𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗡 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗟𝗘: 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝟯

☯ 𝘛𝘌𝘈𝘔 𝘒𝘕𝘖𝘞𝘓, 𝘚𝘐𝘎𝘕𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘐𝘕 . . . ✍

𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙞 » ☠ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ❥

☢ 𝐷𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸𝑅, 𝐷𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸𝑅, 𝑌𝑂𝑈 𝑀𝐴𝑌 ⌫

𝐺𝐸𝑇 𝑩𝑼𝑹𝑵𝑬𝑫. ➪ 𝓦𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓑𝓵𝓸𝓰 . . . ♪

𝐈 𝐍 𝐓 𝐑 𝐎 𝐃 𝐔 𝐂 𝐓 𝐈 𝐎 𝐍 ; 導入

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It was an absolute honor to work with such an amazing team on this story. Both fellow authors, Wolf, were amazing in both work and attitude, as well as humor! Even when stress reached a peak, no one gave up. For that, I'm proud of all of those who reached the finish line!

Now, we reach our conclusion.

Remainder of Story:

Part 2

𝐓 𝐀 𝐆 𝐒 ; タグ

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#Conscripto2022

𝐖 𝐎 𝐑 𝐃  𝐂 𝐎 𝐔 𝐍 𝐓 ; 単語数

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Section Count: 7,503

Full Count: 20,206

𝐓 𝐈 𝐌 𝐄  𝐓 𝐀 𝐊 𝐄 𝐍 ; 時間

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16 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴

𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 𝐂 𝐓  𝐄 𝐑 𝐒 ; 文字

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𝙀𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙯𝙚𝙧 𝙃𝙞𝙡𝙡

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙝

𝙄𝙠𝙖𝙧𝙞 𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞

𝐖 𝐀 𝐑 𝐍 𝐈 𝐍 𝐆 𝐒 ; 警報

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𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 | 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐞 | 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 | 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 | 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

𝐒 𝐘 𝐍 𝐎 𝐏 𝐒 𝐈 𝐒 ; 梗概

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𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘺... 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘥𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴; 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

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             The dragon allows absolutely no room for protest, leaving Constance attempting a breath to stabilize her shaking hands, and to chase away the remains of fear of what she saw, now spread and bloody across the pavement in the centerview mirror. Two bodies now crushed with the weight of a vehicle, fading into the distance as she forces her concealed gaze downwards and straight ahead.

             There isn’t much leeway for discussion when there are two people you know next-to-nothing about occupying the same space, and it certainly had not occurred to Constance in this form before. Though…then again, none of the events that happened today would have ever crossed her mind, and yet here it was, staring at her like her own gaze in the mirror.

              No… this was no dream, it never could be. The way the once indigo sky now paints itself in vibrant viridian and amethyst, the dragon in her back seat, the statue of her mother just by the doorway, Ebenezer’s brother… None of them could have expected this when pulling the covers over their bodies the night before. How ironic it truly was, to cast these unprepared souls into a world wherein family and civilization as a whole has needed to be abandoned.

              Even as silence falls between them, it doesn’t seem that the impatient yet small force that had moments before practically flung themself to the front of the car has relaxed their mindset, the familiar motion of their jittering leg becoming a piece of the world around Constance, as recognizable as trees or dirt. However, with the near islands of dirt mounds hanging above their heads as if suspended by invisible beams, it didn’t seem like either of those statements could be held with the same affirmation as they once had.

              Seeming tired of the quiet tranquility that overtakes the stress of the vehicle, tension as thick as one may be able to cut it with a knife, one of the scaled hands once again reaches for the front, though it seems Constance is far more aware of the prospect, gently moving slightly towards the window once more as if to allow the other some space in whatever they were planning on doing–this time, being to fiddle with the radio stations. Face contorting in mild disappointment when all that surfaced was a crisp crackle of static, Ikari grumbles in dissatisfaction.

              Groaning and leaning their head back in annoyance, the dragon its defeat, staring up at the roof of the vehicle as if there is a sudden lack of things to take note upon in this now unknown world. That is, of course, until the tan-skinned human jerks their attention, raising his wrist to hover over his mouth, wheezing out a series of coughs that seem to drain his body of air itself, as if his lungs are hissing in even the attempt to choke air out of his lips.

              Lurching forwards, his body forces him to curl, ducking his head further into his wrist, causing a raised eyebrow from Constance, though her gaze dares not move from the road ahead, now far more covered with thick vine and foliage, larger bumps that her poor van must embark over. “Are you okay?” She questions, voice steady as Ikari looks over him for a moment, up and down as he fights for breath.  

              “You need to clean both your ears and those damn shades if you have to ask.” Ikari snaps in retort, staring intently at the human of the group as Ebenezer finally rises from his coughing fit, leaning against the car door for stability.

