The Malignant Dread

A large voyager-resident class spaceship breezed quietly through deep space, leaving the besieged aster, Alvareon, to the forces of Darkness. Colored silver and grey with sapphire blue accents, its effervescent, rounded make indicated it came from the very aster it left behind, home to the very inhabitants who sat in silence as everything they loved was swallowed whole.

Bastar walked through the pristine white and blue halls en route to the cargo bay. While his eyes focused forward, his mind replayed the scene they witnessed upon leaving Alvareon's orbit. The darkness he saw engulfing his home, the Darkness he sensed upon waking that morning; it was unlike anything he had ever felt in all his forty-nine years.

Upon entering the cargo bay, he turned to the left to stand before a panel on the threshold's wall. He inspected the cooling system, checked the supplies within containers, and ensured the subcrafts were equally loaded with provisions.

They had all they needed in the case of an extended stay in deep space. The class of the ship also ensured it wouldn't require many stops at space stations, even if it received damage. Lowering his hand from the panel, he frowned in thought.

Yet, simultaneously, it was dangerous for them to stay in space. They could be tracked easily; there were but so many places they could go between each of only a mere four asters. In between them were the space stations, but Bastar didn't know if they were safe yet. Memereon was currently their best bet.

Eyeing the containers further inside, he grimaced at the thought of the aster. It was a politically complicated place, completely industrialized on one side and a feral country on the other. He held an aversion to the industrialized side.

Leaving the cargo bay, he sighed to himself and rubbed his neck. The door slid shut behind him as his thoughts finally diverted to feelings that were impossible to avoid. Letting his hand slide down his neck, he stared at the metal floor.

Nevan...

Closing his eyes, he slowly walked to the ship's bridge with the barest of a slump in his steps.

There were times in the past when he could have died on a mission, leaving his mate, Nevan, behind. As a scientist, several of Nevan's expeditions required him to come into near contact with the sentient blight that was the Luciphage. Bastar recalled times when they were separated for months, even years. He always had arms to return to in the end. Yet, this time, he found the idea of his mate dying by a Daylight Siege hurt more than anything that could have happened in the past.

He turned to rest against the right wall, looking at the bright overhead light. "Please don't let them die," he murmured.

He shortly entered the bridge, standing firm once more. Upon exiting the lift, he took a moment to observe his five companions, all except one being members of the Knightreign.

Khante, the second eldest member, stood before the viewscreen with his arms crossed. It was always difficult to figure out what was going on in the young berserker's head, so Bastar only briefly glanced over him. Alecai, the third eldest, rested against the low side of the deck, not far from where his brother stood, unusually quiet and playing with a few fireballs between his fingers.

Sitting solemnly in three chairs along the wall, Ellion, Renor, and Briél were also silent. Bastar wouldn't put it past them to be coming to grips with what they had left behind—and how they left it. Despite this, he had to acknowledge their strength. They were young, yet they did what had to be done without hesitation.

Moving from the lift's threshold, he approached the navigation station and brought up their trajectory on the flat screen. They were half an aster from Alvareon and were moving as fast as their ship's engine core could take them, by radiance-measures. They would be at Memereon soon.

He noticed Briél approaching him and leaned back to look at her. "How're you feeling?" he asked.

She nodded a bit, but her silver-grey eyes were sad. "Why are we going to Memereon?"

He stood upright, turning to her. "Lulah didn't tell you?"

She glanced away. "All she told me was that I had to go off-world."

He exhaled softly through his nose, brushing a hand idly down his goatee. "Memereon's a place where we have many allies, places we can stay, places to hide." His expression dampened. "The problem is, we haven't heard from the Memérine in a few weeks. Same with any envoys."

She visibly became concerned. "Do we have to go there?"

His face slightly twisted in a wince. "We don't really have a choice. It's either that or stay in space, which is riskier, considering we may be followed." When her eyes widened, he nodded. "I can't sense anything from here, and the radar doesn't show any signs of ships, but considering what Daylight Sieges consist of..."

She fell silent but nodded. With a sigh, she turned away to sit back with her friends. Renor immediately placed an arm around her, and she sank into his hold.

Bastar's gaze returned to the nav console. A soft beep indicated they would be there in moments. On the viewscreen, the blue and green aster was already visible, becoming larger by the second.

