Mark wasted no time rushing over to Equinox and Dark. He wiped blood from his face, ignoring the sting, too focused on Dark's body on the floor.

He stumbled over to them and dropped to his knees, dread flooding his body.

"How is he?" Mark breathed, trembling. Dark's blood slipped through Equinox's fingers, and Mark's throat went tight, a strong sense of wrong ringing in his head.

He was losing too much blood.

His heart tightened, and he ghosted his hands over Dark's body, mind racing.

He couldn't die.

He carefully held his shoulders, breathing hard, feeling his skin. Hot to the touch—charred from Anti's electricity.

He couldn't die.

Equinox let out a quivering breath, pressing her hand harder into Dark's throat. "The wound, it's..."

Mark's stomach dropped.

"It's too deep."

Dark's lips twitched, and he huffed through his nose. Like he was amused. Or in disbelief. He breathed hard, his chest heaving, and he gazed up at the ceiling, red eyes swimming.

The color grew duller by the second.

Panic swelled in Mark's chest.

"W-we need a healer—" Mark gasped, hands shaking. "We have to take him to a healer—"

Equinox's face hardened, and her fingers flexed over Dark's throat.

"If he moves," she said, "he'll bleed out."

Dark's breathing shallowed, and he shakily raised a hand coated in blood. He gazed at Mark through his lashes, emotion pouring from him.

Mark glanced down at his hand and swallowed, carefully taking it in his own. Dark's fingers flexed around his, and he kept staring at Mark, brows curled from the pain flooding his body. He didn't dare look away—didn't want to spend his last moments without seeing Mark's face.

It only made Mark's heart ache more, his lungs squeezing the air out of him. He didn't like this—he didn't like this one bit. He loved Dark too much—couldn't stand the thought of losing him. Especially after he just got him back.

Why? thought Mark, lips quivering as he gazed back at Dark. Why was he looking at him like this would be the last time he ever saw him again?

"Y-you talked to Eyes," Mark trembled, sparing a glance at Equinox. "The others—all those reinforcements—they'll be here soon."

Dark sucked in a breath, and his body twitched. Blood pulsed against Equinox's hand and slid from her fingers.

No. Please, no.

"They won't arrive in time," Equinox whispered, gazing at Dark's head in her lap.

"Time—" Mark breathed, eyes widening. Dark's gaze never wavered from Mark's face; he couldn't help but smile at his efforts. After all that happened... after all he'd put him through... how could Mark even think to care for him? "You can... what if—what if you reverse it?"

Equinox's brows curled up.

"Reverse it," Mark said again. "You—you can stop the bleeding. But what if you can reverse it?"

"It's not that simple, Mark," Equinox breathed. "Even if I tried, it wouldn't work. The state he's in—"

"Just try!" Mark shouted.

Dark flinched, his body sliding over blood; he couldn't tell if it was his own, or Anti's—or both. Mark glanced down at Dark and breathed hard, gripping his hand tighter. Emotion rose in his throat.

"Please," he said, softer. "I-if you just try—if we can just—give him more time—"

But Dark's face was getting paler by the second. Even if Equinox simply stopped the bleeding, he had already lost so much blood.

"I can't," Equinox said, voice wavering. "I can't undo what's been done."

The air went heavy. He could feel it.

Was this really it?

Equinox forced herself to wave her free hand. The blood slipping from Dark's throat slowed, then froze in place, the bleeding halted. Mark inhaled, his breath catching in his throat, hope thrumming through his chest.

But then he met Dark's eyes.

The light slowly bled from them, fleeting, and his eyelids drooped. He sucked in a steady, rattling breath, blood gargling his throat.

"D-Dark—" Mark managed out, clutching his hand tight. "Dark, please—please stay with me—"

Dark's eyes glossed over, and he gazed Mark in the eyes. He softly squeezed Mark's hand, weak, and smiled.

His eyes said everything words couldn't.

No. No, God—

Footsteps rushed not far off, echoing in the halls. The others. Mark breathed hard.

"Hold on for me, Dark," Mark begged, clutching his hand. "Please—just a few more minutes—"

Dark's body gave another twitch. He squeezed Mark's hand again, inhaled, deep as he could, then exhaled—

His chest didn't rise again, falling still.

He wasn't breathing.

