Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Dissonant Hearts (Degusaurusrex x AndrewS)

Isen nodded towards Adelaide as she figured out the spell, keeping Ignas talking not just to learn more about Clara, but also to distract them both from the sadness they were no doubt feeling. It was one thing to lose somebody dear, but it was another to be taunted with a second chance at being with them only to feel it ripped away moments later. Isen wondered how he would have held up had the illusion been Meribell, or what Adelaide might have done if it had been her parents...they were playing with something dangerous, real, honest emotion, and it wasn't a space he was totally comfortable operating in just yet, or perhaps ever.

He reached his hand out to take hers, while Takami, Ember and Isabella also got close enough that the spell would take them as well. It whisked them all away, arriving in an instant some place else. The sign in front of them read "Welcome to Envale, lakeside delight", and the smell of the ocean hit Isen's nose immediately as salt lingered in the air and the sound of gentle waves hitting the shore surrounded them in an instant. He looked back and forth, confirming the sound and what the sign said to be true; Envale was a small little town nestled into a harbor, surrounded by ocean on all but one side with the path out of the town passing between two, rocky hills that gave way to green fields. From the outside, you wouldn't even see this place, nestled away in it's own little pocket of blue at the other side of wide-open country.

"This wasn't what I expected." Isen admitted, checking on his companions to make sure they had all made the trip safely. Next, he noticed that there were some people here, looking at them in utter confusion. One of them, a fisherman, had nearly dropped his rod as four people, and a cat, appeared out of thin air. "...sorry?" Isen began to talk, but they were already on their way in the opposite direction, fleeting from the sudden strangers. "...right...well, we're here. Where now?"

"Isen." Ignas spoke. "I can sense Clara. She's here."

That was a relief. At least they hadn't come all this way for nothing.

"Where?"

"I can't say for sure...I think Samara was right. She's weak, dying even...I can barely feel her." And like that, there was nothing but concern and sadness, though reserved, in Ignas' voice. Isen could see Ember coming closer to them, perhaps showing concern for her unlikely friend, reminding Isen of how close the two had become. He knelt down, scooping the cat up into his arms despite her protest, holding her awkwardly, though in a cute fashion, before nodding towards Adelaide.

"Can you track her down?"
 
"Oh god, I can smell that." Adelaide wrinkled her nose upon landing, grateful that this time it was a far gentler landing than some of her previous spells had provided them. "I wasn't expecting the ocean when she said... Yeah, never mind. Let's just find this witch." They'd already spooked the locals by appearing out of nowhere, and the people didn't even know that there were actually six people present with the two demons included, or they'd have run screaming or come back with pitchforks and flame. Or guns, if they were unlucky enough to have stumbled into a modernized town, but in the end the chances of them being outcast or attacked were extremely high.

"I wouldn't worry about the people we scared off. It's not like it's anything new at this point." Adelaide shrugged. It was weird being away from the wintery weather and in a warmer climate, something that she should have thought about when preparing herself for the journey. No matter, clothing could be dealt with later once they'd actually completed the mission they'd had in mind when departing, and that meant tracking down one long-lost witch in a random hospital.

Ember protested when Isen scooped her up, wriggling around and trying to make herself comfortable despite the way he was handling her. The man clearly did not know how to handle an animal like that and it showed, and she looked toward her mistress with something just short of exasperation before meowing faintly and then bumping her head into Isen's hand.

"They will find your witch, demon. My mistress seems committed to it."

The familiar didn't have it in her to poke any fun at the demon when the sadness in his voice was so strong and genuine. She offered her brief support in the form of her words to Ignas before wriggling out of Isen's hands and up onto his shoulder, draping herself over and reaching out to tap at the closest part of Onigoshi she could reach.

"Already on it. Kind of hard to miss a signature like that when it's the only thing like it around. She may be dying, but her magic is very distinct."

"I can feel it too, actually." Isabella spoke up from behind them as she approached where Ember was moving to dismount Isen and her temporary show of comfort to the demon inside the sword, allowing the feline to languidly stretch and make her way onto the vampire's shoulders where she resumed her previous position. "I'm not keen on the treatment we're going to get traveling there, though, especially if those people we scared off decide to alert the entire town before we get there. I'd prepare for the worst, we don't exactly look very harmless..." Some of them might, but Takami and Isen? Even if the people of this town didn't know of Isen and Adelaide by the news traveling around, they would take one look at the men and know something about them was dangerous.

"No time like the present, yeah? Not like we're not used to people giving us weird looks. We don't really have time to waste." Adelaide was already moving forward, making sure her hand was in Isen's as she tugged him along gently after giving the others a curt nod. "Ignas, you may want to think about what you want to say when we get there. I'll figure out a spell to make sure she can hear you."
 
Isen walked behind Adelaide, trailing her via the connecting of their hands, his attempt at scooping the familiar up being slightly successful at best with Ember now bothering Isabella instead. They trudged forward, with him following her lead and intuition. She would find a spell so that Clara could hear Ignas' voice? That made sense, at least, but Isen wondered how awkward that whole thing would be to begin with. "Maybe you can reuse Danica's spell?" He suggested, offering a potential solution, though an easier one was already beginning to form in Isen's head, left unsaid for now unless the moment arrived to put it into action. Ignas seemed weary of Isen's thoughts, but also remained silent about it for now.

As they walked, it became easier to judge where it was they were going the farther they moved through Envale. Though the streets had gotten mostly empty, no doubt due to their sudden appearance having spread, there was a small, community hospital in the distance. It appeared attached to a nursery home of some sort. It was kind of cute, nestled between some beautiful trees and flowers, adding a dash of vivid color to a locale otherwise more dreary. Samara had said that Clara was dying, after all...

A short staircase led them to the front door. Isen stepped ahead of Adelaide to open the way, holding the glass door open so that she, and her other companions, could pass inside. They stood in the lobby, a whole mess; two men with swords, a woman who was clearly not human carrying a magical cat, and Adelaide at the center of them all, perhaps the most powerful mage left outside of the DSTF's umbrella...and that was without mentioning the unseen demons they carried with them. It was no surprise that they received more strange looks once they were inside, including the secretary, who remained behind a desk, looking at them as though she hoped they wouldn't come close enough to ask her a question.

"...hello." Isen spoke up, taking the initiative, considering he was the one carrying Ignas and spearheading the whole effort to begin with. "We're looking for a patient here."

"W-what's her name?" The poor girl asked, looking up at Isen in a mixture of confusion and possible intrigue as she got a closer look at him.

"Clara."

"...last name?"

"I...do we know her last name?" Isen awkwardly asked, looking back to Adelaide.

"I-it's okay. There's a Clara on my list...right here. Room 107." The secretary followed up, quickly, perhaps just wanting to get rid of them. "W-what's your relationship to the patient?"

"We're..." Isen blanked.

"Her grandchildren." Takami answered, proud of his contribution. Isen nearly laughed on the spot but nodded his head, quickly.

"Her grandchildren, yes."

"A-all of you? ...but you said you didn't know her last name...?"

"We haven't seen her in a long time. Anyways...room 107. Thank you." Isen nodded, attempting to usher them away from the situation before it got any worse.

The hallway they stepped into was lined with rooms on either side, the evens to the left and the odds on the right.

"You're welcome." Takami proclaimed, still very proud of himself, looking towards Isabella for acknowledgement in a subtle fashion. He wasn't overt about it, he was too proud for that, but he was clearly checking to see her opinion on what he had done.

"We nearly...nevermind. Thank you."

Isen mentally counted each door they passed until they stopped at the front of one of them in particular. He paused there, giving Ignas one last chance to change his mind.

"Are you ready, Ignas?"

"...yes. I am ready."

Isen nodded, reaching out for the door, only to find the knob turning on it's own. As it swung open, a man stepped out from inside the room, closing the door before they could even catch a glimpse of the room on the other side, or it's patient. "May I help you?" He asked, looking at the ragtag group of visitors he had just walked straight into.

"Isen..."

Isen nodded his head, he didn't need to say out loud what he and Ignas, and no doubt Adelaide, had already recognized. This wasn't a man, it was another demon, walking straight out of Clara's hospital room.
 
"Something like that, yeah."