Moving, he called, "Alright, we're a few minutes away from Memereon orbit." Once all five pairs of eyes were on him, he motioned to the screen. "When we get into orbit, we're not going to send a transmission to Meméria, as is custom. Nah, we'll take the long way 'round, going in on foot after entering the atmosphere. The ship'll remain in the sky, and—Khante, initiate the ship's I3 system. It'll stay up cloaked, and we'll stay in contact in the event of something going wrong."

Khante wordlessly moved to turn on the ship's Independent Intelligence Interface. He went to the pilot's seat and brought up a holographic panel with a round pad. He placed two fingers on it and turned.

Energy visibly surged through the floor and ceiling, running through what appeared to be circuits, and an electronic beep echoed around them.

"Hey, Flake," Bastar greeted. "Need you to do a few things for us."

Instead of a voice, a series of beeps was made in response.

"Flake?" asked Renor, standing along with Briél and Ellion.

Bastar gave him a small smile. "Starflake, of course." To the I3, he said, "We're going to Memereon and need you to stay in the atmosphere for us."

More beeping.

"Thanks." Bastar grinned at the confusion on all but Khante's faces. "These special ships have a code instead of a voice. More secure, y'know?"

"Ohhh," went the chorus.

Alecai, who stood near and beside Khante, nudged his brother. "You mean to tell me you understand that?"

A scoff. "Naturally," Khante responded.

Bastar looked at the screen. The aster rapidly approached, and not a moment after he took notice, the ship entered the aster's orbit.

He nodded. "Alright. We're all goin' down."

"Why?" Briél asked with a slight frown.

"'Cause we'll need all the power we can muster if the lights go out. We'll land in the countrylands, on the fringes of the nearest cityscape, and make our way to Meméria slowly and cautiously." As they approached the doors to the lift, he said, "Flake, we're going to the airlock."

A short beep reached their ears, and after entering the lift, the doors closed behind them. As the ship's I3 sent them to the floor where the airlock was, Bastar caught sight of concern forming on Renor's face.

"So, uh..." Ocher eyes looked at him. "If we're leaving Flake up here, does that mean we're...?"

Alecai grinned widely, slinging an arm around the teen's shoulders. His red eyes and fangs flashed in the light as he laughed, "Dropping? Damn straight we are!" At the boy's blanched face, he almost rolled his eyes. "Aw, don't worry, we'll be fine! Ol' Bastar's got us."

The doors opened, revealing a short but wide vestibule where spacesuits hung in a round closet. At the very end, a golden line indicated where the airlock and ramp were.

"Alright, Flake. Thanks for watching the ship!" Bastar pressed the button to close the airlock and lower the ramp.

Air rushed in, causing hair and clothes to flutter, and a series of beeps sent them off.

One look for reassurance was given to Bastar, but before her guardians moved, Briél sighed and stepped off the ramp seemingly without a care in the world.

Brows raised and with a smirk, Bastar walked backwards and saluted before falling backwards after his ward. He watched the others fall after him, with Renor falling only because Alecai shoved him off. He chuckled to himself and turned in the air to watch Briél.

She fell straight, her legs slightly turned inward, and her arms seemed to be against her chest. The fact that she wasn't making a sound indicated her mood, but he understood. She would mourn the possible loss of their homeworld for...as long as needed.

The sounds of shouts and whoops brought his attention back to the young men behind him. He opened his mouth to speak into his communicator, but something caught his attention. His head snapped over to the right, eyes wide with recognition. Even so high and so far away, he could sense it. His expression steadily became one of a beaming grin.

Without warning, he used his powers to surround all of them in a personal bubble of space. Before their sounds of confusion became questions, he said, "We might not have to go to Meméria. At least not yet. There's something over there that indicates some allies."

In his ear, he heard an inquisitive hum. "Where?" asked Briél.

"This way."

They turned to the right, continuing to fall, but now it was within Bastar's control. No one asked any more questions, and he chalked it up to the awe of the flight and fall. Because they were, after all, essentially flying.

Once they broke through the clouds, the countrylands became visible. He heard sounds of awe in his ear, bringing a smile to his face. The countrylands were a vast landscape of verdant greens, reds, and blues. The land seemed to stretch on indefinitely over the horizon in the direction they were flying. But when Bastar glanced back, he saw the silvery-green metal world of industry and cityscape behind them.

They were high enough to see just how big the largest object was amongst the impossibly inscrutable terrain. The tree wasn't anywhere as large as the ones Bastar heard existed in a Ground within planet Earth, but in comparison to what they were accustomed to on Alvareon, the tree was mountainous.

