Chapter Text
When Iris was young, her father took her on a business trip.
He needed to visit a place far colder and brisk, further north than she would ever think to go.
"Papa, it's way too cold for anyone to live here!" she would exclaim, and her father would laugh as he knelt in front of her to adjust her coat and scarf.
"Well, firefly, that's just because you're not used to the cold." her father said, watching with amusem*nt as she immediately started pulling at the stuffy scarf. She complained before how itchy the fabric felt around her neck.
"Well, if the people here ever experienced a nice warm day in Ravenna, I bet you that they would never wanna come back up here again!"
Her father laughed just a little louder, "Maybe so, but perhaps to these people, the cold is their home."
"What makes it their home?" She asked, one little mittened hand grasping for her father's finger.
"Maybe they grew up here... or maybe it's the people they met here that made them stay, which makes it home."
Iris squeezed her father's fingers as she hopped over a small pile of snow.
"That sounds stupid!"
Her father's laugh brought a comforting warmth to her chest.
Iris woke up at approximately 9:30 in the morning. Probably...there wasn't a clock nearby to tell her, and she spent a few minutes wondering if the altitude changed how people up here perceived the sun. Regardless, it was about an hour or so later than she intended, but she chalked it up to non-stop mountain-scaling the night before and being out about town the whole day after, to get her bearings on a sky island. It wasn't that same bitter chill that Frostmill had. Gods, did she hate that place, the way it was constantly snowing and it all seeped into the layers of your clothes, making it colder, wetter, sadder... here on Cirrus island, at least, it was cold, and it was windy, but the sun helped in keeping you warm, and you could see it, almost all of the time.
The view of both the sky and the sea below, really, was breathtaking – better than anything Iris could ever think to witness at sea level, sailing. Ravenna was the smallest little speck of dust she could pinch between her fingers. Somewhere there on that little speck, she thought, was her father.
And he would've loved the view from up here.
Will love the view from up here. Because when everything is over, and she pulls him out of the damned mines deep below Mount Caesar, she'll let him take a scenic trip far away from that place, and enjoy the sights the sea has to offer.
She just can't get distracted. Cirrus island has had dealing with Ravenna a generation ago. Where no other Ravennan territory can give her a clue, Cirrus was a shot in the dark, but desperation willed that she could hope to find something to fill the blank here. That was the hope she came out of the inn room with, searching the common area for signs of breakfast, or perhaps the most familiar face on the island so far. When it was clear he wasn't in the vicinity (well...perhaps he was in his room, but she wasn't going to knock to check) she simply waved Ms. Maisy Vista down for a glass of water and a small bowl of warm porridge. At least porridge was already bland, so she wouldn't be able to taste anything different about the food from up here.
When breakfast was done, she made her way outside of the Vista lodgings, she began her search. There wasn't much that she could do, other than ask blindly if anything strange has happened as of recent. Some point to Arish Vista getting stronger with his snow magic (she should really go apologize for pinning him to the wall at some point) and some point to the grumpy stranger who has taken up lodgings in the Vista's home, who flew off onto uninhabited parts of the sky for hours at a time without much socialization. Absent-mindedly, she entertained herself with the idea of sneaking out to see just where he went, but such an idea found itself put away when she heard tell of hooded figures having skulked around just last night, with a strange symbol embroidered on their cloaks and a bloodied man being dragged away, towards the direction of the step stones.
Was that at all relevant to Ravenna? Iris had to wonder as she stepped away from the old man at the fountain who told her that tidbit of information. She couldn't say for sure, but it was perhaps the only lead she might be able to go on; so she went to return to her room to pick up her things, in order to quickly make the descent and catch up with those figures...only to spot a familiar hooded figure crossing the bridge from the stepstones.
Bruises from the fight just recently seemed to flare at the sight of them, and she argued with herself between confrontation and walking away...and when the part which argued to approach the stranger won out, Iris prepared herself for another beatdown – only to catch a glimpse of a solemn smile on their partial face.
They were a person of few words, and most words spoken by them were in the form of a question.
So it was quite surprising to hear an apology come from their lips.
"It's you...I apologize for what happened when we last met. I hope there's no hard feelings."
Iris stepped back a moment, taking a pause before she spoke. It was difficult to stir up any anger, if they're so polite about it, "...There won't be any hard feelings, if you can at least tell me why you followed me."
