Due to great blood loss, exhaustion, and hypothermia, Sirius' consciousness and body plummet to the cold ground. His face plants firmly in the sharp powder.
"Ah-! Sirius!" Aureole squats down to examine the boy's immobile person. She rolls him onto his back and swats away stuck snow. "He passed out."
"We should head back quick, he's lost a lot of blood," Kynn says. The battered squaller is lying in a pool of red-stained slush. Every muscle in his body aches. His tear ducts are drained and dry. "Give him here, I'll carry him back."
"Your ankle is literally snapped backward," Pholy remarks. "You need to be carried too."
"Hm... It is backwards..."
"You're just now noticing...?"
Two coated arms scoop up Kynn from underneath, lifting him from the knees and upper back.
"Up we go..."
Lord Rawlin raises the boy to his chest. Having broken most of the bones in his body, Kynn holds back a scream.
"O-Ow..."
"Apologies," the lord claims. "It will be a long journey home."
"Aw, look who's getting princess carried now," Pholy teases. Kynn responds by sticking his tongue out at her.
Aureole hoists Sirius to his unconscious feet and slings him over her shoulder.
"Pholy, do you mind giving me a hand with him?"
The girls lay Sirius over their arms and begin their trek toward the Outpost. Pholy produces a warm flame to raise everyone's body heat. Aureole fiddles with Sirius' hair as she hikes. Rawlin hauls the concluded battle's MVP along with him.
Fighting through his agony, Kynn starts up a conversation.
"I have to say blindfold, you surpassed my expectations."
"Is that so?"
"You were incredible! If you hadn't been there, I would have died dozens of times. Though I wish you told me about your blessings beforehand. We could have strategized better from the start."
"It all worked out in the end, no?" A satisfied grin rests under his nose.
"Well yes, but that doesn't-"
"I believed you all could handle this battle. I knew all of your strength together was more than capable of felling that beast. I simply wanted to see how well you could adapt to the situation."
"What do you gain from doing that?" Pholy questions, a severely disappointed glare emitting from her fushia eyes.
"Hm... if I have to give an answer... Insight."
"Insight?" Kynn repeats. "You're losing me here..."
Rawlin chuckles to himself.
"Just know that I applaud you all."
"Huh... Well regardless, you were a big help. Thank you, Rawlin, we couldn't have done it without you... You did seem awfully lax throughout the whole battle, is that how much faith you had in us?"
"Of course. Though I must say, Aureole, you surprised me quite a bit."
The man expertly steers the conversation away from himself. It takes Aureole a moment to process his speech.
"Huh-? Oh- Well... I'm sorry I couldn't have done more."
"Nonsense!" Kynn remarks. "You were great! I would have been glad with just a couple, but you shot out like sixty! Those mirages had it questioning its sanity!"
"Ah, thank you... but I couldn't control them very well. I didn't even know I could do something like that..."
"Don't stress about it! Besides, I saw you clearing out some hoarbanes. You helped loads."
A faint smile tries to form. Pholy picks up on the girl's distress. The ember leans over and whispers to the lunim.
"Aure, can we talk later?"
"...Mm..."
Pholy forces a smile and tilts her head.
"I'm proud of you."
Aureole is at a loss for words. She lowers her head and stares at Sirius' seared features.
In a voice unable to be heard, she speaks.
"Why can't I be more like you..."
"What was that?"
"Ah, nothing! Just that you were amazing too!" The lumalin directs the attention away from herself and onto her friend. Pholy's concern only increases.
"That's right!" Kynn exclaims. "Ow... I almost forgot! You were a massive help! You cleared my and Sirius' path beautifully!"
"What do you mean you almost forgot?!"
Kynn laughs into Rawlin's shoulder.
"Thank you, Pholy," his tender words quell her burning hair strands. "Thank you everyone. If even one of you hadn't been here, we couldn't have pulled this off. My mom would still be left unavenged."
