Chapter 7: The Broken Trinity
Nothing. Not even light existed. Though, a steady warmth rolled in slowly, increasing.
Then, pain. Pain that was fading. Fading slowly, so slow it felt impossible to tell.
Then, sound. The wind blowing and footsteps echoing. Birds chirping.
Then finally, light. The world opened.
Like staring into the sun. But in this case, like opening your eyes after keeping your eyes shut for too long.
He felt cold softness underneath him. Suggesting he was in a bed of some sort.
His eyes were on the window to the side, noticing the dust dance in the sun that leaked into the room.
Ian stared up into an all-too-familiar ceiling.
The blue color was the same as ever.
He was tucked in neatly in his white sheets. His head resting on a soft pillow, almost like a baby.
His muscles ached faintly, though nothing sharp.
Just a dull reminder of the last few days.
Looking over to his left, he saw Charlotte.
Her hands hovered over his left oblique.
A light green aura emanated from it, along with an oddly advanced magic circle hovering over her hands.
The air shimmered slightly with energy.
She looked over. "You're awake."
There was no answer for a while. Like he had forgotten how to speak. Then, his voice came.
"I, I am...how long was I out for?" He didn't recognize his own voice. It sounded thinner than usual, uncertain, distant.
Even though it felt like an instant, he could tell time had passed since he had last opened his eyes.
"Five days, Ian." Charlotte stated as she stood up, crossing her arms after finishing the healing.
Ian felt a chill run up his spine.
Normally it would go downwards, but hearing that he had been unconscious for five days confused his body.
Five days of nothing, five days where he hadn't moved, thought, or acted.
The thought made him feel small. Almost trapped.
Then, his memories came.
He remembered yesterday. How he had absorbed those wounds from that boy.
The heat, the pain, the nausea that had threatened to tear him apart. Then the intrusion of Thar Blackspire. The smell of blood, the screams.
"How did the boy turn out?" he asked, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant.
"You saved his life. My healing didn't do much. And I wasn't sure how to tell his mother," Charlotte said, her voice soft but direct.
Hearing this caused Ian's heart to flutter.
A strange mix of relief and pride warmed him from the inside. Not only because he saved a life, but because he had truly saved a life.
A real person had survived because of him.
But his thoughts quickly drifted elsewhere.
Thar. The Cataclysm. His aura, the chill of power he had felt. Ryn's reaction. That cold, calculating glare.
What did he mean by Aegis? He'd ask Ryn when he got the chance.
Charlotte seemed to notice his pause. "Thinking about that?"
"Yeah," Ian replied.
Charlotte sat on the bed, hands folded in her lap. "I'm guessing you know of the three goddesses, right?"
Ian shook his head, a confused frown forming. "No, no I don't."
"Let me tell you an old bedtime story my parents used to tell me."
7.1 1000-Year-Old Dragon
Charlotte cleared her throat and took a deep breath.
"Once upon a time, there were three goddesses."
"Althara, goddess of life and creation."
"Veyra, goddess of balance and judgment."
"And finally, Thysera, goddess of potential and order."
"There was also a dragon. A dragon who slept for thousands of years. It was kept asleep by the goddess Althara."
"But one day, with a rumble, the dragon Ashryll woke up. The world was shaken by its wings, strong enough to reach the heavens."
"It wreaked havoc over the lands. Soldiers of various nations fought bravely together against the Zendrya-sized dragon, but to no avail." She spread her hands wide.
"It erased entire countries and forced people to redraw the maps of the world. Granting it the name Ashryll from the ash it covered the world with."
She thrusted her fist dramatically up into the air.
Ian wasn't sure if Charlotte was messing with him.
"This isn't one of your tricks now is it?" He asked, an uncertainty in his voice.
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "No, and I wasn't finished talking either."
Ian sighed, urging her to go on.
"Anyyyways...It all ended when Althara descended with the Spear of Aetherion. Stabbing the beast in the heart sealed it away."
"Though it cost Althara her life."
"Now, the goddess Veyra is said to watch over the seal, erasing anyone who dares get close."
"Due to the trinity breaking, the third goddess Thysera has slowly gone corrupt."
"But that's just an old bedtime story." Charlotte ended the story.
Ian couldn't help but whislte. Still, he was expecting more.
"Wait, that's all?" Ian said, suddenly remembering the goddess statue he had seen. Was it three weeks ago?
He didn't remember clearly. His mind felt foggy after being unconscious.
Tapping his chin lightly, he spoke."There's a statue of a goddess close by that's depicted with wings and a sword. Is that Veyra, the goddess of balance and judgment?"
