Callum stares at the creature, unable to look away from those glittering crimson eyes.
Morning Star hisses something under his breath and white light flares out from the shield, and Corruption recoils as a spear of purest light forms in Morning Star's hands.
"Leave," Morning Star commands, hefting the spear. "This child will not be your pawn, Corrupted one."
"Rather rude of you," Corruption hisses, "Not letting Sihr speak for himself."
"LEAVE!" Morning Star thunders, the word echoing, the stones beneath their feet shaking as the mage speaks.
Corruption snarls, and his claws slam into the shield, scrabbling, leaving black splotches that seems to hang in midair, smoke slowly trailing upwards.
Morning Star slams the butt of the spear into the shield, sending another wave of light outwards that knocks Corruption back a few feet.
He's still looking at Callum, red eyes fever bright.
"Sihr," Corruption croons, "Will you not speak with me?"
"Why do you want to talk to me, exactly?" Callum asks, finding his words at last.
Corruption looks delighted at being addressed, and his smile seems to almost split his face, rows upon rows of sharp teeth glimmering in the light of Morning Star's shield.
"Because, Sihr," Corruption says, tail flickering across the floor, the low scrape of metal against stone jarring to Callum's ears. "I want to tell you something, something that ourself has been keeping from you. A rather nasty little secret too."
"Don't listen to him, najmay," Morning Star growls. "He is a deceiver, a twister of words. He will only hurt you."
"Says the one who is content to keep the truth hidden from him," Corruption hisses, slithering closer, ignoring the spear still pointed in his direction. Morning Star spins the weapon, an idle practiced movement that Callum dimly remembers his own mother using in the practice yard against Dad.
Morning Star steps between Callum and Corruption's unnerving gaze.
"Begone, Corruption," Morning Star says, voice cold. "I would be quite happy to rend you asunder, though I would rather not traumatize Sihr doing it."
Callum peers around Morning Star and catches sight of Corruption's wicked smile.
"But that's not the only reason you want me gone, is it?" Corruption says, and his eyes are fixed on Callum again. "You want to keep living in your comfortable web of lies, don't you, Morning Star?Keep living in it until it inevitably strangle what's left of you? After all, everything you've ever loved has been taken away from you. I wonder what would our Zah-"
Morning Star makes an absolutely furious snarl and the resulting explosion sends Corruption hurtling backwards, slamming into the wall. "You are not worthy to speak her name!" Morning Star snarls, "She was a light unlike any other, beautiful and shining in a world that had become almost unbearable in its solitude!"
"And what of our jamil? What of her fate?" Corruption asks, crawling out of the dent he's been embedded in. "Have you forgotten what they did to her? How they made her a living ghost?!"
Jamil. The word means 'lovely' Callum translates, and wonder who that might be, and how someone might become a living ghost.
Morning Star screams, the barrier shattering as the elf dives forwards, spear arching downwards.
Corruption weaves out of the way, dodging each blow that the enraged Morning Star aims at his head, continuing to taunt him.
"And she did nothing to deserve it, except to know us, to know of Elarion, and for that she was condemned as much as we were. And it's all your fault," Corruption cackles, "Not mine, no, that was all you."
Morning Star is glowing, incandescent with rage, and his light drives away the shadows, sears Callum's eyes so that he must look away, and there's the sound of something exploding, a detonation that shakes the ground.
Callum braces for the impact but nothing comes.
He looks back.
Someone stands in front of him, a figure dressed in reds and golds, hazy around the edges, translucent and radiant-
Callum reaches out, squinting, trying to make out features, then the figure is gone.
The scent of spring flowers lingers, and beyond, Morning Star towers over the fallen Corruption, spear raised, blade point about to descend.
Something terrible is about to happen, and Callum doesn't know what to do, so he does the only thing he can.
"Morning Star!" he shouts, "You can't kill him! He's a part of you!"
Callum isn't sure how he knows it, but he knows, without a doubt, that Morning Star cannot kill Corruption-to do so would be ruinous.
"He is no part of me!" Morning Star growls, and brings the blade down, only for the spear's shaft to snap as Corruption lunges with his claws.