"Save the sentiments for when we get back. You'll be the talk of the outpost for years to come. They might even make you king."
"Nah," Kynn chuckles. "I wouldn't let them. I'm not cut out for that level of responsibility. I don't want them thinking they can rely on me for everything."
"You seem pretty reliable to me," Aureole states.
"I appreciate it, but no... During that battle, I wasn't acting like myself at all. I wasn't thinking like myself. I haven't since she died... I got careless and failed to share my plans with you all. I made too many misjudgments and it almost cost us our lives. I mean, just look at Sirius..."
"That wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself for any of it, that monster caused all of this. Not you. You were our leader out there. We followed your lead, and while yes, there were a couple of hiccups... you brought us to victory."
Kynn shuts his eyes and smiles.
"Geez... you're going to make me cry again..." He buries his face in Rawlin's chest. "I'm so glad to have met you all..."
"Ahem..." The lord adjusts his posture. "If you don't mind..."
"Ah, sorry! I'm just so glad..."
"No worries."
Sounds of crunching snow fill the trail. The blizzard's winds have died down and the cold air sheds a blissful warmth. Snow falls gently onto their ruffled heads.
The road ahead is bright as it is clear.
"I do have one final question," Kynn reveals.
"And what would that be?" Rawlin invites.
"How does your hat stay on?"
...
...
"...A man needs his secrets."
⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗
Laurent Outpost forges into sight.
Relieved sighs accumulate into cold, visible breaths. The towering wooden walls act as a beacon of safety. The finish line.
Tired footsteps bring them to the main gate. Upon their arrival, a guard atop the watchtower brims with excitement. He hurriedly rushes down a flight of stairs and the sound of chains chime.
"Everyone! They're back!"
With a buckle and shift, the bridge falls over the nonexistent moat. Out from within the lumber walls, pours a swarm of guards and warriors. Positivity infects the hoard with unrelenting animation.
Those who participated in the assault, and those who were poisoned, parade the successful band of heroes.
"You guys really pulled it off!"
"Thank you! Thank you!"
"Everyone back up! They're injured!"
Tears and laughter portray the triumph over the mother.
Children rush out and place crowns of snow atop the victor's heads. Pholy obtains another tiara from the same little girl. Rawlin keeps his hat on, planting the crown around it. Cilas greets the lord and the girls, congratulating them on their victory.
No one can conceal their smiles.
"You all are okay?" Kynn can hardly believe the scene. Poisoned members of the initial failed dispatch with Korlin stand before Kynn. Perfectly healthy.
"Yeah, we all just suddenly felt great. It must have been when you killed that monster, right?"
"Must have been," Kynn chokes. "Ah, well, I wasn't actually the one who killed the bastard."
"You weren't? Then who-?"
"That honor belongs to our honorary warrior here, Sirius. Though he couldn't have done it without all of us."
The snowsquallers awe and marvel at the passed-out boy.
"Amazing..."
"I didn't think he was capable of such a thing..."
"Someone carry him to a medical hut!"
A group of squallers rush over to Aureole and take Sirius from her arms. She doesn't resist and simply asks they be gentle with him.
The boy is carried off, praised and unconscious. Kynn is overcome with an immense feeling of pride for Sirius.
The crowd of squallers step aside, making way for an exit and entrance.
"My king!" A warrior declares. "Kynn and his group have returned!" People forge a pathway for the approaching king. The man, once sickly, beams with vigor as he steps forth.
King Bora places his aged hand on Sirius as he passes.
"You have my gratitude, Sirius." His words are heartfelt and pure. Such kindness would coddle the boy's mind if he were conscious. "When you awake, know you will be rewarded in excess. Rest well, warrior."
Bora nods to the squallers carrying the boy and sends them on their way. The king's ease directs itself to Kynn and the others.
"You're looking well, your majesty," Kynn teases.
"I certainly feel well. Though I'm afraid you can't relate."