Mark's face paled.

Why wasn't he breathing?

Dark's eyes slipped shut, and his body relaxed. His hand went slack and slid out of Mark's grip, dropping to the floor.

Horror bled in the air.

"No—"

Equinox's eyes widened, and she pressed her fingers to Dark's pulse, searching, frantic, growing desperate.

Nothing.

Mark watched as her hand slipped away from Dark's throat.

No.

Panic flooded Mark's body, and his vision closed in on him, closed in on Dark—laying there—motionless—dead—

"No," cried Mark. No, not dead. "No." He couldn't be dead. "No, no, no—please—"

Evolveds rushed inside, bristling, ready to fight—but when they saw the three on the floor, they froze.

"Dark!" Mark sobbed, clutching his shoulders. Shaking him. "Come back to me!"

Equinox put her hands over her mouth.

"Please—god, please—you can't die—" Mark sobbed, tears rolling down his face. "You can't—you can't—"

Mark balled his fists in Dark's shirt and buried his face in his chest, choking on sobs. "You promised—" Mark gasped, clutching him tight. Pulling him close. But his body was so cold, now, so limp. Dead weight.

The others crowded around them, murmuring, shocked at the sight of Dark, the Tear Stealer, laying there, limp.

Dead.

Mark clutched onto Dark's body, face buried in his chest. He perked up at the shuffle of footsteps around him, breathing hard, searching the crowd, desperate.

"H-healer—" he gasped out, the panic in his chest building, building. Building. This couldn't be it. Couldn't be it.

"I-I need a healer!" he cried.

The Evolveds put hands to their mouths, exchanging glances. Dread sank in the air like a weight.

The crowd stirred, and an Evolved with white hair and sunken eyes pushed through. Eris.

"I'm a Necromancer," ze said. "The other healers... they..."

Equinox rose a hand to silence him, shaking her head. She carefully brought her hands down, cradling Dark's head. Her fingers slid along his jaw—checked his pulse again, just to make sure, holding onto that string of hope—and still, she felt nothing.

She dropped her hands and took a deep breath, her chest tight.

"Mark," she breathed, bowing her head.

No. He didn't like the tone of her voice.

"He's gone."

The air left Mark's lungs.

He clutched onto Dark, body trembling. His eyes blurred again, and a fresh wave of tears poured down his face, hot. The tears seeped into the cut across his face, bright and stinging.

"W-we can revive him—" he breathed. He gazed at Dark's face, at his motionless, calm—dead face—and glanced up at the Necromancer, Eris. "W-we can revive him. Right?"

The room went quiet.

Eris swallowed, and ze knelt beside Dark's body, across from Mark. Zir eyes swam with worry.

"He won't come back the same..." ze said, gazing at Mark steadily.

"I-I don't care," Mark spluttered, pulling his eyes away from Dark's figure. "Please—" His breaths shook past his lips. "Please—bring him back—"

Equinox closed her eyes. "He's a human," she said in answer to Eris' shocked gaze. "He doesn't understand the consequences."

"I just said I don't care!" Mark shouted, turning on her. "W-we have a chance to bring Dark back—a-and you're—you're seriously considering denying it?"

Equinox's gaze hardened, and she glanced at Eris, meeting zir eyes. They lingered there, exchanging a glance, and Eris sighed, gazing at Mark.

"When someone is revived by a Necromancer," said Eris softly, "they... aren't really alive."

Mark breathed hard through his nose, his lips quivering. Blood and tears dripped down his face.

"They're alive—physically," said Eris. "But what makes them them—" Ze shook zir head, going silent for a moment, finding the words, and said after a pause:

"They come back... hollow."

Equinox glanced at Mark, searching his features. Waiting for his response.

Mark swallowed, and he pulled his knees into his chest, hugging them. When he glanced down at Dark's body, so torn, so lifeless, his heart broke in two, and he couldn't help but break down into sobs. He buried his head in his knees, clutching himself, his thoughts all muddled. The adrenaline crash wasn't helping, either.

"W-what am I supposed to do?" he cried, pulling at his hair. "God, w-what do I—I-I—"

He ran his hands over his face, lips quivering, and choked on another sob, burying his face in his hands.

