[OLD] Blood On Fire (A Hermitcraft AU)

Chapter Seventeen: Broken

They had gone through the portal, and were on the other side, trying to understand what had happened.

Iskall just stared at the portal, completely lost, with tears streaming down his face.

Impulse and Grian were both quietly crying together and occasionally whispering memories.

Xay was alone, hugging his knees to his chest and lost in his own thoughts while Xisuma sat nearby, clearly wanting to comfort him but feeling too out-of-place to do it.

They were a complete mess.

I'm supposed to be in charge, Impulse scolded himself. I'm supposed to know what I'm doing. I shouldn't just... break like this.

"I'm sorry," Xay's voice sliced through the grief-thick atmosphere. "I-it was my fault- and I- I'm sorry-"

"It wasn't your fault," Impulse murmured. "It wasn't any of our faults- not Xay's, not Iskall's, not Grian's, and not Xisuma's."

"And it wasn't your fault either," Xay reminded him.

But I was the one to suggest splitting up-

"Okay," Impulse agreed, shaking away the thought. "It wasn't anyone's fault."

"I still can't believe it," Grian mumbled. "He's- he's really gone. Hels, the grouch who yells and lectures us... is dead."

"The one who was there for us since the moment we joined The Missing," Impulse added softly.

"B-but-" Impulse sobbed. "I- I don't-"

"Shh, it's alright," Hels murmured. It was the middle of the night, and when Impulse had woken up crying, Hels had come in a matter of minutes.

"C- can't I-"

"Go to sleep," Hels whispered, one hand comfortingly going through Impulse's hair and the other arm wrapped around him, the hand tracing shapes on his back. Impulse sniffed.

"I can't," he mumbled.

"Then I'll stay with you until you do," Hels promised.

And he did.

Two hours of quiet whispering and soothing words, until finally Impulse slept.

And then Hels did too.

Impulse tried to stifle a sob at the memory, trying with no avail. He felt like he was eleven years old all over again, crying over the loss of friendship.

I can't believe he's gone.

Grian felt like he was hollow.

Completely hollow.

Just a husk.

Grian shuddered and drew his knees closer to his chest, burying his face in them, his wings automatically coming in due to the emotions and wrapping themselves around him.

"Spread your arms," Hels suggested.

"That's not going to do anything!!" Grian practically squawked.

"Try it," Hels said unhelpfully. Grian suppressed an eye-roll, then reluctantly spread his arms, feeling like a small child playing pretend.

It wasn't pleasant.

"Wings," Hels commanded, and it only took a couple of seconds before the graceful feathers sprouted.

"Now what?" Grian asked. "I swear, if you-"

"Pretend you're in the sky," Hels interrupted him, earning a groan from Grian.

"You say this every time!!" he shrieked. "And it never works!!"

"Because you're not trying hard enough!!" Hels snapped back. "You really have to feel it."

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"

Hels sighed, then positioned himself behind Grian, wrapping each of his hands around Grian's hands. The bird-shifter stiffened, but Hels didn't seem to notice or care.

"You are flying," his voice was soft, nearly a whisper. "Close your eyes and feel the wind go by."

Grian obeyed, internally grumbling about the stupidity of it all.

"Your problem is that you don't think it'll work," Hels continued, his voice still as light as the feathers Grian's wings were made up of, causing a shiver to go up Grian's spine.

There were so many sides to Hels's personality, and this was a new one.

"Breathe," Hels murmured. "Float on the clouds. Spread your wings..."

"And learn to fly," Grian whispered, knowing the words off by heart.

One silent moment passed.

Then another.

"You can open your eyes now,"

Grian slowly peeled open his eyes, then squeaked in excitement.

Smiling at him was Hels, but...

He was on Hels's arm.

"I DID IT!!" Grian cried, flying up in his bird form. "I FINALLY DID IT!!!"

"Told you," Hels teased, his smile proud and relieved. "Ready to show Impulse and Iskall?"

"Heck yes!!"

Grian sighed softly at the memory. Not loud enough for anyone to notice, but loud enough be there.

I wish Hels were still here.

Xay felt like his heart had just shattered into a thousand pieces.

I only knew him for less than a day, and yet...

I still feel broken now that he's gone.

"I just remembered," he mumbled out of the blue. "W-when Hels- he dropped this..."

Xay held out his hand and opened his fist, revealing a small golden stone. It glowed softly, and Xay had no clue what it was.

"Let me see?" Iskall asked. Xay nodded and pressed the strange stone into Iskall's palm. Impulse and Grian peered at it over his shoulder, while Xisuma came behind Xay and squeezed his shoulder.

"I don't know what it is," Grian admitted after a second.

Another moment passed.

And then Iskall screamed.

"No way," he breathed, one hand covering his mouth. "I- Impulse, do you know what this is?!"

"I..." Impulse trailed off, clearly racking his brain.

"It's a hint," Iskall said breathlessly.

"What is it?" Xisuma asked.

"Guys," Iskall said, ignoring Xisuma's question.

"Hels isn't dead."

:O

Actually- y'all know I couldn't kill HELS- so more like-

-_-

-Storm