"I know not what you mean, your majesty."
"You being cradled says otherwise," the king teases, unable to restrain his laughter.
Kynn grumbles and pats Rawlin on the shoulder, signaling him to put the boy down. Kynn stumbles onto his feet, grabbing onto the lord for balance. His legs are weak and fragile, ready to collapse at a moment's notice.
Kynn manages to hold himself upward and faces his king.
"See? I'm feeling great."
King Bora stands firm in place, a revealing grin spread across his cheeks. Joyous emotions swirl in his aged eyes.
"...You've done well, Kynn."
"...Thank you, your majesty. But I was just doing my duty."
The king searches for words but comes up empty. Instead, he approaches the young squaller. And wraps his arms around him.
"You're an extraordinary warrior, Kynn. Your mother would be beyond proud... I know I am."
Kynn, submerged in the large man's warmth, sinks in his embrace. For a brief second, Kynn considers this man to be his father figure. Maybe he always had been.
"..."
"I'm sure if Chip were also here, he'd be more than satisfied with the man you've become."
"...He trained me well," Kynn replies, his voice frail.
"Yes, yes he did."
With a final squeeze, the king releases the boy. Quiet smiles remain on their lips.
The crowd of squallers surrounding the pair continue their parade. Few have tears sitting in their eyelids.
Kynn takes in the people he helped save. He sees their smiles, their laughter, their relief... He sees Pholy uncomfortable due to the praise. He sees Aureole shying away from the attention. He sees Rawlin and Cilas gleefully chatting with squallers. And, he sees Quilo, off in the distance. The king's son sits on his lonesome, observing the celebration.
Kynn offers a wave and a heartfelt smile. Surprisingly, Quilo gives one of the same.
Filled with warmth and content, something still feels empty. The most important thing isn't here.
-Wait. Where are they...?
The young warrior scours the crowd, searching for the missing persons. But they are nowhere to be found. The boy's muscles tighten and stress corrupts his posture.
"Bora?" Kynn frantically shifts to the king. "Where is Nuray?! Where is she? Is she okay?! I promised to..."
"Calm down..." the king places his hand on the boy's shoulder. "She's doing just fine. She's helping the sick in the medical huts. We dispatched warriors to gather herbs as soon as the curse was lifted. Nuray and her sister are treating the ill."
With the king's reassurance, Kynn's shoulders relax. Relief floods his mind and soothes his tired soul. He lets out a long sigh, and the world begins to fade black.
"Ah... thank goodness."
"Kynn?" The king's voice is distant.
The boy collapses onto the cold ground, that somehow feels warm. The space around him falls to darkness, as Kynn's mind is filled with light.
-Nuray... thank goodness.
The battle is truly over.
⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗
Without dreaming, and without a sound, the long-haired boy peacefully awakes from his slumber.
Kynn's eyes greet a somewhat familiar ceiling.
...
His thoughts are surprisingly quiet.
The aches in his body have diminished greatly. A fuzzy feeling tickles his skin and mind.
Silently staring above, his favorite voice utters his name.
"Kynn... You're finally up..."
He hadn't realized, but there is someone's head across his chest. His eyes pivot downward, finding the girl with hair cut similarly to his own. Replacing his numbness is relief and security.
Sunlight trickles through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating the glistening girl below.
She sparkles like a snowflake. A painfully beautiful one.
"Nuray... Were you waiting?"
"Only all night," she teases. She gently lifts her head off Kynn's chest and scoots her chair over to his pillow.
Kynn is filled with overwhelming warmth. A smile escapes his chapped lips.
"...Did you heal me, by chance?"
"I promised, didn't I? I didn't let anyone else operate on you," she smirks smugly.
"Possessive much?" Kynn jokes, chuckling to himself.
"I was worried, jerk," Nuray giggles, punching him playfully in the arm.
"Owww-" Kynn continues to joke. "She's hitting me! Nola help! She's bullying me!"