"T-this is all my fault—" Mark sobbed, gasping for air. "I-I shouldn't have—I should've never—all my fault—"

Equinox's heart ached, and she gently set Dark's head down and scooted over to Mark. She pulled him in close, wrapping her arms around him and pulling his head into her chest.

"It's not your fault, Mark," she breathed, resting her head on top of his. His body shook against hers, racking on sobs. She sighed and smoothed down his hair, rocking him gently. "Take your time, okay? You take your time."

Mark clutched onto Equinox's shoulders, sobbing his heart out. His throat closed in. He couldn't swallow. Couldn't breathe.

Why did he have to decide?

He shuddered, trying to breathe, trying to clear his head.

He wanted Dark alive. He wanted him back.

He thickly swallowed, sniffling.

But if he came back—hollow... like the Necromancer said...

"W-would..." Mark lifted his head in the slightest, breaths shallow. "Would he be happy?"

Would it even be worth it?

"If you—r-revived him," breathed Mark. "Even if he's not the... same, would he... do you think he'd..."

Eris knew where he was going, and ze sighed, glancing at Dark's body.

"No one can ever know," ze breathed. "It all varies on the person." Ze ghosted zir hand over Dark's body, feeling his energy. It still thrummed, deep and rich—but it faded by the minute.

"On rare cases, Revived come back just fine," said Eris. Ze met eyes with Mark, intense. "But the sooner we do it, the better. Time is of the essence."

Mark swallowed, brows curled, and he glanced up at Equinox, searching her gaze. She carefully nodded at him, her expression weary, but soft.

"It's risky," she sighed. "But, it should be your decision. Not mine."

Mark carefully pulled away from her, and he swallowed, gazing at Dark's body. His chest tightened, ached, and his mind raced.

Dark seemed to welcome death, when it came to him, he thought. And the way he looked at Mark, before the life left his eyes... A final goodbye.

Mark swallowed, brows furrowed, and he glanced at Eris, breaths tight.

"Alright," he whispered, clenching his fists in his lap. "I want you to revive him."

———

Everything moved like sludge.

    The others set into motion when Mark had voiced his decision, but he couldn't focus on any of them, too numb to move.

    A group of Evolveds had taken Dark's body—scooped him up off the floor like he was nothing. Eris led them through the mansion, and Equinox tagged along, insisting on carrying Cibil with her.

    Mark followed numbly after a while, lagging far behind the others, alone, his chest aching.

He wondered where Ethan was. He was always there for him, when he felt down.

    They went up stairs, past doors, through halls. Mark stared down at his hands the whole time, vision wavering.

    He held Dark's cloak in his arms—or what remained of it—and focused on the signature, tear-shaped clasps on top of it. They glittered under the lights, and whenever doubt clouded his head, he ran his fingers over them, the metal cold and smooth.

They ended up setting Dark's body in Antinstine's room.

It was ironic—and would likely trouble Dark, if—when—he woke up—but it was the most reasonable place for a speedier recovery.

    Once Dark was settled down into the bed, and Eris knelt at his side, Equinox took charge.

Evolveds who didn't know the Tear Stealer personally were ordered to search every inch of the mansion. They were to find any stray enemies, any casualties.

    Bodies racked up in gruesome numbers—both Resistance and enemies. Their bodies were tucked away in the infirmary in the basement, a large room lined with small beds. People like Cibil, though, were set aside in separate rooms.

    Mark sat in the corner of Antinstine's room now, clutching Dark's cloak to his chest. He gazed over at Dark, laying on the bed, still bloody, lifeless. Eris ran zir hands over his body, and Equinox lingered over zir shoulder, arms crossed and face tight.

    What if it didn't work? gnawed the doubt in Mark's chest.

    He clutched onto the tear-shaped clasps and swallowed.

    It had to.

———

While Eris tended to Dark, his Evolveds carefully filtered into the room.

    Equinox still stood by Eris, watching like a hawk. Voxe and Eyes had hurried over, shocked with the aftermath of the battle. They told Equinox they found a healer in the village tending to Konray, and they brought her over to the mansion, where they settled her into her own room.

    When Mark asked about Ethan, the two fell quiet.

    "We don't know yet," Eyes said, face falling. "He was the one tracking her. He might've gotten lost."

    Wrong bled in Mark's chest. As clumsy and foolish as Ethan was, that didn't sound like him.

