Yuugi...Yuugi...wake up, Yuugi...
...Yu...
...Answer me, Yuugi...please...alive...ple...
Please...
...please be alive...an...me...please answer me Yuugi!
The difficulty in making his mind conscious again was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing, or why, or where he even was. More than that...what was he? A thing? A being? Something was trying to communicate with him. He was mostly sure of this.
His mind suddenly became aware of his appendages. He had eyelids. He should be able to see. What was happening around him?
Yuugi, answer me! Yuugi... Yuugi... "Answer me!"
His eyes flew open and he sucked in a deep, sharp breath. His breaths were jagged and forced, his limbs feeling strange...cold...they felt like lead. Wet ruby eyes were looking down at him, the face contorted in pain and fear.
"Yuugi, thank goddess. Yuugi..."
He tried to turn his head and make eye contact, but from the thought to the muscles something went wrong, and nothing happened.
"Yuugi, speak to me. Tell me something. Are you all right?"
That voice was so sad. It made him want to weep.
His voice. Answer. That's what he needed to do. "Ah...a...ack-ugh!" He gasped and started to choke, coughing on his own air somehow. His chest shook with the violent cough. The one holding him held him closer. He knew this person from somewhere. From how long ago...? Those bright, beautifully endless scarlet eyes. "A...te..mu?"
"Yuugi, are you all right? How do you feel?"
There were people around him. He couldn't make out their faces very well. His vision couldn't focus on too many things at a time. "Wha...what happened?"
Atemu buried his hand in Yuugi's hair, looking down at him in sorrowful...disbelief? He looked somewhere behind Yuugi's head. "You don't remember?"
He didn't answer. It hurt so very much to speak, a hundred pounds of weight feeling like it was pushing down on his chest.
"The Necromancer, Yuugi. You destroyed him."
"I...killed..him?"
"No, you destroyed him. There's nothing left." Atemu lifted him up further and, cradling his head, turned it enough so he could see the area behind him. Red and black scorched the once white earth, a pile of bones and ash resting in the center.
His mind didn't register any of it. "I hurt," he wheezed.
"Yes, I'm sure you do."
The Prince stood, keeping Yuugi in his arms. His body was completely limp, seemingly devoid of any life. "Ca...can't...move..."
"Don't worry love...everything..." The world started to fade away. Everything will be all right...
All right...
xxx
The first thing he noticed when he awoke next was a bright white light shining in his face. He took in cleansing breaths, moving his head from side to side. At least his muscles were working again. He noticed there were a few people in the room, none of them he recognized. Healers? "Uugh..." he groaned. Good god, he felt like crap.
"He's waking..."
"Someone get the Prince."
"Will he be all right?"
"Who should talk to him?"
The Healers were all talking at once. There was a whole heard of them in his room. Five...six...no, ten. Ten of them were in there. Why all the fuss? "What's going on?" He asked. "Why are there so many people in here?" No one answered him right away. They all seemed to give him way glances, keeping a very cautious distance. His eyes looked around wildly, a feeling of hurt and worry forming in his chest. Why did they look afraid of him? "What's wrong?"
The door burst open and Atemu rushed in, pushing past the non-responsive Healers and landing at Yuugi's bedside, holding his hand. His eyes were tired and bloodshot, his cheeks stained with a little red.
"Atemu, have you been crying?"
The Prince ran his hands all over Yuugi's face, leaving no area untouched. "How do you feel, Yuugi? Does anything hurt?"
"Never mind that! What's going on? Why are there so many people in here? What happened? Why have you been crying?"
Atemu shook his head, unable to make eye contact for the first time. "Everybody out."
"Sire," a bolder Healers said, "really, that's probably not a good idea. We-"
"Everybody out!" He shouted, his voice beginning to crack.
Without further comment, all ten Healers shuffled out of the room, closing the door behind them with a soft click.
"Atemu, answer me," Yuugi pleaded. His muscles felt like jello, but he really didn't care. He needed answers.
Those wet crimson eyes looked at him, a sadness deeper than he'd ever seen resting in their depths. "You really don't remember?"
"Remember what?" Yuugi stressed.
"The Necromancer, Yuugi. You destroyed him. There's nothing but a pile of ash and bone shards left."
He was silent for a moment, digesting this information. "Why don't I remember this?"
"Because you experienced what we call a 'Berserker Rage.' Legendary fighters usually experienced these. It's a state where you acquire impossibly powerful strength, ravaging your enemy, and have no memory of it afterwards." Atemu continued to run his thumbs over Yuugi's hand like it was a worry stone.
"But I've never done that before. I don't understand..."
"No, you don't have it by nature. It was sparked by need and pure instinct. You saved everybody."
Yuugi shook his head. "But why is everyone afraid of me? Why have you been crying? Why did my body just...give out?"
