Sio sat in the silence of the room. Mebuki cried silent tears, her son stared off into the distance, and her grandson gazed at the floor. It was hard to look at them, but Sio watched their grief. How different it was for each of them, she thought. But how similar the pain.
"Kindle and Fjord said that they had been careful scouting for any cracks in the ice, but this one was not as evident as the others. Before they knew it, Kindle and Ikima were at the ledge of a ravine." She said.
"So, it was an accident." Said the man.
"We must question the others," said the grandson. "We must know for sure."
"You are looking for blame, Haru," said Mebuki, "where there is none to give."
"How can I trust this? Just her word? This Dunestrider is known in our village as ill-omened. Sio the granddaughter of a false-prophet. She probably weaved this tale to save her own skin." Haru, the young man was full of anger.
"Hush, Haru." Spoke his father in a direct tone. Haru grunted and turned away from them. He was silenced, for now. "Sio, this has been hard for us. Haru especially. Don't hold this against us."
"I don't, sir. I understand… more than you might think." Sio said. Mebuki walked to the side of Sio's cot and gently laid a hand on hers.
"We know that you do." The older woman stated. "Let us go, Jin, Haru, and give this young one some rest," Mebuki passed by Haru and tapped his arm, to which Haru relented and followed his grandmother. Jin, the older man, bowed to Sio as they exited the room and Sio inclined her head out of respect. Soon after, Sio collapsed back into her cot, head hitting the pillow roughly. She was exhausted. Her eyes could not be kept open.
—
She was sitting at a fire, there alone in the darkness. She smelled the sweet smoke and heard the warm crackle. Sparks flew every so often from the synth-log. Across from her, a figure approached the fire. She had long black hair, black eyes, and pale skin. She wore a typical undersuit, grey with thermal padding. She couldn't have been older than eighteen.
"I am part of the Grand Symphony, now." She spoke, but her mouth did not move. Her voice echoed all around.
"Ikima?" asked Sio.
"This one you call Ikima is no more." The stranger's black eyes peered over the flames. "I am what remains."
Sio searched the stranger's face, who looked so much like Ikima and sounded like Ikima.
"You are a memory," Sio whispered.
"I am what is left to tend to the living." She continued.
"Why are you here in the form of the dead?" Sio asked.
"I am here to seek an answer to a question." The phantom spoke standing over the flame.
"Speak your question." Sio relented.
"Why do you lie to the living, but not to the dead?" Ikima's mouth moved with the question. It was harsh, accusatory. Her eyes reflected fire. Sio stood, anger welling within.
She answered the phantom.
"The dead can tell no tale."
"You are right, prophet of stars." The phantom disappeared. Her voice remained. "The dead tell no tales, only the truth." Then the phantom's voice whispered in her ear. "One more question, Sio, prophet of stars." The phantom's voice became sweet. "Are you the living among the dead, or the dead among the living?"
—
Sio woke with a start and found herself in the clinic cot. It must have been some time just after midnight. Sio winced; her side ached fiercely. But what bothered her more was her somber dream. Was Ikima accusing her of neglect? Or perhaps it was the accusations of her brother that made her mind guilty over something she did not do? Sio was not certain.
Asking Kivtius came to mind, but the Geminidi had been a recluse now for seven years. He took up residence in the Sanctuary where Ava hid so long ago. A place where her parents were buried. That place was not somewhere Sio wanted to be. It was where the Obelisk was last seen, but since the fateful events of their last meeting, Sio had never went back. Kivtius had explained that the Obelisk was no longer present in their world, but was slumbering, awaiting the right time to awaken once more. She hoped the thing would never awaken. Despite his dedication to the Obelisk, Kivtius offered other services. He was an interpreter of dreams. None in the village rivaled his ability to understand the depths of the psychology behind them, not even Dr. Tausidi or Laura.
