Grave bounced from branch to branch as he made his way through the thick forest. It had been a long time since he was able to play within the crowns of some healthy trees.
A once common practice he had done with his brothers back in the village was now just a fadded memory. Despite the fact that he still had a forest surrounding his current home, it was harder to sneak away from the watchful eye of the guards his family had as monarchs. Obstructed by plenty of leaves, he swung, grabbing onto the trunk of the pine. With his axe he slammed the wooden bark, pulling himself up. He climbed and climbed, stopping at the top as he gazed out onto the field. He could see the mountain they ventured on a few days ago, it stood mighty, sporting fresh fallen snow and a thick fog from the clouds. If he squinted enough he could even make out the shape of the path they took to the portal... The portal...destroyed... He felt on odd sensation run down his eyes and cheeks, a burn of sorts, as he remembered what had happened last night in his sleep...Void, he-
"Heyyy! You promised you would teach me how to do that the next time you left!!"
Scout's eager voice echoed throughout the land, making Gravedigger snap back to reality for a moment as he looked towards him from between the leaves and cones. He jumped down and greeted Scout half heartedly, his mind still fixated on his last nightmare... Another one of Void Caster's so called gifts....That portal.. Frost Spirit... Ducky... Sinister...Medic..
Void Reaver...Why?.. He felt his eyes flare up again alongside an anger he had never felt before. Why would you do that? Why would you tear apart the portal so viciously?...Did you not want to see your sons again? Do you hate them that much?... Did that trully mean they couldn't make it back anymore? Failure was already a possiblity even without 'his' uncalled for intermission... Are they actually stuck here forever?
" Wooohooo! Earth to Gravedigger! Respond Gravedigger!"
The young Tower waved his hands wildly in from of the boy's eyes, struggling to catch his evasive attention. The Titan shrugged his thoughts off, finally turning to his friend as the odd feeling fled...On their walk away from the cabin they had reached a lovely clearing near the main village. The vast emptiness of the field surrounded by pines as snow comfortably covered the ground put Grave at ease somewhat. Scout took a seat on an old log that seemed to have been cut many years ago, perhaps back when people still lived in those abandoned homes.
"Ok. We are far enough!" he concluded, beckoning Grave to come closer to him.
The Titan reluctantly took a seat on one of the fallen trunks, waiting for the inevitable discussion his friend had planned for him. Scout kept a firm yet gentle gaze on his younger companion... He had been acting weirder and weirder lately, worrying him to no end..So, it was about time he got some proper answers.
The Tower squeezed the fabric of his ski jacket as he eventually spoke out, "Ever since Ms.V appeared inside that cave, you have been talking to me less and less about what's going on.."
Grave locked eyes with him, his mouth opened for a second but no words came out. Seeing he had yet to get a response, Scout pressed further. "... I know you are not ok! You look so...uneasy and so...scared! You jump at the smallest of sound! You of all people! How could I not be worried?! My friend, my happy-go-lucky, confident friend..is giving me the cold shoulder...and not just me either ...but to everyone!", Scout paused, taking a deep breath, " I...I understand if you are scared, really... I am too. But... You don't have to go through it alone! You have me!.. Your father! Your uncle! And hey, even Commander!...Please.. I.. I don't want to be in the dark again. Especially not about something that might be hurting you... Please."
The northern wind blowing through the trees was all the young man heard for a while. He waited patiently, pleading with his eyes, for his friend to say something... anything..
Yet Grave's red orbs were burried into the ground, not even glancing up..
It seemed like he wouldn't say anything...he really wouldn't huh?... That's ok.. Yeah.. It's ok... Maybe he put too much pressure on him?? M-Maybe he didn't trust him fully.. after all...He is a Tower and all-
"I've been having dreams.. about Void Caster...One more terrifying than the other..."
Scout perked up at the sound of Grave's quiet voice. The Titan still hadn't looked away from the snow at his feet but he continued to explain.
