Chapter Text
Hours after Mydei's arrival, Phainon was seated on a bed in the new Twilight Courtyard, sharing a private room with Anaxa’s sleeping form. He himself had shed his armor and coat, dressed in the simple garments he wore underneath all the getup. It was to make it easier for the nurse to examine him, he’d been told.
Hyacine had brought in one of her good friends among the nurses, a girl named Anansie. Supposedly, she was one of the people Phainon had helped rescue from the ruins of Dolos around a month ago.
Apparently, Anansie had been teaching herself medicine back in Dolos, with what scattered textbooks she could find, practicing on her fellow campers. She had apparently been pretty good at it, one of the only reasons they survived as long as they did out there.
So naturally, a prodigy like her would get along quite well with a prodigy like Hyacine. Besides, from what Phainon could see, they had similar personalities.
Hyacine had sworn Anansie to secrecy, before having her give Phainon a checkup while Hyacine herself took a look at Anaxa.
Phainon stole a glance at the bed next to him without moving his head too much. Anaxa was still frighteningly pale, his breaths shallow. But he was still breathing. Phainon desperately held on to that fact.
“And you said you were feeling dizzy?” Anansie asked, removing the heatseer from his forehead. She jotted down some notes while he nodded.
“Dizzy, lightheaded. Headache.” He listed off. “Didn’t know it was possible for teeth to feel numb, but they do.” He grumbled, before running his tongue over his fangs. He had an abnormal amount of feeling in them usually, but… Right now there was nothing. Like a static fuzz encapsulating the whole area, including parts of the roof of his mouth.
“It’s possible your body has kicked in to a sort of recuperation mode to replenish what you gave away, in addition to what little injuries you have. You’re showing symptoms of what would be blood loss in anyone else, so it certainly makes sense. Your temperature is low, lower than even what the charts say is normal for you. And your blood-ox is low too.” She recounted, gathering her supplies. Phainon nodded, listening in.
“For anyone else, we’d do a blood transfusion. But we don’t carry black tide ‘blood’, for obvious reasons.” She shrugged, picking up a clipboard and flipping through it. “Cinny takes great notes, wow.” She muttered, before refocusing. “According to your records, your corruption levels have stayed extremely stable over the years. Basic exposure would be a decrease over time, which means your body is somehow producing that corruption ‘essence’ to sustain you.”
“And what does that mean?” Phainon asked, tiredness wearing at him. He already knew all that, but if she was repeating it, she had to be gettting at something.
“It means, we simply sit back, and let your body do what it already knows how to. Prescription is just food and rest, to allow your body to recover. Considering how it’s already started doing so, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.” She said. “I’ll grab you some blood bags. Do you need a… straw, or anything?” She asked, finally showing the first amount of hesitance about his condition.
“Either way is fine.” He said softly, dragging a hand over his face. He was exhausted, which… lined up with what Anansie had said. She simply nodded at his response, before turning and walking away.
Phainon stole a glance at Anaxa again, seeing Hyacine drawing several vials of shimmering golden blood, before inserting an IV and hanging up a bag of it to replenish what he’d lost from his injuries.
“…What’s your verdict?” He asked softly, his voice raw. She paused, before sighing.
“His body is in a state of turmoil right now.” She said, setting down the vials carefully on a cart. “He’s got so many internal injuries I don’t even know how he’s alive. He’s deeply unconscious- but for how long he’ll be like that, I can’t even guess. Based on what you told me you did to save him, I… I have a hypothesis about what’s going on. But I’ll need to do some testing to be sure.”
“He… still doesn’t have a heartbeat… does he?” He asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer. Hyacine sighed.
“No. He doesn’t. Once I know more, I promise you’ll be the first I tell.” She said, before adjusting the oxygen line on Anaxa’s nose. “In the meantime, eat something, and get some rest. Doctor’s orders.” She said sternly. She… really had not been happy when she’d learned of his terrible eating habits, after Mydei had ratted on him during his break.
Phainon just smiled awkwardly, tiredly, and gave a nod. And then, she was off.
His attention turned back to the bed beside him, worry curling in his chest like a vine. He continued to watch Anaxa, the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He still felt like- like he could still lose him any minute now. He felt like he had to keep watch, in case anything happened.
It was… an uncomfortable feeling. Still, he sat with it. He kept watch.
After a while, his thoughts were interrupted by the door opening once more. Anansie stepped in, carrying three bags of blood. She came up, and set them on the little table next to his bed.
“Three bags, as per Dr. Hyacine’s orders. Drink up.” She said, her tone leaving no room for argument. It was more than he usually would have drank, but… it’s not like his stomach had much of a limit. He merely ate until he was satisfied, so he took the bags without complaint.
