Rising Shards

Caya had seen Tik’s powers a few times since she’d arrived at Rising Shards to help with the business with the Kathrons. She could create a projection of a memory, which had proven immensely beneficial to her detective work.

I just hope we find at least a direction toward some answers.

The memory replay formed like a cloud in front of them over the empty pit in the hidden cave. As images began to form, Caya’s eyes widened as she heard her own voice coming from Tik’s conjuring.

”You’re only here because everything you touch fails,” The images remained distorted, just of two figures standing across from each other. But the voice was unmistakably hers.

”That’s...that’s me,” Caya said. ”That has nothing to do with this operation.”

”I can’t do this anymore! I want you to sign it within the week—”

Tik brushed the memory away. ”My apologies,” she said. ”Sometimes my ability picks up from someone close by.”

”It’s fine, it’s nothing,” Caya said. ”Should I step away?”

”No, I can focus away from that memory now that I know it’s yours,” Tik said.

”Right,” Caya said. It was humiliating, but Tik didn’t pry for any further details about what they’d just heard. Just another addition to Caya’s long list of stressors as of late.

Tik concentrated again. Caya assumed her powers worked similar to other Cani, where a lot of it was an innate feeling, using your powers by understanding instincts and emotions and shaping the energy that could be conjured that way.

The cloudy form of Tik’s powers was once again distorted. Odd shapes formed within it, swirling in bright colors against the darkness. Tik strained as she stretched her hands out, gesturing like she was opening a scroll to make the cloud bigger. The strange abstract shapes kept appearing, but deep in the vision, it appeared that snow fell. In the backdrop of the snow, silhouettes of five figures walking slowly became clear.

”This isn’t the end, is it?” one of the group said.

”No, it can’t be,” the one closest to them said. ”We don’t know where those taken by the ashes go. But I saw...” The voice distorted for a moment.

The others didn’t answer for a long time, causing the second voice to speak up again. ”The important thing is that we’re together.”

“We’ll always be friends,” the third said. ”Right?”

”Right,” the fourth said. ”Always.”

The ground shook.

”This might be it,” the fifth said.

The five huddled together as the shaking dissipated the vision entirely, the remnants falling like mist to the ground.

Tik’s piercing stare forward as she calculated that vision was something to behold.

“What the hell was that?” Kara asked.

“I don’t know,” Tik said, eyes still locked forward.

“Those weren’t the exiles, were they?” Mars asked.

“I don’t think they were,” Tik said. “Even with the distortions, their voices sounded different. What they were talking about doesn’t connect with anything we know about their journey.”

”Can we rule it out, though?” Kara asked.

Tik grimaced. ”We can’t.”

Caya didn’t notice anything in that vision that provided any clarity to their current situation. To her it seemed completely random. It stung feeling like she couldn’t contribute anything, while everything felt like it was still piling up around them.

”Should we try to find Caeda Firae again?” Caya asked, hating how her mouth felt dry. How powerless she felt to stopping whatever was coming. ”Try to find any kind of link that could lead us to Octa?”

Tik gripped her cane, her expression curiously still blank. ”I need time to think on this, but yes. Trying again with Caeda may be our next best option.”

Caya left the cave with little answers. Kara and Mars offered to check in on the cave regularly until they figured out what was going on with it, and in case Octa made a reappearance. Before she left, Tik stopped her, the two at the mouth of the cave, on the line between the shadows behind them and the blinding light outside.

”You’re going through a lot, aren’t you?” Tik said.

Caya’s silence was an answer on its own, one Tik understood.

”I won’t ask you more about your vision,” Tik said. ”But I think I should say you don’t have to do this all alone.”

”I’m aware,” Caya said, surprised that her voice was still so hoarse. She was in work mode, and when in work mode, she wasn’t vulnerable.

”I’m available to talk if you’d like,” Tik said.

”Thank you,” Caya said. ”I...” She stopped herself from immediately rejecting the proposal. ”I may have to take you up on that.”