Corruption grabs the falling blade and shoves the shining metal into Morning Star's chest.
"Death comes to all in time, Morning Star," Corruption croons, sliding the blade free and lets him drop, limp, to the ground.
The sound of Morning Star's quiet cry of pain as he impacts is one of the worst sounds that Callum has ever heard. White light is spilling out of the wound, shimmering like a heat haze.
Corruption laughs, tossing the blade away. The laugh is harsh, grating against Callum's ears. The corridor is rapidly becoming dimmer, the light fading away as the shadows seem to swell, rising to cover the walls.
He runs past the laughing Corruption and kneels beside Morning Star. He's still breathing, and Jahara have mercy, there is so much blood. Morning Star bleeds just like Callum does, bright and red. Callum wants to scream, but the sound is trapped inside him, unable to get free.
"Abnay?" Morning Star rasps, sounding confused. My son.
"I'm right here," Callum says, and his heart is crying to hear the words, he's never known his father, but Aaravos is as dear to him as Harrow was.
"You can't save him," Corruption says, lurking behind Callum now. "Let him fade."
Morning Star grips Callum's hands, surprising him with how strong the elf actually is.
"I'm right here, M-Alab," Callum says, and the word feels...strange, almost weightless on his tongue.
"Your mother-" Morning Star says, gasping, "She would be so proud of you."
Callum nods, blinking away tears, "I know."
"She loved you," Morning Star continues, eyes fixed on Callum's face, "From the moment we knew, she loved you. More than anything. I should have-" he chokes on the words, blood gurgling. "I should have told you sooner, I should have-"
There is an odd calm settling over Callum, as if Mom has taken him into her arms again, warmth filling him. "nujum' shafa'uh," Callum says, more sure of this than anything else in his life and presses his hands to that terrible wound.
Heal him, O Stars. O mighty Omma, Lady of Fate, Callum prays, It is not his time yet. Heal him, Lady, please.
"All things must end, Sihr," Corruption says, voice sickly sweet in his ear, a claw tightening on his shoulder, "Let this relic of old stay in the past, where he belongs."
Callum ignores him, and lets the power flow through him, warm and bright as the dawn.
"I love you, my little star," his mother's shade whispers in his mind, "I always, always will."
I know, Mom, Callum thinks, and takes that thought and lets it disperse through the spell. I love you too.
The light of his spell is opalescent, and Callum watches as the grievous wound seals up, some color returning to Morning Star's face. The hallways are brightening too, light returning.
"Sihr," Morning Star says, and his voice is clear, though perhaps it trembles slightly. He sits up, slowly, studying Callum.
He's still gripping Callum's hands.
Callum takes a shaky breath. There are thoughts whirling around in his head, a hurricane of puzzle pieces that are only now clicking together. One after the other, forming a truth that turns his world upside down once more.
"A Startouch elf, like myself, for only we shine so beneath the moon and stars, reflecting the magic that we were born with."
"You gave me back a precious gift I did not even know I had, little najima."
"It is the name that your father might have given you upon your birth. We divine our children's names from the stars themselves and though your mother, Sarai, named you Callum, Sihr, is the name that speaks to your soul."
"I would rather cut out what is left of my heart than harm you, Sihr!"
"Oh, little najima, I could never hurt you. Never in ten thousand years."
'Words of the hands speak louder than the voice.'
"Zahrati was the name she carried, the flower that blooms in springtime, and we were wed in the same season, for she wished to walk beside me for all of our time in this world, and I desired the same."
"We share blood in common, Sihr."
"My Zahrati, s-she was here with me for a time. Together we found a way through the wards and managed to open a portal out. My wife made it through; I did not...I made the decision to shield her rather than myself...I know little of what became of her after...save that she died saving another's life..."
"Your father," Mom had said, and in his memory she is teary-eyed. "He protected us. Neither of us would have lived if he hadn't. He...he loved you very much, Callum."
Callum, Sihr, Abnay, Abnay, Abnay.
Callum knows what that word means and it rings through his mind like a temple bell, deep and sonorous.
My son.
And somewhere deep inside his heart, he knows the words to be truth.
Aaravos IS his father. 'iinah 'abi. He is his father.
