ADARA

"How long have we been out here?"

"I don't know." Fenrer shook his head as they walked on the path they were set upon. "At least a day? Maybe more?" His hand rested on the hilt of his crescent blade, and she kept close to its light. High above their heads, the quiet canopy quelled with the shadows heavier on its branches. "The stagnation is getting thicker the more we walk though," he commented. Green swirls danced along his pupils. "But there is... some sort of confluence close by, it's just hard to... see."

"We can always make our way back to the waterfall," Adara offered and kept a magelight of silver flames in her hand, the ashes settling on her palm before withering away. It was that sense of comfort which brought her closer to Fenrer when he revealed the tiny crystal, the other shard of the one he left behind. "Well, as long as this forest hasn't turned us around somehow."

Fenrer put it in her hand. "We'll walk for a little while longer before heading back."

"How long is a little while longer?"

Fenrer's lips curled in amusement. "You're starting to sound like Yuven."

"Gods, I know," Adara huffed and dragged her feet across the beaten dirt path. "Think he's chasing us down right now?" It was her one, flimsy hope when strangled by the unease on her shoulders. If anyone knew what to do in such a complicated situation, it would be Yuven Traye.

"I'm... not sure if he is or not. With Neven's condition — and we don't know if it's gotten worse or better." Fenrer shut his eyes tight with a deep sigh through his nose. "I don't think he'll leave his side. He can trust us to make our way back, or if not, figure things out on our ends. It wouldn't be the first time we've been separated."

"Fen." Adara grabbed onto his forearm. "Last time we got forcefully separated it didn't turn out too well."

He faltered in his steps with another quiet huff. Hands on his hips, he wiped them together and looked around, including over her shoulder. "We need to find a place where there isn't so much stagnation. I might be able to reach out to Yuven that way, but..."

"But what?"

Fenrer hooked his fingers on the leather strap of his armor and continued on. "It's about what I saw in Neven's head." He hugged himself with a quieter, tortured chuckle. "I think it's my fault he's showing Corruption symptoms."

"What makes you say that?" Adara adjusted her own bag and tried to keep pace.

"When I entered his mind, unravelled his thoughts," Fenrer told her and stopped underneath thick branches. "I followed the starlight connection which connected his soul to Kemal's. I thought maybe I could figure out or reach out to Kemal that way, to quell Neven's fears, but what I found was..." He sank against the tree trunk. "It was just a tumour of darkness. One you'd think of to birth Derelicts. But, I promised him I'd find something, so I shoved my hand in it."

Bile rose in her throat. "Why? What? What happened?"

Fenrer's gaze flicked to her. "Its corruption started to spread," he whispered. "It's... It's how we at least know Kemal's in some sort of trouble. I quickly realised I couldn't detach myself from Neven's mind — it was trying to consume me." Fists clenched, he lowered his head. "Except the process was interrupted by a wyvern... eating the corruption, freeing me." Knees bent, Fenrer sat among the roots with a huff.

"Why is there a wyvern in Neven's head?"

Fenrer drew air through his lips. "Avaerilians are Inheritors of the Wyvern's Flame," he told her. "I suspect every Avaerilian has such a 'wyvern' in their mind. Acting as some sort of protection, if I had to guess. A..." He faltered. "A visible form of their subconscious, if I had to equate it to something. You misunderstand, Adara. That wyvern wasn't in Neven's head. It was Neven." Fenrer brought both hands to his temples. "And after that is when he started having expulsion flashes. I know deep down the symptoms would come to the surface, but what if it also affected Kemal doing it the way I did? What if I made this so much harder trying to do something good for someone who saved my life?" Fenrer's lips curled into a frustrated scowl.

On her knees, she grabbed his broad shoulders. "You can't blame yourself for that," she insisted. "We're all doing what we can with the information we have. You can't hold yourself to that standard, or you're going to sound like Yuven and I think the world doesn't need three Yuven's running around." Adara pushed a laugh through her lips to quell her own terror. "He can do that well enough by himself. He doesn't need us to do it for him."

