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Deciding when to tell Pyro about the corruption back home was the hardest thing Scott's had to do to date. When opportunity strikes after Graecie leaves them to go to their dorm, Scott begins to talk. He knows if he doesn't say now, he never will for fear of losing this good thing they have now. "You've not once asked about home."
Pyro startles, shoulders tensing in a way Scott knows to be bracing for a verbal blow. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Scott winces at the sharp tone, looking around the dorm in case anyone else is around. "There's—" His voice catches, and he knows he needs to say it now or he'll choke on it. "When you showed us the corruption the other day—that wasn't the first time I've seen it."
Pyro turns to face him fully. There's something scared in his eyes. "What?"
Scott's hands begin to pick at the small chain he has linked across his waist. "Do you remember the lake we used to play around. The one near the summer village?" Pyro nods, coiled to run. He was always ready to run. "It's not a lake anymore. It's gone."
Pyro's eyes widen. "That can't be right. You have to be—"
"The corruption's up north, Pyro."
They shake their head, hands beginning to shake. "No. You have to be lying I—" He chokes down a terrifyingly upset noise. "It can't be so close."
"Why don't you believe me?" Scott asks. This almost feels like a betrayal. "I believed you wholeheartedly about Tim. Immediately. Why don't you believe me?"
"Because it can't be that close! I'd know if it was—" He yells, always one to start growing louder the more upset he becomes.
Scott cuts them off, a hand reaching for them. They flinch back and Scott wonders if they'll recover from this. "It's still miles away—It's kept back by the ice and snow, we think—but it's enough that you can see it from the mountain."
Pyro's eyes are wide, pupils shaking with barely concealed rage. And maybe even betrayal. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Scott's temper flares then. "When was I meant to tell you? When we were fighting for our lives on that first day? When you were too busy insulting me to wonder why I would be here?" Pyro's mouth opens there and Scott cuts him down, not quite done. "When the corrupted rituals were fucking me up so badly I couldn't move? When we were out exploring with other people who wouldn't care? When could I have told you?"
Pyro reels back, as if he'd been slapped. "You could've found me…" He whispers. He doesn't sound like he believes it. Then he steels himself again. "You could've written to me. My family could have told me. Was it not important enough to tell me?"
His voice cuts into Scott. Gods he would have told Pyro if he ever knew where he'd gone. If he thought it would have done anything. But as it stood, he never knew where Pyro went and he didn't think he'd have come back to help. So why should he have sent him a letter. "Would it have done anything?" His voice comes out quiet, and he takes a step towards the stairs. "What could you have done that we couldn't?"
Pyro grabs his hand. "Is my family okay? Is—"
Scott tears his hand from Pyro, never looking his way. "Your family is fine. Most people avoid the corruption." His mind flashes back to the few who didn't. Those who didn't know what it was and didn't know to avoid it. "We've only had one incident of people not. We learnt quickly after that."
Scott can feel Pyro's eyes drilling into him. "What happened?"
"A few of the littles…" Pyro makes an inquisitive noise. "People have had kids. Just because you leave doesn't mean the world stops turning."
Pyro huffs out a laugh. "Oh so that's how it is, huh? Still?"
Scott isn't listening anymore. He's stuck watching their faces crumbles into blackened bushes over and over. "The littles didn't know not to avoid it. They'd gone to the lake…" He trails off, hands shaking where he keeps them at his sides. "We were too late." Is all he settles on. He doesn't say Bella got taken saving one of them. He doesn't say four children died that day and he'd been powerless to stop it. "We're always too late."
He can feel tears pricking his eyes but he doesn't care. He's done with this conversation.
He sees Cam out the corner of his eye and he bolts up the stairs. The second he's in the safety of his room, away from whatever that conversation would have gone to, he breaks. He curls into the corner of his room—the one furthest from the fireplace—and cries. He sobs into his knees, heaving in shallow breaths that just leave him aching.
His hands curl into his hair, digging into his scalp enough to hurt. He doesn't care right now. He just cares that he watched four children die—watched even one of his friends die—and couldn't do anything about it. All he can do is remember the funerals held for all five of them, the way the dried flowers look on coffins smaller than he'd ever seen. He never wants to experience that again. He never wants to wear black again.
If he ever has to go to another funeral it will be too soon.
The corruption had taken so much more from him that day than anything else ever can. Scott had known then, and he most certainly knows now, that Tegrith will never be the same. He will never be the same.
Enough time passes that he can see the moon rising through his window and Aurora has started to scratch at the door. He knows she wants to get him help—knows that there is blood under his fingernails and that there's blood dripping down his neck—but he cannot move. He can't turn away from the scene that keeps replaying of someone else's blood on his hands and staining his shirt. He can't stop thinking about the way the village had collectively decided only the workers and farmers would go out to the summer village from them on.
