Chapter 41 - Incarnate

Damp smoke is still permeating in the air. 

Riel walks beside me through a path of hurried repairs and gaping absences. Men and women are loosely dotted around us with disciplined efficiency that feels out of place. 

Orville’s house is one of the few structures at the village’s heart to have survived relatively unscathed, though the garden is completely scorched. 

As we approach, I see two figures standing guard by the door. One of them is Roach, he looks older, not just by days, but by decades. A lack of sleep must be taking its toll. 

The other man is a stranger. He is tall and lean, his armour a brilliant, almost ostentatious silver that seems to repel the surrounding grime. 

His hair is a perfectly coiffed brown. And his face is handsome in a way that feels sculpted and severe whilst still managing to be hugged by a well shaped beard. He holds a helmet under one arm and watches our approach with an air of detached, aristocratic boredom.

Roach sees us and gives a slow, tired nod. “Riel. Shikara.”

Riel simply nods back. “We’re here to see the Chief, Captain.”

“He’s asleep at the moment.” Roach says, his eyes flicking to me for a moment. “Clovis says he’s stable, for now.”

The other man shifts his weight and the articulated plates of his cuirass whisper a soft complaint. "More visitors?" he remarks, his voice smooth and laced with a casual, cutting disdain. 

"One would think maintaining a sterile environment around the Chief would be paramount. At this rate, his constitution will need to be stronger than his wall was." 

My hands clench. Riel’s body goes rigid beside me, and I see a muscle jump in his jaw. Roach, however, just looks at the man with an expression of tired weariness.

“Knight Captain Arrian. This is Shikara, she's the Chief’s honoured guest and she lives here. She helped save Riel’s life during the attack, please could you step aside to let her in.” Roach’s disposition seems to be shaken with disgust but his words are tempered. 

Arrian’s lip curls into a faint sneer, but he doesn’t argue. He makes an exaggerated, mocking gesture of welcome with his free hand. “By all means. Do pay your respects.”

I want to say something, to throw his own arrogance back in his face, but Riel’s hand is now gripping my arm with a steady pressure. I concede and pass through the doorway without incident. 

Riel pauses just outside the hallway to mine and Orville’s room.

“I’ll let you go in alone.” he says, his voice low. 

I look at him, at the quiet strength holding his grief together “Thank you for your help Riel”.

I continue down the hallway to Orville’s room, the door is ajar. 

Orville is a diminished figure in his bed, lost amidst a landscape of white sheets and woollen blankets. 

A single candle burns on the bedside table, its flame casting long, dancing shadows that make the room feel smaller, more intimate. His face is pale and waxy making it look almost translucent. 

My sandals shift on the floorboards as I stumble to his bedside.

My small movements have fluttered Orville’s eyelids open, revealing orbs veiled by pain. It takes him a moment to focus on me.

“Shikara…” He strains out the words. “You’re ok.”

“Of course, I am.” I whisper, as I get closer to his face so he doesn't move.

A faint, sad smile touches his lips as he pauses to gather his strength. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to hear anymore stories about your old life.”

“You’ll still be able to hear them!” I insist, the words feel false even as I say them. “You just need to rest. Clovis is-”

“Clovis is a miracle worker,” he interrupts gently. “but even she cannot regrow what is gone.”

 “What do you mean gone? The village is still here, you’re still alive.” My ears are hot as a sense of doom grows within me.

With great effort Orville tugs at his blankets, slowly unveiling the true extent of his injuries. 

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t know it was this bad.” I quickly pull the blankets back over what’s left of Orville’s lower limbs. 

“It’s ok Shikara, I will continue to fight for my life but I’m not a fool. Anyone can see its dire strai-. ” A dusty cough breaks his sentence before it is finished. 

“We can’t lose you.” I choke out, tears I can’t feel begin to stream down my face. 

“The village has already lost me.” he says, gaining a shred of his old strength. “But it does not have to lose itself.”

I look at him, at the kind, wise man who saw through my lies and still took me in. I have to be able to do something for him. In service to him. In honour of them.

“I won’t let it.” I say, my voice trembling but clear. “I promise you, Orville. Even if… even if you pass, I will do everything I can. I will help them rebuild. I will help them grow. I will make sure this village doesn’t become a permanent ruin.”

He reaches out a trembling hand, and I take it.

“I believe you will.” he says, a genuine smile finally gracing his lips. “But on one condition.” He attempts to squeeze my hand but his grip is still loose.

“I want Riel to be the next chief, he has a good heart. He has seen the cost of los-” Orville takes in a long gasping breath before continuing 

“and he has the will to prevent it from happening again. I don’t want you to be bound to this place forever Shikara, you d-don’t d-deserve t-that.” As he concludes his point he launches forward in a horrific coughing fit.

I can’t stand to see him this way. 

“B-but h-he is not ready yet!” Orville spurts out just as he finishes coughing. “The village will see his strength soon enough. Roach is a commander, not a leader. You must try to guide them to see who the real candidate should be.”

“Alright Orville, I’ll try my best to keep your wishes alive.” I say my decision with conviction despite being unsure how I will actually hold any influence over the villagers who remain.

“One more thing, Shikara.” His eyes, veiled with pain, find mine. “It’s something I wanted to ask you before… when Roach left for Ineiba. I just… I couldn’t find the right words.”

He looks at my left arm, at the sleeve covering the monstrous wounds beneath. “The purple light… in your scars… do you think it might be related to the abnormal monster behaviour?”