Cold air bit at Gavin's fingers as Weiss carried him across the heavily clouded sky, arms supporting under his neck and knees, and it only worsened as the beating of the man's black wings tucked, legs stuck out to land. Even once the movement came to a swift, gentle stop, Gavin could hardly stand. Perhaps it was because of how close the cliffside was to the edge of the Black Sea, wind violently whipping into his face to carry the scent of salt and Dust. All Gavin knew was he couldn't keep his eyes more than half-open, his breath and blood beginning to slow.

Then Weiss's arms promptly dropped out from beneath him, and he was sent tumbling to the rocky ground with a hard and painful thud.

"Ow!" he cried, pushing himself up to shoot Weiss a glare. "What in Astren was that for?"

"Oh." He turned, winged ears pressed tight to his head and face rather emotionless. "Apologies. That was meant for your partner."

"Ha!" Eldrazi raised their arms to cheer. "And thus The Undyin' Serpent evades consequences once again!"

"It wasn't from any cleverness on your part." Weiss moved to take a seat on the ground, breathing heavily. "I simply can't tell you apart with my magik currently expended."

"That's because you rely on it too much," Talus said, and Gavin turned to find the others having landed with them, albeit far less gracefully than Weiss. Aoife collapsed onto the stone, Selatan next to her, and moments later, a shadow withdrew from Selatan's backpack.

The darkness settled at the ends of Talus' claws and eye as he returned to his Halfbreed form, complete with his usual smile. "You see, you gotta watch his cheekbones and ears. If they're scaly, then you know it's Eldrazi. If they're plain, then it's Gavin. His ears also get way less pointed... like now!" He gestured with the tip of a finger, and said cheekbones and ears warmed heavily as Weiss took note of it with a small hum.

"Also Gavin's eyes are way more green, and—"

"Well! Someone's certainly been paying close attention, haven't they?"

Talus' face flushed a horrified, greyish hue as he looked at Aoife. "I was just explaining to Weiss the differences, that's all!"

"Uhuh. Of course, of course." She nodded as if she was right, but about what, Gavin wasn't sure. Maybe he'd missed some part of the conversation, because he couldn't think of a reason for her to be smirking at Talus, shaking her shortened hair.

Oh well. Whatever it meant, it switched the attention off of him, which was good, because the only thing Gavin wanted to do was rest. The lingering cold and pain was returning, and he drew his cloak tighter, taking a seat on the ground.

A drop hit his head.

It was followed by another, this time on his nose, and moments later, a sizzling noise reached him, followed by a sharp burn. His tail twitched in annoyance, and he reached to wipe the raindrop away before it could eat further at his skin.

Light streaked across the blackened sky, and with a crack, it became a lot more than just one drop.

"Soih!" Aoife shouted, throwing her arms above her head, but her bracers only blocked so much, and she hurriedly glanced around at the barren cliffside. "Where do we even go?"

Selatan frantically looked around, but the land was little more than ocean crashing against flat, endless stone. "I don't think there is anywhere!"

Gavin flipped up the hood of his cloak, but it was soaked in seconds, the rain seeping through to his hair. Granted, he'd spent plenty of rainstorms outside, on the run. That had been in Durne though, where there were trees to block the brunt of it, and the occasional farm shed to stowaway for the night. The worst he'd ever gotten were arms burned raw from sitting in it for too long, or a few holes eaten away at the end of his cloak. To be out in the open during a full storm, that could easily be a death sentence. Talus could hop back into the knapsack, and Weiss was already putting on his black coat and hat, both waxed to keep out the rain, but the rest of them...

"Actually, I might 'appen to know a spot."

"Really?" Gavin asked, just as surprised to hear Eldrazi as the rest of the group. "Where?"

Warmth spread through him, and Gavin's vision sharpened, the sound of rain growing far louder as Eldrazi gently pulled at the bond. "Round and over the edge o' the jetties. Should be a cave nearby."

Gavin found himself suddenly taking a step forward, and as he took note of the area, it did seem rather familiar, now that he thought about it. Is this near the place we found that pirate?