Even after he drained the bags dry, watching Anaxa breathe all the while, he still felt… unsettled. Like he needed to be sure Anaxa wasn’t about to just drop dead on him.
Spotting a chair, he stood from his own bed, before dragging the chair up to sit right next to Anaxa’s chest. Tentatively, hesitantly, he sat down, before pillowing his head in his arms on the edge of the bed. This close, he could hear the soft hiss of oxygen from the cannulas, imperceptible to anyone else. His arms brushed against Anaxa’s, solid and comforting.
He supposed…
Like this, he might just be able to get that rest.
When Phainon awoke again, there was a blanket draped over his shoulders. Anaxa was still sleeping peacefully, and… behind him, was Mydei. Sat in a chair, his head leaned back against the wall. He looked like he was asleep. His hair was slightly wet, his braid undone and loose. He was wearing more casual clothing, instead of his armor. Phainon noticed that the blood had been cleaned off of him. He’d probably taken a shower after he’d been checked up on by the doctors.
Phainon glanced over to the clock on the wall, noting that it was just hitting the Entry Hour.
He sighed softly, setting his head back down and watching the slow rise and fall of Anaxa’s chest. He noted that his ornate eyepatch had been replaced with a medical one, and his clothes with a medical gown. His hair was loose from its usual low ponytail, spilling over the bed underneath him. The blanket spread over him was undisturbed, save for where Phainon had touched the edge.
Everything had happened so… horribly fast. One moment he’d been talking and laughing with his fellow Chrysos Heirs, and the next… the next, he was holding Anaxa’s dying body in his arms.
He sighed deeply, watching the slow rise and fall of Anaxa’s chest.
He seemed like he was sleeping rather peacefully. Phainon knew now just how… lightly the man usually slept. That plus the bags under his eyes- well. Eye. He probably really needed it. Anaxa wasn’t too fond of taking care of himself. Phainon’s heart ached at that, that he couldn’t even do anything about it. He wanted to see Anaxa taking better care of himself.
No matter how his thoughts chased themselves in circles, Phainon still couldn’t shake the image from his mind. Anaxa’s weak coughing, his fading strength… His heart squeezed in his chest, the same way it would if it had been Mydei in that bed-
His teeth were still a bit numb.
The thought came to him somewhat disjointedly, at odds with the rest of his thoughts. He gave a deep sigh, tilting his head somewhat as he watched Anaxa just breathe. He was such a mess, wasn’t he?
“You’re pretty worried about him, huh?” Mydei’s voice spoke up quietly, breaking the soft silence. Phainon just nodded, idly wondering when Mydei had woken up.
“…Should I even be this worried?” He asked softly.
“Of course.” Mydei responded without hesitation. Phainon just sighed, before sitting up fully to run a hand through his hair.
“I’m not… worried in the way that a friend worries.” He said carefully, unable to meet Mydei’s eye as guilt swirled in his gut. He’d always known he cared for Anaxa- but nearly losing him had cast those feelings in a new light. He cared about Anaxa in the same way he cared about Mydei. He… loved him.
“That’s okay.” Mydei said, leaning forward somewhat. “Tell me about it.” He said, and Phainon nearly choked on his guilt.
“I- You- How are you okay with that?” Phainon asked, his eyes starting to water. “I just told you I’m in love with someone else- When I have you, I should be happy with that-” He choked.
“Come here. Sit next to me.” Mydei asked gently, not a hint of judgment in his tone. After a moment, he spoke again.
“I’m not mad at you. Just come sit with me.” He pressed, patting the seat next to him.
With a sigh, Phainon stood up, wiping his tears as he did so and rounding the bed to sit next to Mydei. The prince didn’t waste any time in looping an arm around him and pulling him in for a hug, leaning his head on Phainon’s.
“It’s okay.” Mydei said, rubbing Phainon’s arm affectionately. “Really.”
“Why are you so- calm?” Phainon choked, guilt still churning in his chest.
“Two reasons. One… we haven’t even put a solid label on what we are yet. We’ve been acting like we’re together, sure, but have we even gone on a proper date yet?” Mydei pointed out. Phainon sighed, shaking his head.
“We need to do that.” He muttered, his voice still wet.
“And two. I don’t know how relationships tended to work in Aedes Elysiae… but in Castrum Kremnos, it wasn’t uncommon to see more than just two people in a romantic relationship. In the thick of Strife, you don’t have time to question ‘social norms’, what’s ‘proper’. That rang especially true for the soldiers of the Kremnoan Detachment. You just… love who you want, how you want.” Mydei explained, holding Phainon close. Phainon let the words sink into him, listening quietly.
“You know, I care about him too.” Mydei said softly. Phainon’s jaw clenched as he fought back tears suddenly. “I’ve seen how he looks at you. And I’ve-” He said, beginning to laugh softly, “-seen how flustered he got when I hauled him over my shoulder.”
