Chapter Text
The full moon shone in the pitch-black sky, illuminating the meadow in its silvery light.
A soft breeze blew, rustling the grass and making the flowers bend playfully.
It was a beautiful night, one you would try to cherish before it slipped away.
But Azure felt uneasy.
He didn't know why. It was a lurking feeling, like something bad was going to happen, but he didn't know what.
Twotime still hadn't shown up, even though they had promised... but..it wasn't the first time his friend had not shown up to their secret meetings.
Over the course of the past year, their friend had seemed distant, making up different excuses not to come, and Azure pretended not to care.
But it hurt him..a lot..despite how much he tried to hide it.
It felt almost like a betrayal. Like the friendship they had formed had been broken.
Perhaps he was just overreacting. Twotime would come tonight. They had to.
His scarf blew in the wind, and he wrapped it tighter around his neck to prevent the chill from reaching his neck.
As the moon rose higher in the night sky, he fiddled with a stray flower he had picked out of the grass, unconsciously picking out the petals and letting them slowly drift to the ground.
As he was about to give up and head back to the dorms, soft footsteps came from behind him.
He turned round, gaze lighting up as he spotted his friend.
Twotime was a few feet away, wrapping their thin cloak around them, shivering slightly due to the cold of the night settling in.
“You came...” He let out a sigh of relief, smiling, but Twotime seemed to be avoiding his gaze, looking off into the distance.
Azure felt another feeling of unease, but brushed it off.
“Are you ok..? You seem distracted. Did you get punished again today?”
Punishment was a common thing here; he remembered all the beatings and slaps that he had gotten before from his old teacher, before he started working in his garden.
Twotime seemed to look a little guilty for a second before responding.
“Yes, but it was for the better. Each reprimand only helps us grow closer to the Spawn.”
He frowned slightly. It's not that he was against the Spawn or anything, but was harsh punishment really the solution? Surely the Spawn would want all its followers to be as healthy and well as possible.
Azure unwrapped his scarf, noticing that his friend was still shivering. They never did well when it was cold.
“Here, take this.” He gently wrapped it around their neck, adjusting it a little.
Twotime looked confused for a moment, but didn't stop him.
“Surely you will get cold, too? Would it not be better if you kept your scarf? I know how much it means to you.”
Smiling and ignoring the cold that was returning to his skin, he tried to sound comforting.
“I'll be fine. We both know how much you hate the cold.” He said a little teasingly, adjusting his hat, which was a little askew due to the wind.
“It also looks better on you anyway.” Azure noticed how the black on black did work with Twotime’s clothes.
Twotime looked away again, their tail twitching, “If you approve, then I will gladly accept this scarf.”
Silence fell, and none of them spoke for a few seconds. Minutes maybe?
“Pretty night, isn't it?” Azure broke the silence, looking up at the sky. “You can even see the stars.”
His friend looked up, but their gaze still seemed distracted, even guilty for some reason.
“I've always wondered how many stars there were. Millions, maybe..but each one is unique..I find it quite interesting.”
Azure squinted, curiosity flickering in his mind. He barely knew anything about those. The only vast knowledge he had was gardening.
The elders strictly forbade outside knowledge, so it was hard to get his hands on more than a few dusty old books.
One time, a fellow peer of his had been caught, and well…Azure didn't see him for a while.
He had always been curious about the outside world, but Twotime unfortunately did not share the same interest, devotion to the Spawn taking priority.
They stood in silence for a few more minutes, the only sound the soft whispering of the wind.
But then a different whisper was spoken.
“Dear Spawn..reward me for my devotion..”
And then it all happened.
Twotime became a black and white blur, a flash of steel catching Azure's eye.
But that was enough warning.
Sharp pain sliced through his cheek, and the warm feeling of blood hit him like a jolt
His hands raised unintentionally, he managed to grab his friend's wrist just in time.
The dagger was inches away from his heart…a sacrificial dagger..its double-pointed blades glinting coldly.
“Twotime!? What in Spawns' name are you doing!?” He yelped, muscles straining as he tried to hold his ground.
Despite Twotime being thin due to the lack of food (which was normal around here), Azure wasn't strong either; the only thing he had ever fought were some weeds in his garden.
Twotime smiled eerily, also shaking with effort and eyes wild.
“Don't try to fight it, Azure..the Spawn will reward us for your sacrifice, don't you see? I can hear the voices clearly now!”
Azure felt betrayal. Real betrayal. After all they had been through, Twotime still chose the Spawn.
“So I don't matter? You're just going to kill me for the Spawn? After all we've done and gone through together?” His voice was filled with hurt, tears forming in the corner of his eyes.
This seemed to hit Twotime hard; their expression faltering for a second before returning to the eerie one.
“You're just too blind to see the Spawns' glory! It will reward us for our devotion!”
Then their friend lunged forward.
Panic lit in his eyes, his brain going into fight or flight mode.
He didn't even know what he was doing.
Tightening his grip on their wrist, he twisted the dagger, only intent on stopping it from hitting home.
But Azure wished it did.
The dagger sank into Twotimes' heart with a squelch as the blade hit soft tissue and organ, blood hitting Azure's face with a splatter.
Twotime froze, their eyes widening further and their smile fading as they looked down at the dagger embedded in their chest, blood soaking their shirt.
They smiled faintly before collapsing to the ground with a soft thud.
“TWOTIME!” The realization hit him like a splash of cold water on his face.
He fell on his knees, frantically trying to think of a way to save Twotime, whose breaths were already getting weaker.
“I..I failed the Spawn…forgive me…Amarah…” They choked out, some blood trickling out of their mouth, dark red on white skin.
Amarah…? Twotime’s mentor..
Then his suspicions were right.
Azure had a feeling Amarah knew about their meetings, and well…if you thought a teacher could be strict…he took it to the next level. More cruel in a way.
A shaky hand gripped his, making him jump slightly.
“...It…I…It…was…s..supposed…to…be you..” Twotime whispered, blood still flowing out and staining the grass around them.
Azure paused, barely able to choke out the next words.
“May the Spawn take you.. wherever you may go.”
Grief stabbed his heart as though the dagger had gotten him after all. Grief that his friend was dead, and grief because of the path Twotime had chosen.
He sobbed, pressing his face into his scarf around their neck, shaking, ignoring the blood still dripping from his cheek.
It was almost so much that he nearly didn't hear the sound of footsteps behind him.
A shiver ran down Azure’s spine. He already knew who it was.
Scrambling up on shaky legs, he turned around, breaths still fast and tears streaking his face.
Standing a few feet away, almost another shadow in the night, was Amarah.
“..What..have..you..done..” Amarah hissed, voice cutting through the near silence almost as sharp as the wind itself.
He struggled to speak, barely able to even form words at all.
“I-I…” There was no excuse for what he had done. Sure, it was self-defense, but he killed them.
They stepped forward, more angry than Azure had ever seen the elder before.
“You killed my student... the one I have been teaching for years!”
Azure froze, shaking even more. The only thing he could focus on was Amarah’s face, which was filled with cold anger.
He flinched as Amarah grabbed his shirt collar, pulling them forward forcefully, causing him to stumble and almost fall.
“All..those years.. wasted! Every lesson, every time I guided them back to the Spawn..now worth nothing.” They spat, shaking him slightly. “This will not go unpunished.”
Amarah released Azure, letting him fall onto the ground again, before walking away.
Azure continued sobbing, wishing he had just died instead.
If only things had gone differently..