A cough left my throat as I stared out into the desert, an ashen taste filling my mouth. But, such were the desert lands of Tercia, so thick and filled with Dust. It coated everything, from the rectangular buildings to the blackened sand, to my very skin, sticking and darkening my sweat.

Panting, I lifted my ponytail from my neck, fanning the back of it. Not that I minded the heat. After all, how could I, being the great Basilisk Demon I was, but it was still infuriating to feel my hair clinging to my skin, and I tied the ribbon around it tighter.

"Meh," I muttered to no one in particular, walking around the other end of a dune to watch an Eunsi woman cart a jug of water on her head, off to someone who would no doubt filter it for consumption. "At least I'll only be stationed here a few more months. Then home it is."

"My home, you mean. The one you stole."

Are you really talking again? My eyes rolled at the sound of the Eunsi woman speaking in the back of my thoughts. I yanked at the bond harder, trying to nip it in the bud before the girl did much more than that. I specifically remember telling you not to do that.

Besides... A smirk pulled at my cheeks. How can it be your home if you've never lived in it? It's quite clearly mine. My body, my sister, and, whether you like it or not, my life!

A fiery rage spread along the bond, fueled by hatred and dampened with tears. "Damn you, Serpent!"

I'll take that as a compliment, and now—

I reached for my magik, feeling Celine's Will, sharp and cold like a holly branch on the first frost. The more I pushed my energy at it, the more it flickered, until both the bond, and her rampant emotions were out of her control. Which was much better, because I had a mission to do.

Or a little pretend mission, anyway. I snickered to myself as I watched another Eunsi land on the flattened roof of a building none too far away, the talon on the back of his heels catching the sand brick to ease his landing. I could still remember standing before the king of Ulnter, watching the Bear Demon's flat expression with my own bemused one.

"Mistress Eldrazi," he'd commanded, because that was all he could see me as. He had no clue what I looked like under the illusion I was forcing Celine to hold over her skin, making it my own. "I was told you demanded an audience with me to request... a job?" He raised a dark brow, a bare foot tapping the floor impatiently.

"Yes!" I'd clasped my hands, pacing around the long rug spread before his throne. "You see, we do happen to be in the midst of war for some reason or another..."

"For some reason?" The king had baulked. "The Cearte are trying to replace all positions of power. The Dragons were taken out, their purpose was served, and now they're working with the Eunsi nobles to usurp me claiming it's the Goddess' Will!" His long nails raked at the seat of his throne, a low rumble echoing in his throat. "Liars."

"Right, right. History." I waved it off. I hardly cared what race did what anymore, except when I got to watch from a distance, which was exactly what I was here for. "Well, it just so happens that I'm in a bit of a debt at the moment, so perhaps we can help each other. I go to Tercia and give you any little details I can find on this Eunsi coup, you gift me a few gold coins, and surely, we can work something out, no?" I had tipped my head at him, the yellow glint in my eyes reflecting off his own.

And the man still didn't know I'd been an Eunsi all along.

Or in one, anyway. I was hardly Celine, and she was hardly me. Such was the strange little race I'd created, so equally unique and hated.

Quietly, I poked my head around the corner I'd been pressed behind, my tongue flicking out of my mouth to check for others. But, aside from the bitter taste of Dust, there was no one, and I continued out into the middle of the desert alone. After that, I plopped myself down on the sand, not much to do. After all, I'd already hidden in Tercia this entire life. I didn't have to actually spy on the race I already was. Just waste enough time here pretending, then go back to Ulnter, tell them what I'd "learned", and be handed a sack of coins.

Then I'd have enough to take her to a wandering apothecary.

Yet again, I found myself tugging out one of the knives around my belt, holding it out and watching the sunlight glint off its carved edge. I pinched each side, letting it spin around in my fingers even as the one end drew blood.

"What's this?" I'd asked the Eunsi girl. Aimée. That was her name, and she was my sister, for now.

"It's knives, because it's your birthday, and I know how much you love violence!" She'd shouted the last word with a giggle, rolling over on the mat I'd laid out for her on a shaded patch of sand, brown wings poking out awkwardly behind her as she continued to laugh.

"Yes violence!" I cheered, laughing with her. Then that had died off, and I'd continued to stare at the weapons she'd handed me. They certainly were shiny. "But... I don't really have a birthday?" Or maybe I had far too many by this point. I didn't know. I'd stopped counting a long time ago. "And even if I did, why give me anything?"