There was silence for a long moment, a few tears slipping from Phainon’s eyes despite his efforts.
“It’s not for everyone. But when he wakes up… and I know he will… we can talk about it. All three of us.” Mydei promised. Phainon could only nod shakily, words choked into silence by the lump in his throat.
“Come here.” Mydei muttered, before pressing a kiss to Phainon’s head. Phainon turned, burying his face in Mydei’s shoulder.
While Phainon cried silently, Mydei murmured a soft reassurance.
“You have nothing more to worry about right now. Everything else has been taken care of. And I’m right here. It’s okay. Just let it out.” He said, and Phainon grasped at him tighter.
They stayed like that for a while, a comforting embrace in the wake of so much turmoil.
When Phainon’s tears finally dried, he simply sat there, sagging with exhaustion. His body was still so worn out from everything that happened, and now he was thoroughly emotionally worn out on top of it. It was all such a mess. He wanted to go back to sleep.
He sighed, relaxing into Mydei as the man rubbed at Phainon’s arm with his thumb. Mydei always ran like a furnace, and right now that warmth was the most soothing thing Phainon could feel.
Before Phainon could doze off, the door clicked open softly, sun and moon mechanics whirring. Phainon’s eyes blinked open, and he tilted his head just in time to see Hyacine step through, a clipboard in one hand and her hair frazzled.
Phainon’s gaze narrowed as she walked forward, noting the deep bags under her eyes. Sluggishly, he lifted his head from Mydei’s shoulder as she listened to Anaxa’s breathing with a stethoscope. She seemed bitterly focused, the kind that came from determination and a lack of sleep.
She sighed, leaning back, before noting something down on her clipboard.
“Alright.” She said finally, before rubbing at her eyes with a hand. “I have his results. …For now.” She said, and immediately Phainon was awake. Mydei seemed to perk up as well, listening intently.
“To start with, we’ll go basic. He’s incredibly nutrient deficient. Every analysis I have run on his blood shows that his body is burning through fuel faster than we can replenish it. I hesitated to give him IV nutrients because, well…” She trailed off, before sighing. “His blood shows corruption nearly identical to that of Phainon’s.”
And Phainon’s heart plummeted.
He’d-
The venom he’d given Anaxa. That must have been what had done it. He’d- He’d turned Anaxa into something like him, a strange, half-monster like him-
“And,” Hyacine continued, bypassing Phainon’s inner turmoil, “a brief physical examination shows that he’s… beginning to grow fangs like Phainon’s.” She said, before glancing to the blood bag still hanging on the IV pole. “I imagine his circulatory system has been affected, because he should have burned through that whole bag by now. Instead, he’s not even halfway.” She pointed out.
“Could that be why he’s not getting enough nutrients?” Mydei asked, ever observant. Phainon could barely bring himself to listen, his thoughts all over the place. If he’d had more energy, he surely would have been fully panicking by now.
“It’s highly likely.” Hyacine replied. “That’s why I’ll be administering a feeding tube, to help keep him from burning himself out.”
“What about when he wakes up? I mean, won’t that be soon?” Phainon found himself asking, without being much conscious of it. He glanced up at Hyacine, and her gaze fell.
“Physical examination shows that the Professor is in a coma right now. I suspect it will last until his body settles and recovers, so…” She trailed off, sighing. “There’s not much precedent to go off of.” She sighed with frustration, rubbing at her eyes again. Phainon- needed to do something. He had to help, couldn’t bear to see such an expression on his friend’s face.
Before Phainon could speak up, Hyacine turned her gaze to him. “How long did it take you before your body stopped transforming?”
Phainon paused for a moment. He sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees as he stared at the floor, forcing himself to think back. Anything he could do to help- He’d do it.
“It was hard to tell how much time was passing.” He began softly. “Those days, I… just wandered, through empty nowhere under the endless veil of Evernight. …If I had to guess… I’d say maybe a week?” He offered.
“We’ll put a week as our estimate, then.” She said, writing it down on her clipboard. “You have an enhanced healing factor,” She said, motioning to Phainon, “so we can probably assume the Professor will have the same. That should take care of his internal injuries, if his body’s natural processes don’t.
“For now though, the only thing I can really do for him is administer the feeding tube to get a steady flow of nutrients into his system. We’ll have to leave the rest up to him, unfortunately.” She said, eyes downcast at Anaxa with a forlorn look.
“He’ll pull through.” Mydei said firmly. “He might not be great at taking care of himself, but he’s always had a knack for surviving.”
Phainon frowned, eyes falling back to the floor. Anaxa would be just like him…
“He’s gonna hate me…” He muttered. Then, he felt hands take hold of his shoulders, gently guiding him up to look Mydei in the eye.