"Hm?" He felt their brows furrow. "What pirate?"

The dead one we travelled to years ago? Where we got those knives for my mother? Gavin asked, a bit bewildered. He didn't know how he could've possibly forgotten. They'd been grounded for weeks.

"Oh! Oh yes, the pirate place. Yep. Call this X, because this be the spot," Eldrazi responded quick enough, and Gavin tried not to laugh at him faking an accent to match as he walked to the edge of the cliffside. "Or at least, somewhere right around 'ere. Let's see..."

Their tongue flicked out of their mouth, and at first, all that hit them was the bitter, soapy taste of the rain around them, so Gavin closed their eyes, hoping to focus better. Then the world was dark, cobbled together only by smells and colours. Around them, the others were silhouettes of red and orange hues, while their surroundings dipped into purples and blacks. It was much easier to pick up things that way— including two more figures off in the distance.

Gavin frowned. That couldn't be right. There were only the five of them, and if they were being followed, surely it would be an army of angry Cearte than two figures of red, steadily drawing closer.

Panic twisted at their heart, and he flicked their tongue between their fangs once more, but the heat didn't fade. Someone was coming, one of them with what looked like wolf ears and a tail, and a tremor ran through him. But that was wrong. Cynwrig was locked in Durne, waiting for him in a cell where he could come back and free him. He wasn't here. Tachir' couldn't be here.

"Gavin?" Talus asked, and he felt a cold hand land on his shoulder, the boy peeking forward to look at him, concerned. "Is everything all right?"

His eyes darted to Talus. "We need to leave. Now."

"That's what we were doing when we were following you to this supposed 'place', genius. You're the one who stopped," Aoife pointed out, clearly annoyed as she yanked her dark grey coat off, down to a crimson shirt secured with belts as she held it above her and Selatan to ease off the rain. "What's the sudden rush now?"

"I-I think my brother is here."

Selatan and Aoife exchanged glances. "Your brother, or Tachir'?" he asked, voice cautious.

"I'm... not sure." Although he could certainly guess with how much adrenaline Eldrazi was pumping through their veins. "I just know they're not alone."

Frowning, he tasted for them again. It was desperate now, every few seconds a frantic grab for the same information as the attempt before. Two figures, one with a tail, both scents masked in the heavy rain, coming closer. This time it came with a flicker of magik, their colours warming further.

Are they... tracking us? If that was the case, there was nothing he could do.

"Hold on, I'm confused," Weiss asked, looking between them. "So your brother is coming. Is he a Cearte, a threat, or family?"

"He's—" Gavin froze as Eldrazi pricked their ears, and there was the sound of footsteps coming to a stop, right behind.

"My my, we get a welcome party? How nice."

His heart leapt to his ears, and he spun around to glare at the Demon puppeting his brother so wrongfully. Tachir' stood there, unbothered as he let the rain eat away at his brother's skin with a wide, fanged grin. And yet, nothing could've prepared him for the man at Tachir's side. It'd been years since he last seen him, his face sharper, haggard, the start of wrinkles forming at his eyes. And yet, there was no mistaking those cold, grey eyes, nor the same, dark brown hair as his brother.

"No..." Gavin whispered, as futile as that was. "Father?"

"Yep!" Tachir' answered cheerfully, gripping at the Human's shoulders even as he shot the teen a glare. "Just a little family reunion. Say, Eldrazi, dearest sibling of mine. How are you doing?"

A tight anger curled in Gavin's chest, but the Demon said nothing.

"What do you want from us?" Selatan asked, and he stepped forward, drawing his broadsword to point it between the two men.

"The Relics, obviously," Gavin's father answered, and his grey eyes met Gavin's with enough intensity to send a chill down his spine. "Hand them over."

The weight in his satchel grew heavier, and Gavin stepped back, shaking his head. "No."

"Gavin," the man growled, and he went to step forward when writhing tendrils of black sprung up in front of him, blocking his path.

"He said no," Talus enunciated, claws raised in defence. "Now leave. You're outnumbered."

