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Essek felt like he was dying with every passing breath.
There had been a conversation. Pros and cons... Caleb and Beauregard were already known opponents to Ludinus, had accepted the public role and image long ago. But while Ludinus undoubtably knew that Essek was aiding them behind the scenes, there was no public connection, no way of concretely tying the ex-Shadowhand to the Martinet.
A number of things could happen at the Malleus Key. Both good and bad. Many of which could put Essek in a dangerous position after the fact.
In the end, Caleb had convinced Essek to stay behind. A secondary defense should he and Beauregard fail.
So when the red moon vanished and the Leylines went into flux, Essek could only assume the worst. The sending stones they shared only responded with static. All attempts to scry were blocked, each gifting him with a fresh headache.
It was no small relief to discover that teleportation was still functional. Essek found himself in the living room of Caleb's home in Rexxentrum, Guinevere and Oskar immediately pawing at his ankles demanding food and attention. A temporary distraction.
And then all he could do was wait.
The silence was a maddening void. Oskar was purring softly in Essek's lap but it wasn't enough. With seemingly all long-distance messaging magic inert, there was no word from even Jester, making it near unbearable.
He had his research spread out across the table, staring at the swooping diagrams and lines and lines of intricate equations. Work that he and Caleb have been working on for months and months. Years. It was all a blur before him. Without more than just a missing Ruidus, he had no clue or guidance for what he could be doing or preparing for.
Essek buried his face in his hands, a familiar feeling of regret threatening to completely consume him. Damn his own safety, damn the second line of defense. If there had been even the slightest chance that his presence would have made a difference, they should have taken it.
He wondered where Yasha was, knowing she must also be suffering similarly. He craved her presence and camaraderie during this agonizing wait.
After a long day and a sleepless night, Essek teleported to the Blooming Grove on the small chance that any of the Nein were staying with the Clays.
It ended up being a double edged sword. The Clays confirmed that Caleb and Beauregard had survived the initial phase of Ludinus' plan, having gathered Yasha and Caduceus before rushing off to gather the others.
So they were alive. But it would not be practical to try and follow. There was no guarantee that they were still in Nicadranas. And he had no context for what their final destination might be.
It was with a renewed sense of impotence that Essek returned to Caleb's home. Making sure the cats were well looked after and continuing to pour over their research for any further clues to Ludinus' machinations would have to be task enough.
It was another two days before there was the sound of crackling energy, bringing both him and the cats speeding to the living room.
At the sight of a familiar red coat and reddish brown and grey hair tied back had the tight coil of tension suddenly releasing in his chest. "Caleb," he gasped, floating forward and his hands scrambling along the length of his body. At first glance, there were no major wounds and only the usual wear and tear of adventuring.
Which didn't mean much considering Jester and Caduceus' bailiwicks.
"Essek," Caleb said with mild surprise. "You're... here."
Essek frowned, alarm bells ringing in the back of his mind. He knew this tone of voice, although it had been a while since he's heard it. "Caleb..." He came in close, placing both hands on either side of Caleb's neck, cradling his face. He rubbed his thumbs gently over his cheekbones, taking in the slight pallor and not quite focused gaze.
Essek had to take deliberate slow and even breaths to keep his own panic from spilling over. "What happened?" he asked softly but urgently. "I assume Ludinus succeeded?"
Caleb blinked, and he finally looked at Essek. There was only a brief pause before Caleb practically fell forward, wrapping him up in an almost violently tight embrace.
Essek returned it with equal fervor, his concern spiking. He had a hand on the back of Caleb's neck as he turned his head just enough to kiss his temple and whisper into his ear. "Kaish... What happened?"
Caleb was shaking, leaning heavily against Essek and threatening to ground him. "All we know is that the Martinet was at the Malleus Key. There was a winged man and now Ruidus..." He shifted slightly, looking out the window even though there was no vantage of the sky.
Essek pressed his face into Caleb's neck, breathing deeply in the human's scent. Blessedly, no lingering traces of blood. "But something else happened."
Caleb didn't respond. He didn't need to.
Essek tightened his embrace. "Is everyone okay?"
"Ah... ja. Everyone, the Nein, are fine. In fact, we just finished celebrating. Jester and Fjord are engaged."
It was a whiplash of emotions, almost like a fever dream. "Caleb..."
"Trent Ikithon is gone."
