"Zenith," Theo made himself say. It escaped in a hoarse whisper, almost inaudible beneath the blood pounding in his head.
But Zenith heard. His eyes narrowed, the disdain in them sharpening until it felt like needles piercing Theo's skin. Zenith had never looked at him like that before, not even when he had betrayed the crew.
Despair welled inside Theo's chest, bitter and choking. Was this it, then? Had he failed?
Zenith took another step forward, careful and deliberate. With shaking hands, Theo lifted his staff even though he knew it barely counted as a weapon. But it was all he had.
That was when the Levia in his chest sparked, like a distant shooting star. Then he heard movement from behind – creaking, groaning, rustling cloth.
Darian was still awake? How Theo longed to turn around to check, but he didn't dare tear his eyes away from Zenith.
"Move," Zenith said, voice as cold as his eyes. "You are in my way."
He lifted his sword, pointing it at Theo's head. The breaths whistled in Theo's throat.
"Move," Zenith said again.
"Why?" The question came out thin and weak, pathetic.
"So I can bring an end to this." Zenith gripped his sword tighter.
"You're going to kill her?" The staff trembled in Theo's hands, but he clung on with all his might. "After – after everything? Even if you don't care about her anymore, you fought alongside her all those years. Does that really mean nothing to you?"
"She is an obstacle in my liege's way. I will destroy all obstacles without mercy."
"Your liege – you mean the Infernal Lord!" Theo yelled, desperation giving him bravado.
Zenith's face spasmed like he'd tasted something bitter. "Again with those foul lies. I will not allow you to sway me."
"It's the truth, Zenith! He's been tricking you this whole time. Playing all of us! But you – "
"Silence!" Zenith swiped out the sword. Instinctively Theo ducked, though it didn't come close to striking him. "What do you even know? With his power, under his orders, I defeated a Grand General! And yet you have the gall to keep lying to me?"
Theo's heart rocketed around inside his chest. "I – I don't know why he would do that. Sacrifice his own general...maybe it was just to get you on his side."
"Now you're making up stories," Zenith hissed. "Enough of this. Step aside and let me through."
Theo took a deep breath. His heart was still racing, panic and desperation were warring inside him, but he forced it all aside with surprising ease. It took no effort, no conscious thought, to move in front of Zenith and hold out his staff.
"I won't," he said.
Zenith breathed in sharply. "I will not repeat myself. Step aside."
"You'll have to force me to," Theo said, relieved by how calm his voice came out.
More rustling and grunting from behind. Darian's Levia sputtered fitfully across the contract. "Theo, don't – "
The sound of her voice made his heart skip a beat. He clenched his teeth, striving to ignore it.
"So what's it going to be, Zenith? If you want to kill Darian, you'll have to kill me first."
Zenith raised his sword a fraction, but didn't move closer. Nor did he speak.
"It's simple, isn't it?" Theo's confidence deepened with every word he spoke. "You want to kill her, don't you? And me too. Since I'm also an intruder. You know we can't do anything to stop you anymore. You can end this easily, without any effort. One stroke, and everything will be over."
"Theo!" Darian cried, her voice weak but wild with panic.
Theo had no attention to spare on her. Every single ounce of his being was focused on Zenith's eyes, those azure depths that he knew so much more intimately than his own. Even now, after so much had changed, gazing into them made him feel like he had come home.
And it helped that they no longer held a trace of disdain – or even resolve. Something was quivering deep within them, something Theo couldn't quite identify, but it only increased his own resolve.
"What's the matter, Zenith?" he said quietly. "Can't you do it?"
Zenith drew in a shuddering breath. The sword trembled in his hand, dipping up and down. Even when he tightened his grip, it didn't stop shaking – at least until he grabbed his right hand to steady it, fingers digging into his wrist with such force Theo could hear the armor creaking.
Inch by inch, he raised the blade. Theo followed its progress with his eyes, feeling his world shrink further with every heartbeat.
The blade froze. It was as if Zenith had become a statue. Then with a quiet swish of air, it swung down in a blur of steel.
Despite himself, Theo cringed and took a step back. Even then, he knew he'd never be able to escape in time.
A loud clang, followed by a clatter. The sound was so loud, so unexpected, Theo couldn't help but jump a little.
With wide eyes, he watched as the sword slid across the floor away from him, spinning slow circles until it finally came to a stop at the base of a suit of armor.
Zenith stared at him, hands twitching, eyes huge with terror and confusion.
"Why...I...." He lifted his hands, movements slow and jerky as if he couldn't control his own body, and raked them through his hair. "I...I just...Theo, I...."
A spark raced down Theo's spine. It was the first time Zenith had said his name since their reunion.
"I can't...do it," Zenith said in a hoarse whisper, tugging at his hair. "I can't hurt you, Theo. Why...why? You're my enemy. My liege's enemy. I – I have to, but I just can't."
"Zenith." Theo's voice came out just as quiet as Zenith's. Something was fluttering in his chest – the pale beginnings of hope, perhaps. "Please. Leave Astraeon. Come back to us."
Zenith shook his head. "He is my liege."
"He deceived you, Zenith. You may not believe me, but I swear I'm not lying to you." Theo pressed a hand to his chest, trying to hold in his madly pounding heart. "Zenith, I think...I understand why you left. It was because of your sense of honor, your devotion to your duty. You thought we weren't doing our part to fulfill it...and maybe you were even right. Or at least, we didn't explain the reasons for our actions well enough."
He lifted his chin, gazing into Zenith's eyes. "We – I – took you for granted. Your loyalty, your dedication. No, I even...belittled it."
The admission hurt so much, like a rusted dagger twisting through his heart, but he forced himself to keep talking anyway. "So you went with someone who acted like he respected your opinion. I understand that. But he was just using you. Both of them, Cyrias and Astraeon. They don't care about you at all. To them, you're just a useful tool."
Zenith squeezed his eyes shut, his mouth convulsing. "No. You're wrong."
"Zenith." Theo took another tentative step closer. "Darian and I, we came all this way just to see you again. Ask yourself this: do you honestly believe Cyrias and Astraeon would do the same for you?"
Zenith's entire body shuddered. He gulped in a deep breath, and then – Theo's heart flipped around – wrapped his arms tight around himself.
"It...doesn't matter," he whispered to the floor. "You're just trying to confuse me. I won't let you."
"Then kill me," Theo said.
Zenith gave a fierce shake of his head, hair swinging.
"You won't," Theo said gently, "because you know what's right. You always have. You know Cyrias and Astraeon are making you do things that are wrong. So please, Zenith. Before it's too late. Come back with us."
"Why?" Zenith's voice lashed like a bitter wind. "So I can betray every liege I've ever served?"
He finally lifted his head to glare at Theo, but it was wild and desperate, without a hint of that ice-cold, inhuman disdain from earlier. Somehow it heartened Theo.
"You can't think about it that way, Zenith," he said, surprised – and relieved – by how warmly he was able to say it. "You've got your own sense of right and wrong, don't you? Your own heart and mind, your own ability to make decisions. That matters a lot more than blind loyalty to a liege. And you know this too. Otherwise you wouldn't have left us in the first place, right?"
"I...I still...," Zenith murmured, dropping his gaze again.
"That righteousness of yours, I've always admired it. More than anything. Maybe I wasn't the best at getting it across – and I'm sorry about that. But now things are different. From now on, Zenith, I want to get to know you. The real you."