Charlotte nodded, a faint smile breaking her calm facade. "Correct. You might be dumb, but I guess you can still learn new tricks." She did a thumbs up his way.
Ian chuckled slightly. The sound of his own laugh felt foreign, but pleasant.
He had missed this. Missed small joys. Feeling as if life had been beating him down recently, it was nice to feel normal for once.
"I'm surprised you didn't know the story. Most parents tell their kids about it before their bedtime," Charlotte added, a hint of shock in her tone.
Ian remembered he hadn't told her or Ryn that he wasn't from this world.
The thought made him tense for a moment.
They wouldn't believe him, or worse, there might be consequences he couldn't predict.
"Well, I was raised in a village very far north," Ian lied. As usual, Charlotte seemed to buy it.
"Seems logical. Since you got blue eyes, I figured you were from up north somewhere. It's a fairly common trait up there," she said, her own blue eyes meeting his.
"Where are you from?" Ian asked, genuinely curious.
"I've lived here in Zendrya since I was born. This clinic is actually something I got from my mother," she said, thinking back to her own memories.
Ian remembered something suddenly. "Wait, you said the goddess Zendrya controls magic and stuff. Then why didn't you say anything about her?"
Charlotte blinked, slightly caught off guard. "I'm surprised you remember that."
"But Zendrya isn't really a goddess, more like an angel. She was made by Althara, and yes, she created magic."
"I see. Are there other angels and stuff similar to Zendrya?" Ian asked.
Charlotte nodded. "Yes, but that's for another time. I think it's time for you to get out of bed now. I healed your wounds."
Ian looked down, still not seeing any wounds. But he had clearly only suffered from some kind of nerve damage.
His body ached faintly, a dull reminder of the cost of the last days.
"I didn't see any wounds. But Ryn filled me in a little so I ended up healing you every day until you woke up," Charlotte said, putting away her materials.
"You were that concerned for me?" Ian asked, a little stunned.
"Don't forget that I'm a healer. And you're just a guest here since you saved me back then," Charlotte replied, causing Ian to remember that they hadn't really known each other for that long.
Ian felt a little awkward. He lifted his legs high and swung them downwards, momentum getting him onto his feet.
He wobbled slightly, unused to standing after days of rest.
Charlotte watched him silently. Her gaze was different, not accusatory, but something curious lingered.
7.2 Aegis
As they walked through the familiar clinic halls, Ian felt eyes on him again. Was it the Shattered Hand? Or that presence he had felt before?
"Ian," a whisper called from somewhere inside him.
"Yes?" he responded without thinking.
Charlotte looked back, confused. "Who are you talking to? Yourself?"
"You didn't hit your head, did you?" she added after turning forward again.
"No. I didn't. I don't think so, at least," Ian replied, unease in his voice.
Charlotte just shrugged and continued.
Ian wasn't sure if the voice was his mind trying to fill the silence or something else entirely.
He pushed it from his thoughts as Ryn appeared in the lobby.
"What's up, Ryn?" Ian called out, waving slightly.
Ryn turned. Ian was expecting that cold stare from before. But, Ryn was back to normal. His casual steady expression was back.
"Good day, sir. Are you alright?"
Ian nodded. "Yeah. All better now. How's the kid?"
Charlotte interjected. "They left the day after…that."
Both Ryn and Charlotte looked down for a moment. Ian's stomach twisted.
Why did they look guilty? He had done something worth noting here. Maybe even the first thing worth noting in general.
"What even were those explosions?" Ian asked. "They felt too…perfectly timed."
Ryn looked up slowly. "It was Thar. The Cataclysm."
Ian froze. Every nerve in him stilled. That…was Thar? The guy they might need to go up against?
"I'm sorry. But how are we gonna beat him?!" Ian shouted, panic creeping into his voice.
Ryn sighed. "Actually. I held him off before he got here."
Charlotte's eyes widened. "You held that guy off? Why didn't you tell me?"
Ryn shrugged slightly. "Well, I saw you had a lot of patients these past few days. So, I didn't feel like bothering you."
Ian's chest tightened. Seeing them work, act, handle things—it made him feel…useless.
Sure, he had healed one person, but Ryn had handled the main threat.
Charlotte had treated the clinic. And he had been unconscious for 5 days like the dead weight he were.
"I uh…uhm…" Ian muttered, interrupting the tension.
"Yes?" Charlotte prompted.
Ian swallowed. "We've all had tough days. We're on edge. I get it. But don't start in-fighting on top of this."
Both of them blinked, surprised. Then shrugged, tension dissipating in the quiet.
