“Hey, Retvik. How is your arm?”
Trismit perched on the juvenile swing set in an empty playground. All around them was nothing but rubberised tarmac and various abandoned play equipment, mostly just more swings and a couple of twisted metal contraptions, which existed solely to be climbed on. Standing below Trismit was the one Rethan he trusted.
Retvik glanced down at his arm and sighed. “Still painful. I discovered that kyraipnatic sleep somewhat deadens the senses when it comes to painkillers. What are you doing up there?”
“I wanted to be away from it all.”
The red and gold Rethan took a moment to observe his surroundings. The playground was rather isolated, with thick foliage shielding it from the majority of prying eyes. There was only one way into the area, via a small, well-worn muddy path. Past those trees though, both Retvik and Trismit knew that Rethan soldier-officers were waiting.
“You do realise you… teleported, yes?” Retvik asked. “You travelled a hundred kilometres in the blink of an eye.”
“Are they going to arrest me?”
Retvik glanced over his shoulder, towards where he knew the captain in charge was.
“I do not think so. You have not done anything… wrong. You just scared a lot of vok. Myself included.”
“Why?”
“Because…” Retvik hesitated, not sure whether Trismit was being serious or not. “Because… we are supposed to remain within that hotel until the investigation into the 11th Legion is over and you somehow teleported a hundred kilometres away into a secluded park?”
“Oh. So I did…” Trismit shrugged, looking down at Retvik. He was cold and shivering. The wind had picked up and rain was beginning to trickle down. “I am sorry, I did not mean to scare anyone. I just… need to be alone. Did they tell you to come here, Retvik? Did they send you, thinking that I would be mistrustful of others?”
“They did, yes.”
“They are scared of us.”
“Possibly. I cannot speak for others.”
Trismit sighed, then went back to staring somewhat blankly at the sky. Retvik watched Trismit cautiously, then realised that he should probably get Trismit to move or something. While Retvik knew that Trismit was a reasonable Rethan, the soldier-officers hiding away had no idea who Trismit really was.
“Trismit, are you planning on coming down soon? It is getting cold and will most likely rain soon. It would not be healthy for either of us to be caught out in the storm.”
“In a bit. I have been thinking and I want to talk to you.”
“Privately?”
“No. They can listen in if they wish. I have nothing to hide. In fact, I was wondering how we could better introduce our elementally-charged selves to the general population. Because, Retvik, you and I, we are… demi gods.”
Retvik tutted. “Having met all of this universe’s deities, I can quite plainly tell you that, yes, we are powerful, but we are nothing compared to the gods.”
“You have met them?”
“Yes I have, Trismit.”
“Could I… meet one?”
Retvik sighed, not sure how to answer. “It is not… something that could easily be arranged.”
“Ah…” Trismit trailed off, then began to climb down off the swings. He stood in front of Retvik, feeling both small yet strong at the same time.
“Are you well, Trismit?”
“Not really. Do you know what it is like, to feel like the entire universe is crushing down on you, pressing against your skull? What it is like to long for nothingness, for the pain to leave you alone, to want to be in darkness forever?”
“I know exactly how that feels.”
Trismit shivered. The wind had picked up further and it was starting to get dark. “I am sorry. I did not mean to hurt anyone.”
“You did not hurt anyone. We were worried you would hurt yourself.”
“Wait, what?” Trismit exclaimed. “You… you do not see me… as a… threat?”
Retvik patted Trismit on the shoulder. “I do not see you as a threat and most see you as a curiosity. We wanted to make sure that you were safe.”
“I…” Trismit paused, then took Retvik’s hand. “Can you take me back to the hotel? I do not know where it is.”
“Of course, Trismit. Whatever you need…”