Chapter Text
It was funny, how someone could work their hardest to escape a place, yet not have the guts to leave.
The Pilgrim Path stood in front of those who had gathered to send off those from Earth. Cole and Hunter stood at the forefront, staring into the void of the wayport. The Outskirtsians stood several meters behind them, either talking among themselves or watching the two left.
The rest had already gone through, and the duo were all who were left. Hunter slung his arm around Cole and grinned at him. Cole met his eyes and tried to figure out the emotions there- he could tell his brother was excited, thrilled, but there was some apprehension dancing in his eyes. The same type Cole was feeling, a stomach turning feeling that made you want to puke.
“Go on, I’ll catch up soon,” Cole told Hunter. He couldn’t cross over. Not yet. The faces of his parents entered his mind, and he blinked, shooing them away.
“Are you sure?” Hunter checked. He had a worried frown on his face. Cole nodded.
“Yeah, just want to,” Cole glanced behind at his friends, “clear some things up,” he finished. He couldn’t leave Mira or Jace, after everything they’ve been through together. Violet and him were just starting to get close. He wanted to continue on with Twitch. There were so many places and things he hadn’t done but still could do.
Hunter looked at him, taking his arm off his shoulder. Cole squirmed inwardly, begging someone to convince his brother he would go through.
“I’m going to see you on Earth?” Hunter questioned. His searching gaze didn’t wave, brown eyes meeting brown.
“You know it,” Cole responded, with a pained smile on his face. His guilt churned in his stomach, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell him. Hunter stood there, and suddenly pulled Cole into a giant hug.
“Don’t do something you’ll regret,” he warned him, before releasing him. Cole nodded. Hunter began walking down the Path, and sent back one wave before disappearing. Cole weakly returned it.
He turned around back to his friends. They turned to stare at him, various levels of confusion among the group. Cole had already said his well-wishes, and he could see Mira already realizing what was happening as her eyes widened.
“I’m staying,” Cole said, the words dropping flat. He grimaced, hating how he sounded. Yes he wanted to go home and hug his mom and play soccer and open Christmas presents, but he couldn’t. There were things to do. The Outskirts needed him.
Mira nodded, her face unreadable. Jace gaped at him, and equal expressions of shock were passed around.
“But, what about your family?” Jace asked.
“They’ll be fine,” Cole assured. To whom, he wasn’t sure. He felt that feeling in his stomach roar up again and pushed them down.
Jace hummed, crossing his arms, and Cole walked up the hill to the group. He shifted from foot to foot as his friends stared at him- not in a judgmental way but it sure didn’t feel good. Tiny little pricks stabbed at his skin, causing his to rub his arms He shivered, suddenly feeling cold.
Twitch hugged him, and Cole almost melted into his friend’s warmth, but all he could get himself to do was awkwardly hug Twitch back.
“Glad you stayed, man,” Twitch murmured. “Sorry about your family.” Cole nodded, not able to bring himself to say anything.
He pushed off of Twitch, and looked around the group, before blinking in confusion. The clouds floating above them had changed. Cole managed to see a peek of gray and, with a sharp breath, realized they were sky castles.
He took a step back, his foot hitting hard stone instead of soft grass. He snapped his head down, taking in the stone below him. The lighting changed to a dark, misty presence. He couldn’t see his friends anymore, and lunging forward, couldn’t feel a thing.
“Jace? Mira! Twitch?” Cole spun around, his hands cupping his mouth. A scream overlapped his yells, and Cole whirled around, gasping as he saw Dalton lying on the ground. He reached out to Cole, and his hand dropped to the floor with a thump from the effort. Cole rushed to his side and pulled him up.
Dalton gripped Cole’s shirt and stared into his eyes. Cole squirmed from the eye contact, but couldn’t look away- something kept his head there.
Dalton chest heaved, and in between breaths, he managed to get out, “Cole… why…”
Cole shook his head. “I… what?”
Dalton glared at him with the most hatred Cole had ever seen his friend have. His eyes rolled back, and his head dropped backwards. “Dalton? Dalton!” Cole screamed, tears falling down his cheeks. NO, NONONONONONONO, he cried in his head. “Dalton, look- look at me! Dalton!” Cole shook him to no avail.
Cole set him down gently, and stood up. His legs felt like Jell-o, and his arms still were held out in front of him, feeling like useless dead weights. He spun around, searching for a way out. Anywhere but here.
He swallowed. His eyes darted around the space widely, not knowing what to do. He could barely register his nails digging into his arms, the pain minuscule to everything else.
Footsteps echoed behind him, and he turned around, terrified to see who was there.
Violet stood behind him, blankly staring at him. Cole stepped back, and she matched his pace. “Violet- what’s wrong-” Cole glanced at Dalton’s body and almost threw up at the sight of his crumpled form. Just another example of how much he disappointed everyone.
When he turned back to Violet she was gone. Cole took in a breath, and another, and another.