              “I’m fine,” Nez replies, correcting tone clear in his voice as he pants under his breath, tucking his hand into his chest, though he cannot hide the slight amount of uncertainty present in the lilt to his voice. Even still… it didn’t seem as though he had truly convinced either of the others in the vicinity.

                  “You sound like you’re about to keel over, smart guy.” The dragon deadpans, brows furrowed in discontent at the seemingly endless series of unfortunate events coming to befall the group. They haven’t necessarily been around one another for a particularly long time, but that doesn’t mean there’s no level of decent human- or inhuman- courtesy that one can afford to others.

              “Yeah, well, it wouldn’t be helping anything.” Ebenezer retorts, rubbing at his forehead with his free hand, leaning his head back against the seat. “I mean, who’s to say that this… ‘center’ is really going to yield anything?” He questions, golden gaze peering through the windshield that had, miraculously, not been burdened by a bit of residue from the corpses that it had almost crashed into.

              After all… it seems that each enger in the vehicle is as prepared as they are going to be and…for what? How would any of them be able to tell what lay beyond? The road is beginning to thin, especially with the giant vines that coil around the edges of the pavement like huge serpents, and the hoarseness of his throat is beginning to nag at his mind, eating away like the creature that they had seen so recently, gnawing at the flesh held in its maw.

             The edge to Ikari’s voice never softens, like a blade running constantly through a pair of rotating sharpening stones that scream in protest with each . “So you’re planning on giving up, just like that, huh?” They practically snarl, slitted pupils thinning in a vertical glare that no mere human could ever possess. “A little cough and you’re all out of juice? Come on, get your head on straight or I’ll do it for you! It’s not every day the world decides to turn itself upside down. Pretty sure we aren’t going to be getting any answers unless we grab them for ourselves.”

              “What? No!” He interjects with a shake of his head, crossing his arms defensively over his seatbelt–something the dragon didn’t seem to care to use. “I’m not quitting. Not when people out there might need us to do this,” He begins, turning his gaze to the window beside him, as if nothing each thing that his eyes fell upon, like a child being presented with a view they had never even imagined were possible. Teddy would have liked to see the sky like this–he wouldn’t understand how weird it really was, but… he could clearly imagine the look of awe spread upon the boy’s face, now blue with suffocation. “I’m just saying, we don’t know what we’re getting into, we’ve got to keep an open mind for this.” The man clarifies, sighing in the necessity to.

              “I’m not sure if you’ve /realized/ this, /Ebenezer/, but there’s two of us in here who sprouted fucking scales today. The only way my mind’s getting any more opened up is if I somehow crack it open on the pavement outside.” Ikari answers with a roll of their eyes, voice practically dripping with the sheer level of sarcasm saturating their words.

             “Don’t forget claws,” Constance points out, as if unimpressed by the small speech. “Honestly, though, both of you have points.” Humming as if to continue her thoughts on something that feels…constant, something that won’t change under her nose. “But…we’re here, and I’m not going to turn back. That’s cowardly.”

              “Right, and stupid Valentine’s Day lookin’ glasses too.” Without a sliver of mercy, the dragon drops another insult, before continuing on as though nothing of importance happened whatsoever at all. “But when I said not to chicken out, I didn’t mean for anyone to start growing a hero complex in here. I don’t want to hear any shit about sacrifice and protecting from either of you or I swear to hell I’ll knock your asses out and leave you in the car.”

              “If we’re not going to be heroes, then who is? The government’s only interested in keeping everyone else away.” Nez speaks up, cringing as the slight rise in his own voice ends with a slightly choked cough, muffled by a hand raising from its tucked away position to cover the mildly infuriating sounds of illness.

              Ignoring the hastily-made comment, obviously directed at her, Constance furrows her brows, putting her foot to the brake with steady ease, pulling off to the side, and retrieving her keys from the ignition, resting her elbows on the steering wheel as if satisfied with the action of finally having the car pulled over after what it had seen in this ‘short drive’. “Well, you /did/ ‘sneak’ us through military agents, Ikari. If anyone is performing acts of heroism, it might as well be you.”

             With a glance up at the somewhat ruined road ahead, strewn with vines grasping at the edges of asphalt with their unnaturally sized tendrils, the dragon tilts their head in a blend of confusion and annoyance at the comment of the dark-haired woman controlling their vehicle situation. “You’re lucky that I can’t decide if that’s an insult or not.”

              “If it feels any better, call it a blend of both.” For a moment, the woman’s voice raises in tone slightly, as if a poorly made joke had rang in it, contrasting her near-tired look back to the dragon in the backseat.

