Stepping slowly into the entrance to Medein's home, I gazed around in awe at the relics that were placed seemingly at random along the tunnel of the cave. It was like seeing the room of a child that had somehow gotten ahold of priceless artifacts and, not knowing their true value, had simply placed them about as they found a surface.

Glancing at Medein out of the corner of my eye, I slowly reached out towards one of the dust-covered pots that sat upon a part of the wall that curved outward, making a natural ledge of sorts. When I heard no sounds of protest from behind me, I carefully ran my fingers over the surface, wiping away some of the dust to see the intricate designs still unfaded by time. It was something one would expect to see in a museum collection, rather than someplace collecting dust and seemingly forgotten by its owner.

Pulling my hand back, I looked around at the other pieces that were haphazardly placed about the gently curving tunnel of the cave, soon walking further into the torchlit shadows in search of more such treasures. It was exciting to think that I might be the first person besides Medien to see them all in who knows how long. I barely even noticed when my feet stepped into a thin layer of cool water upon the floor, my eyes focused on the sights ahead of me as I gasped in shock.

~~~~~~~~

Medein felt dread fill him at the sound of her quick intake of breath, his heart feeling suddenly heavy in his chest. He'd been so hopeful thus far, enjoying her childlike wonder at the simple items he'd placed within his 'home' back when he hadn't realized it would be his prison.

He'd moved some pieces about over the centuries, but many had ended up unused and forgotten until he saw her fingers skim their surface or followed her eyes to see where she was looking when she grew still for a time. It was almost like looking at some of them for the first time, seeing the symbols and portraits anew as he tried to imagine how they must look to (y/n) compared to all the wondrous things she saw every day in her life. And yet, he didn't think she looked down on any of it, seeing the awe in her gaze as her eyes flickered about the area, watching her practically dance about from one wall to the other as she reached out for the next piece she found.

But now, now he withered inside at her finally finding the place he spent so much time cursing the gods for abandoning him here. Cursing Percia for leaving him behind and forgetting her promise to return again. Cursing her for remaining human, for staying so fragile against the world and against time. Cursing her for abandoning him for another, even if he'd always known it would happen.

Slowly closing his eyes so as not to see (y/n) face once she'd finished taking in the room with its shattered pieces of pottery from the early days when the pain of entrapment was still fresh, the pile of faded rags that served as a bed after the original feather-filled mattress had finally rotted away, and the never-to-be-forgotten marks upon the walls where he'd tried to claw his way through to the surface when he'd lost himself in madness for a time, completely forgetting the tunnel out that had at the time been hidden by a mere curtain of cloth. It was a shameful reminder of how much he had grown used to Percia's company, that he would be so easily blinded to the world around him after too many years alone.

Medein's train of thought was completely derailed when suddenly his hand was grabbed by warm fingers that gently curved about his own before pulling him further into the room, his eyes opening in shock to see (y/n)'s eyes transfixed upon the one area untouched by both his past rages and the dust that coated almost everything else.

Slowly following her careful steps, breath held as he waited to see her reaction to the gently carved statues that were placed in the painstakingly chiseled out alcove, it was all he could do to keep his eyes from constantly flickering to the altar that rested beside them. Every time he looked at it, even if just for a moment, he felt the warmth of the bracelet remind him that he needed to charge it before the remaining time he had was up and his borrowed disguise of humanity was lost.

He wasn't ready for (y/n) to find out the truth about him. Not now. Not like this.

~~~~~~~~

The statues stood side by side, a work of art beyond any I had seen before. I could only imagine the endless amount of time spent lovingly crafting them, painstakingly adding every detail to the unusual pair. Not so much who the pairing seemed to be, but rather the unusual take upon the legendary duo, for who had not heard of Medusa and Perseus?

However, it seemed that whoever the artist was, they had swapped genders between the two, as well as taking the well-known combatants and placing them peacefully beside each other. They had the look of friends rather than enemies, as well as making Medusa look anything but horrifying.

In fact, the statue looked strikingly familiar. Turning to look behind me, I found my gaze switching back and forth between statue and person as my mouth opened in wonder.

"Did you make these, Medein?"