Word of mouth in Solarisclan spread like wildfire. The death of Maware-- something that the mighty sun goddess herself had not hinted of in the slightest. News about the noble Deputy's passing required a clan meeting at the sun's first rays of shine. A clan meeting during darkness was frowned upon, leaving out the sun goddess herself from essential discussion and decisions.
Therefore, the assembly started as soon as the sun could be seen. It wasn't necessary for Yomi to call upon the people, as the majority had already gathered before her. Nevertheless, Yomi insisted on making a formal summoning, her voice echoing as far as Maware's laughter would reach.
"Those who are able, a clan assembly is in order."
The clan was restless, growing voices and concerns rising upon until Yomi hissed at them.
"Silence!"
All fell quiet in unison.
"As rumors have it, yes, our deputy, Maware Masahiro has passed last night." Countless gasps accompanied wails and murmurs as Yomi paused momentarily.
"He will officially join the sun goddess tonight. Due to the nature of his passing, close viewing will be limited against apprentices, trainees, and younger.
Some of you may be questioning why our goddess had not warned us of an upcoming disaster."
Eyes shifted from the hundreds in the crowd to that of her sign interpreter.
There had been a sign, but it was with no announcement.
"Our mighty sun goddess is known for playing pranks--"
"War!"
Yomi was sharply cut off by the shouting of two warriors, both of which had been trained by the beloved Deputy.
War was then spoken of both left and right, leaving Yomi without the focus of her clan. As rage bubbled within her, she met those shouts with a louder volume, demanding attention once again.
"Quiet! We have both a substantial witness and a team investigating this incident as we speak. Should this be Lunarisclan's doing during festivities, a price WILL be paid.
We must prepare ourselves for not an act of war, but for the wrath that our sun goddess may bring about."
Even the little ones would know of the wrath their leader spoke about. Whenever a leader or deputy passed, regardless of reason, chaos ensued.
"Understand me, we are not declaring war. We will get to the bottom of this situation. The next Deputy will be elected in 10 suns' time, when we will have our next clan meeting. That is all!"
Although Yomi found it idiotic in nature to linger around the area, she had to remain there to gauge the general reaction of her clan and to direct the clan's forces. Nearly every member had been present, the hundreds shuffling in waves to and away from their meeting site.
Regardless, she didn't want war. Until Korosu awoke, she couldn't get a statement from the only other unnamed victim.
Takuto scrabbled to restrain and settle the cripple as his partner calmly rose to grab different medicinal bottles.
Just a moment prior, the crafter was laid back on a chair, reading an old piece of parchment. The mender with him had been sitting atop the counter, organizing new concoctions that the demon would be taking with the additional injury and the subtraction of a limb.
Korosu had only been there for a few hours at most, but several of the clan's finest menders had already worked on maintaining his vitals and reducing the pain as much as possible, even going as far as to repair the stub's end as best as possible. No shards would be left after their intensive work, and each wound the demon sustained was patched. The single reason Takuto was there at all was in fact due to stumbling upon the situation itself. Yomi had thus ordered him to stay with the patient along with one of the menders who stabilized him. He reluctantly agreed, if only for the selfish reason of skipping the crowd. He had no idea why his partner objected, however, seeing as her skill for treating patients rivaled their most experienced clansmen.
Of all the times to be awake...
The crafter was careful as he went to avoid the wrapped stub of an arm, hoping the man would come to his senses as he attempted to safely restrain him. After igniting several sticks of incense, Takuto's assistant would then move forward to them.
The mender kept her overflowingly long black hair tied upwards in a ponytail bun, indicating an air of sophistication for how young she seemed at a glance. Sapphires gleamed down at the demon, the girl clutching onto a medicinal syrup as if it were the angelic cure-all to his wails. At least, that was the impression Takuto had from how helpful she'd been, nonchalantly waiting for him to settle down.
"This will take some of the worst pain you're feeling, and I have more ointment that'll help to make the wound numb after the rest of what you've been given wears off."
Takuto winced at the question, releasing the other before staring off in thought.
"He..."
"He didn't make it. His injuries were severe, much like your own."
The master craftsman braced himself for another reaction from the hunter, especially at how matter-of-fact the mender responded.
Glancing over to his assistant, he noticed her physically insisting on Korosu's treatment. Neither of the two were the best at social interactions, but damn, was she cold.
"You'll be guided to see him before sundown. Now take this."
Mender shuffled herself around the bed Korosu laid on, proceeding to check... Well, whatever it was she needed to. Takuto hadn't much knowledge on mender's work, so he left her to it, offering answers to the demon's concerns.
"Leader Yomi has already sent for an investigation team to resolve the incident, so don't worry. You've only been here for a little while-- right? Then you should know that the hunters are... extremely capable of finding and dismantling any leftover traps."
His voice was hoarse as he spoke while his speech was broken up with a cough here and there. He opted to move closer towards the tabletop, reaching for his waterskin and downing its contents.
"From what I've heard, it's a miracle you survived those sorts of wounds.
Ah, uh, here."
Grabbing a different container, he offered a drink to the patient. Specifically, he offered assistance if Korosu needed to down it, too.
"Leader Yomi will be here sometime after the assembly ends."
"I'm alright," He said quietly in response to the offer of water.
A miracle... Korosu's eyes dropped down to his missing arm as he thought back on what he remembered. In his mind he could still see the hand that had reached out of the sky and nearly crushed him. But that was...only a dream, for sure.