Nuray sighs, unable to suppress her laughter.
"Maybe I should have let your innards bleed out..."
"Ouch... You wound me..."
"Seriously though, half the bones in your body were broken. Most of your vitals were either bruised or stabbed by bone shards. It's a miracle you were still alive, let alone conscious for that long."
"Impressive, huh?"
"It's basically impossible. You're a freak of nature."
Kynn chuckles. "Well, I couldn't break my promise, could I? I promised I'd make it back."
A tearful smile spreads across her cheeks, water glistens in her eyes.
"You did..."
"...Thank you, Nuray. If you weren't in my life, I don't think I could have succeeded. I don't think I'd even be alive."
His words leave her speechless a moment.
"...Didn't you have something to tell me?"
"Hm?"
"You said you'd have something to tell me when you got back. What was it?"
"Oh..."
"..."
Kynn stays quiet for a while, mustering up all the courage he'll ever need.
Ready to start anew and build his future... he finally says the words he's been dying to tell her.
"Nuray... I love you."
Warm tears spill from Nuray's eyes.
She finally heard the words she's been dying for him to tell her.
Overflowing with emotion, she crumbles into Kynn's arms.
"...I know."
"..." Kynn smiles, water pooling in his eyelids.
"...It took you long enough to say it."
"Sorry," Kynn chuckles meekly. "Were you waiting?"
"Only my entire life."
They giggle together, Kynn pressing his forehead into hers.
Regaining his composure, Kynn takes a breath.
"I'm sorry. After mom got sick... I pushed you away. Seeing her ill convinced me that I shouldn't be allowed to strive for my own happiness. Why should I find joy while she suffers in her bed? So, I cut us off, and it hurt, but... I thought I needed to solely focus on her."
"..."
"But, in doing so..." Tears leak from his eyes, turning them red. "I neglected how much I must have hurt you. I'm so sorry... I've loved you for a long time, I just couldn't- I just couldn't say it-"
Nuray curls in closer to Kynn's body, muffling her own cry.
"It's okay. I get it. I know how much your mom meant to you."
Kynn squeezes her tight. His face buries itself in her hair. Her body feels warm and soft.
"You know... once I got hit by the hoarbane mother, I was cursed. It threw me across the sky and broke half my bones, leaving me immobile. I started dying."
"..."
"It wasn't mom I thought about when I was dying... It was you. I thought about how much I wanted to see you again. I thought about how much I needed to tell you that I love you."
Both their eyes sting with tears, and both are unable to utter a word. Nuray's heart is unable to carry this much love, and her mind is unable to process it. A mixture between a laugh and a cry escapes her clogged throat.
"..I.."
"..I love you, Nuray. I'll say it however many times you want."
"..I..ah..."
"..."
Kynn's untied hair falls down in front of Nuray's face. The loose strands brush past her nose.
"Th-that tickles..."
"Hehe, too bad."
Kynn shakes his head, rustling his long hair in her face. They share a laugh, Nuray blowing his hair away from her.
"You- You need a haircut...!"
"You're the one who told me to grow it out!"
Together, they fill the room with sounds of laughter and happiness.
After all these years, both the squallers have finally acquired what they've sought for so long.
Their playful banter continues until Nola barges into the room, interrupting and congratulating Kynn on his achievements.
⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗
A familiar yet hazy scene lays out before him.
Beeping monitors and buzzing lights play disfigured in the soundscape.
Textures on the walls are missing. Blank whites and static grays fill spaces where windows should be.
A television screen shows distorted images, ones unable to be recognized.
...
His body lies damaged on the bed. Wrapped in casts and tangled in tubes.
This bed is all too familiar.
But the world around him seems to be collapsing.
Things are missing.
Things are wrong.
Things are forgotten.
~~~
Blinking repeatedly, Sirius stirs awake. His mind is torn from slumber, placing him back into a groggy reality.