“Listen to me.” Mydei said, shifting a hand to cradle Phainon’s face. “What you did saved his life.” He said firmly. “And you know he doesn’t see you as any less than human. I promise you,” Mydei said, before pressing a soft kiss to Phainon’s forehead, “He won’t be mad.”
Phainon… just nodded. He was so tired, he didn’t have it in him to disagree. So he simply did what was easy, and let the words sink into him with quiet acceptance.
Sluggishly, he leaned his head back on Mydei’s shoulder, letting his eyes slip shut.
He vaguely registered Hyacine returning to the room, along with the sounds of rustling as she worked. As he dozed, he heard Mydei’s deep voice above him, calling softly.
“Hey. …Have you even slept?” He asked. The response sounded… fuzzy, but Phainon still caught it.
“There are more important things to do right now.” She said, sounding rather exhausted. “You should make sure he sleeps in an actual bed. He needs the rest.” Phainon felt Mydei unconsciously trace a thumb over Phainon’s arm at the comment, and he knew they were talking about him.
“Just make sure you get some rest too.” Mydei said gently. “You yourself said that after this, there’s not much more we can do other than wait.”
Phainon heard a sigh, after a long moment.
“…I just… wish there was more I could do for the Professor.” Hyacine said, her voice sounding a little wet.
“What you can do is get some sleep. Rest up, take care of yourself.” Mydei pushed gently. There was silence for a moment, before Hyacine audibly took a deep breath.
“Okay. Just… let me finish here.”
Mydei hummed, a sound of agreement.
“You know, technically the Professor hasn’t been cleared for visitors yet.” Hyacine commented, with a small sniffle.
“Well technically, I’m visiting Phainon.” Mydei quipped, gently squeezing Phainon’s arm for emphasis.
There was no response, but Phainon imagined Hyacine rolling her eyes. Mydei laughed softly, the sound deep and soothing. He knew he probably should sleep in a proper bed… but he was so tired, and Mydei was so comfortable.
Phainon gave a deep sigh, as sleep crept in on him once more in the absence of conversation.
He felt Mydei lean his head against his own once more, and then he was out.
When Phainon awoke again, he was in a bed, curled against something warm and solid. Blinking his eyes open, he saw that he was back in his patient bed, with Mydei right next to him.
In the background, he faintly heard sounds of scribbling. Peering over Mydei’s chest, he saw ladies Tribbie, Trianne, and Trinnon all huddled around a scrap of paper. Trinnon had a flowery pen in her hand, and was writing on the card at the other two’s direction.
“Oh, and write down that-” Trianne added, her voice just above a whisper.
“Shh! You’ll wake Snowy and De!” Tribbie whispered, and Trianne comically flinched back, hands over her mouth with a whispered “Sorry!”
Phainon couldn’t help but huff a small laugh at the sight, one that thankfully went unheard. Glancing up at the clock, he noted that it was rather in the middle of the night. Given how much he’d been sleeping the past two days, he wasn’t surprised that he’d woken at such an odd time. He was, however, curious as to what those three were doing up so late.
Also, Phainon vaguely remembered that Anaxa wasn’t allowed any visitors yet…
“What are you three doing here?” Phainon asked, his voice rough from sleep. His tone was nonjudgmental, simply curious. Still, the triplets jumped back like they’d been scared half to death.
“Snowy!!” Trianne whisper-shouted in surprise.
“Did we wake you? We’re so sorry!” Tribbie said softly, and Phainon just shook his head.
“I woke up on my own.” He said quietly, before shifting to pull himself away from Mydei. Sitting up properly, he stretched with a wide yawn, before standing up to walk his way around to where the three girls were sat.
Carefully, he sat down on the floor, crossing his legs.
“Did Hyacine decide to let Anaxa have visitors?” Phainon asked softly. Trinnon fiddled with her pen, while Tribbie looked away with guilt. Trianne was the one who spoke up.
“We, uh… snuck in. Don’t tell Cinnie!” She whispered, miming a finger over her lips.
“We wanted to make a get well soon card…” Trinnon spoke up, still fidgeting with the pen.
“That’s very sweet of you.” Phainon smiled softly. “May I take a look?” He asked. Tribbie snatched it up, Trianne responding similarly.
“It’s not done!” Trianne stage-whispered, while Tribbie nodded sagely. Phainon just laughed quietly.
“Alright, alright. I’ll let you finish.” He acquiesced.
There was silence for a moment, as the girls returned to their drawing. Finally, Phainon spoke up into the quiet.
“How’s everyone else doing?” He asked. Trinnon stilled, while Tribbie frowned.
“Everyone’s okay.” Tribbie said. “Aggy’s alright, thanks to Ciphy. No one got too hurt.” She said softly.
“Except for Naxy…” Trianne added, looking at him with guilt. Phainon knew how she felt. How they all felt.
