Stars that Fall to Earth

The Sinkhole

Augustine's POV.

Enit and I have been outside the barrier for a while now. I just hope I can get back on time.

"So... Do you actually know where the cave is?" I ask.

"Kind of. Just keep in mind that I was kind of insane for the majority of my life." Enit reminds me.

"True."

We wander further into the beautiful and alien forest, not knowing what to expect.

Tropical and exotic birds sing their songs as we pass.

A bright red snake glares at me from its flowery hiding place above our heads.

"Augustine. Look."
I pause to see Enit pointing at a gigantic sinkhole with a familiar look to it.

Only because it's the same one I lived in for hundreds of years back on Truvius. But the wall in the back is collapsed over something, and I've tried to excavate it but to no avail.

"Oh hey I know this cave." I blurt plainly.

"Of course you do."

"And I'm assuming that you've already figured me out."

"Huh-"

A giant talon shoves me off the cliff and into the cavern below, lined with vines and tree roots poking through the cave walls.

I tumble down to the cold and hard ground, a painful bruise on my foot and aching from the bite on the other.

After realizing what he's done, I look up to see the same Enit, back in his maskless
Mirror Worlder body.

"Wait. You haven't?" He says, his brow furrowed in a surprised knot.

"What... What do you mean? We're friends, right?" I manage to cough out.

I hear him whisper to himself.
Oh my gosh you have to be KIDDING me...

"What??" I yell, my breathing labored.

"I was never your friend. I even dropped you hints." He hisses, making me feel more hopeless than ever.

I guess he was waiting for me to fight back by the look in his fearless eyes.

"Sure, you brought my sanity back from where ever it went, and I did actually consider joining you, but I'd rather keep my hide clean than staining it with the rancid musk of friendship."

Words cannot describe how I feel. I know that we haven't even known each other for that long, but if he gets what he wants...

"And Opala promised me a life on the outside of this horrid dimension. But I don't need her to achieve that."

I stay silent, and look him in the eye.

"...Why are you staring at me like that? Aren't you mad that I betrayed you and your dumb army?" Enit tests.

But I stay quiet.

"Say something for Nova's sake."

But no words come out.

"I SAID SAY SOMETHING." He screams, scaring off a flock of birds.

Whispering my words, I gaze into his eyes.
"Please don't leave me behind."

He stares at me like I'm the mad one.

"Out of all the things you could have said. You choose the one that'll get you killed the fastest."

"I can't do this again." I murmur, earning a confused look from the traitor above me.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"I can't take much more of this."

"What?" An even more confused look spreads across his face.

But it's true.

"Please. Don't leave me."

"Mmm. A bit too late for that. I had Ophidialyn put a little curse on this cave that makes it impossible for you to escape. But if I were to go down, I could easily get out. So it's just you." Enit sneers.

He turns to leave.

But I am nowhere near finished with him.

My heart thumps in my chest, begging to leap out.

I close my eyes.

And spread my wings.

It's worth a shot.

The wind sifts through my feathers as I leap into the air.

Strong.

That's what I am.

I open my eyes to see Enit still walking away.

My words come out as a snarl.
"It's never just me."

The look on his face when he turns around is one I wish to frame.

Only because you can see me flying in his eyes.

But the look fades away as he shifts into his reptilian body, and proceeds to leap at me.

At the last second, I warp away, tricking him to tumble into the sinkhole.

After the dust settles, I hear him scrambling to get back to the surface. He even begins to dig, but to no avail.

He roars in fury as he realizes how hopeless his situation is.

If only he could remember that he had wings.

"You'll pay for this, Augustine. I'll bite you again. But next time it won't be on your foot. I'LL KILL YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO. I WILL. I WILL.
I WILL."

He thrashed around and roared some more, but to think that he was the one who bit me...

...What a jerk.

I silently spread my wings, and fly back to Nočna Morá.

The siege begins now.