Chapter Text
The rustle of fabric broke a thin fragile peace as multiple soft pairs of footsteps turned the corner of a dark, almost abandoned alleyway.
“Be quiet, you'll wake him—” A soft child-like voice whispered, sounding almost wise beyond their years, glancing down at the scene laid before them.
“Tut, tut, little one.~ Even if he were to awaken now, the pact will not help him.” The second voice carried a faint amusement. “Now come. We must depart.”
"I told you not to call me that…"
The two voices drifted deeper into the darkness of the alleyway, growing fainter with every step. Their soles pattered softly against the damp stone, each footfall swallowed by the night. Gradually, the suffocating presence of ozone and ink that had hung in the air began to recede, fading into the background until nothing remained but the dark void of silence.
...
A blaring alarm shattered the stillness.
Utowin nearly leapt from his seat. His ginger hair fluffed out in every direction, falling over his eyes as he jerked upright. Gaze darting across the room, Utowin squinted trying to see past the hair that now veiled part of his face, in search of the source of the noise. Only to realize the office had already erupted into motion.
Papers were hastily gathered and shoved aside. Chairs scraped against the floor. Frantic footsteps echoed through the hall as knights rushed to their stations. Even Deputy Captain Easthies had abandoned his seat, moving with practiced urgency, or at least, that's what he assumed was happening.
Still groggy, Utowin blinked several times, his thoughts struggling to catch up with reality. His hand slowly moved to his face, brushing his hair slightly out of his vision, allowing him to get a better glimpse of the discarded papers and office disarray.
Then he felt it.
A gaze.
Slowly, he turned his attention behind him.
Eyes as bright as burning embers bored into the back of his skull.
“Utowin,” Easthies said, his voice firm and matter-of-fact, “there's been a report of forbidden magic. The Knights Moralis do not need people sleeping during times of emergency.”
Without waiting for a response, he seemed to shift his attention elsewhere. More efficient matters demanded his time.
Grabbing his silver pennant in one smooth motion, Easthies strode from the room, leaving the still-processing Utowin to his own devices
Utowin simply stared after him.
The reality of the situation finally began to sink in. A transgression, a figure disturbing the peace of a town, or even the Great Hall if they dared to challenge the Knights Moralis's rules.
Utowin exhaled, the air leaving his lungs in a slow, emptying sensation as he rose to his feet. Reaching his arms up to the roof, he stretched and rolled his shoulders, still sore from previous training sessions.
“I’ll need to change up the usual after this…” he mumbled to himself absentmindedly, having already dismissed the current situation as something not out of the norm.
Letting his arm be pulled down by gravity, he snagged his pennant. He had left it positioned against his desk for easy access, not in its normal resting spot with all the others'. This irritated their - as Utowin knew all too well - organization-obsessed deputy captain to a degree that only Utowin could manage. But he really couldn't be bothered.
He even considered his game with the deputy some friendly banter needed to fill the austere hallways.
Pennant in hand, Utowin switched to fastening his cape. He felt it flow behind him in the self-made wind as he strode into the briefing room - only to be met with five pairs of eyes staring back at him, either vexed or eerily expressionless.
They had been waiting, All of them.
“Wow look who's finally here! Do you like to take a nap before every mission? Do you know in advance when they happen somehow?" One of the twins, probably Ekoh but who knew, chirped before the other promptly dragged them back into their attention.
Easthies, clearly unamused at the situation and felt the weight of the current transgression at hand that the group would soon have to deal with, let out a slow sigh. Slow enough it was an almost comical play to get everybody's attention.
Without saying a word of acknowledgement to Utowin's appearance, being as “moody” as ever, Easthies turned his attention to the war table, running his fingers along lines of alleyways and crowded streets.
“The transgressor was last spotted in the north sector of the Great Hall, along this road, heading in the direction of the north-west exit carrying an unknown amount of forbidden magic tools or contraptions of some kind.” He took a moment, pausing his movements to look up from the table making sure that everyone was paying attention to the plan. He even locked eyes with Utowin for a moment before he looked back down and slid his hand to another point on the model of the town. “The plan is to cut them off at these three points before they are able to reach extraction through usual, or abnormal means.”
