»»-----ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟᴏᴜᴅꜱ------►

Part 5 - ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ -

" Well isn't that just perfect?"

Illubic grumbled under his breath as he stared up at the massive shadow passing over them, its long, insect-like legs protruding in dozens across its body. Needle-sharp barbs ran down each limb, glinting ferociously in the fading light, despite being consisted of solidified shadows.

As the creature passed over them, dark particles trailing behind it, Illubic sucked in a breath. Even though he had been born into a world filled with these horrifying monsters, it would never dampen the wave of nausea that washed over him every time he caught a glimpse into its singular, pearl-blue orb for an eye.

The blood-red light that soon followed any unfortunate soul...

No.

Illubic yanked his friend to duck behind a crumbling pillar as the dragon began to growl in content.

Prey, it must've thought, as a flashing beam of red fixated on a shimmering manta, twirling in the air without a care in the world.

One breath.

That was all it took before the manta was engulfed by darkness. Illubic watched with gut-wrenching pain as the manta's light disappeared in a flash. The dragon roared, the shrill sound ringing in their ears and banging on their eardrums so hard they might as well have exploded. The gust of wind that followed threw their capes into a flurry; a blur of black and white.

Steady.

Ilubic dared a glance at the now-empty building before them, turning back to his friend.

"Okay... here we g- "

He paused as he found Avojol leaning against the wall, his eyes glued to the floor. The poor child looked as white as his cape. His breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling erratically.

Illubic had to shake him multiple times to get Avojol to meet his eyes. When he finally responded, his eyes welled up with tears. Illubic gripped his shaking hands as Avojol choked back a sob. Illubic held on to him, wrapping him in a comforting embrace.

He glanced back again. The dragon was coming dangerously close.

" Avojol, please, we have to go now, "

He desperately whispered his plea, but he didn't budge. His heart was starting to pound in his throat as he heard the faint growl of the dragon behind them.

"Avojol!"

He jostled his shoulder. He collapsed to his knees as the rumbling grew louder.
Illubic muttered a curse, swallowing the rising bile in his throat. It was now or never, he internally screamed before sweeping Avojol off the ground and taking to the skies with a mighty flap of his raven wings.

They both crashed on the opposite side, Illubic breathing heavily in relief. He had barely missed the dragon, only managing to graze it. Avojol face-planted into the earth, groaning in absolute misery as he picked himself up from the soil.

Illubic stared up and gave a silent prayer to whatever elder helped him survive the crazy risk he just took.

Avojol held his head in his palms, the colour slowly coming back to his features.

" You... good? "

Illubic lifted him by the waist, placing him down tenderly. Avojol was as fragile as a butterfly wing, his legs trembling so hard a calm breeze would have been enough to knock him over. Illubic silently placed his head upon his shoulder, knowing that he needed support.

" I'm sorry, "

He mumbled into Illubic's shoulder when he recovered from the shock. Honestly, Illubic didn't know how long he had been holding the other. All he had been focusing on was the warmth of breath against his neck and the soft glow of his cape. The air stirred around them in quiet circles, tossing fine grains of sand in a graceful dance. Somehow, being next to him purified the tainted air.

He could stay by his side forever...

" It's alright, "

He purred, not realizing that he was staring.

Avojol did, though, and his cheeks dusted with pale pink. He took a small step backwards, shutting his eyes and letting the air fill his lungs. Illubic watched with fascination as his cape and hair glowed in time with his actions.

When he opened his eyes, there was the same glint of determination Illubic had felt before their journey into the darkness.

The same light that gave him the courage to try.

However, even with all the hope the two shared, Illubic's mind couldn't help but wander off into that deep, dark void.

The calm before the storm.

---------------------> ♡ <-----------------------

[Hey :)
Really want to apologize for being unable to update my book often, as well as the fact that my story structure is just slowly dwindling. I don't think that I'll be able to keep up the same energy in my writing for later chapters as I did with the beginning of my book, and I hope that all of you will still enjoy it. Thanks for reading again, it really means a lot to me. ♡]

cover design - Sky Cotl
chapter photo - Sky Cotl

- all screenshots, original characters and headcanons from/of the game are mine.
- all credits go to Sky: Children Of The Light/TGC.

♡ Thanks for reading♡