Heirot

Walking back to the group with Rai next to her, Mizuki took notice that she couldn't feel anyone's emotions. No longer could she help them feel better. She frowned, wishing she could, she knew on instinct that many were suffering still. As they walked through some people made startled gasps, still unsure about the wolf Toby.

"It's alright," she explained to those questioning her ethics with keeping such an animal near her child. "He's an old pet that had gone away for awhile, but he managed to return to us. Trust me, he protects Rai as if she was his own."

"No one will tell me or look for him. But I'm sure he's worried about me! You'll look for him, won't you?" Mizuki overheard the young boy's plea to Soran as they walked on. Again she realized that without her powers, it was harder to find the people your looking for. And it hurt not having her powers even more now. She wanted to find this boy's father and she couldn't anymore.

Soran gathered his energy and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid, but your father is probably gone. We can't find him," he said in what felt like a sympathetic voice, he hoped. "It's time to start thinking about what you have to do next." He looked up and saw Mizuki passing through the group nearby, and had a desperate craving to abandon this situation and go over to her and Rai. No, he had to finish with the boy. "I am here to keep you safe. That is all I can do for you, but I swear to do it. Aside from that, I need you to be a little older than you are right now, and watch out for yourself. Can you do that?" he asked seriously. The boy met his eyes, firmly holding back tears, and nodded a shallow yes.

"Good boy." Soran stood up and left the child to think about the new task he had to face, and went straight toward Mizuki.

"We're ready to move," he told her as he came up next to her. "Is everything okay?" She hadn't seemed like herself all morning, and he was still deciding what to make of it.

"Yes," she said nodding, unsure of herself. She knew she needed to tell him, but she also knew that he'd be suspicious of it. "I have to tell you something... alone. It's important." The inability to see what he was thinking was beginning to unnerve her, it was less of a shock when his thoughts didn't go as she had hoped when she already knew of them.

Soran looked around the readying group and then back at her. "Yes. This way," he said, leading her off toward a quieter spot while no one seemed to be looking for them for once. As they walked a knot slowly clenched in his stomach. Something was wrong... He turned to her when they were in relative privacy with the most neutral expression he had. "Yes?"

Mizuki followed Soran, unsure if Rai would follow them or not, but either way it didn't really matter. They'd be back soon. Once they stopped and Soran turned to her Mizuki held her breath. She had to tell him everything, it wouldn't make sense otherwise... but he'd disapprove. She didn't need seer magic to know that much.

"Soran, I-," how could she tell him exactly that she had temporarily lost her powers? How it was all to protect them by making herself and them vunerable to more attack because she now couldn't warn them of it. She took a deep breath, and told him everything. Her vision with her father warning her, the undead sorceress tracking them down by Mizuki's magic signature, why the Arken army wants to capture her, how in order to keep them all safe Mizuki had to lock away her powers, that she was now a normal person...

Soran listened with controlled silence to Mizuki's entire story. He had a lot of thoughts about what was happening to Mizuki. It was almost a relief that her magic had gone for a time. Especially now, he tended to see it as a risk to her safety. But that Arken was after her... that was a new one. This changed everything. Everything, but he would deal with that in a second. "Are YOU ok? Does it...hurt, anywhere?" he asked as solidly as possible. He knew so little of magic, it was hard not to sound ridiculous when he talked about it. He'd heard of mages becoming addicted to their magic and going insane from its loss.

"I--I'm fine," she answered, a bit confused by his question. Though, she did not tell him of the emptiness she had felt when her magic was gone. "It's... only temporary, if that's what you're worried about. I can get it back whenever I want." She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at him, trying to understand what was going through his mind but... only silence and the sounds of the forest and the people in the camp.

After some time she spoke again, "I think our best course of action... would be to get to Lowlight...and tell the Queen..."

Soran managed not to grimace when Mizuki mentioned bringing her powers back. As little as he cared for magic, even he could sense that that would be unsupportive. He could almost feel a longing in her voice as she spoke about her magic, like there was a whole world to it that he couldn't possibly imagine. There probably was. He had the strange urge to comfort her, but didn't know why or how to do so.

When Mizuki mentioned Lowight, Soran had to agree. He looked back at the huge group of weary refugees, desperate for a safe place to sleep. "These people will not last such a trip. We should get them to the nearest safe village, tonight. Then we should take Sid with us and do as you suggest. A seer wanted by the Arken army, an ex war hero and a captured general....we're starting to look like more trouble than help for these people anyway."