The descent was peaceful, wind blowing in their faces and eventually managing to calm Briél as she began to laugh when Bastar made the younger three—and Alecai, for reasons—twist and turn, loop and swerve in the air. He even let them control their movement, and he smiled at Briél, Renor, and Ellion as they held hands in a triangle-like shape with beaming faces.

After some time of falling, they were eye-to-eye with the highest point of the tree's branches. Alecai whistled in awe, and more sounds of astonishment were made. Its limbs hung like drooping vines, and white flowers decorated it. The top of the tree had limbs that stuck upright, giving it a look entirely unusual for those accustomed to Alvareon trees.

They had already noticed it some distance away, but this allowed them to clearly spot the hamlet nestled underneath the tree. The houses and buildings were close together, and there was a stream running through them.

In Bastar's vision, there was also a high-magic barrier surrounding the settlement. He wasn't sure if the others, save for Briél, could see it.

"Where are we?" she asked, coming to his side. "The barrier..."

"Yeah. We might get some answers here."

She nodded and went silent. He glanced at her. The expression on her face was no longer sad but curious. It was a great improvement, thank goodness.

When they were close enough to the ground that they could drop safely, they had also nearly reached the barrier. After landing, Bastar came to it first, holding out his hand to touch it, but he quickly thought otherwise. It was a Light-based barrier. He looked at his side as Briél came up to him and placed her hand on it.

"Incredible," she said, placing another hand on it. "It...feels like a power similar to my own."

Bastar pursed his lips, somewhat in surprise, somewhat with worry. There had to be a reason why, but he guessed a powerful Light-aligned being was on the other side somewhere. Good for everyone, bad—possibly deathly so—for him.

An animal became visible in the distance. It was approaching them at a surprisingly fast speed, kicking up dust as it traveled. Briél lowered her hand, and they watched it in silence.

Shortly, it came close enough that the rider became visible. The creature itself had antennae and a mammalian appearance, colored brown and yellow. The riders were an adult kindren and a young yorne, by the looks of her.

Bastar's face broke into a massive smile that could have split his face when he saw the older rider. "Meheade! It's been forever!' he called, sliding his hands into his pockets.

Meheade laughed, stopping his mount once close enough to the barrier, and departed. He helped the girl down and then approached the barrier with her. "Bastar!"

When they came close enough, the girl touched the barrier, creating an opening large enough for all of them to enter. But the second she did, and Bastar moved to enter, she flinched away and hid behind Meheade. Just the same, Bastar nearly lost his footing as he was hit with the power of not just one Lucifer, Briél, but this girl as well. He managed to hide his grimace and straighten himself quickly enough with help from his gravity power. He then soldiered through and opened his arms to hug Meheade.

Returning it, Meheade laughed again. "Old friend, how are you?"

Bastar moved aside for everyone else to enter. He shrugged. "Well. Or we were. But I won't get into that right now."

This trip was already going to nearly kill him.

Meheade's expression slightly dropped with a nod of understanding. He then turned a smile on Briél. "Ah, Oth'Briél. It's an honor to meet another Lucifer." He lightly bowed.

Unaccustomed to such a courtesy, Briél looked uncomfortable but gave a polite smile. "Thank you?" She then quickly focused on the girl who still hid almost entirely behind Meheade. "Lo! You're a Lucifer, too!"

The girl, no older than ten, nodded.

"A shy one, eh?" Alecai chuckled. "What's your name?" he asked her.

She only stepped completely behind Meheade.

Her guardian softly laughed, looking back at her. "Her name is Escaylin."

"Well met, little one." Alecai then looked up at Meheade. "Damn, it's been a while, Meade!'

"Ugh, still calling me that, huh?" The older man patted Alecai's shoulder, then did the same to Khante. "Well, you two have grown! And—is that little Ellion I see?"

Ellion almost flushed, but he nodded. "I'm afraid I only remember you by name..."

"Ah, that's fine." Meheade looked at Renor. "Hmm, you look like...Aora! Are you her child?"

"Yep." Renor smiled brightly. "Renor Lomeo."

"Pleasure, pleasure!" Meheade focused back on Bastar, his expression somewhat serious. "So, what brings you all here?"

"It's a story." Bastar's expression mirrored his friend's. "If it's alright, is it possible that we can stay here for at least a night?"

The man motioned to the land behind them. "By all means! You're welcome here in Dorlant. I've already informed the chief you're coming."

