" HOW COULD YOU HISARDOUX!?" Merlin screamed. Douxie winced and covered his ears, closing his eyes. It was weird hearing his master scream, but the apprentice could barely focus on that. " But- Master! I tried!"
" There were healing spells! You could have saved me!" Douxie opened his eyes to see a large field of grass, and dark storm clouds in the sky. Merlin was floating a few feet from the ground, about three yards from the black-haired teen.
" I- I panicked! I- I-" Douxie couldn't finish his words as grief overtook him. " You should feel the pain you let me die in!" Merlin screeched, and the wizard lifted his staff into the sky. A green flash of light made Douxie wince, and the apprentice opened his eyes slowly.
" Zoe!?" He gasped.
His pink-haired friend was standing on the ground near Merlin, her eyes an icy blue. " Hello, Hisardoux." She growled, her voice seeming to echo in his skull. Lifting her arms, Zoe began to chant. Douxie looked around, confused before he felt a stabbing pain in his toes.
Douxie looked down, realizing for the first time he was barefoot. Small black lines were creeping up his toes, and Douxie crouched down quickly to look at them.
They looked like… cracks? He touched one and gasped. His toe that he touched seemed to crumble, and Douxie stumbled backwards, and fell into the grass. " What did you do to me?" He shrieked.
" Only what you deserve!" Merlin screamed back at him. Zoe's arms were at her sides, and she stepped forwards. " You let your master, your friend, your father, die in your arms!"
Douxie scrambled backwards. " No, no, no! I tried to help him! I couldn't stop it! Im sorry!" Tears streaked down Douxie's face as Zoe reached him, grabbing his shoulder and hauling him up.
Wordlessly, She shoved him back on the ground, making Douxie cry out. Merlin pointed his staff and a green rope came whirling out of it. The green tentacle picked Douxie up by the waist and lifted him into the sky.
" You were never my son." Douxie's mind blurred after that, so he could hardly feel the pain of being smashed into the earth, over, and over, and over again. Merlin's words echoed in his mind.
You were never my son.
Douxie awoke with a start, groping for air. After he was able to get some oxygen into his lungs, he became painfully aware of re pain in his feet. Pulling his black blanket off, he swung his feet off the bed and inspected them.
The cracks were larger, longer and to his ankle. I won't survive to nightfall, Douxie realized. He contemplated staying in bed when he died, but decided against it.
Archie needed food, and Doux wasn't that comfortable in bed anymore, as every time he closed his eyes nightmares haunted him.
So Douxie got out of bed and slowly walked into his living room. After wandering around for a few minutes, he sat on his small couch. Arch needs food, He had asked the others to take care of the cat, but he knew they might forget.
The least Doux could do was give Archie something to start with. He would leave the door open so the cat could leave. Standing, Douxie winced every time his feet hit the ground but managed to fill a few bowls with food.
After plopping down on the couch again, memories came flooding back to the wizard faster than he could take them. Merlin and Zoe were in that field, like in his dream. They were not saying anything, just blasting at Arch and Douxie.
The black-haired teen's hand slowly traveled up to his right eye. It was almost radiating the dark magic that Zoe had used, and the cracks were still growing.
He couldn't bring himself to hate her for doing this to him, not after seeing the way her face was, like she couldn't stop herself. And, Douxie couldn't hate Merlin either, after all he was basically Doux's father.
But, he could most-definitely hate them both for what they did to Archie. Douxie's familiar, his friend had been hit by a spell meant to steal the wizard's magic, but Arch sacrificed his own to save Douxie.
Now, the once talking cat with glasses was just a normal cat, without glasses. The white mark on his chest had vanished, along with the magical spark in his eyes.
Douxie pulled his phone slowly from his pocket and got his earbuds as well. He didn't have a playlist to listen to while he died, nor one to play at the funeral. If there even was one. It was likely he would die, he knew that the second he discovered the cure.
Putting in the earbuds Doux just put his music on shuffle, and felt a pang of regret and fear. He didn't want to die, the wizard had many long years of life ahead of him, many bad-guys to stop, and something he needed to say.