Easthie's voice faded into the background as Utowin stared off, letting his mind wander, watching Easthies move his hand with a correlation now unknown to him.
The twins seem entertained, maybe they really do like this job. Galga and Lulici seem to be as focused as usual…unless wait, her hair looked a bit more frizzy than normal, and her silver circlet was tilted, maybe she had been in a rush too.
The thought gave Utowin a small comfort.
Then there was Easthies, their ever focused ever obsessive workaholic deputy captain who acted on his own principles before asking questions, and even now as he professionally spoke about capturing a transgressor of the law he was just so-
“Utowin. Station.” Easthies says in a cold voice, snapping Utowin out of his dazed trance.
Utowin, now startled and staring into two sparks of a raging fire, chuckled awkwardly, with the aim of relieving the tension now so tight you could shatter it with a sound. Much to his dismay, he also soon realized with a quick look around the room that he was the only one left in the room, besides Easthies of course. All the others had presumably taken to their stations and individual assignments that were given due to the specific circumstances.
"Right-! Right…" Utowin blurted out as he abruptly stood from his chair, taking a quick glance at the red markers on the map trying to deduce where he needed to be or incur the captain's wrath. He really needed to give himself more sleep at night so he doesn't have these fits interrupting his already ever inconsistent workflow, it still baffles him how Easthies can perform at such a high level on virtually no sleep.
"I will see you at the south-central station then-" Utowin proclaimed with just a slight bit too much confidence, considering it was guesswork. He quickly turned away from the briefing table and Easthies respectively, in favor of getting this mission over with, and the fact that time was of the essence as he faced his pennant loosely leaning against his chair.
"The right flank, and you are to be unaccompanied at your station." Easthies corrected as he dusted off his cloak slightly with his hands, irked by the implication that Utowin had been spacing out. You could practically see the vein sticking out of his head as Easthies turned his back to Utowin.
"Right" Utowin mumbled under his breath with his normal perk in it, yet noticeably slower then his previous affirmations.
With the confusion cleared up, Easthies slowly garbed his own pennant that had been leaning against the back wall of the briefing room as smoothly as he did before, his eyes now focused on the door to the outside and the pressing objective at hand. All while muttering something incoherent under his breath.
Watching Easthies move with his normal silent grace, Utowin followed suit, both of their bright red capes dancing with the wind in synchronized patterns as they made their way to their respective stations.
…
Utowin's station was dull to say the least. The walls surrounding his sides were worn down with who knows how old gray bricks chipping slightly on their edges. Yet despite the slight smell of something pungent, that likely was coming from the nearby home's cooking , it was not an unpleasant location to be at, or at least it would be for anybody but a certain ginger who can't sit still for long periods of time.
Utowin slumped against the wall letting out a sigh. Your job is to cut the transgressors off if they take the alternate route, Easthies had reaffirmed to him before they separated, leaving the ginger waiting in a dark corner with nothing else to do.
"Wish he woulda let me at least swap with Galga or somebody…he's better at this type of work." Utowin murmured under his breath, almost grumbling as his eyebrows furrowed. Glancing up at the sky, or the closest thing they had to the sky, in the great hall, Utowin watched as the marine life swam overhead, calming his nerves as he shook off the uneasy feeling that him being an almost unnecessary part of the mission, or at least what he considered least necessary, to be on purpose.
"Maybe I pissed em off one too many times…" He mused to himself as a whisper, his gaze retreating to the floor below before he shook it off, standing on his feet once more.
"What am I even saying, Eas ain't like that…" He reassured himself as if he was talking to another person, now standing with his full weight leaning on the decaying stone as he shifted his view from the ground back up to the beautiful ocean above.
As if on cue with his revelation, a ringing sounded in Utowin's ear, changing up his mood instantly. Narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, the man slowly lifted his hand to his ear, using a finger to apply a light pressure to the experimental contraption they had been designated to field test on this mission.
"This is Utowin, reporting in from the right wing, what's the status on the pursued?…over."
