Silence filled the Liminal, broken only by everyone's rough breathing as they watched Greisen sink out of view.
At least until Meg spoke, her tone sour. "Don't take all the credit here. Theo and Zenith did most of the work."
Theo breathed in, trying to clear his spinning head. "Well...I appreciate it, Ryan."
When Ryan drifted down alongside Avia, the shit-eating grin on his face made Theo kind of wish he'd withheld his praise. But he'd meant it. He and Zenith had truly had no attacks left.
Now as his racing pulse settled down, he he took in the scene. There was Lyura, draped over a taxidermy bear. The bone lady, floating limply somewhere to the east. No sign of Ghost and Phantom, or the sword wielders.
Meg, looking pale-faced and shaky, leaned against Lodo atop a display case. Theo's chest tightened when he saw the blood dripping down her arms, but he didn't have the strength to go to her.
By now, Ryan and Avia had reached his level. With a start, he saw Jin clinging to Avia's neck.
"You were amazing, Miss Avia!" he chirped. "Did you see, Ryllis?"
"Yeah, I did." Ryllis rolled her eyes. Then she turned her head, glancing off in the distance. "So where's Sam?"
Sam? Theo lurched. Come to think of it, he'd have expected Sam to be the first to shoot down Ryan's bragging.
Not only that, but...where had Victor gone? And the blue crystal?
A dim foreboding began to rise inside him, but didn't truly transform into dread until he heard a bloodcurdling shriek.
"Stop them!"
The voice came from below. Heart thumping, Theo followed its source.
His eyes landed on the cage. Oliver was gripping the bars, screaming like he was being murdered. Theo's heart twisted. He'd almost forgotten about the Ensons in the chaos of the battle.
And...wait a minute. Something seemed to be floating below the cage. A person, long and lanky and wearing a Mashuparo T-shirt….
The dread sharpened into panic. As fast as he could, he dove toward the cage.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally got there. But Ryllis had already reached Sam, wrapping protective arms around her.
"Is she – " Theo began.
Ryllis squinted at Sam's face, brow creased. Then she slowly nodded.
Theo didn't have time to feel relieved. Not before Oliver screamed again, this time from right behind him. "Stop them! You gotta stop them!"
"What?" Theo whirled around so fast he almost hit his head against the bars. He found himself staring into Oliver's huge, quivering blue eyes.
Oliver looked like a complete wreck – his skin was gray and clammy, drawn tight over his cheekbones. "I said stop them, idiots! Don't let them get away!"
"Who?" Ryllis demanded, but Theo had already turned the direction Oliver was facing.
At first, he didn't understand what he was seeing. Two – no, three? - specks drifting across the Liminal. One hard blink, then another, and the true meaning of the scene hit him like a ten-ton truck.
Victor and Mirage, dragging Darian with them.
The breath whistled out of his lungs. An icy claw crushed his ribs.
"My liege!" Zenith's voice seemed to echo from very far away, even though he'd landed right beside Theo. He lunged forward, sword drawn.
"Wait," Theo began, but his voice came out a weak croak. He barely heard it over his thudding heartbeat, let alone Meg's voice shouting from above.
"What happened?"
"While you idiots were fighting! That pink demon and the guy in black armor. They knocked that girl out, took the black-haired shorty! I was trying to tell you but you weren't listening, idiots!"
"We were kinda busy, you know," Ryan snapped, kicking the side of the cage.
Their words washed over Theo's ears, meaningless. A horrible buzzing had filled his head.
Through it, he vaguely heard Meg ask, "Did they have a blue crystal?"
"You mean the Enson ring? Yeah, they had it! So hurry up and get it, morons! This – this is all your fault, everything that happened! The least you can do is give me back my ring! Waaaahhh!"
Bursting into sobs, Oliver slammed his fists on the cage floor. "There, there, young master Oliver," Lodo said like he was soothing a toddler.
They had the crystal. The final piece of the puzzle slotted in place.
Victor hadn't had a change of heart. This whole thing had been a ruse. While Theo and his friends exhausted themselves fighting Greisen, Mirage would sneak away with the crystal, and prince, in hand.
'No, no, no! NO!' A shiver raked down Theo's spine. Something horrible, something he didn't want to acknowledge, was rising inside him. He remembered casting strengthening spells on Victor. Victor thanking him. The terror as he saw the blood spurting from Victor's chest.
Healing him, drawing out every last drop of Levia. And then...what Victor had said to him afterward.
