NEVEN

It got easier as the days passed — though Kemal adjusted faster than he did by virtue of being a man with several siblings to contend with whereas he was graced, or in this instance, cursed, with a lack of experience when it comes to children. Neven checked on them both, adapted to their sleep schedules. Though weariness failed to prevent Yuven from leaping on top of him with demands for more magickal studies. He no longer hid in the walls, a little, white-haired ghost, but it came with challenges of authority. So much of it, in fact, he lashed out when arguments got too rounded for his taste and he took his temper tantrums into the unseen once more.

Neven wrote down the weekly report — though the quiet of the house unsettled him and having gotten Yuven's books from the Annex, it appeared to leave the child dissatisfied when he handed it over. Fenrer had the manners to ask before taking, but at least the tale of the missing ghost books had an explanation. Neven made a mental note to teach Yuven manners on top of everything else, but he let it rest for the time being.

His body begged for sleep, but he had so much to do. So much to take care of and so little time for it all.

Yuo was arriving to do a regular check-up on Yuven and his progress since leaving the confines of the garden, but tomorrow was his latest attempt to get Yuven out of the house without mischief; around a quieter side of the port.

Yawning, his fangs slid past his lips, but he turned another page of his book to try and focus on the blurry words. Back against the propped pillow, he pushed his thumb to flip to the next page, thankful for the silence. Hm... maybe a little too quiet? Although, Fenrer and Yuven are both quiet children... well, when Yuven wants to be known he'll make himself known. Let us not worry about that for now. One more yawn, he already heard Kemal tutting at his lack of energy — though chasing and making sure a kid like Yuven got care was hard work.

"You may very well suffer and bleed for your efforts."

And I haven't bled yet. Small victories lead to better days. Onto another blurry page.

Creaks sounded above him, and he tilted his head upwards at the strange sounds. One slower creak against the boards of the attic above, though he failed to find a way up there. One more joined the fray, and he tossed his book aside, lurching up to catch Yuven, who fell through the ceiling with an alarmed yelp. Neven saved him from the cruelty of the floor, his attention caught on the roof. I need to find a way up there. Ah, no matter for the moment... He dropped his attention to the squirming, white-haired child. "Yuven, you need to be more careful. Don't exhaust yourself."

Yuven shoved himself out of his arms and landed on the floor. "I am not exhausted!" His downy feathers puffed out and made his mop of hair a poofy cloud. He swiped the book he had tossed in an effort to free his hands to save him. Tongue out, Yuven bolted through his wall with a ghostly shimmer.

Neven slid off his bed with a huff. Another thing to teach Yuven. Magick safety. By letting me know what he wants to practice and not doing it unsupervised. A knock downstairs drew him out of his bedroom. He stopped by Fenrer's room to check on his other charge. Two, mossy spheres floated around him as he sat in front of the statuette of Ojain, an impressive display of counterbalance. But... I don't have to worry about him falling through ceilings. He smiled when Fenrer gave him a wave, but the young Hanekan frowned when the spheres of magick disappeared from his minute distraction.

"You've got good focus," Neven encouraged.

Fenrer beamed.

Neven moved down the stairs and to the door to let their expected visitor in. Yuo stood there, arms crossed. "Surprised to see me so early?"

"You told me to expect you." Neven waved the Healer inside their abode. "He hasn't had any expulsion flashes. His energy levels are also... far beyond what I originally expected or what I was told they'd be."

"Good to hear. It was all approximations, but if he's improved since, that's excellent news." Yuo shuffled through his bag. "How about his magick control?"

Exhaustion swirled in his mind, and his thoughts blanked into a short, sudden stop. "He gets better each day." He found his train of thought, but frowned when Yuo eyed him. "What?"

"You look like shit."

Neven sent his hand across Yuo's shoulder. "I am not the one to worry about. I will live." He led Yuo up the stairs and to Yuven's room. "He is also eating, but his night terrors leave much to be desired when it comes to his sleep."

"I expected as such." Yuo sighed. "I can give him a mixture to take before he sleeps—"

"The crescent blade helps." Neven opened the door with ease, and peeked in. "Yuven? Yuo is here to check you over."

"I'm fine." Yuven slunk out of bed, a chitter of nervous Navei left his lips. Book close to his chest, he pressed himself between the corner and his small shelf full of his wanted reading material. "Tell him I'm fine and I don't need help or... being looked at."

Yuo tilted his head at Neven in expectation, and Neven sighed. Is this how Warden Anaysa felt? He tasted the words in Common, then translated for Yuo's sake, "He's saying he's fine—give me a moment." He approached Yuven, who sank deeper into the darkness. "You need to tell him yourself."

Yuven ignored him.

Yuo directed his attention to Yuven and joined him. "I want to check you over and see how you're doing," he said with a smile, the serious persona of the Healer Neven knew hidden underneath a warm bedside manner. "I know it's scary, but we don't want your magick to affect you like it did last time."

"Tell him I'm fine," Yuven demanded.

