I blinked. And blinked again. Pinched myself on the arm to make sure I wasn't dreaming. "Rin?" I squeaked. It was unlike me, but give me a break. Didn't this man die already?
He wiped the tip of his sword against the coat of his recent kill and grunted, hefting a weight I didn't notice from his side. A loud thump echoed on my feet as Arzo's body rolled to a stop at the tip of my boots. His eyes were open but he was conscious. Alive. But his arms were pinned to his sides even though there was nothing binding him up. Rin must have locked his skills. Otherwise, he would already be scheming his way out of this predicament.
A shadow whished over us, getting wider as its owner finished torching the nether beasts and descended by us. Rin's face paled as he craned his neck up to see Haalor touch down. "Is this the one who plays around with forbidden spells?" he turned his head towards Rin who started backing away. "And is this your offering to appease me?"
"No!" I answered before regretting it. My hand scratched the back of my neck, one still slick with nether blood. "I mean, this guy," I gave Arzo's stiff body a prod with my boot. "Is the perpetrator. That guy," I pointed to Rin whose ankle bumped against Haalor's tail and who had never flinched so hard when he realized it. "Is not food. He's..."
"A friend," Rin supplied, giving the Guardian of Darkness a small wave. "Seline, here, didn't feel the need to tell me about you. Still, thank you for answering the summon and for helping us."
"The help is truly appreciated, my lord," Cavya's nearing voice made us all turn towards the langkoor, picking his way over mountains of bleeding carcasses. His boots crunched against severed heads, chipped horns, and fallen flanks. "Rest assured I will tell the Princess to rebuild your Temple in Gabyle myself."
Haalor huffed before lowering his head towards Arzo. Fear flickered in the valdyrsi's eyes, but with his body paralyzed, even his face couldn't betray his emotions. What did Rin do to him? "So you are called...Arzo," he said. "A beautiful name unfit for a tainted soul."
He turned to me. "Let me be the one to pass judgment," he said. "I'll start by devouring this darkness. I admit this kind of intrigues me."
Why was he even asking me? "What are you going to do?" I asked.
"I will start by devouring his soul," the Guardian replied. "Then, I will feast on his body, tearing the flesh from the bones and grinding what's left into ash," he flicked a side glance at me. "I've always wanted to try that with you mortals."
The admittance alone told me he hasn't eaten that many of us. Well, he did come close to doing it to me, so thank heavens he hasn't been able to. I glanced at Arzo, then to Rin. He nodded at me, a grim look twisting his features. I looked at Cavya who merely closed his eyes and fingered his pommel thoughtfully. Around our little circle, adventurers continued yelling. Metal continued clashing against nether beasts' bodies. Magic spells continued flashing in the sky, painting it in temporary sparks.
The veins in Arzo's neck and forehead pulsed. He wanted to speak, to spout more nonsense, but Rin wasn't going to let him. This was the man who caused all of this. The one who tried to kill Rin. Twice. The one who started all of those infestations just so he could resurrect the Monarch. He's the guy who was indirectly responsible for Mirani's death and for the spilled blood of thousands of other people involved or caught up in his mess.
I turned to Cavya. "I have a request."
The langkoor's whiskers twitched. Dust and purple blood matted the fur on his head. Still, he looked as regal as ever. "Let's hear it," he said.
"Make sure the Western Tower's reinstated as a proper territory," I glanced at Arzo who remained like a rock at our feet. "This only happened because life in the Western towns after the war was greatly diminished. I assume there are several sanctions on the territory?"
Cavya nodded at my question. "That's why it was hard for the Western towns to pick up after the war," I said. "In your fear of creating another Monarch, you have inadvertently caused one to go the same path."
The langkoor bobbed his head. "I will also relay this to the Princess upon our next audience after this battle," he said. "It's sure to come. I will inform her of this request and advise her about how we must rehabilitate the Western Tower best."
I lowered myself to a crouch, coming nearer to Arzo's face. Rin's shadow fell over me. His hand clamped my shoulders, ready to yank me away should his control over Arzo slip. "Hear that?" I asked. "You don't need to worry about your home anymore."
I turned to Haalor on my way up. "I don't want to have another pint of blood on my hands," I said. "So, if you agree, I'd like for us to not punish him by death."
Rin opened his mouth to object but I silenced him with a glare. "Please," I said. I just couldn't... "I couldn't handle another death. Please."
Because living in this world was terrifying. Magic might exist and we might get a shot at crafting swords or summoning dragons, but at the end of the day, we could still die. We would still pass on, if one creature breathed so much the wrong way. It's dangerous. I could be in Arzo's place one day, and I wanted nothing more but to ensure I'd never have to see blood again as long as I was able to.
Rin must have read all of that through my eyes because he stepped back. I tucked my slick hair behind my ear. "Eat his memories," I suggested. Guardians could do that, right? "I'm sure that kind of darkness would be enough to sate you. Make sure nothing was left. Let him start a new life, away from all this evil."
Haalor contemplated it. I could still see through the twitch of his head and the lifting of his lips in a snarl that he wanted to pound Arzo. After a while, the Guardian exhaled through flared nostrils. "I will heed your suggestion," he said. "At least I can boast to Lekro how I get to taste a mortal's memories."