'I owe you again. You have no idea what you've done for me. One day, I will repay you.'
The shiver raked harder. Theo doubled over, wrapping his arms around his chest. He felt like he'd never be warm again.
When green light flashed, he jolted. Avia fired another arrow right after, but it streaked high above the retreating figures.
Undeterred, she took off with both Ryan and Jin on her back. "Get them!" Ryan yelled.
Ryllis shifted so Sam was resting in the crook of her left arm, pointed her spear with her right hand, and jumped after them. Not a moment later, Lodo rushed by with Meg on his back.
"My liege!" Zenith's voice, more anguished than Theo had ever heard him. It struck his heart like a poisoned arrow.
He saw Zenith's armor flash, his cape flap, as he gave chase. But Theo couldn't move. Horror – and guilt – had frozen every muscle.
He wanted time to stop. Or even better, to turn back. Back before this whole disastrous trip to the museum, before first Dr. Markov and then Victor had betrayed them.
No, even further. Before – before everything. Before he'd met Zenith. Before he'd seen the diagram in the park. Before Victor had snapped the bow and walked out the door.
"Theo! Theo!"
A voice calling his name. Somehow, it penetrated the haze blanketing him. As if in a dream, he lifted his head to see Zenith soaring back toward him.
"Theo!" Zenith landed in front of him. When he gripped Theo's shoulders, some part of him wanted to flinch away. But most of him still couldn't move.
Like this, he had no choice but to stare at Zenith's face. The horror and desperation in his eyes cut far worse than any sword.
"Theo, please, I – I don't have enough power. I can't – I – please. Help me. I need to get her back, I need to save her."
With each word, Theo's insides twisted into tighter knots. 'Zenith is like this because of me.'
That was right, this was all his fault. Yet again. He'd been so damn happy about finally fighting alongside Victor that he hadn't stopped to think about the situation. If he'd used even an ounce of logic, he wouldn't have fallen into such an obvious trap.
"Theo!" Zenith's voice shook wildly. "What's wrong? Theo? Please, please, I need your help!"
Now Zenith was panicking like Theo had never seen him panic before. His face chalk-white, his hands trembling. 'This is my fault. My fault. My fault.'
Hadn't he promised to change? To throw away his selfish feelings? Instead...instead….
"I don't know," he found himself saying, "if I have enough power…."
"Anything will help." Zenith's grip became crushingly tight. "Whatever you can give."
Anything he could give. He didn't know if he could manage even one spell, but...it didn't have to be a spell, did it?
Slowly, he lifted his head. His gaze fell on Zenith's pale, quivering lips.
His stomach twisted. 'No. You can't.'
But this was different. Not for his own selfish desires. No, he would do this for Zenith – for the person who truly meant the most to Zenith. Now Theo understood, and he'd never let himself forget again.
"Please," Zenith groaned.
The blood thundered in Theo's ears. Forcing his stiff muscles to move, he leaned forward. When Zenith started, he feared he might've done the wrong thing after all, but then Zenith relaxed and his eyes slid shut. His lips parted slightly.
Theo hated himself when his heartbeat picked up and blood rushed to his face. No, he couldn't think about it this way. 'For Zenith. For Darian. For what really matters.' Repeating this like a mantra, he closed the distance between them.
Their lips met. Zenith's were just as soft and warm as he remembered. Sparks shot through his blood when Zenith's lips molded around his, but he forced himself to ignore it. Focus on his Levia instead.
The dawn light fizzled in his veins. As he deepened the kiss, tasting Zenith's clean, pure flavor, he gathered the light until it became a gentle stream.
Not much, but enough. The stream flowed through their bond, their connected mouths. As it poured inside Zenith, he sensed it stirring to life the dim light flickering in his core. Shoring it up, giving it strength, until its glow became calm and steady once more.
It still wasn't half as bright as when they had defeated Greisen, but this was all Theo could give. Though some deep, primal part of him didn't want to, he pulled away from Zenith.
His lips still tingled; a soft flush colored Zenith's cheeks. But he was too miserable, and Zenith's expression too serious, to feel very pleased. His heart jolted when Zenith carefully lifted his hand and pressed his lips to his knuckles.
"Thank you." Zenith's whisper brushed across the still-damp skin, sending shivers through Theo's blood.
But all Theo could think about was how Victor had thanked him earlier. If he hadn't used up so much Levia on the healing spell, maybe...maybe he could have given Zenith more.
"Okay, great!" Oliver's voice screeched from the cage. "Can you freaks get a move on already?"