He gave a deep sigh. “It wasn’t your fault.” He said softly. “I don’t think any one of us could have stopped him.”
“What even happened?” Tribbie asked. “We haven’t heard any of the details-” She started, before hesitating. Trianne took the opportunity to finish the sentence for her.
“Cause the only one who knows the full truth is you.”
“…And you’ve been asleep.” Trinnon finished.
Phainon sighed, staring at the floor. “…Anaxa used the Coreflame of Reason to… force a memory onto Elder Caenis. He explained it as a sort of… mind-to-mind transfer. But the memory wasn’t his.” He explained, struggling to find his words. “It was mine. So in order to give it to her…” He trailed off.
“He had to give it to himself, first.” Tribbie finished.
“Yeah. As for what the memory was… Apparently, several months ago, Caenis and the rest of the Council commissioned a project from Anaxa, a way to combat the Black Tide. He ended up copying the power of the Symbols of Kephale into a sonic device. When activated, it would produce a sound that would… destroy any corruption almost immediately. I went with him to the Grove to retrieve it. And, not knowing the truth, he… tested it. While I was there.” He said quietly, his voice somber.
“It was only thanks to his quick thinking that I didn’t die.” He said, his voice barely above a whisper.
There was silence, as the girls soaked in the information.
“You mean… enough damage to nearly kill Snowy… was turned on him?” Tribbie asked, staring at Anaxa’s sleeping form. Phainon nodded.
“When he was… dying-” He choked slightly, “I sort of… did something. I bit him, gave him some kind of… venom that made him… like me. It saved him, if only barely.”
Trianne sighed dramatically. “So he’s gonna be okay?” She asked, worry in her tone. “Cinnie said he was in a coma.”
“He is. While his body heals and adjusts, he’ll remain asleep. Hyacine thinks it should only be a week. But he will get better.” He promised.
“Trianne’s glad you saved him, Snowy.” She said softly. “We don’t know what we’d do if we had to watch another friend die.” She spoke, her voice quiet. The mood sombered, as everyone was quiet for a moment.
“On the bright side-” Tribbie spoke up, clearly attempting to lift everyone’s spirits, “Now we have two cool friends!”
“All of our friends are cool.” Trinnon muttered.
“Wh- There’s not exactly a word for what they are, is there?” Tribbie said, her voice hushed.
“I guess not.” Trinnon said.
Phainon smiled.
“When Anaxa wakes up, I’m sure he’ll appreciate just how much you guys have worried about him.”
“Yeah… I hope he will. I hope when he wakes up, he’s got all kinds of gifts from the people who have been waiting for him.” Trianne said, eyeing the empty side table next to Anaxa’s bed.
“Then we better make that card! Someone’s gotta start!” Tribbie said, determination in her voice as she turned back to Trinnon, who was still holding the flowery pen.
Phainon smiled fondly.
Maybe… everything truly would be alright.
A couple of days later, Phainon glanced up at the door, where a soft knock had rung out. He closed the book he’d been reading to Anaxa as the door opened up, mechanics working quietly. Standing in the doorframe was Castorice.
“Hello, miss Castorice.” Phainon said. “Come to visit?” He asked.
“Hyacine finally cleared the Professor for receiving visitors.” She said softly. Phainon hummed.
“I’m a little surprised. She mentioned that she wanted his condition to stabilize a bit more.”
Castorice hummed, then huffed a soft laugh. “Considering how Lady Tribbie, Lord Mydei, and yourself have… repeatedly snuck in…” She trailed off. Phainon couldn’t help but laugh softly.
“That’s… not inaccurate.” He said, before frowning. “…We’re all just worried about him.”
“Agreed.” Castorice said softly. “Even Lady Aglaea seemed concerned.”
Phainon hummed in acknowledgment, eyes watching the slow rise and fall of Anaxa’s chest. Then, his gaze slipped back to Castorice, still standing somewhat awkwardly in the doorway.
“Why don’t you come in?” He offered. But Castorice just shook her head.
“I don’t… want to make it any worse.” She said softly, unable to meet his eyes. Phainon… didn’t have a response for that, his heart breaking a little at the raw admission. Castorice shook her head, then continued.
“I mainly came to check on you.” She said, and Phainon found himself confused.
“Me?” He asked. She nodded.
“Everyone’s been so worried about the Professor this whole time. Has anyone stopped to check on you?” She said, genuine concern in her eyes.
“I…” Phainon hesitated, uncertain. “Mydei’s been checking in.” He finally said, eyes trained on the floor.
“That’s good.” Castorice hummed. “I heard you two have even gone on a date.” She teased, and Phainon couldn’t help but smile. The prince had been quite diligent at taking both their minds off of the worry for Anaxa.