So many emotions swirl inside him, relief, anger, worry, excitement-and still Morning Star has not let go of his hands.
"He lied to you, Sihr," Corruption purrs in his ear. "He knew all this time, and still he lied to you."
"Did you know?" Callum asks, ignoring Corruption, "When we met, did you know?!" the words come out sharper than he'd intended.
Morning Star shakes his head.
"We did not," Morning Star says, "We knew you were something special, unseen by the world before now. We taught you because we wanted to share our knowledge, to do some good for a world that has long since abandoned us. We remembered much later, in no small part due to your actions. Blood calls to blood," Morning Star says, "and blood answers. Your Silence, though unintentional, freed my memories from their bindings. We knew then who you were."
"And lied to your face," Corruption adds.
Morning Star looks annoyed, but nods, conceding the point. "I was...afraid, Sihr. I wanted to tell you, but...I didn't know what to say, how to even begin to tell you the truth."
Corruption growls, nails biting into Callum's shoulder.
Callum shrugs off his claw, leaning forward, staring into Morning Star's bright eyes.
Callum understands that fear, how hard it is to tell someone that which would change their life forever. Callum certainly knows it.
Which is why he can forgive his...his...father...for not telling him.
"I...I'm still mad, that you didn't tell me," Callum says, his voice shaky and unsteady.
Morning Star nods, and there are tears in his eyes, "Understandable."
"But I'm so, so glad that I found you," Callum says, and his vision blurs as he begins to cry. Morning Star lets go of his hands, and hugs him, holding him close, and Callum can feel how he too is shaking.
Time passes, how long exactly Callum cannot say, as he sobs, held safe within his father's arms but at last the tears run dry.
Morning Star is humming softly, the same tune that Mom had hummed at bedtime when Callum was very small. Callum pulls slightly back and he can see that Morning Star's face is tearstained, dark rivulets down his cheeks, though he is no longer crying.
Corruption is nearby, but nowhere near as close as he had been.
"Done with your touching moment?" Corruption hisses over his shoulder. There is still an aura of malice about him, and Callum gets the sudden sense that he's waiting for the right moment to cause more problems.
Morning Star flicks one hand in Corruption's direction, light flaring from his palm and there is a yelp of pain.
"Bastard," Corruption snarls, whirling towards them, smoking oozing from a gap in his scales.
"Such a pity that I cannot destroy you as I'd so like," Morning Star says, "For our son does speak truth, that we are facets of a larger whole, bound to one ending and one beginning."
"He is a part of you," Callum adds, "Darkness does not exist without light. You may not like him, and he may not like you, but he is a part of you. Twisted, I guess, by other magic but he at his heart is still you. If he dies, you will never be the same. The same goes for you," Callum says, looking at Corruption. "You need his light. Without it, you will be lost, even more than you already are."
Corruption gives a low growl, slithering closer so he once again leans over Callum.
"What makes you think that I care if he is gone?" Corruption asks, red eyes glittering with a terrible hunger. "I don't need him anyway."
Callum reaches out and grabs Corruption's claw, taking Morning Star's hand with his other.
"You are the two parts of a greater whole. You are meant to stand together, not fight each other," Callum says firmly.
Morning Star looks away, mouth twisting into a scowl.
"Put aside your pride, Morning Star," Callum says, "Please."
"You say that like he can," Corruption says scornfully, hissing the words, though he hasn't pulled away from Callum yet.
"Morning Star, Alab, please," Callum says. "For me."
Morning Star looks at him, and that hard gaze softens just the slightest.
"I will try, abnay," he says.
Callum smiles, because he knows now what he has to do. The knowledge sits like a crown of starlight about his head. Ethereal, brilliant and warm as the dawn of summer.
There is one deity, that Callum knows that governs light and its fading, the realms of dusk and of dawn. The ever-gleaming one, they-who-walk-without-fear, Ahndaratha, Deity of Light and Shadows, of hope and of balance.
Callum remembers Mom talking of Ahndaratha, of how They were the sibling of Omma and child of the Ancient Goddess, Imani, the One who existed as the Darkness between the worlds.
