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“Go down.” Green ordered. Mino stared down into the pit of elevated lava. “I will die, I'm not going down there!” He exclaimed, trying to back up.
There was nowhere else to go, lava surrounded him on all sides.
Green threw a splash potion of fire resistance on him. Mino hissed, shards of glass stuck in his void black skin. “Go down.” He repeated.
Mino was still hesitant but stepped in falling through the layers of lava. Deeper. Deeper.
This was a death trap.
Until the lava beneath him cut off, making him fall. Black. It was all black. He panicked, flaying his limbs around trying to grab on to something, but there was nothing.
Just the void.
Until he hit a platform, his ankle rolling and cracking. He yelped as the rest of his body landed on the platform, sending waves of pain through his limbs.
He looked up, seeing Green and Ethog standing over the hole he’d fallen through. He tried to stand but his ankle screamed at the strain so he sat back down.
“Hello?” He called up, but he couldn't hear anything back. They began to cover up the hole. “Wait!” He yelled. The last of the light was gone. It was dark.
So dark.
—
How much time has passed?
A day? A week?
They hadn't come back with food or water, and he was starting to feel it.
He was still sitting on the platform, swatting away the void’s tendrils when they got too close and pulling out shards of glass from the splash potion.
Mino couldn't do anything else other than drown in his own thoughts. His own memories.
Memories of Airo.
Laughter filled his ears but he knew it was just in his mind.
The adventures they went on filled his brain as if he was watching a show on a television. So far away, out of reach.
—
His mouth was so dry. Mino had lost the energy to keep swatting the void’s tendrils away from him.
They were now wrapping around his limbs.
They were weirdly warm. Comforting.
Mino closed his eyes a few times but forced himself to open them again. He wasn't going to die here.
Dade will come save him.
Coped will come save him.
Dade… would come save him.
Coped wouldn’t come save him.
…
Dade wouldn’t come save him.
It has had to be days. Days without light. Days without sun. Days without nutrients.
Days without his friends.
What was he to do when his thoughts were the only thing keeping him company?
—
He'd closed his eyes, curled up on the platform. It was peaceful, no loud thoughts talking in his head until he opened them.
He should be dead.
How was he alive?
Still darkness. His ankle throbbed but he couldn't move. Alone. He was alone.
The Citadel filled his brain with images he wished he could brush away. Alone in the cell. Alone in the arena. Alone escaping. Alone.
Alone.
He thought he saw the roof break and the light of lava grace him. That couldn't be real.
—
“Look at him.” Ethog pointed from above. They had just opened the roof to see that Mino hadn't broken out or found a way to escape. He was curled on the platform, black tendrils covering his arms and legs.
He looked as if he'd died.
He hadn’t.
Green could still see a weak rise and fall in his chest.
“He deserves this.” Green said out loud, mostly for himself. Ethog looked in his direction. “Aren't we just being what we swore to destroy by keeping him here?”
“He did a lot of bad things. A lot of messed up things. He killed a lot of people.” Green said, trying to justify himself.
“Doing this just makes us like him.”
“I think he's learned his lesson.” Ethog added, looking down the hole.
Green stared down at the paralyzed voidling. Guilt covered his anger. “Okay, okay. I'll go down there.”
—
Silence.
Mino’s eyes fluttered.
Tired. So tired.
Voices.
He could hear voices.
“Mino?”
A shadowy figure kneeled down beside him. They were in a suit, a rose pinned to their jacket.
Mino didn't move, but his gaze followed up the figure. Pale blue. Horns.
Tiefling.
“Airo..?” the voidling croaked.
“Yeah it's me.”
“What–are you doing here..?”
“I'm here to help you.”
Airo sat down next to him, plucking dead void tendrils off his armour.
“I– killed you.” Mino’s dry throat forced a cough out of his mouth. “You did. I know it wasn't on purpose though.
I still have 6 hearts.”
“I'm so sorry.”
He heard muffled mumbling.
“You don't have to be sorry. You are my friend. Let me help you get out of here.” Airo tugged the larger, thicker, heavier tendrils off his legs.
