A Beginning

Lykta

cn injury, suicidal thoughts, mention of alcohol / alcoholism, death of a friend / lover

I swear it's not as dark as it sounds

Lykta could remember it well, even though by now many weeks had passed.

The chilly air of the cave grazing his skin when he stepped upward, trying to get out of reach of the black dragon in the waters below, out of breath, trying desperately to assess the situation in a calm way while panic dug its cold claws into him, then looking down and seeing the dragon burst forth from the churned lake with its eyes dead locked on him, its maw opening and the sudden realisation of what was coming.

And then the acid cloud hissed out of its mouth, racing towards him at a pace he couldn't outrun, and when it hit him, everything went numb. And then he fell, he fell and fell, didn't even feel his body hit the water any more, and the last of his thoughts was a sorrowful "Seems like I'll see you again sooner than I thought, my love".

But then he awakened again hours later, his whole body ached and burned, with Amaryll's worried face above him. Apparently, against all odds, his time hadn't come yet. Later, of course, he found out that Sid and Amaryll had done what seemed impossible and slain the drake, but in that moment of coming to his senses again in such a state, he simply didn't care much. He rolled over again and slipped into his dream-like meditation state for a long time.

His thoughts were abstract and distorted like fever dreams, until for some reason his troubled mind tripped on a memory he hadn't revisited in a long time.

He was a little boy, not older than twelve, running through a narrow alley of his hometown, his pursuers not far behind. He had once called them his friends but they had apparently decided that dividing their most recent bounty by three rather than four sounded worth it enough to dispose of him. He stumbled, looked over his shoulder and by doing so missed the hulking outlines of a Tabaxi who stepped out of the back door of a tavern, something large strapped over his back. When he crashed into him it felt like he ran into a solid stone wall and he fell on his bum, painfully bruising it on the cobblestone. "Little weasel! Give us the damn money now, and we won't hurt you as bad.. probably.." They had closed the distance due to his unfortunate accident and were now standing right behind him. No way he could get away with the Tabaxi barring the way in front of him. With a resigned and fearful sigh he turned around, but as he did, his trained elf ears heard a whistling and he felt something slice through the air above him, and when he could finally see his former friends he was pleasantly surprised. The oldest of them had frozen in his movements, trying not to impale his neck on the point of the giant sword that pressed him to the wall.

"You will not hurt the boy. Get lost. I won't repeat myself." a raucous voice bellowed, and it took Lykta a second to realize it was the Tabaxi who had spoken. The others, spurred by the threatening blade, didn't take so long and were gone before he could even blink. "t-..thank you. I thought I was done for."

"Don't mention it, boy." he extended his callused paw to help the kid up while leaning the sword against the wall next to him. When he spoke again, his voice was much softer, like old and worn leather. "I'm Sicario. I know a place for kids like you. If you're as done with that kind of life as you look. Come with me."

Why exactly that memory had drifted into his focus, he didn't know. But he was thankful, for from that moment on he knew what to do with the extra lifetime he had surprisingly been given.

It was a new.. "Lykta!" ...experience... "Wake up sleepyhead, it's time for breakfast, dad and I made stew!" 

Lykta sighed, then opened his eyes and looked at the young brunette girl poking his head with the handle of her greataxe. "It's. Not. Even. Dawn. Yet." he groaned with audible annoyance. "I wanna get on the road early, you said if we hurried we might even arrive today!" The elven rogue sighed again. When Amaryll was excited like this there was no point in a discussion, he had learned that relatively quickly. "Fine.." he got up and stretched, but despite being woken up too early for his taste he couldn't help but smile. 

Amaryll was a pleasant travelling companion, albeit crossing an ocean and the borders of multiple countries with a literal twelve year old in tow certainly proved challenging in ways he had not imagined being challenged in for at least the next hundred years, give or take. 

But, unexpected to nobody more than it was to him, he enjoyed filling the role of a.. bigger brother? Teacher? Guide? Probably all of it, and even though their voyage created more than a few very awkward moments he had rather avoided, the young sorceress also brightened every single day of his. 

She had been through a lot, even more than he had at her age, but still retained an attitude of childish naivity he really missed. Being her protector gave him purpose again, and once every few days he thought about how Nefarius would laugh at him if he knew. 

Of course, he would at the same time also be really proud of and happy for him, and neither of them would have to spell it out because both of them would have known anyway. 

Not one day passed where he didn't miss his lover and cursed himself for not breaking the vow he had given him. 

At times, especially since Rome had left him too, it had been incredibly hard not to drink himself stupid or step off a cliff, and a few times he only stopped an inch before actually doing it. 

But he survived, and by now he was actually beginning to enjoy life again. Maybe one day he would stop living in the past, but now it was time to concentrate on completing their journey.

The dissimilar pair of elves got dressed, had breakfast in silence and saddled their horses. Amaryll kept qiuet, but Lykta could tell she was really excited about finally arriving at their destination after all these months by the constant smile on her face and the look in her eyes. 

They rode throughout the entire day, only taking a few short breaks to eat, but Lykta couldn't enjoy the beauty of the endless sea of grass around them, too much was he caught up in his own thoughts. He didn't show it as clearly as his companion, but he, too, was getting fairly excited.

Towards the evening, when the sun started to set already, he could finally see it in the distance. A giant old church amidst all this nothingness, surrounded by a few small fields and still in the process of being refitted for its new purpose. It would probably still take another decade until it was finished, but the elf didn't care about the state of the building. What mattered were the people who waited there for them. His friends.

Xaro and Amber had chosen to create a sanctuary out here. Three days on horseback from the nearest city, this place should preserve and revive the spirit of Gato-Saka. 

It was supposed to be a home for all the strays and lost ones out there and serve as a refuge from the world for those who came in peace. 

It didn't have the prestige of its predecessor yet, far from it, but it was in capable hands. 

It was here he wanted to bring Amaryll, so that his little protege could grow up and train for the monumental task in front of her. 

In the distance, the front door opened and a juggernaut of a Leonin stepped out of the building and into the light of the setting sun, his white for seeming almost golden this late hour. It took his eyes a moment to realize who it was that came to visit, but when he did, he enthusiastically waved and roared so loudly they could hear him even as far away as they still were. 

Amaryll unintentionally flinched, but Lykta could feel a wide grin spread on his face. 

This was it. This was home.