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Victor swallowed hard as he stood in the middle of the Orchard. Surprisingly...he didn't feel afraid despite the number of Daywalkers surrounding him, all with their fires lit, intending to keep him in place. He couldn’t risk looking at Nova even as she screamed and begged from where she was being held back by two of her people. If he did…he knew he’d break.
So he kept his eyes on Commander Bright as the man stood before him, the only Daywalker (besides Nova) who didn't have a fire in hand.
What the Commander had just told him, to anyone else, to any other Vampire, would likely sound ridiculous, like a trap, like a clear fabrication meant to trick him.
But he wasn't any other Vampire, and the Commander wasn't someone he didn't know.
He and Nova had been dating for weeks now, he'd had dinner at her house with her father, he'd spoken to the man one-on-one, he'd offered opinions on Vampire matters. He liked to think he'd gotten to know the man well enough to tell when he was being deadly serious.
And this was it.
He didn’t think the man would lie about something like this, not after he seemed to be willing to work with the Vampires, to forge peace. He would NOT risk an all out war with the Eldress if he didn’t genuinely believe what the Sea Dwellers had divined. Even more so, he would not risk breaking Nova's heart like this, putting her through something like this, if he didn't truly think it was what was best for not only the Daywalkers, but the Vampires, too.
The Sea Dwellers had appeared a few days ago, bearing a prophecy they said was important for their leaders to know of.
He and Nova had seen a water spout appear shortly after Camp ended, and they kept happening, to the point where both the Commander and the Eldress had stationed guards along the beaches to keep a lookout for what was causing it. No one had expected a small group of people to literally walk out of the ocean, their hair and eyes a deep blue, wearing rings that bore the traits of a Moonstone of their own. Even less had they expected the leader of the group, an elderly man with an intricate staff, to claim he was a Seer, someone who could look into the future. Nor had they expected the Seer to have a message for their people, but apparently what he had seen of their futures had driven him to leave the undersea realm and venture onto dry land to deliver the warning.
It seemed he had done something to prove his claims real, for both leaders had taken his words seriously.
While neither Nova nor himself had been privy to what the prophecy actually was, they both knew enough to know that the Sea Dwellers had come to land to try and prevent the great devastation. There was some sort of threat to both the Daywalkers and the Vampires that would have such far reaching ramifications that even the Sea Dwellers would be affected below the ocean.
It was for that reason he was more inclined to believe the Commander's words about what the prophecy actually was.
Because he had seen the way the Seer looked at him when they’d met just hours ago, when he had come to Sunnyside to pick up Nova for a date, not realizing the Sea Dwellers were there and speaking with her father. They had spoken to the Vampires previously, his Aunt had filled him in on what details she thought were relevant as he hadn't been allowed to attend that meeting. He hadn't even really met any of the Sea Dwellers officially until he'd gone to Sunnyside.
He had seen the recognition in the old man's eyes, the cogs turning in the man’s mind. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, had just thought Nova might have mentioned or reminded her father of the date she had planned and the Sea Dweller was just connecting dots.
Now he knew the man had recognized him from that vision of the destruction, and that he must have said something to Bright about it. His Aunt hadn't said a word about anything to do with HIM, so he had to assume it was them seeing him that time that had let everything fall into place.
And now here they were.
His date with Nova interrupted by a swarm of Daywalkers rushing in, pulling Nova away from him, shoving him back so that the Commander could speak with him, could tell him exactly what the Sea Dwellers had revealed upon seeing him.
His existence was the apparent cause of the destruction of their two species.
HOW he’d be the cause of it when he’d fought so hard to bring them together, to thrive, he couldn’t say. But the Daywalkers knew and so did the Sea Dwellers that something about him existing would cause the end of their species.
In that moment, staring down Bright, knowing the man had come here for only one reason…he felt oddly calm.
Because, in that moment where he realized the man had come for HIM, to eliminate the threat to both their people, standing before the small army of Daywalkers with his own life hanging in the balance, he found…he didn’t care so much.