              “Sorry, didn’t feel the heat from that one. Better try harder next time.” With a hint of a scoff in their tone, the dragon slides across the backseat quickly, practically wrenching the door open with the rather blatant desire to no longer be associated with the soccer-mom-mobile. “Roll out, dunces. Looks like we’re taking a hike.”

              “I wasn’t trying,” Constance confirms, though they had already made their exit and said their peace, causing nothing more than a huff from the drained woman, who undid her seatbelt, and opened her door with a practiced motion of a slide off her seat. “It shouldn’t be that taxing if you’re used to it, then again, you’ll have to get your legs up.” Though one could easily read this as a joke, this time, it truly seemed to be a fact rather than an attempt at an insult. Constance leaned her weight against her own door while waiting for the man to hurry up and them outside, somewhat thankful for the heart-shaped lenses to protect her eyes from the odd sunlight.

              “Hey! I will kick your ass all the way back to the base if I have to, you lanky moron! You’ll see yourself punted if you keep up that shit.” Ikari snaps, stepping around their door that slams closed with more force than needed… and, ittedly, more than intended as the car rocks slightly at the sudden force. With nowhere near the same level of patience as Constance, the dragon yanks open the door in front of it before Nez can have a chance to escort himself out of the vehicle. Force of habit, one could say.

             “I’m just saying, I’d rather we not fall if we have to climb.” Crossing her arms dismissively, her attention is caught as an eruption of coughs once again rockets the human into a state of severe discomfort, quickly guarding his mouth as the dragon waits impatiently for him to exit. It…doesn’t seem like that’s very forward on his mind, the way his body nearly goes limp, attempting to lift himself out only to begin to fall to the grass-coated ground beneath him.

              Instinct kicks into gear the second Nez’s grip falters, stance widening as their arms shoot out to hook beneath the brown-haired man’s arms before he can topple to the potentially softer surface of the loamy ground. Without so much as a grunt, the much shorter of the two hoists him up slightly, tucking a strong arm around his waist in a firm grasp as their expression softens ever so slightly into something more thoughtful than furious. “Stop making me feel like an ass for making fun of you earlier. If you’re playing it up, you’re dead.” As if their tone will ever let on something aside from seemingly endless aggravation…

              Though the man certainly isn’t in the mood for his body to be shoved together against thick and hard muscle, it might be better than falling face-first on the ground when he can’t even stop himself from coughing in their hold. “You don’t have to do this.” He huffs, only for his body to reject the notion entirely, his attempt to grip at the other’s shoulders and stabilize himself up only leading to a numbness at his knuckles–though it doesn’t seem like he entirely realizes the slight purple hue to his skin. “Put me down, let’s get going. If we stay here forever, then we lose our chance.”

                 It seems that the dragon’s words caught the attention of Constance, quickly moving to the front of the vehicle to investigate. “What’s going on? The coughs don’t exactly seem like a great sign…I mean, the thing in the road looked human–”

             “It’s literally my job to do this.” Ikari deadpans, almost entirely ignoring the remainder of what the man has to say as they turn towards Constance with a moderately sarcastic tilt of their head. “Oh, nothing, just a member of our little trio about to lose a lung. No big deal, obviously.” With a turn of their body, they release Nez only long enough to line up in front of him, pointedly looking back over their shoulder with the unspoken indication of their apparently overbearing will.

              “Then come on, if you’re carrying him.” Firm in her words, Constance turns her head to the vines blocking the path, readjusting the over-the-shoulder satchel bag on her hip, and begins her pace to the smallest one, hiking her leg up and over it with ease, as if this had been easily cleared the day before, and was not a ridiculously large vine in a place where a vine would not normally be.

             Reluctant at best, Nez hesitates a few seconds longer than necessary, before he finally loops his arms over their shoulders. Despite the awkward bend to reach the height of someone significantly shorter than him, the dragon wastes no time in yanking up the brunette’s legs to their sides with a firm grip beneath each. It’s a bit more difficult to keep sturdy claws from poking through any cloth or flesh, but that’s not much of a deterrent.

              Immediately, the dragon sets off after the raven-haired woman, quickly finding footing in the spaces that smaller vines cross over the larger sorts, rather than just swooping long legs that they happen to lack over the thick tendrils of deep green.

              It doesn’t take long for one to realize that the way these huge vines curl around each other, the complex plant life that Constance has never even imagined, glowing and vaguely haunting in their white appearance, like ghosts in a military graveyard, lost spirits growing through the foliage. Each one seemed more and more akin to the ones littering the corpse. Finally finding stable ground, the woman hops off the huge vine, keeping a quiet, and rather calm pace, Ikari slowing down with the caution over the man they had begun carrying.