Douxie got onto the chat that all of his friends shared, and began to text. He deleted and restarted so many times his fingers were starting to hurt.
Strange enough, the past six Breaking Benjamin songs were eerily accurate at describing his predicament. Someone keeled down before Douxie, making the teen start with surprise. He stumbled over his feet and the person reached out his hands, stabilizing Douxie.
Looking up, Douie almost cried. Krel was standing there, currently in his human form. Douxie ripped the earbuds from his ears and turned off his music, briefly wondering if Krel would have liked the song, but they were out of time.
Douxie stumbled back a bit more and leaned against a wall, pulling away from Krel.
" I- Krel? What are you doing here?"
" I saw your text, I was worried." Douxie didn't want him to be worried, or sad. He didn't want anyone to worry, it made the pain of leaving so much worse.
Krel stepped forward, and Douxie took a tiny step back, pressing into the wall. " Douxie- we will break the curse. Ill, use tech, or Blinky can use magic or-"
" I'm going to die today." Douxie whispered, not being able to stop himself. His head drops and he realizes the cracks are to the middle of his foot. Tears are almost streaming down his cheeks.
Forcing his gaze upwards, Douxie sees Krel's bottom lip trembling. " You should go," Douxie doesn't want him to leave, but he also doesn't want to hurt Krel. " I- Im not going to force you to watch me die."
" You're not- I'm not leaving. I know you wouldn't want to be alone right now." Krel says, trying to put force behind his words.
"Then can you k-"
Then can you kiss me? Douxie is almost thankful for the uncontrollable coughing that cuts him off. When they first realized how his curse was supposed to be broken, Doux had sworn to himself that he wouldn't try to pressure Krel into loving him back. He didn't want to hurt Krel.
And yet, he had almost gone back on his silent oath.
" Can you hold me?" Douxie asks instead of the alternative. " If that's okay?"
Krel stepped forward again, and this time Douxie stepped into the embrace. Still holding each other, they slowly walk to the couch. Krel slowly sits, Douxie falling in his arms. One of Krel's arms is wrapped around Douxie's torso, and the other is stroking his hair.
"I'm so sorry," Krel says, his voice cracking. He sounds like he is about to cry, and that is Douxie's breaking point."
" No, no don't be. You all tried your best." Douxie isn't sure if his voice chokes because of the tears, or because his body is breaking down. " I- I don't want to die. I wish we had more time…"
" Me too," Krel murmurs. He squeezed Douxie tighter. The black-haired teen flexes one food and realizes he only has seconds left. He needs to say goodbye.
Douxie needs to say thank you, for trying so hard to find a cure, for just being Krel in general. Douxie looks up into Krel's eyes.
" Krel I-" He breaks off, Coughing again.
He has to say goodbye.
Douxie's vision is fading, and all of his senses are dulling.
He needs to say goodbye!
" I love you," Douxie gasps in place of his goodbye. His eyes close. He can almost feel the triumph the cracks have, for finishing their work.
Softly, he begins to fade away.
But, it's like he can't quite leave his body. Like an anchor is keeping him on the fence post of death. He can't feel anything, except the pressure on his lips.
True love's kiss is supposed to break the curse, and Krel is kissing Douxie. Douxie realizes that Krel loves him.
Normally, Douxie would be grinning widely from this accomplishment, but he was still only a hair from death, and couldn't move yet.
The cracks are slowly beginning to reverse their path, and Doux can wiggle his toes again.
The pressure on his lips is starting to relieve, Krel probably thinks Douxie is gone. But, Douxie uses everything he has to kiss back. Krel kisses Douxie once more.
Neither of them move, and Douxie realizes that Krel is crying. He would be too, but again, still can't move much. His legs are mobile again, and Douxie twirls his ankles around.
But, eventually Krel pulls away, still clutching Douxie like a lifeline. The wizard stays still for a few more moments, before slowly opening his eyes.
Krel's eyes are wide with shock and happiness, and from the smile on his face, Douxie figures his eyes are gold for once in the past week.
The curse is broken, and Krel loves him.