Calm down, calm down, calm down, he repeated to himself. He turned away from Dalton and ran. He didn’t know, Cole didn’t even realize he was running until the sound of his footsteps reached his ears.
He hit the ground, hard. He could feel blood running down his nose, and looked behind him to see what tripped him, his mouth going dry at the scene. “No, no, no, no, no, no,” he repeated as he took in the bodies of Jace and Mira. They were in the same position as they did on the day Ramarro killed them. He scooted away from the two, silently cursing everything. Tears flowed down his face, and he sniffled, trying to keep it all down.
The teen smacked his hands against his face, begging for this to stop. Stop.
“Enjoying? I’d be thanking me right now, I did just let you see your dear brother after all,” a mysterious voice taunted him, thundering all around him. The tone sounded familiar, but he just couldn’t place it. A scream was ripped from Cole at the splitting headache that manifested moments later.
“No,” Cole forced out. “Please,” he cried.
Cole opened his eyes, and was immediately met with blinding sunlight. He rolled over and smashed his face into his pillow.
“Oh man,” he groaned, moving off the pillows. He checked his arms and sighed when he saw the scratch marks.
The nightmares had been getting worse ever since he came back from his latest trip to Creon. They used to be spaced out, and only just flashes of the Sky Raiders or what happened in Necronum. But now, it was all just whatever happened in Creon. Cole didn’t remember much, other than he decided to stay in the Outskirts. His dreams seem to remember, however.
The sheets were a mess. Honestly, he was just lucky that he didn’t fall off the bed again. He shook his head and got up.
Get your act together, Cole. He sighed. He picked up the clothes he put out last night and glanced in the small jade mirror. He reached his hand up to his face, and traced his scar from Ramarro. It was on the bridge of his nose, and only noticeable if someone was standing close to him. Not all the stone shards dissipated when the torivor hurled them at him, letting one clip him. Cole only found out about it after he was done healing. He frowned and moved on.
He pulled the white shirt over his body and buttoned the bluish-gray jacket. Cole twisted the material between his fingers, feeling it out. It almost felt silky but with a slight cotton touch. The cloth was clearly from Sambria if the material and quality were anything to go off of.
Queen Harmony sent him the fanciest clothes she could find, insisting that he “deserved them after all he’s done.” He had told her repeatedly that his clothes were fine, he was just going to get them dirty, but he still found servants adding new clothes to his wardrobe.
Cole groaned inwardly as he pulled on the rest of his uniform. He hated how it made him look different from everyone, with the jacket and pin he was made to wear marking him as special to the Queen. He just wanted to be normal, and hopefully forget about everything that happened after Halloween.
He had moved to Junction after he chose not to go down the Pilgrim Path. They had given him a room up near the tower where the queen previously stayed. He could admit that it helped him a lot with getting work done, but he was definitely not a city person.
As he laced up his boots, Cole went over his mental checklist for the day. Pick up documents, then paperwork. He groaned inwardly at the thought of paperwork. Never save the world again, he reminded himself, you’ll end up doing paperwork rather than being retired. He softly laughed, then headed out the door and locked it behind him. The brunet jogged down the hallway, passing errand boys, guardsmen, and the occasional noble.
Cole finally made it to the south wing’s kitchens and jumped out of the door, his boots smacking against the stone. He breathed in the (sort-of) fresh air of the capital city. Junction was bustling at this time of morning. Brightly colored canopies fluttered in the wind as merchants yelled offers at passersby. A group of children played near a cart full of hay while their elderly nanny negotiated with a tall man for apples. The tall stone walls were decorated with different types of graffiti. Flags for the Five Kingdoms flew high above the streets below.
He hurried through the crowd, keeping his head low. A body bumped into him, sending the teen reeling back.
Cole’s hand snapped to the dagger hidden in his belt before he could even tell what happened. He coughed awkwardly to cover up the motion and straightened up.
“I am so sorry, I didn’t see you,” he apologized. He looked up and breathed out a sigh of relief as he recognized the man.
The tall bearded man looked down at him with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. He turned and motioned for Cole to follow him, and Cole picked up his pace to keep up with the man’s strides.
“What’s going on?” Cole asked. They turned into a back alley, moved through it and entered onto a tight street.
“I’ll explain later,” the Wayminder told him, his tone cutting off the conversation. Cole squinted at him. A small part of him wanted to argue and insist that he was told what was going on, but his logical side told him to wait.
Finally, they reached the commander center for the Wayminders in Junction, and the elder slammed open the doors, almost slamming a poor girl in the face. She dropped the papers she was holding, and scrambled to pick them up. Cole crouched down and gathered a few into his arms, before the Wayminder called for him to hurry up. He mumbled a quiet apology and hurried after the taller man. He could feel the girl’s gaze on his back, and he knew what wheels were turning in her head- Where have I seen him? Has he been here before?
Cole hated people, if he were to be honest.
The Wayminder led him into a small, messy room. There were papers and scientific instruments scattered everywhere. The man stopped by the door, locking when Cole made it in.
