A Breyan perspective piece.
Part of the Terra ret-conning. Spelling and grammar = Unchecked. Noted flaws: Choppy anime-esque transitions. The initial set up is blocked off a bit from the actual thing I wanted to write.
Kick it.
He was away from everyone else; the group was having their first celebration, and one of the most valuable members wasn't around.
"What are you doing sulking under the tree, Breyan?" Jeria said, running a hand through her hair as she leaned against the tree in question. Breyan sat, the youth curled up, his chin resting on his knees, his bare arms wrapped around his legs. His sword was stuck in the ground by the stream they had camped near to, looking lonely.
"Sulking? Not that. Nah, I'm thinkin'." His words were always so odd; he mixed precision with messy slurs. the sharp "t"s of not and that, and then following it with butchered language. His dark eyes seemed to be staring at the fireflies dancing on the stream; their light seemed to reflect around the shadows, far away from the camp fire.
"Katz and Samson were wondering where you were. You really should do something with them."
"Keh. Why?"
"They're trying hard to welcome you into us. You wanted to be a soldier, right? That means working with others."
"Who said I want to be a soldier?" A firefly landed on his short cropped hair, flickering. He didn't seem to be paying attention to it.
"Why else would you a join mercenaries, then? Hm, I don't understand you, kid."
He reached out suddenly, grabbing the firefly in his hair and standing up. "You're a mage, so you don't know what its like to cross swords with someone."
"Going to give me some thing about male honor and valor?"
"I wasn't."
"When you slam a sword against a sword," he said, walking towards the stream, letting the firefly free from his hand. "You make sparks... Sparks, flickering brightly. Like fireflies. They flash for just a moment. There's nothing before, nothing after; our lives are just brief flashes in the eyes of the gods. Like fireflies are to us."
"But you know, Jeria, when a firefly flashes..." His hand darted out, suddenly. Katz had said that Breyan had more brute strength in one of his uncalloused hands than Samson did in his whole body, but there seemed to be a quickness there. His somewhat hairy hand closed around the firefly too quick for Jeria to clearly see.
"That's when you catch them. That's when we're broken. Fireflies flash for a moment, and in that moment, thats all there really is for them. They find love, or lose it... To a god, to a a dragon or demon... A demon or a angel is like a star, flickering for near eternity. But, all our lives are just a moment. Here, watch?"
She stood transfixed by him, a bit afraid as he put his free hand on his sword. He then tossed the captured firefly out. "Watch it! It's not flickering, and I can't see it at all... Can you?
"No."
"There's nothing to see; only the flicker. Like sparks. The firefly is still there, but, you can't see it, can't perceive where it came from, where it is going. All it is, in the end, to us is just that sudden flash. We can't imagine anything more than that."
"Look at the stars, Jeria. Look at them, and see how they shine down always. There are things in this world eternal, or seemingly so. And here we are, just flashing away into nothingness. Jeria, do you notice the fireflies when you aren't looking for them? Of course not; they are just lights in the night."
He picked up his sword, and put it over his shoulder. "I'm not going to be like that. I'm leaving."
"What?" That was sudden; confusing, and nonsensical.
"I'm not going to be around you all. I'm not a firefly. I'm going to be like a firework, or a bonfire. I'll be loud! I'll be fierce! You won't overlook me, you won't forget me." He pointed the sword at the moon, a gleam in the blade, in his eyes, even in his teeth as he grinned up at the heavens.
"You won't even pretend to not know me! Ten years from now, my actions will matter. I might be finite, a quick burst of life, but everyone will notice me. The gods will take note, I'll compete with the dragons for control of the night sky. If I'm just going to be here one heartbeat in the scheme of the world, then I'm going to make Terra's heart skip a beat!"
"What I do, with these hands and this mind, will shake the world. You'll look and see me; I won't die in obscurity." And with that, he began walking, wading through the stream to the woods on the other side.
"Tell the guys to take care; and keep your eyes open. It'll be magnificent."
Kick it.
He was away from everyone else; the group was having their first celebration, and one of the most valuable members wasn't around.
"What are you doing sulking under the tree, Breyan?" Jeria said, running a hand through her hair as she leaned against the tree in question. Breyan sat, the youth curled up, his chin resting on his knees, his bare arms wrapped around his legs. His sword was stuck in the ground by the stream they had camped near to, looking lonely.
"Sulking? Not that. Nah, I'm thinkin'." His words were always so odd; he mixed precision with messy slurs. the sharp "t"s of not and that, and then following it with butchered language. His dark eyes seemed to be staring at the fireflies dancing on the stream; their light seemed to reflect around the shadows, far away from the camp fire.
"Katz and Samson were wondering where you were. You really should do something with them."
"Keh. Why?"
"They're trying hard to welcome you into us. You wanted to be a soldier, right? That means working with others."
"Who said I want to be a soldier?" A firefly landed on his short cropped hair, flickering. He didn't seem to be paying attention to it.
"Why else would you a join mercenaries, then? Hm, I don't understand you, kid."
He reached out suddenly, grabbing the firefly in his hair and standing up. "You're a mage, so you don't know what its like to cross swords with someone."
"Going to give me some thing about male honor and valor?"
"I wasn't."
"When you slam a sword against a sword," he said, walking towards the stream, letting the firefly free from his hand. "You make sparks... Sparks, flickering brightly. Like fireflies. They flash for just a moment. There's nothing before, nothing after; our lives are just brief flashes in the eyes of the gods. Like fireflies are to us."
"But you know, Jeria, when a firefly flashes..." His hand darted out, suddenly. Katz had said that Breyan had more brute strength in one of his uncalloused hands than Samson did in his whole body, but there seemed to be a quickness there. His somewhat hairy hand closed around the firefly too quick for Jeria to clearly see.
"That's when you catch them. That's when we're broken. Fireflies flash for a moment, and in that moment, thats all there really is for them. They find love, or lose it... To a god, to a a dragon or demon... A demon or a angel is like a star, flickering for near eternity. But, all our lives are just a moment. Here, watch?"
She stood transfixed by him, a bit afraid as he put his free hand on his sword. He then tossed the captured firefly out. "Watch it! It's not flickering, and I can't see it at all... Can you?
"No."
"There's nothing to see; only the flicker. Like sparks. The firefly is still there, but, you can't see it, can't perceive where it came from, where it is going. All it is, in the end, to us is just that sudden flash. We can't imagine anything more than that."
"Look at the stars, Jeria. Look at them, and see how they shine down always. There are things in this world eternal, or seemingly so. And here we are, just flashing away into nothingness. Jeria, do you notice the fireflies when you aren't looking for them? Of course not; they are just lights in the night."
He picked up his sword, and put it over his shoulder. "I'm not going to be like that. I'm leaving."
"What?" That was sudden; confusing, and nonsensical.
"I'm not going to be around you all. I'm not a firefly. I'm going to be like a firework, or a bonfire. I'll be loud! I'll be fierce! You won't overlook me, you won't forget me." He pointed the sword at the moon, a gleam in the blade, in his eyes, even in his teeth as he grinned up at the heavens.
"You won't even pretend to not know me! Ten years from now, my actions will matter. I might be finite, a quick burst of life, but everyone will notice me. The gods will take note, I'll compete with the dragons for control of the night sky. If I'm just going to be here one heartbeat in the scheme of the world, then I'm going to make Terra's heart skip a beat!"
"What I do, with these hands and this mind, will shake the world. You'll look and see me; I won't die in obscurity." And with that, he began walking, wading through the stream to the woods on the other side.
"Tell the guys to take care; and keep your eyes open. It'll be magnificent."