The last place Zye expects Ren to be is Aster’s room. Of course, in one respect it makes sense. Adrian is his friend and Ren is Adrian’s. It’s logical until they’re standing inside the room and realizing that Adrian isn’t even here. Neither is Aster.
Instead, Callua is busy letting them in while Xerxes sits on the couch chatting with Ren. Rather, Xerxes has asked a question and Ren is far too busy rambling out a long-winded answer that he doesn’t realize there’s company. Xerxes, however, does and gives a small wave to Zye as he moves over to stand by the couch where they sit.
It’s only then that Ren hurries to finish his thought. He tilts his head back to look up at Zye. “Took you long enough. I hope you slept well. I need you at your best before I redeem your side of the deal.”
“Healed and slept fine, thank you.”
Jace stands off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest. He’s watching intently for any sign of malice. The second there is, he’ll move. Until then, he waits while Callua moves to sit in the chair Aster usually occupies. She crosses her ankles and leans her palms against her knees.
“You’re doing this here?”
Ren nods and retrieves three vials of the length Zye had shown him when they made the deal. As well as a syringe with a long, skinny needle. Ren lays a cloth on the table and sets his things on top of it.
“Where would I do it? I doubt Zye would let me in his room and I have no sterile physician area, so this will have to do.”
Zye glances over his shoulder, “Jace. Medical wing, remember that. That’s not a bad idea. If someone gets hurt they shouldn’t be alone especially while that thing needs taken care of.”
Jace nods as he watches Ren stand. Not one twitch goes unnoticed. Ren steps aside and ushers Zye to sit down. He does and waits patiently for Ren’s instructions. It reminds him of being at the hospital and all he has to do is glance away to try and ignore it.
“Lean on the arm of the couch. Rest and no tension yet.” Ren tugs out a cloth and makes a tourniquet above the area he’ll be puncturing on Zye’s arm. He can see the vein he needs and prepares thoroughly. “It’s a good thing we’re not alive,” he mutters while scooping up the syringe and the thin tubes.
Zye pays none of it any attention. He keeps his gaze on Xerxes. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, um, good.”
“Saw you at the fight. You were doing well. Kind of like that one game. You were always better at the long-range classes. I’ll have to take you with me on a mission sometime.”
“Would you train with me too?”
“Sure, if you don’t mind me driving you crazy. We’ll see if you can hit me. How about that?”
Xerxes laughs, soft and airy. The sound has Zye relaxing despite the slight pricks of pain that he does his best to push away from his mind.
“I’ll do my best. Oh, did Sigil decide yet? I don’t want to miss her if she doesn’t stay.” Xerxes looks up at him with a hopeful expression. One that tells Zye that the two of them have gotten close lately. A good thing.
“She’s staying. She’ll be under Orion’s care, right Jay?”
“Yes,” is his curt reply. “Are you done yet?”
Ren scoffs as he loosens the cloth around Zye’s arm and pockets it. “So pushy. Don’t you know medical procedures take time?” Ren gathers up the vials and sets them back on the cloth, folding it over and around them. “And Zye, thank you for working with me. It was a pleasure.”
“Yeah, happy to do so. And don’t run off, I might have a job for you.”
“Excuse me? I don’t do jobs. Never have. I prefer to do my own thing.”
“Well, then you can do your own thing as a job. I’ll get back to you, but you have my blood so it means I trust you. Besides, if you want more you’d better be able to be found.”
“Badly placed trust,” Callua says with a scoff. “You never have been good at picking friends have you, Zye?”
Zye stands up with a huff. The glare he flicks in her direction is hardly heated. He takes the small tease with stride and pats Xerxes’s shoulder. “I’ll message you when I’m done with my rounds with these guys. You can bring Ilista over and I’ll make you both a meal.”
Xerxes’s eyes light up at the prospect. “Ilista, too? Really?”
“Of course, she’s your friend, right?”
A slight blush tinges Xerxes’s cheeks as he nods. He reaches up and tucks some hair behind his ear. It’s only then that Zye realizes that the mask is missing. He’s happy to see it. Even if the last person he expected Xerxes to be chatting and getting along with is Ren.
Callua leans back in the chair. “Are you two heading out then?”
Jace finally moves and does so by heading toward the door. “We’re meeting with Lucile and then heading to Civicus for a quick stop.”
“Then let me know when you’re done with Lucile. I’ll stay with these two and supervise the play date until then.”
