The candle flickered alongside the emerging sunlight, the Hanging Sun dimming back into complete darkness as quickly as it arrived. Hack sat with him, neither saying anything about the steady rainfall, his near death experience or how they had hid so much from each other. Everything was numb. 

They watched the Solaris petals wither away, sitting side by side with the Flickerwick candle gradually burrowing itself back into the safety of its hollow core. Neither of them wanted to insist they move on, to urgently find the others or pretend that Creed’s death had done nothing to sober their actions so far. 

The rain made them shiver, the hunger gnawing at their stomach but not even a brush with the Eternal Death could make him question Creed’s last moments of self preservation. A flash of green made him jump, half expecting to be surrounded by more of Cricket's Haze Trait. 

But the green object fell like a raindrop, getting tossed into the muck of sodden grit and gravel. It took Hawkins a moment to recognise the sprawling antenna in the darkness, clinging to something within her spindly legs.

"Thea!"

His voice didn’t sound like his own, mangled with Hack’s unfamiliar calm tone as they rushed over to the small Thyraxian and knelt into the soaked ground. Hawkins immediately scooped up the little Agar, Hack pausing to note the very familiar black grimoire strewn over to one side. Mucky, but unscathed. The Smoke Traited let out a disgruntled noise as the feeling of jealousy and relief washed over him and numbed the chill with its embrace. Shaking his head to try and clear his mind free of its influence, he focused on Thea’s weak form.

“Hang on Thea. Let’s get you back on your feet.”

Hawkins' hazy heat bloomed from his palms, surrounding the small bug in a warm amber glow. He couldn't help but smile as she lazily opened her eyes, unused to the feeling of being healed when she was the one who normally did the healing.

"Thanks, Hawky."

Her voice was small and quiet yet genuine as if no dragon could detect any hint of ill will. Hawkins gently helped Thea to his feet, who gingerly floated in the air but she kept looking around as if she'd misplaced something.

"What's wrong?" 

The brief flash of anxiety washed over him as the thought of his new healing ability malfunctioning filled him with dread. But he followed the young Thyraxian’s gaze and she flitted over to the inquisitive Sand Wraith staring down at the ominous black grimoire. Hawkins' temper rose at the sight of the unusual object, causing all this pain and suffering yet remaining untouched even by rain and mud sliding off it effortlessly. 

The Mediator looked down at his clenched fists, startled by the same fury his mother had. The same fury laced his fingers with Trait strong enough to turn people to the same acrid air he summoned. 

"Odi told me to go find you both before the Overtaken did. She said to bring the black grimoire to you without being seen but my invisibility isn't good in the rain and…I got scared and.."

Hawkins latched on to Thea’s familiar fear, his anger dissipating with his empathy gravitating to comfort the panicking Agar. 

"It's OK, Thea. Breathe."

The Smoke Traited barely noticed how he had crouched next to her, metres away from Memoriam and Hack who barely glanced upwards but Hawkins could tell he was listening every time his scales twitched. The Thyraxian stared at them both, unable to notice the hostility between the two and settled herself to finish her story.

"I saw what happened with Cricket but I couldn't do anything. So when Odi asked for my help…I couldn't say no." Thea admitted bashfully, her tone laced with regret.

Hawkins gave her a wry smile, her desire to do more reminding him of himself but Hack continued to ignore her. Taking his advice to heart, Thea took a moment to take a deep breath and keep going.

"The others should be here soon. They know but…I don't know if the Overtaken found them or Reina…"

Thea's ability to stay calm unravelled at the reminder of Reina's prison coiling around them. She paced in midair, drifting about aimlessly as she fretted about the rest of her group.

"You don't need to worry about the Overtaken, anymore." Hack replied at last, clapping his claws together and tossed a pebble into the air.

It levitated in the air for a moment before completely disappearing. Hawkins gaped in shock, trying to piece together the strange concealment he had embedded in the earth. It wasn't Trait that's for sure.

"Why?"

"He's dead. The Earth Overtaken is dead." 

Hack's indifference was a gut punch, Thea slowly descending to the ground in shock as she attempted to provide a reaction but failed to do so. Hawkins struggled to keep his hands from shaking, still overwhelmed by everything but focusing on analysing Hack's necromancy.