HIS life was a small price to pay if it meant everyone else was ok.
He'd gone through so much of his life believing he was the worthless one, the failure, the disappointment, the heir no one wanted to see as Elder, the one his town probably would have celebrated being rid of prior to helping save the Orchard. It really would be just a matter of time before he screwed something up and all that goodwill evaporated and he was back where he started.
Even then, even knowing the fate of everyone else rested on him...it really wasn't about the towns, there was only one thing that would make it worth it to him.
“Will Nova be safe?” he asked Bright, “If I let you do this, will SHE be safe?”
That was ALL he cared about.
He’d give his life a thousand times over if it meant she’d be ok.
Bright straightened, lifting his chin, “Yes,” he replied, because if Victor did this, made this quick, allowed them to remove the threat of his being, all Daywalkers (and Vampires) would be safe again, Nova included.
Victor nodded slowly, taking a deep breath, “Ok.”
“NO!” Nova screamed, seeing him shift, seeing him almost deflating before her eyes, resigned, realizing he was going to let this happen, “YOU CAN’T!”
But she was held back, only able to watch in horror as her father had the audacity to thank Victor before conjuring a fireball she knew would kill even the strongest adult Vampire, let alone a teenage one, and hurl it right at him, his attempt at making it quick and painless.
Victor didn’t fight, didn’t step aside, just closed his eyes and let it hit him, sending him flying back onto the ground in a heap.
Nova felt a rage swell in her, coupled with a terrible fear, her heart was racing and she felt like there was a fire in her veins. She didn’t even realize she'd done it before her skin was heating up enough to scald the ones holding her, forcing them to let her go in shock, not expecting it.
Nova launched herself out of their grip, racing to Victor’s side. She shoved a random Daywalker who had approached to confirm he was dead aside and dropped to her knees beside him.
“Victor?” she reached out, trying not to look at the damage her father had done. The whole front of him and one side was charred, not even burned, just blackened…the pain alone…she almost didn’t want to wake him but she couldn’t stop herself, “Victor, please…”
She reached out to cup his cheeks, trying to pat them lightly to wake him, she could feel how cold he’d gotten, but she could see the faintest rise of his chest, he was still alive. For how much longer she didn’t know.
“Victor?” she begged.
His eyelashes fluttered as his face seemed to try and crunch but he didn’t appear to have the energy any longer. He barely managed to open his eyes to look at her.
She could see the pain in them, the haze that came with the deliriousness of near death, but also…something more, something him, something that was kind and gentle and loving and always shown whenever he saw HER.
He tried to smile for her, she could see the corner of his lips twitch but it was too much.
“Nova…” he managed to murmur.
She shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes, not caring that her people were watching her sob over a Vampire boy, that her father was mere feet away and likely ashamed at her display of emotion and vulnerability. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, because Victor was all she could see in that moment.
Victor was all that mattered.
“You’ll be ok,” she tried to tell him, tried to smile, but the state of him…she knew it was a lie.
“No,” he countered, wincing now as he wheezed, the pain starting to creep up on him through the shock, “…you?”
She nearly collapsed at that. Here he was, broken and burned and…and dying…in her arms, and all he cared about was if SHE was ok.
“No,” she told him, honest, “Not without you.”
He started to blink rapidly, which then began to slow, like his mind was struggling to keep up. That wasn’t good.
She could feel him trembling under her hands now, tensing, could feel his heart racing too fast and knew he didn’t have long.
“L…” he tried to say, his voice dry, his words starting to slur, “Love…” he tried to keep focused on her, tried to keep his gaze on her, as if the last thing he saw in this world was her face…he’d be ok, “You…”
She sobbed, moving down to press her forehead to his, “I love you, too,” she told him, pressing a kiss to his lips, able to feel just the barest pressure as he tried to kiss her back one final time, “Always…” she pulled back enough to look at him, still hunched over, “You can’t leave me,” she told him, “Please, please don’t go…”
He really did try to smile now, but she could see him fading fast.
