The lightning was gone, and the water one floating in the air immediately fell to the ground, threatening to wipe out the surroundings were it not for Tiva's quick intervention. Fortunately, she managed to catch it all within ice walls.
Silence followed. Compared with the loud battle that had just taken place, the silence now was serene, and it lasted for a couple of long moments. In those moments, the chilly autumn wind carried leaves across the giant pool kept together by ice, creating a never-before-seen playground to celebrate a well-deserved victory.
"We won!" an Inyankaran broke the silence before jumping into the cool water.
"We've beaten the Remans!"
"We've gained our country back!"
"The usurper is dead!"
"We are free again!"
It wasn't long before everyone started shouting, and the cheers of the Inyankarans quickly drowned out the worried struggles of the remaining Remans. The invaders tried to run soon after, but a giant man waited for them at the edge of the battlefield, letting no t a single soul get past him.
By Inyankaran law, exile at the bottom of a canyon was the only other option aside from execution, but the Reman's worries mattered little in front of the immense joy felt by everyone. A dance performed on somebody else's blood is nevertheless a dance, and nobody could deny the Inyankarans their right to celebrate.
Still, there was somebody who hadn't yet managed to taste the victory, for he and his animal partner were both still in their energy form, having lost themselves in the heat of battle, unaware that it was over.
Once again, it was thanks to Tiva that they had learned of their own deed.
"It's over, silly!" the girl said, hugging the blue and purple silhouette without any sign of hesitation, ignoring the dangers it might have posed. Tiva trusted Nayavu that much, and she was right to trust him, for the man had turned back to normal starting from the spots her body touched.
His body still shivering, Nayavu's eyes raced to look around in every direction, but there was nothing else to be wary of. Both Giovanni and Aurelio were now gone, and the Reman threat had left Inyankara, at least for the moment.
"Tiva…"
"Yes, Nayavu! Thank you!" the girl said with a smile brighter than ever before—impossibly wide for anyone who hadn't had enough practice.
My sister's gonna have the worst wrinkles by the time she's thirty… Nayavu thought.
With his mind now finally at peace, the boy turned his head towards the hordes of Inyankarans jumping into the icy pool, all of them shouting his name as they waved.
"Come on, hero! Come and join us!"
At first, he glanced at the young woman who was still clinging onto him. Then he looked into the distance at the giant holding the Remans at bay. Lastly, he looked at the stag that had stayed by his side in battle. All of them shook their heads in affirmation. It was finally over. After much struggle, Nayavu had saved Inyankara. Wether or not it was only temporary mattered little. He had changed history. He had made a difference. He managed to protect those dear to him.
That's why Nayavu ran towards the pool, for he had earned his rest, but he remembered to look at the skies once more as he ran.
"At least most of them," the boy said, thinking about that one bird he couldn't keep around. But if the boy knew one thing, it was that the bird didn't mind.
That's why Nayavu shook his head.
"If it's you, you wouldn't have had it any other way," said Nayavu, acknowledging the pride of the thunderbird.
*****
A day after the battle, Nayavu still hadn't found a certain somebody.
Ayanda still hadn't shown herself. The boy knew Lightning was a free spirit, but he would have expected her to at least congratulate her own student for what he had pulled off.
"Whatever," he said, indignantly.
When the boy opened his eyes, it was still dark outside. The world was getting ready for a new dawn, yet he felt unusually restless.
It's weird, he thought.
I've been through tragedy so many times. I've witnessed history more than anyone else around, and yet I still feel so nervous about tomorrow that I couldn't get any sleep…
Careful not to wake anyone up, Nayavu got up from the ground.
Last night, a huge party had been thrown for victory, and everyone drank and sang to their hearts' content. It was the first time the boy had seen the great Tatanka-Ska drink so much that he fell from his feet. Both he and Tiva would remember that moment forever.
"To think he can also make a fool of himself…" the boy said with a grin.
"Is that what you thought?"
Nayavu swallowed his words when he heard a familiar voice from behind him. It turns out that even after getting blackout drunk, Tatanka was as dependable as ever, for the man woke up only two hours after he had passed out.
Shivering from every joint, Nayavu turned his head towards the source of the voice. Tatanka's stature towered over him, but the man didn't seem mad. Instead, he tilted his head towards the tent's exit, inviting Nayavu to step out with him.
The two stepped out, a clear moon greeting them from the only slightly lit sky.
The first thing they did was they both took a deep breath, letting the chilly air and the smell of wilting leaves fill their nostrils.
"It's over…" the boy said under his breath, his eyes pointed forward towards a new tomorrow.
"Yes. It's over," Tatanka answered, keeping true to his way of not wasting too many words.
However, Nayavu had some catching up to do, so he decided to at least bother the man with the basics of what's to come.