              “If either of you need help, let me know.” Constance begins, though her gaze does not turn back from them, lingering before her as if she were deep in thought. Nez could only sputter a sharp cough in response, ducking his head closer to Ikari’s broad shoulder in the strange position his body was forced to contort in.

              “I don’t need your help!” Ikari calls, quickening their pace all the more as if taking her offer as a challenge to outpace her as much as possible, racing over the vine and rolling over the edge to keep Nez as weightless as they can. “Just focus, we’re wasting time. With Paper Boy out of commission, we’re kinda running out.”

             “You’re acting like I’m dead.” Ebenezer corrects hoarsely, weakly headbutting the wall of muscle that surrounds him, only for Ikari to scoff in response.

              “If you keep coughing, you might as well be.” They retort, snickering for a moment, before the slight smirk fades in a lack of laughter from the others. Guess it wasn’t time to joke about that, with a likely-human corpse in the road leaving them all a bit shocked. Even if the dragon had seen something that still lingered in their mind like hard stone, even if they had known of their family’s lineage… they still had at least… all thought themselves to be human, that only ever changed today. To see something so…familiar and lost, it left a sickening feeling inside.

                  The way Constance’s face grimaces as they continue is not one of pain, but a growing rage, as if her anger towards herself was only now beginning to leak from the porcelain expression she had forced herself to carry. Why was she here? What would she gain from this? It was a waste of time, and with the barks of illness only escalating from the rasping throat of the human… a fear of her own safety was beginning to sprout. Of course, it was selfish, but… if Nez’s views were correct, that they were the only ones brave enough to cast themselves into this situation, with only the reckless abandon to guide them, then… sickness was to be avoided at all cost. Ikari was contaminating themself further just by carrying him. It felt…truly asinine, to consider leaving him behind in favor of themselves, but with the end of the world rampant…

                 Would that be as twisted as it sounded?

                 After all, if she had just /known/ about her reality, if her mother had ever told her–if she knew at all, then perhaps her fate could have been avoided completely. Perhaps Ebenezer’s brother wouldn’t have met an awful fate by his own mother. Steeling herself against the ivy, she hauls herself over another level, unwilling to speak her peace at the time being. There was a new, cathartic energy filling her right now, and she was not going to waste it bickering senselessly. They had to move, especially with Ebenezer’s sudden condition growing far worse, his hands now dark in contrast to his usual tan skin, as if left too long in the cold winter’s snow.

                  However, it seemed that, as she pulled herself up the steep wall of foliage, thankful for the lack of thorns that would tug at her skin, barbs that would attach to the denim-jean jacket she wore, that it was thankfully evening in level. Satisfied with the progress, she once again raises to stand from her crouched position.

The plants were growing in both size and vibrancy, beholding such unique ambers and fuschias paired with elegant whites that she had never seen before. Yet… now is not the time to stay spellbound. “Ikari, set him down.” She states, taking a few steps from the edge to face the group as a whole.

                  Heaving both their bodies up, Ikari glares at the other with confusion and annoyance. “The hell do you think that’d achieve?” They question, squinting and raising a brow. “He’s sick, there’s no fucking doubt about that, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna leave him behind.” Judgmentally staring at the woman, a quick fire ignites in those emerald eyes, near triangles in the way they slit–similar to her own, but lacking the absence of color. “Don’t you dare even think about it!” The dragon shouts, leaving Constance to turn her back.

                  “You have to think about it logically, Ikari. If he’s ill, he might end up like t/hat/. If he spreads it, you might be next.” Her stone cold words are laced with troubled thought, clenching her fists into her jacket, allowing the tips of her claws to easily dip into the fabric.

                  “What the hell is your deal?!” Ikari roars, lowering Ebenezer to the ground to spread their arms in a show of their anger. “He starts coughing, you make it out like he’s a lost cause! What the fuck?!” Even as they say this… just a look down at the man can already show his glazing eyes, staring off into space as if severely lightheaded.

                  “We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t know about this.” Constance answers, methodical tone no longer remaining evident in the way she carried herself, stiff shoulders straightening like a warrior, cold and merciless. “If people had /known/ about our differences, then there wouldn’t be a corpse in the road. My mother wouldn’t be dead, and Nez’s brother wouldn’t be either.” She states confidently, finally turning to face them, fury in her hidden eyes.

                  “Like that’s his fault?!” Ikari snaps, as Ebenezer’s body finally calls his defeat, thumping to the ground as if attempting to keep itself up was already incredibly taxing, quickly rushing in an attempt to steady him, crouching down in the process.

                  “I’m not saying it is, but if we plan on moving forward and putting an end to this, we don’t need to carry dead weight.” Constance replies, a cold set of eyes dawning on the unconscious human before her. There was a painful throb in her chest, though only for a moment. Cast it aside, if he dies then…all he was, was a stranger.