The girl's mouth had dropped open, and she'd put her taloned hands on her hips. "You have to have a birthday because you were born today, amdain. That's why you get presents, because you're older. And look!"

She'd leapt across the mat, hopping into my lap to point at the carving on them. "I found an Eunsi who knew Ulnte, and he wrote your name on it in the nice Demon language!" The little girl wrenched her head up to smile at me, her blond curls bouncing with her. "Because you have a... because you got a weird tail sometimes, and you said you're secretly a—"

Her words had been broken up by a thick bout of hacking, and for some reason, I felt the need to shove the memory away, my heart clenching at the reminder of her illness.

"But why?" I muttered, continuing to stare at them. "Why would you celebrate being alive?"

It made no sense, like most things, really. Why would you get gifts for sticking around yet another year? Didn't people know how horribly boring it all became in the end, every day the same in and out routine, dancing around and around all to avoid the call of Astren.

I shuddered, even under the sickening heat of the Tercian sun. It was all too easy to remember the realm of the dead, with its void-like touch. Not hot, not cold... but pure emptiness. Nothing to see, or do, or smell, or taste. Only the feeling of ashes forever choking you, and your thoughts to comfort you.

And they hardly comforted for long.

No. I wasn't going to get stuck there again, and neither would Aimée. Five months. Then I would return to Ulnter, get my wages, and take the girl to a wandering apothecary, since any other healer had to be occupied in the war. Maybe Aimée could take the rest of the funds and get herself a house or something so she wouldn't be stuck out on the streets with me. I didn't know why I was so set on doing things for the girl when she was just another person on this planet. I must've met hundreds over the years. But...

I want to do that much for her, before I kill myself again.

Because, after that, I was pretty bored of this place, and knew everything about it. But, maybe with another trip to Astren, another Eunsi soul for another illusion to look like my old self, and I'd forget enough to make existence seem worthwhile for another few years. So long as I didn't get stuck with a Human. That would be the worst. I wouldn't be able to look even half as nice.

"Are you enjoying yourself out here?"

I don't know when I closed my eyes, but the familiar voice made me snap them open, my tongue flickering out to catch the taste of fur and sweat. My lip curled at the familiarity, and I pushed myself up to see the grey-haired girl behind me. A red ribbon was tied around her head, her wolfish ears and tail flicking behind her in predatory amusement. But what caught my attention the most was a spear in her hand with a blackened tip.

"I was, actually." I pushed myself up off the sand, quite glad that my knives were already out. "I'd actually love to keep doing so, if you don't mind. See, I have a mission to do, so if you want to just run along..." I held out two fingers, moving them like running legs to show exactly what I wanted out of her. "Or should it be more like this?" I smirked and moved my other hand to add two more legs in a sorry semblance of a wolf turning tail. "Or maybe—"

"Shut up!" And then Tachir' had her spear at my throat, the tip fascinatingly pointy... except that I wasn't ready to have it dig into my flesh quite yet. "I am so sick of you!"

"Sick of me?" I cocked my head, giving her the same sweet smile I would anyone else. "But Tachir', I give you so much business. Surely, you're indebted to me by now."

"You think I want to spend all of eternity doing this same back and forth?" She grit her teeth, fangs bared as she pressed the spear just a little deeper until I got a nice sting. "When are you going to learn to stay down?"

I stuck out a forked tongue with a grin. "Never."

The tip dove into my throat.

It burned. It burned so badly as pain like fire raced along my neck, weaving through my nerves. Still, as much as I choked, feeling a wet warmth seep along my jacket collar, I hardly let it deter me. "So no running then?"

"You betrayed the Goddess, and you've betrayed this world. I'm done letting you kill it," the Demon stated, as boringly stoic as ever. "I will never run."

"Very well." And then I lunged, aiming the knife at her side.

Tachir' ducked back, and I saw her eyes shifting from their usual yellow to a brisk blue glow as the air grew unnaturally warm around her.

Vaeloc, I thought as the girl readied her stance, bare feet digging more assuredly into the sand. She's going to use her magik again.

The spear was quickly drawn back, then thrust at my head. I managed to roll to the side, swivelling on my heel to swipe the knife at her calf, but she only flipped the wooden end around to knock my weapon to the side, as if she'd known where I was going to strike even before I did.

