"Ad-"

"There's no way in hell we're far enough away from-" Adriel flaps a hand in the general direction of the capital- "fucken Hell to have a conversation that doesn't even matter."

"Will you stop?" Julias lunges forward and grabs Adriel's wrist. "Just fucking stop."

"I'll stop when we're back home-"

"And then what're you gonna do?" Julias loosens his hold on Adriel's wrist, giving him an out if he panics. "Oh, that's right, we'll go back to hating each other. You're just gonna leave me in the dark, wondering if you being absent means you're actually sick or if there's something else-"

"Jesus Christ, Julias, what do you want me to say?" Adriel snaps, whirling around to face his companion. "What do you want me to tell you?"

"The truth," Julias answers quietly. "I want you to tell me what the hell is wrong."

"The only thing that's wrong is the fact that you're more focused on how fucked up I am instead of escaping."

"Excuse me for being concerned!" Julias shouts. Adriel flinches, then sighs.

"Don't," he says forcefully as Julias opens his mouth. "I'm not gonna tell you anything."

"But there's something going on."

Adriel shrugs and turns around in response. "If we keep walking we'll find a town or something, right?"

Julias sighs. "Yeah."

They take two steps before Adriel stops, throwing an arm out in front of Julias.

"Who's there?" he calls, narrowing his eyes.

"Adriel-"

"Get behind me." Without looking Adriel grabs Julias's arm and pulls him behind him. Something ruffles the leaves on a bush to his right as a dull thud sounds to his left.

"Do you have any water?" Julias whispers, poking the back of Adriel's shoulder.

"Sh!"

"I'll take that as a no." Julias nods and turns around, scanning the foliage in front of him.

A figure launches itself at Adriel. He takes a step back at the same time Julias does, pressing their backs together.

"Nope." Adriel thrusts his hands out and grabs the cloak of his attacker. Julias grabs his own attacker, thrusting his knee up into their stomach.

"So-" Julias ducks and lunges forward, wrapping his arms around the figure and throwing them back. "Guards from the capital?"

"Nah." Adriel knocks away a punch thrown at his face and kicks out, hitting their stomach. "There's not enough of them. Assassins, maybe."

"They're not amateur fighters but they're not assassin level." Julias stumbles back, pressing a hand to his nose as tears well in his eyes. "Ow."

"Get hit in the dick?"

"Nose."

"That's-" Adriel grunts as he throws a punch as hard as he can into the figure's throat- "a lovely place to get hit."

"Isn't it."

"Are you bleeding?"

"Nah." Julias pulls his hand away from his face and slaps the figure, then takes his other hand, rests it on their face, and shoves them backward. "So they're not Waves."

"How do you know that?"

"Touched their face."

"They're probably not Petals, either," Adriel says, pushing his attacker back. "Or else they'd be manipulating the plants around us."

"So that leaves Embers-" Julias catches the figure's foot- "Illusionists-" he shoves it back toward them and watches as they tumble to the ground- "and Rays."

"How are we supposed to figure out what they are?"

"I don't think they're Illusionists-"

"Because they'd be flying around if they were-"

"So that leaves Rays and Embers."

"Stop finishing my sentences." Adriel picks up a heavy branch and slams it down on his attacker's head, dropping it as they slump over.

"Stop saying sentences that are easy to finish." Julias throws two rapid punches to his attacker's head and watches them crumple to the ground.

"That was an eventful walk."

"More eventful than I thought it was gonna be." Julias turns and grins at Adriel.

"So, you wanna make a bet on what race they are?" Adriel smirks. "I'm betting they're Rays."

"I'll take that bet," Julias replies, holding his hand out. "Fifty."

"Deal."

As they shake hands, movement behind Adriel catches Julias's eye.

"Don't you dare!" he shouts, tugging on Adriel's hand hard enough to turn them around.

A dull pain, like a punch, flares up on the right side of Julias's back.

"Julias?" Adriel calls quietly, watching his eyes go wide.

"Fuck off," Julias growls, whirling around and slamming an elbow into the figure's face. Adriel gasps. Julias looks over at him in time to see all of the color drain from his face.

"Dude, do you not- dude!"

"What?"

"Look at your fucking back!"

Julias twists his upper body and looks at his- holy shit!

His legs give out and he crumples to the ground, hands grasping at his sides as tears gather in his eyes again.

"Fuck, fuck fuck-"

"Hey!" Adriel kneels down in front of Julias and cups his face, forcing him to look into his eyes. "It's gonna be fine. I can heal you."

"God that fucking hurts!"

"I know," Adriel whispers, reaching over and gently grasping the handle of the knife. "I'm gonna pull it out, alright?"

Julias clamps his mouth shut and bows his head, nodding. Adriel gnaws on his lower lip and lifts his hand, pulling the knife out of Julias's back and drawing a bloodcurdling scream from him.

"Heal it," Julias begs, clutching the fabric of his shirt tightly in his hands. Adriel nods and moves around to his side, hovering his hands just above the wound.

Adriel takes a deep breath in and closes his eyes, wincing as Julias gasps when his hands rest atop the wound.

His eyes fly open and he takes a deep breath. A soft black glow emanates from his hands. He presses his hands slightly harder against the wound.

Julias hisses and the glow immediately dies.

"Fuck, did I hurt you?" Adriel scrambles around and helps Julias sit up. "Did I make it worse?"

"No." Julias stretches his arms behind him and leans forward, testing his back. "Ah- still stings a little, but it's bearable."

"Fuck," Adriel whispers, slamming a fist against his right thigh. Julias reaches out and grabs his wrist before he can do it a second time.

"Don't do that," Julias begs quietly. "Please."

"You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do," Adriel retorts, unclenching his hand anyway. Julias lets go of him and stands up.

"On the bright side we've got another knife for you." Julias nods to the knife resting next to his foot. Adriel picks it up and stands, eyes locked on the dull red blood covering the blade.

"No." Adriel shakes his head, lowering the knife and looking at Julias. "I'm not using this."

"At least use it to interrogate one of these two," Julias says. Adriel shakes his head again and pulls his arm back.

"Mind shifting to the right a little?" Adriel motions with his head. "Don't want to hit you."

Julias takes three small steps to the right. Adriel takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and opens them again, then throws the knife. A black glow streaks from his hand to a tree where the knife buries itself fully.

"Holy shit," Julias breathes, staring at the knife. "That was fucking awesome."

"Yeah," Adriel agrees, looking down at his hands, palms soaked in red. For a moment he tries to pretend like it's not Julias's blood, like it's simply paint that he spilled, but his mind keeps returning over and over to the exact second Julias realized there was a knife in him, to the exact second his face was terrified.

"We'll find water soon," Julias assures Adriel. "Wash all the blood away and get some to purify and drink."

There's blood covering the dark cracked cement in front of him, the pool slowly growing larger.

"Adriel?"

He's still. He's so still.

"Adriel!"

Question of the chapter: idk y'all. Someone come up with a question and I'll answer it.