"But what if Arken is going all across Ighten? One close by village would only keep them safe for a day. All nearby villages are in danger of the same end. Shouldn't we warn all the villages and towns that we can on our way to Lowlight?" she said, now dismissing the subject of her powers. It was unimportant now.

"Warn the villages we can and maybe evacuate them on time while Arken burns them, or push ahead at our faster pace and return with the strength of the Queen's army behind us before Arken captures too much territory to regain." Soran looked at her, his eyes very dark. He was already familiar with the burden of bargaining the lives of entire populations in his decisions, but Mizuki wasn't quite so scientific about these things, and it was part of why he loved her, but it didn't mean he'd agree with it. "Like it or not, the best choice is to sacrifice these people in exchange for the whole." He didn't sound the least bit concerned when he said it. He hated how cold he sounded, and that the decision didn't unsettle him more.

Mizuki looked away towards the campsite thinking. She hated the idea of abandoning the people after they looked to them for support. But... Soran was right, they'd be slowed in their effort to get to the Queen, and if Arken gets its way over Igthen... they were all doomed anyway.

"Safest village we get to, warn them of it and maybe they can make it on their own." she made the decision and was terrified that she had no way of knowing if it was their best course of action or not.

Soran felt empty as he nodded. He couldn't help feeling like he'd just tainted Mizuki's gentler nature with his harsh logic. He didn't want her to be him. It was almost worth making the wrong decision so she wouldn't have to go through making the right one. But her safety was also at stake, and maybe it was selfish but Soran wanted to get her to safety immediately, all else aside.

"Good," he confirmed to her proposal, but instead of turning back towards the camp, he stepped in closer to her. "And Mizuki," he said quietly, his hands touching her arms. "I will keep you safe, with or without your powers. Do whatever you must."

She gazed up at him and smiled. "I know that, I'm just... terrified, I don't know what will come of this." Her eyes teared up and she looked away. She felt horrible, like she was betraying the people's trust. But they had to warn the Queen if she didn't already know, and it wasn't as if they were entirely abandoning them, they were going to make sure they could be safe somewhere for awhile. To ease her conscious Mizuki told herself that she'd teach them the survival skills she could. She looked back up at Soran and smiled with heavy, sad eyes. "We just have to survive long enough to make a difference in Heirot's future."

Soran blinked at that point. It seemed like a strange way to look at it. He nodded in agreement, but if it came down to their survival or Ighten's, he had a feeling they'd make different choices. Oh well, they'd deal with that if the time came. He turned sternly as one of the refugees ran up to them. "Everyone's ready to go, Sir," he said, seemingly slightly less nervous around Soran because Mizuki was there. She symbolized a kind of hope to them, even without her powers now.

"Then we're moving out," Soran ordered with a sideglance at Mizuki. Tell everyone to stay together. I want organizers every thirty feet to enforce the rules. No talking and no stopping without the rest of the group. Keep it quiet." Ten minutes later, they were on track southeast, moving through the forest with all possible stealth, though it was impossible not to leave a trail behind them with such a group.

Mizuki kept close to Rai, though now there seemed to be no need with Toby back. The more they walked through the forest the more Mizuki felt completely blind and nervous. Any moment now, she kept thinking, someone could attack and I'd never know. It put her so on edge that her hearing was more focused than anything.

She hoped it would dispel, this uneasiness, when they safely placed the villagers in another town and warned them of the coming danger and what they must do to be safe, then take off for Lowlight. Already Mizuki felt so ashamed for having to leave them that she confided in one of the mother's. Her name was Abigale.

"I don't blame you," Abigale said, walking close to Mizuki and speaking in a quiet voice. "The Queen must be alerted at all haste. We'd just slow down your mission."

"I hate for you to think your all a burden." Mizuki replied, darting her eyes around the trees.

"Nonsense, What's important now is Igthen's survival in this war. The more good we can do, the better."

"I want to leave you all with at least something to protect yourselves by. When we get to the village we're going to warn them as well of the danger. It'd probably be best that yourselves and they don't linger there for long."

"Understood, we'll take care of ourselves, don't worry."

"I'm trying..." Mizuki said with a weak smile as her eyes continued to scan the trees.