Light. Raging like a storm around him, slicing his soul into shreds….
But as Mirage struggled to wakefulness, the memories were already fading. Though a faint ache clung to his bones, the agony from back then felt an entire world away.
Perhaps it really had all been a nightmare.
Yet something felt...off. Starting with the surface beneath him. For it was most definitely not his luxurious memory-foam mattress covered in sheets of pure silk; no, judging by the wretched state of his spine, this felt rather like solid rock.
Not to mention the air he breathed had a sharp, wild tang to it, no hint of rose perfume. And his Levia felt startlingly close to his reach, as if it was thrumming just beneath his skin.
Mirage couldn't lie to himself. He knew full well what that meant.
So fighting the last vestiges of reluctance, he opened his eyes and sat upright. His head swam and his joints screeched in protest, but it was easy enough to push the discomfort aside.
Blinking, he glanced around. It seemed he was inside a shallow cave cut into craggy dark rock. Cold air flowed through the mouth of the cave, beyond which he glimpsed a sky streaked pink with dawn.
Though he couldn't see much through the broad back blocking the entrance. Just a silhouette, but Mirage recognized it in a heartbeat.
"Victor?" The name escaped before he could stop himself.
Victor turned slightly, his loose hair swinging. The sight of him froze Mirage's heart. Dried blood crusted the side of his mouth, while dark shadows surrounded his eyes. But that wasn't the worst part – it had to be his armor, or what remained of it. Half a pauldron on his shoulder, a bracer on his left arm, a boot on his right foot. The ragged T-shirt underneath seemed hardly enough protection from the cold.
"Captain. You're awake." Victor's face remained impassive as ever, but his voice was hoarse and rasping.
"How long...how long have we…."
"Seems like an entire night so far."
"And you stayed up the whole time?" Mirage said, incredulous.
"I needed to keep watch," Victor said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But suddenly a violent tremor seized him and he doubled over, coughing like he was trying to hack up his lungs.
His flailing hand caught the hilt of the sword he'd planted into the ground – not that it provided much support, what with all the chunks missing from the blade. Watching him, Mirage felt sicker by the second.
A horrible realization began to dawn on him. Stiffness aside, he felt perfectly fine – well-rested, even. His Levia flowed smoother than he'd ever felt it, and if he examined it closely, he thought he detected traces of cool purple light.
His heart slammed. "You – you didn't cast a healing spell on me, did you?"
Gasping for breath, Victor lifted his head. Thankfully the coughing fit had ended, but he still didn't face Mirage. "You were injured."
"Me?" Mirage barked a disbelieving laugh. "Would you look in the mirror? And – and have you been wearing your armor all night? You fool, do you even have any Levia left to give it?"
A tight knot clenched in his chest, making him feel only seconds away from exploding. Just the thought of Victor staying up for hours, stubbornly wearing the shambling remnants of his armor even as it drained his Levia, all while Mirage obliviously slept away….
Needless to say, he'd never imagined his grand return to Tielos to go quite like this.
"Take it off," he said, low and deadly.
"Pardon, Captain?" Victor still wasn't looking at him.
"You heard me, fool. Take off the armor."
"That…." Victor drew in a ragged breath. "That would be...unwise. We don't know what dangers are out there…."
"Take off the goddamn armor, right now! That's an order!" The scream echoed off the cave walls until it sounded like a dozen Mirages were screaming alongside him.
As the echoes died down, Mirage clenched his hands into fists and glared at the back of Victor's head like he wanted to set it on fire. If the stupid human didn't obey, then – then – he really was completely useless, wasn't he?
For a moment that stretched into eternity, Victor remained still. Then he lowered his head, heaved a sigh, and snapped his fingers. Purple light engulfed the armor pieces before streaming into his palm, where it gathered and condensed to form a jagged black crystal. Even in the dim lighting, Mirage made out the massive crack running down its center.
"Now come inside," he snapped. "I'll take up the watch."
To his annoyance, Victor didn't budge. "Are you certain, Captain?"
The damn insolent fool! "Yes, I am. As a matter of fact, my invisibility will no doubt provide better protection than you sitting around half-dead."
Even an idiot like Victor had to see the sense in those words. Sure enough, he turned around and shuffled his way back into the cave. Watching his strained movements made Mirage's heart ache all over again. Such a far cry from his usual panther-like grace.
Yes, someone definitely needed his rest. Mirage watched in satisfaction as Victor curled up on the floor, before moving to the cave entrance.
Casting his invisibility took hardly any effort. Courtesy of the pointless healing Victor had done, he supposed. That taken care of, Mirage peered out of the entrance.
The sight made his stomach swoop. Their little cave opened into a narrow ledge overlooking a canyon so deep mist shrouded its bottom like a river of clouds. Looming from the mist, the canyon's opposite face jutted toward the heavens. Only the palest sliver of the rising sun could be seen above it.
Something strange and not entirely unpleasant swept through Mirage's blood, tingling in his nerves. While he doubted he had ever visited this exact canyon before, he'd seen plenty just like it. Scars carved into the earth by the long-ago Rending.
How long he sat there breathing in the icy air, watching the sun climb above the canyon rim, he couldn't say. But it caught him by surprise when he heard a rustle of cloth and Victor's hoarse voice drifted toward him.
"Captain...now that we're here…."
"Did I not tell you to sleep?"
"Actually...you didn't...specifically give the order."
Did he think he was being clever or something? Well, if he had the energy to quibble, he must already be feeling better.
"I'm giving the order now," Mirage declared, refusing to deign Victor with a glance back. "So go to sleep."
"Yes, Captain. Just...I'd like to know your course of action first. Since we're here, should we return to the Infernal Legion headquarters?"
In no way, shape, or form could this be called sleeping. Yet Mirage couldn't bring himself to tell Victor off. After all, he'd been musing about the exact same thing.
"Out of the question," he said instantly. "It would be one thing if we'd succeeded, but – well, what do we even have to show? I refuse to crawl empty-handed back to the Infernal Lord."
He lifted his head haughtily, as if it were a matter of pride, but Victor had already seen him at his lowest point. He knew full well what was truly motivating Mirage.
True to form, he didn't comment on it. "Then what do you intend?"
"Hm." Mirage leaned forward, drumming his fingers on his knee. "The Star of Miriel."
"The Star of Miriel?"
"Greisen went to such great lengths just to bring one shard to the Infernal Lord. Whatever this Star of Miriel is, it may be worth far more to the Legion than even Prince Darian herself."
"So you plan to...get the shard back?"
Mirage shook his head. "Perhaps at some point, but for now let's focus on obtaining the other pieces."
"Is that possible?" Even without looking, Mirage sensed Victor's interest pulsing across their contract. "The pieces aren't all on Earth?"
"No. In fact, I'm positive there's at least one on Tielos." Mirage couldn't help it; his voice began to quiver from excitement. "And I know exactly where to find it."
Victor didn't say anything, but Mirage knew the wizard was now clinging to his every word.
He breathed out, savoring the pure, sharp taste of triumph. "The Ziegler stronghold. They're a family of wizards who rule over their own territory in the north. Since they control dozens of familiars, they must possess a shard. I never questioned it before because I thought that was normal for wizards, but now I know better."
His words came faster, almost tripping over each other from excitement. Strange. All those years ago, he had vowed he would never lay eyes on that hellhole again. Now he couldn't wait to return. But this time, it wouldn't be as a cowed, lowly slave. This time – this time –
Through the contract, he noticed Victor's interest sharpen, his gaze become keen. Perhaps the human was wondering how Mirage knew all this. Well, let him wonder. Mirage had already made up his mind, and all Victor needed to do was follow his orders.