"If I may," said Khante, "how, exactly, did you know?"

Meheade smiled, lifting a necklace with a peculiar but familiar symbol as its pendant. It appeared similar to a circle, only it had an arrow in its design and an eye in the center. "Bastar gave this to me a long time ago. It has his energy imbued into it, so it changes when he is near."

"Oh!" Briél showed a necklace just like it around her neck.

All eyes landed on Bastar, who was looking away.

"Can we go now?" he sighed, somewhat abashed. It was true, he didn't just give the pendant to anyone, but of all things, here they were showing it off. Alecai chuckled teasingly, and Bastar only shoved him before beckoning everyone near. "Gather. It's been a while since I teleported so many at once."

Meheade brought his mount closer, and they all came nearer to Bastar, but not so much that they were huddled or in each other's way.

After a moment of concentrating, he teleported them to the middle of the village. He rolled his shoulders afterward, feeling in a way he could only describe as spiritually sore. "Ugh. I'm rusty..." He glanced around.

They all did, and he eyed the people looking at them with curious expressions. This Dorlant appeared to be a yorne/kindren settlement, but more kindren than anything.

Meheade beckoned them to follow him. "Come. I want to hear about everything that has happened on ol' Alvareon."

"Do you have any food?" Alecai asked.

"You haven't changed a bit." Meheade glanced back at him.

"He never does," Khante scoffed, "he never will."

Alecai gave his brother a somewhat languid glare. "Yeah, whatever. We didn't get to eat anything before we left."

Deadpanning, Khante enunciated, "You practically ate a quarter of the nouri supply."

"Yes, there will be food," Meheade smiled with a sigh. "Eventually. We weren't expecting guests."

"Understandable," said Ellion. "Thank you."

"No problem."

While his companions spoke convivially, Bastar remained quiet as they followed Meheade. It was somewhat of a natural response when surrounded by followers of Aeluciae, the Light-worshipers. He could sense it in them, around them; Light was everywhere. There were plenty of Aeluciat on Alvareon, and even more had come in the past sixteen years after Briél came to Hillikhkzia, but this place was...infested with them. He shifted every so often, his skin tingling.

Then, there was Escaylin.

The girl stayed glued to Meheade's side, and to make it easier for her, Bastar likewise stayed at the rear of the group. He recognized the signs; Meheade was the girl's guardian knight in the same way that he was Briél's. The similarities humored him, but the comparisons ended there. Meheade wasn't a Noctifer as he was. Meheade wasn't injured every day just by being in the mere presence of his ward.

Their group came to what was evidently the largest dwelling within the village. It looked like a manor, decorated with familiar symbols that made Bastar internally wilt even more. The symbols were signs of Aeluciae, of the Aeluciat, their followers, and the Force of Light. Unintentionally, he swallowed again. Never before did he truly consider the dangers of being off-world as a Noctifer; he never had to during the many times he went off-world in the past. The realization of just how much peril he was in was beginning to register with him.

They passed through an open outdoor space where a garden of white and green flowers was growing, and then through the open doors of the building. They entered a surprisingly homely dwelling where the smells of food permeated the space. Escaylin quickly detached herself from Meheade's leg, removed her boots, and then ran around a corner to the left.

Meheade softly laughed, then beckoned to them while also taking off his boots. They followed suit, then Meheade led them down the right corner hall, revealing a sizable lounge space where an older male yorne sat before an altar.

"Ah, Meheade, and newcomers." He stood and approached them with a friendly smile. To Meheade, he asked, "Who is this friend of yours?"

Grinning, Meheade motioned to Bastar. "This is Bastar, an old friend of mine I made back in Scintilla Academy. And these are his ward, Oth' Briél, Alecai, Khante, Ellion, and Renor." He gestured between them. "May I introduce you all to Volken, a good friend and the chief of Dorlant."

Bowed heads of greeting were made, and Volken swept a hand out to the rest of the space. "You are welcome and safe here. Meheade tells me you wouldn't be here unless it was urgent."

"Thank you." Looking at Meheade, Bastar said, "Actually, I need to talk to you."

Meheade nodded, and Volken said to them, "You are free to treat this place as your own. Lunch is soon."

Bastar glanced at his group. "Don't get into any trouble," he said, pointedly focusing his words on Alecai.

The firebrand huffed, but Khante smiled. "Will do."

