Chapter 464 (1/2)

Tziech found it ironic that the cold numbness that had been killing him was the only reason that he survived that explosion of energy. Whereas that energy was heat and violence, the cold in him was stillness and silence, acting like an anchor that kept him on track in the midst of a storm.

Still, his wounds… were not mild. And the exposure to that violent energy had done him no favors in terms of life expectancy. It was a testament to the physical power of his body, more than anything else, that he maintained even a flickering spot of life after that explosion.

The world around him was silent and still, and it reminded Tziech of the Sprrigits’ Frozen Globes, that were generally landscapes in small glass spheres that you could shake and spread glitter or miniature snow over the scene. Around Tziech, the ground was oddly… cleansed, most of the strange mist in the area destroyed. The sky was free of the mechanical crows.

The large floating crystals had turned into wisps of light like clouds that drifted across, the only movement in a dead place.

Only 10 seconds after the strange energy reaction ceased, there was a flicker from the crimson pillar, and the Thief once more appeared, her face twisted in too many emotions to understand easily. Her face was a marsh of inner conflict, but when her eyes located Tziech, all that fell away and she gasped softly, rushing to his side.

Tziech wanted to say something, reassure her, give her a clue that he wasn’t fine, obviously, but he was as well as could be expected. All things considered, Tziech held no unwillingness in his heart towards the Progenitor’s use of them. This world had been cleaned out through the process. When he was given the powder, the Progenitor’s Voice was very clear of the danger.

Also, she specifically looked Tziech in the eye and informed him he likely wouldn’t return from this mission. Tziech said nothing, just holding her gaze.

To Tziech’s surprise, two fat tears ran down the Thief’s face, dripping and touching his ripped leather armor.

“You can’t do this to me.” The Thief said softly, holding onto the edges of his clothing.

In his mind, Tziech always had a strange suspicion that there was… a possibility, a possibility only, that he and the Thief could be… could be something. That they could step away from their roles in the larger world and just be themselves, let nature take its course… perhaps raise a family…

But now…

Ponderously, Tziech blinked. The Thief blinked in response, then smiled bitterly at him. “I can almost hear your voice. Finish the job, you seem to be saying. And you are right. This… the Progenitor didn’t want this. He didn’t want our world to be invaded by his enemies.”

The Thief produced a spear, covered in tightly interwoven runes, and pointed it at the sky. Then, forcing her energy into it, it began to emit a suction force. Those wisps of clouds in the air were slowly drawn downwards towards it, swirling towards the tip of the spear. For several long minutes, the Thief stood there, intently focusing, dragging these… remnants into the spear.

Tziech found it oddly peaceful, the world floating downwards, drawn into a singularity, before vanishing forever.

‘Will I go there, when I am no more?’ Tziech wondered, staring at the point of the spear. ‘Such an end, to drift along with the migration of clouds… is truly a gentle way for death to take me.’

But before he allowed the insistent tugging at the edges of his consciousness to pull him away, Tziech reached up, moving his left hand. It took everything he had inside of himself, moving slowly, raising and reaching towards the Thief’s back, who continued to diligently absorb those wisps of clouds.

Tziech did not want to distract her, but he did not want her to leave this place without… a reward was the wrong word, and she would never consider it a gift. Even a token of remembrance was a moniker that would likely have the Thief furiously kicking down his gravestone. But…

Well, maybe he simply wanted to touch her, one last time.

His outstretched fingertips brushed the back of her cloak, lightly, and something passed out of him then, a core of energy that had been donated to him by the Progenitor. It was a powerful thing, that let him move without fear through the Aether Thrall’s lines. Who knew how it would manifest for the Thief, but now, at least, she would be well prepared for what was to follow.

Then his arm dropped, such a noise that Tziech briefly worried the Thief would be distracted, but it seemed the labor of absorbing those wisps was enough to cover up the noise. Satisfied, Tziech looked meaningfully down at his right hand.

His palm was cracked, a black circle of flesh in the center of his hand. Even now, he could watch thin tendrils of black corruption spreading from that central region, writhing outwards like eels.