They were frozen as they first took step on to the shores of Edelstein, eyes wide like deer in the headlights. Phantom, without thinking, found himself wrapping his uninjured arm around Evan.
A grunt that sounded terrifyingly close to them.
Phantom wanted to say that it happened in slow motion, like in a movie, but that really wasn't the truth. It was an adrenaline rush, one moment he was blinking and hearing the sounds of the Rotters shuffling about, and the next, Evan was whimpering. Horrified, he clapped a hand over the boy's mouth, but it was too late.
It was deafeningly silent as the Rotters' attention turned towards them. And then, like animals, they pounced.
Freud lifted Evan up and they ran. Past the shore and into the streets of Edelstein, followed by growls and the sounds of hurried footsteps. Phantom and Freud didn't look back.
But then, with a snarl, a Rotter slammed itself into Freud. Evan tumbled from his arms onto the ground as Phantom cried out.
And this time, this time, he saw it happen in slow motion.
Phantom watched, cane gripped tightly in one hand as he made to attack. But he was too late, when the Rotter dug its crooked teeth into Evan, tore off a chunk of flesh.
"No!" Freud yelled, but Phantom heard it distantly, as if Freud was calling through water. Because he was lost in another time, another place. Where blond hair was matted with blood and blue eyes stared at him lifelessly.
"Aria, you know that I would give you the moon, if you would just ask."
"What fun is the moon, when I can have an incorrigible thief?"
"Aria."
"Aria..."
And he was losing ariaevanariaevanevanevanevan-
Numbly, Phantom let himself be dragged away by Freud, who was begging him to snap out of it because he couldn't lose one more person.
They ran, like cowards, and left behind a boy with dreams of being a hero. A boy clutching a dragon plushie. A boy stained with red.