It wasn't that difficult to find anyone who was slighted by Ravenna. One would just have to look to its southernmost town to find a whole population without any justice brought to them, or look to some door deep in its castello which would lead to endless tunnels of bronze mines. To think that even someone she'd just gone toe to toe with would be so willing to share a common goal with her is unsurprising, at best. Were she with any less sleep, without food in her system, perhaps she would have lashed out on this stranger yet again – but if they were able to do her in so easily, what chance would she have to face against the ruling people of the Bronze Sea?
So the help they extended was accepted, and they would go around continuing to ask the people of Cirrus island for any information they could possibly give. But was there really anything that person could scrounge up that Iris hadn't already heard about? She wasn't so sure. She found herself pacing the whole breadth of Cirrus, eventually, with no sight of her so-called ally anywhere. They had at some point split up, and now as she searched for the familiar hood and cloak, there was no trace of them anywhere. Not at the entrance, not in any building or shop, not by the docks, nowhere.
Was she being played with? Was this all a ploy? Were they here only to stall from those figures who might actually know something? A distraction sent by Ravenna to keep her in one place while her one lead made its escape and bronze legion forces were sent to finally detain her?
Iris found her breath quickening, and felt the pulse of body grow stronger and stronger. This was bad – real bad. If she was going to have a flare up, she'd rather it not be right here in a populated area that most likely didn't deserve any structural damage she might cause. She made a beeline for the less populated area in town – an old and dilapidated tower of which she would never know the original purpose of. To cool down, she would have to expel some magic somewhere, just to keep it from hurting her or hurting someone else. The side of a smaller cloud island would have to do the trick, for now. If that person was going to be sending bronze legion soldiers her way, it might even make for a suitable hiding spot before she needed to make her escape.
If only she could get to it without bumping into anyone.
She could feel herself fall back far enough that she expected the cold stone bridge to meet her bum, but a strong hand grabbed at her wrist and pulled her upright just before, causing her to stumble forward and lean against a warm body just for a moment.
"Oh, my apologies,"
That voice again.
"Are you alright?"
Iris propped herself upright and dusted herself off, balling her fists and feeling each knuckle crack, one by one. She could feel the sparks of her magic threatening to burst through her fingertips, fiery and burning with her impatience.
"Get out of my way," She managed to spit with just enough control that it wasn't some immature outburst this stranger – no, not a stranger, Neviro was his name – was not deserving of.
Said not-stranger kept quiet for a moment as she nudged him away with her shoulder, marching up the bridge towards the ruins. Then, she heard the heavy footfalls of boots following behind hers, and she attempted to bite back another sharp remark.
"If you're going to tail me, don't do such a sh*t job at it."
She winced at herself. That was not at all how she intended to make it sound.
"...I'm not trying to tail you, or anything underhanded like that," Neviro said, "Just making sure you don't fall off." There was a pause, "You don't look too well."
"I'm fine," Iris insisted, walking fast enough to reach the tower, "I don't need someone I barely know to watch over me,"
Despite her insistence, the man followed her all the way to the ruins, and stood a few paces away from her. She could feel the way he studied her. Felt those eyes peer into the back of her head, searching for something, or sifting through some invisible guard to get to the information he was looking for.
Then Neviro spoke, "Take a deep breath, and widen your stance,"
"Wh-"
"Just trust me," He stepped forward, hands coming to her shoulders and guiding her to lean one shoulder out, one foot forward and one foot back, "...I'm not versed in magic, but some basic techniques for magical and non-magical combat are more or less the same."
She didn't like how easily he deduced anything she was about to do. Even if he wasn't all that strong – she could tell at least if there was a lick of magic in anyone or not – he was definitely skilled in observation; a tacticians mind and observant eye. So she did as he said without further complaint, let his hand guide hers into stretching outwards.
"Your magic is heat-based, yes? So your breathing will control the concentration of the heat. With a deep breath, you can probably discharge a good amount on the exhale."