“You promised,” she reminded him, “We’d never let go. You can’t let go…please. Don’t leave me, Victor, please…I can’t…” she sobbed, “Without you…”
He was trying to talk, but even that was too much now, all he could do was move his lips, barely that.
But she saw it, ‘sorry’ and ‘love you’ before the worst thing she’d ever seen in her life occurred.
She watched the light fade from his eyes, felt his breathing still, felt the heartbeat under her fingertips cease.
She let out a shuddering breath, her eyes searching all over his face, unwilling to believe he was gone just like that.
“Victor?” she tried again, her hands roving his face and neck and chest, “Victor? Please…don’t…please…” she began to beg, but it was to no avail.
He was gone.
She hunched over him, her face pressed to his neck as she sobbed, clawing at the cloth by his shoulders, the raw emotion too much for some of the Daywalkers who had to turn away.
Commander Bright felt tears in his eyes as he watched his daughter break down over her first love. He didn’t want this to happen. He would have given anything for there to be another way. Hurting Nova, hurting Victor even, was the LAST thing he ever wanted to do, not when the boy made his daughter so happy, brought back her beautiful smile that was so much like her mother's.
But the prophecy was clear.
Victor would be the catalyst to their destruction, Daywalkers AND Vampires alike.
He had to remove the threat, to ALL their people. He was sure, once the Sea Dwellers shared their information with the Eldress, made it clear this was the only way to save both people, she might, at least, not declare war even if it might cause a rift between their people again.
She knew what it meant to have to do what was needed.
He let out a long breath and took a step towards his daughter, “Nova…” he began, reaching for her.
But suddenly a wall of flames shot up between his hand and her, startling him back for a moment, before it blew outwards, shoving him and a few other Daywalkers back, not enough to burn them, but a clear message to stay away.
“You did this to him!” Nova screamed, twisting where she was crumbled to glare at him.
Command Bright, in that instant, considered he may have made a horrible mistake…because Nova’s eyes were glowing golden with the power of the Light Stone…and it wasn’t fading, the flames around her weren't diminishing.
He could only stare in horror as a ring of fire began to expand around her, keeping her and Victor separated from everyone else. He looked around because they were in the middle of the Orchard…and he remembered well enough what happened last time fire had been introduced to the plants.
“What have you done?” a shaky voice gasped from the side.
The Daywalkers looked over to see three of the Sea Dwellers had rushed over, the Seer among them, the man looking horrified at the body of the Vampire boy, at Nova weeping over him.
He looked back at Bright, “WHAT have you DONE!?” he demanded, his voice stronger.
“You warned us he would be the catalyst of our destruction,” Bright straightened, “So we took care of the threat.”
“HE was not the threat!” the Seer argued, seeming to be completely thrown by how the Daywalkers had interpreted his words.
Perhaps that was the problem, they were not Sea Dwellers, they did not know or seem to realize the importance of words. Catalyst could mean cause, but it could also mean trigger.
And, right now, looking at the fire growing increasingly higher as the devastated girl’s grief continued to grow…he had a sinking feeling they were about to find that out the hard way.
His people would have known, would have looked at every possible interpretation of his prophecy, taken every bit of context they could…and carefully assessed each decision and situation to avoid destruction.
It seemed the Daywalker leader had taken only the first thought that came to his mind.
He had no idea, none whatsoever, that Victor should have been left alone, that to HARM him would trigger their destruction.
Because the girl weeping over him…she was powerful, and she loved that boy with everything in her, and she would not be able to control her grief and anger if anything happened to him…
In his visions, he had seen the two of them, the girl and the boy, united, thriving, leading their people with their hands clasped tightly together, as one.
He had seen that, if the girl should lose the boy…
She had been raised in a militant community, always bottling up what she felt, never able to show grief or loss or sorrow or pain or anger or anything…and it would have devastating consequences. If she lost the boy…she would not be able to bottle it up, it would explode out of her, and no one would survive.