She could bear the dream for now. It was probably nothing anyways. It must have been guilt. Guilt she could understand, she held so much of it anyways. Sio could handle a little more. It was a small price to pay, in retrospect. Sio turned to her non-injured side and closed her eyes. She would find rest this time, she felt.
She woke to chattering a while later. She opened her eyes to see Eli talking away with Laura while Auburn simply sat in a chair near her cot listening silently. It was a lovely sight. She had long seen Auburn, Eli, and Laura as her own family. They were there, always, when she needed them. Sio slowly sat up, careful not to hurt her side more than it already was. Eli was the first to notice her and quickly ran to the side of her cot.
"Sio! Sio's awake!" He chirped. Laura grabbed his shoulders.
"Ah, not so fast, remember Sio's injured, we have to be gentle, right?" She said.
"I know, I know, aunty." Eli stilled himself next to Sio's cot and opened up his arms wide for a hug waiting for Sio expectantly. Sio complied, laughing. She pinched his cheek gently as she pulled away to which Eli swatted her hand half-heartedly.
"Someone's happy today." Said Sio.
"Of course! You're home! It's been forever—" He droned. Sio shook her head.
"It was only a couple months." She defended.
"Forever!" He argued again. Sio smiled. "And I have good news. Mommy is also home!"
Sio froze at this. Auburn cleared his throat. Sio looked to him. His face had aged tremendously in the last ten years, but Sio really saw now just how deep his worry lines went. His grey eyes were still warm, but a steely look had taken over. Sio turned back to Eli, a small sad smile on her face.
"How is your mother, Eli?" Sio asked, doing her best to compose herself. Eli didn't notice her struggle it seemed, too excited that his favorite people were back in his life.
"She's a lot happier, and I get to give her hugs every day now!"
"That's wonderful," Sio said. Eli continued to chat more about his home life now that his mother was living at home, and Sio sat and listened as much as she could. But a sinking feeling was taking over her chest. Ava, the woman who killed her grandmother, was walking freely amongst them.
"Have dinner with us." Her attention was brought back to Eli. Auburn stood then and rested his hands on either of Eli's shoulders.
"She will be with Dr. Tausidi for a while, son." Said Auburn. "Maybe some other time."
"Oh, okay…" Replied Eli, but soon he was asking Sio all about her adventures out in the Stride to which she answered as much as she could.
"Alright," said Laura as she clapped her hands getting everyone to look at her. "That's enough for one day, young man. Sio still needs her rest."
Eli deflated, but then skipped to his father's side. Auburn smiled and stood going over to Sio's cot and patting her on the shoulder then the two left. Laura took Auburn's place while she checked over Sio's vitals. Her heart rate was a little elevated.
"I take it Eli's news wasn't good news." Said Laura quietly. Sio didn't reply at first, but stared at her own vitals. Her blood pressure was elevated as well, it seemed.
"No," She said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "But I can't blame him for being excited. She's been in a cage his whole life."
"Some would say that's punishment enough," Laura commented, but it was not from a place of judgment. Sio knew Laura meant well.
"Some would." Sio said. "I cannot."
Laura smiled sadly at Sio, she put a hand upon her shoulder.
"No one expects you to." Laura stood and went for the door. Sio spoke up before she could leave.
"One day, I could forgive… just not today." Sio said. Laura stared at her a while before nodding her head and leaving. It must be hard, Sio thought. Laura was Ava's sister, and her sister was guilty of an incredible crime. But Laura was also Sio's friend, close enough that they could be sisters. Sio didn't want to burden Laura more than she was already, but it still hurt. She couldn't let it go just yet. She wondered if Haru would ever forgive her.
Sio missed her grandmother terribly, in moments like these. She would have the answers to most everything, including dreams. But Sio was without her. Just as Haru, Jin, and Mebuki were without Ikima. The guilt crept back into Sio's heart. The phantom of Ikima seemed to whisper in her ear again. Are you the living amongst the dead, or the dead amongst the living?