Light was beginning to spread by the time he left the castle, Luke's body held tight in his arms. He wasn't sure if the king knew of Kraim's doing, or was as oblivious as ever. All he knew was that he didn't want to stay to learn one way or the other.

He continued to limp, the blinding stab in his leg causing him to drag it alongside him, leaving a trail of red with it. The surrounding town came into view, and with it, its graveyard. He wished he had the time to rest again, but he had made his enemies. He had no home in Human civilization anymore. So he came to a stop in front of the graveyard's stone monument, eyes trailing over its grim set of shelves for the dead.

Perhaps it was wrong to pull out a drawer and remove the skeleton from its place. Maybe it made him no different than the cultists, but he didn't have the capacity to mull it over. With a grunt of pain, he pushed past the searing agony in his shoulder, hoisting the body up and into the box, angling Luke's arms nicely to fit him inside.

"There you are. A resting place fit for a hero." Xoris settled the energy in his chest as he spoke. He didn't deserve it, but he wanted to talk to his friend not as a Stained, but as a Human, one last time. The world fell dark save for a single oval that he viewed his friend's bandaged body out of.

"May Clesdyra evaporate your blood from the scale, and your soul be judged worthy of the kingdom of Moive," he prayed, locking his fingers together. He didn't believe a word of it, but he wanted to trust that there was a place for heroes, some semblance of the peace in Lakhira that Luke had earned. Then, as his prayer floated away from his lips, it was time to push the shelf back in.

And yet, he stopped, unable to do it as he continued to look. Even dead, he was still beautiful, from his perfect locks of golden hair, to his slightly pointed ears, to arms that had held him comfortingly time and time again.

Xoris' lip trembled. That was all he'd ever wanted, for as long as he could remember. No war, no soldiers, no death. Just the two of them, blissfully sharing their days together. Not like brothers. Even younger, they'd never considered themselves as anything other than friends, and yet-

A choked sob rattled through Xoris' chest, jerking painfully at the wound in his collar. He stared at Luke, eyes wide as it struck him. "Oh- sekhi. I... I loved you, didn't I?" His hands reached to tug at his hair, pulling at it as if one pain would make the other fade away. But it didn't. All he could do was continue to stare at Luke as his vision blurred. "But you'll never know, because they killed you before I knew. Because all I ever do is just deny everything until it's too late. And now you're-"

His lungs constricted, and he wailed. He didn't care if it woke up the village. The man he loved was gone, the only vision he'd ever had of his future taken away. Every scream flared the wounds coating his body –when had he gotten so many?– and the dark surrounding his Human vision pressed closer, threatening to drown everything out entirely. He wanted to push it off, but even that took far more effort than he had. Everything stung, ached, and burned, until it fell away to being nothing at all.

𓂀

The nothingness opened up to reveal the world below him, and Kraim was falling as if the void itself had forcefully spat him out. His back collided with the stone floor, confirming that a few of his bones did still exist as his spine took the impact. It hurt more than the stab wound in his side, strangely numb with more of the twinkling, dark mass leaking out of it than his greenish blood.

With a sharp sigh, he pushed himself up, dusting off his robes. There was no time to concern himself with that. If anything, the lack of feeling was a blessing. He needed to gather an army. Now.

Somewhere in the castle, he could hear the Thing of Eyes and Teeth screaming again and again in agony, and he quickened his step. The first thing he would do was find the general— No, he wouldn't. The man was dead, which meant he would be doing that himself. Kraim rounded another hall, spotting two servants. They gave him a strange look, whispering fiercely to each other, but whatever they were talking about, he was sure he could explain the situation to them. Putting a smile on his face, he went to greet them, but a large, heavy hand fell on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Kraim Azjuri."

He stiffened under the touch. The king wasn't supposed to be awake. Not here. Not now. The drink must have been wearing off, for the confidence he'd felt before was quickly fleeting as he turned. "Y-yes sire?"

The man's dark face was filled with rage, the beads on his crown trembling as he shook with anger. "What is going on?"