Iris gave him an incredulous look, disbelieving in his words. If anything, he didn't even look too sure about what he just said – like he was simply giving an educated guess as though it were a tried and true fact. And yet, he gives a small and reassuring smile that encourages her to face forward and do as he said, once more. When his hands left her shoulders, she closed her eyes and took as deep a breath as she could, focusing that great store of heat and feeling it pool at her core. It was searing, scorching pure energy, that which threatened to boil her from the inside out the longer she held her breath. She opened her eyes and decided on her target, aiming the now-forming magic circle with her palm...the side of an uninhabited cliff, away from the town. As she exhaled, she let the magic discharge – felt it surge through her system like a spark on a short fuse – and watched as a blast of flare magic struck true, a firework which left a small but deep scar onto the face of the cliff and let debris fall to the stones below.
She looked to Neviro, whose attention was still on the last of the debris tumbling down an inconceivably tall height. It was only a moment after that his gaze locked with hers, "Feel better?"
She looked down at her hands. They were lighter now, and less shaky. And this time it only took one blast, not twenty, which left her much less tired than what cooling off normally had her feeling.
"...Yeah, thanks," she landed on saying, "That was actually...pretty helpful."
"That's good to hear," Neviro said, "...Honestly, I didn't know if that would really do much to help you."
"I could tell,"
He laughed, sheepish, scratching one cheek and glancing aside, "...What had you so worked up, anyway? Was it that conversation you had with the latest visitor?"
"...Were you listening in on our conversation?" Iris asked, dismay evident in her tone. Just when she was going to forgive him for being a little weird, too.
"I saw you speak, mind you," He put his hands up, just as she raised a fist against him, "And I didn't hear anything, if that's what you're worried about."
She lowered her fist, using that hand to instead pinch the bridge of her nose, "...I'm just a little stressed is all." She wasn't going to explain that she was investigating the biggest political force in this sea and had some trouble trusting the intent of one of two strangers she's decided to rely on, with merely a whim. There was a silence between the both of them, with Iris deciding it better not to show her current expression to someone she barely met. He already knew she struggled with her magic. He doesn't also need to know that she's this close to breaking down entirely.
"...They're doing their part, I would think. With whatever it is you're both doing up here." Neviro said, to break the silence.
"...And how do you know that?" She asked, dry.
"You'll just have to trust me on that." There was a dry chuckle, "Ms. Maisy was talking about how now there's a third visitor asking all sorts of questions. And the dockmaster up here had to lend me another boat, saying the first one was loaned out to another visitor...Whatever it is you're both doing here, they're putting in the work. Just be patient."
How was Iris supposed to trust the word of some man she's just met? Let alone two strangers both visiting an otherwise isolated village? She wasn't sure. Nothing about this felt sure. If anything, the idea just stressed her out moreso.
It would seem that Neviro could at least take the hint, from the moment that she clenched her fist and turned away. Before she could even ask for him to leave her alone, he said to her, "I'll give you some space now. Take care, Miss Iris."
She took a deep breath, and let her stress out on a cliffside once more.
A few more hours passed, and Iris found herself back in Cirrus town, eating a sky apple from the vendor. Frankly speaking, the almost flavorless, vaguely sweet taste was a little off-putting, but she at this point needed something to work on and fiddle with to take her mind off the stress. She couldn't ask around again with the same people the same questions. She couldn't rent out another skyship, because for whatever reason they only had two of those to rent out – and some girl had the second ship run aground just by the townside, the idiot. So she was stuck here, a sitting duck, waiting patiently for any news, from anyone – be it her newfound "ally" or someone to tell her that they were just tipped off that she was a criminal in the eyes of Ravenna, and she was now arrested.
But then she heard footsteps behind her, and whipped her head around – her former adversary holding a scrap of purple cloth in hand embroidered with a strange symbol.
"...You're back," She managed to say, keeping away the sigh or tears of relief at bay, "Did you find anything?"
Her ally looked south of Cirrus, to some island she could barely make out in the distance, and began telling her everything that they had been doing the whole day; interrogations, investigations on uninhabited islands, an ancient library, it was fairly eventful. And most of it was not on Cirrus, which explains why she didn't catch any glimpse of them the whole day through. Relief washed over her all the more, and she let it wash away the quiet voice in the back of her mind which sounded vaguely like someone else she met up here. Told you so.
There wasn't time to think back on that. Not when the information her newfound, proper ally as she has now affirmed to herself is quite pressing. An ancient order that seeks to further magic at all costs isn't Ravenna, but it is a lead to something, and knowing the dirt that kingdom swept under the rug, she wouldn't be surprised to see that they might have some underhanded dealings with such a shady organization in the first place.