There wasn't much to say for the remainder of their journey to the hospital, although Adelaide offered Isen an appreciative nod when he held the door open for the rest of them to pass through first. The fact that they weren't thrown out on sight either meant the woman behind the desk was incredibly brave, or they were used to less than human presences in their little town. If Clara had been hiding out there for some time, it served to reason they had already dealt with run-ins from multiple races before, although that didn't necessarily meant they liked Dissonants or anything other than humans. Judging by the look on the woman's face, she was both scared and uncertain of what was going on, and despite Takami's impromptu explanation she didn't seem to believe them one bit. Still, she allowed them back despite it all.

Isabella was looking at Takami with an expression that Adelaide thought looked suspiciously close to adoration. Admiration over his on-the-spot explanation, she could understand, but the vampire was all but fawning over him and looked away with pink cheeks when directly confronted by Takami's gaze. Adelaide could almost seen steam coming out of the poor vampire's ears as she cleared her throat and mumbled a congratulations to Takami for his efforts.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Danica's voice startled Adelaide out of her near trance as they reached the room and encountered someone leaving, someone decidedly not human.

"I see your attitude hasn't changed over the centuries, Danica." The man chuckled quietly and made no attempt to move out of the way, eyeing Adelaide up and down with growing interest now that Danica had outed herself without hesitation. "I was hesitant to believe the rumors that you had directly aligned yourself with a mage in this particular way... But I see you've joined Ignas in becoming trapped within a mortal. How interesting."

Upon realizing that the others probably had no idea what was going on, the man gave them an apologetic look and offered a small bow. His long hair swayed with the movement, the light locks an unnatural shade just like the eyes that flickered a dangerous orange hue as he straightened out and then regained a more neutral brown color.

"My name is Tyrath. I'm old friends with Danica and Ignas, or at least acquaintances. I often chose to stay out of their squabbles and focus on the bigger picture, but when I heard Danica was back around, well, I simply could not help myself." There didn't seem to be any malice or intent to hurt in his posture or tone, and in fact, the tall man seemed rather relaxed as he leaned against the wall outside the door and chuckled.

"I thought I was going to have to wait forever or that the witch would pass before your arrival."

"Bite me, Tyrath."

"Love to, sweetheart, but I think Ignas' host might not take it well if I bit his little girlfriend to get to you. Anyway, I can wait until you're done in there. I don't think she has much time left, so you'd best say your goodbyes, for whatever they're worth, Ignas."
 
"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Isen stared at the demon who now stood in their way, hearing Danica's voice in his head, addressing him as though she knew him. Of course she knew him, he shouldn't have expected anything else. More surprising, however, was that Ignas seemed to know him as well.

"Tyrath?"

Tyrath introduced himself, giving the same name out loud that Isen had heard in his head. The more Isen tried to get a read on this Tyrath, the harder it seemed to be. He seemed...polite? Or at least, he gave off the impression that he was. He didn't quite speak with the same hateful cadence as other demons, Isen would have mistaken him for a human if he were a regular person as well and unable to tell the difference between Dissonants. The last thing they needed, though, was another "old friend" of their demon companions to rear their ugly head and cause more trouble.

Isen was already at the front of the pack, facing down Tyrath directly, but he didn't step back or move. He remained between his friends and this new demon, putting separation between them. When Tyrath made a comment involving biting Adelaide, that demeanor changed immediately, shifting back to the protective nature that came natural to him when it came to her safety. He was reminded of their encounter with the three demons who attacked Cresthaven, of how one of them seemed to have an unnatural obsession with Adelaide, one that he felt coming through here as well, though it was directly towards Danica rather than Adelaide herself.

"Watch it." Isen warned, simply. There wasn't much emotion in his voice, but it was clear this was meant to be a threat, his eyes narrowing into a glare cast like a dagger towards the other. Takami picked up on the tension as well, wanting to move forward to support Isen, but finding himself stuck at Isabella's side, likely due to her not wanting him to put himself in any danger in his current state.

"Did you do this?" Ignas asked, directly, towards Tyrath, picking up on what it might mean that he just happened to be coming out of the hospital room of his dying witch. "Why are you here?" Ignas wanted answers, Isen, however, wasn't interested in waiting around to hear them; he just wanted Tyrath gone. He couldn't explain it rationally, it probably seemed like pure protective jealousy, but something about this man wasn't sitting right with him. How much of that was his own emotion and Ignas' influence was unknown to him, but it didn't matter, he felt it just the same.

"T-Tyrath?" The voice from before followed from down the hall, the receptionist peering inside. "I didn't see you come in...I'm sorry. I..."

These two knew each other? Well, that made sense, at least. The receptionist, while timid, seemed to be more used to Dissonants and non-humans than this small town should have been.
 
"I have no intention of touching your girlfriend, reaper, so relax." Tyrath didn't seem the slightest bit threatened by Isen's stance, his eyes shifting from the reaper to where Isabella was keen on keeping Takami near her side. Smart little vampire, she could sense his power and acknowledged that he was a threat even if he'd made no attempt to be violent toward them. Provoking those stronger than themselves would have been a poor move, and there were more important things to tend to currently.

"Did I do what?" Tyrath raised an eyebrow before it clicked and he snorted, shaking his head and adjusting his posture slightly. "No, I didn't do anything to your precious witch. I was curious about her, she's been around for a long time and I wanted to know about the witch that managed to get between two of the strongest demons from the old days. I haven't hurt one hair on her head, you know I'm not overly big on violence for the sake of violence. That was more your design, and Danica and Malakai's."

"You're fine, sweetheart, you know I'm usually pretty quiet when I come in and I try my best to blend so I don't make anyone panic." The demon gave the receptionist a kind smile and inclined his head, waving a hand casually in her direction before chuckling. "You can go on back to work, no trouble here. You know I wouldn't let any troublemakers come on in and cause you grief. They're just here to see Clara before she passes." He paused and scrutinized Isen a bit closer once the woman had disappeared, lifting a hand to tap at his chin thoughtfully before he sighed.

"I'd say your demon is going to give you a heart attack, but I already know he's capable of resuscitating you even if he did, so that's not really a concern. However, he is clearly making you mad. Why don't we skip whatever little confrontation is playing in your head and you go on in and see Clara before she tries to hobble her little self out of bed to see what the commotion is about."
 
This Tyrath appeared so calm and kind, especially towards the receptionist. There was nothing immediate about his actions that made him appear to be a threat, yet Isen couldn't lower his guard or shake that protective feeling. Simply having another demon in their presence was cause for concern, and he knew they could hardly be trusted on their word and only their word alone. Tyrath knew who Isen was, and also knew who Danica and even Ignas were, yet showed no fear in the face of that, and of their reputations.

"Forget about him." Ignas told Isen, in his head, clearly more concerned with something else. He wanted to be with Clara, he wanted to check himself that she was unharmed and what this demon was saying was true. If not, Isen feared what Ignas might do in retaliation. "Take me to her."

Isen stepped past Tyrath, but did so with his eyes narrowed, directing a watchful glare in his direction as though expecting him to make a move the second the walked past. He didn't, however, simply shifting aside to let the ragtag group walk past him and into the hospital room on the other side of the door.

A single bed rested near the center of the room, the small table next to it adorned with beautiful flowers. A woman, old and weathered, lay beneath a white sheet, her gray hair adorned with a yellow bow and her arm attached to a machine that was beeping in a rhythm that sounded all too loud to Isen's sensitive hearing.

"W-who are you?" Her aged voice spoke, weak and quiet, like talking was a struggle to her.

"Isen..." Ignas has been silent, for a moment, taking in what he was seeing. The once young and strong witch he had loved reduced to this state left him speechless and unsure of what to do next. Isen, however, didn't need a single moment more to think about what he was doing.

He gave in.

It wasn't through rage or anger, or a desperate need to protect Adelaide, or anybody else that he held near. This was out of compassion, a kindness that existed inside of him towards the demon's plight despite all that he had done. Isen was giving up control, willingly, to Ignas, so that he could be with her one more time, not as a voice unseen but as a real, tangible person she could reach out and touch. His actions likely came to a surprise to everybody else in attendance, including Tyrath, who was no doubt still watching intently from the hallway to make sure they weren't about to cause Clara any trouble, but nobody was as shocked by this gesture than Ignas himself was. Isen almost swore he heard a thank you whispered, but maybe it was just his imagination and wishful thinking.

