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with all the chaos happening just below it was hard for both nova and victor to block it out, but they had a job to do. the darkstone and the lightstone were meant to be together, just like how their people were never meant to be in hiding.
daywalkers and vampires. sworn enemies. were meant to be aligned, not apart.
and soon, they would be.
nova and victor just had to place their stones in their rightful place. victor steadied himself as the ladder beneath him trembled. the air felt heavier with every passing second, the tension of the mission almost unbearable. he felt his body begin to stumble as the ladder shook unsteadily, then he felt a firm grip on the rung below him.
"gotcha," zed's voice called up from down below, steadying the ladder.
victor gave him a quick nod, not noticing that zed had taken off his Z-band in order to stabilise them—then glanced over at nova. there was a flicker of something in her eyes, concern maybe? but she masked it quickly, her usual confidence taking over as she gave him a slight, knowing smile.
she was ready.
the moment the darkstone slid into place, it felt like the world held its breath. the air hummed with something ancient. the roots of the blood fruit tree seemed to stir beneath the stone floor, as if they were alive, waiting for this moment.
victor's fingers trembled as he reached for the light stone. their eyes met briefly, and in that moment, it wasn't just about the fruit. it was about everything. the weight of their ancestors. the future they were about to carve out for their people. this was bigger than either of them.
victor steadied his breath. "it's now or never."
nova didn't respond in words, just a nod. she too understood, with a single movement she placed her stone next to his. the stones clicked together with a sharp crack, and in that instant the room seemed to pulse.
a wave of energy surged through the cauldron room. the roots of the blood fruit tree twisted and withered with a glowing light.
then, the unexpected happened.
the ladder creaked and then gave way.
with no time to react, both of them were sent hurtling to the cold floor below.
thud.
victors body slammed into the floor first. his breath was knocked out of him, and the world spun violently. his ribs screamed in protest, and he could feel something sharp digging into his shoulder. the pain was immediate, sharp and unrelenting. his back arched with the force of the impact, a bolt of searing pain radiating through his spine. he was paralysed for a moment, his limbs frozen in shock.
breathe, victor. breathe.
but it wasn't just the fall that had stunned him, it was the rush of blood pounding in his ears, the ringing in his head like the world had been muffled. his vision swam as if the very ground beneath him was shifting.
nova.
his heart skipped. he pushed himself up, gritting his teeth against the pain that seemed to crawl up his spine with each movement. his legs felt wobbly, like they weren't quite his own. he had to move. he had to get to her.
where was nova?
"nova?" his voice was rough and strained. he tried to move faster, but his side continued to flare with pain and his legs buckled slightly under him. he winced. "nova?!"
and then, there. he spotted her, a few feet away with her body sprawled unnaturally.
no.
his heart stopped, and fear shot through him like ice. victor staggered over to her, she wasn't moving. her arm was twisted in an impossible angle, her side bleeding where the fall had torn her shirt. and blood trickled down, staining the floor.
no, no, no.
victor dropped to his knees beside her, his breath coming in desperate gasps. he reached out, his fingers trembling as he brushed her blonde hair away from her face. she was so still. too still.
the terror rose like a tide in his chest.
but then—
her chest rose. a soft, shallow breath. she was alive.
relief flooded him, but it was short-lived. his own body was still aching, but he couldn't focus on that. not when she was lying there, looking so fragile.
"nova..." his voice was rough, strained with both pain and worry. his fingers hovered near her, as if he couldn't quite touch her without breaking her. "nova, can you hear me?"
nova's eyelids fluttered open, her lips parted in an attempt to speak, but it was a struggle.
"victor..." she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. she tried to push herself up but faltered. "i—i'm fine. just...give me a second."
"no," he growled, the word slipping from his lips before he could stop it. "no, you're not fine."
victor's fingers trembled as he reached out again, brushing her hand with a tenderness that betrayed the fear coursing through his veins. he couldn't get past the image of her crumpled on the floor, so small and vulnerable.
then there was a sickening weight in his chest, that ice-cold dread knotted in his stomach. the young vampire had seen so much chaos in his life, but this...this was different. she wasn't just another enemy, another obstacle. she was nova.
and he couldn't lose her now. not when he just found her.
her breathing was shallow, each exhale a sharp, brittle sound. he could feel the heat from her wound, the blood still pooling beneath her, staining the ground. his pulse was hammering in his ears, the rhythmic thumping drowning out everything else.
the daywalker girl's fingers twitched, then her hand fell back with a soft thud. her chest rose again, weaker this time. but she was still there. still with him.
she was alive.
but he didn't know for how long.
victor moved, but everything hurt. every muscle. every bone. he bit down on his tongue, ignoring the waves of nausea threatening to take him under. the pain that coursed through him was agony, but the thought of leaving her alone made his stomach churn even worse. she needed him.
the fall had shattered more than just bones. it had cracked something inside him, some fragile part of himself he didn't even know existed.
"nova..." victor's voice was hoarse. he didn't know if she could hear him, but he had to keep talking. had to let her know he was there. "just hang on... i'm not going anywhere."
"victor..."
his voice cracked under the weight of his desperation. "just—stay with me. please."
but she was fighting. he could see it—the way her fingers curled into a fist, the way her breath quickened as she tried to sit up, her body trembling beneath the strain.