"...Most of them are puppeteered by her...Just gruesome violence... But this last one wasn't a nightmare... It felt different... It was a vision.." he swallowed the lump in his throat as the words he feared took shape, "Scout, I... I don't think we are making it back home.."
"WHAT!? Why!?"
"Void Reaver destroyed the portal back at the base... I don't know why..."
The Tower watched in shock as he recounted the story told by the images that flashed before him. The way Void Reaver slammed Frost Spirit, the way he tore everything apart like a frenzied animal, the same pink veins his father once sported in his horrific nightmare, adorning his grandfather's face as well... Silence settled between them after Grave finished, he finally lifted his head to glance at Scout. His friend had tears forming in the corner of his eyes, his hands were shaking as he fidgeted with his sleeve. Grave got up and grabbed his hands into his.
"... Is t-there any way we could travel even with a b-broken gateway?" whispered the young man.
"Those portals were unstable when they were functional, Scout.. It will be even more dangerous to go through one that is already destroyed..."
"But is it i-impossible?"
Grave tightened the grip on his hands. It hurt him to hear Scout's voice crack under the pressure in his heart,
"...I am not sure" was all he could say.
He let go of his friend's hands as Scout brushed his tears away. He swiftly stood up before muttering, "Then...we have to at least try"
With some hope left in their souls they departed back to the cabin. It took the whole way back for Scout to to convince Gravedigger to explain the situation to their elders. This was no matter they could solve on their own. They needed guidance and some reassurance... desperately needed it..
Upon reaching the cabin, they opened the front door to reveal the adults chatting at the dinner table. Despite the funny banter between Krampus and the Commander filling the room, Fallen could tell something was off about the children. To be expected from Grave, who had been behaving rather odd since his nightmares started and...as much as Fallen wanted for his son to talk to him about them, he never did...They had gotten closer since arriving to this barren land, they actually spent time together which was a first. Not that Fallen wouldn't have wanted to do that before but.. Grave was far too uncomfortable around him... He wasn't going to force him...
Same as now, he wouldn't demand any explanations from his child if he didn't feel ready to tell him on his own...Nonetheless it was beginning to be too evident to ignore just how miserable and drained his boy was feeling... And Scout was surprisingly no different, he had puffy red eyes like he had been crying. This was getting out of hand, the man could tell. And he was not going to let that happen.
"Boys, what got you two looking so crestfallen?" he asked softly, prompting the other two men to stop and look at them curiously.
Grave could feel their eyes stare through them, if he disliked one thing about his father, it was his gaze. Not unkind by any means just, keen enough to read him like a book. He didn't know how to put the bruden they were facing into words and Scout wasn't ready to either. He felt tears prickle at his eyes, a small panic rushing through him. The boy dropped the bag with his axe, walking over to his father and wrapping his arms around his neck. He burried his face into his shoulder as tears finally started to fall. Fallen hugged him instantly, rubbing his back. The other two man could only watch in confusion. Commander looked up at Scout as Krampus turned to check on his nephew, his young soldier was breathing rapidly, his wet eyes evident. The older Tower stood up, pulling his godson into an embrace with his one good arm.
Krampus gently stroked Grave's hair as he continued to sob into his father's arms. "My boys, had happened to you two?"
"I don't k-know if we are going to make it b-back home anymore." answered Scout between faint hiccups.
Commander lifted his chin with his hand lightly, "Why is that?"
The muffled voice of Gravedigger reponded to his inquiry, "...Because they destroyed the portal back at the base."
The man locked eyes with the Titans, who seemed just as baffled as he felt.
Grave lifted his face from his father's shoulder, to look back at him. His son's little red nose and wet cheeks made Fallen's heart shatter. He appeared so distraught and so... young... Just a small boy in a cruel world.. It sometimes slipped him the fact that Grave was only fifteen..such a young child shouldn't carry this weight on his shoulders. He placed a small kiss on his forehead, brushing his tears away with his thumbs.