Removing his finger slowly from the contraption but keeping his hands at the ready, Utowin griped his pennant as he waited for the reply of whoever had sent the signal to his contraption earlier. "Somebody better not have kicked the bucket for something like this…"
Another ringing came in shortly after, good to know the device was serving its intended purpose, they would have to put in an order for everyone soon. However Utowin jolted slightly, almost losing grip on his pennant as Easthies's voice rang out, as strict, and unbearably loud due to the device, as ever. Maybe they weren't going to order them so soon.
"This is Easthies, the target has been confirmed to be multiple suspects, they broke off and an unknown number is heading your way from your 6," Easthies spoke in his normal tone as if he was commenting on the weather compared to important fluctuating information. "Luluci seems to have been impacted by one of their contraptions and is now on the ground unconscious, tended too by Galga while the twins and I are in pursuit. Don't let them get close. Over"
Easthies didn't give Utowin any times to ask questions or clarifications before the line went dead silent, but no matter, he understood the assignment. In a streak of red across onlookers field of vision, Utowin ran to the nearby exit or pathways at his 6 aiming to cut the perpetrator off while hearing frantic footsteps and breathing rapidly approaching the location where they would collide.
"This ends here brim-" Utowins voice died in his throat as he turned the corner, the alleyway had nothing out of the ordinary in it. It was simply two walls stretching for as long as you could see, with chipped bricks and unsavory smells, including that of ozone and burnt conjuring ink, somebody had definitely been here, but where were they now.
Cursing softly under his breath, Utowin slowly stepped his right foot forward, making his first movement into the uneasy alleyway. One after another, he went deeper, gaze darting from side to side and pennant at the ready. It's silver cloth swirled, agitated in the wind as it danced around Utowins form, possessing a mind of its own.
A sudden gust of wind snapped Utowin into a ready position, his cloak coiling around his form as he quickly turned his body, pennant in hand, only to be met with somebody half his size as a shockwave sent him flying back deeper into the alleyway.
Hitting the ground head first as he was sent tumbling back, Utowin quickly regained his balance staggering onto his feet. The slow drip of a single bead of blood from his lip was quickly wiped away with his thumb, before the sharp point of his pennant was positioned in the direction of the strange figures heart, eyes narrowed with a sudden fierce resolve.
"You've slipped through our fingers for long enough brimmed hat." He spoke in a formal voice that left little room to be questioned, almost as if imitating Easthies. However, the feeling ended as soon as it began when Utowin's mind properly registered the figure of the character in front of him.
A figure no larger then then 160cm, thin limbs and delicate fingers, along with a brimmed hat large enough to cover their entire face, not even their chin showing. It wasn't any brimmed hat, this was a child.
"You-" Utowin faltered for a split second, it was true that pointed hat witches had apprentices, seeds they nurtured from birth to continue their legacy, so it shouldn't be surprising to realize the other side of the war does the same, however it was a whole different story seeing it in public, face to face.
The child looked up, raising their eyes to meet Utowin. A soft almost ethereal silver shined from their irises, contrasting the pale green of Utowin's own. Taking a slow step forward to the child, Utowin kept his pennant steady. His eyebrows furrowed as he clenched his teeth, glaring in their direction. Not at the figure themselves, but the system that had allowed for a young one to be taken astray.
"Who brought you kid, who are you working for…" Utowin questioned as his knuckles turned white around the pennant, ready to strike in a moments notice while taking another small step.
All while the kid remained standing with no flinch, hesitation, or emotion in their expression, merely an empty doll that began to slowly pull out a pen from a hidden pouch in a jerking movement, reminiscent of a marionette held with strings beginning to fray.
With a pen in sight and the lack of reaction, Utowin no longer permitted himself any hesitation, launching himself forward as he swung the pennant at the child, its smoke colored fabric loosely coiling around the target. Yet before Utowin could pull the bindings to their tightest the child simply jumped out of the bindings, launching up with a seal akin to sylph shoes carved into their boots.
The sound of a pen scratching against some kind of unknown material was like a crack of lightning on the battlefield, quite literally, as a large bolt of energy descended on Utowin forcing him to jump backwards and put more distance between himself and the perpetrator, the pennant taking the brunt of the damage as it retreated to its rightful place at Utowins side.
