12. Alone Together

Therius woke with a throbbing headache and pain shooting through his body. A groan escaped his throat, only for the soft, soothing tingle of healing magic coursing through his body in response. Vision still blurry, he looked up—only to see a certain nature mage sitting by his bedside.

"Miss Mirania?" His voice croaked, and he winced at that.

Mirania offered him a soft, reassuring smile. "You're alive, Sir Therius." She managed. "You're not dead."

Despite the pain, the white knight couldn't help but laugh, though winced at trickles of pain through his ribs afterwards. "G-good…to know."

Mirania sighed, shaking her head, before raising her hand towards his bandaged and otherwise-bare chest. Therius only became aware now that he was only covered waist-down.

"How…" He swallowed, flinching at the sudden tingling of healing magic at his chest before speaking again. "How long was I unconscious?"

"A few hours. It's the late afternoon, now." Mirania removed her hand from his chest, looking him in the eyes. "You need to stay down and get some rest. A lot of rest. These injuries will take a while to heal. You broke a few ribs, though I think what magic I've used on them should help them heal within a day or two."

"Is Arganan…?"

"Other than a bump on the head, several bruises and cuts, bruised ribs, and a partially-broken mechanical arm, he's actually quite fine. You took the brunt of Ulrica's attacks compared to him."

He heaved relief in his next breath. At least he'd protected the former Count to an extent. "He…mentioned something about a weakness for the Blood Warrior. The marks that show that they're Blood Warriors are—"

"Weak spots?"

"…How did you know?"

She chuckled a bit. "He told me while cursing half the time he got treatment. He…was surprisingly pleased that you killed Ulrica and absorbed her powers."

"I what?"

Mirania blanched. "Um…"

"I absorbed her powers?" Therius repeated, eyes widening. "Does that mean…?"

"Therius," Mirania managed, swallowing, "You just woke up, and you still need rest. Please, don't worry about it until you get better."

"I need to learn more about my new powers….especially if I'm supposed to be the Blood Warrior that will help others." He ended lamely. He tried to sit up, but a glare from Mirania made him lie back down.

"Please rest." She repeated. "Going out like this isn't going to help you or anyone else. Okay?"

"I…" He held back a spiteful tongue at his inability to help anyone right now. "I understand."

She offered him a reassuring smile. "You'll be okay, Sir Therius. Just get some rest."

It didn't take him long to fall asleep, despite his frustration at the whole situation.

He was just too tired to think any further.

Zesha held the tome he and Mirania found earlier tightly to his chest, watching as Calista, Zael, and the others all gathered in the Count's office with…Dagran.

Yes, that Dagran. Dagran, who secretly joined forces with the late Lord Zangurak. Currently, Dagran stood, leaning back against the wall as everyone threw questions at him. The glowing red mark of the Blood Warrior, shone through the thin shirt he wore, even if it was faint. A few Blood Creatures floated around him, but he himself was clean of blood.

Thank goodness, because Zesha was already getting sick of smelling blood right now. The less of it, the better.

"Why didn't you reveal yourself until now?" Zael looked the most confused out of everyone present, and Zesha didn't blame him. He knew, from what little he knew of Dagran, that Dagran was close to Zael and the Count in the past in different ways.

"I didn't see any reason to do so, especially since I died on bad terms." Dagran's eyebrow twitched as he answered, and despite some irritation at all the questions, he handled them calmly. "If I did, I'm pretty sure Syrenne would've thrown me out a window."

Syrenne glowered at him in the corner. "I would've done that for sure, dumbass."

Lowell grimaced, wrapping an arm around Syrenne's waist to comfort her, but it didn't stop her from still glaring at Dagran. Zesha had heard, from whispers of everyone around him, that the rest of Dagran's past mercenary team was quite divided over his death—for very obvious reasons.

"I know who the person is sending all those people trying to terrorize this place." Dagran continued, ignoring Syrenne's remark. "The one that sent Cassius and Ulrica after you and Therius—their name is Nox."

