A whirl of emotions enveloped Drake as he fell into a dark, endless void. Sadness, Jealousy, Rage, Greed. He recognized them, but they weren't his own. Each emotion as complex as always, but had a more malevolent hint to them. They surrounded him, drowned him in their negativity.

Dear god, they were choking him.

The mage gasped in the darkness he floated in, clawing at his neck for oxygen. He tried to hard to clear his lungs, but with each breath he took it felt like he was drinking in more of the inky blankness. Slowly, he felt his eye lids getting heavier and heavier. He couldn't see anything, but he could tell his consciousness was slipping from his fingertips. His arms felt weak, his body dropped like it was filled with lead.

Drake's eyes closed as he let out a last breath, falling into a slumber.

Deeper, and deeper, and deeper...

------
"Drake!!"

The hybrid's eyes shoot open from the sound of his name. He instantly sits upright, almost knocking heads with somone sitting next to him.
"Drake, Drake are you okay?!" A pair of hands held his shoulders, turning the mage so he could face the person who tried desperately to wake him up.

It was Grayson, his face pale and his eyes filled with worry. Drake felt a tugging ache in his chest. It felt... unnatural to see him like that. He should never look like that.

"Drake, answer me please." He pleads with a fightened tone.
The hybrid lets out a breath that he held, suddenly realizing how erratic both their breathing was.
"I-I'm.. fine." He finally answers his friend, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh thank god!" Grayson exclaims, smiling brightly.
He could feel his friend's hands squeeze his shoulders tighter, almost like he's afraid to let him go. It felt warm, comforting. It was... nice.

Drake smiles back in reassurance. "Ah, Did I wake you up?"
"No shit sherlock, you scared me out of my wits." Grayson laughs dryly, though his mood seems to change almost drastically. "Drake, you were gasping like someone was choking you. And.."
He trails off, feeling hesitant to tell the mage another detail.
"...And..?" Drake asks.
The blonde decides to let go of his shoulders, the warmth the hybrid felt from it freezing over. The next words that came out of Grayson's mouth made Drake's blood run cold.

"Your eye, it glowed a bright white."
------
The two boys talked for the rest of the night, too scared to go back to sleep. Drake hadn't experienced something like this in months, and this worries them both. Whatever was going on under their noses, it was happening quicker than they could process. This means they had to get past Alverton, and fast.

A new development is slowly rising from the shadows, a familar dark entity is gaining more power as time passes.

"Shit, it's morning already?" Grayson hisses tiredly, covering his eyes when rays of light enter through the openings in their tent.
Drake laughs. "Looks like we'll be telling them what we know soon."
"About that, I think we should tell them when we get past Alverton." The blonde replies, smiling wearily. "I think it'll be easier to digest if we get past our current problem."

Before the hybrid could reply, the two heard a bark outside their tent.
Grayson yawned, getting up to open the tent zipper. "Looks like the fur baby's away."
"Did you seriously call Wisp a fur baby?" Drake sits up, preparing himself for an attack from the ball of fluff.
As soon as the tent opens, Wisp whizzes past the blonde male and tackles the mage. This, of course, leads to them both toppling over the tent and causing quite a commotion.

"ACK- DRAKE YOU SAID YOU COULD HANDLE HER!!" Grayson complains, trying to get out of the fallen tent.
"WELL IM SORRY SHE'S REALLY STRONG OKAY-" Drake exclaims, having to deal with both an energetic pupper and a mess of a tent.
"BARK BARK!!"
The noise was loud enough to wake everyone up, the six groaning and complaining about how loud they were being. Mia, being more of a morning person than most of the males, was the first to catch sight of the poor boys trapped in their tent. Her attempt at stilfling her laughs proved futile as the ex-commander somehow manages to escape his fabric prison.
"Oh haha, very funny." Grayson says sarcastically, though his smile makes it seem less hostile. "Can you help us out please?"

After taking down the tents and freeing Drake and Wisp, the others stood in a circle to discuss what to do in Alverton.
"First off, we'll have to conceal ourselves." Grayson starts, his hands on his waist.
"Well, not all of us," Mia adds in. "The Crew over here is hardly known by the Empire."
Rage nods in agreement. "I agree, we might not have to hide ourselves. They'll mostly be after you four."
"True, just make sure you guys have something if you ever need to cover up." Drake replies.

Hollow puts his face mask up to his nose, Fluke puts on his googles, and both Evanz and Rage flip on their hoodies. Needless to say, they've surprisingly come prepared.

"Good, good. How about you guys?" The blue-haired elemental asks the four.
Drake pulls out an old hooded cape he wore when he stalked the outskirts of the Empire, as did Grayson and Mia.

Only Armen seemed to not have anything.

"I'll be fine," The boy waves off. "I doubt the Empire's after me anyways."
After that being said they all hefted their bags and started onto the path to Alverton, until Evanz held a strange look on his face.
"Hold on Armen," He starts, looking like he just realized something.
The latter raises an eyebrow, and the others halt as well. "What's up, Evanz?"
"From what you lot told us, they might not be after you, but they'll definitely be on the lookout for the certain demigod that caused all this mass destruction." He continues. "Or at least, the mask that demigod hid behind: Armenbrine."

Drake slaps his forehead lightly. "Shit, I nearly forgot."
He looks among the group. "Anyone got a spare cloth to hand him?"
The Crew quickly shifts around in their sacks to look for something.
"I, uh, I have a hankerchief!" Fluke exclaims triumphantly, pulling out a light-blue cloth.
Evanz eyes seem to light up when he sees it, but no one else notices except for Mia.
"I think that'll do." Armen smiles as he receives the cloth from Fluke.
Quickly tying it around his mouth, he gives a thumbs up that he's all set to go.
And thus, they continued on their way to Alverton, which isn't too far away.
------
Evanz trails behind the group, nudging a certain blonde elemental. "Oi Fluke!"
"Hmm? Yeah, Ev?" Fluke asks curiously.
"Was that the hankerchief I gave to you on your birthday?" The Welsh asks with an innocent smile.
When Fluke's face protrudes a bright red, Evanz takes that as a delightful yes.