"Oh yes, like this ragtag little group is beyond our handlings." Tachir' rolled yellow eyes, and his spear moved in line with Selatan's blade. The black, stone tip glinted as another flash of lightning filled the sky, and the realisation made Gavin seize.

The tip looked like obsidian, but he knew it was forged of Dust, packed, cooled, and sharpened with only one intent in mind.

"Did you know there's only one thing that can stop a Dávoln's healing, Gavin?" The phantom feeling of a knife pressed under his chin, and he could feel fingers– her fingers- wrap around his shoulders as the Dávoln girl tried to trade his life for the same prize he now held in his satchel. His hands trembled. "There's no escape."

Tachir' gave a shrug. "But alas, I'm stalling. You'd think after thousands of years, I'd have learned by now." The spear spun, and Selatan ducked to block, but that wasn't his target. A cry rang out, and black blood was flung through the air as the wall of shadows died down.

"Talus!" Aoife screamed, and the air warmed as purple flames flared around her. They flickered more than usual under the pelting of the rain, but the fire still managed to trail down her skin, down the chains in her hands to ignite the spiked poi resting at the ends. Her arms shot up, the fire blurring as it launched upwards, then slammed into the ground with a yank. It shattered with a violent crack, violet magma springing to form a webbing path towards Tachir', snaking hungrily towards his legs.

He yelped, jumping back, but the flames had little time to eat away at his tattered clothes before the rain doused them. A second later, and he regained himself, avoiding the pulsating fissures and swiping the spear to knock her off her footing.

The scraping of metal rang out, and Gavin's focus shot to where Selatan was locked blades with his father. The Demon retreated back a step, but even as he swung his broadsword at the Cearte's shoulder, there was only a clang as it hit the armour beneath his robes. The best he got was Gavin's father lightly knocked off balance before he regained himself and sent his sword into Selatan's leg, where it sank in.

He had to do something; Gavin knew he did, but there was something so difficult about removing his bow from his shoulder, cocking the arrow at his father. He closed his right eye to aim better, hands shaking, but he couldn't do nothing. Even now, Weiss was pulling Talus to his feet, asking if he was all right, and Aoife was swinging for Tachir' again. He was supposed to help. He had to help, but the idea of shooting his own family...

"Gav. Now!"

Eldrazi didn't know how to use a bow, but he could sense an opening, and before Gavin could argue, he was releasing the string. It shot across the air, drawing a thin line of blood as it grazed his father's shoulder. The man hissed, slapping a hand over it as he stepped back, eyes filled with anger as he prepped his sword again.

A line of blood burst from his chest.

Gavin knew it was Selatan's magik– it had to be– but it was unexpected every time, watching something happen from nothing. Their stomach twisted as he heard a sharp, whistling sound, frozen in place as he watched red continuing to leak past bone, armour, clothes...

Selatan raised his blade, moving to make the cut that would've caused the injury, now that the man was forced into standstill. With a cry, he lunged, making a swipe in the same direction.

A clang rang out as he hit armour once more.

"What?" he shouted, but sure enough, all he did was bat the man to the side, his blade brought away perfectly clean. Selatan stared at it with wide eyes, his fear plain to see as he looked back at the wound he'd failed to make happen in reality. "No," he whispered. "No no no..."

It was as if time shot backwards, the Cearte's wound healing, his clothes stitching themselves back together, and then it was as if he'd never been struck at all. Because he hadn't.

The promise had been broken.

Another cry tore through the air, and the ground became spattered in blood again, but this time it wasn't his father's. Gavin watched as Selatan stumbled back, clasping at his chest, his already crimson vest darkening in billows. His mouth opened, but only a raspy gasp for air escaped him before he collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

Instantly, Weiss was moving to Selatan's side, half running, half flying as he used his wings for speed. His gloved hands pushed against the man's vest, compressing the wound in hopes it would heal faster.

"Absolutely not."