He had meant his warning to the Commander that the boy should be protected, for the sake of all. But it seemed others had taken that to mean the boy was the danger they needed protecting from.
“He IS the catalyst,” the Seer told the man, grave, “Because his loss would trigger your end.”
They had only just turned to look at Nova when her grief hit its peak and she screamed out her pain, the flames around her flaring out. The Daywalkers rushed to call their own fire, trying to counter it, trying to contain it, but they were too close to the trees and…
Suddenly a wind flew past them, surrounding Nova's fire on all sides. They looked over to see Vera, Vargas, the Eldress, and a few other Vampires, rushing in, Ray following just feet behind them.
In a way that now disgusted him, Bright felt a momentary flash of respect and admiration for the Eldress as he watched her press ahead, she had caught sight of Victor, realized what had happened, and did NOT let it cloud her actions, she reined in her feelings and led her people.
He couldn’t imagine what he’d do if it had been Nova he’d come across.
And HE had been the one to create this situation.
“Remove the air!” the Eldress called out, “Snuff the flames!”
“Wait!” Bright tried to cut in, if they pulled the air out…Nova…
“We need to contain the flames and extinguish them,” the Eldress snapped at him, displaying some sense of agitation at the situation, “We must ensure she cannot call more!”
“We’re not going to kill her,” Vera promised, calling over the wind as they fought against her raging fire to try and kill the flames.
“Yeah, just knock her out and…ow!” Vargas winced as Vera threw a small gust at his head, nodding to the fire so he’d focus.
Bright could only stand there as the Vampires fought against his daughter to contain her fire. He might have been proud, once upon a time, that her flames were so strong it was taking 8 Vampires to try and cut it down…but, right now, things were too much of a mess to feel anything other than mounting dread. If they failed...the fire was pushing against the wind, it would explode out in a powerful surge and they were all within the blast range...
The Seer gripped his staff tighter…in his visions, there were only ever Daywalkers OR Vampires surrounding the fallen boy and grieving girl, never both together. Perhaps…perhaps this could be a new future he hadn't seen, one where the destruction was avoided…he'd yet to see that happen, but he had to hope...
Eventually, with great struggle, the flames did eventually die down…though it was clear it was more due to the fact that the Vampires were forced to, essentially, suffocate Nova until she passed out than anything involving skill or strength.
Once she fell to the ground and the fires gave way, Bright was at her side, checking that she was only knocked out and nothing more.
The Eldress, however, was not so lucky.
“Victor…” she breathed, reaching out to touch his cold face, “YOU did this!” she snarled at Bright, needing to be held back by Vera and Vargas to stop from lunging at him. And the only reason they did so was because Nova was in his arms and Victor would kill them if anything happened to her…
He’d find a way to do it from beyond, they had no doubt.
“We may be able to assist,” the Seer said as he approached with the two other Sea Dwellers who had come with him.
“It was your prophecy that caused this!” the Eldress snapped at them, thinking of what Ray had rushed to tell them, having been at Nova's when she had left for her date with Victor, had heard the Sea Dwellers identify Victor, had heard the Commander's plan after they'd left, to gather a handful of loyal soldiers to assist him with eliminating the threat against them, and rushed to warn them.
“It was a misinterpretation of our prophecy,” he shot a glare at Bright, “But this was brought about by our words. And so we would like to help. Please.”
“How can you help?” Vera asked, sniffling deeply to try and keep from crying, not even able to stomach looking at Victor while Vargas could only stare with tears falling down his eyes at his fallen friend, “He’s dead!”
“And we have very good healers,” he argued, “If there is even a spark of life left in him, anything that holds him to this world…we may be able to save him.”
The woman beside him stepped forward, kneeling beside the boy. She reached out and placed a hand on Victor's forehead, her eyes closed, head bowed, as if sensing something, her Moonstone ring glowed faintly. Her face scrunched as she slowly lifted her hand and began to hover it above him, moving further down, searching for something.
His Dark Stone didn’t even react as her hand passed by it.