Despite the heart warming scene, Commander had more important things to get to, "Child, who exactly destroyed the portal?"
Grave gazed between the three adults muttering, "...Void Reaver."
"Father?!" blurted Krampus.
Commander continued his interrogation, a little more taken aback, "H-How do you know that?"
Grave felt himself grow anxious, he knew he had to tell them about her.. but he wasn't sure if he wanted to.
"...There are these nightmares that I've been having... Most are just.. Void Caster messing with me.. This time she showed me a vision...it felt distinct to the others... I saw.. Void break the portal in a fit of rage, Sinister and Frost Spirit trying to stop him...which in turn costed Frost an ugly hit from his grandfather.."
The boy felt his chest tighten at his uncle's reaction. He forgot for a second that Frost was his son... He just told a man, his son got injured by his own father... It broke his heart. Fallen, however, didn't feel pain, he felt his anger from over the years boil up... He wanted to strangle his father for all the heart break he had brought over their lives. This wasn't the first time he had ever hit one of his own... But there were more significant matters at hand so he shook it away.
"Why didn't you tell me she still had contact with you after what happened?" he asked his son firmly. Instead of his anger, his fear rose in his chest as his mind raced at the hundreds of ways his child could have been harmmed by that villainous traitor of a woman.
The boy jumped to defense upon hearing his parent's serious tone, "It wasn't willingly!"
"She could have hurt you! Killed you even! I told you she is not to be played with!" Fallen scolded, his voice booming.
"She never laid her hand on me in my nightmares!...unlike you."
Grave locked eyes with his father as he spat coldly, his agitated state getting the best of him. What stared back at him wasn't an angered King otherwise he would have grown even more irritated. Instead, it was his hurt parent, making him back down.
" Dad, I am sorry, I didn't-"
"...What did you say..?"
Grave tried to back peddle, stepping away from his father, "Nothing! Don't worry about it!"
"Gravedigger... What did I do in that nightmare?"
He stopped, staring back at him. All of them were staring at him... It felt just like the meeting that set off this mission.. Swordmaster accusing him as his words always came out wrong.. As his throat began closing in on itself, his last breath..leaving his..his..
He backed away almost feeling like he was going to pass out from the tense atmosphere. Two arms caught him as he tripped over his own feet. It was his father, holding him close.
Fallen figured out what was going on.. Last time, he just watched as they berated his child, as he ran away in tears, that will never happen again.
He won't let that happen again.
"It's ok, we can talk about it another time...privately." he comforted, calming the ache in his heart as Grave wrapped his arms around him. His adopted child didn't hate him...for that he was grateful.
Commander coughed into his fist to avert the attention from them to him, changing the subject, "Grave, just how wrecked was that portal?"
The child helped his father back on the chair before answering, "Well, the main frame was just about intact if a little dented. The generator from what I remember was gone and so were most of the cables... Oh! And the control pannel was ripped out."
The man clenched his teeth, "Crap.. Ok.. Any chance the transportation would function with just one working? This one here doesn't need a generator or mechanical parts."
".. Technically? I mean...it would be more dangerous since it is probably more unstable.."
Commander sighed, "Alright. We should head there as soon as possible to see what we can do. With Void Reaver around we don't know just how long it would take for him to finish the job... I'd say we go tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow!? You and Fallen are in absolutely no shape to climb a mountain!" objected Krampus.
"I have a broken arm, I am not bedridden! Whether we stay here another few days or not it's not going to make a difference. Our injuries need weeks to heal fully...weeks we don't have! If that crazed father of yours destroys the frame we are as good as gone!"
Fallen clutched his wound mindlessly, he knew in reality it was him who was holding them back.. Commander was right.. He was not bedridden.. If he didn't need to rock climb while traversing that path he could go without much strain...but him? He could barely walk outside for more than a few meters without needing to grab something to hold onto...
