Key of Aaravos

His whole body ached. He felt like he'd just been hit by a cart - or maybe a dragon. He opened his eyes to see a worried Ezra's leaning over him.

"Callum! Are you okay?" He attempted to sit up with a groan, taking Ezran's hand to help him sit up against the fallen log. "How are you feeling?" Trying to remember what had happened he held his head in his hands.

"What happened?" He asked looking back up at Ezran's concerned face.

"I don't know. Rayla said Aarvos possessed you again and - "Suddenly it all came hitting him at once. He remembered the cube, Aaravos taking over…

"Rayla!" Looking around it was dark with the fire still crackling. Soren was cooking some kind of fish over the fire as Zym played with the embers flying in the air. Panicking he asked, "Where's Rayla?"

Ezran put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "After she made sure you were okay with us, she said she needed some time and went off into the trees." His mind was racing repeating all the horrible things that Aarvos said through him. He felt he was going to be sick, did Aarvos scare Rayla away for good?

"Which way did she go?" Ezran turned and pointed in the direction she went, and he quickly stood up, shaking off the dizziness he felt. "I'm going to go find her."

Before he could take a step in the right direction Ezran stopped him, "Wait!" And wrapped his arms around him. Only taking a second to process what was happening, Callum hugged his brother back.

"I'll be back soon, I promise." He gently stepped away from the hug giving his brother a small and hopefully reassuring smile. He darted off in the direction Rayla headed, he couldn't climb trees like her but the ground would have to do. As an afterthought he stopped and turned back towards the camp to yell, "And don't touch the cube!" Before running off again.

Forgetting that his body still ached he slowed to a walking pace quickly. The further away from camp he walked the darker the forest became. He squinted as though that was going to help him see further and sighed. Without hesitation he drew the lightning rune. A ball of light formed in his hand, and he held it up to illuminate his surroundings.

Walking in no particular direction he continued to search for Rayla. Would he actually find her? What Aaravos said to her… he felt something come up his throat as he felt sick to the stomach again. Just thinking about what was said, what came out of his mouth to Rayla. He stopped to lean against a tree to steady himself putting the back of his hand to his mouth. Vomiting wasn't going to help find Rayla. He swallowed it down and took some deep breaths. In and out, in and out, in and- a rustle was heard, and he stood ready to attack when Stella popped out from behind a bush.

He took a relieved sigh - where Stella was Rayla was. "Do you know where Rayla is?" The cuddlemonkey looked at him as though she was… angry? Was Stella mad at him? "I just want to make sure she's okay." He reasoned getting down to Stella's level. As though seeing the genuine care in his eyes Stella's defences slipped and she looked straight up. Rayla was sitting in the tree above them.

He gave a small smile of thanks to Stella and cast his lightning on to the ground. "Manus pluma volantus." He spoke, sprouting his mage wings and lifting himself off the ground to set down next to Rayla gently. As his wings retracted, he looked over to her then out at what she was looking at. The moon was bright, not full as it was days ago, but not empty either.

He didn't push her, so they just sat watching the moon light glistening over the treetops. He would let her speak first.

"When my parents left to join the dragonguard, I couldn't understand how they could leave me behind." He heard her sniffle and looked over to see dry tears staining her cheeks. "I was so angry at them. Runnan and Ethari told me that did it because they love me. That they left to protect me, but I couldn't understand because it hurt when they left. So how could that be love?"

She glanced up into his eyes with tears threatening to spill over. "And then I met you and I fell in love with you, and I had to make the same choice. Stay with you and risk danger comin' to you or leave to protect you from that danger." Not being able to look at him anymore she looks down at her hands. "I thought I understood why they left and why I had to leave you. But seeing you hurt this way, I don't know anymore."

Callum's heart hurt seeing her hurt. He wasn't quite sure what to say so he placed his hand over hers instead. "I'm so sorry Callum." Tears started freely falling landing on his hand so he wrapped his arm around her so she could cry into his shoulder. This lasted a moment when he pulled away.

"It did hurt. I don't think it ever stopped hurting. Like you said, a piece of my heart was missing because it was with you. And I didn't know where you were or if you were okay or even alive." His hands slid down her arms to hold her hands in his as he looked down at them. "But even though it hurt I understood what you were trying to do. You were trying to protect me; I just wish you'd let me also protect you."

He felt her eyes on her and looked up to meet them. "When you came back, I was so happy but also so angry. All I've wanted is for things to be like they were before, but they can't be because you left, and that hasn't changed." He took a deep breath. "But what has changed is that you came back." Seeing a tear flow down her cheek at his words he used his hand to wipe it away. "And that's… good." He offered her a small smile and she gave one in return.

They sat next to each other in silence for a while with one hand holding the other. She was looking out to the moon. Goodness she was beautiful with the moonlight shining on her.

"Callum, what Aaravos said, about you almost usin' dark magic… is that true?" She was looking at him now and it was his turn to look away, moving his hands with him.

"I…" He sighed feeling the guilt wash over him. "Yes." He fiddled with the end of his coat as he worked up to confessing the darkest moment of the past two years. He hadn't told anyone what almost happened, not even Ezran. "It was the next full moon, after you left. I had been going through some of Viren's things when I came across a notebook with all his knowledge about dark magic. I was curious so I read it.

I came across a spell that would enchant a crystal so that whoever you tethered it to you would be able to see their heartbeat glow. Know if they were alive at any given moment. Viren had all the ingredients so I wouldn't even have to kill anything that wasn't already gone. Just like that I could see if you were still alive."

Tears were rolling down his cheek at the painful memory, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. "But I knew I couldn't do it, not even to make sure you were okay. I threw his book into the fireplace so I wouldn't be tempted again."

A silence followed. "It's too late for me though, I've already done dark magic now Aaravos can treat me like his puppet. I had to watch as I, he said those things to you. I don't want to feel like that ever again." Two hands grabbed his shoulders and gently turned them to face her.

"We will find a way to stop Aaravos from hurtin' you, from hurtin' anyone." She cauciously lifted her hand to his cheek to gently lift his eyes to meet hers. "We'll do it together. Aaravos tried to scare me away because we are stronger together and he knows it. I won't do that, not again." At her words his arms tackled her into a hug almost knocking them both out of the tree. He felt her chuckle and wrap her arms around him too.

They stayed like that until they both fell asleep leaning on each other, hands held until the sun came up. There was still so much to be said and done, for them to get back to somewhere like they were before. But right now, they are together and that makes them stronger.

That is until Soren knocked them both out of the tree.