But she paused, pulling her hand slightly towards herself, till it came to rest on his heart. She let out a sharp breath, her eyes snapping open as she quickly turned to search her bag for something. The other Sea Dweller with them, a man, seemed to realize what she was doing and rushed to kneel on the other side of Victor. The boy was in a bad state, if it took a skilled healer such as her that long to find the tether of life, she would need all the help she could get, whether he was just an apprentice or not.
The woman turned, holding a small vial of water, which she uncorked. She dripped it onto her hands, placing the rest on her apprentice’s, the water starting to glow a faint blue like their Moonstones.
They placed their hands on Victor, one on the forehead, the other on his heart. One on his right shoulder, the other on his stomach, as if trying to cover as much of the burn area as they could.
The gathered group could only watch on with baited breath as their hands glowed, their Moonstones as well, their eyes sparking blue, before they closed them in concentration.
The Eldress had only ever felt time slow down around her once before, when she had been told her brother had passed with his wife, leaving her alone with their son. Now…now she felt it slow to a stop, staring at the boy she’d cared for, perhaps not always in the best way…wishing he was back. She’d take his snark and sidestepping compliments any day if he would just open his eyes…
It felt like forever that the two Sea Dwellers worked on the boy…but…slowly…they could see the burns starting to heal, the skin knit back together, until…he began to breathe again.
When he took his first deep breath, not a jolting one like he’d jump awake, brought back, but a deep breath of relief…remaining unconscious, still weak from the ordeal, the Vampires let out a cheer, the Eldress nearly sinking down to her knees between Vera and Vargas.
The two Sea Dwellers sat back on their heels, exhausted and weak themselves.
“You were lucky,” the Healer turned to the Eldress as the Seer helped her stand, her apprentice faring a little better than her. He provided the energy she needed, but she had to focus on where it went and what to heal and pull that tether to life as strong as she could to bring him back, “He loves her very much,” she glanced at Nova, “He did not want to leave her, even to the bitter end.”
“We should get them back," Bright murmured, “They need to rest.”
“I would not separate them, if I were you,” the Apprentice warned, even HE had been able to feel the boy's love near the end, and after witnessing the girl's grief...
The Seer nodded, “The last she recalls, the one she loved died. That will not disappear because he is back. And she will not believe you if she cannot see it herself. I would dare to say her trust has been shattered,” he gave Bright a hard look, “Keep them together. They will heal faster.”
The last thing any of them wanted was Nova to go berserk within the city limits. Because they knew, if she woke up somewhere else without Victor, there would be nothing to stop her and no getting through to her this time.
“Camp,” Ray murmured, the first he’d spoken since he’d rushed there with the Vampires.
He’d made the mistake of siding with Commander Bright over Nova once before. When he found out about this plan, he'd gone to the Vampires for help, knowing he couldn't take on the small army of Daywalkers by himself, he needed help. He’d hoped, if there could be other Vampires there, it might give the Daywalkers pause…but he’d been too late.
“Camp is neutral,” he continued, “If she wakes up there…if he’s in the next bunk…”
“Camp it is,” the Eldress said, before rising to her feet and stepping over to Bright, “But this is NOT over.”
He nodded, “Nor should it be,” he admitted, conceding that.
She gave a firm nod and turned, seeing Vera and Vargas had already picked up Victor, as if they’d done it hundreds of times before. And she knew, with a twinge in her heart, that they likely had. Whether it was from him crash landing or just crashing in general…she knew the two had seen him at his worst.
She NEVER wanted to see him in such a state as this ever again.
***
Victor was…honestly surprised he was alive and sitting up in one of the cabins at Camp, the Counsellor’s cabin. Nova was lying on a bed a few feet away and his first instinct upon waking and seeing her was to rush to her side and make sure she was ok, the last thing he remembered was Bright sending an enormous fireball at him and he'd panicked thinking Nova had gotten in the way of it. But then he’d realized she had no burns on her...and there was someone else in the room with them.