With a singed cloak and half burned pennant, Utowin quickly turned the dial near its top, finishing the pre-drawn seal to repair his only useful tool in this clash of wills.
Yet in spite of that, the brimmed hat lost no time, moving their pen against the same material with a speed paralleling that of a master witch, their hand quickly moving as they threw what seemed to be a piece of paper onto the ground in front of Utowins position, with a seal fully drawn that began to glow.
Reacting on instinct once more, Utowin jumped to put distance between him and the drawn sigil, only for his back to burn with pain akin to hot steel being branded against his skin as he let out a pained scream, stumbling back into the sensation and the new, unknown figure he was now partially slumped against.
"My my who knew the knights could be so sloppy~" The new voice whispered with an undertone of amusement directly into Utowins ear as he forced his body to jolt up and stumble back against the wall. His vision was swimming, black and white spots flickering as they blurred together with the dark robed figures at his sides and the dull backdrop of run down brick.
Shit-
He was going to black out
Letting his body cave in on itself, Utowin slowly slid down the rough wall, scratching his back beneath his layers of clothing as he weakly moved his hand to his ear in a last ditch effort, pressing the seal gently to completion while the brimmed hats slowly approached his position.
"North-east wing…fourth sec-" Realizing in an instant what Utowin was doing, the brimmed hat child quickly pushed his hand away from his own ear, causing Utowin to fully crumple to the ground.
"Typical pointed cap…searching for somebody to solve your problems when things become dire…" They whispered under their breath in a disarmingly soft tone, pressing their fingers against Utowins ear, slowly removing the device and sliding it into their own pouch. It rung soon after, but to no answer.
With his last hope fading into the pocket of a transgressor, Utowin's eyelids drooped, feeling as if the weight of the world was pulling him in, hair falling over his vision in a way all too similar, giving him a sense of deja vu.
"Guess someone is kickin' the bucket for this…" Utowin whispered under his breath, an airy chuckle rising in his chest before the world slowly closed in, and it all went black.
As soon as Utowins form went limp, a soft wing blew through the alleyway as the older brimmed hat spun themselves around before crouching right in front of Utowin, his eyes underneath his veil sparkling with a grim curiosity.
“Be quiet, you'll wake him—” The young brimmed hat spoke, watching their acquaintance slowly pull out their own tools, steadying Utowins body as the man lay limply in his arms.
"Yes, yes…I simply can't help myself with a blank canvas" The other brimmed hat dismissed with a wave of their hand, loose ink flailing in the air, dripping off of the pens sharp tip. Letting out a long dramatic sigh, they slowly lowered the heavy body in their hands to the ground. “…but tut, tut, little one.~ Even if he were to awaken now, the pact will not help him…besides, he won't awaken for a while, not after that contraption.” The second voice carried a faint amusement, chuckling to themselves as their attention turned to the sea above. “Now come. We must depart.”
"I told you not to call me that, I'm far older then you ever will be…"
"Yes yes yes…"
Eventually, after some more coaxing, the two voices drifted deeper into the darkness of the alleyway, growing fainter with every step. Their soles pattered softly against the damp stone, each footfall swallowed by the night. Gradually, the suffocating presence of ozone and ink that had hung in the air began to recede, fading into the background until nothing remained but the dark void of silence. The only thing left behind was Utowins form, defenseless on the ground while he lay in a deep induced sleep.
…
"North-east wing…fourth sec-" The device croaked into Easthies's ear as he finished the restraints on the transgressor he had been pursuing. It was a sad excuse of a command, but one that trained ears such as his own understood in an instant. Black hair whipping in the wind, Easthies turned his attention to the twins that were poking and prodding at the now fully restrained brimmed hat.
"Ekoh, Etlan keep an eye on the transgressor and handle this according to protocol." He spoke with a strict detachment, his hand tightening around his pennant, knuckles white, as he put his soles together launching into the air with his sylph shoes. He didn't leave the twins with any time to question or ignore his orders, time was of the essence, and something had gone horribly wrong.
