Leora

By Eversnow

Leora is best friends with Ori.



Lore Story by BrandySilverFire

Astor sighs, rubbing at her forehead. "Fine. One trip. And then you help me with the cataloging."

Leora lights up, tail lashing happily. "Done!"


“Leora,” Astor hisses, landing in front of her idiot friend and pulling on her tail as hard as she can. “Are you insane? What part of decrepit mines that are off-limits do you not understand?”

“Ugh, relax, will you?” Leora rolls her eyes, shaking Astor off easily and nearly sending her flying into a boulder. “We need to have some way to get out if we’re ever cornered from above- I’m just searching for a path that could possibly lead us out.”

Astor feels a flicker of hurt in her chest as she’s brushed away; shoves it down as she lashes back, “This isn’t time for your wannabe scout dreams,” She snaps, Leora’s wings flinching at the hit. “You’re just going to cause more problems for the clan by getting yourself stuck down there and needing soldiers sent down after you to get you out of trouble. Again.”

Leora snarls and turns back, right up in Astor’s space. “And what,” She hisses, voice raw with hurt. “Do you want me to be like you instead? Chasing a hopeless dream that you’ll never be able to achieve, in a war that won’t end unless we actually do something about it?

Astor flinches back violently, tears pricking at her eyes.


Leora wakes with a gasp, pain flashing through her entire body as she twitches instinctively. It hurts, from the tip of her tail to the end of her horns- scratches up and down her





Fresh blood.

Bones scatter under her feet as she follows the scent. Whispers of specters and phantom screams echo off the walls; the dead fleeing from the heavy sound of her claws against stone.

She idly drags her horns against the walls as she walks, a forgotten necessity, now just plain habit. Lifetimes lived in the same place means she reaches the top layer in moments- hissing when the sunlight from the cracks in the ceiling burns at her fur.

The breathing ones are arguing, wings raised at each other, claws flexed in aggression. She watches from the shadows as the Spiral uncurls into her largest pose, dwarfing the Fae as she yells something at the other, venom dripping from every word.

Her breath hitches, both her and the Fae flinching back at the sound. Cold creeps up her legs as the world blurs, panic coating her tongue as she remembers-

“I WISH I HAD NEVER MET YOU!” Bedoin screams, spiraling out to her largest, sending their lamp they’d picked out years ago crashing to the floor. “GET OUT! I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!”

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT,” She yells back. “YOU JUST DON’T WANT TO ADMIT YOU MADE A MISTAKE!”

“OUT! OUT, OUT, OUT!” Bedoin screams, putting her head in her hands. “DON’T EVER COME BACK HERE!”

She flees, her best friend’s screams curling at her feet as she runs. Cries as she runs aimlessly through the empty streets, through one alley and another.

And just like Bedoin wanted- she doesn’t come back.

She snarls as she comes back to herself, anger boiling in her veins. Her gaze locks up on the Spiral- looking wide-eyed into the darkness.

It was Bedoin’s fault. It was her fault. Her fault. Her fault.

She picks her head up and starts singing the spell. It’s the lowest level for these two- for the Spiral- for the dragon who would turn on her own friend.

She smiles, fury in the line of her mouth. These two were going to be fun.






Zelenia

“You wanted this,”


“Oh,” Zelenia says, stones skittering under her as she halts. “Oh.”

“ZELENIA!” Leora grabs her by the horn and drags her until she starts running again. “What is wrong with you- why would you stop like that?”

She doesn’t reply, too caught up in her realization.

The labyrinth isn’t designed to be unleavable. It’s enchanted to be unleaveable.

The reason Banestre could always reach the surface… is because she never wanted to leave. And one couldn’t will themselves to leave, but maybe-

“LOOK OUT!” Astor dives into her horns at full speed, sending them both crashing into another hall, mere seconds before the ghost runs past.

Zelenia stares at the floor, panting. Maybe if… if someone willed someone else to leave, then-

“I want them to get out of here,” She whispers out loud.

It works. Immediately, she knows- it feels like a heart being torn into two, the tragedy of a sacrifice no one will ever see, an untethering of a soul to the mortal realm as she finally lets go of trying to get back to her normal life.

But Leora and Astor will live. Zelenia thinks that will be enough.

She keeps silent as they run, moving quicker with each step as her body starts fading at the edges. She looks down, suppressing a sob as she watches her fur lighten to wisps at the edges, dissolving into nothing. She tilts her head up to the sky somewhere above layers of stone and whispers a prayer, a thank you, a curse and an apology- an apology for never coming back. An apology for leaving on a fight, for all the venomous words she’d spat at Mie, never to find their closure.

“It’s getting lighter!” Leora screams, relief in the cracks in her voice. “We’re almost there!”

Zelenia allows herself a single silent sob, wiping her tears away on her fur, then steels her voice the best she can. "You go on ahead! I'm right behind you."

Astor nods, supporting Leora's weight further and putting on one last desperate burst of speed as they turn the corner.

Zelenia skids to a stop, staring at the ground in front of her. Tears slide down her cheeks as she looks at the first rays of sun in forty years, promising warmth just out of her reach.

Then a roar echoes out of the caverns behind her, making her jump in fear. Banestre.

Zelenia takes one final long breath as she turns to the entrance, closing her eyes and tilting her face to the sunlight, warmth reaching beyond death to caress her skin in light.

"See you soon, Mie," She whispers to the air, at peace. Then she charges- horns aimed forward even as her feet dissolve into nothing as soon as the sun touches her skin- carrying her on and on forward as she roars to the ghosts behind her and crashes into the cave wall with all her might.

The stones tumble to the ground, blocking the light away from all the ghosts inside forever. From outside she hears them scream her name, and laughs