“Alright. And Cal, you’re being promoted to Keeper the next chance we get. I’m sure Zye agrees.”
Her eyes widen and the smile falters. She stares at Jace’s back as he opens the door. Her gaze sweeps over to Zye who gives a shrug and a smirk. “Sorry, you heard the man. I’m voting with him on this one. See you later!”
“You jerks!”
It’s the last thing they hear before Zye scurries to get up and out of the room. He shuts the door behind him with a chuckle. Elbowing Jace in the side, he lets the chuckle turn into a laugh. “She’s going to kill us for that.”
“She’ll throw a fit, but she knows she’s the most qualified for the promotion. Besides…it’ll be nice to have us all together again.”
“Yeah… It really will. I see you had an ulterior motive there.” He locks eyes with Jace, watching the man glance away. A simple admission. “Alright, let’s go cleanse some Nether!”
Jace shakes his head, a smile on his lips, as he conjures the portal to where he’s been meeting with Lucile. The very place that they had gone to when escaping Daichi. She’s always been there when Jace has visited while he’s had the chance.
Today is no different.
The sky is overcast and full of clouds heavy with rain. He knows it could let loose at any moment. As promised, they return to the backyard and wait patiently for Lucile to show up. It only takes a moment for her inky black form to reveal itself from around the side of the house. She moves forward until they’re only a few feet apart.
“Hello, Lucile.” Jace begins. “Everything is taken care of and if you’re ready to be cleansed, we’ll take care of it.”
The small shadowy head bobs a yes. “I would like that. I have brought some of my kind with me. There aren’t many. Some that have gotten too close and taken some light from the souls.”
Jace glances over her shoulder. “How many?”
She steps aside and lifts a tendril, gesturing to the ten shadow figures that come from where she had. They’re of varying height and width, as well as how many dark tentacles they have extending off their bodies. However, they all seem to have some form of cognizance as they don’t get too close. They line up behind her as if they’re waiting.
“The light you have given me has sustained me long enough to hold my mind and help them. They cannot speak like I do. Please, will you set us free?”
Jace’s hand falls onto Zye’s shoulder, gaining his attention. “If you’d like, I can do it.”
“Because it’s easier for you?”
“No. You’re as qualified as I am. However, you were more injured than I was. I’d rather take the burden for this and I’ll cleanse when we get home.”
Zye weighs the pros and cons of allowing Jace to do this on his own. He doesn’t think Jace should, at all. Yet, he nods slowly and gives in. As Jace steps away from him to begin cleansing each of the souls she’s brought them, Zye turns to Lucile.
“Is there a chance you know about one of you that looks different? Behaves different?”
“I am not sure.”
He watches Jace touch each Nether in turn. The fire flicks off of his hands and through their chests, crawling gently through them. One by one, they slowly turn to shimmering dust. These Nether stand so calmly, patiently waiting for Jace to get to each of them in turn.
They crave the freedom from what binds them. The relief from the oppressing emotions that have kept them from moving on.
At least, these do.
“The one I’m looking for is huge. As tall as that house and pure white.”
“I have not. If you wish, I can stay and see what I can—”
“No. No…it’s alright. You shouldn’t have to wait any longer to be able to let all of that go and move on. It’s my job, I’ll figure it out.”
Lucile gives a slight bob of her head. Zye watches her for a moment. A being that he once was so deathly afraid of and yet she’s been through as much pain as any of them. What she’s told them of herself resonates with him. He’ll never forget her.
“Thank you for everything.”
“I did little.”
“I don’t care if it was for or because of Hax or us, you did. And you’ve helped all of them, too. May I help you now or do you want to wait for Jace?”
The azure gleam of her eyes dims for a moment. The little circles squish down as if she’s closing them as she nods. “Hax promised. Please.”
Zye takes a deep breath and summons his sword into his hand. This time it feels heavy in his grasp as he turns to face Lucile. He takes a handful of steps back, eyes bouncing between her and Jace. Of which, Jace is almost done. The last one begins to burn away to leave a handful of sparkling dust to scatter in the breeze.
A beautiful scene despite the somber mood.