Kraim took a step back, shooting a look behind him at the servants. "Well... now isn't quite the best time to go over that. You see, I actually need to form a small brigade to-"

The king stood straighter, though he was still far below Kraim's height, like most. Still, there was something threatening about the way he brought his broad shoulders back, hands balled into fists. "You will getting no brigade until you explain why the Thing of Eyes and Teeth is screaming in my dungeons. What are you hiding?"

Kraim shrunk back, an uneasy smile on his face. "Nothing! This is all just-"

"He's been drinking Vilve blood and killing them left and right."

Whipping around, he saw one of the servants stepping forward, and he noticed that she wore white armour. A soldier. She jut her chin out defiantly, crossing her arms. "What are you trying to do? Have the gods curse us all?" Her voice trembled, tears springing to her eyes. "My brother worked under you, believing so strongly in you, and yet you let them all get killed for power?"
"No!" Kraim shouted back, throwing a hand over his chest. "I don't kill! I'm saving us from the monsters this ashclaeve is too incompetent to take out."

"I'm incompetent, you say?"

The king's deep voice made him turn again. They were all around him now, on every side, all against him. How funny, doing that after everything I've sacrificed for them.

Anger flickered through him once again, bringing back some of his determination. "Yes. Incompetence. Do you know how many people I've watched fall under your rule? How many strategies I've suggested that you've promptly ignored? People suffer while all you do is sit around and smoke!"

A sharp gust of air tore through the room, and Kraim could feel the same, wrenching feeling pulling at his flesh again, cracks sparking around his hands. He let it come, relishing the way the king's brown eyes widened in fear.

"So– I went ahead and took this upon myself like every other job you leave me to do on my own, because unlike you, I actually care. I get things done."

A gasp came from the king, and he stepped back, hands shaking. "... you're Stained."

Kraim's face twisted in rage, the Crack spreading further. "No I'm not. Now give me a brigade so I can take out the actual Beast here." He actually hadn't heard the Thing of Eyes and Teeth in awhile, and the more time he wasted here, the more like it would have to get away. He stepped towards the king, tilting his head at him, but his chest was met by the curved blade of a khopesh.

"Oh you'll get your brigade." The woman's icy gaze met his. "Start running."

𓂀

The sounds of war filled the air as footsteps rumbled the ground below. It shook Xoris to his core as he opened his eyes to find himself flat on the ground in broad daylight. When had he passed out? How far was he from the castle again? His head was spinning, and his thoughts felt far from him as he sat up. He craned his neck, catching sight of the castle's gates in the distance, and an army of men much, much closer. The curved blades of countless khopesh glinted in the light as shouts to stay together rang out.

"They can't possibly be here for me, right?" Xoris wondered aloud, but even as he spoke, something whizzed past his ear as a thin slice tore its way through. Behind him, the javelin landed. He raised a hand to the side of his face. They were coming after him? He was being hunted?

Just like... every other Stained.

His stomach sank as he came to the sickening realisation. He scrambled to his feet, trying to somewhat use the head start he had to his advantage.

The town fell away to fields standing empty in front of him, holding nothing but knee-high, yellow grass. He stared out into it, panic constricting his throat. Where was he even supposed to go? No one wanted him. Another javelin struck him, this time square in the back, the shock throwing him forward even with the armour.

"I've got him!" A female voice called, and Xoris didn't even have time to stand before he felt a sharp edge wedge itself into his neck, deep. He screamed, the sound warbling through his torn flesh. He looked over, his eyes scanning over the khopesh trying to split his head from his shoulder. Yet, he wasn't dead, and the shock of him continuing to move froze her for a moment, her ice blue eyes meeting his.

The taste of metal filled Xoris' mouth, but he knew it wasn't the one he was used to. Biting down, he spit the blade out of his skin, using a leg to kick the woman away. The other hand reached up to his neck, trying to shove the blood back in, or at least hold it together. His fingers were met with more teeth, and without much else to do, he focused on biting down on the area if only to hold it shut.