Gavin shivered at how cold his father sounded as he moved forward, grabbing at one of Weiss' wings. With a grunt, his sword shoved clean through the top of it, swiping down to rip along the edge. The Eunsi choked out a scream, but his father didn't stop until the sword had carved through the other end, leaking blood. Only once it was torn free did Weiss collapse, one body to lie utop another.

Frantically, Gavin released another arrow, but it only bounced off the same under armour as before, and now the man was running, too fast and too close for him to comfortably use his bow. "The Relics, Gavin," he hissed, sword aligning with their neck as he pressed in, voice barely above a whisper. "Or do we need to kill everyone here, just like your last partner?"

The very mention of her shot fear through him, but this was different. This time, he hadn't been tricked with hopeful words and false smiles, manipulated into a mission only to be traded for power. This time he was in charge, and he was seeing it through.

He narrowed his eyes at the man who'd raised him, though the more he thought about it, that meant very little. It was Cynwrig he'd always praised, trained, spent time with while he either yelled at Eldrazi, or spared Gavin no more than a passing glance or few words if he was lucky. So why was it so difficult to put venom in his words? Everyone around him was hurt, all because of him, and yet his eyes were growing damp, his voice choked as he tried to speak. "You are never getting them. I'm saving Cynwrig, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

The sword tore through his neck.

As pain burned along his skin, Gavin went to scream, but that too, was cut off sharply, a high-pitched, wheeze replacing his voice. Fire tore at his brain, consuming until he couldn't feel anything but the agony of it carving further and further in, never stopping.

"Hey!"

Black was spreading across Gavin's vision, but it almost seemed to be too fast as it blanketed everything, and then the sharp sensation was being eased out of his skin, and he was falling back, blinking.

Talus was standing there, the sword wrenched out of the Cearte's hands and suspended in darkness alone as the Shar Drak'na formed inky fingers to hold it higher. It looked like he said something, but Gavin couldn't hear it as the ringing in his ears grew louder. He could only watch as Talus sent a wave of shadow around his father, pinning his arms to his sides and toppling him to the ground.

At his side, Aoife and Tachir' were still fighting, blood leaking from her chest and legs, but she seemed to have the upper hand as her poi soared into the Wolf Demon, knocking him back. And, as Eldrazi's healing worked its magik, the skin in their neck knitting itself back together and their vision clearing, a small flicker of hope ignited in Gavin's chest. He pushed himself back up, drawing another arrow to aim at Tachir', forcing him to a standstill.

Gavin glowered at him, despising the way the Wolf Demon flicked his tail behind him nonchalantly even when held at weapon point. "Leave!" Gavin commanded, though his voice sounded wet and weak. He cleared his throat, hating the metallic taste of blood that came with as he tried again. "Now, before I kill you."

A sharp laugh filled the air as Tachir' shook his head. "And what if you do, Gavin? What then?"

Something about the confidence in his words made Gavin step back, closer to Aoife and Talus. "W-what do you mean, 'what then'? Then you're dead."

The Demon rapped sharp nails against the wood of his spear, brows raised. "Ah right. Sometimes I forget how little your bastard of a Demon likes to clue you in. Here, I'll help. You're a Dávoln, I'm a Dávoln. What do you think happens when we die? You think I won't take this elsewhere? To the next Human?"

What? Gavin's hands shook, fingers still on the arrow. "But why?" he choked out, continuing to stand there. "Why would you kill me for being the same thing as you? Why would you come back as a Dávoln again if you hate them so much? Why?"

Tachir' only blinked at him. "Because this isn't about you. This has never once been about you." His spear was dropped, and suddenly the Demon was rushing forward, fur overtaking his body as his form steadily grew larger. "You're simply in the way."

The wolf bounded towards him, and immediately, Gavin turned to run, but a raking pain shredded down his back, tearing through his cloak, and from there, his flesh. It burned, much like the rain continuing to drown out everything around them, and Gavin fell to the ground, slick rocks digging and slicing into his palms and face. Panting filled his ears, the hot feeling of a breath leering over his neck, and he weakly threw his arms over his head as if that would stop anything.