It is from Imani, Callum knows, that all the gods were formed.
Ahndaratha is the Law-bringer, the one who weighs the scales at the end of all lives to determine their worthiness to pass on.
Callum closes his eyes, and prays to his mother's gods for his father's salvation, to bring balance and peace to his fractured soul.
He can feel it, Light welling up like a spring inside him, as if he channels the very Stars that his father had said had created the world. Callum prays to the Stars, alnujum , shifa' waldi. Please, I beg you, heal my father.
You already have the Power to heal him, little one, a voice inside his head says, and it almost sounds like Mom. Let it free.
And Callum does, lets that glowing Light free, and it is as if a dam has broken, warmth rushing away from him, leaving him somewhat cold.
Morning Star's hand is tight on his and Callum hears a sharp gasp from Corruption before his claw is jerked away from Callum's.
Callum opens his eyes.
Morning Star is still there, eyes wide, staring past Callum.
In Corruption's place, stands Aaravos, with stark, black eyes. Shadows curl about his boots, robes of darkest ebony cloaking him. His pale hair is braided tightly back, a torc of silver and lapis lazuli at his throat. He studies Callum intently.
"Did it work?" Callum manages to ask after a tense moment of silence.
"It did," Morning Star says quietly. "You said that Corruption was still me at his heart. You are looking at what lay beneath the darkness."
"That is correct," the black-eyed Aaravos says, and his voice is smooth, soft shadow. "Thank you, Sihr," he says, offering him an almost courtly bow.
"What do I call you then?" Callum asks.
"Shadowdancer," he says. "Shall we be going, Morning Star? It has been a rather long time since we've seen ourself proper."
Morning Star stands, letting go at last of Callum's hands as he pulls him to his feet.
"Yes," Morning Star says, "We shall."
He looks at Callum, warm and fond, and Callum smiles back.
"Be well, little one," Morning Star says, before both he and Shadowdancer vanish in a flicker of light.
The hallway seems to fold around Callum and then he's standing on a hill, a vast starry sky overhead.
The stars are glittering points of light, wheeling overhead, and Callum walks, stopping to watch them every so often.
He is so distracted by the sight, that he stumbles over something, and looking down, he realizes just who he's nearly fallen over.
"Ala-Aaravos?"
Aaravos, dressed as Callum has always known him, hair plaited back, is staring up at the stars, golden eyes half-lidded.
"Sihr," Aaravos says softly and Callum kneels down beside him, flopping over on his back to watch the stars.
"I forgive you, Alab," Callum says, and the elvish words flow off his tongue like a river, warm and sweet as honey, "For not telling me."
Aaravos is silent, though his head turns, and he is crying softly, reaching out to enfold Callum in a tight embrace.
Callum holds on just as tightly, and the tears come again.
"Oh, my little Sihr," Aaravos whispers. "How can you forgive such deceit? Even from me?"
"Because I understand," Callum says, hands fisted in his father's robes. "I know how hard it can be to tell someone something that will change their life forever. I know that."
Aaravos gives a great shuddering sigh, and says nothing more for a very long time.
At last he pulls away, studying Callum, a look of sorrow and regret on his face.
"Look at you," Aaravos says quietly, carding one hand through Callum's hair. "As you should be. The unbroken truth of your soul, Sihr."
"It'll be strange to not have horns when I wake up," Callum says, trying to lighten the mood.
Aaravos's eyes grow dark for a moment and he sits up, pulling Callum with him.
"You should not linger here long, my son," he says and Callum's heart is singing to hear the words, to know the truth that has long been hidden in shadow.
"Will you be alright now that Corruption is gone?" Callum asks. "Morning Star said that you were...breaking..." he falters, words trailing away.
"I am...stronger now, for your help," Aaravos says. "But my power is still waning, though I will not yet fade."
"I won't let you," Callum says, and the words are sharp, heavy with power that Callum barely yet understands. A vow that he means with every fiber of his being. "I will save you, father."
Aaravos's eyes widen, and he bows his head, resting his forehead against Callum's, hands on his shoulders.
"Oh, my child," he says gently, softly, his voice barely trembling, "my dear Sihr, you already have."