“I… also heard about what happened.” She continued, her tone growing sad. “How the Professor… chose to sacrifice himself for you.” She said, and Phainon swallowed roughly, his thumb toying with the corner of the paper. “How you saved him.” She added.
“…Yeah.” He said, his voice soft. “Did you… ever hear about what happened to Caenis?” He asked. The question had been on his mind for days, but he’d never found the right opportunity to ask.
“She was given a burial befitting of her status among the Council.” Castorice said, her tone somewhat cold. “The Coreflame of Reason was returned to the Vortex, after you two were brought here.” She added, her voice softening.
“That’s good.” He said softly.
“With how much of a commotion the Cleaners caused all over the city… We couldn’t exactly keep things from the public.” She said, audibly wincing.
“What… actually did happen up top?” Phainon asked, meeting Castorice’s gaze again. She sighed.
“Caenis deployed the Cleaners all over the city, in a coordinated attack. The ones sent to myself and Lord Mydei were clearly intended to just keep us busy, given the number of them. I imagine most of their total numbers were sent to us.” She recounted.
“Lady Cipher and Lady Tribbie helped to protect Lady Aglaea while she was distracted, and they all came out with only minor injuries. Some civilians were hurt in the chaos, unfortunately. Between the injured civilians, and the wounded Cleaners, miss Hyacine has had her hands quite full.”
“And what does the public think of the situation?” Phainon asked.
“They’re quite angry. Given the historic records of the Cleaners’ existence, the only logical conclusion is that the Council sent them after us. And, given how Elder Caenis herself came to confront you directly… well, all they know is that both you and the Professor have had quite the stay in the Grove following the encounter. Reasonably, they’ve come to the conclusion that Caenis was only killed in self defense.”
Phainon huffed softly. “I’m a little surprised. With how much the Council has been trying to convince them all that the Chrysos Heirs are not to be trusted…”
“Well, that’s part of why they’re taking our side. It’s a little complicated, but a few strong speakers realized that the Council has been attempting to sway them against us ahead of the Citizen’s Assembly. They put the pieces together that it was the Council who attacked us. And, they were able to convince everyone else of that angle. Most everyone, at least. There are some who still side with the Council regardless, but the majority is in our favor.”
“I’d hate to see what would have happened if she’d waited until after the Assembly to pull something like this…” Phainon muttered. “But that’s good. I’d hate to have to deal with a PR nightmare on top of everything else.” He sighed.
“You’ve been through a lot.” Castorice noted. “But I’m glad to see you’re doing alright.”
“Thank you, miss Castorice.” He said, his voice genuine. After a moment, Castorice sighed.
“I promised Lady Aglaea I’d be off to help her with some things. But it was nice to check in with you.” Castorice said, clasping her hands and giving a small bow.
“Don’t work yourself too hard.” Phainon joked.
“No promises.” She responded, a small smile on her face.
Phainon gave a soft wave, as she turned and walked away. The door slipped shut behind her, and the room was blanketed in a soft quiet once more.
Phainon glanced back over to Anaxa’s sleeping form. He gave a soft smile, before opening his book, and reading aloud once more.
Awareness came to Anaxa slowly.
Which was surprising, as his last memory had been one quite assuring of his own death.
There was… a blanket on him. And something in his throat. He didn’t have the energy to try and clear it, to rid himself of the uncomfortable feeling.
It was tempting to sink back into the fuzziness of sleep… but he had a feeling he’d had quite enough of that recently. So he did his best to shove his way through the fog filling his limbs, and blinked his eye open.
Immediately, it was assaulted with such a bright light, and he instantly squeezed it back shut. He heard rustling beside him, and a voice spoke.
“Easy, easy. You’re okay.”
There was more rustling, a click as a light was turned off.
“Try again. It’s alright.” He heard, a gentle encouragement, and… well he couldn’t give up now, could he?
So he carefully forced his eye open once more, his vision a smear of colors. Quicker than he expected, his vision focused, and he could see Phainon standing above him. He tried to speak, but there was still something stuck in his throat. Weakly, he raised a hand to paw at his neck, and Phainon seemed to realize something.
“Hold on.” Phainon said, before he turned, and left.
Don’t go. Anaxa tried to say. It came out a hoarse whisper, and he nearly coughed at the way it scratched at his throat.
Anaxa sagged backwards as Phainon ducked out of the room, looking up at the ceiling. The light in the room was dim, the main light having been turned off.
The curtains were closed. …He wondered why. He hadn’t heard them shut earlier, only the switch of the light.
By the time Hyacine arrived, and the feeding tube was removed from his nose, Anaxa’s thoughts felt much clearer. His body still felt rather sluggish, but not enough to stop him from sitting up.
He carefully took stock of his physical condition. His throat was terribly dry, and his chest felt strange. …Hollow, in a way.