But it didn't, and sharp teeth dug into his shoulder, tearing through the muscles there, making him scream as a chunk was torn away. The feeling of a paw on his back was slowly morphing into a hand, and Tachir' moved to sit on top of him, grabbing at their hair to lift Gavin's head, and bash it into the stone. Up, then a brunt, ringing pain was forced into his temple. Up, and again. And again. The ringing sharpened, yet he could still hear his mocking voice.

"Well well, Eldrazi. Hiding once again I see, all while the Human suffers. You never change, do you?"

Again, Eldrazi said nothing.

That didn't stop Gavin from weakly looking up at him, eyes bleary as he tried to speak. "What do you mean, once again?" Blood dripped from his nose, and he tried to sniff it before continuing. "Eldrazi's never made me suffer."

Tachir' head tilted, dull, almost sarcastic amusement on his face. "Eldrazi? You want to explain, or should I?"

Only then did Gavin find his teeth gritting, mouth moving to spit out a single word. "Liar!"

"Very well." Tachir' shrugged, and, raising his hand, he went to slam Gavin's head into the ground once more.

"Stop it!"

A high-pitched shriek filled the air, and purple light flashed, winding until Tachir' was flung to the side, a crack sounding as something slammed into his face. Something clenched in Gavin's heart, but it wasn't Cynwrig. He had to remember that as the body skidded a few feet, the Demon immediately sitting up to clutch at his skull.

He peeled his fingers away, staring at the blood between them. His head snapped up, finding Aoife continuing to swing her poi in glowing circles of fire around her, Gavin getting up, Talus holding the Cearte down, his sword abandoned at Talus' boots, and a little ways away, Weiss and Selatan beginning to stir. Tachir's lips pressed into a frown, taking note of the situation.

He stood, brushing himself off. "You know, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. I much prefer fixing problems on my own." He shrugged again. "Oh well."

He darted toward, and the sword at Talus' feet was in his hands, moving towards the boy faster than Gavin could react. His mismatched eyes shot open, a confused, wordless noise leaving his lips.

The sword went cleanly through his chest.

"No!" Gavin shouted, and instantly he was up, running to stop it, but the sword was only yanked from Talus' limp body, Tachir' tossing it to the Cearte now released as the shadows holding him ebbed away. His father caught it with ease, and he drove it through Talus' ribs one more time for good measure.

"Disgusting creature."

There was a choke, and Talus collapsed.

Aoife screamed, but at that moment, Gavin couldn't focus on it. He just knew that that was wrong. That it shouldn't have happened.

He fixed his eyes on Tachir', hands clenching. "Fine! You want to see Eldrazi? You want him this badly?"

"Gavin... what're you thinkin'?"

Letting us be the giant snake we deserve to be.

With that, Gavin released his hold on the bond, fully and completely. It was like hanging onto the edge of a cliff, only a string of rope to keep you there until you finally let go, plummeting into the abyss below. The world fell away, his vision shrinking to only two windows as the rest of his surroundings filled with colourful fog. It'd been such a long time since he'd sat in the Basilisk's mind, watching everything shrink as their scaled body rose to a massive, towering height, far above other Demons. Still, it was comforting to be so surrounded by Eldrazi's presence, sturdy and confident as they stared down at Tachir' and his father as a colossal green snake, striped with brown.

With a hiss, Eldrazi slammed their head down to strike, aiming for Tachir' while Aoife darted to the side to avoid being hit. Panicked, the man shifted again, but Eldrazi still managed to clamp the wolf between their jaws, the flavour of fur hitting Gavin's senses. Their fangs sunk into the Demon, and with a shake of their neck, Gavin watched Eldrazi fling Tachir' away, letting his body skid down the slick cliffside. One down, at least for now.

Then Eldrazi turned to their father, and the fog around Gavin shot bright red in rage. Perhaps that's what he should be feeling at the sight of Talus still lying on the ground, his chest rising and falling heavily in uneven waves. Yet, he felt nothing, fueled only by the urge for Eldrazi to force their father through the same fate as the Demon brought their head closer.

