INSIGNIAS: THE REGALIS

There was no sound. Not even the wind or the rustling of the grass. Nothing could be seen. The whirling dust blocked the sunlight. But the silence was not peaceful. It was deafening. Frightening. Like the time stopped and no one could get out of the void. Even his heart stopped. Or that was it felt like to him. He only listened for a long time. He closed his eyes. His whole body was bruised and he could not stand. But he was hoping for someone to help him.

He was going to die.

He had been thinking about this the moment he was thrown from the old building after the painful blow. He felt his heart beat slower and fainter. But he was still hoping that he can overcome the pain.

Now, lying on the rough dry land, he knew it was the end for him. But her image never left his mind. He promised her but he was not strong enough.

Then he remembered his parents who were killed in front of him and his friends who he only knew for a few months before they faced this terrible war. Then he heard footsteps coming towards him. And hands shook him slowly. He found the strength to open his weary eyes and looked at the person.

“Ice.” His voice was broken and incomprehensible, like he did not talk for years. His friend helped him to stand up slowly. Blood oozed from his friend’s left shoulder.

“It’s over.”

He did not know what to feel. Many sacrificed their lives. His parents said that this was their fate. But how could they celebrate when families and friends died. Many vanished on this dry battlefield but the earth already buried them. They trained for this war and they all knew their destiny. But the ones who were hurt the most are those who were left behind. They were alive but barely living.

They walked without a destination. Unable to see anything, their instincts told them to keep on moving forward. They kept silent. Both of them knew that words were not needed. Both of them already knew what happened.

He saw their ruined camp behind the shattered ruined trees. It was located inside the forest but it was not spared from the war. Those who survived were badly hurt, but they tend each other’s wound. When the people saw them coming, he saw tears from their eyes and immediately averted their gaze. Then he looked for her. Someone was calling him but he kept looking for her. He forgot his body screaming of pain when the tears rolled down his eyes.

“Where is she?” he managed to ask no one in particular.

No one answered. They bowed their heads like they were surrendering, like there was no hope. In that moment, he kneeled and also surrendered. Someone was talking to him but he blocked everything. He could not see anyone. He could not hear anything. But her image remained.

Her golden eyes. Her beaming face. Her comforting smile.

The scenes repeated countless of times like a broken record playing. He relived it again and again but he wasn’t aware if it. Until he woke up. He gasped for air when he opened his eyes. He immediately winced when pain throbbed all over his body. Every time he breathe, his chest vibrated in pain. He gritted his teeth. He tried to move but found that he couldn’t. Looking around, he found himself surrounded by white walls, ceiling and blanket. The cot where he lay was thick and soft but his back felt numb. He figured that he had been laying on it for days. When he heard a moan, he glanced to his right. He felt his heart skip a beat. Someone with long and soft brown hair had fallen asleep on a couch beside the bed. She wore a light blue dress ending just below her knees. Her full lips were open slightly. A thick book laid on her lap.

He was still staring at her when a door opened. He heard a gasp but he was so focused on the person in front of him to turn toward the door. The person who gasped ran out, their soft but quick footsteps echoed in the hallway. Not a minute later, he heard several footsteps running toward his room. This time, he turned to see. Almost everyone’s eyes widened when they fell on him, some had tears in their eyes.

Clyne was the first grab his hand and squeeze. He was on the verge of crying. Skhy smiled widely at him as Lei hugged him lightly, Nate tapped his shoulder and Aria fist bump him. Some of them were still sporting wounds but everyone was grinning, celebrating.

“You’re back.” He turned toward her voice. Golden orbs watched him with love. She placed her hand on his chest. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

“Told you I can find all of you.” Like before, he smirked at Ciar’s remark. He slowly and painfully lifted his hand to place it above Tessa’s. His voice was barely a whisper but he hoped she heard him.

“I saw you before and I saw you again.”