              There was no use getting attached to a corpse of a man. Getting attached will only make the pain worse. “If he gets up, and can breathe, then we can continue with him. But, look at him,” Her hand moves down to motion to him in Ikari’s arms, lifting his hand with her own. “This is spreading to his skin, I wouldn’t doubt if there’s a lack of blood flow. I have bandages, but there’s nothing we can do.”

                 “Get away from him!” Ikari commands, smoke rising from their lips as they instinctively draw the limp man closer to their chest and away from the gorgon. “It’s NOT his fault!” They emphasize, growling, a beast in their place, filled with growing rage and loathing. “We don’t know a single /shit/ about what’s happening to him, and I’m /not/ just going to abandon him!”

                  Silence fills the air between them for a moment, an unreadable expression coating Constance’s face for a moment, as though she were in her own thoughts, weighing the pros and cons with a callous demeanor. Truly, it was ruthless, the way the dragon barked at her, as though they knew every piece of this–though they claimed differently. It was beginning to grow annoying, how the other wouldn’t even attempt to listen to reason.

              Yet… she cannot allow herself to speak further while she contemplates, simply staring down at the dazed brunette clutched by the dragon. Her words spoke truth, though, as with all instances, the truth has been molded into a fierce weapon, something cruel but unavoidable. Finally, her silvery gaze falls to Ikari’s face, scarred and scaled as it was, unfamiliar and shockingly recognizable all the same. If only this had been a better moment to capture such a vivid emotion spread across their face.

                  “You’re going to die with him.”

“SHUT UP!”

                 A deafening roar thunders through the dragon’s throat, splitting the energy filling the air like a crackle of lightning. Smoke fumes out of their maw, a horrid cloud of black that rises into the air, a familiar heat rising into the back of their throat like flame from the pits of hell. The beast launches forward, charged by adrenaline and wicked anger, as if the embodiment of a blazing inferno. Claws outstretched, fangs bared, no more than a monstrous animal left with no more to restrain them, those emerald eyes harbor no more than an eerily thin line of pupil, a blade that cut through the sky.

                 With a rage like no other filling their body, pure of righteous strength and thick muscle, the dragon lunges forwards, slamming into the nimble form of the gorgon hybrid and throwing them both down to the ground, covered with sharp blades of grass and ivy that threatens to curl up their thrashing forms. The familiar shape of dark hearts are launched from the light sable face of their opponent, rocketing into the air and crashing into the ground with a dismal thud. For a moment, one of the gorgon’s arms lashes out from beneath the stronger party, grasping for the shades, the last piece of her mother she had, only for her wrist to be slammed forcefully down onto the rough surface.

                 For a moment, her breath hitches in her throat, tensing, only a second too late before sharp claws slide through her flesh, a blend of golden and cerise ichor splattering from the newly open wounds that tear jaggedly at her face. A piercing shriek of primal fear and pain sounds from Constance’s throat, earsplitting as her only free hand claws toward her face, limbs trembling in agony as pure trepidation soaks her features just as the hot, sticky blood oozing from her eyes, squeezed shut in strain.

                  The air in her lungs is evaporating, the throbbing asperity oozing liquid amber and carmine that blends into one another like rivers flooding down her cheeks, mixing with tears in a dreadful amalgamation. Her chest burns with the attempt to suck in breath, as her world shrouds in darkness, stifling the vibrant colors, the astounding sights that she has never thought to imagine without.

                 Finally opening their eyes, they lay witness to one of the cruelest sights that could ever behold itself upon them. Constance writhes beneath their weight, struggling as if her life depended on it, unable to open her eyes from the sea of sticky heat leaking from the huge lacerations forming massive slashes across her face.

              A realization dawned on their face, a deep panic and consternation, quickly moving off of the blinded woman, with her quickly shielding her face and rushing to scramble away from her attacker, trepidation present in the way her face contorted, no longer screaming, though her silence commanded the same horrid sound.

                  “Constance, I–” They fight for words, dismay clear in the way their voice wobbles, eyebrows knitted in concern. “I didn’t mean it, please–”

                 “Get away from me!” She cries, the gilded stain of her sepia skin carrying across the blades of grass that she felt across, ensuring distance between her and the dragon. Still, the blood was unrelenting from the claw marks, lingering on the sharp weapons that had caused them. However, unluckily for Constance, her back hits the unfamiliar texture of a huge vine, causing her breath to quicken.