His darkened expression died into a familiar, albeit weary smile. "You're right. No point worrying." Up he went with her hands on his, he stretched. "At risk of sounding like Yuven one last time... this is the one time we shouldn't waste time." Back on the road, Adara tried to enjoy the peace and quiet, though it came with its drawbacks. Yuven, with his stubborn, abrasive personality, brought a sense of consistency and dare she acknowledge it, comfort. Her arm brushed against Fenrer's to find him instead, and she relaxed with him, though made sure to keep herself on high alert.

Her hand stopped him short when a soft hum shuddered the nape of her neck and entered her ears. "Do you hear that?"

Fenrer's gaze flicked from side to side before resting on her. "Hear what?"

I've... felt this before. Adara dared to make the first approach. It called to her. As the Prunal crystal once had before it unleashed her memories in silver hellfire. Drawn along a road of ash, she broke through the treeline. It sank into her stomach at the empty pond, blotches of dark within the dirt, squeezing out old, clotted blood. Massive, broken crystals rested along the bank. Some of the trees split apart and rotted from the inside. Fenrer pushed past her with wide eyes, but his attention zoned in on something else.

It stopped its hum, and stopped pulling at her soul.

A tiny gasp from Fenrer caught it instead.

He knelt out of the grass, a crescent blade sticky with crimson tar rested in his hands. Fenrer drew a glyph over it, and the tarry substance slipped off and wilted the grass below. Adara joined him, but she stopped at his gleeful expression. "We're close," he said with a breath. "They were here, Adara. It's Kemal's crescent blade. Here. Hold it while I look around." He held it out, hilt to her, but she raised her hands with a frown. "It's alright. It won't bite you."

Adara gripped onto the stranger's blade. Its warmth stretched across her fingers, but the weight felt wrong at her elbow. Close to her heart, she wandered behind Fenrer when he examined the destruction round. "This is where they must've been attacked," he declared, drawing his foot across dark splotches in the grass. Blood. "Their auras are still here, but fading fast. It's been a while." Hope swelled in his voice, giving it sunlit power when he waved a magelight through the thick air.

"But where were they taken?" Adara asked, hovering by the edge of the pond, between two of the shattered crystals whispering desire to her.

"Good question." Fenrer swept his attention around and continued his investigation.

Adara overturned the crescent blade to study the runes along the metal. Her fingers traced each one. Silver burnt within the ridges, scrubbing it of any last dregs of corruption. It stung the tips of her fingers when magick swelled back into it. It heated up against her palm, and she flinched at the discomfort — far from being its owner. I know we haven't met... but we're trying to find you. It lodged into her throat for the silliness of trying to reason with an inanimate object. So... a hint would be nice? Please? Fenrer came closer to her, hope dwindled but not yet dead.

Why did I think that'd work? Air out of her lungs, she failed to keep her head held high as Yuven taught her, and went to head back to Fenrer when he brushed his hand against the crystal. Erosion nipped at the dirt and the light from the crescent blade failed to chase away the darkness except only in its reflection.

Its reflection.

Adara snapped her attention along the blurry visage. Crystalline water lapped at the shore, silent as a grave. Adara tilted her grip and revealed the darkness above their heads. "...Fen."

"What?"

Adara motioned at the crescent blade, and he drew out his own. Terror lodged in her throat when she hung back, waiting for the truth. Fenrer widened his eyes, then lifted his head to her. "We're in an illusion."

"So how do we get out?"

Auric flames sparked along his pupils, but she rushed forward when he let out a gasp of pain and sank to his knees, digging his fingers into the sockets, though far from tearing them out. A hiss of pain left between his teeth, and he blinked them out of his eyes with a small shake of his head. "I don't know... but it's thick. I don't think even Yuven would be capable of something like this without crystals or..."

"Blood magick," Adara whispered.

Fenrer rushed over to the crystal again with a bump of his hand. "Whoever weaved it wanted to hoodwink anyone trying to get too close to here, that's the only explanation. It had to have been weaved around the time Kemal found it, though." He hurried up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Now we go back. We have a trail to follow. Yuven can break this."

