Just a quick break, a breather. That was all she needed. She didn’t quick sit on the pile of stone rubble next to the path, but she certainly leaned on it. It wouldn’t do to get too comfortable, not with all the creatures running around. She didn’t wish to be caught off guard by anything, as that could spell disaster. There were far too many hostile things running around.
So, without getting too comfortable, she sighed and let herself relax just a bit. She’d come a long way since that first awakening. Since the Goddess chose her to be one of hers. Rhryse looked down at her heart. It was still red, most of the time. It flickered with other colors here and there, but it was still mostly red. She placed a hand over it, trying to feel it beat. She was glad she had it. Her heart felt important. Not just because she needed it to live, but because it glowed, because it remembered and it felt. And it was warm.
She shuddered, suddenly remembering what it had felt like when that figure had cut it from her chest. What a horrible dream that had been. Painful, full of fear and cold. Her heart had been taken, she’d seen and heard it beating outside of her chest, and she hadn’t even been able to cry. Why had she dreamed that? Why, of all the things she was able to remember, could she remember that? Was it because it’d hurt so badly? Rhryse hoped not. She didn’t like that memory. It was scarier than all the monsters they’d fought combined.
She shuddered.
At least she was less alone. She’d made friends. Kaje and Ako. Others who she saw in her travels. She smiled, thinking of them. They helped keep the dark and cold away. With them, she was warmer. She forgot about losing her heart with them. She didn’t need to fear it as long as they were around. They were warm and kind and she could count on them. Everyone here was so nice, but especially Kaje and Ako. Her two closest friends. She might not have known them very long, but that’s what they were to her.
With another sigh, Rhryse got to her feet. She should catch up with them again. She didn’t like being alone because it was cold. She wanted to be near her friends.
Standing caused the pendant at her neck to shift, brushing her hand. Pale blue. She hardly remembered when it had shown up, but she knew she’d not always had it. Kaje wore one like it. She wondered if that meant anything. Maybe. Maybe it was just another mark the Goddesses gave for trails taken? Who could say?
Certainly not Rhryse. She didn’t know. She was just a shadow who needed to find her friends again.
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