    "And... what about Ether?" Mark breathed, gazing at Voxe, Eyes, and Equinox. He spared a glance at Eris, who was focused on Dark's body. "Eris said something about the healers..."

    "Unconscious," said Voxe quietly. "We all thought she was dead. I mean, she's... close, but... she'll pull through."

    With their luck today, Mark couldn't help but doubt that.

"I'm sorry," Eris spoke up, "but can you all leave the room?"

Eris glanced at the others, then over zir shoulder at Equinox.

"Please, trust me," ze said to her. "With all the energy in the room—it's hard to focus."

Equinox lingered a moment, then nodded, motioning for the others.

"Come on," she breathed. "We should check on the others, anyway."

———

Mark tagged behind Eyes, Equinox, and Voxe, still clutching onto Dark's cloak. They went down the basement and into the infirmary, and Mark's body couldn't help but start to tremble.

    They had to check how many of their own were left.

    Mark knew the main group—the Evolveds that Dark kept closest to him. Aside from Eyes, Equinox, and Voxe, there was Xilef, Lux, Ether, and Emery.

    When they entered the infirmary, Mark could feel the weight in the air, closing around their throats like a vice. Death lingered, heavy, devastating.

    Other Evolveds knelt by beds, their heads bowed or faces blank.

    Mark was surprised to find Syl and Ox perusing the aisles, checking on the bodies and making a count of the casualties; thankfully, they were too distracted to notice them coming inside.

    Eyes, Equinox, Voxe, and Mark walked down the aisles of beds, searching but hoping they wouldn't find a familiar face.

    Mark couldn't stand to look at all the bodies.

    He was familiar with Death—embraced it with his kills, but—the utter carnage here...

    Voxe stopped in zir tracks, and Mark snapped out of his trance, glancing at zem. His brows furrowed, and when he caught zir expression, his blood went cold.

    Mark followed Voxe's gaze, and it landed on Emery's body.

    Emery. One of their own.

    Voxe's brother.

    Eyes and Equinox turned around, searching Voxe's wide-eyed gaze, and glanced over at the body. Their faces fell.

"Em..." Voxe breathed, walking forward, zir limbs shaking. Mark swallowed, and he kept a safe distance away, turning his head to the side. "Emery..."

Equinox walked over to Voxe and draped an arm over zir shoulders, expression tight.

"I'm sorry," Equinox whispered, pulling zem in close. "I'm so sorry, honey."

Voxe pulled away from Equinox and sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress sinking under zir weight. Ze didn't say a word, too stunned to speak.

Instead, Voxe brushed back Emery's hair, bent down, and rested zir head on his chest. Ze stayed there, silent, eyes blank. Just hugging zir dead brother.

Eyes kept walking, looking for any others. Xilef was nowhere to be found (either he was alive, or in a separate room), but then she found Lux, draped across a bed not far off from Emery's. She sighed to herself.

"Equinox," Eyes called softly. "Lux, too."

Equinox gazed over her shoulder, and her jaw hardened.

"If I could revive Antinstine," she breathed, "just to kill him again—I would."

Mark swallowed, and he glanced at Voxe. Ze was still hugging Emery's body, face white as a sheet.

"All these people..." he said softly, and Eyes and Equinox gazed at him. "If we can revive Dark, then... why can't we revive all of them, too?" He motioned to the infirmary, to all the dead bodies, and Eyes and Equinox exchanged glances, brows furrowed.

Equinox sighed softly. "If it were that simple," she said, "we would've already revived them all."

Mark swallowed, throat tight.

"Eris already told you," continued Equinox. "People come back different when they're Revived. Many people would rather their loved ones pass, then face the repercussions of Revival." She walked closer to Mark so Voxe wouldn't have to hear. "They lose something, when they die."

Mark's face paled, and he clutched onto Dark's cloak in his arms.

"A-and you're telling me this now?" he whispered.

Equinox sighed, and she rested a hand over the cloak. Mark glanced up, searching her gaze.

"There will always be risks, Mark," she said softly. "We just have to take them as we come."

She glanced over her shoulder at Voxe, her face going gloom. Ze still hugged Emery, body motionless, expression numb.

"Even if most of them aren't in our favor."

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day!

Love, Kass xoxo