer. Dhymos told me a lot about you—more than I’m sure you know about me. I know your weaknesses but you don’t know mine. How do you think that’s going to play out for you?”

Noa had hoped Rennyn would acknowledge that point and, at the very least, try not to look quite so ready for a fight. Instead, he barely seemed to recognize it.

“Why were you talking with those mercenaries?” he questioned. “What is Dhymos planning here?”

Viragi shrugged. “I don’t exactly see any reason why I should be answering any of your questions. But I suppose, since you came all this way to talk to me, despite everything else you could be doing, I could amuse you for a little while.” He moved a step closer but, after acknowledging their expressions, he stepped further back.

He certainly didn’t seem worried, though, as he began his story. “I was just checking up on those mercenaries—a nice, casual conversation. You know, a bit like normal people are supposed to do when they see someone mildly familiar. I didn’t stay with them long because I knew what they were going to do and I wanted to stay out of it. Besides, I had other things I had to take care of.”

“Like what?”

“So impatient, Songbird! I’m starting to think you really would fade away if you had to wait for any length of time. I was just getting there. See, I just had to check on a couple of things for Dhymos. Nothing big. I suppose you could call it checking to make sure all the gears are still working, so that his plan could be fulfilled later. As for what that plan is, well… I don’t want to ruin the surprise too early. Just know that a key factor of it involves the five of you playing along, too. A task you’re failing to do, might I add, for questioning me instead of following those mercenaries.”

It took a moment, but at least Rennyn did process that part. Not like it really made the situation any better. “Why would Dhymos want us to keep going? If we get what we need from King Merith, then we’re one step closer to beating him. Shouldn’t he be trying to stop us at any opportunity?”

Viragi slowly shook his head. “Oh, if only you could understand his grand plans… But unfortunately, you’re just going to have to play along for now. You don’t want to miss the best part, now do you?” He stepped further back into the forest, on his way to disappear back into it. “You better get going. I don’t believe you understand how deep this corruption goes, and how extreme both sides can be…”