—
“I'm so sorry.” Mino muttered. Green was taken aback as he lowered himself down with a rope ladder. “What?” he watched Mino talk to… nothing? No one was there.
He landed on the platform, void tendrils trying to wrap around his ankles. He stomped on them, and kneeled down, tearing and cutting the dark vines off of him. “I didn't mean to, I promise.”
—
“Stop apologizing.” Airo said, voice calm.
Tired.
He was tired.
“You can sleep.” Airo said, reading his mind. He continued to take off another tendril. Mino felt uneasy. “I'll look out for both of us.”
—
Green cut off the last vine.
The voidling was still, trying to keep his eyes open. He grabbed his shoulders, lifting him out of his curled up position.
“You need to drink something.” he tried to keep up upright as he pulled out a bottle of water. “I want to sleep, Airo, but.. I can't.” He mumbled.
Airo?
He brought the water to his lips.
“I can't sleep without remembering. Remembering… everything.”
—
Water hit his dry throat.
He almost spit it out, not expecting such a cool liquid. “You need to drink. You’re very dehydrated.” Airo said, holding the bottle. “I know.
I've been here for a while.”
His hands shook.
He took another gulp, letting the cold spread through his body.
So refreshing.
“Look, I'm going to help you get out of here. Then I’ll give you some food. Can you walk?” Airo asked. Mino shook his head. “My ankle, I think it broke on the way down.”
Airo examined it. “It looks dislocated.”
More faint words echoed in his ears.
“Let me put it back in place.”
—
Mino slowly nodded, a scared look on his face.
Green wasn’t expecting such… emotion.
This was the guy who killed his civilians, who raided other empires, who made his own fearful nation.
Now, he just looked like a sad puppy.
Something flipped for him.
Green examined the ankle one more time before grabbing the bone.
Pop.
Mino let out a cry, huffing through pain. He could move his foot properly now, but he grit his teeth when doing so.
“Are.. you okay?” Ethog shouted from above. “Yeah, just bringing him up.” Green answered.
—
“There see? All done.” Airo smiled. The voidling relaxed. He dove in and hugged him. “Where were you? I tried to find you. I couldn't.” Mino mumbled. Silence answered him back. “I couldn't think properly. I–I did things. Things I wouldn't normally do.” He squeezed tighter.
“I'm sorry. So sorry.”
“As much as I should appreciate this apology, I don't think it's for me, is it?”
Mino’s blood ran cold.
Green?
He pulled himself off immediately, regretting it as a headache brewed.
“Where is–” he started, but cut himself off.
“Who?” Green asked. Surprise covered the voidling's face. He'd just hugged is fucking enemy.
—
Green stared at Mino’s surprised face for a long time, until his features changed. “Nothing.” He said quietly.
Had he misunderstood the voidling? Yes, he's done bad things, but those words he just uttered… they sounded innocent. Genuine.
“Mino–”
His face changed, drowning all emotion before Green could ask his question.
“Mino. Seriously. If you need someone–”
“Green drop it.”
The coldness returned to his voice.
Green sat down.
“Here take some. You are probably hungry.” Green gave the voidling a small piece of steak he had. He took it and ate small sections at a time.
“Why are you here.” Mino asked. His cold demeanor that Green remembered lingered. “Mino—“ the voidling looked at the ground. Green stood up. “Come. We are letting you out.”
Mino glanced up. “Are you trying to trick me..?” He focused his hands on the water bottle. “No.”
The voidling looked up and chuckled. “As much as I ‘love’ the void. It’ll be nice to feel the sun.” A smile cracking his facade. He stood up, still weak from the lack of energy, but he and Green made their way up the rope ladder Ethog was holding.
They brought him away from the lava, away from the prison. Just that walk was making him tired; he couldn’t help thinking of the moment Dade was stuck here.
He’d come to his aid.
Why didn't–
Mino pushed the thought away before he could finish it. The sun came into view.
Grass.
It wasn’t frigid.
It was warm. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of spring.
He didn’t say another word, still not sure how to feel about Green. He looked back at the two before soon vanishing over the hills.
Perhaps they will see him again.