What had caught Utowin off guard, he thought, mentally planing out all the scenarios and plans of action he would potentially have to take to recover his friend, if he was even still breathing. For the spear master himself, although he quite frankly doesn't look the part, to be left with nothing to do but send an s.o.s. caused a small knot to settle in Easthies's stomach.
"What have you gotten yourself into this time…" The deputy cursed under his breath as the wind tossed his hair and clothing while speeding through the air overhead, scanning the nearby terrain for any sign of Utowin's bright ginger hair.
What he saw next was an unnerving sight.
In the distance, abandoned in an alleyway, lay Utowin, drenched in a small pool of his own blood that flowed ever smoothly on the empty stone pathway. His eyes were closed, with signs of a magical struggle, given the scorched ground close to his location.
"Shit-" Easthies whispered to himself as he quickly changed his course, darting down to the ground without slowing to perfect his landing. Stumbling from the momentum Easthies knelt by Utowins side, pressing fingers to his neck in order to check for signs of life.
A faint pulse thrummed rhythmically
good.
In one swift movement Easthies lifted Utowin up, sliding part of his pennant below the unconscious man before it quickly restrained Utowin with its tight wrapping, effectively slowing the bleeding to a near halt.
Paying no mind to the blood now staining his tool, Easthies lifted the bar of the pennant and Utowin along with it, before slowly moving his soles together once more.
Launching into the air with Utowin in tow, Easthies allowed his vision to fall down to the Great Hall bellow him. Watching the witches and their apprentices move with a blissful ignorance, Easthies's eyebrow to twitch ever so slightly.
Memories of a time long suppressed flooding back, Easthies tore his vision away from the peace bellow, he can't allow himself to get distracted.
Never again.
…
A soft groan broke the silence in the infirmary as Utowin slowly opened his heavy eyes that had been shut for who knows how long. His mind slowly started to come to terms with the sterile environment around him, the soft pillow holding his head gently, and the blanket that felt as heavy as restraints.
Attempting to move proved to be a far too exhausting task for Utowin to handle, eventually resigning himself to watch the way the light of the room flickered with a magic seal in need of re-drawing.
Utowin was left with nothing but his thoughts for a good hour or so, until there was a soft knock on his door, followed by a smooth entrance that could be done by nobody else but one man.
"You seem to be recovering at your leisure…" Easthies spoke walking to the chair adjacent to Utowins hospital bed, placing some fruits he had procured earlier in the evening on the counter. "You've been asleep for nearly a day now."
"Isn't that how recovery works…" Utowin joked slightly letting out a chuckle under his breath, playfully tilting his head, meeting Easthies's eyes with his own with a subtle smirk.
Easthies quickly looked away, grumbling to himself.
"That's…not the point-" Easthies huffed before turning his attention to the orange in his hand as a distraction from the conversation. His fingers slowly worked around the sphere as he began to peal away its skin slowly, paying close attention that it was all pealed off while keeping the inner fruit intact.
Utowin also found himself glancing up at Easthies as his lean hands masterfully pealed the orange, not daring to look away or break this strange type of peace that had fallen over the both of them. It was domestic almost.
"Is that orange for me Eas~ Do I finally get to see your soft side after all these years?" Utowin tested Easthies's patience once more, but with less mischievous intent and more affection as he felt some unknown tension relax that had been stuck in his shoulders.
Only for it to spark back up when Easthies glared at him sharply and proceeded to eat half of the orange in one bite…somehow. The rest followed soon after,
"Wh- HEY! I actually wanted some…" Utowin pouted while Easthies quickly stood up, unbothered by it all, falling back into the rigid persona he always wore.
"If you want more you can peel the other one yourself, you seem to be coherent and able enough. Besides…I never said it was for you." Easthies retorted without looking Utowin in the eyes. "I expect you to be ready by tomorrow for our usual training session."Easthies spoke as if Utowin hadn't nearly bled out on the street. "Although…" He turned to Utowin. "We may need to tone it down a little." Leaving no room for questioning, Easthies turned away from Utowin, his back facing the man as he began to walk out the door, hair flowing behind him gently.