The Seer of the Sea Dwellers was sitting on a chair, his staff clutched in his hands, back to the door, facing them. As if he were not only keeping others out but watching over them at the same time. He had looked guilt-ridden and sorrowful, which at least eased HIM that he and Nova weren’t in any danger.
The man had explained what happened after his memories faded from the Commander’s attack. He had explained how Nova had been grief-stricken, heart broken, and so agonized that she hadn’t been able to control her fire in her sorrow, how it nearly exploded out of her had the Vampires not been informed of the upcoming attack on him and appeared with enough time to keep the flames contained and knock Nova out. He spoke of how the healers had rushed to help him, had been able to pull him back from the brink, his love for Nova not allowing him to pass as quickly as others might have.
He wasn't happy Nova had been knocked out, not at all, but he was relieved she hadn’t been hurt or caught literally in the crossfire of her father's attack on HIM.
“I…I don’t understand,” Victor said after the events were detailed to how he ended up back in the world of the living and with only a red, fading, patch across his chest for his troubles, “The Commander said I was going to lead to our destruction,” he shook his head, “If I’m a danger to our people…”
The man sighed, “That was an unfortunate misinterpretation of our prophecy,” he said, “When we first saw you with the girl, we recognized you as the one from our visions. We warned the Commander that you would be a catalyst to the destruction of your peoples. He took “catalyst” to mean cause and reason, but that was not so.”
“It’s…not?” Victor asked, hesitant to believe it.
Because when he had been facing the man, the Commander had genuinely seemed regretful, like taking him out was the last thing the Daywalker wanted to do. He sounded like he was only taking this action because of the threat to his people. And HE had agreed not to fight back because of the threat it posed to Nova.
He didn’t think the Commander had heard the prophecy and purposefully twisted it as a means to get rid of his daughter’s Vampire boyfriend but…he also didn’t want to think HE was really a threat to anyone.
If he was being honest though, it would track much more if he WAS some sort of cause for destruction, he always seemed to be messing things up, so he was hesitant to believe the Seer just from that.
“No,” the Seer confirmed, “It…the way WE saw it, you were a catalyst in the sense that you were a trigger.”
“How would I trigger the destruction of our people?” Victor frowned, it was making even less sense now.
The Seer let out a long sigh, though he gave him a small smile, before his gaze turned to Nova. Victor followed his gaze, frowning even more, not understanding what Nova had to do with anything, and looked back at the man.
“In our visions…you fall,” he said, “And when you do,” his smile was sad, “Her grief cannot be contained.”
Victor blinked, and then blinked again, “You mean…NOVA destroys everyone just because I…” he pointed at himself like he couldn’t fathom that actually happening.
Not the dying part, he’d already accepted that when the Commander faced him.
But the thought that Nova would lose control that badly that she’d decimate everything else in her path.
Nova was always in control, always restrained, coordinated, she had sharp reflexes and even stronger instincts…
But then his thoughts turned to what the Seer had just said about what had been happening when the Vampires arrived in the nick of time.
He supposed it was just…the thought of anyone caring about him, loving him, mourning him, that deeply that something like that could happen just in their reaction to grief and sorrow over him? That seemed completely beyond his grasp.
The Seer noticed his expression, could recognize the internal conflict of coming to terms with something like that. The boy...he had been so accepting of the thought that HE would somehow cause the destruction of their people. Like he just expected he would do something wrong somewhere down the line and it would all be over for everyone. What could have possibly occurred in his life to make him feel like he was just destined to fail so miserably, he wouldn't be able to say but the scars were there, and they ran deep.
Because, even now, the boy was sitting there, looking so completely disbelieving that it wouldn't be HIS fault directly. He was looking like he could not believe, for a single second, that someone else would love him so much that their grief at losing him would shatter that person so wholly that destruction would follow.
He wondered, briefly, if the girl, being as militant and restrained as her people clearly were, might have held back in her affections or words or done something in the past that could cause the boy to doubt the depth of her love for him?