"They?" Calista repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Can't figure out if it's a guy or a lady. They never took off the hood. That's not important, though. What is important is that they want the power of the Blood Warrior to themselves. Cassius and Ulrica were two of their followers."

"There are more followers?" Zesha stared. "Why give up their own Blood Warrior powers to this Nox? Why not keep it for themselves?"

"Nox won't let them. Technically," Dagran looked down at the glowing mark on his chest, then up at the others, "I should be dead again by now, or under Nox's control. The only reason I didn't get to either path is because I ran when I could. Asthar wasn't so lucky."

"Is that why he's stuck with them?" It was Mirania that spoke, frowning. "Is Nox controlling him?"

"At this point, yeah."

Zesha frowned, tilting his head slightly. "What do you mean, 'at this point?' Was there an opportunity for him to break free?"

"Yeah. Thing is…the more powerful you are, the more you can control other people with marks of the Blood Warrior. Of course, that means that those underneath you lose all self-control."

Zesha said nothing, recalling himself killing Cassius. Did that mean Cassius had no self-control over trying to kill him at the time, then?

"If you make yourself powerful enough, or at least willful enough, you can resist it. That's how I escaped." Dagran made direct eye contact with Zesha. "Because you and Therius were physically far enough from others with more powerful Blood Warrior abilities, you two probably won't be mind-controlled anytime soon. Same goes for the former Count."

"So Asthar…" Zael started.

"Is definitely screwed at this point." Dagran concluded. "I doubt that next time we'll see him, he'll be merciful or apologetic. He'll just try to kill us, just like Cassius and Ulrica."

"There has to be a way to help him." Mirania argued, shaking her head. "Maybe there's a way we can help him regain self-control."

"I don't know if there is any way to reverse it." Dagran's jaw clenched. "If we spread ourselves too thin trying to go after all of Nox's followers and reverse the mind-control, we'd be putting ourselves at risk."

Calista shook her head and sighed. "Dagran has a point, Mirania." She looked to Dagran. "Is there anything else you know? Like how many followers Nox has left?"

"Not completely." Dagran swallowed. His golden eyes flickered away from her, and then towards her again. "I knew Cassius and Ulrica were two, but there was one person other than Asthar, wearing a cloak...and last time I overheard them, they were planning on bringing Jirall into the mix. Zangurak, too."

Everyone went silent at the mention of those last two. It was bad enough, knowing that Asthar might be against them. But have Jirall and Zangurak back, too?

"Would the Outsider's power be a part of Zangurak if he comes back?" Zael asked quickly, blue eyes widening, hands trembling at his sides. "I mean.."

"No, I don't think so." Dagran answered, looking him in the eyes. "After all, I did absorb his power. And then I lost it to you. So no, it won't go back to him. He'll have the Blood Warrior's power, though. It won't be any easier…at least, I doubt it will be. As for our own side…"

Dagran's eyes scanned everyone else, before speaking again. "Other than me in this room, there's the former Count, Therius, and Zesha."

"So it's four of you versus potentially four of them. And for sure, we only have two we're up against left." Lowell remarked. "That seems pretty easy."

Zesha glared at him. "Killing Cassius was far from easy, human."

"And I have to agree with him." Dagran managed.

Lowell stared. "You tried to kill him?"

"Kind of. Might explain why he was so determined to kill you, Zesha. To be fair, I had to do it to escape."

A sarcastic "Thanks" dropped from Zesha's lips, right before Mirania spoke.

"What do we do now? How do we find them?"

"You don't find them, Mirania." Dagran looked her in the eyes one more time, and Zesha saw her swallow at the golden-eyed man's last statement.

"They find us."

Arganan woke up alone.

At least, he thought he was alone. His eyebrows twitched at his throbbing head, and he faintly remembered the battle he and Therius had with Ulrica. What happened after Therius killed her?