There was a surge of fear and anger at the sound of that man's name. Connections formed in Essek's mind: the failure of different magics, the nature of Ikithon's imprisonment...
Essek dug his fingers more deeply into Caleb's flesh. "What did he do?"
Caleb's body slumped more heavily against Essek, his trembling getting worse. "Can we just... lay down, schatz?"
"Of course." Essek viciously shoved down his need to know. He would have to be content with the knowledge that his friends were okay and whatever threat Ikithon had presented had passed.
With a short incantation, he made Caleb's body a bit lighter before leading him back to his bedroom. The cats promptly followed, Guinevere mewing as she jumped up on the bed and looked up at them expectantly. Caleb collapsed bonelessly on his side, not bothering to pull back the covers or remove his coat or boots. His breathing immediately slowed and deepened as he relaxed into the bed.
Essek started to unlace his boots and unbuckle the holster around his thigh. Once he pulled them off, he undid the tie in Caleb's hair, running his fingers through to untangle the long strands. Both cats meanwhile curled up in their usual spot between the two pillows, purring lightly.
It was then that he saw that Caleb's eyes were still open, gazing into the middle distance at nothing.
"Is there anything you need?" Essek asked, continuing to pet his hair back.
Caleb's eyes narrowed slightly. "Ludinus... he's still..."
"We're not going to worry about that right now," Essek said sharply. "I already thought I might have lost you. You can take a day."
A shiver ran through Caleb's body as he shifted to wrap his arms around his pillow and nuzzle the side of his face into it, eyes still staring at nothing. "Can you hold me?" he asked, his voice muffled.
Essek gave a small smile, relieved that he wouldn't have to fight him on this. Mindful of the furry ones, Essek laid out so the length of his body was pressed up against Caleb's, practically on top of him. He threaded one hand through Caleb's hair while tucking his other hand beneath Caleb's torso to press his hand up against his heart.
It was beating faster than usual.
Essek nuzzled his face against the back of Caleb's neck, finding a comfortable position to settle in. "I'm glad that you're alive," he murmured. "And that Ikithon is gone."
Caleb curled into himself, trying to tuck himself more deeply into Essek's embrace. He curled his arms up to hold Essek's hand tightly to his chest, his legs tucking back to tangle with Essek's as well.
While curled around him, Essek maintained a slow and even breathing pace, counting each passing second. Eventually, Caleb's breathing matched his, the beating of his heart slowing down until Caleb's body relaxed fully, falling asleep.
And Essek succumbed soon after, the last couple days of anxious waiting and his lover's emotional return overtaking him.
---
There were the familiar sound of screaming.
Someone inexperienced might have called it inhuman, but Caleb knew better the noises a humanoid could make when under duress. And these screams in particular have haunted him for over two decades.
He had not lied to Beauregard; he did not care that Trent taunted him, that he was poking every tender spot in Caleb's past. He knew these people were not actual his parents, just twisted forms of their undead corpses.
The knowledge that Luc was right outside was enough to keep him focused. Trent was a powerless old man with nothing better to do then talk and lead them all along. And with not even Astrid or Eadwulf or other Volstrucker to aid him, Caleb was confident in their ability to take care of him once and for all.
He had not anticipated the true nature of the artifact Trent had stolen from the Cobalt Soul. Nor his willingness to expand the fight beyond the Nein and into the heart of Blumenthal.
The devastation was not fully understood until the 'celebrations' within the tower had commenced. The initial relief of Ikithon's defeat, the gratitude of the people of Blumenthal, and the giddiness of Jester and Fjord's engagement quickly faded as families began to bring in their loved ones... the ones that had been drained of life and turned to husks.
Both Jester and Caduceus attempted to bring them back to life. But even with Artagan's direct influence, it seemed the nature of Omentis' ability did not allow for revival after the fact.
Even more death... all just to get back at Caleb.
So while the celebrations had continued on, it took most of Caleb's reserves to suppress the anger and grief that was roiling inside of him. His parents' voices were still echoing in the back of his mind, intermingling with their dying screams and the final cries of others.
It wasn't until he ensured that Luc was safely back home, watching him return to his parent's embrace, admitting that he had overestimated himself...
The echoes got louder.
He felt old wounds opening. The disgust he held for himself was familiar and comforting.
There was a distant sense of shame for allowing these feelings to rise back up in him after so long... but his parent's screams were louder.