Up until now the Sand Wraith's breathing had been slow and controlled but now he was struggling to stop himself from gasping for breath. Hack growled frustratedly, leaning forwards and clinging to Sleek's Flickerwick candle but when Hawkins tried to reach for him he shrank away.

"Oh. I'm…sorry." Thea responded, not sure whether her words were enough to convey such a loss.

Her expression mirrored how conflicted Hawkins felt about the entire situation. He felt sad of course but even though he now knew Hack was a necromancer, saying it out loud was an entirely different story. It was like his speech was trapped by a Lockbind of his own making, the lump in his throat forcing him through a variety of emotions not even his overthinking brain could comprehend. 

He had convinced himself that Sleek’s death had nothing to do with him and that what Hack had done was a mercy to the poor boy. But a small, niggling part of him that suppressed his mother’s opinions of him rose up like a fury in his gut that this unfairness towards the young Traited couldn’t stand. 

"Was he a friend of yours?" Thea asked, breaking the prolonged silence between the group.

Hack was mid stretch, testing out his new stone prosthetic still fused by the ire of his necromancy and his unusual Sand Wraith blood. Normally, Hack’s race were known for their usage of a different type of skill normally orientated with blood magic in combat. But here he was using some kind of Blood Arts to improve his mobility and heal the earth of any wounds he may have inflicted upon it. Not to mention avoiding the Thyraxian's question.

"It doesn't matter now. He's gone. We have more important things to worry about.”

Hack stood up slowly, testing out his weight on his new leg while the black book floated behind him much like Wisp used to when he was Hawkins’ companion. He didn’t know whether it liked to follow him around due to his necromancy or that Sleek had just recently passed but it didn’t change the fact that Hack didn’t care.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter, Hack? We just watched a kid die, a kid you killed or helped or broke, I don't know but we can't just…"

Hawkins failed to continue his train of thought, too lost in the conflicting emotions of everything Memoriam had shown him and everything Hack had admitted to concealing from him.

"Just what? Sit here until Cricket comes back to pick us off one by one? I can take Memoriam somewhere safe-"

"Will you just stop! For once! I thought…you genuinely wanted to help the Enforcers but you're more worried about a damn book than the fact we just…let him die."

Hawkins didn’t realise he had stood up before his voice rose in anger for the first time since he lost Wisp to the same fury, gasping for air as he leaned against his knees for some respite. Hack didn’t respond to his outburst, the Mediator's words hung in the air like the cloying smoke he wielded. 

Taking his time to pace around the perimeter, the Sand Wraith’s excellent eyesight flicked back and forth to check any ounce of change in the atmosphere. Small sprigs of aquamarine buds began to sprout up with every clunky step he made. The colliding of stone against stone caused sparks to light up as if striking flint but the trail of blue burning petals followed him wherever he went. 

Hack’s grimoire emerged from the spray of Solaris flowers, the purple grimoire seeming slightly darker than normal. Hawkins didn’t know if it was his imagination or whether his anger tinged gaze had blurred things but there was no mistaking what happened next. Hack held the Flickerwick candle against Memoriam's cover and made it disappear.

"I'm a necromancer, Hawkins. Which means every moment I waste regretting over every Truant lost, every Overtaken shattered, another Traited is lost to the same damn thing. Sleek is gone. But he won't be forgotten." Hack admitted, the relief on his face startling him more than any hidden agenda could.

The black grimoire seemed to glow in response to Sleek's essence, the Sand Wraith smiling as if containing the candle in its pages set everything right again. But Hawkins was completely horrified, Sleek’s last requests spinning around in his mind. He wanted to go home. The black grimoire was not his home.

"How am I supposed to believe that? How am I supposed to believe this thing is worth all this? How am I supposed to trust you after everything, Hack? You lied to me about your Trait, your Agar, Odi, everything!"

The coils of smoke blackened bit by bit as if the Caldorian snitch weeds Hack had conjured to stop Cricket had returned and tainted it somehow. It seeped through the Sand Wraith's scales, rendering him motionless and attacking what little breath he still had but still its wielder refused to stop. Before it could break down his grimoire from within a small tawny Tinker Mole burrowed up from under the ground and raised a claw in defiance. Gidget.

