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"TRAHEARNE!" reimenon cries out, as akaijel makes the killing blow to the firstborn. all went silent apart from his own soft sobbing, tearing his eyes away from the corpse in front of them. he doesn't know what to do. he wants to punch something, he wants to scream, to cry, to curse the world. this wasn't how it was supposed to end, it wasn't supposed to take anyone— it wasn't supposed to take him. the only person who gave him a chance. who let him get this far. who convinced the commander to let him stay. sometimes he wished he never left the grove. at least he wouldn't have had to feel the loss as hard— maybe he wouldn't have lost anyone. maybe—
"brother." a familiar voice cuts through his thoughts, eyes darting over to meet the source— enomiren, his twin. the sound of blades being drawn slices through the air, including reimenon's own. why was he here— how was he here? he knew the courtier had followed them, but he didn't expect him to follow them into the very nest of mordremoth. nevertheless to show his face after such a fierce encounter.
"don't." reimenon's voice comes out like a growl despite his tear soaked face. he steps ahead of the group, and he can feel akaijel's eyes on the back of his neck, piercing; cold. "why are you here? mordremoth is dead. faolain is dead." he manages, voice still yet shaky from the situation at hand.
"and i presume you think i should be thanking you for that?" enomiren scoffs, eyes rolling. "you know damn well why i'm here. constantly you've been a thorn in my side but i knew i could pull you out if i couldn't corrupt you. you've never been much of a threat, even if you managed to wipe out a few smaller encampments with some help from that wretched tiachren... you could never touch the grand duchess. you could never touch me," his voice lowers, hand reaching back to grip the handle of his blade— a greatsword that matched reimenon's own. "and now you think you're something more than that. and i'm here to prove to you that you are not. you have always been nothing. you will always be nothing. nobody will remember you when i'm done here. i'll make sure of it."
before reimenon can react, enomiren snaps his fingers— a large crystalline-like dome surrounding both him and his twin. it was ephemeral, like large panes of stained glass—but he knew what it was—a death sentence.
"what in the... i knew he was trouble." akaijel growls, bashing the hilt of his sword against the dome only for it to bounce off as if it was nothing. "kas— can you do anything? it's mesmer magic, right?"
"it... it's nothing like i've ever seen before, boss, i'll see what i can do." kasmeer replies with the same sense of urgency, channeling her own magic against the dome.
"don't even bother, nothing can break through it. besides, this isn't your fight." enomiren announces, pointing his blade towards reimenon. "this ends. here, and now."
"why are you doing this?!" reimenon exclaims, drawing his own greatsword. "you're the one who ran off! you're the one that abandoned everything! we had it all, eno! we were going to explore the world together and you... you—!" he continues, unable to even finish his own thought as emotion wracks his voice. as he steps forward, archer lunges before he can make a move himself, biting towards enomiren's shins. however, he disintegrates into a pink shimmer— a mesmer clone.
"oh please, were we really going to be good little blossoms for the rest of our lives?" enomiren's voice echoes from behind him. suddenly, a blast of energy hits him in the back, knocking him to the ground. despite being winded, reimenon shoves himself back to his feet with a groan, launching himself towards enomiren.
as his sword is about to make contact, time stops in an instant. everything was silent, frozen like ice. with a hum to himself, enomiren steps out of the way, before time resumes yet again as if nothing changed— reimenon's sword planting into the ground below.
a loud croak echoes through the stale jungle air, vee swooping down with talons bared— only to be knocked away with a wave of energy from enomiren's blade.
"always such a brute. you never think. it's no wonder you fall prey to the dream." the chronomancer mocks, before splitting into several different clones that surround reimenon.
"you..." the ranger breathes heavily, pulling his sword from the dirt before dashing through a few clones, causing them to disperse. he knew mesmers were strong, but he had no clue anyone could summon that many clones.
"do you have any idea what i've been through? do you? i am not what you think i am. i swear to the pale mother i will cut you down." reimenon snaps back, before dashing through another wave of clones— archer and vee lunging for their own.
"and what makes you think you're so capable? because you slithered your way into the affairs of people far stronger than you?" enomiren's voice comes from all directions, every single clone, taunting him.
"because i fought, because i bled!" reimenon yells, raising his greatsword high and slamming it down upon a clone— which shimmered into dust. "i earned my place here!"