He barely managed a reasonable farewell to the Brenattos before he return to his modest home in Rexxentrum.
He hadn't anticipated immediately seeing Essek half-running into his living room, rushing up to him and assaulting him with probing touches and concern so naked it made Caleb want to shy away.
But he didn't. Too exhausted to fully bring Essek up to speed, he felt selfishly blessed that he could just curl up on his bed with the pressure of Essek's body calming his nerves and keeping him warm enough to slip into unconsciousness.
He should have known the nightmares that would follow.
He watched his simulacrum fall, dissolving into a puddle of arcane water and snow. Luc fell to the ground with the empty harness, screaming as the dark creature pulled out more of his life essence. He was hacking up blood, already beaten and burned from the meteors Trent had dropped on their heads.
Two figures stood over Luc, their bodies charred and twisted and yet just recognizable enough, suspended in their last horrible moments of life. Flames twisted up into the air behind them as they ran forward, letting out echoing screams of agony as they raised their arms, prepared to strike down and eviscerate the boy.
Caleb just stood there and watched.
Hot tears were running down his face.
Luc's screams were high pitched and broken as he burned.
"Your people did this."
"Caleb!"
Caleb inhaled sharply, his eyes snapping open as every muscle in his body tensed. He was unnaturally warm, a heavy pressure draped over his body.
There was a gentle breath against his neck and ear. "It's me, it's Essek. You're in your home in Rexxentrum, Oskar and Guinevere are right here..."
Caleb's body remained tense as he slowly took in his surroundings: Essek's voice and familiar scent, a small furred body purring nearby his head, Essek's hand he had clenched tightly to his chest...
But there was still the lingering scent of burning flesh, the screams of Luc and his parents echoing like a din.
Caleb closed his eyes and began to count the seconds. He forced his breathing to follow, ignoring the burning in his eyes. It was a dream. A dream intermingled with memories that could never be changed, that he had already made peace.
So why did he feel like this?
"Are you here with me?" Essek asked softly.
"I'm here," Caleb replied gruffly. He yanked his hand out from where it was pinned beneath his body and reached over to put it on Essek's arm. "I'm... feeling a bit foolish is all."
"You had to fight that man again. No one would expect you to be okay after the fact."
Caleb felt Essek kiss the side of his face, making him smile as a bit of warmth bubbled up in his chest. "It's not that," he whispered. "I suppose it's closer to anger than foolishness." Caleb took in a shaky breath. "Trent bound himself to some Pre-Calamity creature. It sucked the life force out of some of the people in Blumenthal. And neither Jester nor Cadecues' magic were able to revive them..."
His words hung in the air. One of Essek's legs was lazily moving up and down, his foot rubbing a bit of exposed skin beneath Caleb's pant leg.
"But Trent is dead," Essek confirmed. "And the creature has been vanquished?"
"Yes," Caleb said softly. "I threw the remains into a demiplane." As he said it, he found his body was slowly relaxing, the tension in his muscles unwinding.
"Then Trent's evil will never touch another soul again."
The thin thread that had been holding Caleb together suddenly snapped. The grief bubbled over, and his vision blurred as tears fell down the side of his face. He breathed heavily through his nose, but he did not try to hold any of it back. The bittersweet joy and nauseating understanding upon seeing the visage of his parents, the pangs that had resonated to his very core when he heard them speak, the fear of all that could have befallen Luc if they should make one too many mistakes, the horror of watching Omentis assault his hometown, strangers turning into husks, people who might have been neighbors or friends in another life...
He felt it all.
Essek repositioned himself with his back against the headboard, cradling Caleb to his chest. Their legs were still tangled together as Caleb wrapped his arms around Essek's waist, letting his tears soak and cool Essek's shirt. Distantly, Caleb was aware that he was shaking, but it was partially soothed by the fingers combing through his hair and the thumb lazily caressing his arm.
Their work was by no means done. Ruidus was still bound to Exandria, Ludinus was undoubtably wasting no time, moving ever closer to his goals.
But Trent was gone, his body inaccessible to anyone but him. A chapter of his life finally and definitively closed. No longer will that man haunt his narrative or hurt any of his loved ones.
His parents could rest in peace. And Caleb could focus on the rest of his life.
Breathing in through his nose, Caleb let out a shaky but content sigh. "Thank you, Essek."
Essek kissed the top of his head. "Of course, Ussta’chev."