"Was anyone els-" A loud, crashing rush of wings cut the demon off as a huge white raven came bursting through the doorway.
"The fuck-!"
The bird's body was as big as a large dog and the smack of its wings could be likened to the whip of a tree branch. It hopped about the small room, making a mess of everything and screaming all the while. It's huge eyes were fixed on Yuuka, their dusty grey color making it look quite blind.
Mender's head reared up from detailed work, similarly shocked by the bird's appearance. Takuto had practically jumped sky-high, while Korosu had moved enough for her to nearly miss her application of the ointment. She hadn't been listening to their conversation out of spite, but the ruckus the being of magic created quickly caught her attention. Not to mention, it also captured her husband's aura.
What terrible timing.
"Woah, woah!"
Dropping her instruments onto the bedside, she raced over and past the stunned Takuto and began to stroke its face and wings, familiarizing herself to the beast. She stood in front of the creature, trying to block the clansmen's view as she shooed the bird outside. A sharp pain began to form in her mind, forcing her to fight over the fizz overtaking her line of sight. Yuuka was becoming too curious.
As Yuuki began to fade, the large bird eyed her with growing uncertainty and took a few hops away from her outside.
"Hey-" Korosu exclaimed, his hair more tossled than usual now. The demon sat up eagerly from where he'd been knocked down.
"That's a Bell Ringer Bird." Too weak to stand, he tried his best to lean in a way that allowed him to watch. He was genuinely excited to see one, though in the raucous he'd completely missed Apollo's aura. "I've heard about them- few people have ever been strong enough to summon one. "They say, they are sent as messengers by someone who believes they are about to die."
Takuto's voice rang out behind her, hesitation clear in his tone.
Yuuki's heart sank, given back the reins after having Yuuka's curiosity satisfied. After all, Korosu had answered exactly what she wanted to know. The aura from the bird was not distinguishable to the child in the slightest.
"Then it must be a message from Maware. I'll escort the beast to Yomi at once."
From the corner of her eye, she glared at Korosu. She expected that reaction in relation to his explanation, but it sickened her to see it.
More pressing of a matter, however, was that of her husband. What hope she had after feeling Apollo's aura was snatched away. Standing up and reaching a hand to the door's handle, angel proceeded to try and shut the door-- at least before the bird spilled information neither of the two clansmen needed known.
"Only magician's can summon them." Korosu muttered as the angel shut the door on them. Inside the room, feathers were still slowly drifting down and settling onto the floor and tables.
Meanwhile, the raven had relaxed at the growing of Yuuki's presence. "YuUkI?" It cawed at her, it's voice both metallic and ghostly.
“The man could swing a sword and go to war, but not pull off anything like summoning that.”
Takuto suspiciously remarked, eyeing the closed door. A second later, it dawned on him. He hadn’t a clue about menders’ work. Treading carefully, he glanced over to the oddly excited patient and spoke.
“Anyways, I’m tinkering with suitable prostithenai, but you’ll need to heal fully before wearing it. I’ll need measurements eventually to get the best fit.”
Outside, Yuuki knelt down to meet the feathered friend, relieved it hadn’t jumped away from her yet again. She kept her voice low, cautious of the two behind the door.
"Really?" He gave Takuto a small smile, "Thank you..."
The raven bowed to her before opening it's wings and plucking out a single black feather. Holding it delicately in it's beak, the bird offered the feather up to Yuuki's hands.
The moment she touched it, she was enveloped in darkness, as if a black flower had closed it's petals around them. Only the bird was visible now, glowing. The messenger spread its wings again and opened its mouth.
From it, spoke Apollo's voice:
"My darling Yuuki, I'm sending this bird because I think it may be the end. We're under attack. Everyone is dying. We don't know where it came from. But I promise I will keep the children safe. And I know they will find you, I know it. Our children will find you even though I never could. I'm thinking of you now, my love. Always. If, by some miracle, I survive this, then you bet your fine ass I'll be back out there looking for you tomorrow. Count on it. I love you.
I must face this. Goodbye.
The raven shut his mouth, and as he did, the darkness unfolded itself from around them and they were exactly where they'd been standing before. No one else could have heard what had been said.
As the Angel's world slid into darkness, her visible concern grew. Where the reverberated voice first brought her comfort, it was quickly taken by that of helplessness; Korosu's earlier warning ineffective in her preparations for the message. In a swift moment that seemed frozen in time, the bird both brought Apollo to her, yet forcefully ripped him away.
Nauseous, she held a hand to her mouth and silent sobbed. Savoring his last words was no sweeter than bitterness from the silence returned after the raven finished its speech.
The last of her husband's hope, delivered safely. She closed her eyes and prayed- for some miracle- as Apollo mentioned. Not only for her husband and children, but for the entire clan; her family. If the message was correct... What would she return home to?
Outstretching a hand to the raven's beak, she stroked the bird. With a fulfilled purpose, his aura would likely fade much like her own had. She savored it; fueling her will to return home. Anger swelled within the angel, leaving the other soul within her spinning.
"Thank you."
As twisted as Yuuki felt, kindness was still present. Disregarding whether the bird was nothing more than a magical form, she constructed her own message. Even should it disappear into nothing, it would return to her husband- for it was an extension of himself to begin with.
"My love-- I don't know why, but I think I know who did this. I promise, I'll be home soon."
Nearly choking on the first word, she struggled to keep her voice steady throughout. Please, please be okay.