Immediately, I went to draw my other knife, but even as I stood there panting, it was the same dilemma as ever.

How was I supposed to beat someone who could see the future?

She lunged forward again, and I tried to lean back, but a hot, sharp pain was driven deep into my ribs, cut with a stone that wouldn't allow it to heal. That was removed, and another slash carved agonisingly down my tail, then my arm...

It should've been fun. It was always fun, playing chase with Tachir' life after life as she came after me, hunting me until I was caught. Sometimes she killed me, other times I got the better of me first, and yet, as another tortuous spike was driven through my lungs, for some reason, all I could think about was a brown-winged Eunsi girl, waiting on the streets for me. Because I'd promised her big sister would return to her. Then we'd get an apothecary, a house, food...

I don't know why I promised those things to her. Of course, it was to make her smile, but that meant nothing really. She was just a person. She wasn't even really my sister.

Blood seeped from my chest, and my eyes fluttered as I tried to keep them open. It was hard though, and part of me didn't think I was going to make it back to the girl.

Which felt familiar, actually. It felt like there was another girl I was supposed to be protecting too, but that one was fuzzy, growing fuzzier the more the spear was driven through my ribs. My heart was beating fast now, feeling like it was going to burst, and I could sense the illusion dropping: my skin changing from a dark tan to pale, my chest that of a woman's, brown wings appearing at my shoulder blades... although I didn't think I would look like Celine much longer. I didn't think anything was going to last much longer.

And it was all Tachir's fault.

I glared at her, the woman who'd made it her business to do nothing but watch the future, awaiting my return. What a petty waste of life. At least live if you were going to live. That was my mentality. "How dare you," I growled, wrapping my hands around the spear.

"What's the matter?" she raised her brows, bringing her face close. "I thought you said last time that you loved this part?"

Something about the taunting in her voice sent rage spiralling through me, and I tore at the magik my chest, wrenching it to my command. I thrust it at the sturdy, solid feeling of her Will, coating it, smothering it, yanking at her magik like the reins of a cart. Part of me wondered what it looked like on her end, if it made her suddenly see flickers of the past, the present, false futures that would never come to be... All I knew was that when I touched anything, it fell apart into pure chaos, and as the Demon's furry tail bristled in panic, her grip slackened, and I grabbed her shoulder to pull her close.

"I said I wasn't ready yet."

My fangs sunk into her flesh, and despite her screaming, her claws digging into my arms to draw even more blood, I refused to let go. I didn't let go until we toppled over, and we were no more than two women, bleeding out onto black sand.

"You... you bastard!" The Demon screamed, finally wrenching herself away. She didn't get up though, and as her breathing sped up into rapid pants I could tell my venom was doing its work. "Now we both die!"

"Perfect," I replied, far too cheerfully as I rolled onto my back, staring up at the sun. "Then I come back, you don't, and I do as I please."

The panting grew heavier. "I will find you again, Eldrazi. I won't stop until the Dust has been vanquished, and you along with it."

Not this mantra again. I tried not to roll my eyes. I didn't know when the girl had come to blame me for all that was wrong with the world, always 'gods this' and 'gods that', but I was rather tired of it. "Can't I just die in peace, Tachir'. Just once?"

I didn't get a reply.

Which was rather annoying, that she had had the luck to perish first. I wished that were me, though I knew I only had a few more seconds, given the splitting agony in my lungs and the feeling of fire coursing within my veins. It was certainly a glorious end, just as I would've liked.

Except that for some reason, there were tears streaming down my cheeks, knowing that somewhere, my little sister was forever waiting for my return, and half my mind was weeping of a life she'd never lived being taken so freely away.

☽◯☾

"I should've been the one to die."

The words echoed again and again through Eldrazi's thoughts, each one making him pace antsily within Gavin's mind. The boy'd been out for hours now, but he'd seen the way the boy's emotions had shifted, the thin lines of fog turning to a deadened black as his thoughts repeated the same, never ending loop before he'd finally passed out.

"But 'e should be fine," Eldrazi muttered, hearing the sound echo throughout the dark, empty room. After all, Gavin wasn't here to hear him, lost in a dreamless sleep while all Eldrazi could do was sit and wait for him to stir.

"'E's supposed to be fine!"

He whipped around, tail flicking impatiently as he looked at the wisps of emotion around him, held so tightly. Blue furls of sadness, pumpkin strands of guilt, and black... so much black.