Unable to rest, he swamps himself with questions.
-What happened last? I managed to kill the mother... right? It wasn't just a dream...?
His wounds are healed. His mauled shoulder and burnt skin have been sealed tight.
Sirius slowly sits up, his muscles tensing as he does so. His back upright, he takes in the room around him.
Wooden. Dusty, but recently cleaned. In front of him, next to the closed door, sits a girl. Seated across the room in a sturdy chair, her resting head leans against the wall.
-Aureole... How long has she been here?
Instinctively, he makes his movements quieter, so as not to disturb her rest.
To his right stands a small table, atop it is a golden stopwatch.
The boy reaches for his armband, but alas, it is not there. Nor are any of his previously worn clothes. These are clothes he brought to the outpost but had yet worn. Someone must have gone through his bag and changed him.
-Did she...?
Pushing the thought aside, Sirius reaches for the watch. His movements shuffle the bed sheets, releasing the warmth that had been trapped inside. The cold surface of the gold bites his fingertips.
Pulling the device close, he notices something wrong.
The glass encasing the time is cracked.
Fissures glide through the clear solid, distorting the images within. It must have been damaged during the battle.
He gazes at the clock's hands, thankfully the time is still readable. It seems to be just past daypeak. He begins to turn the watch over and see how many seconds remain, but something stops him from doing so. For one reason or another...
He doesn't want to know.
He continues staring into the slit floral patterns of the watch, but his immersion is swiftly broken.
The girl across the room starts to stir.
Sirius quickly sets the watch down and prepares for the coming exchange.
As the girl wakes, recollections of the battle appear in Sirius' mind.
-That's right... she used her blessing. But what happened to her after that? I remember she ran up and hugged me... she was crying...
As Sirius collects himself, Aureole's eyelids unfold. Her gradient eyes awaken to the distant view of the boy.
"S...Sirius... You're up..." She has never been a morning person, much like he. "How... are you feeling?"
"I-" Attempting to get out a word, he realizes his throat is exceedingly dry. He had been screaming a lot earlier... Coughing and swallowing, he reattempts a sentence. "I'm alright, just a little out of sorts..."
"Does it hurt anywhere? I made sure they healed you everywhere but I want to make sure..."
"No... nothing hurts..." It takes him a moment to even process what she said. "Have you... been here the entire time?"
"Hm?" His question throws her out of her tired daze. "Ah... well, for most of it. Once we got back to the outpost, everyone started parading around us and celebrating. You got carried off, but... after all the pleasantries were done, I came rushing over to make sure you were... er... taken care of properly."
Sirius' heart begins to race, much like hers.
A heartfelt expression crosses his face. Something not even he could have stopped.
"...Thank you. That means a lot."
"..." Aureole is taken aback. Stunned and speechless, she fiddles with her pointed ears. "I- You... you were amazing out there. It's like you'd been training your whole life for that moment."
A tired laugh escapes his throat. "I don't know about that... To be honest, I don't even know how I'm still alive..."
"Lord Rawlin said he placed you in a shield bubble the moment you struck the core... I guess it must have been enough to save you from the blast."
"Is that so... He really saved me, huh..."
"Mm..."
"You were pretty great yourself, you know?"
"Hm? Me? No... I... didn't do much in the end."
"You managed to use your light blessing, yeah? What was it called again... mirage? That was amazing."
"Eh... haha, no it took way too long for me to summon them. And they were useless after only a little bit. After that I just..." Her words of self-deprecation trail off into quiet nothing.
"...Still, thank you. Despite what you may think, they really helped. You should be proud, you managed to use your blessing... You couldn't do that before, right?"
"...Right." Aureole forges a smile. A warm, full smile. Brimming with content. "Thank you, Sirius."
The boy returns a smile of his own, albeit one less content.
"...You must be tired."