Whoever Lekro was, they were about to get an earful. Such a shame. Haalor drew up, planting his front legs on the ground. His slender neck curved as he turned his face towards Arzo. His milky eyes lit up, beaming over us like a theater light. His horn started glowing as well. I watched the fear in Arzo's eyes empty into a blank stare. Within a few seconds, his features relaxed.
Rin blew a breath. "Skill Release," he said. No chains snapped. Not a sound echoed on the plain, no matter how faint it was.
Arzo sat up, eyes wide. He stared at his hands. "What's going on?"
He looked around us, confusion marring his features. I closed my eyes. A blank slate. Now, let him be able to write on it his own words, free from the expectations and horrors of the world.
Cavya stepped forward and took Arzo's arm, helping the valdyrsi up. "Come with me," he said. "Let's get you home."
The langkoor gave us a brief nod as he sauntered off, leading a wiped villain like a lost child. I turned to Haalor. "That concludes my summon," I ducked my head at the Guardian who did the same. "I thank you for all that you've done."
Haalor drew closer and just when I thought he was going to eat me, a cold snout pressed against my forehead. Against his size, my head was the size of a zit. Still, I closed my eyes and caressed his smooth scales. When he drew apart, I smiled. "See you around," I said.
"I do not know what that means," he said. "But I will see you when you decide to call for me."
Before anyone could say that it's exactly what I meant, Haalor launched into the air, driving another strong gust of air in his wake. Just then, a huge cheer echoed through the plain. Karmi's unmistakable voice rang across the gorge. "The Netherside has fallen!"
Relief washed over me like the currents of the river below us. Crashing. Sweeping. Unending.
It's over.
A shoulder pressed against mine and I looked up to Rin's face. He took in the sight with a small smile. Then, he glanced at me, found me staring, and laughed. Just...laughed. It's been a while since I last heard it. Nothing's changed. I still found it the nicest music in the whole world. There had been a time when I thought it to be the worst note to exist, but that's behind me now.
It's behind us now.
"Can I ask how the hell you survived that?" I drove my elbow into Rin's side, nudging his ticklish side. He shied away from me, the shifting worlds doing him no favors in getting rid of his weaknesses. "You scared the bejeezus out of me. Don't do that again."
Rin smirked. "Can't make any promises," he said. "I wasn't known to keep them anyway."
Instead of getting annoyed at that stupid jab, I chuckled. Could you believe that? An actual giggle coming off from me. "So, how did you survive that skill?"
He shrugged. "I didn't shoot myself, apparently," he said. "But if you're asking for the technicalities, I used Life Switch to remove his reach to you. After you were out of the way, I locked his skills. Then, I have you to thank for the last spell."
"What do you mean?" I knitted my eyebrows.
A devious grin spread in Rin's face. "Before I removed Arzo's grip on you, I copied your skills," he said. "Then I spotted something interesting."
My eyes widened when what he's talking about clicked. "Divine Hand," I breathed. "You used that on Arzo?!"
My voice rang across the battlefield, making the nearest adventurers who started cleaning up the mess turn towards us. Rin frowned and mussed his hair. He didn't try to remove his locks from his forehead. About time. "And that's the second time you've withheld something," he said. "I never knew you had a similar skill Arzo used to control people."
Wait. If he was a valdyrsi, then wouldn't he have copied that skill from me when I used it during the Raventhorne games? Was I responsible for my own doom? Really?
"Was Divine Hand in his skills list?" I blurted.
Rin shook his head. "It was under a different name," he said. "I think Dark Magic enables the user to perform the things that are otherwise possible through the magic items."
"You mean to say..." I raised an eyebrow at him. "It's a cheat?"
He snorted. "I would put it that way too," he said. "Look at you simplifying stuff now."
That particular conversation flashed from the back of my memory. That time was something I couldn't believe I'd forgotten until it was brought up again. "What can I say?" I said. "You rubbed off on me."
I happened to glance around us, at the adventurers setting up camp to prepare for the long night. The land still needed to be purified from all of the dark energy, but they'd probably leave it until morning.
"This game has changed so much, yeah?" I said.
Rin nudged my shoulder with his. Just like how he used to when he had to get my attention. "More than that has changed, I think," he said.
I nodded, for once agreeing with him. Whether I liked it or not, I have changed. We both had. I sighed and closed my eyes, letting the motion of the world rock me. Let it remind me that I was still here, that I was still alive.
That I was still me, and maybe a little more now.
When I opened my eyes, I found Rin staring at me. He didn't move in like how he did when we were together, but the softness and the relief in his eyes made me do it anyway. He stiffened when I threw my arms around him, tucking my head on the crook of his neck. It's alright. He was free to be weirded out by all of this. If he wanted to have nothing to do with me after this, it's alright too.
I understood. Took me a long time, though.
But then, Rin melted against me, snaking an arm around my waist. Held me the way he did all those years ago. How much had I thrown away, including this? I never knew how much I needed it. I needed them all back.
Because we've gone against the luck of all lucks, surviving to the end like we had.
Indeed, we have come a long way. We're still here, wherever here was, whatever here meant.
I smiled against Rin, taking in his warmth, his scent, and his pounding heartbeat against my own. Just standing here in each other's arms, buried in a sea of wonder and impossibles, I found myself wanting nothing more.
This was enough.
It should have been, right from the start.