"So… The village… Everyone—" he said, opening up with the heaviest of topics.
"The ones who have survived… We will rebuild. …"
"And the past months… all of your struggles …"
"We will grow stronger."
"But you've already done plenty!"
"We will do as much as needs to be done. Together."
"But that's unfair!" the boy said, letting his pent-up worry become the status quo once more.
"All of this suffering, all of this struggle… You've worked hard all your life, just for more to come your way like this?"
Nayavu was frustrated, and that wasn't only because of what had happened, but because he knew what Inyankara's fate would be, even if he dared not speak about it.
"The Remans will come back for sure! This time, they may even bring the representative. All of this hard work, just for a moment of peace. We've taken back our lands for now, but what happens when they come back? Will you—"
"Nayavu," Tatanka cut the boy's rambling short. At times like this, the boy knew well enough to shut up, for the great man had something important to say.
"Listen here. Even if disaster is to strike again, all we can do is make sure we're prepared. It doesn't matter how many times it strikes, for we will rise back up every time. Living in fear brings you nothing. It is not tomorrow that you shall fear, for you never know what tomorrow may hold for you. As long as you've done your best, tomorrow will never be too much for you to handle."
The man's words left Nayavu breathless. It felt as if the man had answered questions the boy didn't even dare ask.
"And if disaster takes your tomorrow?"
"Then you just build it again. As long as you breathe, that's all you have to do."
"As long as I breathe…" Nayavu repeated. Then, he nodded energetically, as if he had figured something out.
"Thank you, Tatanka! You've helped me more than you can imagine!"
"Mhm…"
Such encouragement was all the boy needed to hear, for it was now that 'he' pictured something 'he' hadn't dared picture in a long time. 'He' imagined tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. 'He' thought about the next month and the year after that. In the end, 'he' dared to imagine a whole life filled with adventure, friends, love, and fulfillment. Of course 'he' could do it now. Finally, 'he' had the power.
After all, I'll become a representative, and I'll have the strength to take out whatever threatens my life! he thought.
"Again, thank you, Tatanka!" Nayavu added, turning around and entering the tent.
"Where are you going?" the giant asked.
"I'll get some shut-eye. See you later!"
"Don't forget about the ceremony at noon!"
Nayavu waved with his back turned to Tatanka. In not even half a day, the boy would pick up his life from where he had left it.
Behind him, Tatanka shifted his gaze back to the sky. By now, it had gained a pinkish hue, signaling the start of a new day.
"This time for sure," the man said.
"I've earned it," Nayavu spoke too.
*****
The torch fell out of the boy's hand, its flame burning some scattered orange leaves beneath his feet. The reason he had dropped it was because something felt wrong with his body.
Looking down upon it, the boy saw the torch being put out by a bloody mess. It was a mess that spurted out of his chest, the smell of burnt blood surrounding him.
Confused, Nayavu's first reaction was to look around. Shocked faces stared at the boy who was supposed to throw his torch into the fire and become an adult. Among these faces, there was one he had for the first time seen completely turn its smile upside down.
Everything slowed down, and Nayavu got a good look at Tiva's expression. It had changed within a second, her cheerful smile twisting into shock and now into a frown that gave birth to tears. Her open mouth tried to shout something while her legs tried to take her back to Nayavu's side, but she was moving too slow.
In the crowd, a man called Tatanka-Ska had just sat down, yet he was now getting back up on his feet, his skin redder than usual. He also had his mouth open, but he wasn't shouting at the boy, but at something behind him.
Oh yeah, there was somebody else…
Remembering that he was supposed to defend himself at times like these, the boy turned his head to look for who had wounded him. There, standing in plain sight, was a woman with dark skin and purple, revealing clothes. She emanated power that could make nations kneel and wore an arrogance to match. Even so, Nayavu had a good relationship with this woman.
"Master…"
The boy's lips spoke, but no sound came out of his throat, for there was a hole in there too.
Still, there was something unusual about the woman. She wore her usual solemn expression—he could see this even with the helmet she had on, but her eyes looked different. The woman's eyes shone a bright purple like never before. It was a glow no representative wore, but the elemental beasts did—the glow of a god.
Something else that shouldn't have been there dropped from underneath the helmet. It looked like a tear, but Nayavu knew better than to think his master would ever cry.
If it weren't for that helmet, he could have sworn that Ayanda was in pain. How could someone as strong as Ayanda ever feel pain like this?
Regardless, it was not time to analyze her looks, for something much more urgent was going on. Tiva was running towards Nayavu, while Tatanka ran at the woman who had her palm pointed at the boy.
So slow…
For Nayavu, it all happened in slow motion, and he knew that he wouldn't wait to see it unfold. He was too bored, or maybe too tired.
Before events could further unfold, everything around Nayavu went dark, and his head hit the ground with a loud bang.