At her best, with Karkat doting over her, even Adhafera has had to take a break. It had to happen sometime, and that sometime was now. Still, she had refused to leave, and now there was this strange clown here, following her like a shadow, albeit a really extra shadow.

Aiden had to stop following you around, too. Or maybe he just forgot why he was hanging around you so much when you weren’t really feeling talkative. You don’t think that’s right, but he’s forgotten more pertinent things; he’s really old.

Things are slowly going back to normal, and now your biggest challenge, besides the funeral, is feeding those who are left; the devastation wiped the dry storage, and though many things in the deep freezers and the box refrigerators are salvageable, those will dwindle quickly the longer this takes, the longer those devices are without power. All the grain and rice is completely gone. You’ve gone down to help with the moving and clearing, as you can lift things that others need tools and vehicles to move, and now there is quite a bit of banging and crashing during the night as you heave rubble up over the side of the pit. You sweat alongside these demolition workers, and they look on your serious face with frightened and awed eyes. You have to be here. You have to be sure.

Nothing’s coming, you tell yourself. He’s dead. You wish you could believe yourself.

You’ve been isolating yourself and praying every light since it happened. This is not a test of your faith by your Lords, but one of resolve by your world. Still, you fear you are falling short. You wish Tyfora was here. You wish you could reach out to Grand. Arlequin’s got all these new kids, he doesn’t have time to be your guiding hand. Kurloz would end your actual miserable life for real if he found out you were still practicing after he banished you. Bull knows a different Highblood, but he doesn’t feel like he could help with this.

You were not made a priest for nothing. You will make your own way.

You are just wiping fresh tears from your face when a knock comes to the door. One of the team leads is being allowed into your personal chamber, and for what!? Your hackles rise, and you face him with a stern glare, about to move menacingly toward him, but he hides behind his tablet, and you realize what you’ve done, what you were about to do.

But why, pray, is he here?

You can hear the blueblood’s heart pounding as he tells you that their seismographs are picking something up. They have been the whole time, but it’s getting stronger, like part of the lower levels are collapsing, and your blood turns to ice.

You have to get Delphine. She has to evacuate, just in case, and take their family with her. There’s a place by the coast; she’ll be more comfortable there! It’s fine, but she has to go.

Something’s coming.

The Beginning

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