"You don't have to trust him.”

Gidget’s eerily calm Craft broke the smoke as easily as he dug through the earth. His words held no falsehoods as if recalling an old fairytale the Smoke Traited had heard once before. 

“My Guildmaster always used to say, 'a compass always keeps pointing forward even when we aren't looking.” Gidget reiterated, Hawkins still lost in his own frustrations but somehow recalling the phrase from years ago.

His Trait calmed just a touch in response to the Tinker Mole’s words, the rain no longer dissipating Hawkins’ smoke as it had halted abruptly. No one paid it any mind but a familiar gust of wind alluded to a feeling of relief even with the enchantment surrounding the area. It was his father who had taught him that mantra. In some way, it was connected to Hack and the history of the Sand Wraith colonies.

"I take it that applies to your uncle, as well?" Hack said, his half hearted grumble awakening the younger Mediator out of his stupor. 

Hawkins remained in a sullen silence, his heart pounding alongside his wayward Trait surrounding Hack’s gloomy clearing but the Miner Crafter merely shrugged, clearly exhausted but indifferent towards the smoke despite the earlier threat. 

"Can't say for sure. But I know it rings true with you."

Hack’s derisive scoff seemed to ripple throughout his entire body, scales quivering in response long before the sound echoed in the air. Thea’s tiny frame flashed by his vision, clinging to Hack’s stone leg while she hid away from the confrontation even without her invisibility active. 

"Then you need a new Guildmaster, kiddo. Your lot should've told you I ain't that person anymore."

The Tinker Mole suppressed a flinch, taking a breath to calm his shaking claws. The hard hat that had seemed permanently stuck to Gidget's fur now remained tightly in his claws. 

It was as if a gust of wind had ruffled his fur apart, leaving a gaping hole seemingly left by an unknown protrusion. The wound seemed to have festered for a long time, the broken sigil seared into his open skin like cattle. On second glance, it was a mishmash of multiple sigils burned into his head like some sick, cruel joke.

"My lot in the Gadgeteers Guild may see it that way but I don't need those stories to see what is right in front of me, compass." Gidget said, eerily reminding Hawkins of Odi’s stubbornness.

But Hawkins couldn't tear his eyes away from Gidget's forehead. It reminded him of a strange amalgamation of the Chimera’s sigil but far more…inconclusive. As if Gidget remained a broken part of each. The broken gears of the Mediators, the wolven jaws of the Fallen and even the ivory wings of the Excelliars.

"Don't call me that."

Hack snapped half heartedly, his eyes glazed with tears, his jaw set in determination even with his vision blurred, his nostrils overwhelmed by smoke and with everything turned against him. But no matter how much Hack refused to apologise, he knew Hawkins' Trait would never forgive him.

"Stay, and I won't have to."

Gidget blankly stared down Hack’s attempts to make him lower down to his level, simply repeating his request while the Sand Wraith folded his arms. He began to pace back and forth, huffing as he did so and stopped for a moment. Pausing a little he sat down on a stone block the Earth Traited conjured himself and rested his clawed foot on the rough ground.

“Is that alright with you, Mediator?”

Gidget’s eyes peered over to Hawkins, taking a few seconds to gauge his reaction but the Mediator was still rattled by all of the information, all the half truths he was forced to accept without complaint. He gave the Tinker Mole a nod, too exhausted to do anything more but seethe quietly. His hand grasped the sodden gravel to try and calm his writhing Smoke Trait but as he did so another blocky wedge of stone rose up from underneath him. Not exactly a more comfortable trade off but it let his legs rest for a while.

"How'd you find us so quickly, Gidget?" Thea spoke up at last, noting the hostility between the two but still trying to change the subject.

She rested in between all three opposing sides, drifting around in an attempt to stretch her wings and survey the perimeter without interrupting the flow of conversation. Gidget smiled shyly, unhooking a small pouch from his half broken toolbelt as a flourish of blueish purple petals tipped out of his bag and mixed with the damp gravel below. Scuffing it beneath his feet, the Miner Crafter revealed the leftover trail of Solaris flowers he had yet to pocket. 