But the man sidestepped, Eldrazi's face hitting the ground as he struck. Quickly, he swerved their head to the side, moving for another strike. After all, his father was only a feet feet away now, easy prey even as he reached for Tachir's spear, still lying on the ground. Their body weaved forward.

Agonising pain, both sharp and wet, drove through their eye.

Gavin screamed, his hand flinging to cover the left side of his face, and even from within Eldrazi's mind, he could feel it becoming coated with blood. A second hiss left Eldrazi's throat, and he tore back, writhing their head as he tried to yank the black tip of the spear from their eye. But he couldn't– not without limbs– and Gavin could feel them shrinking, the pain only throbbing more and more as Eldrazi sent them spiralling back into the ground in their half-form.

Rocks slammed into Gavin's spine as he fell the last three feet to the ground, and he lay there, continuing to clutch his eye and scream. It burned, more than the rain pricking at his skin, more than the building heat in his aching lungs, and it wasn't healing even as he pulled the spear away, leaving nothing but ruined tissue behind. There was only the feeling of fire. Fire, and the cold, cold touch of Astren.

"I warned you," the man said flatly, and he stood over Gavin, glaring down. "It doesn't matter what you do. The Cearte work for the gods, and the gods always win, no matter how many people you convince to work for your side. Now—" He reached to grab at the satchel at Gavin's belt.

A gloved hand wrapped around the man's throat, and Gavin saw the smallest flicker of blue light before something small and silver was raised high, and driven into the back of the Cearte's neck.

A jolt ran through his father's body, and his eyes bulged before he staggered, leaving Weiss standing tall while he tumbled to the ground, a bloody scalpel protruding from his lower neck, directly on the spine.

The man panted, tucking his bloody wings behind him as he looked at Gavin with concern. "Are... you all right? Let me see your wound."

But Gavin ignored him, spinning around even as his body and nerves flooded with flaring pain, begging him to stop. He had to find Talus.

He wasn't far, only a few feet away, but the sight of him lying there immediately made Gavin's heart stop, legs freezing in place. Aoife was next to him, her face buried in his chest, and Gavin's knees dropped to the ground as he stared at all the blood.

The glow in his white eye was dull, his other half-closed as Talus coughed, looking weakly at Aoife, then Gavin.

"Weiss." Aoife's voice was tight. "What are you waiting for? Heal him already."

But the Eunsi only shook his head. "I barely was allowed enough magik to aim the scalpel." Slowly, he raised a hand, and Gavin was surprised to find it trembling as he stared intently at his taloned fingers. But no matter how hard he focused, the air lay still around him, and as much as Gavin felt for it, there was no hint of magik to be had. Weiss dropped his arm with another shake of his head, black bangs tumbling across his face. "It's not in the Goddess' Will to let me save him, and he's lost too much blood for any other method."

"But..." Aoife trailed. "But my magik can't..." She turned back to Talus, and her voice cut into a wail, face completely contorting in anguish before she buried it once more.

"Hey." A wet choke filled the air, and Talus lifted Aoife's head, giving her a small smile. "Don't cry. I don't want you to cry."

"But you're supposed to get the Relics with us!" Aoife yelled, and her fingers clutched at his shoulders desperately. "We're supposed to go and save the world. We were supposed to move on and be free. Together!"

"Silly Aoife." He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep, unsteady breath. "I was never even supposed to come."

Gavin moved closer, watching every slowing movement, each rattling breath. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"No. What did Weiss say about my blood again? Numbing? Yeah, that." Talus nodded to himself. "I just... feel empty, almost. Like going into the shadows." A weird little laugh left his throat. "Maybe that's where my veki is."

Gavin went to open his mouth, but he was stopped by the strange, absence of tears in his eyes. Shouldn't he be crying? He wanted to, but he wasn't, like someone was holding the tears back for him, and something about that made him feel far worse. Because all he could do was look down at his feet and muster a single: "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

Suddenly Gavin could feel claws against his skin, but they felt far warmer than normal. Clammy, almost. Still, they were soft as the boy took his hands, holding them against his face.

