Work Text:
It was a cold and lightless place. It was vast, darkness expanded outwards every way Nimbus looked. Why were they here?
Of course death was not unusual for sky kids, and Nimbus had been to the Place Between many times before. This time was different though because Nimbus wasn't dead.
At least, they didn't think they were. They'd just been investigating the shard… They didn't remember losing any winged light.
They looked down at their reflection in the dark surface on which they stood. Their cape had no stars. How could that be? It should have disappeared if they had absolutely no light left.
Nimbus grabbed the edge of their Cape and peered around at the back only to realize all their stars were there. That was weird. This whole place was very very strange.
Nimbus released their cape and allowed it to fall back into its natural position as they ventured forward.
Unlike the Place Between Nimbus was used to, this one had two structures and as Nimbus approached, they began to make out what they were.
They were creatures. They were frozen in time like the statues in eden. On the left there were mantas in mid flight, and on the right, a single great krill. The statues reached for the sky, as if they had been trying to escape something right as they had been turned to stone.
What were they doing here?
Nimbus flew up to one of the mantas and gently stroked its back. It was hard and cold. Lifeless.
Nimbus could imagine what it had been like for this manta, and for all these mantas. Most sky kids knew what it was like to turn to stone. It filled them with sorrow that these mantas would have to go through that.
Nimbus continued to pet the manta even though they were almost certain this creature was long gone and could not feel their gentle touch.
Nimbus couldn't help but imagine if something like this had happened to one of their mantas. The thought caused a sharp pang in their chest.
Perhaps all these creatures needed was a little bit of light, like the statues in Eden needed. Nimbus had lots of light to spare…
Carefully, Nimbus took a bit of light from their core, and offered it to the manta as they did with the statues in eden.
There was no response.
The manta was as still as ever. Perhaps it would always be trapped, eternally fleeing from whatever had brought it to this state.
Nevertheless, Nimbus flew to each manta individually and offered them all a bit of light. None of them responded.
It was then that Nimbus realized they were all… Gone.
For a sky kid, death was never permanent. It wasn't fun to die, it was quite traumatic actually, but they always came back. They were always okay in the end.
In theory, every sky kid knew that death was meant to be permanent. But it was very rare that a sky kid actually experienced this permanence.
The idea that these mantas were gone forever caused a deep dread inside Nimbus, much like a bottomless pit.
These mantas were gone. Nimbus would never get to meet them or listen to their calls. They were gone.
With a sigh, Nimbus gave one of the mantas a final pat and murmured their goodbyes to the frozen creatures, then they glided back down to the ground.
They stared up at the great krill. It was a creature, just like the mantas. Nimbus knew it didn't deserve to be trapped here.
They knew it wasn't their fault the krills hunted light, it was in their nature, still Nimbus couldn't help but feel a tiny sliver of satisfaction that this dark creature would never hurt another sky kid again… but then they felt immediately guilty for thinking this.
Cautiously, Nimbus flew up to the dark creature's massive stone head. They brushed their hand gently down its long neck, feeling every spike and cavity.
"Hello," they spoke to it softly, as if it were a small child, not the frozen body of a child eating beast.
Nimbus had never gotten a good look at a krill for obvious reasons, and took this opportunity to really take in its shape as they stroked it.
After a while they tentatively offered it a bit of light. They were ready to fly at a moment's notice if somehow this magically worked, but there was no response from the great dark beast.
Nimbus sighed.
Another loss. Perhaps not one that most sky kids could mourn, but Nimbus couldn't help but feel grief rising from deep inside them. Or maybe it was just left over from the mantas… They couldn't be sure.
With a heavy heart, Nimbus murmured their goodbye to the frozen krill, and hopped down.
They had spotted a meditation spot in the distance and headed towards it.
They sat down on the spot and meditated.
Before they knew it, they were back Home.