ReBirth Of The Primordial

Ominous clouds churned in the night sky, spewing flashes of indigo that electrified the air and struck the ground in brutal strikes. Amidst the striking, Dagan's feet left the molten ground at one point. Everything hurt so much that he had curled into a ball, it felt like he was being burned from the inside out, leaving him feeling empty and desolate.

Odd. it was just so odd. All he had wanted to do was take Eden and Sorcha out of that cave. Maybe back to the river where they had eaten all that tasty fish, and once everybody had finished and gotten their strength back up, they could look for Io together. It wasn't that he didn't understand that Io was probably dead, as she had never left them alone for this long, but she could also be grievously injured and needed help.

It didn't work out that way though. Dagan's default was calm, but Io had nailed it when she said that he was like a sleeping volcano. Years of torment, rage, and fear had left their marks. Io had helped Dagan... Fix himself, yes, but that didn't mean that all that rage simply went away. He just didn't need it. Usually. Figures though that when he needed to calm the most, was when he raged the hottest. One minute, Dagan thought he had everything under control, the next thing he knew, he was like this.

Even that act of opening his eyes was painful. It was as if all of his senses were on overdrive. The fire was soothing but tortuous. Who knew that fire had texture? Dagan focused on watching Sorcha and Eden moving further away. They were upset but ok. He watched Eden erect some sort of cocoon and he could feel the tension that had pulled his body taut loosen. Good, they were safe.

The storm intensified and molten rock, meters below Dagan's feet began to bubble and spew lava. Dagan stared raptly at the cocoon, with Io not around it was vital that he step up and take more responsibility. That they all stepped up to take care of each other. Dagan knew that it would take time.

He winced and grabbed at his head from pain. Face twisted from the pressure building inside his skull, Dagan obsessively grounded himself in the fact that Sorcha and Eden were safe. Dagan blinked once and the ball of roots was gone. Dagan looked around frantically for any hint or clue that they were ok. His awareness spread out and Dagan sank into it slowly going over every bump, dip, and groove as far as his senses would go. Nothing.

No no no nononononono! Not again!!! Dagan wanted to scream but he all could do was open his mouth, bright red veins mottling and twisting under his skin as he let out a silent wail of anguish. The fire that was coated him flickered completely from orange to red in an instant as the possibility that he may have lost Sorcha and Eden as well.

Powerless! You're useless Dagan! You couldn't save Io, and now you can't even save Sorcha or Eden. It's just like that storm that they went through right before they came here. Teasing them as if it was not going to strike at them but changing its mind at the very last second, killing them. The fear that they had shared as it had grown near.

The months of being on the run, never seeming to get any further away. Dagan admitted to himself that maybe, just maybe if it had just been Io, that she probably would have gotten away. Alternatively, he knew that Io would never abandon them. She had made it crystal clear exactly what she was willing to do to keep them safe.

Dagan's vision went red, then black, before clearing up again. He was so tired. Tired of running. Tired of loss. The fear that that Io was dead, that Sorcha and Eden were dead too. That he was all alone. That he had been left behind. He could feel his will dimming like the coals of the fire dying out. What was the point of coming here? He would rather be back in their old world if it meant that Io and Sorcha were alive. What about Eden then? Dagan slumped. No, no he couldn't think that way. Meeting Eden was not something that he could regret. That alone had made it worth coming here, but... Dagan shook his head, trying to keep focus but it felt as if his thoughts were slipping away like a fire running out of fuel.

Dagan mentally clawed his way back up out of the dying embers. It was one thing to lose someone because he was weak. It was a special kind of pathetic to lose to his situation. To let his environment dictate whether he should succeed or fail. To not even try for himself. To let another control his fate. Nor would he let his regret, guilt, and rage be the chains that bound his mind. This was not how he would live or how he would die.

If the world wanted to take his loved ones away then he'd burn it to ash. Dagan could feel himself starting to calm down, as his resolve settled. Once he got out of here he'd find Sorcha and Eden. Io too. Even if it was just her corpse and after that?

After that, they'd live. They would explore this new world. They'd laugh. They'd make new memories. They'd eat lots of yummy things, experience new things. They would take care of each other. Protect one another.. The flames that encapsulated the Dagan brightened until they radiated a warm orange glow and everything went white.