They HAD had visions, only two, before they disappeared entirely, of the girl making a choice and the boy and his people suffering, starving, because of it. He wondered if something similar might have happened? Maybe the boy found out she almost made that choice? Maybe she kept it from him until it was too late? He couldn't say, but clearly something had come up where the boy felt he loved the girl more than she did him if he genuinely couldn't fathom her falling apart the way she had over his demise.
Or, maybe, it had nothing to do with the girl at all.
Maybe it was his people in general, maybe it was his life, that had taught him he wasn't worthy of that sort of love. Maybe his life had always been him loving others more than they loved him and he just expected the same from the girl? Or maybe he was learning that she did love him but all those life lessons had held him back from fully belieivng it?
Whatever the case, the boy was clearly struggling to believe that all this, all the danger, could be brought about by one person losing him.
The Seer nodded, “As happened in the Orchard,” he confirmed, “When she lost you, she lost herself. We had not seen a future where others were able to stop it the way the Vampires had. When the Daywalker boy broke from his people to warn yours…we did not see that change.”
He had learned that this was only a recent development, the unity between Vampires and Daywalkers, who had long been mortal enemies before. It explained why they had never seen the other's people there at the same time. Though it was concerning that the visions had persisted even after the two people had started to work towards peace.
Or, perhaps, this event might be a catalyst in and of itself, changing the future, and truly pushing the two species towards peace, now that they knew the consequences of trying to pull apart?
“So the future’s changed now?” Victor tried to keep up, pulling the Seer back to the present, “It won’t happen again?”
The Seer looked grim, “We did not see this particular instance in the Orchard,” he explained, “That was a decision made by the Commander after he learned of our Prophecy, a reaction. That is not to say we have not seen other possible futures. Many are hopeful, light. The ones that are…dangerous…their common factor is your demise.”
“Because Nova loses herself when she loses me,” Victor stated.
“Yes.”
He frowned, “Do I not lose myself when I lose her?”
Because he loved her more than life itself, as he'd proven by hanging on to the bitter end, fighting against death itself to stay with her as long as he could. He couldn’t imagine reacting well if he lost her. He could easily picture himself toppling trees and houses and blowing away anyone in the vicinity if anything happened to Nova.
The Seer gave him a gentle smile, “We could never see that. Because any vision where SHE was in danger…you were with her. You often put yourself in the path of danger to protect her. Which,” he nodded at her in the next bed, “Brought about the same future as those where you were the initial target.”
Victor looked over at Nova, feeling his heart both swell and break in his chest.
She loved him. She really loved him. So much so that her grief would know no bounds if anything happened to him.
And that broke his heart because he never, ever wanted her to experience a pain like that.
He felt like he could hardly breathe just imagining a world without her, and to know he’d put her through that in the Orchard, that he’d forced her to watch as he basically died in front of her…even if it had been for a noble reason, to save her people as well as his own...to save HER...
“We thought it best you be here together,” the Seer spoke, standing, clearly having only been waiting for Victor to wake and speak with him, “Should she wake without you…”
Victor nodded slowly, she’d think he really was dead.
He waited only until the Seer had left the room, before he got out of his bunk and shuffled over to Nova’s, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, one hand taking hers, the other running down her hair, hoping she might feel him there while she slept.
***
Victor could tell the second Nova started to wake, having moved to lay beside her and watched over her while she rested for a little more than an hour now. It seemed his efforts to soothe her hadn’t been working as well as he hoped, her face had been pinched the whole time, like she was trapped in a nightmare.
But he noticed an easing as she seemed to wake, her face relaxing, like some part of her might know he was there the closer she came to the waking world.
He reached out and gently touched her cheek, stroking it with his thumb as her face scrunched and she slowly woke.
The moment her eyes met him, she seemed to relax as she breathed out, like every part of her body was slumping, her smile was dreamy and happy. She reached out to touch his hand on her cheek, holding it in place as she turned her head to kiss his palm, “I didn’t think it would be like this,” she told him.
“What?” he asked, not sure if she was still half asleep or if he’d missed something in his staring.