The most interesting part was his senses. He couldn’t be sure, but… everything felt clearer than it ever had before. From where he was sitting, he could just barely hear the faint beating of Hyacinthia’s heart. He sight seemed almost sharper than before, and despite the low light of the room, he could see without obstruction.
“How are you feeling?” Phainon asked gently.
“…Odd.” Anaxa finally settled on. “How long have I been out?” He croaked, his voice rough from how dry his throat was. Phainon wordlessly handed him a packet of something, opaque and unmarked. There was a straw in it, a simple metal one. Anaxa easily took it, raising the straw to his lips and taking a drink of the cool liquid inside.
“You’ve been out for just over a week.” Hyacine said. “Your body fell into a coma, while you healed and adjusted.” She recounted. Anaxa could barely focus on her words over how heavenly whatever he’d been given tasted. It was almost… sweet, with a hint of iron. It was almost indescribable. Before he even realized it, he’d downed the whole thing.
…Wait.
A week?
He’d been out for an entire week? And he was already sitting up and talking, perfectly fine? He felt like he’d been out for… a day, maybe. Not a week.
“Why am I not more affected? You said I’ve been asleep for a week, but I feel… fine.” He said, unsure. He spoke slowly, his mouth feeling strange.
“That would be… something for me to explain.” Phainon said, scratching at the back of his head with a nervous smile. “I sort of… gave you some of my corruption. And you… transformed, to be just like me.” He said, his voice getting quiet as he failed to meet Anaxa’s eyes.
“… Fascinating.” Anaxa muttered. He looked down at his hands, where his nails had been blackened. They were long, and pointed, looking less like animalistic claws and more like the decorative press-on fakes some nobles took to wearing. The tips of his fingers, however, remained normal.
“Your hands are stained black. Why aren’t mine?” He asked, mind buzzing with curiosity.
“Ah.” Phainon said. “That’s a more recent development. It’s… caused by stress. …And burnout.” He explained awkwardly. Anaxa just nodded, vaguely remembering that Phainon only took to wearing gloves after his break.
Anaxa remembered seeing Phainon’s elongated fangs back at the grove, and ran his tongue over his teeth. He recoiled, when the sharp fangs poked at his tongue, slicing it open slightly.
“You never mentioned how sharp your fangs are.” Anaxa said, mildly displeased. Oddly, though he knew his tongue was bleeding, he couldn’t taste it.
“Yeah, sorry about that.”
“You had no reason to.” Anaxa chided, without much heat.
“Lord Phainon also presents with a very active healing factor. That’s likely the reason why you don’t feel as though you’ve been in a coma for a week.” Hyacine jumped in. “I imagine the cut on your tongue you just got has already healed.” She said, and curiously, Anaxa felt at it with a finger. Indeed, the cut had already closed.
“Fascinating.” He whispered. His eyes glanced down to the packet in his hands. “What did you give me?” He asked, curiosity still burning in his chest at his new situation.
“That would be blood. Red, type A.” Hyacine said. And that was right, wasn’t it… Phainon had said that the only thing he could consume was human blood.
“How did you get it to taste that good?” He asked, still visually examining the packet.
“Oh, that just happens.” Phainon explained, a hint of mirth in his tone. “I imagine it’s a… biological thing. It’s gotta taste good if it’s the only thing you can survive off of.” He said, and Anaxa could see him shrug out of the corner of his eye.
“Are you still hungry?” Hyacine asked. “I don’t imagine you are, as we had you on a feeding tube the whole time, but you downed that one pretty quick.”
Anaxa considered. Took stock of himself.
“Not really. But thank you.” He said, handing her the empty blood pack when she held her hand out for it.
“Alright.” She said, placing it to the side. “Now I just have some general questions in terms of check-up, and then we can go from there.” She said, pulling out a clipboard and flipping through it. Phainon stood up, somewhat awkwardly.
“I’ll go tell the others you’re awake.” He offered, before pausing. “But… first… You’re not angry with me, are you?” He asked, unsure.
Anaxa looked up at him, remembering his thoughts a while ago about Phainon’s lack of self worth.
“Why would I be?” He asked plainly. Phainon seemed caught off guard for a second, before he huffed a laugh of what seemed like relief and expectancy.
“Ah. It’s nothing. I’ll see you in a bit.” He said, before ducking out the door.
Anaxa smiled softly to himself.
Seemed like Phainon was indeed making progress. Mydeimos had begun to get through to him, then.
Refocusing, he turned his attention back to Hyacine.
It was a few days later that Anaxa was finally discharged from the Grove and led back to his new lodgings, courtesy of Aglaea. He was to stay here permanently, if he so wished, and it had a nice view of the cliffs below.