The tip of the blade presses over where her heart should be. Her azure gaze remains locked on him as he cuts into her. Zye watches as the tentacles at her sides begin to disintegrate first. A sign that he’s hit the right spot. He releases his blade and allows it to vanish. All so he can stride back up to her as the remainder of her body begins to turn into glittering specks.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
Her final words lay heavy on his heart. He holds her gaze until even that is gone. So focused on it he doesn’t realize Jace has come to stand beside him. Not until there’s a palm pressing against his back, rubbing circles against it. Jace leans close, kissing the side of his head.
“We’ll find the one that got away. Don’t worry.”
“I will worry. The thought of it hunting down even its own kind doesn’t make me feel great.”
Jace’s hand slips around to hold onto Zye’s waist instead, holding him tight with one arm. His head leans against Zye’s shoulder as he watches the dust vanish. As if it wasn’t there to begin with. Nothing is ever left behind. Nothing but the memories.
“I’ll be right here with you. We’ll pull it off like everything else.”
Zye exhales heavily as he lolls his head to lean against Jace’s. “Guess we should get going then.”
“Only if you’re ready.”
Gingerly pulling away, Zye calls forth a portal. One to a place that only he knows about. One that he never took Jace or Callua to. He stares at the bright colors as they swirl in a circle in front of them. One step forward and he finds the second is easier. He wants to get back to them one last time so badly it has his chest aching.
He misses them.
Jace follows closely behind him. From one dreary world to the next, they exit out onto slick grass. Zye keeps moving regardless of the way his shoes nearly slip on the pavement he steps up onto. A long wall of marble is before him as he steps under the overhang.
A makeshift one at that. The water still seeps through and around the flowers and vines that crawl over the white lattice. Not that it bothers him. All he’s focused on is coming to the right end of the wall. There he squats down to the silver plaque over one of the small squares.
Staring, Jace isn’t sure what it is. Each square has one of those plates and they’re covered in letters and numbers. If he looks hard enough he can see that they’re names. Some contain one while others have three or four.
Regardless, he steps up to stand beside Zye. Jace glances over his shoulder when he feels the charge of energy behind him. He meets Callua’s eyes and nods. She hurries over, careful not to trip, and comes around to stand behind Zye.
Zye, however, pays neither of them any attention as he places his hand on the wall. He focuses much like how he recalls doing once before. Letting the energy flow through him and lighten this place is a feat that has him swallowing hard past the lump in his throat. It’s far more exhausting to do than fighting.
He’s never liked cemeteries. They’ve always been filled with Nether and scared him too much to go in. From where he’d stand he could see the way the Nether would follow after the living as they wandered through the old rows of headstones or the walls of newer losses. He would stand on the outside while he watched Lyra go in to leave flowers for his father. A trip he stopped making for her when she went into the hospital.
Closing his eyes, he focuses until the heavy feeling on his shoulders lightens ever so slightly. The feeling of being watched lessens and for a moment he doesn’t mind being here with the water soaking the knees of his jeans. One that’s quickly dashed as his fingers slip down off the one he was touching and to the one he’s here for.
Callua bends over behind him, her hands on his shoulders. “Why didn’t you say this is where you were coming? We could have brought flowers for them.”
His finger traces over the three names that share this one.
Vega Rigel. Lyra Rigel. Zye Rigel.
As heavy as the stone that sinks in his stomach is, there’s also a lightness to his chest. Despite how happy he is to have a second chance and be with people who brighten his day, he misses them so much that he has to blink past the way his eyes burn. The agony of not having them in his life is a kick to the gut every time he thinks about it.
There’s not a day he doesn’t grieve. And not just for them. But for all of those that have died. Some days he simply sinks a bit deeper into it. Today, however, isn’t one of those days. Today is a day where he’ll stand tall, lift his chin, and make them proud.
Zye slowly stands and shoves his hands into his pockets. Doing so has Callua brushing her fingers over his arm, concern welling up in her tangerine-colored eyes.
Neither Callua nor Jace knows what to say at first. The silence permeates between them as Zye stares down at it. They can see the way his shoulders tremble, falling back into human habits of letting out the shaky breaths.
Jace is the first to dare to try. “If you’d like, we can visit them any time you want.”
“No,” is the quick reply. “No, it’s fine. I have a new world to live in. I don’t want to act like I can handle being here yet. Besides…they’re not here anyway.”
The soft taps coming up the pavement draw all of their attention. The sight of the old man coming their way has Zye immediately stepping back onto the grass. Callua follows suit and loops her arm with one of his, matching the way they mask their presence. She stares up at Zye, worried about how well he’s done it so suddenly. And so well.
