Simon sat on the back of the wagon as the group kept marching on, Theo had gone off somewhere not too long ago and Page had gone to go look for him...so Rav was the one to stay with Simon.
"So what's the plan for when we get to Redwood?" Raven asked him as she hopped up onto the back of the wagon to sit next to him.
"Well, I promised Theo that I would try and talk to Koy...and maybe ask her for a date." He felt his cheeks grow warm as a little blush glowed under his freckles.
"Pfft, With the way she talks about you sometimes I would have thought you two had already been a thing by now." Raven snickered and slid her bag off and set it to the side.
Simon's face grew even redder as he looked up at Raven, "What does she say?" Sure Simon and Koy grew up together, but having loving and romantic feelings for each other was something different.
"Mmmm, I'm not gonna tell you that..your face is already red as a tulip." She teased him as he crossed his arms like an upset child. "All I can say is that if you have feelings for her, it wouldn't hurt to tell her anything. Even if she doesn't feel the same way...you'll feel better when you get it off your chest. Also, I know you well Simon...and you normally don't make bets or deals like that with Theo unless he has to do something equal. What is his part of the deal?" She asked smiling, Simon and Theo always made silly bets or deals from time to time, whether it was to go steal something from a temporal campsite or mess around or pull a harmless prank on a fellow rebellion member; almost like brothers.
Simon smiled smugly as he laughed a bit, "If I can ask Koy out, then he will finally propose to Charlotte...but don't tell anyone, he probably won't do it until after we are all safe and can settle down for a long time. I respect that, I know he's been thinking about it for a long time...but I have faith that he will be able to do it."
"Well, I think that is a fair deal..." She nodded, Simon was right...Theo had often asked Raven and several others that hung around the half-elf about things that hinted to him thinking about asking Charlotte that 5-word question.
"So what's the plan for the first date then?" Raven smirked to which Simon perked up a little defensively but then looked to the side a bit.
"I haven't thought about a place...but if it's at Redwood...then I think it will be at that little gazebo where all those Drape trees are...she's always liked having lunches there, maybe a picnic would be nice." He smiled thinking about it. Man, he was head over heels.
"I bet she'd like that...just know that we've got your back if you need help." Raven patted his back softly to which he nodded.
"Thanks, Rav, I'll keep that in mind for when I mess up...heh."
Their conversation was cut off by a dog barking and running up to Raven, "Haus? What are you doing here bud?" Simon had met the dog before, Raven had always just said that he was just a messenger dog for an old friend, which wasn't a complete lie. She got down from the wagon and petted the fluffy beast of a dog. He whimpered and whined before gently grabbing her wrist guards and pulling her toward a direction.
"Simon, I'll be right back..." She said before following Haus back into the further parts of the cave.
________________________________________
The warmth around Theo made him forget, forget the pain and death. The sickness and all the tragic times of the world and war. Who was he? He barely knew as he remembered all the times he and Ace would go outside and play. He longed to be a child again and just enjoy the sunlight and the sound of his brother's voice.
"You know...You could stay here and not worry about anything ever again..." Ace spoke softly to him as he sat next to him.
"What about the others? What about Charlotte..."
"They could join us...it would be just like old times... without war and pain..."
Theo hugged himself as he thought about it, he wanted that...he wanted life without pain and without having to worry about someone wanting to harm him or anyone he loved.
"Is that possible? For everyone to be safe and for everyone to just live their lives as they were meant to?"
Ace smiled and nodded, "Shake on it?" He held his hand out to his little brother who looked at it and reached to shake it before the whole world drifted away and became part of the darkness.
He felt an ache in his chest and head, his eyes fluttered, and soon the ceiling of the cave. He was so out of breath and felt cold.
"Oh my gosh, Theodore...hey hey, look at me." He knew that voice...it was Charlotte. She held his head in her lap and stroked his hair.
"Hey..." He spoke softly as he raised a hand to her face as tears ran down his face as he remembered. "Char...he was there, Ace...he...he was right there...I-" He slowly sat up and leaned into her chest.
"I know honey, I know...shhh shhh, it's okay, it wasn't real. I know that it hurts but you have to remember that he's no longer with us..." She held him close as he cried.
Theo slowly settled down, Charlotte helping him stand back up. He noticed the several vines that covered the ground and started to creep up his legs. He shook them off. Most of them were burnt or charred, someone must have snapped him out of it by burning those things.
"Hey Charlotte, When you are done you might wanna come to take a look at Koy...She's not doing too well after using that magic." Page said somewhere off to the side.
So Koy was the one to snap him out of it, "Alright, I'll be there in just a second. You think you can walk, love?" Charlotte spoke tenderly to Theo as he nodded and looked over to where Page and Damien were, the two helping Koy sit down...her eyes were pitch black and her breathing labored.
Charlotte walked Theo over to the others and then took a look at Koy, who flinched at every touch. "I said I'm fine... It will wear off in the next few minutes, the visions don't last long the next go around..." She whimpered as tears rolled down her face.
"Koy, I thought you said that the cave doesn't work on a person twice..." Charlotte grumbled concerned as she looked at Koy's hands and wrists as the electric-like bruising had branched down around the joints. "It's just getting worse..." Charlotte muttered.
"Heh, yeah...that might have been a lie..." Koy leaned forward a bit and flinched, "At least this time around...I can hear people in the outside world...I should be able to snap out of this once I have enough mana-"
"No, if you continue to use mana... the hindering spell will just travel further," Charlotte spoke sternly.
Koy's ears folded back a little, the voices of the past collecting in her ears. Theo noticed her body language and gently put a hand on her shoulder, "Thank you for saving me from that...I know that there are probably a lot of memories you are reliving right now...but we will be here for you."
Charlotte and Page took one of Koy's hands each as Damien watched to make sure they were all safe, "Theo is right, We will be here for you...for however long it takes for this to wear off." Page muttered to the shapeshifter who was getting weaker as the moments passed.
"You guys promise to not tell Simon what happened, right? hehe, he'd scold me for doing something this stupid." She lightly smiled, tears rolling down from her still void-filled eyes.
Charlotte took her thumb and wiped her tears, "We promise..." She smiled.
The next ten or so minutes were painful, Koy had to relive all of those memories...even if she remembered them already, seeing and feeling all that pain and fear she felt as a child. The others all tried to comfort her the best they could, stroking her back or hair, but eventually, her eyes returned to that golden starlight color.
She smiled softly before hugging them all, "You want Damien to carry you? I know that had to wear you out pretty good." Page muttered as Koy simply nodded knowing that if she declined that Charlotte would be glaring at her.
The group collected their things and went back to join the rebellion, Koy and Theo both being placed in the back of a wagon...Simon's wagon wasn't very far off.
"Thank you, Koy..." Theo muttered as Koy looked up at him and nodded.
"The least I can do for a friend such as yourself. How are you feeling?"
"Tired, light-headed, upset...but I have to remember that Ace is no longer around...he died when both me and Charlotte were in our younger years."
"I don't think your brother is gone, he probably still watches over you...yes...even tho we loved them in life, we have to let them go...but, sometimes they still linger to help us or guide us. I'm sure your brother does the same." She smiled as Charlotte hopped up into the wagon and let Theo lean on her as she pet his hair.
"I hope you're right, Koy, he always knew what to do when things went wrong...I hope that if he is in fact still here watching us...I hope he's at least proud of what I've done with my life."
"I'm sure he is Theo..." Koy softened and smiled.
________________________________________________________________________________
A Black and Blue haired shadow like a specter from the dark smiled watching them, Koy was right.
Ace was proud of his little brother.
Always has been and always will be, Ace had never truly left Theo's side.