Neven shook his head. "Let him check you over."

Yuven scowled and approached Yuo when he knelt down to get on Yuven's level. He tugged out a crystal and pushed it into Yuven's hands. Frost bloomed out from its pointed ends and spun around in his small palm. "You are improving on the control aspect," Yuo assured. Neven widened his eyes at the intensity of the frost, then raised his head to Yuo when he turned to him as Yuven bounced the floating crystal between his palms. "You might've been told, but Yuven's a Flare. His magick is much more sensitive to the motion of the flow." He took it back when Yuven held it out, point first, but used his other hand to clutch Yuven's forearm, who fluffed out his down. Neven held his breath when he brought a magmastone up to Yuven's temple, who frowned. "No fever. Good." He let Yuven go, and Neven jolted when Yuven skirted behind him, into his shadow. "I'll send you a slight adjustment to his diet. Consider any doubts I had thoroughly squashed, you're doing a good job." Yuo headed for the door. "Do get some rest yourself, though."

"I'll remember." Neven nodded and listened when the Healer left the home.

"I said I was fine," Yuven grumbled behind him.

"We need to keep an eye on your health." Neven smiled at him, the small ghost of a child who hid behind him, in his shadow. "Can I have my book back now? I was in the middle of reading it."

Yuven puffed out his round cheeks. "You weren't reading it," he accused. "You were falling asleep again."

Neven chuckled when the young Avaerilian rushed to his bed again to read, and he left him to it for the rest of the day. Always open if Yuven needed him, though he showed a remarkable level of independence — until dusk took its toll. It brought with it the largest problem Yuven appeared to face. His bed shook, then his arm, and he dragged himself out of the dark stupor to wide, violet eyes.

"Wake up," he pleaded. "I need the crescent blade."

Neven forced himself to his feet, a light against the crimson darkness. Exhaustion weighed down his limbs and pressed his heels deeper into the wood of the floor. Nonetheless, he grabbed the blade to uphold the oath he made underneath the sight of evenfall. With Yuven in bed, he pushed the crescent blade into the shadowed corners, to cast light into the unknown. His own magelights flickered with doused power, but he pushed through the prickle in his blood to feed them to his inner flow, to make them brighter — so no child would fear the darkness again.

Under the heavy weight his oath bore, he kept himself standing. "All gone now?"

Yuven curled under the covers with a nod. Neven went to move for the door, but stopped when he held out the book towards him. "Read?"

An outreach of trust, the first Yuven showed. He shambled forward to sit with Yuven. Thoughts jumbled while he tried to process what was upon the page, but Yuven explained every minute detail with precision, a genius on a magickal level. Aches bounced across his feathers, but with Yuven calmed once more, he stumbled to bed and refused to let the darkness win.

No matter how much I suffer, or bleed... for my efforts.

Over and over again to echo the process. Kill the shadows. Read passages which blurred when he tried to read them. Protect the innocent, no matter the cost.

Dawn's light shed through the windows downstairs as he hobbled his way back to his bedroom, his grip tight on his crescent blade. Energy prickled out of his fingertips, the magelights glowing. It ran through his arms with a sharp vengeance, but there was no victory without sacrifice.

The crescent blade slid out of his loose fingers the moment he nestled it into its secure place. Neven twisted around, the world followed suit, but he made it to his bed to flop into the embrace of the mattress. Energy spent, he laid there, but the layer of restlessness continued. As his attention, and wakefulness dwindled, a ripple over on his wall revealed Yuven Traye, a big frown on his face.

"Neven?"

He tried to find his voice to sing, but failed to hear it in his own soul. He shifted, but froze when Yuven jumped into the bed to shake him again. Over and over.

"Yuven, go sleep, you need it," he managed out, trying to nudge the child off of him and to use the momentum to raise himself out of the comfort of the mattress, though failed to move his fingers for his thoughts.

"I want to read the rest of the book." Yuven studied him. "We were close to the best part."

"Which part was that?"

"It explained different types of glyphs," Yuven reminded him with a huff. "Including the weave of ice-based primordial glyphs. You said you were going to teach me magick."

The world darkened. Icy spikes tore itself out of a mangled spine, a low, bloodcurdling groan reverberating in his bones. Back against the marble pillar of ruin, it approached, and his breath left in crimson mist. His feathers stood against his ears, and he stared at the beast, the glaive in his hands bloodied and sparkled with gold.

"Please don't melt," Yuven whimpered, a soft cry in his voice to echo with the ones in his venomous nightmare — the hell of his own heart. "My shadows hurt you, didn't they?" He tightened his grip on his arm. "Snow doesn't melt. You have to move. You said you wouldn't melt."

Neven fought to replenish his needed energy to keep his promise and provide Yuven the light he needed to feel safe. A shield against the darkness, a sword of light. In the silence, he awoke to the rising sun outside his window. Wind whispered in the air, and tucked close to him was the book Yuven took from him.

It was time for a new day, and he hadn't slept a wink.