"Can't I? What if we lose this place again? I can at least shatter it."

Fenrer looked at the crystals. "Maybe you can," he said with a nudge in her shoulder. "Focus on the energies within the crystals. I know they're broken, but that shouldn't matter to you at least." A hum left his lips as he dragged his foot around their bases, then motioned at her to come to him at the less shattered crystal. "Use this one as the anchor. You'll allow your magick to spread and fill in the 'gaps' of what the illusion is trying to weave out of reality." As her hand pressed against it, his own hovered over hers. "It's not like Yuven's magick, though. Keep that in mind. This is something different."

It tore through her veins when embers tickled over her skin and dug into the crystal. It refused to glow, but the others responded in turn. Shattered remnants in the pond floated upwards with the intense hum returning in her ears. It swelled in her nose, the scent of campfires and sweet tastes. Her head came closer to the crystal, to hear her name spoken through the mirror.

The crystals hovered over the pond. Silver rivers swirled around them, bringing them closer together. Her heart pounded at the sensation of ease while Fenrer moved his hand from hers to her shoulder. As the silver lilies bloomed off the crystals, the magick pollen caught the last.

Adara tried to move her hand, and found herself unable to. Rustic swill filled the back of her throat, and she glanced at Fenrer. "Fen-"

Her other hand gripped her unearned crescent blade.

Needles clacked against crystals when the silver rivers spun closer to the pond. Fenrer shuffled with his belt, taking out the resonator.

Its crystals shattered, and the needles swung without anything to stop them.

Fenrer grabbed her hand and pried it off as barbs smothered the silverlilies.

Every crystal shattered at once and became nothing more than dust.

"What happened?" she asked once it had gone silent once more. Her hand wrapped around her own throat. For a second, I thought I...

Auric swirls danced in Fenrer's eyes, though he winced. "I'm... not sure. It should've worked." His attention drew skywards, and his shoulders tensed. "Wait." He blinked a couple more times, then sighed. "It did work, Adara. I can see where the stagnation is leading. Where all the magick is going. Just not where it's collecting."

Adara beamed at her success. Fenrer rubbed circles along his temples until the green spirals returned to her. "We can leave now."

Guess we didn't need Yuven after all. Adara went to shuffle past him, but stopped at the pressure in her ears. In the branches of the trees, the shadows twisted. Solidified. A writhing mass. Adara clung onto Fenrer and pulled to get his attention, though his went upwards instead of where she pointed. It popped her eardrums, and the rest of the crystals melted with her power consumed.

The curse which came with her blessing.

No one ever ignored her power.

In the depths of the empty pond, a squirt of red spilled out and filled it. Inch by inch. Fenrer drew her back from it and readied his crescent blade. "We get out of here. Now," he instructed and the two hurried for the undergrowth, but she grunted when the shadow wall swung forward and cracked her face. On her ass, she looked back when the pond bubbled and swelled. Fenrer managed to stay on his feet, his crescent blade striking the darkness without her clumsy attempt. It screeched with pain, and she found herself screaming too when ashes singed at her very bloodstream, causing Fenrer to snap his gaze to her.

Fenrer drew the crescent blade out. It left a carved hole, and he knelt down beside her. "Adara?" he whispered, concern writ on his face.

"I'm fine," she said through tears.

"...feed..."

It echoed, familiar but all too wrong. On her feet with Fenrer's help, she let herself be supported when he looked over her head.

The red, crystalline water gave a single disturbance. Nothing more than a drop until it fell still again.

"... ashes... feed me... the ashes..."

A twisted, mangled claw lifted out of the pond and landed on the edge. Crimson tangles dug deep and withered the grass. Another one joined the fray. On it went until all the crystals had been replaced. Stale air filled her lungs, forcing a choke past her lips when a broken neck revealed itself. Some of its claws broke off with its mighty, gigantic shape. Beady eyes, awash with tears when it lifted itself higher, swaying from where it had been birthed.