One step, then another, sent Isen's body deeper into the room until he stood before Clara and her bed. Kneeling forward, Ignas reached Isen's hands outwards to take the wrinkled, tired digits of his beloved, cradling them in the warmth of borrowed touch. "My brightest star..." Ignas spoke to her with such kindness, it was like a whole different demon. "...I've finally returned to you."

A look of confusion crested Clara's face. That confusion soon turned to something else, her stare breaking and softening her features until tears began to pour from the corners of her eyes, trickling through the valleys of her aging face. Sadness gave way to a smile, and in it, Isen saw somebody look at him (or Ignas, in this case) the same way Adelaide did. There was never any doubt that anything Ignas had told them about her wasn't true; they were, at least at one point in time, hopelessly devoted to each other in love.

"...took you long enough."
 
Tyrath made no effort to follow them back into the room as he allowed them to pass, nor did he give any indication that he was going to leave the hall outside, either. It had been so long since he'd been this close to Danica, and even though she was hidden away inside of her temporary host, it was good to be in the vicinity of the demoness again.

"Danica, please don't try to fuck this up for us, okay?" Adelaide muttered under her breath to the demon as she tried to remember which spell she needed to recreate to allow Clara to hear Ignas' voice, but it seemed that something else was unfolding before she'd even began to speak a single spell. She watched in fascination as the entire atmosphere of the room changed in mere moments, catching Tyrath watching what was going on from his post outside the door but still making no move to interfere with what they were doing.

"Isen...?"

"Pathetic." Danica scoffed before Adelaide hushed her with an internal thought of silencing her via force of magic, earning another quieter scoff before the demoness went silent and allowed everyone to properly observe the scene before them. Isabella had a soft sort of expression on her face as she looked between where Isen was kneeling and Takami at her side, while he had an expression Adelaide couldn't quite place. Confusion? Disgust? Hell, maybe he just wasn't feeling right, consider he was dying with every day that passed.

Isen was letting Ignas use his body.

That was the last thing that Adelaide had expected from this situation, but it made sense the more she thought about it. This was probably the last chance Ignas would have to communicate with his long lost love, and just being able to voice his feelings to her didn't seem like nearly enough. Being able to feel her touch, to hold her and express himself was far more appropriate considering the circumstances, and that could only be done by borrowing Isen's body like he did when taking over in fights.

"Fucking revolting."

Well, at least Danica was keeping it inside her head instead of voicing it to the entire room. As much as Adelaide disliked Ignas at times, and for all the cruel deeds he had done in the span of his existence, she had no wish to interrupt the moment he was having with the dying witch now. If anything, she was transfixed by just how gentle and caring it seemed the demon could be when confronted with the only thing he had ever cared about other than himself.
 
"You look so..."

"Old?"

"I was going to say beautiful."

"Oh."

A small smile curled Clara's weathered lips upwards. Isen, who was still well aware of what Ignas was saying with his voice and his body, felt as though the demon he once knew had transformed into a completely different person. He was gentle, kind...what happened to the being that made him into the Reaper?

"You look more handsome than I remember." She teased back, holding her laughter beyond her smirk. Ignas faked one of his own in response.

"Time has been kind to us both."

"Hardly." She replied, letting her laugh come forward this time instead of keeping it silenced. "I've lived a long life...but I never thought I'd live long enough to speak to you again."

"I told you I would find you again."

"And I told you that you shouldn't...but you never did listen, did you?"

"You were the only person I did listen to...but that was a request I couldn't obey."

Clara sighed, but she didn't seem frustrated. Instead, she seemed content. "You don't hate me?"

"It would take a lot more than what you've done to ever make me hate you, my star."

"Stop that." Clara tried to sit herself up, but Ignas reached out a borrowed hand, keeping her steady and in place.

"You stop. Don't force yourself."

She nodded, easing herself backwards. "Are these your friends...?"

Ignas didn't really know how to respond. He never considered them friends, how could they consider him the same after what he had done? A quiet fell around them, he looked over his shoulder, back at Adelaide.

"Yes." Takami responded, first, surprisingly. "We are his friends. Isn't that right?" His elbow nudged Isabella's side, urging her to play along. Ignas nodded, subtly. Isen could feel the demon's thankfulness from the gesture.

"And this body...it isn't yours. Stolen, I presume?"

"Borrowed. Willingly." Ignas corrected her. "This is Isen. He is the man I became bound to. He helped me get here...he gave me control willingly so that we could be together."

"Is that so?" She asked, looking up into Isen's eyes, thankful herself. "Thank you, Isen...you have no idea how much this means to a tired, old woman like me."
 
More handsome than I remember.

That made Adelaide wonder what Ignas looked like in his true form. Would she ever get to see that, would she succeed in separating him from Isen without killing him in the process, or would he turn to dust or magic like something out of a novel? She hadn't much cared before if he lived or died in a successful parting, but watching him use Isen's body as a catalyst to speak so sweetly to a dying lover made her feel conflicted. Hearing a demon call anything other than blood or carnage beautiful, much less so blatantly displaying love for another being was somewhere between alarming and satisfying, and watching it all happen with Isen's face and hands made it all the more confusing.

For now, all she could do was watch and learn... And wonder if she would ever know love like that, whether with Isen or not. He was, after all, virtually a child when it came to relationships, and they had a long road ahead of them when it came to forming a life of any sort together.

My star.

Somehow the pet name Ignas had for the witch seemed fitting. For a creature that so loved destruction, comparing his love to something that was so massive and able to burst into existence was just... Fitting.

The witch's question caught them off guard, and out of everyone Adelaide was surprised that Takami managed a response first. She hadn't known what to say, considering that they weren't exactly friends with Ignas, but they also weren't exactly enemies anymore, either. How did one respond to that? Her head turned toward Takami as he proclaimed that they were indeed friends with the demon, Isabella quickly following suit after a nudge from the man at her side. The vampire seemed too stunned to find it in her to disagree, not to mention most of her attention lingered on Takami to begin with... If those two didn't end up together by the end of this, she would be very surprised. It didn't seem right for Takami to pass on without them both voicing the feelings that were clearly there, but that was a problem for another time.

One couple at a time.

"Yeah, friends." Adelaide noted how soft her voice was when she finally got the words out, fidgeting with her sleeves now that she was without the usual presence of Isen at her side during awkward moments. Seeing how grateful Clara was now, looking at him housing Ignas and allowing him to communicate through him, she was proud of him. She was really, really proud of him.

"Take your time. I'm gonna find a water fountain or something." Adelaide slipped from the room and out into the hall, finding the cleverly disguised demon named Tyrath still standing there patiently. She had to crane her head to look up at him as she stepped around, finding that he was straightening out from his stance against the wall and following after her at a leisurely pace. Not fast enough to cause concern, not close enough to crowd her, but very clearly and deliberately following her.

"Let me guess, you're still here because Danica is stuck with me."

"That, little one, would be correct. I've been looking for her for some time.."
 
Isen would have preferred Adelaide had stayed. He wanted to go with her, but he had given control to Ignas, and it wasn't right for him to demand it back when the demon was finally getting the one thing he had always wanted. What frustrated Isen about his inability to intervene was that he could hear, with his enhanced hearing, Adelaide speaking to Tyrath in the hallway and there was nothing he could do to stop it or protect her if Tyrath decided to finally drop his polite act, an act Isen was convinced was trickery.

"What ails you?" Ignas asked his love, concern in his voice now as he used Isen's hand to take up hers, cradling it carefully.

"Is old age not enough to claim me?"

"After all we have been through, I would be disappointed that you would let something as trivial as time slow you down."

Clara laughed, shaking her head. "My life span is longer than the average human because of what I am, but it's nowhere near yours...we both knew this day would come eventually, even if we had stayed together..."

"And yet, I refuse to believe it. Uou've barely lived...tell me the truth."

Clara's laughter died down almost as quickly as it had settled in, releasing a heavy sigh afterwards. "It's not entirely untrue..." Her voice broke, tired and aged, taking her time to gather thoughts and continue on with the explanation he wanted. "I have used more than my fair share of magic...running, concealing who I was, providing for the people around me. I...perhaps I spread myself too thinly. The more I gave, the less I had for myself."