Bastar briefly passed a glance at Briél, who tentatively moved from foot to foot. He placed a hand on her shoulder, bringing her attention to him. Wordlessly, he gave her an assuring smile and a nod. She glanced around, and then nodded.

He bowed once more at Volken, who nodded, before following Meheade. They walked to a room in the back of the building, keeping an eye out for anything that could harm him. In a community of Aeluciat, there was no such a thing as being too cautious as a Noctifer.

Meheade led him to a room partially outdoors. It lacked most of its ceiling and was also more garden-like than even a typical outdoor space. There were places to sit, one of which was beside an artificial, small waterfall. Bastar was led there, and he and Meheade sat on the grass.

His friend's expression immediately became serious. "What's happened on Alvareon, Bastar? Atr'Belvon doesn't just send his best knight off-world with our patron Lucifer for no reason."

Sighing heavily, Bastar glanced off while running a hand through his hair. After a second or two, he finally, truly realized he hadn't even put his hair up into a tail. With a humorless chuckle, he looked his friend in the eye. "There was another one, Meheade. It's been twenty years, but it happened again in our lifetime."

At first, Meheade's eyes narrowed in confusion. Bastar's solemn expression eventually triggered something in his memory. Almost instantaneously, he went pale and leaned back with wide, horrified eyes. "No...no..."

Bastar watched his friend go into a shock, lips parted and blue eyes unseeing as he stared off. Bastar moved closer and slowly placed a hand on Meheade's shoulder. With a sound of alarm, his friend came back to present time, blinking rapidly.

"Bastar—by the Luciae—tell me no one died?" he demanded in a hoarse voice, eyes watering.

Closing his own eyes, it took great effort for Bastar to keep his mind from traveling into catastrophic thinking. Regardless, his thoughts immediately went to Nevan. Nevan, Belvon, and Aora, above all else, and, of course, Talulah. He shook his head. "We don't know. When we left, the Siege had just started."

Covering his face, Meheade leaned forward. "The fucking phage, Bastar," he swore. "That...that just happened as you left? As in, the Siege is still happening now?"

"Yes."

"By Nephrine..."

Bastar looked away. "It's on everyone's mind. We've all avoided talking about it, but..." His lips tightened. "Well, I spoke to Briél about it..." He reached up to pinch his nose bridge.

Meheade placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and they both stared off in different directions. They both knew it. It was inevitable; lives would be lost, and with the additional intensity of this new Siege, Bastar could only imagine the damage would be even worse, even more devastating, than it was twenty years ago.

Inhaling deeply, he repressed a growl as anger quickly grew within him. "And I know the others believe this Siege is because the forces of Darkness want Briél. It's like the famed siege that put the Kaon Kingdom in ruins, if not worse."

He took a moment to pause.

Looking back sixteen years prior, he recalled the way he reacted to that attack. It happened at night, for starters, and was undeniably different in all other ways. It made him itch, nothing much worse than that, until the final blow to the kingdom.

No, this Siege was distinctly unlike that time. The Darkness wasn't already near, hiding. It came from deep space, from only the cosmos knew where.

"So, you're here to speak to the Memérine?" Meheade lowered his hand, grimacing at Bastar's nod. "I don't think that's a good idea. Something strange is happening in the capital, in the city central itself."

Slightly frowning, Bastar briefly glanced away. "I considered so. What's going on?"

Rapidly shaking his head, Meheade raised his arms. "I have no true idea, my friend. We used to have frequent communication with the capital, but then it all abruptly died. So, I moved here with little Escaylin. Something just didn't feel right."

"And the city central?"

"To be entirely truthful, I risked a visit there. There is an underlying change, a subtle thing. You'd have to be looking to notice it. Everything otherwise appears normal. It most definitely is not."

Bastar nodded in understanding. Every knight had learned to trust their instincts, nearly above all else, even if given orders from the aster ruler. It came with the title.

"We lost communication with the Memérine a few weeks ago." He huffed. "If that's out the question, how'll we get the protection and answers we need? Bad enough we're in Dorlant; what if we're bringing danger here? Don't need two Lucifers in danger..."

Meheade agreed softly, resting his chin on entwined hands. He looked away in thought.

It took less than a minute.

Slowly and simultaneously, they glanced at one another.

"You're not thinkin' what I'm thinkin', are you?" Bastar asked with a growing grin.

"I daresay we are," Meheade chuckled. His smile dropped. "But, in all seriousness, is that wise?"

