Chapter 871: A Burning Memory, Part 4

There was suddenly a noticeable damper in the general vibe of the room. I could almost see the gray clouds, almost hear the faint rumble of rolling thunder hanging over our heads - a monochromatic haze that somehow even managed to drain the light from Ria's flames. 

"Easier said than done, you know?" Ria said, pinching a fry from her plate and absentmindedly sizzling it crisp. "If making new life, artificial life at that, was so easy, everybody and their mothers would have been doing it. Torem, Silas… they both had their work cut out from them. But they were confident, they had hope, and with the power of friendship combined - what couldn't they do?"

She snorted, dropping the charred piece of potato back onto the plate with a hard clunk.