"You're dying because of your kindness." Ignas deduced.

"I did what I thought was right, but I also spent years running and hiding. It was...a lot. It was a toll too heavy for me to bare."

"When was the last time you used your magic?"

"I haven't in a while...Tyrath makes certain of it."

Tyrath. Again. What was it with this guy? Isen refused to believe a demon could actually be kind and un-tempted by death and misery and yet, everything he heard and observed about Tyrath begged the opposite. He kept quiet within his own head, simply listening to both conversations at the same time.

"Are you...disappointed in me?"

Ignas froze, not because he was caught off guard by the question but rather because he couldn't imagine a question more pointless.

"Of course I'm not disappointed in you. Why would you think that?"

"I'm dying, Ignas. My body is old, my mind is tired...I'm a shadow of who I once was. As elated as I am to see you one more time, I lament...that you have to see me in...such a state."

"You are as beautiful now as you were back then. I would never be disappointed in you, my star."

Her hand weakly squeezed his. It was like she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Do you need to rest?"

"No...I'm alright...I'm just so happy to see you again..."

"Clara?" Ignas asked, a panic rising in his voice. "Clara...?"

There was no response this time. Suddenly, the life was drained from the room, the bittersweet feeling of romance and reunion sucked out as though the air itself had been released.

"W-witc-..." Ignas paused, correcting himself. "Adelaide..." He called out, though almost in shock. "Adelaide, I...I need you. Right now."

Isen knew the moment Ignas spoke that way that something serious was happening, something Ignas could sense and feel. Clara was already on her death bed and now, Isen feared that seeing the one person she was holding out hope in seeing one last time may have been the only thing keeping her here to begin with.
 
"It's not my fault you're so slow you can't keep up with me, Tyrath." Danica sounded smug when she spoke, but there was something else in her voice that Adelaide couldn't quite place. Was the demoness flustered? Amused? There was something about Tyrath that affected her in a different way that her interactions with Ignas or any of the other demons she had taunted since becoming entwined with Adelaide, and the mage would need to decipher this connection in time if the large man was to remain in the picture. Anyone that had known Danica for some time was worth keeping an eye on, after all.

"Danica, it wouldn't matter how fast I was, you enjoy the chase all the same. I believe you like it when I traipse around the world hunting after your scent. If you didn't you wouldn't make it so easy for me to find you."

The silence coming from the demoness in response was startling to Adelaide, and she quirked a brow at Tyrath who merely returned her look with an amused one of his own, his mirth not even remotely hidden as a smirk tugged at his mouth. What did he truly look like when he wasn't in a human form? She had seen Danica in her true form, or at least one that wasn't quite human, still beautiful to the eye in a frightful way of its own but not wholly monstrous. Did male demons look the same, or were they more like the one they had encountered trying to save his sister?

There were so many questions that were racing through her mind, making it difficult to grasp at any one in particular to try and ask Tyrath for an answer. He seemed civil enough, like a demon that would be willing to actually converse and answer her questions if she worded them the right way, but the proper way seemed to be eluding her now, especially with the situation going on just a few feet away and through a doorway.

"Danica may play her games all she wishes, but in the end of it all, I will always return to her side to keep her safe from whatever havoc she has wrought on the world. She never could resist from causing a bit of chaos and getting in over her head." The demon sighed and rubbed at his face, glancing back toward the room full of people before returning his attention to Adelaide. "I almost wonder if she does it just to get my attention."

"You shut your filthy mouth, mutt." Danica's sour tone piped up at Tyrath's remark and Adelaide couldn't help but to laugh even as she rolled her eyes. "I don't need you. I don't need anyone." Despite the harshness of the demoness' tone, Adelaide could feel a wavering emotion attached to the words, a lack of confidence compared to Danica's normal attitude. Something about Tyrath either unnerved her, or something about him broke through her barriers and pecked away at her normal demeanor. Whatever it was, it left the mage very intrigued to find out more when the time was right.

"Tyrath, will you tell me about--" The demon's expression fell just as Adelaide was cut off by the sound of Ignas' panicked voice, and they both immediately turned toward the doorway where the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

"Move." There was a genuine look of concern on his face as he turned his large body and forced his way back into the room, past Takami and Isabella and straight to Clara's bedside where Ignas stood with a stricken expression spread over Isen's face. Adelaide was at his side just seconds later as the demon cursed, reaching out and pressing two fingers gently against the side of Clara's neck.

"She doesn't have long in this world. Adelaide," Well, finally a demon who could use her name, although she had heard Ignas use it in his moment of panic and need, "Take my magic, take my power and give her what she needs to hold on a bit longer. You've learned a great deal of magic from the witch in Cresthaven, yes?" How the hell did he know about that? That was another question for later, and she stared at him for a long moment before hesitantly reaching out and placing a hand on his arm. Isen was likely going to be unhappy about her direct contact with a demon they knew little about, but by the look of Clara and the fact that one of the nurses was trying to push their way into the room, they didn't have much time to dwell on such things.

"Get out. Now." Tyrath's tone held little room for argument as he waved the woman away from the doorway, his eyes flashing through an inferno of bright colors before he laid his hand gently on the dying witch's shoulder and nodded his head at Adelaide. "I am old, and I am strong. Take what you need from me, and grant her another short time before she departs from this world. They haven't had nearly enough time to say goodbye properly." Whatever attachment Tyrath had to Clara was strange, but Adelaide set to work trying to think of what magic she could use to transfer strength from him to Clara without overloading the old woman or mucking things up entirely.

Even when she did find the spell that she wanted and set to work with it, something seemed to be blocking the connection. This was bad. This was very, very bad. The magic was moving, the life force straining as it was pulled from Tyrath and toward the witch, but instead of sinking into her and spreading through her body to invigorate her, it seemed to simply... Disappear as soon as it was taken, like her body was starving and couldn't get enough of the power coming toward it, instantly eating it up and sending it into the abyss.

"I... Don't think it's going to work." Adelaide was reluctant to speak the words as her hand tightened on Tyrath's arm before she abruptly released it, looking away to spare herself from whatever look of despair was inevitably on Ignas', and there Isen's, face. "I can't... I tried." She couldn't save Clara, she couldn't give Ignas anymore time than they'd already been given after so long apart, but there had to be something that she could do to make their last moments together peaceful!

"Of course."

Ignas spoke of her being his star, how beautiful she had been and how beautiful she was to him. If she could replicate their youth somehow, anyway, something to give them a chance to look back on the past and know what they'd had so long ago and what had stayed in their hearts for so long... Well, she was going to give it her best shot and she'd be damned if she didn't make it work.
 
Isen remained frozen inside his own body as everything spiraled around him. Ignas was still in control, but he was beside himself with worry and panic. Where once, Isen would have thought Ignas incapable of such emotion, Clara seemed to be the one objection to everything he knew about the being inhabiting Onigoshi. He wished he could do something more. Was it really all for nothing? How many times did they need to lose before something could finally go their way for once?

Still, despite the overwhelming grief, Isen still felt a sense of hope when Adelaide responded to Ignas' call, coming into the room almost instantaneously, with Tyrath at her side. He seemed as distraught as Ignas did, and it appeared the two already had some sort of plan in the works for how they could try to save her. "Hurry...please."

The magic being pulled from Tyrath was intended to transfer to Clara, satisfying her body's hunger for magic, replacing all that she had given. For a moment, Isen believed that this would work, but it became clear rather quickly from the reaction of both parties involved that this wasn't working the way that they had intended and that something else was very, very wrong with the dying witch.

"What do you mean it's not going to work?" Ignas asked, in disbelief. Adelaide said she tried and he refused to accept it. "Try again. Try harder! Take it from me, not Tyrath...I can heal wounds, let me heal her too."

The demon knew damn well that it didn't work that way, but he was so desperate for a solution, and so emotionally unstable, he was throwing everything he could at the wall. He made Isen's voice raise in anger like he was mad, but he wasn't upset with Adelaide, he was upset with himself for not having found her sooner and for letting it get this bad.

"My star..." He began to break, taking her hand again, pushing himself past Adelaide and Tyrath to be with her once again. "This is...this is my fault. I should have been there...I should have been with you, protecting you...you never needed to give this much of yourself away."

