[Xyan]

The clearing hadn't changed since we'd left it. The leaves of the trees were turning to golds and oranges and reds, the only real difference since we found who was now the worst thing that had probably ever happened to us. 

Innocent is what it was. As if a corpse wasn't buried just down below the soil. As if devil's magic never touched or tainted the air.

I shivered at the thought.

Praxus squeezed my hand, soft eyes meeting mine. "You okay?"

I shook my head. "Yeah. I'm fine."

He was unconvinced, but we both continued to the center of the clearing where I knew Arin was buried.

I could feel the body's empty presence below me, like the void's pull begging me to join. It was weird... really weird. Like it wanted life, even after death. Yearned for it. Needed it.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Praxus snapped me from my buzzing train of thought.

I blinked once, rubbed my eyes, and replied, "I haven't a clue."

We both silently stared at the spot on the ground for a few moments, truly unsure of how we'd do this. It'd be fairly difficult for us to dig it up, considering we didn't have a shovel or any tools, and despite exhaustion not being a problem I'd prefer not to dig with only my hands. He was probably too deep, anyway.

I wonder...

The empty force of the mental pull gave me an idea. "You think I could... possess him?"

"Possess the dead body?" Praxus said with a questioning tone. "Yeah, probably... but-"

I stopped him. "Not many other choices that we have, really."

"That's, uh... that's fair..."

I put my foot over where I guessed the body was. I could sense it there, about four or five feet down. Deep, but not terribly. It's possible.

"Alright," I said, taking a deep breath. "I'm gonna go down there and try to get the ring. You, uh... just wait here. Okay?"

I saw him tense when I said I was doing it, a nervous expression crossing his face before he shook his head ever so slightly and managed to say, "O-okay, then."

I squeezed his hand once in comfort, took a deep breath, and phased into the ground.

-=+=-

Dirt. Dirt everywhere.

I opened my mouth and coughed as it reached the back of my throat. It pressed against me on all sides, was in my ears, my eyes, all around me as much as I could see.

For a moment I was confused. Where am I? What... what happened...?

Then he felt the ring on his finger, and I immediately snapped back into my own mind. Right, right. The ring.

I willed stiff fingers to move, bones creaking as I managed to make enough room in the pressing soil to move my hand to my face. I was certain I didn't have much time - I felt the dull throb of the month-old stab wound in my chest, and the swimming motion of my thoughts told me I couldn't possess this dead body for long.

Once I was certain the ring was there, I began to claw blindly at the dirt above me, struggling at first with cold, stiff limbs, but quickly gaining normal movements back as I kept digging.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been there - hours at least. The pain in my chest got stronger with every passing minute, my train of thought derailing into thick mud and sinking deeper and deeper as I went. My arms burned. I still tasted dirt - it was everywhere I could feel. Was I even close? I could sit up now with the room I had, but it was still pitch black and without much air. With my luck I'd suffocate before the agony of the stab wound became too much to bear.

How much longer?

Forever.

What? No, I'm not that deep...

You don't know that. You estimated.

Well, I guess that's true.

Give it up. This is only a waste of time anyway.

Well, it's something I have to try.

Is it though?

W-who is this? You're... I don't think you're me...

Of course I'm you. Who else would I be?

Who are you?! WHO ARE YOU?!

You don't need to know that.

YES I DO, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!

What I guessed was an image of a smile flickered through my mind.

What...

The smile grew, bled through my mind, bleeding out and out and it bled to my own face and oh my god I can't breathe-

A weak flow of blood began to drip from my mouth and choke my already oxygen-starved body. I coughed, a dry hack from dehydrated lungs that felt like they were being crushed. My movements were wracked with an unsteady shake as my limbs weakened and felt like lead as I moved them.

What the hell what the hell what the hell whatthehellwhatthehellwhatthehell-

Hello?

Hello?!

HELLO?! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?! HELLO?? HELP ME, SOMEONE, HELLO?!

WHO THE HELL ARE YOU-

Suddenly I gasped as my hand felt something cold, a chilly sensation as air suddenly entered my lungs. There was no blood. No voices. Less pain. I could breathe.

I sat there and panted, exhaustion making every move I took shaky. I sucked in deep lungfuls of air, shocked at the feeling I hadn't truly felt in over a hundred years. It felt... amazing... air in my lungs, against my skin...

Focus. Focus.

I pulled my hand back down into the space below the surface, now able to see the sickly pale, dehydrated skin of Arin's hand plastered to the bone with dirt deep in his fingernails from the digging. The right hand had nothing, however on the left I found exactly what I needed - a black stone ring embedded with an orange-hued, amber-colored gemstone on his ring finger. I quickly took it off, observing it before quickly placing it beside the hole on the surface and leaving Arin's corpse.

I inhaled deeply as the sensation of true air went away, replaced by the stagnant, not-quite-matter-but-not-quite-nothing atmosphere of Limbo. Still better than the musty suffocation of underground, I thought with a sigh of relief.

Praxus was waiting at the surface, immediately standing from where he sat as I stumbled on solid ground. I nearly fell as I attempted to regain feeling in my legs, the reaction of which being Praxus teleporting to my side and supporting me until I found the ability to walk.

"You okay?" His voice was slightly panicky - I could see his tail twitching with obvious anxiety that seemed to be relieving from his tense form.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply before shakily replying. "Well... other than the fact that I'm certainly never doing that again, I'm perfectly fine, if a bit unsteady."

A few silent minutes passed as I managed to stand balanced on my feet without Praxus having to basically carry me. I lashed my tail as I attempted to gain true steadiness, finally finding it and taking a few steps to make sure.

My eyes found the ring in the dull, monotone grass. I dropped down on my knees and picked it up, the object passing into Limbo as my hands found it and it rolled into my palm.

I got back up, looking at it for a second before showing the object to Praxus.

"I got it."

-=+=-

We quickly made our way back to the house, now a bit more certain about what we needed to do as we approached the door. A thought came to mind, bringing me back to the voices I'd heard in Arin's body. However I quickly pushed away the thought, excusing it as maybe some form of Arin's consciousness somehow still residing in his non-functioning brain.

Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah.

I shook the worry away as Praxus and I landed in front of the house. My tail waved from side to side as I walked forwards, my mind bouncing around as I shifted the ring I held in my fingertips. I kept the smooth object firm in my grip, not wanting to lose what could possibly be our only weapon against Gradient.

However I was snapped from my mind as we walked through the door.

Akhet was on the ground. She was still in one piece - and thank god for that - but she wasn't her usual self. She was shaking, curled up in a protective ball with silent tears rolling down her face. Her arms covered her head, but the many scars that usually lacerated her skin were now hidden in a mass of black that spread from her fingertips to her shoulders.

I couldn't find the words to speak as Praxus immediately raced from his position to the mute spirit's side, comforting her and asking what had happened. Her pale red eyes blinked away translucent tears that shimmered faintly and were tainted with what I could only describe as black ink as she looked up at him with a mix of confusion and horror. My limbs were cold, unmoving as she laid her eyes on me.

"He's... is... is he g-gone...?!"

Akhet's voice in my head was weak, stammering. Its audibility faded in and out, as if she couldn't focus on the words. Her eyes seemed to have what could be described as a pale film, lifeless orbs looking out beyond. Still I couldn't speak. My words were caught in my throat.

Finally I mustered up the will to ask,

"W-what... happened...?"

-=+=-

Oh I wonder who the voice was *whistles innocently*

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