There wasn't even time to be annoyed on gaining another maw with the footsteps closing in behind him again. The only thing he could think to do was keep running, and even that much of an idea alone hurt. The sound of a rushing stream caught his attention, pushing some of that fuzzy darkness away, and he followed it.

"It's getting away!" another soldier shouted as the fast red water came into view.

Getting away with what? What had he ever escaped the consequences of? It all caught up to him, guilt lurking the moment he couldn't keep it down. The water was close now, encouraging Xoris forward. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to lay in it, his own blood matching its ripples while the soldiers finally brought it all to an end. He was tired, after all.

A splash sounded as he lost his footing in the moist brown and white dirt, tumbling into its thick hold. His metal armour pulled him down, until his feet were resting on the fleshy floor of the river. Not that it was that deep. Even now, it was only chest-high, giving the soldiers more than enough leeway to swipe at his head. He looked back, a soft smile on his face as he stood, waiting for them.

"It-it went into the river!" The army stopped, a good several strides away in fear. One of the armoured men looked up at the woman who had swiped at him, no doubt their temporary leader.

"Well then, go after it," she announced.

"I... I don't want to become a Vampire. Why don't you go in?" the man asked shakily.

"I can't risk being Stained with my position. Someone else should do it," she suggested, glancing around for another person to ask instead.

Right, Humans can't touch water. For a plan to basically hand himself over, he hadn't thought it through. Even now, the river should be washing away the pigment of his skin, hair, and coating him with patches of bright, crimson stains. It should have been his instinct to stay away, so why had it seemed like a natural solution to wade into it? I must be tired. Even with having drank from it, he'd still exercised caution before, and should be continuing to do so. With a sigh, he waded to the other side of the shore, shaking drops from his hair.

"Quick, find the end of the stream and go around! We'll catch it on the other side. The rest of you, stay here to guard."

As he turned to walk away, he could see another spear heading towards him from behind, but he simply stepped to the side. He had given them their chance, now they were just being foolish, and a few moments later, he was well beyond their range, their voices fading away. He didn't doubt that they would catch up to him in a few turns, but what else was there to really do besides let him take them? That's what was supposed to be done with Beasts. Capture, and kill them.

Xoris ran his hand through his hair, trying to clear his mind somewhat, even as blood continued to run agonisingly slow down his shoulder. When had everything gotten so complicated, where he had to think through every decision he made?

I miss the simpler times, before any of this.

The violet trees of a small wooded area stood before him, and he could almost hear the voices of Luke and the others running and hiding amongst the patchy brush where they had used to play. Another wave of emotion hit him even though he was empty of tears. Luke was gone, and Merkos... Alaina... the twins... None of them even knew. They probably thought he was still off fighting on the frontlines of the war, being a hero.

And it would continue that way, his family forever knowing nothing, or at best, happening to hear whatever convoluted lie Kraim would come up with for the people to hear.

A twinge of anger brushed through him at the thought. They don't deserve that. They deserve to know the whole story... and not to expect any more letters from me.

Xoris didn't know what to do from this point on, but he couldn't go back to Human civilization, not yet. Whether it was his end, or a new idea of life, he would never be able to see them again. That would only put them in danger. Maybe after this, he could finally find that Vampire and asked her what she had meant. Why she thought working for the kingdom was so wrong, but right now...

I need to see them one last time. Now, before I'm found. I need to tell them what I did. He dug his hand through his pouch, his finger brushing against damp parchment.

The map was more of a bloated wad at this point, but he gingerly opened it up, staring at it. Fort Kamdainn was two days away in the second direction. He frowned at it. That's only if I sleep though. If I start now, I could maybe make it by tomorrow afternoon. He didn't want to sleep anyway. He was still exhausted, his legs heavier than he'd ever known, and his neck felt as though it were going to split in two, but the last time he'd stopped, he'd almost been caught.

He clenched his fist, letting the teeth on the left side burrow into his skin. The pain would keep him awake. For now, he just had to focus on holding the map to the sky, letting the light seep through the paper to show him the way home.