Ignas glanced down, feeling Ember nuzzle against his leg to try and bring comfort, but his eyes returned immediately to Clara's, which remained shut. She looked at peace and not in pain, but that didn't really make anything easier. Isen felt nothing but sadness for Adelaide as well, knowing that she had tried and wasn't able to fix it...he feared what it might mean for her own mental state when this was over, but he couldn't even speak to her directly to comfort her. He couldn't touch her, or hold her, he couldn't reassure her of anything.

"Is there...is there really nothing that can be done...?"
 
"It doesn't work like that, Ignas, and you know it." Tyrath's voice was firm even in his distress as he nudged Adelaide back when the other demon came barreling back to take his place at Clara's side. "She did everything she could."

"Both of you, shut up and let me work." She hadn't spent all that time cramming knowledge into her brain with Samara for nothing, and she hadn't wasted her time learning so much illusion magic for nothing. "Move over, Ignas." She wasn't taking no for an answer as she approached the bedside again and placed her hand over the large one holding the dying witch's.

"Remember the old days." She had never seen Clara in person before today to know what she had looked like in her younger years, but it wouldn't be too hard to draw something from within both her and Ignas now that she was touching the both of them. All of the memories locked up inside their head would provide the base for what she was doing, would give her something to mold what she was crafting and give them some final moments of peace together, granted that Clara was able to open her eyes one last time to say goodbye. Was it because she had tried to take energy from a demon that it wasn't working properly, or was the witch's body so worn thin that nothing could give her a final burst of strength? Maybe if Adelaide gave some of her own energy, a familiar type of magic, she could give her just one last time, one last word...

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more, Clara, you don't deserve this." Was this what her fate was fifty years from now, stretched thin and lying in a bed without the strength to even open her eyes?

"Stop whining and do what you need to already. I'm sick of looking at this revolting mess you humans call love." Danica's voice echoed inside her head but didn't seem to be made verbal for those around them, snapping Adelaide out of her trance as she concentrated on tweaking the features of the old woman in image alone. It came as a shock when her hair didn't seem to darken all that much, holding an eerie comparison to the blonde of Adelaide's own hair but decorated with that ribbon that seemed to be a long time ritual. They looked... Well, they looked rather similar, now that Clara's features were more youthful, now that the wrinkles and ravines of time had smoothed out and lifted, now that her hair looked soft and luscious laying against her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ignas. I really did try." Adelaide lifted her hand from his and Clara's after sending one last pulse of her own magic into Clara, refusing to not at least try one last time before stepping back and allowing the demon his final moments.
 
"What are yo-?" Ignas asked, wanting to stop her but finding himself holding back as Adelaide began to use her magic. Was she healing her? Or was this something else? Why did the old days matter? Ignas was confused and heartbroken, he wasn't sure how to act or what to say. Isen too was in a similar state of uncertainty and together, from the same point of view, they watched Adelaide's magic interact with the witch, creating an illusion in a way only Samara's magic could. As it began to manifest around them, Isen felt something strange happen. For the briefest of moments, it almost felt like Ignas was being pulled away from him. It made him wonder what kind of spell Adelaide was actually casting, but it became clear it was an illusion just moments later, leaving him no explanation for what he had felt, or whether it was real at all.

Replaced were the weathered lines of her face and the withered strands of her hair. In her place was somebody who looked younger, entirely different to the tired and frail woman who had been laying before them just moments before. Isen figured it out before Ignas did; Adelaide was using her imprinted magic to create an illusion, she wasn't healing Clara, nor was she somehow turning back time, she was simply giving the star-crossed pair a chance to say a proper goodbye.

Ignas was stunned, looking upon the beauty of the woman he had fallen in love with in the way he had remembered her so long ago before. Isen was shocked to see the resemblance she bore to Adelaide, but that was a question and concern for another time. Clara's eyes opened again, shimmering rather than dulled by her condition, her fingers wrapping around Ignas' hand as he took it again. "My star..."

"I-Ignas? What...?" She asked. He simply shook his head, his free hand coming up to take a strand of her hair. He held it out in front of her at full length, letting her see the color. "How is this...?"

"It doesn't matter, my love. You're here, with me..."

Had Ignas been capable of crying, he likely would have shed a tear from the mixture of emotions he was feeling. He knew he was about to say goodbye and yet, seeing her like this brought him such a sense of nostalgia and peace, like a comforting hug in the wake of a devastating revelation. Clara's face displayed a gleaming smile. Though she couldn't see herself, and she certainly didn't feel any healthier, she could tell by the way he was looking at her that something had been done to alter her appearance, letting Ignas remember her in her final moments the way he had remembered her for all these years. Not a dying mess, or the husk of somebody he once loved, but as a beautiful remnant of his past. Her eyes looked up towards Adelaide and she gave her a gentle, understanding smile. She knew there was no saving her, and she appreciated her trying, but this was as good a gift as anybody could have ever given her.

"My love..." She responded, in turn, her hand pulling away from his to cup Isen's cheek. "I wish I could see you as I remembered you once more, but this will do...I'm...I'm so sorry."

"So am I." He replied, instantly, leaning inwards. His arms wrapped around her and she hugged him back with what little strength she could muster. "I never should have left you. I never should ha-"

"Stop.." She whispered. He ended his sentence abruptly, listening to her without hesitation. She truly was the only person he would listen to. "Don't be so hard on yourself...you're not to blame. I...I was a fool to believe him...what I did to you wa-was wrong and..."

"And yet, I don't fault you at all. Don't think of that..."

"Then neither should you...you may be a demon, but you were never a monster..."

"I wasn't a monster because I had you...I've done so many horrible things..."

"You lost your way." She told him, understandingly. "But you can be found again...look at the people around you...how they care for you. You d-don't look that horrible to me..."

Ignas looked back over his shoulder as he pulled away from Clara. Adelaide was exhausted from trying to save her, Isen had given his body to him willingly so that he could say goodbye. Isabella and Takami were wrought with worry, and the first to defend him, calling them their friends. Even Ember was at his side, trying to comfort him...had he been so blind?

"You are home, Ignas, that's all that really matters to me. You came back..."

"I did...I came back."

"Don't go...stay with me...please..."

"Always, my star."

Takami looked towards his companions and began to inch towards the door, leading Isabella with him. This was a private moment for the two, he didn't feel like he should be here, that any of them should be here. It was a non-verbal cue for them to step outside, to give the couple one last chance at saying goodbye. When they were gone, and the room was clear, Ignas held Clara as she began to sob, happily, into his chest, and he was taken back to a time before their world had fallen down around them.

~~~

A beautiful night's sky sprawled above them, an equally stunning lake at their feet, reflecting midnight's light back at them. She was at his side, her head on his shoulder, breathing in the moment.

"Tomorrow's going to be awful..." She lamented, under her breath. His arm rose to cradle her closer, wrapping around her shoulder.

"Are you afraid?"

"Yeah..." She trailed off, looking up at him. "They're expecting a lot from me...what if I'm not ready?"

"You are." There was an instantaneous response waiting for her when she doubted herself. "You have trained for this your whole life, have you not? There is nobody more capable than you, my dear."

"Maybe..."

"Definitely." He retorted, answering once again is if it were instinct and he didn't need to think at all about his reassurance of her. "Who else would be able to charm the heart of a demon such as myself?"

"Oh, stop it." She grumbled, patting his chest. "You're not so bad, you know. I've seen worse." She teased, drawing a small laugh from his mouth. "Seriously, though...I'm not sure how I would have ever gotten through any of it without you...you have no idea how thankful I am...I just feel so, awful, you know? They would never approve if they found out..."

"Which is why they will never know."

"Being in love in secrecy...sneaking around my family...are you sure you're okay with it?"

"Yes." Again, instant. Ignas had not a single doubt in his heart about how he felt for her. "I'd rather spend an eternity with you in hiding than a single moment in the open if we were to be separated by narrow minds resistant to changing such dated ideals."

"Ignas..."

"Clara."

"I love you. You know that, right?"

"And I love you."

She lifted her head and pressed a kiss against his cheek, lithe and gentle. "Stay with me...please?"

"Always."

That was the night he had decided to call her his star.

As they laid together beneath the night sky, they gazed upon the infinite expanse of space. They plotted lines between shimmering stars, mapping out constellations they had only heard of from hearsay and books. It was during that time that he decided that none of the stars above would ever shine half as bright, so he stopped looking to the sky to find true beauty; he already had it at his side. The next day, she tied a yellow ribbon around her hair, bright, like the stars he believed she outshone. Soon, she would learn her true power, the ability to seal and unseal demons from catalysts...in a few weeks, her parents would find out about her romance with a demon, tainted by the interference of Malakai, and things would fall apart...but all Ignas could think of was the parallel between then and now.

He said he would stay with her. He intended to do just that.

