Even as Sorey begins to fall, he knows.
Even as Mikleo's hand, so desperately trying to reach, slips from his. Even as the darkness consumes him.
"Mikleo, hang in there! It'll be okay! I'll be with you!"
Even if he says it as Mikleo's tear-filled eyes fade out of sight, so he's not sure he heard him.
Sorey knows everything will be okay.
"Sorey! Sorey!"
Mikleo would be screaming if his voice wasn't still thick and wet as the tears fell from his eyes. He reaches further down into the abyss, extending himself so far he begins to tip into it himself.
Rose lunges, coiling her arms around his waist and pulling him back so fast they nearly hit the floor. "Mikleo, calm down! Sorey will be fine!"
"He will not," Heldaaf says simply. "Even if he were to somehow survive that fall, the taint down there is far too much for even the Shepherd."
Mikleo's gaze fixates deeper on the hole in the floor in front of him. It had crumbled when Heldaaf's attack had launched Sorey into it not even a minute ago. Whatever lay below is so deeply infected by taint that is was impossible to see for more than a few feet.
"We have to get him," Mikleo says. It is neither a request nor a command. It is a fact. Something that has to happen and therefore will happen.
"No!" Rose says, yanking him back again as he starts to reach for the hole. "You can't go down there! If you do that, then -"
"Without Sorey, I - we can't do this!" Mikleo snaps, speaking with such force that Rose flinches.
The sound of magic behind them causes both their heads to whirl round, in time to see the other tenzoku narrowly jumping back from Heldaaf's fist.
"Then we just have to hang in until Sorey comes back!" Before she's done speaking Rose lets Mikleo go, quickly rushing at Heldaaf, blades at the ready.
Mikleo can hear the sounds of conflict, but they're behind him now, his eyes once more focused on the chasm in front of him. Again, he reaches out, leaning far enough that the only thing keeping him from falling is his staff, planted firmly in a crack in the floor - because maybe, maybe if he reaches far enough, he could feel Sorey, he could take his hand and pull him up -
As he reaches his arm down further, he flinches, but doesn't stop. The taint is thick, thicker than he's ever felt, it sends chills through his body and makes him dizzy and pulls at him to come down. In his mind, he can see Sorey falling, further, further, he can see him struggling to even stand again. Mikleo leans his torso down as far as it can go, straining to see or hear anything despite the taint now clouding his whole head, but all he sees are the visions of Sorey closing his eyes.
He feels nearly sick.
There wasn't any more time.
As he pulls his staff from the floor and falls down, he is truly unable to hear the cries of his companions telling him to stop.
"Wait for me, Sorey."
Sorey feels heavy. So very heavy. His muscles ache not only because of the fall, but because each step takes every ounce of his strength.
He walks on what is probably more crumbling floor. He's not all too sure. He can't even see where he's going - he relies on the vague idea that he thinks this may bring him to a way back up.
It's a thought that's hard to focus on when every millisecond he can see the possibilities of what may be happening up above. He sees Heldaaf injuring - or worse - his comrades. His friends.
Mikleo.
Sorey trips and falls, his hands barely preventing his face from smacking into the ground. He coughs and shakes, feeling nauseous and lightheaded and dizzy all at once. His deepest breaths feel like they only bring the smallest fraction of oxygen into his lungs.
His arms wobble and collapse under him.
The impact of the ground against his chest knocks out what little air he had in him. Yet still what keeps him down, and what made him fall in the first place, was not physical pain. It was the visions in his head - the visions of Mikleo, laying on the ground, blood-ridden and unmoving, far too real to be mere works of his imagination. He can feel it, too; he can feel Mikleo's cold, lifeless body, his fragile frame seeming only smaller in Sorey's arms.
If Sorey could, he would scream. This was worse than killing Jiji with his own two hands. This was torture.
Every second it only seems to become more real. The blood seeping in between his fingers and contrasting bright against the white of his Shepherd's coat. Every second Mikleo only becomes colder.
In that moment, it seems logical that it only feels real because it is real, that he must be seeing what's happening above, otherwise why would it be so vivid?
Sorey shuts his eyes, and it doesn't help.
What was this all for then? If Mikleo was gone, then what was this for? What was the point of a safe world where tenzoku and humans could work together if Mikleo could not be a part of it?
His thoughts become hard to string together; one idea jumps to another with no attachment to the last - it's like he's chasing his thoughts, his consciousness, and can't keep up. For a moment, he can't remember why he's laying here. It's just cold and painful and he wants it to stop.
Perhaps it's because he's the Shepherd, or perhaps it's because he's welcoming it at this point, but Sorey can feel the taint moving inside him. It feels warm, but he knows that it's not. He knows, deep down, that it only feeding on the coldness, the darkness. But it's almost peaceful, the way his senses are seeming to leave him, starting with his eyes, his ears, and now he doesn't even feel cold anymore or like the weight of the world is literally pressing down on him. At first, it feels like a release.