“Heaven,” she answered, “I didn’t think it would be camp.”
He blinked, her words catching up to him, his heart breaking all over again, “Nova…we’re not in heaven. We’re not dead.”
She didn’t seem perturbed, just shrugged, “I’m ok with it,” she insisted, clearly thinking he was lying to try and comfort her, “If I get to be with you.”
He swallowed hard, feeling tears in his eyes at her words, her love for him. He took her hand she was still holding, and moved it to press to his chest, letting her feel his beating heart, “Alive. Both of us.”
The second the feel of his heart and his words seemed to truly register for her, Nova jolted up in the bed and was yanking at the shirt he was wearing, actually managing to rip it off him as he scrambled to sit up, a little lost for what was happening, though it quickly became clear when her hands landed on the area he vaguely recalled being struck, like she was trying to see where the burn was…
“The Sea Dwellers healed me,” he promised her, taking her hands and squeezing them, hoping it would help calm her frantic nerves, “They saved me,” he pressed a kiss to her knuckles as she looked at him, “Apparently, I love you too much to leave without a fight. I was clinging just enough that they were able to bring me back.”
Nova’s face scrunched, tears in her eyes, “You came back to me.”
He nodded, “I’m ok,” he promised her, reaching out to wipe her tears, “I’m here. I didn’t leave you. I’m so sorry I scared you, I…”
Nova dove at him, hugging him tightly as she buried her face in his chest, sobbing as everything came flooding back, “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she begged him, “Please. Please don’t leave me.”
“Never," he promised, squeezing her tighter, “I will never leave you, I swear. I love you too much, Nova. I never want to leave you.”
"You almost did," she squeezed him tighter.
"I know, I'm so sorry," he pressed a kiss to her hair, "I thought...I thought I was saving you, saving your people, and mine. I thought I was doing the right thing, what was best for everyone...I was wrong, I was so wrong. I won't do it again, Nova."
Nova just trembled in his arms as he began to try and rock her soothingly, “I love you,” she sniffled, “I don’t want to lose you. I couldn’t survive that.”
He took a deep breath and let it out, knowing he needed to tell her, she needed to know what she was likely to walk out into once they left the cabin and had to face both their people, he doubted either of them went far, “I will never leave you,” he repeated, “Because I love you. That will always be MY reason.”
“Why do I feel like there's a "but?"” Nova hesitated, tensing.
“There’s…it looks like there's another reason,” he said, “The Sea Dwellers…their visions. I was never the reason for our destruction…I was the trigger,” he touched her cheek, guiding her to pull away enough that he could look at her, “It seems my powerhouse of a soulmate loves me too much, too,” he tried to smile, “And if she loses me…”
Nova let out a breath, not needing him to say more to understand. Her reaction before, the anger, the rage, the sorrow and loss and grief and…all of it…she understood. She remembered it all, she remembered that loss of control over her fire, she remembered the apathy, she remembered not caring at all what happened to anyone or anything else.
Because nothing mattered to her any longer, not without Victor.
She could only nod, “I wouldn’t be able to stop myself destroying everything around me,” she touched his cheek, “I love you, so much.”
“I love you more,” he said, “Seems like, in their visions, I’m always jumping in the way to save you…and we end up back at the start of it all again.”
Nova shook her head, “Don’t ever,” she begged, “I’d rather it be me, not you.”
“I’d rather it be me, not you,” he countered, before leaning down to quickly give her a peck on the lips to stop her next words as he continued, “I’d rather it be neither of us. I’d rather we both be safe, forever.”
She smiled weakly at that, “I’d rather that, too.”
“Good,” he nodded, “Then that’s what we’ll do," he cupped her face in his hands, "I'm with you Nova, forever and always. Nothing will take me from you, ever again, I swear."
Nova leaned in and pressed her lips to his, feeling like she could finally breathe again, feeling like her heart was starting to beat once more, like the fire inside of her was sparking back to life the longer she spent in his arms.
And she was ready for that to be forever.