Ian blinked, bewildered. That had gone…smoothly. No lectures, no scolding.
Charlotte returned to her patients, Ryn sat down in the lobby again, and Ian perched across from him.
He tried to look intimidating, though his body still ached faintly.
"What are you doing, sir?" Ryn asked.
"Why did Thar call you Aegis?" Ian asked, serious now, tension creeping into the room.
Ryn's smile faded, replaced with a measured, sharp expression. "I see. Straight to the point."
"Aegis is my family name. My full name is Ryn Kael Aegis. And my brother…he is one of the Five Fingers." Ryn stated coldly. The steady eye contact sent another chill down Ian's spine.
Ian's stomach sank. A knot of fear and confusion twisted in him.
His thoughts raced. The Shattered Hand. Thar. His brother.
The idea that someone so close to Ryn was part of a group so dangerous…
He could feel his pulse in his ears, his hands twitching slightly. He wanted to ask more.
To understand. But words caught in his throat.
Ryn's gaze didn't waver. The quiet intensity was almost suffocating.
Ian realized just how small he felt. Just how much he didn't know. And just how dangerous the world he had stepped into truly was.
"One of the Five Fingers…" Ian repeated quietly. The words felt heavy in his mouth.
"You mean the same group Thar belongs to?"
Ryn was quiet. As if contemplating to respond or not.
Then, finally. A voice came. "Yes, yes...The same group as Thar Blackspire. My brother's name is Darian Aegis. If he still uses that name, I dont know..."
Ian didn't know how to respond.
Why did I...no nevermind... he thought.
"Do you know their goal? And how did Thar know my name?" Ian asked, a slight hint of panic in his voice. Like he had to say something.
Ryn looked down. Breaking the long and heavy eye contact.
Ian exhaled slightly. A breath he didn't know he was holding escaped him.
Ryn looked up as he explained.They serve the corrupted goddess Thysera. For what reason im unsure. As for your second question. Im also unsure."
"That was a whole lot or nothing...I figured they had ties to Thysera..."
"But at least my thoughts are confirmed now..." Ian monologued.
Ryn said nothing after that. He just looked around. Something Ian had noticed him do from time to time.
There was a long silence between them.
Eventually, Ian stood up. "Well. I've been out for 5 days. Best I get some air."
Ryn nodded. No words.
Ian could tell he was deep in thought. Having barely heard what he said.
Ryn finally looked over as the door closed behind Ian's back.
7.3 Thoughts.
As Ian stepped out, the sharp sun felt like it blinded him. He hadn't seen it in almost a week.
There were a lot of people outside. Or he had grown accustomed to the pitch black of his unconciousness.
It would be hard to identify a shattered hand member. Though, he felt the familiar feeling of being watched.
There were also birds. Most likely the same he had heard when he awoke.
He looked to his right, a bench right outside the clinic in sight.
It was a little wet judging by the darkish wood and the puddle underneath suggesting it might've been dripping not very long ago, but he still sat down.
As he sat outside the clinic, he couldn't help but think about everything that had happened so far.
"So...I was run over...then i got here...I fought some masked guy, got taken care of, got introduced to my guardian..." Ian spoke to himself.
Ian continued rambling after making sure no one was listening. "Then, I healed a kid with some hidden power.And just likethat, an evil group is at my doorstep?I'm gettinga headache from all off this..."
A sigh escaped him. "What's so special about me anyway? I can't use magic."
Thinking back, he remembered magic was something that only appeared in video games and tv-series on earth.
People were even killed after being accused of being witches during the middle ages.
"Ian..."
He froze. It was that voice again. It had gotten stronger ever since the day he discovered his ability.
Was it...trying to contact him? Is it even a person?
A barrel fell nearby, pulling him back to his senses.
A group of kids had surrounded it, as one of them tried putting it back up?
What kind of idiot just keeps barrels on the street? He thought as he made his way over to assist them.
Putting his hands under the rim, he effortlessly lifted the barrel. It wasn't heavy. At least not for him.
He returned to his seat.
"Wow. You've grown."
"Huh?"
Ian looked behind him. Charlotte was looking out the open window right behind him.
"I said you've grown." She repeated.
Ian processed what she had said.
"I've grown?' He responded, a clear confused expression stretched over his face as he looked back at her.
"The old you wouldn't do that. You sure you didn't hit your head back there" she continued.
That left Ian speechless. He didn't know how to respond.
He was used to bear the weight of being useless on his shoulders. But...now it felt much lighter...
"Maybe...maybe you're right."
"Maybe, maybe I have grown."
And for the first time in a long time, Ian was proud of himself.