"You left a pretty easy trail for my Craft to follow. Despite your necromancy's efforts to conceal things."

Thea giggled at the slight jab towards Hack but he didn’t respond, the two Mediators still quiet over their earlier argument. Both of them were still being civil enough to listen to what the Tinker Mole had to say but neither seemed to acknowledge the other, as if Thea had used her ability to make them invisible to each other. Shaking his head, the Mediator tried to focus on all the questions spinning in his mind.

But the only thing he could focus on was how intriguing Hack’s necromancy was. It didn’t match up to any kind of Trait he’d seen or read about. It reminded him of the Divide but somehow, not quite the same dominating presence. Of all the questions he wanted answered, of all the burning answers leading to more questions it all circled in his mind like a flock of vultures. 

He didn't want to know why Hack had hid who he was or who he had been prior to all of this. The only thing Hawkins wanted to know was whether this black grimoire was worth risking his mentor's life over…let alone his own or any of the Enforcers.

"Not as strong as the scent you left us, Tinker Mole." 

Hack's attempt at hiding their presence evaporated away from the surge of flame strong enough to protect them in a haze of heat. Both Mediators immediately jumped up to expect a fight only to be met with the familiar glow of a pair of Firestep wolves. 

"Told you I could sniff him out from a mile away." 

The wolf's hazy form made Hawkins blink from the blazing light but there was no mistaking the familiar snarky tone. Hazard had fallen into step beside his sister, smelling the air as her personal tracker to allow her flame to spread evenly to guide the group in tandem. Finally working together without bickering.

"I never doubted you for a second." Hawkins said, a grin forming without him even realising it.

He stepped forward to greet them out of the pitch black and searing smoke, Mantis struggling along and clinging to the exhausted twins. The grin slid off his face as Mantis' dully lit silhouette came into view, guided by Cull's pinprick of flame in the darkness.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to see a Mediator ever again." 

Her lopsided grin clashed with the grievous wound on the side of her head, blood skimming past her pointed ears and matted hair. It was beyond a mere bruise, bulbous and oozing yet she was still conscious, her speech slurred a little by pain and exhaustion.

"Especially one as aggravating as me, right?" He joked weakly, attempting to catch Blaize's eyes but there was no response.

The half elf let out a halfhearted chuckle that was more grimace than grin, still grimly hanging on to Rin's shoulder for dear life. Cull supported her on the other side, his flame barely hanging on but it was clear Odi's Trait lessons had begrudgingly rubbed off on him.

"Damn Overtaken tried to split my head open. Wouldn't have made it if Rin and Blaize didn't-"

"Oh, hush. You need to rest. We were all completely blindsided by it. Weren't we, Cull?" Blaize called back at him, keeping a wary eye on those behind her.

Cullian gave a noncommittal grunt, trying to pass healer duty over to Hawkins without jostling the Air Traited too much. But Mantis pulled the Mediator in for a half hug that stunned Hawkins for a few moments, letting all of her exhaustion flow into him before collapsing onto his vacant seat.

Another block sprung up identical to the one Mantis had stolen, a silent gesture to his Trait to remain steadfast on healing such a detailed wound. Despite the harsh blow it seemed to have skimmed off her ear instead of landing directly on her skull. No wonder Mantis was being such a good patient.

"Heard you dealt with that other Overtaken, Sand Wraith. What'd you use, anyways?" Cull asked, his attention still elsewhere.

He was crouched on the ground attempting to clear away the soaked gravel, his small globe of orange light following his trail of thought. Hawkins recognised Cull's simplistic Trait movements immediately, trying to replicate how he created his fire pit with his Smoke Trait instead of fire. 

"Necromancy." 

Gidget's chipper response made Hawkins drop his focus for a fraction of a second, the flames against Mantis' head wound beginning to spark a little. The half elf flinched but said nothing, too tired to berate him or give a comment. But her jaw was set much like a certain Sand Wraith sitting in the corner alone before he too decided to elaborate.

"It's called a Pulse, actually." Hack responded in a tired voice.