There was blood. He knew there was blood. He saw it cover and surround Therius as he absorbed her power. The very image of it in his mind's eye made him shudder, and he tried to burying his head in the covers. Pain reverberated all over in retaliation, so he stopped. A groan escaped his lips as his vision cleared, and he took the opportunity to turn his head in an attempt to look around.

It was only then that he saw a Blood Creature float towards him, before resting a bloody hand on his forehead, as if checking for fever. He shuddered, shaking his head in an attempt to ward it away, the smell of blood making him nauseous, but the Blood Creature didn't get it.

"Hands off." He croaked. "Please."

The Blood Creature pulled its hand away, and he tried blowing at his damp bangs so they were out of his face. The Blood Creature extended a hand towards his forehead again, only to push his bangs to the side so the smell of blood wasn't completely in his face. He blinked, his good eye looking to the Blood Creature's curious face, saw the wide eyes and closed mouth, and he weakly chuckled.

"Thank you."

Another chuckle echoed in the room, but it didn't come from the Blood Creature. Arganan turned his head to see who it was, leaning against the doorway.

"Dagran."

Dagran smiled one of those stupidly handsome smiles of his, that smug little grin that suggested he knew something or was up to something.

"I see you're getting along swimmingly." The younger man commented, closing the door behind him and walking into the room. He sat down on a stool beside the former Count's bed, looking down at him, then towards the Blood Creature still with them. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore as hell, thank you." Arganan breathed, looking right up at him. "I thought you'd leave. Like last time, when you left me alone in those baths."

"Maybe I should've rejoined you after." Dagran admitted, running a hand through his hair. "You certainly enjoyed my company, even if unexpected."

"How was I supposed to expect you?" Arganan swallowed, cursing his own dry throat. "You died."

"You died, too."

"Touché."

Dagran further pushed Arganan's bangs out of his face, before looking to the Blood Creature again. "How does it feel, knowing you have this little one? Did you kill Ulrica?"

"Therius did. You saw."

"Yeah, but you got one of her own Blood Creatures. That's got to count for something."

Arganan did his best to shrug. "I found the weak spot. I literally begged this one to tell me where it was."

"Really?" The younger man asked, mocking curiosity. "Did you say please and thank you?"

The former Count half-glared at him, face flushing warmly. "Oh, shut up."

Dagran laughed. "You like my voice too much to make me shut up. You know that."

"I know…" Arganan closed his good eye, before speaking again. "Why are you here, Dagran? Just for teasing? For pleasantries about killing our enemies?"

He heard Dagran hum, almost mock-pondering that question, before answering. "To give you the opportunity to embrace me again. I did tell you that you could do that, before."

"I don't know if I can." The words felt hollow, and the former Count swallowed. "After everything that's happened…I don't know, Dagran."

"I know I hurt you."

"I know that you know."

"Then why not?"

A sigh escaped the older man. "I need time."

"We don't have eternity."

"Not that much time, fool. Just more than some moment or an hour. And more than the amount of time needed for a bath, that's for fucking sure."

"I thought of you when I first came back."

That made Arganan stare at him. Dagran gave him a look in return, raising an eyebrow,before closing his own golden eyes, leaning back and letting his head rest against the wall behind him.

"I did. I did think of you. I thought I would've thought of Zael, but no. Just you. Made me wonder if you were dead. And then I found out that you did die, and that they brought you back. I would've broken you out if I wasn't injured, trying to get myself out. My plan was to get myself healed, then run back and drag you out."

"You would've done that for me?"

"Yeah."

"You wouldn't have left me to…" Arganan would've lifted an arm to gesture, but he couldn't. He felt too sore to do so. "You wouldn't have left me to them?"

"You kind of killed yourself in the stupidest way possible. I'm pretty sure that's the worst you need to suffer from."

Arganan could only laugh. Despite his aching ribs, he did so anyway.

"Gods…you're right about that."

Neither man noticed Mirania listening to them from outside, because neither of them knew that she followed Dagran to the room and listened from outside. She took a step back from the door, and walked away, leaving them alone together.