But only at first.
"Wait for me, Sorey."
It's faint - but he hears it.
At once, he feels both the return of two tons of pressure onto his body but also the return of his thoughts.
What was he doing?
Their dream. Their dream. He couldn't be just lying here. He had to help them. He had to make sure Mikleo was safe. He had to keep Mikleo safe.
He told him it would be okay, and it would be.
In a surge Sorey pushes himself up and stands, stumbling only once.
Even if it was only for a second, one reminder of Mikleo's voice was all he needed.
He takes one step forward, and then another. They're still heavy and slow, but he's moving. Instead of focusing on moving his feet, he focuses more on pushing the visions from his head - he forces himself to think of Izuchi, of the sprawling green fields where he and Mikleo would lay, exhausted after a day in the ruins. And Sorey would turn his head and see him, his eyes closing as the wind blew his hair lightly over his face, the absolute picture of tranquility.
Sorey's eyes start to sting.
But he's able to pick up his pace. One step and then another.
What was worse than the visions was his voice. Mikleo yelling in pain. Mikleo crying Sorey's name. It's cruel, the way it happens, the way it sounds like it's coming from behind him, as if to make him feel like he's walking away and abandoning him to die.
Sorey keeps moving. He couldn't stop. Not when the real Mikleo was on the line.
After some amount of minutes, or hours, or years, Sorey can feel his feet hit a staircase.
Using every ounce of his strength, he rushes up them as best he can. Slowly but surely he feels the taint fading - each step is easier, each second he feels lighter. The visions of Mikleo's bloody death become fuzzier and fuzzier, until only the image of them together at Izuchi remained.
That was what he had to protect.
When Sorey arrives back on the base level, he sprints, adrenaline rushing through his body. Despite how every part of him aches, each step feels easier - each step is a step closer to Mikleo and his friends.
As he shoves open the door to where they would all await, he is nearly smiling.
Lailah is the first to notice him - or perhaps choose to. She whirls around immediately, her tear-glazed eyes meeting his. Rose turns her head, but not enough to look at Sorey directly. Edna and Zaveid remain perfectly still, their backs to him.
"Where's Mikleo?" It doesn't even cross Sorey's mind that Heldaaf is now standing above the pit he had tossed Sorey in, gazing into its depths.
"I am surprised you've returned, Shepherd. I suppose I truly must dispose of you with my own hands."
There is no time for a reaction on anyone's part. The second the words leave Heldaaf's mouth, there is only the ear-splitting roar that resonates throughout the entirety of Camuran.
Like an earthquake has struck the room shakes violently and everyone falls, their vision blurry not only from the motions but from the debris scattering in front of them as well. Chunks of the wall thunder down and crack the floor as the entirety of the back of the room ceases to exist.
Sorey coughs as the dust clouds, but freezes as he feels it - the taint. It was huge, as if a powerful hyouma had appeared out of nowhere - no, it was more than that, it was as if it was a -
The dragon's cry resounds again. Sorey can see its silhouette now - it's smaller than Tiamat and Aizen, if not by much. He feels a chill run down his spine; he feels dread creeping in his body. For a moment he wonders where this dragon could have even come from, but he had more pressing matters.
He had to find Mikleo, and he had to make sure everyone was alright.
"Everyone, are you okay?!" He calls.
He manages to stand and turn around, seeing the weak nods from his comrades as they slowly get to their feet as well.
"Where's Mikleo? What happened?" Sorey's voice is urgent now, loud against the stomping of the dragon behind him.
No one answers him. He doesn't press it, though, instead turning around as the dragon roars once again.
He's just in time to see the water envelop Heldaaf, caging him in like it's made of steel. It swirls around him faster and faster, distorting his image and that of the nearly shimmering ice-colored dragon behind him. Sorey feels frozen - the way the water moves can only be described as brutal, the way it contorts and twists and squeezes and chokes. Yet somehow it's familiar.
Eventually it stops. Heldaaf slams onto the ground, incapacitated at least for now. And then, as the last of the water falls and Sorey is able to clearly see the dragon's piercing violet eyes, he stops breathing.
It is silent. No one dares move a muscle. Sorey continues to stare and the dragon stares back. Eventually, Sorey blinks slowly, hoping that when he opens his eyes again he'll be with Mikleo in the fields at Izuchi.
He isn't.
Even as the dragon steps forward, Sorey remains still.
"S-Sorey, look out!"
The second Rose takes a step toward him, her knives drawn, the dragon's roar reverberates again. Sorey turns quickly, and in an instant she too is enveloped by water, whirlpooling around her violently as it lifts her into the air.