Once he’d wrapped up his check-up with Hyacine, he’d finally noticed the mountain of items on the table beside his bed. There were gifts and get-well soon cards from all sorts of people, though he only really paid attention to the ones given by the Chrysos Heirs.
Apparently, word had gotten out of his coma and the people had put together gifts for him. Including members of the Council, oddly. Apparently they simply wanted to apologize for Caenis’s actions, likely in an attempt to salvage what little remained of their political standing.
In bringing all of the gifts, as well as Anaxa’s personal items to his new home, Anaxa was helped by both Phainon and Mydeimos. It was strangely reminiscent of when they were cleaning up his last place, but with a much lighter air.
When they were bringing the last of Anaxa’s belongings in, Mydei and Phainon shared a glance, full of things Anaxa couldn’t decipher.
Mydei walked forward, somewhat hesitant.
“Phainon and I were talking…” He began, and Anaxa felt like the words were weighted, somewhat. “…And we’d like to invite you on a date.” He said, and Anaxa was… confused.
“… Both of you?” He asked, a little bewildered. A little lost.
“Precisely.” Mydei nodded, a small smile on his face.
“If you’re amenable, that is.” Phainon chimed in, stepping forwards to stand beside Mydei, a hand on his own hip. To anyone else, he might have appeared calm. But to those who knew him, one could pick up on the subtle hints of nervousness. He was…
Worried. Worried Anaxa would say no.
And Mydeimos… had been the one to approach first.
Now that he thought about it, he’d seen, in the grove, groups of three or four who appeared to be closer than just friends. He hadn’t paid much attention, too enveloped in his research, but… That was something that happened, wasn’t it?
To be with… both of them…
He knew he loved Phainon. And he knew that… he felt safe in Mydei’s presence. He knew he longed to be held in each of their arms, as pathetic a thought as it was.
To think… he might truly be able to… have this.
They had each other. They didn’t need him. He recalled.
But… they wanted him.
The thought was surprisingly easy to accept.
“Alright.” He agreed. Phainon’s face lit up subtly, while Mydei sighed with relief, a soft smile on his face. Anaxa himself couldn’t help a small smile.
“We actually had something planned for if you said yes.” Phainon said, a smile beautifully painting his face.
“And what would that be?” Anaxa asked, moving to lean against the wall.
“There’s a lovely trail through the mountains just outside of Okhema. It’s close enough to still be under the protection of the Dawn Device, so we won’t run into any of the Black Tide.” Mydei proposed.
“I myself have been down that trail. That far away, the light of the Dawn Device is easily ignorable.” Phainon added.
“I’m afraid I’m not in… the best shape. We might have to choose something else.” Anaxa frowned slightly.
“If you don’t want to go, we won’t.” Mydei easily offered. “But if you’re anything like Phainon, you’ll find that the corruption gives you quite the boost to your physical abilities.”
Anaxa considered for a moment. He hadn’t struggled all that much moving so many items around today, and he’d recovered from his coma incredibly fast. Perhaps…
“I’ll give it a try, then.”
“There are some ruins up there that we have no idea how old they are. They almost look like an ancient Mountain-Dweller settlement.” Phainon mentioned, an excitement to his voice.
“Is that so?” Anaxa wondered aloud. “Intriguing…”
“Some of the contraptions in there still worked. We didn’t go very far in, though.” Mydei added.
“We’ll have to go further inside, then.” Anaxa said, curiosity already burning within him. While he was more of an alchemist, ancient history was something he could never pass up. Any knowledge was useful knowledge, aiding in his discoveries about the truth of the world around them.
Anaxa thought for a moment.
“And if we run into the Black Tide inside?” He asked, a somewhat rhetorical question.
“We can all handle ourselves in a fight.” Phainon shrugged. “Besides, they have a harder time recognizing me due to my corruption. The same should go for you.” He added, before pausing.
“We’d also be able to sense them long before they could notice us. That’s… thanks to being half-corrupted, and all.”
“We really do need a name for that…” Anaxa muttered. “Now that there’s two of us, it won’t do to dance around the name all the time…”
Anaxa thought back to an old folktale, buried in the records of the Grove. An ancient myth, existing before even the Black Tide. A blood-sucking, night-walking creature.
“What say you to being called a… Vampire? After an ancient myth.” Anaxa offered. Phainon hummed, before shrugging.
“That’s not bad.”
“Alright, my vampires.” Mydei joked. “When do we want to go on that hike?”
“Hmm… maybe in three days’ time?” Phainon offered.
“Right before the Citizens’ Assembly? You’re crazy.” Mydei scoffed.
“Well then what about…” Phainon trailed off, his face scrunching in consideration. Anaxa noticed the fond look on Mydei’s face, watching Phainon think.
To think… Anaxa could truly be a part of their little world.
Yes…
This would be wonderful.
Anaxa couldn’t help but smile, warmth blooming in his chest.