~~~

The hospital door opened around ten minutes later and Ignas walked out, still in control of Isen's body. He looked absolutely devastated, the small, yellow ribbon, hanging lifelessly from his right hand. The illusion had expired, they could see Clara through the door beyond him, laying in what had become her death bed, lifeless, but with a smile on her face, having reverted back to the way they had found her.

The witch had given so much of herself to others to try and atone for the wrongs she had committed that she had forgotten to save enough for herself. She held out hope that the one she loved would return one day, but she had no way of knowing for sure. Hope was as strong as magic for her, it kept her alive just long enough to see through what she had always wanted to see; her beloved, at her side in the end, holding her as she made peace with her mistakes and allowed her life to come to an end not as a fragile old woman, but as the love of Ignas' life...

And as the brightest star on a perfect night, one last time, until she faded, leaving the sky feeling emptier than ever.
 
Adelaide managed a nod in response to the grateful look from the witch, finding herself incapable of uttering even a single word as she found herself bombarded by both a sudden exhaustion and a plethora of emotions. It was the right thing to do and she didn't regret giving them this chance, but she couldn't help but to wonder if this was the fate that was in store for her decades down the line... If they survived the DSTF, that was. None of it mattered if they were killed in the fight against Malakai, or if they were captured and tortured into using their gifts for the destruction of the world. In the end, none of it was going to matter if she never saw a day into her thirties.

"Come on, Ember." Adelaide sighed and leaned down to scoop up the cat that had been awkwardly trying to comfort the distraught demon, tucking her under her arm and following suit as Takami led a visibly conflicted Isabella from the room. It seemed the vampire was just as out of sorts at the sight of a demon so heartbroken over what was essentially a human as Adelaide was, and Tyrath was the only one that seemed to be wholly keeping his cool now that they were out of the room. She knew that beneath the calm mask lay an almost equally distraught demon who had been more than ready to leap forward and offer his own health to help salvage the dying witch's, the only thing Adelaide didn't fully understand was why, and Danica had been suspiciously quiet during most of the exchange.

"I thought I could do more." Adelaide absently stroked the kitten in her arms as she leaned against the wall a distance from the now closed door, barely noticing the way that Ember rubbed up against her in response or spoke through their bond as witch and familiar. Even the gentle pressure of Isabella's hand on her shoulder, rubbing and trying to comfort her barely made it through the haze, and it wasn't until Tyrath's much heavier hand landed surprisingly gentle on the top of her head that she snapped back to attention.

"You did what you could, little one. It was more than most would do for a demon, but death comes for all us. Even I will die some day, as well as Danica, Malakai and Ignas. Death takes us all in the end. Know that you gave them some peace before she met her end. I'm grateful you were able to give them that, for Clara's sake." Adelaide still wasn't entirely sure about the relationship between the disguised demon and the dying witch, but it seemed as though they had been acquainted long enough to become friends. Maybe they'd just been living in the same town long enough and recognized that neither was completely human. Whatever it was, Adelaide could feel his sorrow at the situation at hand, her own face mirroring it as she managed a small nod and sighed tiredly.

"I know. I'm just so tired of everyone dying."

"We all are, Ada, but we just need to keep going until this is all over. We've made it this far, we can keep going." She turned her attention to the vampire as Ember scrambled out of her arms to go over to Isabella and climb up her leg to her shoulder, purring her way up the vampire and receiving a scratch behind the ears in return. "I've lived long enough to understand the pain of seeing those around you die, but we will avenge them." Adelaide nodded in response as Tyrath grunted in what she assumed was agreement, eyes still trained on the closed door as they waited patiently for Ignas and Isen to emerge.

"So, the witch finally--"

"Danica." There was a warning in Tyrath's tone as he cut off the demoness speaking from inside Adelaide, just enough that she immediately felt silent despite how Adelaide could feel her sulking. What was it about Tyrath that got through to Danica like this? "Ignas. I'm glad you got to say goodbye. She never forgot you." Tyrath inclined his head toward the demon and offered his condolences in his own way before stopping, offering no further words as Adelaide looked awkwardly at the demon possessing her partner and Isabella stood by silently petting Ember.

What was there to say, really?

"I'm sorry." It was all that Adelaide could muster as she avoided the demon's eyes, unwilling to bring herself to meet them while he possessed Isen's body and looked so pained. There was nothing she could have done to save Clara despite all of the powers she'd acquired over the last weeks, but a part of her wondered if she'd just tried harder, given a little more of herself... What might have happened?
 
Ignas wasn't looking for apologies, or condolences. Maybe part of him appreciated it, but it didn't fill the void he felt. Was this what he had done to everybody else? To Isen? He could blame his nature as a demon, but Tyrath was apparent proof that just being a demon alone wasn't enough to become hateful; he had done that on his own. He had wanted revenge so badly, more than anything else, and it had driven him to lose the part of himself that Clara loved the most.

She said he wasn't a monster, but he felt pretty ugly right now.

Ignas said nothing more. What could he say? There was nothing, no words. For once, he was silent. No sharp tongue, no witty response, no hateful thoughts...there was nothing. He silently returned control to Isen, letting him take his body back. Isen stumbled a little as he suddenly came back into control, catching himself. His expression immediately changed. He could feel that sadness, it wasn't being suppressed, and perhaps not all of it was Ignas alone. He had been there for the end too. He was a passenger to a heartfelt goodbye, to the ending of another life he was powerless to save. Adelaide, Clara, Meribell. When was it going to end? When did they get to win for once?

He shook his head, walking towards Adelaide, downtrodden and very clearly not himself. "Will you arrange a funeral?" He asked, after a few moments, giving that question to Tyrath. "You're all free to attend...but I can't."

There was something different dawning on Isen now, something he wasn't about to speak out loud. The parallels were too similar...Clara even looked like Adelaide. A witch who had given too much of herself to hold onto life, who had died caring for a demon who didn't deserve them. When Clara passed, it felt like Adelaide had passed too. Was it a mixture of their feelings being tied together due to Ignas taking control of his body? Or an omen for the future? It didn't matter, Isen still felt it, and he couldn't be there when Clara was put to rest. He couldn't handle another funeral, especially not this one, and judging how Ignas didn't speak up in argument, it seemed they were once more on the same page.

Isen knew Adelaide would question him, so he was already moving towards the door. He needed some time away, by himself, to clear his head. "I'll be fine." He reassured her, half-heartedly, before taking his leave.
 
"I'll handle it." Tyrath answered before Adelaide had a chance to, something that she was thankful for as she wouldn't have had the first clue how to plan a funeral for someone she'd only just met. Her mind was more focused on the way that Isen looked now that Ignas had returned control of his body, of the way that he seemed like a hollow shell of himself after watching the witch pass in what were technically his arms, if she had to guess as to the ending of Clara's life. That couldn't have been easy on him to sit there and have his body puppeteered into such a sad goodbye, and as such she made no effort to follow him but instead trudged her way unsteadily towards one of the seats in the hall.

"Sit. I'll have Elena bring some snacks for you." Tyrath waited until Isen was out the door before he disappeared toward the front, speaking softly to one of the women and passing on the official news of Clara's passing before requesting some bottled water and snacks be taken down to the exhausted visitors. The uneasiness on the woman's face was clear as she gestured to the odd group and then back to Tyrath, but she relented not long after and nodded before whisking away to her duties.

"Stay. Relax the best you can and I'll return soon." Adelaide could feel Danica's suspicion rising even as the demoness remained silent, saying nothing as Tyrath ambled off in the direction Isen had gone and sought him out before announcing his presence with a brief clearing of his throat.

