⊱ ────── {⋆❉⋆} ────── ⊰

The Field of Reeds had an illuminating golden sunlight shining against Marc's chocolate eyes, the reeds softly caressing the tips of his feet and clothes, and there was no sign of loud noises or voices all around him. He felt like he could finally take a deep breath without looking behind his shoulder.

"The Scales are balanced," Taweret announced in her soft voice, her form right behind Marc. "Your heart is full."

Marc felt something heavy in his hand and he lowered his head just to see how his white, cristal heart was in his palm. A sense of guilt came over him, recalling what he had witnessed not too long ago, and how neither of them were with him now.

"Your journey is over," Taweret spoke.

Marc closed his eyes to savor the moment. "It's so. . .quiet."

"The peace you always wanted but never had," the goddess told him in a quiet tone, and Marc turned over to her. "You're manifesting it. No danger. No loneliness or hurt."

He was afraid to ask. "What about Steven and (Y/N)?"

"They're gone, Marc. The Duat has them," Taweret said and there was a sense of solemn in her voice and eyes. "Please, enjoy your peace."

"We need to go back for them," he decided firmly.

"It doesn't work like that."

Taweret's ears flickered like she sensed hesitation in Marc and she tried to persuade him. "Leave here, and you can't return. Anyway, you don't need him anymore, Marc. (Y/N)'s expecting death would've been much more painful to her."

Marc shut his eyes tightly at that. "So I get to go on to eternal peace and they just. . stay lost in the sand forever?"

There was no answer from Taweret, and Marc savored the last few moments of the eternal peace, making sure to remember the sight of the Field of Reeds for a long time before whirling on his heel.

"No, I'm not good with that," he said.

He ran with his hands still cradling the cristal heart and the yellows and oranges disappeared completely from his sight as if they were never there. They were replaced by the familiar purple scenery and the sand underneath his shoes.

"Wait! Think about this!" Taweret tried to warn.

Marc faintly heard her warning and he searched through the mountains of sand in the Duat to find Steven and (Y/N)'s frozen figures buried in between the sand. He swallowed the lump in his throat and decided to walk forward.

⊱ ────── {⋆❉⋆} ────── ⊰

Every time Marc got closer to Steven and (Y/N), he swore he could feel his throat closing in and his eyes growing tired from the sight in front of him. Once he was close enough, he knelt down to their level and sat to face them perfectly.

"(Y/N). Steven," his vision was getting blurry. "Looking pretty rough, man."

He was sure that if (Y/N) had heard him say that, she would've scoffed in fake offense and shoved his shoulder. The thought of that only made him lower his head in shame.

"I don't know if you can hear me," he muttered, his words quiet. "From the moment you arrived, Steven, way back then, we were so young. You saved me."

His words were slow because of the shakiness in his voice, knowing that if a miracle didn't happen, he would get stuck in the sand with them too.

"I survived because I knew I wasn't alone," he sniffed. "You were always there, alive, so full of hope. And I tried to protect that, and I failed. I couldn't protect you."

He looked back at his bent knees and saw how the ice and cold had began spreading all over his feet, to the point that he couldn't move them anymore because they were stuck in the sand. He saw his hand was going through the same effect too and he didn't had much time.

"But you didn't abandon me. You didn't abandon me," he shook his head. "And although that field was looking. . .It was looking pretty good — There's no way in hell I'm gonna abandon you. You are the only real superpower. . .I ever had."

"(Y/N), I know — I know," his gaze was directed to her, his glazed eyes locking with her frozen ones. "I know how selfish of me it was to hide the truth from you. And it killed me to see you losing your energy every day because I was too stupid."

"But. . .if you can hear me," the cold was spreading through his shoulders. "I — I couldn't risk letting Khonshu ruin the most important person in my life."

The cold had spread into his face and the last thing that Marc did was place the cristal heart inside Steven's open palm, hands bonded together as the three got lost in the sand with no sign of salvation.

Suddenly, the Gates of Osiris began opening their entrance widely, a yellow light shining through the purple scenery as the sound of the stone doors scraping against one another echoed through the sea of sand.

The cold and ice melted off the sides of (Y/N), Marc and Steven's faces, a groan leaving the latter's lips as they began to gain motion of their own body again.

Steven lifted his eyes towards the figure in front of him, his necklace of the Star of David dangling in his neck. "Marc."

Marc let out a relieved laugh.

(Y/N) got help from Steven to stand up to her feet and let out a breathed laugh when she saw Marc, eyes softening after she had heard entirely what he had said. "Hi."

Marc felt like crying. "Hi."

"Love, you all right?" Steven would be lying if he said he wasn't relieved by the fact that Marc had opened up to her.

(Y/N) nodded to Steven's question before returning her gaze to Marc. "I'm the most important person in your life, huh?"

"There's not a single lie in that sentence," Marc mumbled, and he laughed again.

Steven patted Marc in the back in a brotherly manner, his free hand resting in his shoulder, finally processing what he had to do to get them unfrozen. "You came back? What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Well, I did a whole little speech there," Marc excused.

"It wasn't that little," Steven muttered.

And with that, the two jumped to embrace the other in in a firm and tight hug, Steven wrapping his arm around his shoulders first while Marc returned the gesture equal a out of strength. (Y/N) watched and her heart swooned at the sight of the two boys, finally accepting the other completely.

Once they pulled away, Steven caught sight of the opened doors. "Guys, look. The Gates are open."

Before any of them could take a step further, a gigantic wave of sand began to come their way, and they knew they had to run towards the doors to free themselves from drowning in the sand again.

"Oh, bollocks," Steven gasped and ran, while (Y/N) placed her arm around Marc's free arm and helped him move forward because his foot was still frozen.  Come on, let's go!"

"You can do it," he continued to encourage. "We're almost there."

Marc looked behind his shoulder. "I'm slowing us down. Just go."

(Y/N) shook her head. "Come on!"

The wave of sand was already too close to run away from until the familiar looking boat ran right through the wave, the sound of Taweret's voice echoing through (Y/N)'s ears.

"Coming through!" she cried out, and moved the row with difficulty. "Osiris, you old softie!"

She raised her arms enthusiastically. "Now, go!"

"Whoo!" Steven cried out. "Hippo!"

(Y/N) whooped along with him as Marc grinned and they all kept running towards the opened Gates of Osiris, yelling several words of encouragement to not stop.

"Go, go!"

"We're almost there! Come on!"