"Ah... no I'm alright now. I was a bit exhausted after carrying you back. I ended up passing out here after making sure you were healed, but I should be fine now."
"You carried me back?"
"With Pholy's assistance, yes. You were quite the deadweight."
"Ah... haha, sorry."
Sirius' eyes divert to the cracked watch. Something about the object unsettles him.
"Something wrong?"
"No..." Sirius decides to switch the subject before it shifts to his watch. "Did you... were you by chance the one... who changed my clothes?"
"..."
"..."
"...Wha- No! No, I wasn't! I must've been asleep when that happened!"
"...You're on quite the defensive," Sirius teases.
"W- Well you can't just ask that out of the blue! I'm not that shameless I'll have you know. Besides, I wouldn't want to see you all bloody like that."
"...Didn't you say you made sure they healed me everywhere?"
"...!" Aureole whips away from the boy and faces the bland wall. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she says, with the utmost seriousness.
"Right..." Sirius chuckles. Aureole doesn't find it nearly as amusing but conceals a smile nonetheless. The distance between them almost seems to shrink.
A lighthearted tension holds the room, a welcome contrast to before. Aureole can only pray it lasts.
"Well- I should probably go. The king wanted us to pay him a visit once you were awake."
"You were waiting for me-?"
"The lord didn't want to discuss anything without you there."
"Without me, huh...?"
-He probably wants me to hear their discussion about the map. I wonder if he'll really give it to us... Or if it even really exists...
"Yeah, so, when you're ready..." Aureole stands up and makes her way to the door. "Come to the king's quarters. But there's no rush, okay? Take your time."
"Mm... I will, thank you."
Aureole smiles once more before departing.
As she closes the door behind her, a slender figure leans against the wall beside her.
"Ah-! Pholy-! Wh-" She lowers her voice to not let Sirius hear. "What are you doing here?? Have you been listening the whole time?"
"I only heard the part after you woke up," she reveals casually.
"That was the whole time!"
"Hmm... I guess you're right."
"You guess...?"
"Hehe, come on, Cilas is cooking for everyone near the king's quarters."
"Oo..." Pholy drags Aureole along. "Wait, I thought you were visiting Korlin?"
"...I did," her tone suddenly shifts. To one more melancholic.
"...How did it go?"
"He was... doing better. He said he was happy for us, and apologized again for causing so much trouble."
"I see... He must really feel horrible..."
"Mm, he does. Rawlin told me he'll try and get the king to send Korlin back with us, but... I don't know if Korlin will even agree."
"Why not...?"
"I think he wants to be punished. And he should be punished, what he did was messed up but... it hurts to watch. He didn't mean for it to go so poorly."
"...You really are a kind person, you know that?"
"Yeah, yeah... whatever you say. But enough about him and me... do you mind if we chat? I'm worried about you."
Aureole steels herself for the oncoming conversation.
"Mm..." she nods.
As the pair walk, they spill their hearts.
Despite her worries and hesitation, Aureole tells Pholy everything.
Almost everything.
⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗
Sirius stares up at the ceiling, basking in his solitude.
Kynn crosses his thoughts, but he remembers the boy was well before passing out. Not that he would be worried if not.
He remains in disbelief at the whole situation.
-Did I really do that...?
Such a feat is not something he can grasp. He never would have imagined himself doing that. The only one who would think of such a thing is Korlin.
-Korlin... what is he up to...? How will he react when he sees me again...?
Sirius faces his watch and picks it up. He stares into the fissures.
Light bounces off the crooked glass and reflects his image. His face is unscathed and his hair is hardly messy. Someone must have made the extra effort to do so.
Someone must have carefully set the watch somewhere he could find it.
And only one person comes to mind.
...
Sirius sighs, his previous actions eating him alive.
He buries a hand in his hair and scratches. Why do all my thoughts circle back to her?
The boy closes his eyes and breathes solemnly.
Opening them once again, he gets out of bed...
And prepares to face the future.