Utowin flinched at the abruptness of the declaration, attempting to quickly sit up which should have been an easy task. That is, if it wasn't for Utowins almost completely bandaged torso to stop his wounds from reopening but also restricting his movements. It caused sharp pains to spread through his entire body when he even tried to but that could just mostly be from the injury itself. He learnt that the hard way.
"Don't even know when I got this but it hurts like hellllll- The brimmed hats must've hurt me when I passed out? I got no clue." Utowin grumbled before Easthies, noticing the predicament, slowly made his way back across the room instead of taking the final step out the door.
He moved his hands to Utowins back and shoulder, assisting him with maneuvering his body upward in a way that minimized damage, probably the most comforting a man like him could ever be.
Then, as quickly as he had reappeared, Easthies vanished once more, fully this time, as he strode to the door and closed it without any hesitation.
Left to his own devices once more, Utowin lets out a long sigh. Any leftover tension fully left his body as he reached over grabbing the other orange on the table, only to notice it had already been pealed slightly. A slight cut of the outer skin was visibly made on purpose with the intention of being peeled quickly and efficiently. A warm feeling began to settle in Utowins stomach as he couldn't resist smiling at the gesture that he believed Easthies left behind as a final token.
The note hidden under the fruit that posed an explanation on how efficient oranges were for recovery and when he started one, it was simply efficient to start the other as well. Putting the gesture being a strict cage of fact and logic.
"Whatever you say…you workaholic."
…
For Utowin, the night had passed in a pained blur. Tossing and turning in the stiff infirmary bed, trying to find any position comfortable enough to finally relax in without irritating his injuries, it was a task that proved more difficult then most missions.
The night had been borderline sleepless, only a few hours at most could be potentially restful. However Utowin could not let something as "arbitrary as sleep" stop him from heading to his training session with Easthies. The latter had likely not slept a wink himself or eaten a single crumb of food, especially since Utowin wasn't at his side to near force it down his throat.
Best case scenario, they both don't pass out from some of the many forms of exhaustion, worst case, well, you just heard it.
The lack of sleep left Utowin with dark circles under his eyes as he groggily tried to adjust his position so he could be free of his cage known as the "bed". To his shock, most of the pain and bleeding had subsided, fading into a dull sore throb that he was much more used to dealing with.
With a newfound adrenaline, Utowin shout out of the bed planning to land on his feet…only to cave in on himself as a sharp pain shot in his back, curling up pathetically at the base of the bed. Maybe taking it slow still was the best option.
After a moment to gather his bearings, Utowin lifted himself off the ground, his soft unkempt hair falling over his face once more. With part of his vision obscured, not bothering to brush his hair out of the way, Utowin slowly guided himself out of the stuffy room he had grown accustomed to for the last few days.
Utowins strides steadily increased in size as he regained his confidence, taking himself to his old room and allowing himself a moment of pure peace as he stood at the closed door. Feeling the calm that slowly sank into his bones while he slowly brushed the hair out of his face with his palm. With his vision restored Utowin reached down gently held the doorknob that was cold to the touch.
"Home sweet home…"
After a long stretch in the center of his private quarters, Utowin let out a long stretch, almost akin to that of a warm up. Stretching his arms, legs, all of the above. He transitioned to the matter of his garments next, slowly removing the thin white gown he had worn during recovery, subsequently discarding it to the upswept floor.
Dragging his feet along the floor, Utowin trudged to his closet, pulling out one of his many Knights Moralis uniforms. Slipping into the undershirt, Utowin slowly worked on the buttons, pushing all but the top two into their slots. The outer jacket followed soon after, and within moments, it was as if nothing had changed.
Turning to his mirror, Utowin smirked slightly, his hand coming to rest on his stubble, that was in need of shaving, before snickering as he gazed at himself in the mirror. After a moment his posture relaxed and he allowed his hand to drop, in favor of using both to straighten his outer jacket and skirt.
"There we go…all prepped and ready for Eas's hellhole of a training session, just like normal...go get em." He mused, making a few poses in the mirror before checking that his uniform was in shape. Once everything was accounted for, he turned to the door while one hand reached to grab his pennant, before it collapsed into a fist, pulling at empty air.
