Mount Apikuni just like magic, i'll be flying free

@Xahi backdated to last night

Another nightmare had woken Alarian up, and this time he could not bear to stay in the cave.

The boy set off frantically, running between the two mountains outside their temporary home until he felt he was a good distance away. He stopped, then, panting. The nightmare flashed through his mind, still recent enough that he could commit it to memory; for better or for worse. In the dream he was again playing the role of desperate healer for his broken brother, with what little knowledge he had. It had been pure luck that Zamael even survived-- Ali knew nothing of herbal remedies at the time, only non-herbal treatments. Had any infection set in...
At least he would have been certain of his brother's fate. The boy shook the thought away, scolding himself-- there was hope, still! A gnawing, agonizing, bittersweet thing it was; but it existed, it brought him comfort alongside the pain of uncertainty. One day he may return.

But what would Alarian do, then? He had, in a sense, moved on; both consciously and subconsciously. Ali had always had a place in his heart, the highest place, and he had moved someone there. Not the same space Zamael had filled, but adjacent; perhaps even higher. The thought of prioritizing Lennon sent a spike of guilt and grief through his heart, but he knew it to be unavoidable. Even if his brother should return-- he had left, abandoned him with a gaping hole in his chest. Nothing could heal that, and the boy had only just realized this tonight.
Things would never be the same for him.

He stared up at the night sky, eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. That was the moment he knew; he was ready. Ready for the changes coming, for his new life, whatever may come. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for.