"all because you pleaded to a firstborn who you knew would pity you. and you couldn't even save him. you just let everyone down, don't you, brother?" his twin's words sting at the corners of his mind, daring to breach further in. yet he holds strong, bashing down another clone. but they kept appearing, taunting—insulting—sneering, from all angles.
"hold on in there, we'll figure something out!" akaijel calls out, casting a few necrotic spells against the dome with his staff. the sounds of weapons and magic echo through the chamber, yet the dome didn't even scratch.
"please, you're far stronger than some puny courtier, cut him down." canach calls out between his own bashings of his shield against the dome. everyone— all his new friends, people he'd fought beside desperately searching for a way to free him. reimenon almost couldn't believe that they didn't just leave. and for once, even akaijel seemed to care.
he had to win. for them.
then enomiren laughs. "how naive, you really think they care about you. do you really think risking your life for others will earn you a place in this world?" he snaps once more, and all his clones condense in on his real self. a spectral hourglass manifests itself high into the air, tipping over; the sand begins to fall.
reimenon's eyes dart towards the hourglass— then outside the dome.
silence. the faces of his allies frozen, limbs paused mid-movement. stuck in time.
they couldn't help him anymore. it was just him and enomiren.
he quickly swivels back around towards his still yet laughing twin. with a grunt, he charges forward, swinging at him with all he's got— their greatswords clashing before recoiling off of each other. skidding back, reimenon digs his heels into the dirt to ground himself.
"go for the throat!" he calls out to both vee and archer, before deflecting a beam from enomiren's sword off his own.
"adorable, you still have your scant little pets," the chronomancer jeers, "did you ever think about how abandoning the weak would make you stronger?" he throws an illusory sword towards the raven, knocking him out of the air.
"is that what you think you did? abandoning your grand duchess to die?" reimenon retaliates, slashing forward at the same time as the thorn hound leaps in for a bite. however, they both stumble forward into nothing as enomiren distorts his own being out of physical reality for just a moment.
"that is exactly what i did, brother. she was weak, too infatuated with that other firstborn caithe. i should thank mordremoth for making easy work of her. now i can take my place at the head of the court, and truly begin to drown tyria in nightmare." he grins before dodging backwards and firing a burst of energy towards his twin.
diving to the side to avoid the blast, reimenon rolls back onto his feet before dashing at enomiren again. his breathing grows heavier, movements weaker. he had already taken a beating from mordremoth, his endurance wasn't up to par for a second fight, but he had to win with every drop of energy left. "you'll never succeed, i'll make sure of it. even if it costs me my life. at least i will have taken you into the mists with me. i swear to the pale mother, i should have cut you down that day you left."
swiftly, enomiren creates a continuum split, allowing himself to get struck— only to revert back to the timeline where he wasn't struck at all when reimenon recoils back. "but you didn't. you are weak, brother."
"what the—?" reimenon exclaims, staggering backwards as enomiren stands there— unharmed. by the pale tree, he had heard about chronomancers and their incredibly strong time magic... but being able to manipulate the time continuum itself? how could even a god manage that— nevertheless a sole person?
dread seeps further into his bones. but, enomiren wasn't invincible. he can win, he will win. he adjusts his grip on the handle of his blade, hoisting it high over his shoulder despite the tiredness aching through his body. with a heave and a deep breath, he aims a kick for enomiren's leg before cleaving forward.
not expecting a kick to the knee, the chronomancer falters for a moment, reimenon's greatsword slicing into his arm. with a wince of pain, enomiren stumbles back, grasping at his now bleeding forearm. "you little.." he practically growls, "i'll tear you apart! rip your flesh from bone when i'm done with you! your blood will nurture the tree of nightmare!" enomiren roars, placing both hands firmly back onto his greatsword.
two clones emerge from the chronomancer, greatsword held high in their hands as they dash towards reimenon. the ranger grits his teeth, sliding down onto his knees with his blade held out in front of him— slicing through both clones and dispersing them. however, enomiren was behind him now, and before he can react to the magic being fired at him...
he's on the ground.
reimenon clutches at his side, the searing pain burning through his body. pulling his hand away, it's covered in deep yellow. blood. hissing in pain, he watches as archer tackles the unsuspecting chronomancer to the ground; only for him to flip the two of them over and slice a deep wound into her side.
a howl of agony followed by pained whines echo in reimenon's ears as he watches the hound get shoved away by enomiren. "archer!" the ranger cries out, tears stinging his eyes.
with a heavy breath, reimenon heaves himself to his feet again, using his greatsword as support. with pure rage masking the pain, he sprints forward and slams his blade down onto where enomiren was still laying. however, his twin rolls out of the way and launches a kick at his shin.
tumbling back down into the dirt, reimenon cries in pain. "fuck!"