Confused by the lack of his pennant near his desk, his question was soon answered with a quick glance at the rack on the side where it had been properly placed. Easthies must have been here, Utowin thought as he reached for his pennant. This time, his hand successfully grabbed the tool as he strode out into the direction of the training grounds.
…
After reaching his destination, Utowin was met with an unfortunately irritated Easthies, but it was like this almost every day of his life, so he couldn't complain much.
"You're late" Easthies quipped holding his pennant in a ready position.
"mmm…Won't happen again" Utowin retorted, not bothering to correct Easthies with the minor detail that a time had never been established, only assumed. He didn't need to get himself torn up even more after this session just for a tease.
Without another word of conformation, Easthies lunched at Utowin, pennant aimed directly at his chest with little hesitation.
Utowins instincts kicked in, he stepped to the side, turning his body to dodge the strike while pushing it away from his position. Shifting his attention to his own pennant, Utowin pulled it back, the cloth coiling around Easthies but lost sight of its target that was now airborne.
Easthies glanced down with an unreadable expression as he watched Utowin regain his balance, mentally planning out his next strike. "You're sloppy. Recovery or not." Easthies spat, eyes narrowed watching Utowin as he adjusted his footing. "Don't think I'll hesitate because of recent events."
"I'm well aware Eas…" Utowin mused sarcastically before chuckling to himself once more. "I don't plan on it-"
In an instant pennants were clashing once more as Easthies shot back down in Utowins direction, gaining no advantage from his suddenness. The scuffle continued with Easthies attempting to secure Utowin in the bindings of the Pennant, just for him to slide under the fabric, attempting to catch Easthies off guard and go for his legs.
Seeing through this, Easthies jumped up once more removing his feet from the ground, the source of contact needed most for Utowins plan.
The fight dragged on for nearly ten minutes before both men began to slow, their breaths ragged with exhaustion even as they forced their weary bodies to keep moving. Utowin's injury had flared up long ago, but the rush of adrenaline had carried him forward with his usual stubborn determination.
That endurance finally faltered when a searing pain shot through his back once more. It felt similar to before, yet somehow sharper, deeper. The sudden agony stole his footing, and he stumbled directly into Easthies's next attack.
The sharpened tip of the pennant sliced across Utowin's shoulder before grazing his cheek, leaving a burning trail in its wake.
Struggling to regain his footing, Utowin soon found himself tangled in Easthies's capture pennant—the symbol of his opponent's victory. The fabric coiled tightly around him for a moment before slowly unwinding and drifting back to Easthies's side
Easthies knelt beside him to inspect the fresh wound on his shoulder.
"This is why you must stay focused. If this were a real fight, you would no longer be breathing. Fix whatever it was that made you falter, and—"
He cut himself off mid-sentence.
While examining the injury, his gaze had drifted beyond the torn fabric around Utowin's shoulder. From where he knelt, he had a clear view of the other's back, and what he saw there stopped him cold.
The camaraderie vanished from the air in an instant.
Easthies's expression turned as cold as ice as he stared at Utowin's back, struggling to process what he was seeing. After a long, tense moment, he abruptly withdrew his hand. The sudden movement sent Utowin lurching backward from the unexpected force.
Easthies rose to his feet and once more stood over him.
The expression on his face was unlike anything Utowin had seen from him in a long time. It was a tangled mixture of emotions: betrayal, deep-rooted anger, and something far more painful beneath them. There was a desperate longing there, or perhaps sorrow. And above all else, there was disappointment.
Not the disappointment of a commander correcting a subordinate, nor that of a teacher reprimanding a student. It was the disappointment of someone who had expected better and had just discovered that expectation had been shattered.
In one smooth motion, Easthies held his pennant close to his body, the binding flowing in the wind as Easthies pulled out his medallion, the one used to erase all memories of magic. A heavy tool utilized only on the worst transgressors.
"Eas, what are you-"
"Utowin" Easthies spat the name out, his voice borderline a growl as he stared down at the man in front of him with unwavering conviction, the complex expression from before ebbing away into pure contempt. He slowly raised his hand with the medallion, positioning the memory erasure spell inches from Utowins face.
"Explain to me why you have a sigil of forbidden magic etched into your back"