Awareness trickles through Fiesi's mind like icy water. His cloak is soaked through—snow, probably. He feels half-frozen, but it's not as painful as he expected. Light plays across his eyes, and he feels a few scraps of warmth brush against his cheek.

Fire. He exhales, enjoying the feeling for a few more moments. It's nice, far nicer than the distant little voice screaming that he's forgetting something important. He doesn't want to move.

"Saev," someone mutters. A soft rustling reaches Fiesi's ears, and then the distinct clink of metal against metal.

Huh? Fiesi sorts through his bleary thoughts, unable to get a solid grasp on any of them. This is confusing. Perhaps he should go back to sleep.

Don't you dare. Rigel's voice, tugging at their bond. Energy ripples through Fiesi, snatching him from the fog in his mind.

It's only then he remembers. He tears his eyes open, a gasp catching in his throat. Nathan. The Adeía boy. Falling. Darkness.

Finally, Rigel sighs. You've been asleep for hours.

The altered pattern of the stars and moon affirms the statement. Fiesi twists his head, wincing as the bright streaks of a fire pierces his eyes. On its other side, the strange boy—Asher—kicks Fiesi's bag to the side. The chains hidden inside have spilled outwards, exposed to the open air; the rest of it is worryingly empty-looking. Asher has taken the spear; he holds it a little awkwardly, his gaze fixed on Fiesi.

A shudder crawls down Fiesi's spine. Another Adeía—inexplicable, unlike anything he's heard of before, but there's no other way the boy could wield such a strange power. Swallowing his confusion, Fiesi casts his eyes about for Nathan. That mission, he understands.

He's over there, Rigel interrupts solemnly, tugging Fiesi's attention to the shadows behind Asher. There's a flash of pale skin as Nathan flinches away, his form and expression lost to the shadows.

Fiesi scrambles to collect his thoughts, turning to Rigel for help. What happened?

They talked for a while, and then this other boy slept for a few hours. I couldn't get you up; I think he's the one who woke you just now.

Fiesi clenches his hands, gathering the flame inside of him. Nathan's so close; if he can get past Asher, he can finish this. He hasn't yet failed.

"Stop that." Asher abruptly swings the spear down. Fiesi flinches as the cold metal rests just below his neck. He's not afraid of the blade, but the sudden energy crackling around the boy is an entirely different matter.

Fiesi grits his teeth. There will be no lying to Asher, no gloves to lock the danger away. This boy isn't Nathan: he knows how to use his power, and he looks mad.

Great. Just great.

"We, ah, might've gotten off on the wrong foot." Fiesi attempts a grin, scrambling to think of a plan. The terror rattling through him doesn't help. "Wanna put my spear down, and we can talk like civilized people?"

"No."

Fiesi hides a grimace. Do you have any ideas, Rigel?

He is strong. A flicker of unease passes through their bond. Try to catch him off guard, and I will help.

"I did wake you up to talk, though," Asher continues, shattering the brief pause. His knuckles are white around the shaft of the spear, but the steely edge in his eyes doesn't fade.

"Then we can talk." Fiesi lifts one hand as amicably as possible while sprawled in the dirt with a blade at his throat.

Asher's arms tense at the movement, leaving him stiff and vulnerable. Uncertainty flickers in his gaze. "What do you want?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Fiesi glances in Nathan's direction. The boy is frozen, still barely visible, a shadow of shadows. Clenching his hands, Fiesi wrenches his eyes away. Ignore the fear. Move. "I'm saving the world."

As swiftly as he can, Fiesi reaches out and wraps his fingers around the smooth shaft of the spear. He'd expected Asher to push forward, driving the point through Fiesi's heart, but he yanks the weapon back instead. The wood slides from Fiesi's grip; the blade scrapes across his forearm as it retreats, tracing a stinging line across his skin.

Biting back a hiss, Fiesi uses the unexpected freedom to scramble to his feet. Flames burst across his fingers in azure streaks, bathing the forest in their harsh light and rushing to seal the cut across his arm. Feeling a grim smile twist his lips, he coils them into the familiar, hardened point of his knife. The hilt solidifies in his hand, smooth and weightless, as he turns his attention to Asher.