There hadn't been this much in so long. Not since Niamh had led them straight to the Cearte. Not since Gavin had watched the girl die, only to be tortured every sickening day after.

Not since he'd held a knife to their wrist, demanding for Eldrazi to let him run it through.

So 'ow? Eldrazi asked, continuing to watch the tendrils of emotions writhe under his magik's hold. 'Ow can 'e still feel the same way after I took it all? It didn't make sense. He couldn't mourn Talus; he wouldn't let him, and if Gavin couldn't feel sadness, that would make him happy. That would keep them alive.

So why did he hate himself so much more for it?

Finally, Eldrazi sat, watching the colours thrash about. They were meant to be a fog, like any other Will, but that would mean letting the sadness consume him, and Eldrazi couldn't let that happen. Even the phantom echo of Gavin's voice, screaming for death was enough to stir a tight fear in Eldrazi's lungs. The boy deserved to live. He had to live.

Eldrazi's grip on the magik tightened, the thread running even thinner, to the point they looked as though they would break.

"You controlled him."

No! Eldrazi snapped, even though Aoife's voice was no more than a memory, already fading. It's not control! I wouldn't control anyone.

And yet, that only reminded him of hundreds of more souls, all cast aside without a second thought. He frowned, guilt weighing at his stomach. But that'd simply been other lives, coming back as he always had and always would. That wasn't... wrong. That wasn't control, he didn't think. He'd simply been messing with their lives. Right, that was better.

Unless it wasn't.

Eldrazi blinked, and his chest grew tighter, a shaky uncomfortableness settling over his bare forearms and prickling at the hairs on the back of his neck. Curious, he inched a finger, urging a blue thread forward to twirl over the back of his hand. He watched the glow bounce off his dark skin, highlighting the black Mark of a snake there.

Was it wrong?

It was hard to see how it could be. Being upset was clearly bad, and if he could fix that, that was a good thing. It was like hugging someone if they were sad, except his hugging method had been far more efficient.

"I should've been the one to die."

A frustrated cry tore from his throat, and if there was a rock in front of Eldrazi's boots, he would've kicked it, but the boy's mind might as well have been Astren for how pure black it was with nothing to surround him. Nothing except the boy's emotions, all held nice and neat under his command.

"You know, I think it looks pretty good on you, Aoife."

"The point is I didn't ask for it."

The frown settled in deeper, and Eldrazi's jaw clenched. "Is that it, then?" His fingers closed over the glowing line of blue, but they passed through, the substance little more than air. "Would 'e feel better if I didn't 'elp?"

But mortals did so many foolish things when they did as they pleased. Not that Eldrazi was one to complain, since it was certainly entertaining to watch, but he himself only indulged out of pure amusement. Usually, on the opposite end, people actually... suffered when things happened: when loved ones passed, when they got sick and felt stress and fought for their lives and starved and cried and begged for it all to get better.

And yet without that, the boy didn't want to live at all.

"Huh."

Perhaps he should add it to the list of things that didn't make sense. Still, he pushed himself off the absent floor of this place, taking one last glance at the lacklustre surroundings. He leaned down, brushing nonexistent dirt off of his baggy, sage green pants. "Well, I did say whatever'd make 'im happy. 'Ow backwards this silly kid is."

A shudder ran through him as he closed his eyes and held out his right arm, reaching for his magik. Most Demon's Marks glowed when they called out to their god, asking to borrow from his Will, but if anything, Eldrazi's only grew a deeper black the more he delved into his own, chaotic core, feeling it twitch. He focused on that, trying his best to steady a breath that was only growing more spastic the more he let go, the tension easing in the air around him. Because it would be fine. Gavin would be fine. He trusted him enough for that.

His dark brown hair began to whip about, lopsided bangs tossed around in a roaring force that only continued to grow. The headspace was changing now, the dark, void-like appearance filling as the wisps of smoke expanded, spreading to patches of black, segments of orange, all sitting in a realm of blue, because there was so much blue now. It covered everything, enough to seep into Eldrazi's lungs and squeeze at his very heart.

"...'Drazi?"

At first, it sounded like a thought, but the more Eldrazi listened, it was more like a voice, soft, quiet, and right behind him.

"Gav?"

He turned, and the boy was there, almost ethereal in the way he seemed only very nearly opaque, and face contorted in a way that brought Eldrazi to a standstill.