"You and yours may reside in my extra rooms while you're in town. I will handle the funeral arrangements, but I believe that we have much to discuss when things settle. As unfortunate as Clara's passing is... There is much work to be done in regards to a certain meddlesome demon that's mucking things up to an obnoxious degree. You may have your time to mourn, but don't wait too long. Your friends clearly care about you." Tyrath looked him up and down evenly before sighing.

"Come back in when you've had enough time."
 
Isen didn't know where he was intending to go, he just knew that he needed some time to himself; time to process what he had experienced and what he was feeling. He was a bystander in an intimate moment that he shouldn't have been apart of, a final goodbye between separated lovers that reminded him of an impending doom for his own budding relationship. He could hear someone approaching long before they did. He thought maybe it was Adelaide coming to check on him, but the footsteps sounded heavier, he knew that it couldn't be. Next, he suspected Takami, but the last person he expected was Tyrath.

The demon offered kind words to him, but much like Ignas, it wasn't kind words or reassurance he was looking for in this painful moment.

"Tyrath...how...?"

Isen spoke up before Tyrath could leave him, as he expected that he would do now that his message had been delivered.

"How are you so...calm. Wasn't she your friend? It seemed like you cared about her, but all you can say is that it was 'unfortunate'? It's unfortunate that someone you cared about just died?"

Isen was clearly taking this very hard. He was speaking out in frustration, it should have been obvious even to Tyrath, who was a total stranger to him, where this was coming from. And with any knowledge of the relationship he had with Adelaide, it should have been all then more telling where it would be heading.

"...to act like none of it matters. I guess that's what demons do, right? That's what I did back when Ignas was in control. All those people I killed...my own damn sister. That was just unfortunate, right? Adelaide too? Will it be unfortunate when sh-..."
 
"She was my friend, yes." Tyrath's shoulders sagged slightly as he paused in his retreat, turning back to eye Isen with a new kind of inerest as he lashed out at the demon. "Of course it matters, but I've been around for a long, long time Isen Hiyori. I've seen enough people I care about die to last several lifetimes, and I've watched people I care about lose themselves in the madness that is our current world. I can't do anything to bring her back, and I'm not going to throw myself on the ground like an unruly toddler and wail about it incessantly." So the reaper and the mage were together, that much was clear by the way that Isen was cutting off his tirade.

"Of course it will be unfortunate. Lucky for you, you've both learned early enough not what to do. She had a good teacher in Samara, and if what I've heard and seen is true, then she's learned a fair deal just by being in contact with Clara. You're upset. That's understandable, acceptable right now, but this is about more than just you, Isen. Do you truly think you and Ignas are the only ones in pain, the only ones full of worry or fear? I know what it is like to follow one you care about and fear for their safety, their sanity, and be able to only watch and offer your aid from the side while they charge off on their own missions. Women are fickle creatures, regardless of the species," He gave Isen a wry smile and shrugged.

"I will do the best that I can for mine, and you will do the best that you can for yours. Make your own fortune, Isen Hiyori."
 
"Make your own fortune, Isen Hiyori."

Isen didn't speak as Tyrath responded to him. He knew he was out of line lashing out at him the way that he did. This was one of those moments where he wished Ignas was still present and suppressing what he felt because he didn't want to feel any of it anymore. He let Tyrath say his peace, his words lingering with Isen long after the demon left him to return back inside. How was he supposed to make his fortune? Every time he tried, he failed. Samara had seen their future, and even she had seen a bad end for them. How was he to fight against fate itself? The eagerness he once had to defy what had been seen had eroded, and though Adelaide had given him hope, it felt very fleeting right now.

"Ignas...?"

Isen was looking to speak to the demon inside of his sword, but there was no response.

"I-Ignas?"

Again, nothing. Ignas wasn't responding. Isen knew Ignas was feeling all of this emotional weight even more than he was, so he stopped calling for him, leaving Ignas to his own devices to try and grieve in the way he wanted to.

After some more time alone with his thoughts proved to be unproductive, Isen walked back into the lobby towards the others. He could feel the sadness in the air as he re-entered. The room Clara had been in had now been shut, snacks had been prepared for her tired visitors, but nobody seemed to be eating much. Isen could barely bring himself to look at Adelaide, so he quietly found some place to stand, not speaking anything out loud but wishing to be with them now, rather than be alone.

"This is not the way we honor our fallen." Takami spoke up. He was a warrior, after all. It was easy to forget that sometimes when he was pretending to not be fawning over Isabella. Warriors didn't mourn. "We carry on. We endure. Death is an ending, but it is not the end."

"What are you talking about?" Isen asked, raising a brow.

"We all leave something behind when we die. A memory, a legacy, a purpose. Death is an ending, but it is not the end."

Isen looked at Takami like he was the stupidest person alive, but it was starting to click in his head what Takami meant. In his own way, he was trying to say that they needed to do right by Clara's memory, just as they did with Samara. They had lost her, but it was her magic that had led to them taking down Orion. She died, but all of the Dissonants she had helped had become like a support network for them thanks to Isabella. Adelaide was still using magic imparted to her by Samara before she died. Her death was an ending, but it was not the end.

It didn't make him feel any better about the future that awaited Adelaide and him, but it was a start at repair. It was what they needed to hear right now. Isen looked down at his hand, which still held the bow that had once been in Clara's hair. Ignas had removed it when she died and Isen had been holding onto it for dear life the whole while, having even forgotten that it was there until it's bright yellow caught his eye as he glanced down from Takami to hide the fact that he was actually understanding what he was saying. Isen gripped it a little tighter in response.

"Malakai did this. The DSTF did this. Clara gave her life to help others who were being oppressed, and to run from them...she was tricked into hurting Ignas, Malakai forced them apart. This ends with him and Maximilian. We already had a purpose, but now we have our reason." Isen loosened his grip on the bow once more, holding it up so that everybody in the room could see it.

"Isen...?"

"Yeah...?" Isen spoke, out loud, in response to the voice in his head.

"...we have a demon to kill."
 
It was very clear to Adelaide that Isen was avoiding her gaze.

"What?" Takami's words caught her off guard and she looked in his direction with raised eyebrows. Clara wasn't technically their fallen just because she was Ignas' love, was she? Technically her magic had been tied into things they were involved with for decades before they'd all met each other, but did that make her one of their own? Takami seemed to think so, and judging by the way Isen was reacting he seemed to be in agreement. Even Isabella seemed to be mulling it over in her head before she nodded slowly, leaving Adelaide to give a weary sigh before nodding her own agreement and giving up on snacking.

"Ignas." He was speaking again, having been oddly silent up until now despite the nature of the conversation. Adelaide could see the yellow bow still in Isen's hand as he held it up to display it to everyone sitting in the hallway gathering their wits, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Tyrath's sad gaze homing in on the accessory before he turned his attention to Isen and Ignas.

"I'm certain we have many demons to kill, but most importantly that one, yes, Ignas. We're going to kill Malakai." She voiced the thought for those that couldn't hear Ignas and sighed, pushing herself to her feet and stretching out with a slightly pained look. "Which means we need to find a place to stay and start getting plans laid out." They definitely needed to get some sleep along the way, or at least she did after how exhausting the day had been thus far. It was already getting late and she could feel how sapped she was from her attempt to save Clara's life, from how much magic she had used in the process before forcing herself to step back and accept defeat.

"You'll all stay at my home." Tyrath offered up the words and it was clear it wasn't a request. "We have much work to do, little mage."
 
Being invited into the home of a demon was hardly something that Isen had expected, nor was it something he particularly wanted to indulge in. Despite his natural distrust of Tyrath, however, he wasn't blind enough to not see that it was their best option, if not their only one. Everyone had been through so much, physically and emotionally, over the last little while. They couldn't go back to Samara's shop, they couldn't go anywhere else, and they needed to rest and plan. They still had no way to seal or unseal demons from catalysts, and no plan to match Malakai's power. It felt as though they were back at the start of a journey, broken down by their losses.

"Fine with me." Isen announced, after a short pause. "But don't take this lightly, Tyrath. You meant a lot to Clara, I'm willing to trust you, but if you do anything to hurt her..."

"Isen, it's okay."

"What?"

"It's okay." Ignas spoke up, a second time. "He cared for Clara, and she trusted him to be around her while she was on her death bed...I do not understand why, but I believe he is not an enemy to us."