Hawkins had half expected torches and pitchforks to be sprung out of the thick, mushy ground at the mention of necromancy. But Rin simply went down to sit next to Hack without a word, the only sound was the scratching of note taking.

Mantis blinked rapidly, the soothing heat finally ending as the bruise just above her ear had been erased from view. Rin's eyes flickered to his against the plume of flame nearby, giving him a small nod of thanks before returning to her musings.

"It's a breathing technique I used to offset Cricket's Trait for a bit." Hack continued nonchalantly, drawing the attention towards him for the moment.

The awkward silence became tense with anticipation despite everyone pretending to be preoccupied with other things. The Sand Wraith remained quiet, the only semblance of movement was the rising and falling of his chest.

His scales lightened from a deep purple to a russet blue, his eyes now silver with intent focus before they closed. Hawkins wouldn't have noticed it without Hack's earlier explanation, the movement so slight it took the lack of flaring nostrils to realise. Hack had stopped breathing.

Hawkins fought his natural instinct to rush over to him and awaken Hack from his stasis but his legs wouldn't move. Mantis grabbed onto his arm, her weak grip betraying the stubborn look in her eyes as she gestured towards the ground.

"Look."

Cull swore loudly, breaking the predetermined silence as his sleeve caught on fire. Stifling a laugh, Hawkins noted the wry smile on his mentor's face before looking down at the fire pit and at his creation.

Somehow, Hack had turned something from nothing and produced a flaming blue bud in the middle of Cull's attempt at a fire. It was similar to the Solaris sprouts that had popped up all around the clearing but somehow different. It burst into flame, a bitter blue spray of heat that overran even the most skilled of Fire Traited.

"Sleek got caught in the crossfire but he was already suffering, so I just…"

The Sand Wraith struggled to speak, his voice hoarse from the effort but the Thyraxian still remained focused on the conversation.

"Nudged him in the right direction?" Thea offered, giving him a tweak of a smile at the compass pun.

Hack chuckled, rolling his eyes at Thea's insistence of his well worn nickname. 

"Yeah. Something like that."

Cull shrugged at his nonchalonce, picking himself up and dusting himself off a little before glaring at the receding mist and taking a seat next to his sister. 

"Well, then. It did the job. With that Overtaken gone we can breathe for a bit, so thanks." Cull said, indifferent but trying to sound grateful as he poked at the azure fire pit with his foot.

Hawkins noticed Rin still had the same dishevelled notebook Gizmo had swapped for Memoriam without him realising it, somehow still intact but had vacated his possession once again. Somehow, he doubted Mantis' hug was anything but that. Damn pickpocket.

"Yeah. You too, Hawkins, for minding Thea for me."

"Don't mention it."

Hawkins smiled, keeping a close eye on Mantis' condition, trying to prevent her from nodding off despite her fatigue by nudging her shoulder every so often. She begrudgingly shook herself awake, wryly smiling at him as she tried to rest but Hawkins couldn't help but feel bad that he couldn't heal her fatigue. A head injury was bad enough but he had no idea whether he had made it worse or if she still had a concussion.

"I'm gonna go stretch my legs for a bit. Make sure to mind Mantis for me, no sleeping OK? We don't know what else is wrong and Cricket could try anything."

Hawkins stretched and stood up, already expecting the response.

"I don't need a babysitter!" Mantis protested, barely keeping her eyes open but stubbornly making herself heard anyways.

Mirroring the no nonsense dragon they had been mentored by for the last few weeks, Hawkins raised an unamused eyebrow which sent the twins into pearls of laughter. Hawkins clapped a supporting hand against Mantis' arm, quelling her momentary embarrassment and pulling himself away from Hack's visible guilt and shame on his face.

Hawkins walked away from the group, scattering the petals with his footfalls in an attempt to clear his head. He could hear Thea's giggles in the background, reuniting with Mantis as she tickled her under the chin. 

He could feel the light rain against his already damp shirt, mirroring his ragtag group's sheer relief at a respite from the chaos. The cloying dryness of his throat felt like a mouthful of Insta Rolls as he sidled along the makeshift barrier Hack had enforced.