The boy hurriedly recovers his balance, lifting the spear. Fear flickers across his face, cracking through his wary anger far too easily. The energy sparking in the air grows wilder; Fiesi can feel it pricking against his skin and spreading a deep ache through his bones. Even his teeth hurt. The hair on the back of his neck stands up. This isn't normal. It isn't possible.

"Whoa, there." Fiesi laughs, trying to shake off the panic squirming in his chest. "I thought you just wanted to talk." He lets his flames rise higher, brighter, and lifts his knife. He can do this. Just aim for the neck or the heart, and hope the boy's power isn't the same as the Anathe's. Just one strike. Eliminate the threat.

"Doms es," Asher snarls. In the light of Fiesi's fire, his skin is almost as bleached of color as Nathan's.

"Well..." Fiesi pretends to think, edging to the side. Asher turns to match him, but shrinks away when he takes a step forward. The boy looks tired, afraid. A sudden, faint sense of power sparks in Fiesi's chest; he clings to it, allowing his grin to widen. "I suppose that's technically talki—"

The strange power surges around Fiesi, stealing his voice away. It pierces through him, focusing around the knife of flame in his hand and wrenching it to the side. Scorching pain claws through Fiesi's heart as it shreds his fire to scraps, then sparks, then nothing at all. Fiesi stumbles away, terror tightening around his lungs. His chest hurts, and for a moment a sharp, deep, empty gap opens inside of him.

He just extinguished it, little Kynig, Rigel interrupts. As if in confirmation, Fiesi's flames surge back to life, dancing around his hands.

There isn't time to use them, though. Something crashes into Fiesi's back, and he topples to the side. His chin slams into the ground; a harsh weight settles across his back, pressing him harder against the dirt. Fiesi lets out a strangled yelp, a dull ache spreading through his jaw. Any semblance of determination is gone—he just needs to get away from this boy and whatever dark power he holds.

"I could kill you right now." Anger burns away whatever fear might have been in Asher's voice as he steps forward. The cold, icy touch of the spear's blade brushes against the back of Fiesi's neck, digging in enough to open a line of pain across his skin.

Fiesi shudders, another surge of panic sweeping through him as he realizes that Asher's right. This Adeía boy can kill him—if not with the spear, then with that strange power.

Forget Nathan, just for now. Fiesi doesn't want to die. He can't save the world if his body is rotting away in the middle of the woods. He struggles against whatever is holding him in place, but there's no use.

"Look," Fiesi starts, hating the slight tremble that creeps into the words. "Asher. This isn't—"

"Shut up." The spear wavers as Asher takes a deep breath. "I could kill you. Nathan could have killed you. But he didn't, and I won't."

"But—" Fiesi snaps his mouth shut as the pressure pinning him down worsens, driving the air from his lungs.

"Leave us alone," Asher continues. He suddenly sounds weary, and far older than he looks. The spear retreats. "Leave Nathan alone. He's just a kid, and he doesn't want to hurt anybody."

"He will anyway," Fiesi snaps, some of the hatred he took such care to hide breaking free. Dark eyes flash in his memory, empty twin voids. He feels a scrap of flame twine around his wrist, but there's nothing to direct it at. He can't get to Asher, and there is only air holding him down. "He's not just a kid."

Something pokes Fiesi's shoulder. He flinches, but it's only the blunt end of the spear. Asher's voice comes clipped, as if he's clenching his jaw. "Whatever. Go back to your army, Finlay. Fieshi. Whatever your name is. Don't follow us."

Fiesi almost snorts at the boy's mispronunciation, but it dies in his throat. Us. So they're going to travel together. He opens his mouth to reply, but a sudden, heavy sensation snatches the words away before they come.

Not again, Rigel grumbles, frustration and a hint of worry tinging their bond. Fiesi feels a surge of extra energy tumble through him, but it's too late. Shadows are twisting in the corner of his vision, sweeping in to carry him to sleep once again. He doesn't have the energy to stop them.

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Cutting this chapter a wee bit short short because 1) the next part will probably be long already (Fiesi gets even more pain :D), 2) I really wanted to update ;-;, and 3) I'm seeing a trend with this and short chapters. They're actually kind of satisfying.