Burning Star

Eric woke up bathed in sweat, his heart pounding. For a moment, he was disorientated until he felt the cold ground beneath him. Joshua was at his side in an instant, helping him to sit up.

“Are you okay?” Joshua asked.

Eric struggled to breathe, but managed a small nod. It had been that nightmare again. He knew it wasn’t real because Amelia was standing fully-grown in front of him with a seductive smile on her lips. She’d waved him closer with a finger, her lips pouting when he hesitated.

It was the same thing every night. Whenever he’d take a step closer, a group of men would ambush Amelia and hold her down while breaking every bone in her fingers. Even now, he could still hear the echoes of her tormented screams. The memory made him shiver.

“You still have no idea what it means?” Joshua asked as he moved back to his own spot. He took a stick and rummage in the last glowing coals of their campfire.

Eric watched the fire slowly build up again, and then averted his eyes to Joshua. “I have absolutely no idea,” he said.

“I’m sorry, man.”

Eric nodded. “Me too.”

His heart was still pounding. This nightmare had returned every night for the past months. Eric wasn’t superstitious, but he’d seen the powers of the magic in Astronia—there was no way to say if this were just a terrible dream, or if it meant something serious.

“Do you plan on telling her?” Joshua asked.

Eric shrugged. He didn’t know. What was he supposed to say anyway? He couldn’t just march up to her and ask her to wear protective gloves because he feared she might break her fingers. It would cause questions he couldn’t answer. He rubbed his eyes in exhaustion.

“To be honest,” he said. “I don’t know what I’ll say to her at all—she’s not a little girl any longer. Remember?”

Joshua nodded. “I know that. But that doesn’t mean you can just avoid her. She must be double as confused as you are about her age.”

“You think so?” Eric frowned.

Joshua leaned back on the ground. “If I suddenly started to age twelve years over the course of five—I’d be terrified.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Eric stretched his limbs. His back ached from having spent too many nights on the cold hard ground of Mother Nature. He couldn’t wait to be back in an actual bed—even if it were only for a short amount of time.

Glistening Forest was unusually quiet tonight. He looked to the sky and noticed the treetops moving in the wind, but there was now rustling accompanying the movement. He could sense fear creeping up on him—he didn’t like this. The stillness reminded him of the realm of the Black Holes.

It had been five years since Vega sacrificed herself for their escape. He missed her so much, and he knew Joshua did, as well. Wherever they went and whomever they met, they didn’t miss an opportunity to tell the people of her sacrifice. It pained inside, but Joshua had insisted on letting the people know about their story.

Many of the citizens didn’t believe Joshua and Eric, but that didn’t stop them. For every person who knew of the tale, there was one more person to honor Vega’s existence.

“Are you asleep?” Eric asked.

Joshua moved over on his side and leaned on his arm. “I can’t.” He pointed to his head. “You’re screaming inside my mind.”

“I’m sorry,” Eric muttered. The bond had been an unfortunate side effect of their battle against the Black Holes. He didn’t hate it as much as he used to, in some cases, it had proven quite useful, but he didn’t quite love it either.

“This dream is really getting to you, huh?” Joshua said and sat upright, facing the fire.

Eric nodded. “You know it is.”

“It doesn’t make any sense, though. Maybe you just need to rest.”

That could be the case. However, how could he rest when his dreams were haunted? “We’ve been at this for so long, I barely remember how far we are,” he said.

Joshua smirked. “I know that feeling. But we’re almost done with the entire west coast, and all the ruins have been sealed off—they pose no danger any longer.”

“That’s at least some good news,” Eric mumbled.

“Cheer up, old man. It’ll be fine. And we’ll see Amelia tomorrow—then you can check her fingers for yourself.” Joshua started to poke the fire again.

Eric couldn’t say he didn’t miss Amelia like crazy. There was no denying, he did. He still remembered every time she would run to him once he arrived at the courtyard. Her green eyes would light up with glee, and she’d tackle him with a hug.

Over time, it became harder for him not to fall over. Four years ago, she’d had the appearance of an eight-year-old. While now, she probably had matured well into her twenties. He didn’t have any doubts that the Amelia in his dreams where remarkably like how she looked now.