                 “I’m not gonna do anything, please,” Ikari chokes, one of their hands reaching out to her, only to retreat as they rise to stand. “I…I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what I was doing–” They clarify, stepping closer, cautiously. “I saw red, I– Jesus, you’re bleeding–” Cutting themself off, the dragon shakes their head, running a panicked hand through the irregular black strands covering their forehead. “You don’t have to forgive me, can you please let me take care of it? Just that much?” They offer, a horridly sad tone filling their extension of hope, as if it were so far away one could barely even think it possible. It seemed more like a beg than a suggestion.

                 Silence once again fills the space between them, save for the wobbly sobs of the fearful woman, though, to the surprise of both her and the dragon… She doesn’t disagree. No, even as her face contorts in vile pain, and her heart races in her chest like a mouse in a cage, she does not make a move to force the other away from her, even as they carefully advance, gingerly taking her satchel bag from her shoulders, rummaging through it in a quick scan for bandages.

                  Although they are buried underneath black band tee-shirts and the barest of essentials, a familiar roll of gauze is soon enough found by hands searching frantically for something–anything– to soak up the pouring ichor from the other’s face, the gold trail within the scarlet streams seeming almost fascinating, before reminding themself of the other’s clear and obvious pain. “Breathe, Constance, it’ll be okay, I promise.” That normally hard and angered voice now a much softer, gentler guide as their hands reach ever closer to the other’s eyes.

                 Though her body tenses firmly, rigidly, as if anticipating another injury, one never comes to meet her, as Ikari gently winds the eggshell-white fabric around her face, the softness of their touch feeling familiar and strange all at once, as though imagining someone so strong and fierce to be so utterly gentle was unfathomable. Sucking a breath of air through her nose as the bandage hits the base of the gashes spread across her face, her own claws once again knead themselves into her clothing, now itching at her jeans, in an attempt to keep her hands from the dragon as they finally pull back from her to examine their work.

                 With her eyes shielded, the woman takes a few moments to finally ease her shoulders from their tight formation, her hands now patting the ground for her familiar shades. Even if she were blind… she couldn’t bear to lose them. However, Ikari seemed to have planned for that reaction, gently grabbing her wrist to place them into her right hand, causing a confused expression to cross her lips, scarred eyebrows knitting in perplexion as her fingertips gently guide themselves to the shape. The familiar curves of a heart… relief soaks in her form, finally causing a sigh to part from her lips.

                  “Ikari,” Constance begins, the shaky breathlessness to her voice all the same, a ghost of a shiver still in her bones, as her head tilts upward as if attempting to where Ebenezer’s body would be, “I’m…sorry. This is my doing.” However…there is something that catches her attention, more than the dragon and more than the intense pain.

                 Though they are muted, through her closed eyes, there are bursts of vibrant colors, ones that surround her like a mist, shrouding her in shimmering golds and emeralds, violets and ceruleans, that cause the gorgon to slowly rise to her feet. Ikari is quick to follow, gently slipping their hand over her wrist as if to remind her that they were present, and to catch her in case her combat boots misstep.

              With a hushed breath, she allows her dark fingers to glide themselves across the pale counterparts, the very same things to cause such pain. There is a moment where Constance feels a small sliver of the pain fade, turning her head to encounter huge glowing lines just below their feet, ethereal in their coloration. Opening her mouth in shock, she quickly rushes her head up to follow.

                  “Uh…are you okay?” Ikari questions with a tilt of their head, squinting in confusion. “You act like you’re going nuts.” They continue, slightly tightening their grip on her wrist.

                 Humming in thought, Constance purses her lips for a moment, as if she were staring at something far away beyond view. “Get Nez. I have an idea.” She states cryptically, pulling her wrist out of their grip, to take wary steps in this dark, isolated world, further toward the original path they had.

                  “Wh–Okay?” Ikari replies, the obvious question clear in their throat as they rush to pull the unconscious brunette into one of their arms, as though he weighed nothing at all, allowing him to awkwardly hang mostly off their back with his torso pulled to their shoulder and his legs resting in the crook of their arm. Raising their head back to peer up at her, Constance has already made her way to the edge of the steep heel, causing the dragon to quickly push themself again to their feet, rushing to grasp her wrist again. “Jesus, can’t you stay still for a second?!” They bark, scolding tone quickly fading as if they realized how it sounded after it left their mouth. “You can’t see, dumbass. Let me guide you.”

                  Once again, there is no room at all in their voice for backtalk, leaving Constance to gently sigh once again, a slight pull at her lips, though it was hard to tell if it were from thought, or the very vague beginning of a smile. “Can you describe what’s in front of me?” She questions, the colors gathering far closer together, bright, holding a distinct shape, with roots and pathways ducking and weaving in between themselves and throughout, like a lush forest of golden glow.