Cole turned to look at him, silently waiting for his explanation.
“I assume you did not see my message?” Basil asked, finally meeting Cole’s eyes.
“No?” Cole responded, annoyed. “I haven’t gotten any messages from anyone these past few days.”
Basil hummed. Cole stood there, panicking inside. From what Cole understood about Wayports, anything could have gone wrong. Maybe a wayport was mistakenly opened to Earth, and a large group of people were forced into the Outskirts, or a Wayminder vital to their work died, what if one of the Grand Shapers died-
Basil pushed a book into Cole’s arms. Cole blinked at the heavy weight that appeared out of nowhere. “What’s this?” he inquired.
“A book.”
Cole stared at him.
Basil laughed. “It’s a book that might have a different option for the Pilgrim Path.” Cole started, and immediately began flipping through the book. “It was written by a Junction native without any shaping abilities, but he was close with many Wayminders.”
“Uh-huh,” Cole muttered, only half-listening. Cole was rarely ever called to affiliate with the Wayminders in Junction. If they did call, it was to use his power to get them somewhere. He knew he wasn’t useful in terms of brain, not to them at least.
“Again, it could all just be a theory, but it is a chance,” Basil finished.
“A chance you’ll take?” Cole looked up at him.
“If I can convince others,” the Wayminder assured him.
Cole nodded, and looked at the book. It was bound in leather with a silver trim, and the yellowed pages crinkled under his fingers.
“There are more in Creon,” Basil began. “If you wanted to cross over.”
Cole sighed. Every time, he thought. Every single time I see him.
“I can’t, man. I have way too much stuff to do here, and I like having memories.” He pressed his lips together, cursing himself for letting the last one slip out.
Basil just turned away from the teen. His shoulders hitched as he moved towards the back wall. “You may leave,” he dismissed.
Cole nodded and stepped out into the hallway.
The rest of the day passed in relative peace. He had managed to complete his errands and all his paperwork, a rare feat. A knock on his door knocked him out of his thoughts, and he stood up to open it. An errand boy stood there, holding a scroll with a familiar seal on it. Cole gingerly took it out of his hands and tossed the kid a bronze bit.
Cole closed the door with his foot and ran his thumb over the royal seal. Mira.
He carefully opened it and scanned through the contents. Mira was coming back to Junction, with Jace, and there was to be a debrief with Harmony that they were both invited to.
“Let’s go,” he mumbled, grinning. He was thrilled- Mira and Jace had been in Sambria for months. They’d only sent him one letter after they got to their destination, leaving him in suspense and worry.
He couldn’t wait for the carriages to get in.
Cole shifted from side to side. His entire body buzzed in anticipation. He tilted his head up to take a look down at the last gate, and sharply breathed in as he saw the wooden gates swing open.
A drizzle had begun about ten minutes ago, prompting most of the welcome wagon to go inside. Cole stayed, and besides, the rain was nothing compared to what he’d been through involving the outdoors. He messed with his jacket, trying to dry off some of the rain.
A horn sounded in the distance, and he eagerly looked up.
A row of gray and red carriages moved into the palace grounds. Her carriage was second in the line, fronted by one full of guards, Cole presumed. They gently rolled in and halted in front of where Cole was.
Cole knelt as the footman for Mira’s carriage opened her door. She stepped out, and Cole slightly lifted his head to shoot a small grin at her, which she sneakily returned. The others in the carriages all filed out as well.
“Please, rise,” Mira said. Cole got up with a big smile on his face, before blinking when Mira started to race towards him.
Cole staggered back as Mira engulfed him in a bear hug, returning it as soon as he got back his bearings. “I missed you,” she complained, causing Cole to laugh.
“Me too,” he replied. Jace walked over to him and pulled him into a hug as well.
“You look tired,” he commented, taking in Cole’s face. Cole shrugged, shooting him a shut up glance.
“Hello to you too,” he joked.
“Welcome back, Miracle,” a voice called from the stairs. Cole and Jace began to kneel, shooting each other annoyed side glances, but Harmony motioned for them to stop before they got down.
“Hello, mother,” Mira greeted.
“Safe travels, I hope?” The queen’s eyes crinkled as she took in her daughter.
“Yes, we were fine all the way.” Mira smoothed out her dress, hands shaking slightly. Cole narrowed his eyes, confused. Did something happen? He wondered.
“If that’s the case, let us not tarry. Miracle, I trust you know the way for your friends?” Harmony looked at her daughter, warmth in her gaze.
Mira nodded. Harmony smiled and gracefully walked back into the palace. Jace turned to Mira and blurted out, “Way to what?”
“The meeting place? I know I’ve told you- oh. Oops.” She smiled anxiously at Jace’s confused stare.
“There’s a debrief meeting between the princesses and the queen, and we’re in it as well,” Cole interjected. Jace gave him a thumbs up and mouthed thanks.
Mira lifted up her dress and began walking up the steps. “Come on!” she called.
Jace and Cole shared a look and jogged after the princess.