He came back into the conversation after his brother loudly explained that it was far to dangerous, prompting the Commander to make a suggestion.
"What if we take the vehicles this time?"
Krampus pinched the bridge of his nose, "I told you the path is too narrow for that!"
"We could still try! We don't know how long we would be up there until the kid can get that thing going! We will need supplies! And we can't carry that much on us alone!", he paused, sighing in annoyance, "Just how narrow is that path?"
Scout thought about it for a second before mumbling, ".. The three of us could walk on it side by side with just a little space to spare"
"Good enough. We will need some precision driving."
"I don't drive and nor does my brother!" exclaimed the eldest Titan.
"You don't, I can't. So it's up to the boys!"
Fallen chimed in turning to the Commander, "Absolutely not!"
Scout tried reassuring the Titan, "It's ok, sir! I have done driving like this before! I can take the jeep and Grave can drive the ATV, it's a little easier to maneuver. Both are built for off road missions!"
Commander looked towards Grave expectantly, "What do ya say kid?"
The boy was still somewhat out of it, his eyes kept darting towards his father but he grasped the essence of the discussion well enough to answer, "Yeah, sure, I can do it.."
"Splendid! Then it's settled, tomorrow at dawn we leave for the portal. We will camp out somewhere around or in that cave until we manage to go back home!" the man concluded.
He grabbed his jacket of off the hanger, beckoning for the boys to follow him outside, so they could begin preparing their remaining supplies. All whilst Grave could look over the vehicles to see if they needed any last minute repairs. The boys left a lot more confidently than they entered, Grave finally brightening up a bit as some adrenaline pumped into his veins. Nevertheless, that was not the case for the two Titans left in the living room of the cabin.
Krampus wanted to go gather some things they might need but his brother's worried look kept him from doing so. His gaze softened,
"Hey, what's the matter with you?"
Fallen stared at the wooden flooring as he confessed, "... Maybe I should stay here. "
Krampus was startled by his brother's proposition, not to mention the nonchalant tone he said it with. He kneeled next to Fallen's chair, a hand placed on his knee,"Look at me! Hey!" He grabbed the man's cheek with his hand turning his face towards him, "What's gotten into you? How could you say that?"
"Krampus, I don't know what to do anymore!" admited Fallen, tears streaming down his cheeks as he broke down, "You heard what Grave said...I hurt him! Everytime... it's me who hurts him! Nightmare or not... W-What if I actually will one day?!... I am starting to believe at this point it's destined to happen eventually...
And on top of that, this wound that forsakens me...I can't climb with it,
you said it yourself... I can b-barely walk...I will only weigh you all down. It would be so much easier for you to go without me..."
The once calm and collected demeanor everybody praised him for, cracked. It was only with Krampus that he shared this vulnerable side of him. His fears, his insecurities..
He really relied on his older brother over the years, there was no one else who could comfort him the way he had always done ever since they were children. When he disappeared Fallen was alone, he had to be the strong one but now, Krampus was here...so he could rest and finally let it out. Sometimes his older brother was even more of a father to him then Void Reaver. Quiet, shaky gasps for air escaped the man's lips as he held onto his flaring injury. He felt like he was going to fall out of his chair. Even crying felt like torture... What good could he be on a breakout mission?
The older Titan instinctively craddled his younger brother into his arms, carefully sitting down on the floor with him. He held onto him tightly as he spoke adamantly, "Don't ever say that again, you hear me?! That boy loves you, he loves you so much! You should have seen his face when he discovered you in that avalanche! He sat anxiously waiting for you to wake up, to finally see your eyes open again...How could you believe he doesn't want you next to him?"
He paused, lifting his brother's face to look at him, pressing his forehead against his, "And above all else...you are my brother! It took three damn years to see your face again, I am not losing that! Not for a second.. should you even consider that I wouldn't stay here forever if there was even the smallest posibility you couldn't come home with us.."