"stop." his voice was low, barely controlled. "you can't get up. you need to rest—nova, please."
she was trying to speak again, her lips moving, but all that came out was a soft hiss of pain as she collapsed back down, her face scrunching in agony. he felt his own body tremble in response, unable to bear seeing her like this.
the blonde daywalker tried to smile, but it dropped before it could even take shape. she winced, her arm shifting as if to shield herself from the despair coursing through her side. victor couldn't help but soften. he could see it in her eyes that she wanted to be strong. she didn't want to break in front of him. but this wasn't a fight she could win alone.
"vic..." she started, "you—"
"don't try to talk," he cut her off softly, pushing back the tears he hadn't realised were threatening to spill. "you don't have to say anything. i'm not leaving. not now."
but the sound of footsteps echoed, heavy and urgent. victor's pulse spiked as his head snapped toward the sound, his breath hitching. they were coming—help was coming.
"zed? addison?" he rasped.
but it wasn't zed. it wasn't addison.
the heavy footsteps grew closer, and before victor could move, a figure emerged from the shadows.
ray.
victor didn't have the energy to even be surprised. it was ray—his face grim, his jaw set in that familiar stubborn way, but there was something more than just determination in his eyes. fear.
"victor," ray called, his voice tight. "what the hell happened?"
victor didn't answer immediately. his gaze dropped back to nova, who was barely conscious now, her body trembling under the weight of her injuries. he had to stay focused.
"nova's hurt," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "she—" he choked, unable to finish the sentence. "we need help. fast."
ray crouched beside his daywalker bestfriend, his expression hard but his movements gentle as he checked her wounds. his eyes flicked up to victor, and the two locked gazes, neither of them willing to break the stare. the tension was palpable, the past simmering just beneath the surface.
ray's voice was cold but laced with a sense of panic. "you better not have done anything to hurt her, vampire."
victor barely resisted the urge to snarl. he knew this was ray's protective instinct speaking, but he wasn't in the mood to fight—he couldn't afford to. his heart was in his throat as he looked back at nova, her skin pale and clammy, her chest rising and falling with a labored rhythm.
"i didn't," victor growled through clenched teeth, trying to keep his focus on the girl. "i'm trying to save her, same as you."
ray's lips curled in a tight sneer, but he said nothing more. instead, he focused on bandaging nova's side, trying to stabilise her condition as best as he could.
ray pressed his hand against the wound on nova's side, his voice low. "she's fading."
"no," victor murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "she can't."
ray shot him a sharp glance, part suspicion, part fear. but he didn't say anything. there wasn't time. a sudden rumble tore through the room, low and distant, like thunder trapped beneath the earth.
victor stilled.
rain.
a drop landed on nova's cheek, another landed on his arm. then another. and another.
he looked up slowly.
no thunder. no storm. just the blood fruit tree, its branches heavy with fruit thanks to the merging of the two stones.
the rain kept falling.
it soaked into the floor, the cracks in the stone, the decade long wars in the room. it touched victor's skin and soothed the bruises blooming beneath it. his ribs eased. the throbbing in his shoulder dulled. his chest finally expanded without catching on pain.
nova gasped.
her eyes fluttered open, sharper this time.
she blinked as another drop touched her lips, and colour returned to her face, slow and steady like dawn creeping across a broken horizon.
"...victor?" she whispered. "what... what is this?"
he was already beside her. "the tree," he said softly. "it's healing you."
she blinked up at the branches above them, watching as the fruit continued to burst in glowing pulses, the rain falling steady and warm.
then her eyes found his.
"you stayed," she whispered.
"of course i did."
her hand reached for his without hesitation. their fingers slid together, palms pressed, grounding them both in the now.
victor swallowed hard. "i thought i lost you."
"you didn't." she exhaled slowly. "still here."
a small, cracked smile tugged at his lips. "good."
ray said nothing. he just sat back slowly, watching as the wound on nova's side began to close beneath the falling rain. his hands were still stained with her blood, but she was breathing and stronger now.
the rain fell on all of them, soft and endless.
zed sat nearby, blinking slowly as the water soaked through his hair and shirt. his movements calmed, the restless twitch of a full-zombie state fading bit by bit. addison sat with him, one arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders, both of them silent as the impossible unfolded around them.
nova sat with her knees pulled halfway to her chest, the rain still falling, soft and steady. she didn't speak at first—just listened. not to the sound of chaos or shouting or bloodshed.
but to peace. real peace.
for the first time in decades, there was nothing but quiet. victor sat beside her, his shoulder pressed gently to hers. his fingers were still threaded through hers, warm and steady.
"it's over," nova said quietly, not even sure she believed it yet. "isn't it?"
victor nodded, eyes on the glowing roots above them. "yeah. it is."
the blood fruit tree stood tall, its fruit glowing with soft pulses of light, the rain falling from its branches like it had been waiting all this time just for this.
nova let her head fall against victor's shoulder, letting the truth settle in her bones.
"do you think they'll really stop fighting?" she asked, a whisper now. "vampires. daywalkers."
victor was quiet for a beat too long. then—
"they already have."
nova blinked. her breath caught.
"you don't hear it, do you?" victor murmured. "no yelling. no weapons. it's just... done. they felt it the second the stones aligned. same as we did."
nova didn't respond. just reached for his hand, holding it tighter now.
and for the first time, it didn't feel like her people or his.
it just felt like them.
"this was never just about fruit," she said.
victor smiled, just barely. "no. it was about the future."
the rain kept falling. not loud. not urgent. just steady. soft. final.
and all around them, the world shifted into something new.