Between a Rock and a Carapace

64. Morrelia Awakens

The agonising pain had long faded, leaving in its wake a vast lassitude, as if every cell in her body had been ripped apart and then pulled back together. Morrelia was tired on a level she hadn’t known existed. Beyond her bones and down into the deepest recesses of her marrow, exhaustion claimed her.

The spark of stubbornness in her mind refused to allow her to sink into unconsciousness, and though it was the hardest thing she’d ever done, she forced her eyes open.

She still lay in the stone basin, the hard stone unyielding beneath her. Above her, the dull light of the enchanted stone slowly faded, pitching the space into twilight. Morrelia grimaced hard and stretched out her hands. Her body screamed at her not to move, every muscle aching, but she refused to listen.

With the gradual movement of an invalid, she pulled herself upright and supported her weight against the wall. Below her, the final drops of concentrated Mana were draining away, doubtlessly to be recycled and used again to torment the next trainee to qualify for this hellish process.

Morrelia took a deep breath, her bare feet shuffling against the stone. When she finally steadied herself, she looked up to find her father there, a rare show of emotion on his face.

Pride radiated from his eyes, but also great sorrow. He mourned his son all over again in this moment.

“Congratulations, Legionary,” Titus’ voice was rough and tired as she was—Morrelia swore she could see moisture in his eyes.

Morrelia could barely find the energy to smile, but she did.

“Thank you, Commander,” she said.

She couldn’t remember what happened next. Later, Titus would tell her that she’d passed out on the spot. He’d had to leap forward to stop her from smacking her stubborn head against the rock.

When she awoke, she was in a small room, on a hard bed. As she groggily took the room in, she realised the furniture was austere, basic. The bed was large enough, but unyielding. The walls were unadorned, bare, except for one thing. On a simple steel hook hung the black leathers of a full Legionary uniform, and the moment she saw it, she cried. Morrelia gave herself that moment, then gathered her wits and put it on. Leaving her chamber, she found her father leaning against the wall in the corridor.

“Come with me,” he said.

Travelling together through the fortress, neither were willing to break the companionable silence between them. Both of their lives had changed the moment she’d opened her eyes. It was hard for Morrelia to grasp that she’d achieved the dream she’d had since she was a child, the dream she’d shared with her brother.

She wasn’t sure how to feel, or what to say.

Likewise, her father didn’t trust himself to speak. His chest was full of emotions, and he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he’d no longer be able to keep them contained, so he remained silent.

Through the twisted corridors they walked, past soldiers standing tall on sentry duty, and auxiliaries working hard to fulfil the thousands of tasks the fortress needed to keep itself running. Until finally, they came to an inscribed wall covered in carved script. She threw a confused glance at her father, and he dropped his chin to his broad chest, his eyes hooded.

“Go and talk to your brother,” he instructed.

Morrelia’s heart beat faster at this command, and she turned back to the wall covered in neat rows of names. She stepped closer, her eyes trailing through the list, searching for the one that was familiar.

The closer she came to the end, the more she began to recognise. Seniors who’d gone delving when she was still a trainee, even some in the year directly above her. Then she found what she sought—Romanus Marius. Her calloused fingers trailed through the grooves that made her brother’s name.

Even now, years later, she felt as if she could never forget his face, his voice. He’d been such a presence, able to lift others up and make them want to be the best version of themselves. He’d been charismatic, charming, somebody people wanted to follow, everything she wasn’t. She’d hated him for that, even as she’d admired him. He would just laugh at her.

“Morr, you’re being ridiculous,” he would smile and say. “Don’t you think there are things you can do better than me?”

She remembered staring at him, dumbfounded. Romanus was perfect! What could she possibly do better than him? He must have read her expression, because he shook his head and placed a hand on the top of her head. “Trust me, Morr. By the time you’re done, I’ll be looking up to you.”

Lost in her memories, she didn’t hear her father step up behind her, his step heavy.

“This wall,” he stated, “carries the names of all of those trainees who didn’t survive the baptism.”

Shock and indignation filled Morrelia at this and her head flew up to stare at her father. Titus met her gaze and slowly shook his head. He wouldn’t lie to her.

“Nobody could believe it. He’d passed every trial, every test, every measurement, with flying colours. He was so far above the minimum Levels, he was practically assured to succeed. Your mother was devastated. I was lost. We just never imagined it would happen to him.”

Morrelia still refused to believe it.

“It’s not possible… How could I have succeeded where he failed? You can’t possibly explain that!”

Sorrow filled Titus’ eyes and he embraced her as he hadn’t done in years. “I don’t know why he failed. I just don’t know. I wish I had an explanation… Even now, I have no words. No matter how I searched, I haven’t found anything to explain what happened. But this is something you need to understand, and something Romanus tried to tell you many times. He believed it, and I always believed it as well. You will be stronger than he was. One day, you’ll be stronger than me.”

Despite her father’s words, Morrelia refused to believe it. Though, she could no longer express such—her voice had been stolen away. Instead, she tried to digest the truth that she’d tried to find for so long. Despite finally getting those answers, all she was left with was bitterness, and determination.

Two days later, the Legion prepared to travel through the Gate. They would enter the main Legion headquarters, deep below the ground, an impregnable stronghold built during the Cataclysm thousands of years ago.