They'd made a patrol group out of the younger folk. They'd taught those who were able to use a sword and had sent out expeditions. Scott knew exactly how the corruption moved now and he would forever watch as the darkness crept closer.
A knock on the door brought him out of his head for a second, only long enough to know Aurora was bashing at the wood to try and get to the doorknob. He was back in his own head a second later. He was back staring into the void he'd been dragged into a dozen times before. He wasn't aware of time anymore, only vaguely aware of the sound of Aurora whining nervously.
He knows he's stopped crying by now, can feel the tears beginning to freeze over his cheeks, but he thinks he's still curled in on himself in a dark corner. He feels, more than anything else, the people coming in and out of him dorm in a hurry. He feels, as well, the frost covering a large part of his body. It isn't good, he doesn't think. He feels something small and warm nuzzle into his lap, nipping at his chin gently. He thinks it's Cindy. He can't see her just yet.
The black slowly bleeds from his vision, melting as the frost on the rest of his body does. He doesn't move immediately, but he notes the shoes he knows Boa wears and the clinking of Maddy's armour somewhere above him.
It's nice that they've showed up at all. It's even better that they've stayed.
Scott, eventually, lifts his head the tiniest bit. He sees then that Shelby and Drift are also there, huddled together close to him, hands shaking. They must have been thinking of that book they'd found. He probably could have frozen himself solid if he'd been left for long enough.
The second he moves at all Shelby is launching forward to hug him. She's careful of Cindy, at least, and he's grateful for that. She's very warm. He hugs her back, feeling slowly returning to his stiff joints. "We thought you were gonna die in here…" She mumbles, trailing off and burying her face into his shoulder. Drift leans in then, hugging the both of them tight.
Maddy and Boa stand not too far to the side, seemingly just happy he was alive and mostly well. "I felt Aurora's distress." Maddy pipes up. "She was really scared for you."
Scott lifts his head, watching as the blue dragon launches herself at him, uncaring of the other two he's tangled with. He laughs at her, cradling her close until she deems him okay enough to lay across his shoulders. Boa helps him upright, and he keeps Cindy to his chest. "Thanks." He smiles at the four of them, giving Boa a quick hug. "You're all the best."
Maddy grins at this, ready to launch into a speech about her absolutely being the best, no doubt. Boa cuts her off. "Always. We're dormmates. We gotta help each other."
Scott just nods at her, tilting his head the second he sees the pile the other dragons have made of themselves near his fireplace. The others follow his gaze and they all burst into laughter. Fern looks up, disgruntled and not too happy being woken, but hat only makes them all laugh harder.
It's nice to be surrounded by such kind people.
Scott notices then that the door to his room is open, as is Pyro's door across the hall. The man in question is standing in his doorframe, watching with barely hidden unease. It almost makes Scott laugh again.
He leans down and lets Cindy run back to her caretaker, chatting softly with the others before they all make him promise to talk to them. They all set off then, ignoring Pyro in his doorway and making their way down the stairs. Pyro and Scott stare at each other for a bit, dragons chittering to each other from across the hall happily. Scott's the one who breaks the silence.
"Thank you. For Cindy." He glances down at the red dragon, eyes softening at the way her entire body wiggles as she jumps around.
Pyro snorts. "I couldn't have stopped her if I tried." He pauses, before mumbling at least a little bitterly. "She likes you more than me."
Scott smiles, a small genuine smile he knows isn't seen often. "Still. Thanks. You didn't have to."
Pyro waves him off, taking a step towards his room again. "I couldn't just leave you like that. Not when I caused it." Scott startles, then takes a step forward. Pyro's already back inside their room's mana veil and Scott follows them in.
"It's not your fault I just—"
"No. I'm the one who got you riled up. We push each other's buttons better than anyone." Pyro turns, leaning on the bar. "It might be fun but I don't want you freezing yourself over something that could have been avoided. We need to work together to get rid of the corruption don't we?"
Scott sighs, taking a couple steps forward to cage Pyro into the bartop. He uses the few inches of height he has on Pyro to keep him there. "I should have told you earlier. You being rightfully upset about me not telling you and pushing for more isn't on you."
Pyro scowls, hands gripping the front of Scott's shirt. Their eyes trail what Scott thinks is the streaks of blood down his neck from his nails. He must look like a mess. Pyro stays calm, though, and Scott really needs to applaud his growth the last few days. "We really need to communicate better, huh?"
Scott laughs, tilting his head down to nose along Pyro's hairline. "Absolutely."
"I'm never going to stop pissing you off though." Pyro tacks on, grinning when Scott leans back to look at him. "You're too fun to mess with."
Scot groans, leaning down to rest his head on Pyro's shoulder. "I'm never getting away from you am I?"
Pyro flicks his temple, but loops his hands around Scott's waist. He's always acted like he was taller, even when he wasn't. "Never."