"Why... does it hurt?" he asked, and Eldrazi could see the boy's eyes puffing red, tears beginning to stream down his pale cheeks. "Eldrazi, it hurts so much."

Eldrazi's hands trembled at his side, and suddenly he was bursting forward, throwing his arms around him. He was so small, and Eldrazi sank to his knees to hold him tighter, curling his tail around his back. He didn't know why Gavin was here at the same time as him, perhaps because they were both unconscious for once, but Eldrazi couldn't be bothered to care. Gavin was crying, shaking as he lifted his own arms to clutch him tight.

"I'm sorry," Eldrazi whispered, and he lowered his head into his shoulder, pressing his face against Gavin's cloak.

"It's not your fault, but..." He shook again, and an ugly sob reached Eldrazi's ears, followed by his voice, completely choked. "He's dead, Eldrazi. And I don't even know if he was Human enough to reincarnate." There was a sharp gasp for air. "I'm never going to see him again."

"I know. I'm sorry," he repeated, reaching to drag a hand through the boy's hair, equally thin and soft. Part of him desperately wanted him to take the emotions back, because this felt so, so incredibly useless, but there was nothing he could do now but sit and wait.

"Eldrazi." Gavin let go, drawing back to wipe at his eyes, so green, so much like his mother's. "He- he said he liked me. He held my hands and he told me he liked me. I mean, I knew he did, but I thought it was just like— I thought he meant..."

Something half like a cry, half like a scream left his throat, and his hands balled up, clutching at the sides of his head. "I think I could've loved him, but now it's too late, I'll never know, and it's all because I couldn't feel anything!"

"Gavin, I—"

The boy tore his gaze up, and the way he stared at Eldrazi's face made him feel as though he could see through to his very soul. "Why Eldrazi? Why am I so heartless that I couldn't bring myself to care? What's wrong with me?"

"I..." Eldrazi swallowed, his throat locking up, speaking far more difficult than usual, which was strange, because that'd never been an issue before. Yet every word was a struggle as he reached a hand forward, placing it in front of Gavin. "Nothing's wrong with ya. Nothing 'as ever been wrong with ya. I... I was messin' with your Will."

"What?" he whispered, the crying sharply broken off as he squinted at Eldrazi through the tears.

"I was 'olding onto your emotions. I thought, I was scared that—" Suddenly his lungs demanded a deep breath, and he was forced to take it before he could speak again. "I've been doing it since Niamh brought us to Lorne, when the guards were draggin' us off to Malin and you took my... your mother's knives and tried t—"

Gavin's head snapped sharply to the ground, and the blue fog around them flashed to a thick pink and harsh red. Embarrassment and anger. "I said I was sorry for that."

"Gav, I'm not blamin' you. You weren't in a stable state o' mind then. I'm sayin' that I didn't want you to get 'urt. It... was for your safety."

"My safety?" Gavin shouted, and then he was up, eyes wild with fury that Eldrazi had never seen him with before. "I thought there was something wrong with me! I thought I was heartless. Evil! Some... some kind of monster that hurt so many people and couldn't feel a thing!"

"Gavin..." Eldrazi warned, lifting a hand to somehow try and calm him. Worry was spreading through him now, along with a second feeling that he couldn't quite place. Whatever it was, it was making his fingers tremble and his feet take a step back, his tail curling around his ankles. Because Gavin was always so understanding, so reasonable, and he never, never targeted Eldrazi. Not like this. "I swear, I was tryin' to keep you safe."

"Me?" Gavin demanded, throwing a hand against his chest. "Or yourself? You're worried that I'm going to try to off you? Are you that desperate to stay alive that you can't even let me live my own life?"

"No!" Eldrazi cried. "It wasn't anythin' like that!"

"Then why? Why give them back now, when it's too late?"

Eldrazi's ears dropped, and his mouth opened and closed several times before answering. "Because you, you just seemed so... distraught, and I thought that maybe, if I gave 'em back, you'd... feel better?" He shrugged as best he could.

"Well I don't!"

Then Gavin spun, plopping onto the ground, arms curling around his tucked up knees as he faced the opposite direction.