                  “Mmm…” Ikari turns their head to gaze upon the valley awaiting them, gaze quickly widening in a mix of shock and excitement. “Holy- Constance! You’re a genius!” They shout, practically dragging her down with them as they rush down the steep side of the hill, to which she gasps and quickly readjusts her fumbling legs to race down beside them.

                  What lays before them is a beautiful sight, haunting and enchanting in every intricate way that views can be measured in. It felt as though every bone burned with knowledge and understanding, both a horrid prospect, and a blessing. White and sapphire lights dance up gigantic roots that rise from the Earth itself in a massive rift, flowering to a huge, encircling canopy of branches, protected by a wide cap that stretches to the tops of the clouds above.

              The way it beckons both of them forward, as if moths to a burning candle, even if it felt as though one were walking to their own death… Nostalgic, and entirely new… What a wondrous feeling, to be caught so easily in this ancient creation, evocative and astounding. Constance can see the brightest light she has ever experienced, ethereal in its glow that surrounds her, filling her with warmth and whisking away the pain from her body… As though nothing had happened at all, though the glittering blood still soaked into the bandages wrapped around her head. If only Nez was able to see it…

             "This is really what made shit hit the fan? I can't say it seems harmless, but…" Ikari pauses a moment, nearly snapping their mouth shut against the nearly overwhelming set of sensations dripping into their blood like an intravenous infusion. Homelieness, belonging, strength, familiarity, warmth, calm… It feels wrong to say something so crass in front of the massive entity. Like disrespecting a parent or a guardian. Someone vital to their very existence, rather than a glowing plant they've been led to by the very woman they struck out against.

              A sense of clarity comes with the proximity to such a being. Even with the weight of Nez's form breathing unsteadily against them, with Constance's hand in their own… the mistakes that have led them here are clearer than ever before.

              They've been furious with the world around them for as long as they can . Ever since it snatched their parents away with the metallic screaming of one vehicle impacting another, ever since that first foster family treated them with nothing but fear and confusion from the moment they stepped through the door… ever since the world turned its back on them, they've treated it in a similar fashion, no matter how deeply their true desire to defend may run.

             Is 'deeply' even enough to describe how they /want/ to protect those they've grown to care for, though? The desire is like the very blood in their veins; inhumanly powerful, shining golden and bright like dew from the very surface of the sun. It flows hotter than a furnace and faster than a falling star, without the fleeting lifespans of either.

              The shuddering wheeze of a breath through Ebenezer's lips pulls their attention without even a moment of thought, hand slipping almost gently away from Constance as it moves to the brunette's back, shifting him forward until he's almost standing. Without ever reducing their , dark blonde brows furrow with discontented worry at the sight of that sickly pallor overtaking Nez's complexion, veins of deep violet branching out across his forehead and cheeks like dark lightning. Clammy skin bears beads of cold sweat, and even the scent he gives off is beginning to /reek/ of the early stages of decay the dragon has only just begun to recognize.

             Decay…

              That sensation of lightness, of belonging and strength- it all fades away in the blink of an eye.

              "Constance…" Ikari begins, voice almost hushed with the consideration finally coming to light in their mind. "I know this is cruel of me to ask, but can you what the.. Plant looked like, back on the road when we almost ended up at the bottom of a ravine?"

              The raven-haired woman's brows lower slightly, lifting again as the motion tugs at raw, angry gashes in her flesh. She should be angrier… but not in the light of what brought that punishment on. Not in the knowledge of what more damage she could have done. "It was… like a mushroom, I think. It was so fast, I don't really know… Why?"

              "Have you seen any others? Before- before I hurt you." They correct themself with a heavy heart, swallowing back the sensation of bile rising in their throat even as muscular arms move to hold the unconscious man a little more securely.

              They can almost hear the answer before it comes. Not from Constance, whose hesitant "no" falls upon barely listening ears, but from a voice sweeter than honey, lighter than air, and clearer than the summer's bluest sky.

             For you, it's all for you.

             The world will be pure for you.

             Familiarity does not stop with a sense of distant deja vu, nor at the whispered words of a voice they've yet heard once before. Within the walls of a hotel room, they seemed unhinged, unstable in perhaps the one way they'd never experienced before. Now, the voice, the entire /being/ is like nothing they've ever thought it to be like before. Not unsettling, not a comfort… but a /threat./

              A threat intended not for them, not for Constance, who's dark hand moves ever so slightly towards them in the subtlest of blind searches, but for every human left to grace this earth. Every man, woman, child, and anything in between that might still draw air is at risk of being forced to take a place in the ground far sooner than they should have to. To decay, and fuel a new age that not one person could have possibly asked for. Even if that age is something that favors a few… it cannot be worth it for the price of the rest.

              Deals are not meant to be made with a currency of lives.

              Slowly, steadily, a deep breath draws through Ikari's nose, departing in a puff of thin smoke from lips that seal the moment their sigh has ed. For a moment, they move to adjust Ebenezer against them, lifting him safely up from the ground in the same position he rested in before. Likewise, their free hand moves to Constance's, cringing slightly at the look of surprise that flits across her features for a moment at the sudden touch.

              "Where are we going now? I thought this was where we wanted to go." Constance questions, even as her slow footsteps following Ikari's motion speak a different message.

              "It was." The dragon starts, their gruff voice quieted from its usual boom as they bring both other of their little trio back up the very hill they were so quick to drag them down. "... But this isn't what we thought it was. It's just like the thing that killed the person on the road. It doesn't care that we're all people anymore- it wants humans. It's killing Nez, and anyone else it can reach."

              With their own blanks filled in far more clearly than they might wish, Ikari gently deposits Nez on the ground against a large vine behind him, leading Constance to sit after him, even as the latter almost visibly reels at the information dropped on her like a building.

             "But… why?"

             "Because of us. Because people will be /people/, no matter what. I thought I was crazy when this thing tried to communicate with me the first time…" At long last, those brand new secrets the dragon hoarded like treasure come pouring out, even as one clawed hand moves to brace against the dirt beneath them as they squat before the company before them. "I understand it now. The people who changed, people like you and me, we didn't /actually/ change. This is real. It's what we're supposed to be. Our age was over for a long time so that humans could have a chance to live in peace. We died out, or lived hiding in plain sight. Most people even forgot what they really were as time went on. Called our ancestors lunatics for thinking that they were elves or gorgons or dragons… and now, this thing thinks it's our turn again."

             As Ikari pauses, Constance's lips part ever so slightly, before snapping shut again as the thought she was about to voice retreats, only to return again a moment later. "... And what are you going to do about it?" No matter how derogatory her words may seem, the tone that carries them is heavy with both worry and curiosity rather than what hatred she felt so recently. Anger can drive a person to many things, but what it did to her is far less forgivable than the wounds streaked across her face.

              "I'm going to do exactly what I was made to."

              With one tiny squeeze of Constance's hand, Ikari finally rises to their full height once more, turning back to the treelike being with a light of determination in their eyes that shines even brighter than the luminescent veins shooting up and down the glowing stalk. Down the hill, over the roots, and finally, face to face with the base so large they can't be sure if they can see where it curves around to the back from such close proximity.

              It feels… so /alive/, so warm and welcoming. Like the loving arms of a family they haven't known since they could just barely toddle. Like an embrace they haven't felt in just as long. Like a home they haven't had in all their life; safe, secure, free. With the quiet brush of their hand against that oddly smooth equivalent of bark, a pulse thrums against their fingertips. A low hum, just like a heartbeat, grows in seconds until it rumbles through their own chest. It feels as though a magnet is pulling them closer, nearer and nearer until even their own heartbeat tries to sync with the life of the tree.

              It wants /them/. It wants them safe, free and proud. It wants to bestow an age of belonging upon someone who's never once belonged in their own life, who's never experienced tolerance instead of fear, or care instead of desperation. They can /feel/ its desires, its promises, like an echo in their very bones. The moment is one of agonizing, naked truth; they want exactly what the being wants to give them. Ikari desires those things… /needs/ those things so badly that it hurts. It burns like an inferno in their heart, creeping through their chest with every breath.

              Yet, it doesn't burn as hot as the first swirl of brilliant orange flame that rises from their lips.

              The first sigh of flame scorches as it exists, leaving blackened marks along the side of the otherwise flawless entity. The second, though, is brighter. Wider, stronger, more determined as unshakable willpower blazes like a sun on earth; an inferno that cannot be stopped by promises that will be left unkept.

              Orange and crimson whip upwards as they finally catch upon the truest monster among them all, swirling in whorls of vibrant color. What the tree once inflicted upon the world, mere hours before, is turned back to it with full force.

              Nothing, /nothing/ should decide the fate of those who work to create their own destinies. No matter how simple lives may be, or may have once been, they are still precious. Still worth fighting for. Those who have already lost the battle, no matter what means may have dragged them down, will not be lost in vain so long as a single person who still cares may remain.

              Whether that person may be the man of brunette hair and amber eyes ever so slowly dragging tired lids open against the heat upon his cheeks, or a woman of new sight facing the blaze as the first flakes of pale ash begin to settle in dark hair… a future will always be an opportunity. A chance to thrive, to stumble, to fall and stand up again, and when the world they know collapses into the pits of ruin…

              It is those who are willing to burn that will rise from the ashes.

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