"Rose!" Sorey runs toward her, as does everyone else - he doesn't make one step, though, before water surrounds him as well. Instead of a raging torrent, though, it's a gentle hold - one that carries Sorey swiftly to the dragon's side before releasing him.
Wind cuts a slice in the currents around Rose, just big enough for Zaveid to reach in and grab her, pulling her out as she gasps and splutters for air.
No one else dares take a step.
Sorey's voice in the silence is quiet yet echoing.
"Where's… Mikleo?"
It's not a question. It's a plea.
Zaveid takes a step forward. The dragon roars.
"Sorey. Move."
Sorey stares at him.
"Sorey," he repeats, his tone darkening before he shakes his head once. "You know what we have to do."
Weakly, slowly, Sorey shakes his head. His voice is a broken whisper. "No."
He brings a hand up in front of the dragon and steps back. The dragon follows immediately. Again, Sorey feels the taint, rising up above from where he had fall and where the dragon had crashed in. It makes stepping back harder and heavier, but he doesn't care. He doesn't care. The pressure feels nice. The dulling of his senses is welcome.
"You have to free him," Zaveid says, but Sorey is answering before he finishes.
"You mean kill him." Sorey swallows, shaking his head faster. "I'm not doing it. And neither are you."
"Sorey," Rose says, now stable on her feet, "there isn't a choice here. For his own sake -"
"Don't talk like that!" Sorey yells, and the dragon roars in turn. "Don't! You don't understand! I said we would go back to Izuchi! I said I would be with him!" Sorey is shaking, his hands curled into tight fists. He feels the taint creeping in his body, he feels it giving him the strength he may need.
In the next moment, Lailah, Edna and Zaveid are on their knees.
"S-Sorey-san," Lailah says weakly, looking at him with pleading eyes. "P-please… you have to…" Her words trail off into a series of gasps for air and cries of pain.
"Oi, Sorey, cut it out!" Zaveid yells, knees shaking as he tries and fails to stand. "It's getting to you, push it out!"
Sorey feels deaf. He sees these people yelling at him. Do they even matter?
It was okay. He found Mikleo, and Mikleo was alright. Everything was okay, just like he had said it would be.
One of the girls, the one with knives, starts to run at him, screaming something. She's quickly pushed back by a stream of water and slams into the far wall.
"Mikleo, we should get back to Izuchi."
Mikleo lets out a quiet cry, before lowering his torso. Sorey climbs on, leaning up against his neck.
"I'm sorry," he says quietly. Mikleo's scales are cool to the touch, but Sorey can feel warmth beneath. "I won't let you out of my sight again." He pauses, softly stroking the side of Mikleo's face. "Let's go home."
As Mikleo's wings spread, they hit against the walls and force more debris to fall. It makes it difficult for Sorey to see the girl rush over to one of her comrades. Hazily, he sees the taint overcoming them.
Before he can make out anything else, they're lifting off into the sky.
"Mikleo… how are you feeling? Don't overexert yourself."
With a soft noise, Mikleo pushes against him with his head. Sorey leans into it.
"I'm fine," he replies.
Mikleo had made sure of that.
Their return the village had not been a welcome one, to say the least. Of course, all the villagers had made the mistake of trying to attack Mikleo. Or even worse, Sorey.
Trying to hurt Sorey was a big mistake.
If he focuses, even though they're a ways from the village, Sorey is fairly certain he can still smell the stench of death - or perhaps it's only the dried blood that lingers on his coat and hands. Not that it bothers him.
Sorey looks over at Mikleo. His gaze is fixed on him, like he's the center of the world. It's familiar. What is more familiar is the way the stars in the night sky reflect in Mikleo's eyes, how they make them sparkle more than usual. It's familiar even if Sorey can't place the memory and doesn't bother to try.
"Let's rest," Sorey says, scooting closer and resting his side against him. He feels Mikleo's wing extend next to him, enclosing him in a shelter. "Thank you."
Mikleo pushes his head against him again.
"Good night."
Everything was okay.
bye. i wanted to do more of this? but i didn't know where to take it and it could remotely be called "done" now so i'm done with it for now
i struggled a lot with the idea of tainted sorey being pretty emotionless vs… this… and i ended up going with this in the end bc idk, it's more fun to write mostly and i think their relationship just becoming a twisted version of itself is more interesting than dead-on-the-inside-shepherd and his fierce dragon
i wrote out the scene too where mikleo gets tainted but i cut it in the end because.. idk it wasn't thaaat different from sorey after he fell except mikleo just doesn't get back up
speaking of falling down there wwwwww that was so bad i just idk at the end of the game yknow when you fall down there there's a lot of taint and stuff and…. yea…. idk random staircase eventually back up before it got too destroyed
idk what else i wanted to say other than i wanted to write more but idk where to even take this that it would be interesting. idk anyway thank you for reading i'm sorry this was not? good LOL