"fool." enomiren scoffs, picking himself up off the ground. violent violet eyes dart to the side as a croak alerts him to vee's presence. the raven's talons were outstretched, diving in for an attack.
it was soon cut short, as a large illusionary hand grasps the raven out of the air and slams him into the ground.
"vee!" reimenon yells, reaching out for the raven, who was struggling and squawking angrily under the grasp. the ranger slings the longbow from his back and grasps an arrow from his quiver. but as he draws the bowstring back, his wound sears pain hotter than anything he's ever felt in his life, and the arrow falls to the dirt below.
"funny, how you thought you were anything more than a pathetic sapling following a dream that was never yours." enomiren jeers, holding his hand up into the air like a claw— thick thorny vines bursting from the jungle floor and wrapping tight around reimenon and his pet companions.
the ranger blinks away the tears that continue to threaten his eyes, struggling against the binds that were only growing tighter by the second. "enomiren—"
"save your breath." the chronomancer scoffs, stepping towards reimenon and towering over him. "you would plead to me, brother? for what?! to go back to mother and join your side again? to live in the shackles of ventari's tenants? to—"
as he goes on, the background hum of the unrelenting jungle and reimenon's screaming thoughts drown out his words.
it's over.
i really am nothing.
the words echo loudly through his mind, eyes glancing back towards his friends—to akaijel—frozen in time. they then catch glimpse of trahearne's corpse. he was the only one to hear him out, the only one who believed in him, who saw his potential.
and he was about to fail him.
"if it is your purpose, i see no reason to not let you fulfil it. i believe with my whole heart, by the pale mother, you will succeed in your wyld hunt."
"my friend, you have the makings of a true valiant."
"thank you for joining me, reimenon. it eases my heart knowing you're here."
"reimenon... i am so happy to see you completed your wyld hunt... please... please keep akaijel safe... keep all of them safe."
"i will, marshal." reimenon's voice steadies beneath his breath, gaze steeling on the chronomancer before him. he couldn't fail him, not now. not after everything. peach eyes shut, and his mind begins to focus on the world around him. it was instinctive— the sharp scent of the jungle, the quiet sway of leaves in the wind, the soft buzzing and chirping in the air, the dirt and fauna beneath him, everything. and for a moment, it was like the jungle took a breath with him. a dying, desperate breath for salvation.
it happened in an instant.
it was a loud crack, like a tree falling in a thunderstorm. binds broken, wound forgotten. a step through the shadows of life and death.
and reimenon's greatsword was through enomiren's chest.
a winded, pained gasp leaves the chronomancer's lips, weak and unexpecting. "reimenon..." he whispers, shaky hands grasping at the blade now impaled through him. "i... i.." he stammers, blood trickling out of his gaping mouth. his fingers curl around the wound, thick yellow blood dripping down his hands. "i'm.. i'm sorry.. brother.. p..p-please... forgive.. f-forgive me... m-m..mother forgive me..."
the final words leave him as his limp body falls to the ground, reimenon following suit as he collapses to his knees. "enomiren..." he chokes out through a sob, shaky hands letting go of the hilt of his greatsword and instead desperately grasping at the corpse of his twin brother. his blood soaked hands grasp so terribly tight onto already cold flesh, where life once was. where he once felt the warmth of enomiren's touch when they were young.
the shimmering dome around them disappears into thin air, along with the spell keeping his allies at bay. and he can hear them calling his name, see them from the corners of his blurry vision, flooded by tears. but none of it registers. the only thing he could focus on was the tragedy before him.
memories flash in his mind like a slideshow, from the day they awoke together in that same pod, to the day they both left the grove for the first time— matching greatswords in tow. and then the first time they visited the court... the day he lost enomiren without even understanding it yet.
it was his fault. he couldn't save him. he couldn't save them. never again would he let this happen.
never again.