“It’s almost surreal to be heading back now,” Joshua said.

Eric looked over to his friend. He couldn’t see much, the flickering lights of the fire shadowed Joshua’s face. “How old do you think Amelia is now?”

Joshua shrugged. “I won’t even try and pretend I know how that functions. All I know was that her age was locked while she was with the Black Holes.”

“Do you think she’s told us everything?” Eric fumbled with his fingers. “I mean. Do you think she’s hiding anything from us?”

“I doubt it—Amelia doesn’t seem like the type.” Joshua stood up. “She isn’t like Vega.”

The regret in Joshua’s voice was evident. Eric wanted to comfort his friend, but he didn’t know what to say. Nothing he could say would remove the pain—he knew that.

Joshua sighed. “Sorry—it’s just hard.”

“I know that. I was there too.”

Joshua smiled for a moment before grinning. “Anyway … You should be happy that Amelia probably reached her full age.”

That was an odd thing to say. Eric frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“No more babysitting.” He winked.

“I never saw it as that.” Eric frowned. “At least ... I don’t think so.”

“I know that, mate.” Joshua reached for a stick. “You know ... We could just travel through the night if you want to.”

Eric shook his head. “No, thanks. We need to stick with the group in case something happens.”

“I miss the times where it was only you and me on an adventure.” Joshua sighed. “Having the whole royal guard accompanying us is a serious bummer.”

“It does help with getting the job done, though.”

“I know. But still...”

“Yeah.”

An uncomfortable silence spread between them. The only good thing about having the royal guard accompanying them was the fact that they respected privacy. Even though, Eric couldn’t leave them behind, they kept at a distance that made the whole thing bearable.

“Maybe we should just try to get some sleep,” Joshua said.

Eric nodded. “That would be the wiser choice yeah.”

“But I’m buzzing!” Joshua chuckled. “Come on. We could get there by dawn.”

Eric hesitated.

“Just imagine the joy on Amelia’s face when she sees you ride through the gates,” Joshua argued.

Eric nodded. “Okay, let’s wake up the rest, though. They can have a choice whether to stay or come with us.”

Joshua shrugged. “It’s better than nothing.”

Waking up the guard seemed to be a breeze, all of them wanted to return home, as well. It didn’t take long for them to be on their horses and on their way to Yildun.

They rode all through the night and arrived at the temple just before dawn. The sun was rising behind them as they rode into the courtyard. Eric pulled his horse to a stop, and descended before handing the reins to a stable boy.

“Eric and Joshua,” a dark voice greeted them. “Welcome home.”

Eric looked up to find Garnet with his hands stretched out and a large smile on his face. Walking over, he kneeled in front of the Elder as a sign of respect.

“You silly boy—I’ve told you to stop doing that,” Garnet scolded. “You are just as important as me.”

“That’s not a reason to forget my manners,” Eric answered. “We rode all—“

He didn’t get a chance to explain anything else before a girl wrapped around his neck. He was seconds away from losing his momentum, when Amelia pressed herself close to him.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered into his ear.

His arms wrapped around her waist, and he hugged her back. A moment later, he became painfully aware that she wasn’t a little girl any longer. Her body pressed against his, and he could feel the heat from her body through the thin lacy gown she was wearing. Amelia was all woman now, and he didn’t know how to react.

“Don’t I get a hug?” Joshua’s voice said.

Amelia broke free and ran over to Eric’s companion, which finally gave Eric the time needed to breathe again.

Solem, give me strength, he prayed.

Turning around, he faced the girl who was still in her nightgown. Her dark brown hair was tangled, and he realized that she must have jumped straight out of bed when she heard them arrive.

Eric cleared his throat, and stood up straight, waiting for Amelia to return to herself. When she didn’t, he spoke, “Amelia…”

She turned around to face him with a smile on her lips. “Yes?”

“You really should get dressed, there’s—“he gestured to their guardians surrounding them—“quite some audience here.”

He watched as her face turned beetroot red. She stared around at the courtyard and immediately ran inside the temple again. It wasn’t until she was away from prying eyes that he allowed himself to let out a relieved sigh again.