And now, Ignas was trusting of other demons too? So much had changed about him in such little time, it was almost more concerning than anything else to see him acting like this, to see him trusting and trying to diffuse situations instead of leaning into the violence the old Ignas would have loved to indulge in.

"If you say so." Isen nodded, wrapping Clara's bow back up between his fingers and tucking it into his pocket so that they wouldn't lose it.

It was not just a memento, it was a representation of why they were doing this. For those on the outside, while sad, it probably didn't make much sense why Isen was putting so much weight behind the death of somebody they had only known for a handful of minutes, but for him, it was something he had experienced. He felt the grief, the pain, he watched through his own eyes, using them as a window into a personal moment and with it came all of the repressed feelings Ignas would have never wanted him to see. For them, Clara was a stranger, but for Isen, it was as though he had just lost the love of his life through that shared pain...and it was all too sobering a realization that a similar fate may await the person he cared for most as well.

His eyes drifted towards Adelaide for the briefest of seconds as he walked past her. "Let's go." He told her, briefly, refusing to make any contact for more than a second at a time, making it all the more obvious that something was wrong, or that something was festering inside of his head. "Lead the way, Tyrath."
 
"You will learn, Ignas. Unlike most of our kind, it is not in my nature to lie and deceive simply because I can." Tyrath didn't seem like he particularly cared whether anyone in the group believed him or not. In fact, he seemed rather closed off now that Clara had passed, focused only on the necessary mission ahead and getting everyone settled into a safe place so they could begin their planning.

The demon gave one last look toward the closed door that Clara's body lay behind before turning and settling a hand on Adelaide's shoulder gently, resting it there for a moment before lifting it and lazily winding his finger around in the air. The heat that followed the motion was nearly instantaneous and made Adelaide take a step back cautiously, earning what might have been a chuckle from Tyrath as he shook his head and motioned with his other hand to the ripple in the air that was forming with the circular movement.

"Calm yourself, little one. Tis just a portal to get us there, nothing more, and nothing less." Humans really could be so jumpy, couldn't they? Considering everything the little mageling had endured in the last several weeks he couldn't necessarily blame her for her caution, and a part of him pitied the creature more than he found himself amused by the concept.

"If Ignas can put aside his pride enough to trust in my intentions, you have nothing to fear from me, Adelaide." He made no motion to touch her again as the ripple grew in size, wobbling and emitting a warbling noise briefly before it simply burst into proper existence and held a lazy imitation of a circular doorway large enough for them to step through one at a time.

"I'll go first." Isabella spoke up for the first time in awhile, and for a moment Adelaide wondered if she was trying to prove her bravery to Takami until she saw the vampire pull him along with her by the hand and slipped through the hole in reality without a moment's hesitation. Ember had snuck her way through with the vampire and didn't so much as glance back at her mistress as the visage of them because more unstable as they shifted away from the portal's exit, leaving Adelaide to glance over at Isen before she neared the portal herself.

"Well, I was prepared to lead the way, but your vampire friend clearly had some thoughts about that." Tyrath's face twitched with a semblance of amusement as he exhaled softly, gesturing to Adelaide and then the portal as he saw her confliction at whether or not to reach for Isen's hand before she stepped further from him and instead forced herself through the magical doorway. He could barely look at her, why should she touch him only to be brutally rejected after everything they'd endured that day? No, better not to get herself hurt more.

"You're not the only one hurting, Reaper. Remember that, before you pull away from your beloved." There was no hostility in Tyrath's tone, but the push he gave Isen through the portal wasn't especially gentle before he followed suit and exited where everyone else had landed. When they reemerged from the portal Adelaide nearly stumbled into a tree, looking around at the unfamiliar area before deciding that it rather suited a place for a demon to hide away from the rest of humanity, and even from his own kind.

"The stairs are over there, just past that clearing in the trees. I picked somewhere specifically secluded to keep some privacy for myself." Tyrath offered no explanation other than that as he led the way through some of the trees and to the set of wooden stairs built into the land, his appearance gradually fading back to that of his true form with each step that he took. Gone was the simple hair and clothes of a human, his height stretching well past six feet with a white braid swinging loosely to his waist and contrasting against a set of all black, but still relatively human looking clothes. Pointed ears jutted out from beneath the light hair and were decorated by a dark set of ram like horns that he rubbed at with a sign, a perfect match for the tail snapping behind his back as if it were cranky with being tucked away for so long.

"Apologies for the sudden change, but it's really quite tiresome staying in a form that doesn't terrify you humans. Clara was one of the only ones that could bear to look at me as I am." A pair of fiery eyes looked back over his shoulder as he reached the top of the stairs and stepped onto the platform surrounding the house, pausing for only the briefest moment to assure everyone was following before he opened a sliding door and ushered them into the house.

"Bathroom is down the hall on the right. I'll set a meal for us shortly."
 
Isen eyed the portal that appeared, suspiciously. This wasn't the type of teleportation he was used to. Normally, whenever Adelaide managed to pull off that sort of spell, it just blipped them away, dropping them wherever it was she wanted them to go. This was different, it was like a door, a gateway, and it was one created by Tyrath, so they had no control over it's destination. Isen was still on the fence about whether the demon could be trusted or not, and it showed in the closed off body-language he displayed, and the way he inched a bit closer towards the portal when Isabella volunteered to go through first, almost as if he was ready to stop her from doing so.

Takami went with her, both disappearing beyond it's limits, leaving him and Adelaide to go next. Isen shot a look of concern towards her, but she seemed to think it was safe enough, venturing forward, through it, also vanishing alongside her familiar. Now, it was just Isen remaining, and Tyrath was nearing him to give what Isen could only assume was his attempt at giving advice.

"You're not the only one hurting, Reaper. Remember that, before you pull away from your beloved."

"You have no idea what I'm d-"

The push sent Isen through as well. When he arrived on the other side, he experienced a feeling not unlike the first time Adelaide had teleported them. Slight disorientation, as well as a bit of difficulty suddenly letting his vision adjust to new surroundings, but it appeared as though Tyrath hadn't been deceiving them at all. They were at the foot of a cabin, nestled within a forest. Isen could hear the sound of water, nearby, rocking gently, as well as the rustling of trees for miles around. This was some place secluded, far away from the rest of civilization, and also far away from the DSTF, and Malakai.

They needed to find a way to fight this, not run away.

Isen sighed, adjusting, and moving back towards Adelaide's side, feeling more comfortable with her than he did away, especially since his natural distrust continued to linger even though Tyrath was continuing to, time and time again, prove that he was not hostile towards them, nor had given any semblance of being a threat.

It was only a few moments later that Isen recognized the change in Tyrath's form, shedding the vestige of humanity he had been upholding and taking on his true appearance as the demon he really was.

It wasn't exactly helping Isen's disposition towards him.

"You still don't trust him, do you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"I can hear your thoughts, but even if I couldn't...yes, it is extremely obvious, Isen."

"You really can't blame me. Demons have caused us nothing but trouble."

"I should be offended." Ignas shot back, but he wasn't being angry about it. "But I suppose I can be included in that as well. Still...Clara trusted him. He cared for her...I feel inclined to believe that he isn't leading us astray and besides, Isen...he's powerful. If we're going to get revenge for what happened, we need all the allies we can get. Trust me, I'm just as distrusting as you are, and if I sense anything is wrong, I'll tell you, but until then, let's not try to burn the bridge we just walked across."

"Hearing you talk like this is a little strange. I'm used to the 'stab first, question never' version of you."

"Maybe it's time to grow up."

"You and I both, it seems." Isen replied, his vision falling back onto Tyrath, whom he had been judging so critically, with a low sigh falling past his lips afterwards.

"Well, we can't always be perfect now, can we?"

Takami and Isabella were already moving in the direction of the house. Isen, however, remained amongst the trees near the front. "Adelaide, can you wait a second?" He asked, hoping to draw her back. "Can we talk about something?" He hoped she wouldn't presume it to be him looking to warn her about Tyrath. Instead, he wanted to address something else, the other lingering feeling in the back of his head that things weren't actually okay.

He had experienced loss through Ignas, he had heard and seen first hand what this world could do to a mage giving too much of herself to a cause. He still couldn't shake that feeling that history was due to repeat him, especially as he caught the way the sunlight reflected off the ring that still remained attached to Adelaide's finger; and the demon that rested within in.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom