Chapter Text
The cool of the evening coiled its fingers around the forest. Lian woke from the strange cold. A cold Lian had never been seen in the forest, even at night. They scooted closer to the only source of warmth in the whole forest. The warmth moved. Wait, what is that?
Lian sat up and looked down. Oh no.
Lian put a little space between themselves and Lucio. They felt three days was a little soon to be getting so close, though they already missed his warmth. He looked simpler when he was sleeping. Less like everything he did had to be some kind of impressive event. Part of them wondered if Lucio had ever fully let his façade down when he was awake. They wondered if they’d ever get to see that side when he isn't asleep. What made you so hidden? Will I ever learn?
Lian quickly averted their eyes, reminding themselves that staring wasn't polite. It was odd to them. They didn't feel the need to wake him like they did with Asra. They didn't feel alone. Lian didn't feel like something was missing. They liked the quiet for once and knew that it didn't have to last long. After all, they were with Lucio, the ball of self-absorbed energy.
✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠
A cold chill went through the room. Lian woke from the cold but found no warmth. Asra left while they were sleeping, again. They’d known he would, but they hated it every time. They got up and made a pot of tea. Just once, they wished they’d wake up first, force him to say goodbye properly. Just once, they wished Asra would stay long enough to say it at all.
✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠ ——— ✠
Lian stopped that memory in its tracks. It happened too often for them to dwell on it now. They decided the quiet was becoming too loud and gently woke Lucio. He rolled away from them and groaned, “I don't wanna.”
“I’m not getting Mercedes and Melchior alone.”
He shot up, “I almost forgot! Listen, I know the fastest way there, trust me.”
He stood lifting Lian with him. He led Lian through the forest. Everything looked dead around them, but Lian tried not to focus on that. Rather focused on the brightest person they had ever seen. Lucio was like the sun. Bright and warm. Lian felt they could simply follow that light and warmth, no matter where it led, and be happy. They knew the forest would never welcome them again, but it was fine; they didn't need a forest, they had the sun now.
Lucio continued to lead with well-practiced confidence. Sparing no details on how he became the count of the city. They liked listening to Lucio’s stories. He brought them to life like he wanted Lian to be there. He had done more to make Lian a part of his life in three days than Asra had in three years.
They reached a trap door in the ground. With a dramatic flourish, Lucio opened the trap door to the darkest pit they had ever seen. They lit their hand and went down into the pit. Lucio followed after. They took Lucio’s hand without thinking as he continued to lead them through the tunnels. Fire danced on their hand. Lucio kept glancing back at the fire with a curious gaze. “Does it burn?”
They stopped and stared at the fire covering their hand. The fire had never burned them before, somehow, they knew it never would. They felt most at home in the fire. The way it swayed reminded them of something. Something that had happened before they could remember. The fire crept up and over their shoulder. “Lian!”
Someone was calling them, but the fire was so pretty. Till something hit them, snapping them out of their trance. The fire went back into their hand. They looked up at Lucio. His brows were furrowed. Is he upset or worried?
“Are you ok?” he rubbed the spot they got hit at, “Sorry about hitting you, but the fire started… eating you?”
Lian laughed. It wasn’t warm, it was forced, almost pensive. “Right, it wasn’t eating me,” they paused, “actually, I'm not sure what it was doing.”
“How does that not burn. You wouldn't even respond.”
“I'm sorry, I really don't know what happened there. But to answer your question, I just never really thought about it. It’s always felt like a part of me. Like it made me somehow. Though I guess that's how every magician feels towards their natural element.”
Lucio looked ahead with the same stretched smile he wore when he felt nervous, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he continued to lead them deeper into the tunnels. As they walked, Lian noticed that some parts of the tunnels felt new, while others seemed older than anything they could imagine. Still, Lucio guided them through with ease, showing no doubt in his steps, just steady confidence.
He led them to a long rope ladder that he swore by, but Lian wouldn't trust it to carry a feather, let alone both of them. Before they could put out their objections, he was halfway up the rope.
They sucked in a deep breath and whispered, “make me lighter than air and carry me in midair.”
they hated this spell and it made them dizzy. Asra insisted they should learn it. Something about it being their favorite spell. Lian wasn't sure what they had ever done to make Asra think that.
Lucio looked down. “ Where did you go?”
Lian tapped his shoulder. Lucio quickly covers his mouth with his hand to stop himself from screaming. “You can fly?”
“Fly, no. Float, yes.”
“That is awesome.”
For the first time since learning that stupid spell, Lian felt proud of it. He unlocked the hatch on the floor of his room and let out a high-pitched whistle. Barks sounded in the distance, followed by several screams. Lian could promise they heard Portia trying to stop the dogs from running. They watched as Mercedes and Melchior ran up to the door. He climbed down as Lian floated down with the dogs. They looked back up and closed the door with magic. Footsteps pounded overhead like wordless warnings.
The sharp voice of a woman filled the air, “he is near! I can sense him. Come out, Montag! We can end this quickly!”
Lian recognized that voice, and it seemed Lucio did too. He grabbed their arm, his gauntlets digging into their skin, and ran. Mercedes and Melchior are scrambling and stumbling to keep up. The creaking of the large trap door began like the call of death. Dread washed over Lian. Their feet could not move fast enough, and their breath couldn't fill their lungs enough. It was up to them to get everyone out of this. This was why they were here in the first place: to help. They pulled Lucio to a stop. He turned and whispered, “ We have to go .”
“We are.”
Lian stretched their hand towards the ground. “Take me home.”
The world around them slowed. They pulled Lucio close and closed their eyes. Asra’s voice filled their heads. ‘ Just take a deep breath and imagine where you want to go.’
‘But why would I leave? This is my home.’
‘You never know, besides, it’s good to know if you ever get lost. Home is never far from you.’
Tears stung their eyes as the memories flooded every corner of their mind. Asra’s voice coiled around their mind. Playing over and over again. They wanted to find comfort in it, but it choked them. It drowned out everything the way it did in the past. But now there was no comfort in it. It became all they could hear. All they could see. Asra became everything again.
Something landed hard on their back and snapped them out of their trance. Not fully, but enough to realize it wasn't real.
That wasnt how the spell was supposed to go. Normally, the landing would be gentle. A pained groan left Lian as they rolled off of whatever they had landed on. The cool wood floor pressed against their heated skin. They hated how the heat clung to every inch of their skin. The floor couldn't cool them, and neither would the air. Sound couldn't push past the pounding of their heart.
Mercedes began to lick their face, grounding them just enough that they could move a little. They lifted their hand to their nose. Blood thick and warm.
At Least everyone is safe.
They took a deep breath and closed their eyes. The exhaustion won. They need real rest, not sort-of rest.
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“You're pushing yourself too much, Madalyn.”
Exhaustion pushed through them, but they stood like nothing was wrong. “How do you know, master?”
Asra flinched and said, “Because you're bleeding. If your magic is causing you to bleed, you're pushing too hard.”
They grabbed a towel and pressed it to Lian’s nose. Lian felt sick. They should be able to do all these spells no problem. Asra said these were spells I used to do all the time. Why are they so difficult for me now?
They wanted to scream, but nothing happened. Except for the fire swallowing their body whole. Asra pressed their hand through the flames. Their hand covered the mark on Lian’s chest, then the world went black.
“You'll come back to me someday, Madalyn. I know it.”