“Was that really necessary?” Joshua asked with a raised eyebrow.

“She’s not a small girl any longer; she shouldn’t be in public unless she’s properly dressed.” Eric turned to Garnet. “Actually, I’m surprised you haven’t explained that to her, Garnet.”

Garnet chuckled. “I have—many times actually—but you know as well as I that Amelia does her own thing.”

Eric had to give the Elder that, Amelia had always been her own girl. He stumbled forth as Joshua slapped him on the back.

“Come on, Eric,” Joshua said. “Let’s get some breakfast.”

Walking inside the temple didn’t seem as strange like Eric had believed. Actually, it felt more as if he returned home. He’d spent a few weeks after the incident where he just took care of Amelia and her growing limbs. She’d been in pain almost every day as her body adjusted to her actual age.

Eric walked down the hallway to his room. The marble pillars shone in the soft light, and he stopped outside Amelia’s door, contemplating whether he should knock on the door or not. He wanted to apologize for making her embarrassed. He hesitated. Should he apologize?

She should know better than to storm out in an almost see-through gown. Was he wrong for reminding her that she wasn’t a little girl any longer? More important, was he wrong for noticing?

He groaned and shook his head. He was exhausted, and he reeked—he needed a shower. Turning around he walked to his room where he immediately took of his clothes.

The water cleaned both his body and his mind. The heat was amazing for his sore muscles, and he could feel the exhaustion from the past months wash over him. Closing his eyes, he sighed in content.

He remembered a time where Amelia was just a little girl, and all he had to worry about was which bedtime story he would tell her. It had been his biggest concern regarding Amelia back then. Now, however, he had to worry about her young mind exposing her adult body.

Magic was exhausting.

“So… what do you plan to tell her?” Joshua’s voice startled him.

Carefully he looked through the curtain to find Joshua leaning against the wall. “Man! Get out of here—I’m showering,” Eric complained.

“Relax. I’m on the other side of the curtain,” Joshua answered. “Besides … You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.”

“Still… Get out.” Eric used the bar of soap and rinsed his body. “Or hand me a towel.”

As soon as the water stopped running, a hand came in with a towel dangling from the fingers. Eric took it and dried himself off before wrapping it around his hips. He pulled the curtain away and stared at Joshua who was already in his regular clothes.

“Not cool, man. Not cool,” he said and stepped out.

“Not my fault you take long showers, we got tired of waiting for you,” Joshua said.

“How long have I been in here?”

“Over an hour.” Joshua flexed his muscles in front of the mirror. “The others thought you might have fallen asleep—I thought you were hiding out.”

“How did you guess?” Eric frowned.

Joshua pointed to his head. “You suck at shielding your thoughts. Your worries blasted through my head—and no, you’re not at fault for noticing.” He smirked. “I’d be worried if you hadn’t.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“You know I don’t mean anything with it.”

“Still…”

Joshua held up both his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I won’t say a thing.” He opened the door to the room and walked to the bed where he sat down. “You didn’t answer, though.”

“What do you mean?” Eric walked over to the closet and grabbed some clothes.

“What are you going to say to her?”

“To who?” With his back towards the closet, he looked over his shoulder to catch Joshua rolling his eyes.

“I’m serious, man.”

Eric rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know. I’ve been away for five years, and we’ve only dropped in once in a while. What’s there to say?”

“You have to say something.”

Eric threw his hands up. “Why?” He grabbed his hair. “Why do I have to say anything?”

“Because you owe her that much…” Joshua rose from the bed. “I’m going down to the others. Hurry up.”

Eric stared after him as he closed the door. He stood there for a moment before shaking his head. He had to get moving. Pulling on some pants and a shirt, he started to walk down to the others.

Joshua had posed a valid question. What was he supposed to say? He could apologize for being gone for so long, but that wouldn’t help. He’d have to leave soon again. They hadn’t found all the remaining Black Holes, and there were still citizens of Astronia to reach. In four years, they’d done a lot of progress, but they were still far from finished. Combining two civilizations was harder than he’d have thought.