"Ah, probably not." Bastar dismissively waved a hand. "But I can use the challenge of espionage. Got to get down to the bottom of this, anyways."

Narrowing an eye, Meheade scrunched his mouth. "I don't know..." He motioned to the rest of the building. "What about Oth'Briél? Should you so willingly be such a distance from her?"

"Prob'ly not."

"You're going to do this anyway, aren't you?"

"Prob'ly so."

"You always do what you want."

"Not really."

A sigh. "You'd better come back. I'm not so sure about all of this. Something's off in the cosmos."

Nodding, Bastar hummed, "Well, the War is on its way."

"You think that has something to do with it?"

"Prob'ly. It's a freaking comet of power. Bound to get people goin' insane."

Another sigh. "Well, when are you leaving?" Before Bastar could respond, Meheade said, "At least eat something. Or...rest."

"I can use some rest, yeah. Kinda high-strung, you know?"

They stood from the grass, and Meheade nudged him with a smile. "It's good to see you after so long, Bastar. I wish it could have been during better circumstances."

"Yeah, well...The cosmos."

Meheade nodded with a resigned sigh, then led Bastar to the lounge space. There, Briél was talking animatedly with Renor, Ellion, and Escaylin. Bowls of food were in front of them as they sat in a near-circle. They seemed to be in good spirits, which Bastar was glad to see. He wasn't sure if their happiness was a front or a way of coping with what had happened mere hours ago. Regardless...

The moment he entered the space, Escaylin's eyes darted over at him, and she went quiet, her jovial mood extinguished. Almost at the same time, Briél looked at him as well.

"Have some food, Bastar!" she said with a smile. "It's good!"

His lips slightly quirked, but not out of humor. Clearly, in his eyes, she was either trying to prove to her Lucifer kin that he was harmless to her or was trying to prevent things from being awkward and obvious. Or both.

Probably both.

He nodded, but he, in truth, wasn't very hungry. Rather, he was, but not for food. If he was going to be surrounded by an overabundance of Light and couldn't have ale to stave off the pain, he had to resort to an even worse option. Not that drinking wasn't bad...

He ignored his thoughts. To Meheade, he asked, "Where's the restroom? Or, one of them?"

Meheade pointed to the doorway of the room. "Go to the foyer we entered from and down the left hall. The restroom is in the space to the right. Can't miss it."

"Thanks." Bastar didn't bother looking at Briél or Escaylin, moving past them swiftly. He didn't miss how Escaylin flinched as he passed.

Damn everything. If she couldn't make it any more obvious...

He followed his friend's directions and kept his gaze low. He felt eyes on him, and while he felt reasonably calm internally, his mind was racing.

Yes, he needed to get away from this Light-infested dwelling...

He entered the empty restroom and was mildly impressed by its large size. He stood there for a moment, contemplating. A low growl escaped him, and he locked the door, then disappeared.

Appearing near the barrier, he felt far more comfortable. He ripped open an artery of Darkness and entered. It closed quickly behind him.

The moment he entered, he took a deep, desperate inhale. The air was so easy to breathe in. He felt lighter. Licking his lips, he stood still in the purple-hued and literal Darkness, inhaling the sweet tendrils that floated in the very air.

Now, this was a filling meal. He had been so cruelly teased earlier by the Darkness that invaded Alvareon, and it created a deep, painful craving within him that he had to satiate.

As he inhaled, he once again thought about what was left behind on his homeworld.

Damn him and everything he was.

Here he was, so greedily, blissfully devouring that very same thing that for all he knew ruined and likewise consumed all he loved.

Exhaling, he lowered his head. His tongue once more trailed over his lips, but he shut his eyes.

Eating a normal meal wouldn't kill him.

This time, he did growl, but it was unintentional. He wet his lips again, swallowing the Darkness one last time.

He teleported out of the dimension and returned to the restroom.

Exiting, he began to return to the lounge room when he flinched back. Just around the corner was Escaylin. She, too, had stopped.

They were at an impasse.

Right.

He teleported past her, glancing back to see her running away. Sighing to himself, he rejoined his companions. Alecai and Khante were missing, but Briél was still talking to her friends. She gave him a small smile, and he moved to sit near but outside of their circle against the nearby wall. At first, he closed his eyes, but then he risked a glance over at her.

Her expression said so much without saying anything: "Did you eat?"

He looked away, nodding.

He would rest for a moment. Just a moment. Then, he would leave the stifling atmosphere of Light and purity.