Fenrer pressed his crescent blade against the shadow wall again, and she clung onto him when pain sliced across her chest. Bloody water dripped off its maw, which unhinged. Its tongue lolled out, stuck between two teeth. Incomplete. "...ask..."

"Fenrer... it's talking."

His gaze snapped around when the wall closed in on them.

Its red, beady eyes slipped down to them, a smile growing on its face. Depraved and hungry. A cloud of red left with its elated breath while the crimson pool around it whirled. Adara pushed the borrowed crescent blade behind her, which caused the smile to drop in an instant and only bend the wall away.

Everything stopped.

Its beady eyes slipped to her, though Fenrer put an arm over her when some tendrils grew out of its body. Hungry. Intentful.

"...anima..."

A second set of jaws opened at its base, where the whirlpool fed into. It bubbled, and she screamed when crimson tangles erupted from the ground, soaked with blood to grab onto her boots. Grass sliced against her skin, but Fenrer's crescent blade slammed downwards and stuck them together. It pulled, burning at her muscles as she held onto him.

"...ashes... need..."

Fenrer fought to cut the crimson tangles, but it only appeared to make them swell. Pain crossed her chest when it squeezed her foot. Her bones shuddered underneath its strength. "Fen—" Panic burst into tears when one of its claws hovered over Fenrer, then slammed downwards.

Adara swung flames out of her hands to burn at the crimson tendrils. Far too late.

Fenrer dropped his blade in turn, lifting his hands up. Knees shoved in the dirt, he scowled while his own strength kept him from becoming nothing more than paste. Each one of its eyes collected on its maw and zoned in on her. Hungry.

Desperate.

Its claws curled inwards as it tried to crush Fenrer, who appeared to focus while his own magick wrapped around his arms.

Adara untangled herself, though found more crimson weeds trying to catch her feet. Though she stood up, it burned. "Fenrer!" One slipped forward, wrapping around the hilt of her borrowed crescent blade. Swung downwards onto the ground with all the ease of Yuven's movements, she tried not to scream when its neck craned over them.

Fenrer looked around, a bead of sweat rolling down his brow. "Shit," he hissed as he tried to nudge himself out of its crushing hand.

It resumed its swallow with Fenrer out of the way.

Fenrer's knees shook as he fought to lift himself up. Adara clawed at the ground, to run. Embers fell off her glyphs whenever she pushed them into the ground, to make it flee from her might instead. Ashes was all that answered her in the stagnated air. Unable to scream. Unable to cry. It opened wider.

In the depths, a crimson core revealed itself, surrounded by veins, a heartbeat pounding in her ears.

As the crimson water touched her boots, a morning flame burst against the crimson core. It recoiled with a screech. It speckled with golden light, and her heart jumped into her throat at the wyvern wings, half-melted against a star within the core.

Fenrer rushed for her as the crimson tangles snapped.

Adara snapped her head with the Derelict's. "What—"

Fenrer zoned in on the crimson core, his crescent blade glowing. In the reds, flecks of brown swirled when some of the eyes slipped downwards, widening.

"...ris... ris..." Its first set of jaws opened wide, angling itself downwards as Fenrer jumped onto the crimson pond and rushed the maw. "...Fen...!"

Her heart stopped at the power of a half-name.

Fenrer slammed his crescent blade in the second set of maws as his other hand reached for the crimson core, blazing with righteous fury.

All at once, the Derelict snapped shut.

It melted from unseen heat.

The rest of the Derelict wasted into ashes, falling on her in red snow.

It drained into the bottom of the pond, until all that was left was old, bloodied dirt.

Adara limped her way to the base to check on Fenrer, but there was nothing left.

It was as if he had never been there at all.

On her knees, she dug through the dirt until her fingers found metal. Tugged out, tears soaked her face at the cracked star and the melted wyvern. Crystal fragments fell off it, joining the Derelict in ash. As she sat there, stupefied, it clinked against the crescent blade, which glowed in response.

Kemal's necklace.

It was... Fenrer saw it... did he just...?

Left alone, she dug her fingers into her temples and lacked any strength to scream.