Chapter Text
"You poor thing..."
The darkness in the helmet where their eyes would be bore into him. No- above him. Air turns to dust in his throat. His parents' voices fade away with the rushing of his blood. Even the ever-lingering darkness that haunts him eternally pauses, as if waiting to take a breath. Surely not- no one else can see them-
"-I'll put an end to your suffering."
Elias swallows thickly, eyes wide. The warrior's gaze shifts, and his parents, though incorporeal, move in front of him, lavender forms hovering protectively.
'They see us, hon,' Ma whispers tightly. Stumbling back, he hits the wall, breathing hard as the figure looks away, back to the combatant—Eli's ally—just in front of them. Though his form is partially obscured by the larger fighter, Ace's face is drawn tight in concentration, his hands up as blood drips down his body.
Under his breath, Elias hurriedly performs an incantation, pulling at a single string on his violin. The spell that would blind their foe is weak, unfocused, and they barely even notices as it scatters across their gleaming armor.
Oh, no.
How did they end up here again? No longer with the frighening gaze on him, Elias numbly fumbles for the pouch on his hip, remembering they had a mission and the sooner he gets this done, the sooner they can both run away. He and Ace (mostly Ace) caroused their way into the prison's morgue and bribed the guards to be left alone for a short time so they could retrieve the body of Miss Al'he- er- their employer's beloved. It would have been fast and easy—except for that this person doesn't want to let that happen. They'd materialized in the room in a shower of stars and said their presence was required to make sure Vin fully passes on.
'Quickly, Eli, you can do this,' Pa urges reassuringly as he findly finds the clasp, and with an uncomfortable thud, the corpse they'd retrieved tumbles unceremoniously onto the floor. Elias winces, still not at peace with this part of the mission (and neither are his parents, but what can you do?), but he'd asked the spirit for its last words and final will already and done all he can. Just do this, then he can turn invisible and run away, run away…
Ace's pained grunts come to an end as his body drops, sprawled on the stairwell before slipping down a step and coming to rest, smearing stone with red. Elias' blood runs cold and he can't not look over his shoulder. The large warrior kneels, a palm over Ace's chest. Stars glint gold—a spell of some kind—and the elf lays motionless.
"A shame," they say aloud, but the words are distant to Elias, "to fight against one unarmed... This was not honorable."
'We're with you,' Ma says, 'baby, it's going to be okay.' A comforting chill sets down on his shoulders, his parents' hands reaching for him.
'You know how to get away,' Pa adds. 'The guards are coming, too. They can help.'
Oh. Their hands are shaking.
The warrior rises, horned helmet glinting in the dim light, and turns to face Elias.
For the first time in his life, the voice of shadow holds a trace of fear. Eleven years Elias has suffered, terribly afraid of the darkness inside of him, and yet now together they share in that fear.
RUN.
The awful voice rasps at his ear and forces him into action. Air flickers about him as his form dissolves from view, the comforting sensation of invisibility falling across his form. Ducking his head Elias darts across the room, maintaining distance from the threat in the room. He just needs the fighter to step away from the stairs so he can run up them and get help and get away and-
Their eyes follow and they stride calmly, frighteningly, to intercept him. Each step measured, purposeful, and unafraid. Elias chokes on his breath, stumbling. Either by the spirits that haunt him or some other ability, they still see him.
'Don't stop moving!' Ma's voice takes on a tinge of panic. 'Eli, you need to run!'
He nods in response.
RUN.
A hand catches his wrist and his invisibility falls away as he's pulled back, now staring up at the darkness behind the helmet. Whatever person this is, they are not of this plane.
"Please-" he tries through an aching throat, eyes welling, "-please, please just let us go- please-"
"You poor boy… what has been done to you?" They lean closer, studying him, before the gaze moves above him. Tears spill as he trembles.
'Get away from him!' Get away from my son!
'But they- they can see it-'
RUN.
The celestial warrior releases their grip, gazing down at him. His parents words fall into cries. No matter how much they stay by him, their incorporeality keeps them distant, unable to intervene.
"I can get rid of them… all of them," they say, softer somehow. "The dark that follows you would haunt you no longer. But they would all be gone."
'He could- he could be free?'
Elias' eyes widen and he gasps, his breaths heaving harder at the thought. Panic hits hard. He can't imagine a life without them. He still hasn't brought them back- he hasn't-
"No, no, no, please! Please, please it's my fault they died and I- I can't- I need them- I can't live without them!" He pleads, stepping back. Why would they care? Why- why?
The warrior sighs, shoulders lowering.
"You can," they say, definitively, assuredly, "and you will." Elias steps back again and they look almost pityingly at him. "Don't worry. I'll try not to let it hurt."
Slowly, they raise a hand. Stars swirl around their glowing palm, a radiant energy forming, and a beautiful light has never caused such abject terror in him before. Elias flinches as that light reaches for him.
R U N.
Louder this time, the shadow snarls as his parents scream. He ducks away, but a force tugs him back, a gauntlet tangling in the stupid robe he'd dressed up in to play priest. It is shamefully easy as the warrior pulls him back into place.
"Don't make this more difficult than this needs to be," they say, painfully calm, and that glowing hand lands gently on the side of his face.
"Please," he sobs, "please-"
Wait, maybe- maybe he can-
Help me, please, help me. Take me, I don't care, just-
Darkness encroaches, swelling from within.
'No, wait-!'
A blinding brightness tears across his vision, rippling through his entire body. Elias screams. It's not painful, but it's overwhelming and it feels wrong and awful and it burns. Bone crackles at his ears as the all-encompassing shadow is seared away, so much more effortlessly than he would have ever thought possible. A yawning silence and gaping hole in his chest remains as his vision returns.
"Ma?" He gasps weakly, barely audible, now crumpled on the floor, "Pa?"
Silence. Elias' stinging eyes move around wildly, mouth opening and closing. There's no sign of either of them, no wisps of spiritual energy, no sound of their voice.
"You are now unchained from the dead. You're free." Above him, the silhouetted warrior stands. Impassive, unaffected.
He's lost them.
Again.
"Ma," he tries again, chest tight, "Pa!"
Footsteps sound at the top of the stairs. The warrior sighs, looking up.
"It's better this way," they say, and all Elias sees is a swirl of stars as they fade away, leaving him alone.