Until she notices who the man is as he steps a bit closer. She can feel the way Zye tenses beside her. She can see the way his eyes swim with emotion at the sight of the man who tried so hard to keep him alive. The only doctor that ever cared.
He’s thin but not particularly frail. He leans heavily on his cane as he strides up closer to Jace. The wide brim of his black hat tilts up when he notices Jace standing there. For a moment, he stands there staring hard at the much taller man. All before he busies his free hand with adjusting the jacket of his suit.
“I’m sorry, I thought I saw someone else here.”
Jace takes it in stride and gives the man a polite smile. “I’m sorry to say it’s only me.” He steps further along the path so that the now much older Dr. Len can amble over.
Len holds out the flowers he brought, a large bouquet of forget-me-nots. “Would you mind helping an old man and place those down there?”
“Not at all.”
Jace takes the flowers and proceeds to set them down in the small holder for them. One slot for each column of tiny memorials. As he stands back up, the man smiles softly. “You’re the young man he brought with him to the hospital, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
Len nods a bit, trying to swallow the ball of emotion before he continues. “Thank you, again. I know that wasn’t easy.”
“Loving someone never is.”
A raspy chuckle leaves Len as he clutches his cane a little tighter. “It’s heartbreaking that they’re all gone. I did my best for Vega… I wanted to take care of them for him. Lyra was too proud. Zye was too stubborn. But I loved the three of them like my own family.”
Zye steps forward, bringing Callua along with him. He worries about being seen and yet he can’t stop himself. He only wishes he could reach out and touch this last fragment of his life. Zye’s chest aches and his eyes burn. Things he never got to say spill over before he can stop himself.
“Jay, tell him… Tell him how much I appreciated him. And… And I’m sorry I was a pain in the ass and never got to thank him.”
Jace doesn’t skip a beat. He glances down at Len and holds that expecting gaze. “He was. But I know he appreciated how much you cared and how much you did for them. He was always thankful for you being there. I can’t thank you enough either for being there at the end to take care of everything.”
Zye is grateful that Callua clings so tightly to him. All he wants to do is shove past them both and tell Len himself. Even more so when he sees the way the man brings a shaky hand up to wipe at his eyes. A somber chuckle passes over his lips as he does.
“You’ve certainly made this old man’s day. I…loved them so dearly. I wish I had done more.” He turns and glances back down the way he had come. There at the entrance is a young woman carrying an umbrella slowly making their way to them. “I should go before she scolds me in front of you how I hurried up here without her.”
“I’m sure they were glad you were there at all. We all have our own life and troubles to get through as well.”
“Ahh, don’t we? I just wish he was here. A selfish wish. But I wanted him to get to experience the breakthrough we’ve made.”
“Breakthrough?”
Len finally looks up at Jace with a sad smile. “We found a way to halt the disease. It’s in part thanks to the last experimental treatment he and so many others went through. Plenty of children won’t have to go through that.”
“I know he’d be happy to know that.”
The umbrella the woman carries sways as a breeze comes through, each step bringing her closer. Len nods a few times before moving to leave. “I should go before she gets wet. I’d hate for her to catch cold because of me. Ah and Jace?”
The brunet watches Len closely, surprised that his name was even remembered after all these years. At least, for Len, it’s been a long time. “Yes?”
“Thank you again. Remember. If we don’t forget them, they’ll always be with us.”
Jace stands there for a moment, watching as Len safely makes it to where the woman stands. She ushers him under the umbrella and back down the path to the exit. It’s only when their backs are turned that he dares to mask his presence and turn to see both Zye and Callua teary-eyed.
He steps closer and wraps an arm around Zye’s shoulders. Bringing him in for a hug, Jace lets Zye bury his face against Jace’s neck. He can feel the deep breaths against his skin as Zye tries to calm down. Anything to keep himself from unraveling here. The touch is a small chance to allow the taller man to pull himself together. As he does, Jace glances down at Callua. “Ready to go?”
She beams up at him and squeezes Zye’s arm a little tighter. “I’ll even go pick up something for us to eat. Like old times. You can cook next time. How about it?”
Pulling away from Jace, Zye glances between them. Despite the red rim around the corners of his eyes and the way his throat tightens, he’s happy. For the first time in a long time, he’s ready to go home. Even more so when he knows he has them at his side. “Yeah. I am. Let’s go home.”
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