Beneath the Aurora

Theo gazed over the railing, lost in thought. In the dark of night, the expanse of snow beneath the Blue Sky sparkled so bright his eyes ached.

But the scene wasn't just stark black and white. The eerie glow from the aurora high above danced across the snow, splashing it with dream-like hues of green and blue and purple like paint on a blank canvas.

Seeing the aurora had always been on Theo's bucket list, and it was more beautiful than he could have imagined. But he had the sense there was more to the Tielan aurora than just charged atmospheric particles. Even from this distance, he sensed the power that thrummed within the curtains of light, stirring an answering whisper from his own Levia. 

It was oddly soothing, and maybe that was why Theo had gone up to the deck in the middle of the night. During the day, he did a good job keeping busy – studying spells, helping out around the craft, even just shooting the shit with his friends and the young pirates. But at night, all the thoughts and memories crept back in. Not just of Zenith's betrayal, but every small moment they had ever shared. Zenith's calm smile. The way the sunlight made his eyes sparkle. The serene concentration on his face when he watched the jellyfish in the aquarium. 

Theo still had Zenith's phone with him, hidden inside his robe's inner pocket. He felt its weight press against his side, comforting and painful at the same time.

And tonight he'd been antsier than usual. After days of grueling work, he and Meg had narrowed down his dream-spells to three promising candidates. Even so, Meg insisted that he shouldn't try casting them yet since each one contained components she still didn't recognize.

Well, even if he couldn't cast them, he could at least make sure he had them perfectly memorized so he'd be able to pull them off without a hitch in the heat of the moment. They were some of the most intricate spells he knew, after all. 

He took a deep breath, only for clouds of icy mist to billow around his face and condense in frost crystals on the fur lining of his hood. The air itself was so cold it burned his lungs – and it even sent his Levia fleeing into the core of his body.

Which only made him colder. Sighing, Theo wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, but the frigid air still stung against his cheeks.

This wasn't just cold. It was a chill so deep and intense Theo found it difficult to imagine anything could survive its merciless grip.

Yet incredibly enough, he'd still glimpsed a few signs of life in this frozen wasteland. A herd of monsters so shaggy he couldn't begin to figure out their real shape. Even a village or two here or there, the houses blanketed in snow but lights glowing defiantly in their windows.

And they still weren't anywhere near General Serac's castle. Theo had better settle in and get used to the cold before then.

When a footstep clicked from behind, echoing in the silent night, Theo couldn't help but jump. "Sorry," a familiar low voice said. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh!" Theo spun around to lock eyes with Victor. His brother nodded in acknowledgment and headed over to join him at the railing. He was just as bundled as Theo, but beneath his hood, Theo made out the dark shadows beneath his eye.

"You should go to bed," Theo blurted.

Victor raised his eyebrow. "That's my line. I came here to look for you."

"Ah." Theo's chest clenched. "Sorry, I...I'll go to sleep soon. I just...."

His gaze turned back to the rippling waves of the aurora. So beautiful, but so cold and remote too. 

"Theo." Victor's voice, soft as it might be, pierced through Theo's thoughts like an arrow. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Blinking, Theo turned toward Victor. Victor's face was solemn as ever, but Theo knew he wasn't imagining the concern shining in his eye. Hadn't something like this happened before? Right, shortly after they'd left Mare. Zenith had interupted them then....

"We're heading closer," Theo found himself saying. "To General Serac. Which means...we might see Zenith again."

Victor inhaled sharply, but didn't say anything. Theo made himself plunge forward.

"I...I'm still no closer to figuring out how to cast a spell to help everyone. If Zenith's strong enough to defeat a Grand General, I...don't know if I'm ready to face him. If I...I'll be able to bring him back."

The admission squeezed his heart into a tight knot. Unable to look at either the aurora or Victor, he dropped his gaze to his boots.

For a moment that stretched into an eternity, all he heard was the blood pounding inside his head. Until Victor spoke, quiet as ever but resounding through Theo's entire body.

"You saved me, didn't you?"

"What?" Theo whirled around without thinking, facing Victor again. Victor gazed steadily back, without a trace of doubt or hesitation. It was a startlingly familiar expression, making Theo's heart race.

He'd seen it when Victor had declared he'd done everything for Theo's sake. When he'd asked Zenith if he had ever done anything to harm Theo. He might have been wrong both those times, but his resolve had been real. And Theo's had been as well.

After all, Theo might have stumbled into that first arena by accident, but he'd actively chosen to stay in this world, to keep on fighting, in order to bring Victor back. I'm going to save my brother. 

And in the end, hadn't he succeeded? Otherwise, Victor wouldn't be standing by his side right now.

Victor's mouth quirked, not quite a smile. "You were able to save me, so I know you can do it for him too."

Wonder – and gratitude – swept through Theo's mind, taking away all his thoughts. And before he could begin to gather them again, another voice pierced the night.

It was high and sharp, coming from above. Fia. "What is that?" 

Theo snapped his gaze up to see them dangling from one of Blue's tentacles. They must have been keeping watch. Now their gaze was directed straight ahead, and even from this distance Theo could make out the tension gripping their body.

Theo exchanged glances with Victor, and together they ran to the bow of the craft. The wheel was turning on its own, locked in an automatic course; Theo ignored it and leaned over the railing to stare at the snow below. 

Except...there was something dark on the horizon. Like a smudge or ink stain against the white snow, but it was slowly spiraling into the sky. Smoke, Theo realized with a thrill of dread.

And as the Blue Sky headed closer, he glimpses patches of red as well, like smoldering embers. Without thinking, his hand drifted down to his holster and gripped his folded-up staff.

That was when colorful sparks erupted from the decks of Gryseld's craft, one after another. Alarm flares. Horns soon followed, a chorus that rumbled in his bones and turned his muscles to jelly.

Not even the dead could sleep through this cacophony. Sure enough, hatches slammed open across the deck and crew members came climbing out. Amaro made a beeline for the wheel, almost knocking over Theo in his haste.

Not wanting to get in his way, Theo backed off only to run smack into Sam. "Theo! Theo, what happened?" she cried, grabbing his shoulders.

"Uh, I don't know, we saw smoke – "

Then Darian's shout lashed across the deck like a whip, even cutting through the blaring horns. "What's going on? Report!"

A tentacle unfurled in front of her, and Fia climbed down. "There's smoke at eleven o'clock about a league ahead. Embers too. Looks like there was a fire, and it might've only just happened."

"I see." Darian nodded curtly. "Let's take a look. Amaro, bring us in."

"Aye, Prince!" Amaro called, giving the wheel a tremendous spin. With a lurch, the Blue Sky began to turn toward the smoke on the horizon, falling into formation with Gryseld's craft. 

A protest rose in Theo's throat – they shouldn't get sidetracked, not when they needed to find Zenith – but he shoved it down before it could come out. Besides, he couldn't ignore how unusual the situation was. This fire couldn't possibly be natural, which meant somebody must have set it. 

Gryseld's words marched through his head. Battles fought in the snowy wastes, droves of demons fleeing south.

Theo's heart pounded so hard it drowned out everything else – the shouting crew, the thrumming propellers, the booming horns. His hand closed around his staff, tugging it out of the holster. 

Whatever lay ahead, he had to be prepared to face it.