"I'm just sorry that I don't think I'm going to finish the mission with you. Which hurts because, well..." His mismatched eyes looked up, directly into Gavin's own, a wide, genuine smile filling his pale face, despite the tears. "I liked you. A lot. You were really fun to talk to, and kind, and- and you always listened to me."

"Well, of course." Gavin held Talus' hands tighter, willing his voice to choke up, willing himself to cry, because he should. A good friend would be doing that. A good friend wouldn't be sitting here, feeling so blank and empty while the person he cared about struggled to speak. "I... like you too."

Then Talus closed his eyes, and he looked more comfortable, leaning back onto the stone. "That means a lot to me. Thanks. I... hope we get the rest of the Relics."

"We will," Gavin murmured. "We have a war to end, after all."

And yet, the only sound to follow was the steadiness of the rain, playful and free as its black, liquid form wove in and out of the cracks of the cliffside.

"Talus!" Aoife screamed, eyes completely wild as she shook him again and again. "No! I'm not letting you die, you stupid—"

"Aoife!" Weiss took hold of her shoulder, his tone sharp. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do, and shaking him does nothing. We..." He paused, looking out to the horizon. "We should get out of the rain. Your skin is all burnt, and I'm sure the others aren't any better."

She wrenched her head up to glower at him, the side of her face coated in pitch black blood and her eyes glowing violet. "I'm not leaving him here."

Weiss' arms crossed. "The longer we stay, the more the rest of us are left out in the open, and Gavin and your boyfriend's wounds remain unattended. So you can stay here, or we can take them to a place where I can tend to them as best I can without magik so at least someone survives. All you're doing right now is leaving us vulnerable, and we've suffered enough, I think."

With a deep breath, the Eunsi shot a glance behind them, but as Gavin looked with him, Tachir' was nowhere in sight, retreated, at least for now. So the apothecary held out his hands, gesturing that he would carry Gavin once again.

"What about Talus?" Gavin asked dully, barely feeling his arms wrap around him. Instead, his gaze lingered on the rain puddling up around his feet. It was so dark, and trickling absolutely everywhere. It would be a while until it dried up.

"I'll... make another trip." Weiss tightened his grip, a small hiss escaping his lips as he spread bloodied wings to take flight. His eyes looked outward, looking almost panicked as he scanned over the ocean. "For now, just point me to the cave we were trying to go to before."

Gavin's friend was dead.

Someone he knew– had listened to, smiled at, and spent time with– was dead. He knew this, and he'd thought that he cared for him, more than he cared about anyone else in the group. He'd been so excited when Talus had snuck out to come along, when they'd spent the morning running through the forest together all to play a silly, hunting game. Gavin knew this as fact.

So why? Why did he feel nothing when Weiss finally landed in the cave? Or when he brought a limp body back with him, setting what had once been that person down in the cavern to be watched by a single, sullen eye while the other freely burned in his skull?

Am I a monster, Eldrazi?

"What?" the Demon shot back, almost unnerved with how much the question sounded like a demand."Why would you be a monster?"

Because... I can't feel anything. He continued to stare at the unnaturally tilted head, the raspberry red hair pulled to cover an empty face, but his heart never clenched, and his throat never tightened. He's dead. I should care. Why can't I care?

Eldrazi was quiet for a long while, not answering even as exhaustion began to press in on their mind, bringing the darkness at the end of their vision closer. "You're just in shock. That's all."

But I'm not in shock. I don't feel panicked at all. Just... empty.

"You're fine, Gav."

No, this isn't right! His hands shook, but it was only from fear. Because that was the only thing that ever seemed to work fine. Pleasantries and fear. Everything else... it wasn't real. That meant he was selfish, cold, heartless. An image filled his mind, of his father watching with a blank expression as he bled out. It consumed his thoughts as the darkness closed in, stealing the rest of his senses with it.

I'm no better. I really am a monster.

I should've been the one to die.