Hawkins didn't know how he had done it. Any of it. His breathing that transferred Air based Trait to Earth somehow but even then it didn't entirely sound right. Not even his endless theories could make sense of the Pulse that Hack had emitted. To make something bloom from such a dire cost.

The sound of the Sand Wraith and Forecasters bickering along with the skittering of pebbles and ruffling of gathering gusts made him stumble. He tried to block the voice of his mentor's drowning baritone, desperately forcing his mind to stop drifting but it could not.

His eyes latched onto the dual grimoires spinning and spitting flames, one Triad, one without a pair but remaining glued to Hack's side. It floated eagerly beside Hawkins mentor, the Smoke Traited attempting to clamp down on his ire.

Memoriam was barely a speck in the expansive darkness but he could tell its playful nature had remained. But the Infernal Triad didn't seem to enjoy the headbutting so much, attempting to burn the sentient book while it repelled each explosive attack. 

Memoriam seemed to retreat like a puppy, puzzling the Mediator to no end at the sight of a grimoire with a personality. He scoffed in annoyance, turning around to wander somewhere else but a lonely Tinker Mole caught his eye and sidled over to him without delay.

"I know you didn't really like the Overtaken, very much but…"

Gidget struggled to find the words, the Mediator barely listening to the naive Tinker Mole. He flinched at the closeness, startled by the distance he had covered so quickly.

"Would you like me to say a few words for Sleek?"

Hawkins stared at the Tinker Mole, trying to focus on what he was offering but his eyes were drawn to the spot past Gidget where Sleek had died. It was surrounded by Solaris flowers in an attempt to cover the shadow of his ashes that had long faded into the air.

"I thought a Crafter didn't follow the Laia's First Law?" He blurted out, immediately regretting it at the sight on the young Miner's face.

Gidget's shy smile was enough for him to expel the breath he was holding.

"We don't. But whether it's a Crafter or not, we all deserve to feel at ease with what's to come. You included, Mediator."

Hawkins blinked, remaining silent for several seconds as if stunned by the sheer notion of Gidget's maturity. Despite his age and lack of experience in a fight, the Tinker Mole had a clear head for strategy and logic while still having a good heart full of consideration for everyone. Even his enemies.

But the thought of how much he had trusted the black grimoire along with Hack and Odi's judgement only to be proven wrong still stung. He felt as if he were knocked full force by a head cold, his brain fuzzy with unsurety of Memoriam's true purpose.

"Everything is…so messed up in my head right now. I didn't even know Sleek but it felt like I did, like I should have and with Memoriam…I feel like I don't know anything anymore and it…scares me."

The Tinker Mole awkwardly supported him by resting a claw against his arm, Hawkins smiling briefly at the small gesture of kindness.

"I learnt a lot about my Craft, even if Sleek was my opponent at the time. The Tinker Moles I grew up with always valued the lessons given in battle so…I think the least I could do is repay him with a proper goodbye."

His Smoke Trait brushed around the area, causing the dust to rise and made his eyes water. Hawkins rubbed at his eyes but it made the tears fall even more at the reminder of Sleek's last words.

"He wanted to go home. To Nocturus."

Gidget nodded sympathetically, fully aware of his grief and how pivotal it was to support him through it.

"Then he will. But there's no shame in marking a place for him here too."

Gidget's simple suggestion of empathy warmed the Mediator's heart more than his healing flames ever could. It reminded him of when Hack had stored Sleek's candle and the glow that emanated from it. Perhaps, he didn't want to bring it to Nocturus alone but keeping it safe in Memoriam.

"I never thought of it that way." He admitted, Gidget's point of view becoming clearer.

His attention shifted towards the group once more, Hack and Mantis amiably chatting without a care in the world. She was once their enemy and now they were closer than ever. 

"Anyways, I owe you for helping me outta that pitfall trap. Giving Sleek a temporary send off might not put you completely at ease but…the Sand Wraith is right. He won't be forgotten."

Hawkins nodded, his mood a little brighter but the uneasy feeling hadn't gone away entirely. Perhaps helping Gidget would not only help his Craft but his mood.

"Alright. What do you need me to do?"