The Commander overheard their conversation, having entered through the back door to get a shovel. He felt compelled by their brotherly bond, one he had once shared with his own younger sibling... After this mission he saw at last that their races weren't so different, it took quite a bit for him to change his view... He had his suspicions about the warnings and tales of his elders, he just needed confirmation... And he got it time and time again. Titans were people like them, they had families too and frankly, he understood Krampus's struggle as the eldest a little too well... So, why not give him a hand?
He intervened taking Krampus's side almost immediately, "We are not leaving without you! We came together here we are leaving together. Those boys didn't sacrifice everything only for someone to still be tapped here! No one's getting left behind! And that's final. Do you understand?" he almost finished it off with 'soldier' out of habit.
Krampus smiled at him gratefully, Fallen just barely lifting his eyes to look at him as he continued a little softer,"And...for what's worth.. I heard that kid...he talks so highly of you. Don't leave him without a good parent, he needs you. "
The man nodded to them before he returned to his initial job, he hated comforting people but this was a moment he just couldn't keep his mouth shut. Both he and Fallen knew Grave had it rough growing up. Every kid deserved at least one good parental figure in their lives and he was going to make sure that boy got one. With that, he departed back to his own 'son', who was now jokingly having a snow ball fight with Grave. When one of their projectiles accidentaly hit him, they stopped watching in horror as the man wiped the snow of his face. He grinned, calling game on and ran after them as their laughter filled the freezing air.
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It was already evening at the base, the sun shining brightly as it made it's last moments on the sky unforgettable with a lovely sunset. On most days Sinister would love seeing it from their castle gardens but today it was different. He wasn't outside enjoying the sun, he wasn't even enjoying life anymore. He just trudged down the hall to the infirmary. A path he had taken one to too many times. These wretched halls felt like a labirinth, all leading to one more victim. This time it was Frost Spirit... He wanted to protect that portal and he payed the price. When he visited not long after the incident, the boy wasn't even talking. It was almost like the first time he had lost his father, he refused to talk for months, barely ate and sat always alone gazing out with a thousand yard stare. How could he let this happen? To him...to his brothers, his nephew! How could Void do something like this?! He knew his father was starting to grow old maybe even senile with some of his remarks but this was unforgivable! As if that portal hadn't tore apart their family already he just haaad to help! Didn't he?! Urgh!!! He wanted to punch a hole in the wall with his pasive anger alone... Creator knows just how much he had tore apart his designated room after putting Ducky to sleep that night. Poor kid was scared for his life. And he hated seeing him like that
Sinister glanced through the window of the hospital room Frost was in. He was comforting his little brother in a tight embrace.. A bandage wrapped around his forehead with a smeer of dry blood on one side, was what he was left with after his brave opposition. He fought for his family but the Creator did not wish to award him for it. These past almost two months had been the worst for their family in a while... And Sinister wanted nothing to do with this damned place anymore... He had told Ducky they were leaving as soon as Frost was walking again... Two days Medic told him... She needed two days to monitor him and then they were gone... They weren't going back to his family's home either not with that monster still around... Maybe visiting Gunslinger wouldn't be so bad.. He could go for a drink or two and the kids needed a change of scenery after this whole mess, Molten included, he wasn't leaving him behind..
Their family was torn to shreds what did they have to lose if they left?
Sinister made up his mind as he knocked on the door, he put on his best fake smile and entered to see his nephew and son. He greeted them warmly despite the turmoil in his soul, his brothers were gone...he was the sole parent now.. No one to guide him.. To help him... These kids relied on him and he wasn't going to let them down... Not again..
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Author's note: A new word record at over 4k! And we are almost halfway through the story! :)
Expect slightly longer word counts since I don't want 200 chapters on this book and we still have quite a way to go! Also new cover since the story changed a good bit since I first started it and the old one just didn't fit anymore! See you all in the next update!