The headspace fell silent, Eldrazi left to stare at Gavin's back as he continued to turn away. Not that it'd never been silent before; he tended to be quiet, but something about the silence hurt now, and Eldrazi's fists clenched, his head dropping to stare at the floor. It wasn't an endless, empty black anymore. It was a grey-blue fog that continued to blow and shift around his boots, on and on for as far as he could see.

Right.

This wasn't his Gavin, at least, not yet. Right now, he'd just gotten his emotions back after not having them for almost exactly four years, now that Eldrazi was counting. He needed time to process Talus, process this, and if he lashed out, well, it was only to be expected. But Eldrazi couldn't just leave him there, all alone.

A small, sad smile flit across Eldrazi's face, and he moved forward, flipping himself around until he was sitting next to Gavin, or rather back-to-back. The fog around them snapped a brisk red, but Eldrazi ignored it, reclining further until they were touching.

"Leave me alone, Eldrazi."

That sent a sharp wince through him, but he brushed it off, ignoring the pain in his heart as he continued to sit, throwing an arm over a bent up knee. "'Ave I ever toldja 'ow we met?"

It was quiet.

"See, a long, long time ago, there was a strong, and might I say 'andsome Demon. 'E was well-renowned in Ulnter, mostly for being a 'andful and a terror t' the general populace back then, six 'undred years ago, but some'ow, some way, 'e managed t' get a job as a spy."

Still more silence, but that was fine. He could handle the talking. "Unfortunately, someone else was jealous of this fella. A Wolf Demon named Tachir', who wanted 'is job so badly that she chased 'im around damn near 'alf the world just t' kill 'im."

"Wait..." Eldrazi felt a shuffle behind him, of Gavin turning ever so slightly. "Tachir' is a girl?"

"Was," Eldrazi clarified, and he tried not to smile at the small pique of interest as he continued. "And unfortunately, this girl was able to catch 'im near the borders of Tercia." Or somewhere around there. Some of the details about that life were blurry, and most of them needed to be avoided for the sake of storytelling, but that was easy enough. Make it all one legacy, almost too big for any one person, but told with such confidence that it had to be. That was what the boy needed, deep down.

"And it was a glorious fight of claws and fangs, all to the death under the 'eat of the desert sun. 'E even managed to sink 'is fangs into 'er skin, which would be 'er downfall, ultimately. But alas, the girl 'ad also thrust 'er spear deep into the Demon's chest, and he too, was sent to Astren."

Eldrazi's arms stiffened, his shoulders drawing in on themselves before he could stop it. "And... It was a terrible place. 'E opened 'is eyes... and there was nothing. Not darkness, for that would involve there bein' an absence of light. There was simply the Nothing. It crawled through not 'is body, but 'is soul, until 'e wasn't sure where 'e ended and the cursed realm began. The air tasted of pure ash, and 'e would go to choke, but there was nothin' to choke on..." His spine felt cold now, all of him shaking. "And 'e sat there, doing nothin', being Nothin', until the only thing there was to do was think of how much 'e wanted it to end. And only then did 'e realise that it already was The End."

His heart was beating fast now, his breathing beyond him, but it needed to be said, and so he kept talking. "But... one day, the Nothing was broken up by a single flash. It came not as light, but the sound of a babe's cry, one that 'adn't been born quite right, and was strugglin' to make it back out of Astren. And it called out to the Demon, made 'im curious. So 'e stumbled through the Nothin', reachin' out until 'e could feel it: a soft, gentle warmth, flavoured somethin' like a brown pear."

"And that, Gavin, is 'ow I met you."

It was then Eldrazi turned around, legs crossed to face the tearful teen in front of him, so broken and hurt. He reached out, taking hold of crumpled shoulders and forcing him to meet his eyes. "Because you're my 'Uman. It's just you and me, and no one else. That's 'ow it's always been, and 'ow it's always gonna be. So even if you want to push me away right now, understand I'm always gonna be 'ere for ya, until the end o' time."

Suddenly arms were being flung around him, and Eldrazi was knocked back by the sheer force of it, golden eyes shooting wide. They flicked down to Gavin wrapped so tightly around him, and, while confused, he placed a hand on the back of the boy's head again.

"I'm still furious at you, you know," he muttered bitterly.

"I figured." Eldrazi shrugged. "You're too stubborn to give up on it that easily. And you can be mad at me, but I wanted you to know that no matter what, I still love you."

Gavin's body relaxed into his chest, and around them, the blue of the fog slowly died down to a soft grey.

"I love you too."