"If you fought some of these...order members, do you think there's others still around the area?"
Her ally shook their head, "...Anyone say anything useful here?"
"Nothing," Except...
Iris turned her attention to the far side of town, and caught exactly what she wanted to see. There stood Neviro on the bridge, taking a rest. She thought back on what he said to her by the ruins.
"Why don't you go ask that weirdo over there?" She jabbed a thumb in his direction, glancing over to him. Did she just see him flinch? "Maybe he'll know something we don't."
Her ally nodded, and jogged over to catch up with the Neviro who was conveniently walking down the bridge now. Away from them. She watched as they exchanged some words, before they left Neviro behind and rushed towards the sky dock once again. When they were gone, it was her turn to approach the young man.
"You were listening."
"...Maybe so."
"You'd make a terrible spy."
"I'm not trained to be one," he pointed out.
"So," Iris crossed her arms, "Why hide the information you knew? You could've saved us a lot of trouble."
She could watch him mull over his words, head tilting this way and that, before he answered, "Those people are trouble." He decided on saying, "I would not want just anyone running into them."
"And what about them?" she gestured to the vague direction of wherever her ally went, "You'd send them running into trouble like that?"
"...Well, they just seem a little...different." He looked to Iris, "After getting a second look at them, that much I am certain. I'm a little more confident that they'll be able to handle whatever is nearby."
Iris scoffed, "What do you even mean by that, now?"
He took another pause before cracking a wry smile, "...You'll just have to trust me,"
This guy was mildly infuriating.
Neviro could tell that Iris was running low on patience with him. After their brief exchange, she had opened her mouth and closed it like a fish gasping for air, before stepping towards the main square to wait for that hooded stranger. He could feel the way her magic crackled, frustrated with his reply.
In all fairness, he didn't quite know how to describe the energy of that stranger. Unlike Iris, it wasn't inherently magic. It wasn't necessarily a curse either. He's been exposed enough to a fraction of that power to know what that would feel like. This felt entirely different. And he didn't want to sound too crazy to this poor woman who had dealt with him barging in on her business already.
In truth, he did listen to their conversations. In order to ascertain his security up here on this island, it was necessary to decide whether or not these two foreign visitors meant any harm to him or the surrounding area. Especially after hearing about what some hooded figures did, the other night. A man, stolen in the dark, wounded and dragged off the cloud with barely a trace of him. That sounded far from a safe haven for him. Especially if those two were right to speculate that it could have anything to do with Ravenna. And that is why he pointed that hooded stranger with a strange aura to the island he saw a few of them sail to, and pointed them again to search elsewhere. There were only a handful of sky islands in this area – Not all of those Order members, as those two have referred to them as, had gone down.
So he bided his time away from the main square, sitting in his room and instead looking out the window towards it, so that he could watch the hooded stranger run back in the dead of night alongside the young woman. From his room, he could only hear a few things.
Curses.
Order.
Elius.
Ravenna.
Even with little to work on, what he understood did not bode well for him. Those hooded figures were connected to Ravenna. Whatever they were doing, it involved skulking around, toying with powerful forces, and putting lives in danger. He thought of his family, whom he left behind on some faraway island. He thought about himself up in the sky. Neither he nor what's left of his family would be safe with this Order running around, if they were able to find what they were looking for up here. If they're working with Ravenna, they'd soon find the last remains of Winterveil, too. He could be another man stolen in the dark, disappeared without a trace, to stomp out the last of Ravenna's dark history.
He watched as the pair crossed the bridge to the step stones in silent darkness. With barely a moment to spare any more thoughts on the matter, he grabbed what little he had, left a small sum of money on the nightstand, and ran after the pair, just as they began descending the great spire. It took a great amount of care to not stumble and fall; his damn spear and all of his life's worth on his back did little to speed his descent. He could just barely make out bright red hair in the late hours of the night sailing off, before he could set his pack down on his sailboat and rig it to working condition, tugging up the anchor and lowering the sails so he could follow her own vessel into open water.
It wouldn't do well for him to stand idle while these two faced powerful enemies. Not when it seemed to align so well with his own. Not when he knew he could help in some way; make a difference, avenge his people...avenge his father.
For once, Neviro thought, it seemed his goal had become just a little clearer.