The Prince sighed, his shoulders sagging more than ever. "The power that was required to destroy the Necromancer was...extraordinary. Not only did you destroy him and all of his shields and powers in less than a heartbeat, but you also destroyed part of the skyway that you were in. That skyway was charmed to be unbreakable and impenetrable. Even if the stone wore away, you would have been left standing on the shields, and not even feel a temperature difference. Yuugi, not even I could have destroyed it that quickly."
Yuugi shook his head, still confused. "And...the fear?"
"The people are afraid of what you can do. If you become angry at them, they fear you could do something terrible. They don't understand. They are in awe of you, for you are something they'd only dreamed ever existed, and now you have given them solid proof of what you're capable of."
Yuugi looked at his bedside, his stomach dropping to his knees. "My wings..." They were out, and very visible.
"Everyone saw them."
Suddenly, his little bubble of security in this world started to crumble. People were afraid of him. He didn't want them to run away in fear. "What about your crying?"
"I realized that I'm going to lose you."
"No!" Yuugi cried, squeezing the hand holding his. "You won't! I'm not going anywhere. I love you!"
The Prince gave a bitter laugh. "No, not now. But soon. There is something called The Book of Prophecies. So far, every one in the book has come to pass. The next one talks about the last of a race becoming apart of Sekesha's royal house. It will become Her greatest treasure and asset, and with its own life will save us all." He bowed his head, his shoulders shaking. "You've proven you are an Assai, no matter where you came from. Only the Assai had powers such as yours, even with so little training. They were the only rivals in power with the Royalties. And what's more--Assai always have two Gifts, and usually those that are in direct conflict with one another."
"My Gifts. Shadows and Light."
"Yes."
He pondered this for a moment. "No wonder everyone's terrified of me. I'm a myth brought to life before their very eyes."
"That's also how the Assai died out. People fear what they don't understand, and they both feared and were in awe of the Assai. Imagine, a race of people that were so powerful, a child just introduced to their powers could conquer the greatest sorcerer or mage that ever lived. They, and you included, existed on a slightly different plane than common folk. Just like unicorns can seemingly vanish into another plane and appear at the opposite end of a forest, so too do you exist in that manner, and are more apt to heal and recover than others. There are divine energies pulsing through you, and that makes others jealous."
Yugi looked up at the Prince, curious. "But what about you? You've got wings, doesn't the same apply to you?"
Atemu gave him a weak smile. "I'm not an Assai, Yuugi. I exist on this plane alone. I have one Gift. I may have divine blood from the Moon Goddess Herself, but I'm still mortal. Sacrifices offer great power, Yuugi. If I offered my life for something, a lot would happen, but only on this plane. If you offered your life for something, you could destroy a god."
Yuugi's mind went momentarily numb. "I...no. I don't want this. It's not fair." His spirits crumbled even more. "I never asked for this. Life isn't fair."
"It rarely is."
"What about my body? Why couldn't I move? What's wrong with my muscles?"
Atemu sighed once again. "Your body was not accustomed to the energies that you used. You basically fried all of your nerves, and your energy was spent. All of those Healers have been working on giving you energy for a few days now. If you over exert yourself right now, you could relapse, and ruin all of the progress that's been made so far."
"Hm." He yawned, his ever present exhaustion becoming more prevalent.
"Get some sleep, love. This time, you really need it."
xxx
Atemu sighed hard, holding his head in his hands. He was sitting in the hallway outside of Yuugi's room. He was still having a hard time looking upon the prone sleeping form, even though he'd had a chance to talk to him. Besides, he reasoned with himself that he'd let Yuugi get some sleep.
Boots thumping against the floor echoed down the hall, growing louder as it drew closer. Atemu didn't look up as another body joined him on the bench, dropping down without reservation. "How is he?"
The Prince didn't move to take notice of his Cavalry Captain. "Sleeping. The Healers say he'll be okay."
"We found this."
Something jingled in front of his face. He lifted his head, looking at the pendant that Jono was dangling before him.
"It was in the pile of ashes that was left of the Necromancer."
He grabbed the jewelry, looking at it closely. "Brass. Poorly crafted. The inscriptions are written in Wrarrl, the native language of Questchal." He turned the pendant over, looking at the back. There were more inscriptions. "The man's name was 'Eunelock Locklhier.'" He sighed. "Our old enemy is active again."
Jono nodded. "I'm afraid so."
Atemu dropped his hand down, feeling more tired than he could ever remember.
"You should get some sleep, Sire. You look half dead."
"I've tried. I can't get to sleep. Every time I turn over, he's not there. When I do get to sleep, I have nightmares."
Jono shook his head. "We grew up together. As a friend, I wish I could give you some advice, but truth-be-told, I don't have the faintest idea what you're going through. Pray to your ancestors. Maybe they can help."
He took a cleansing breath, but it did little to ease the pain in his heart. "It looks like that's my only option left. I don't want to lose him but...I appear to have no choice."
"You mean the prophecy?"
The Prince nodded. "Yes. If Queschtal is striking war, it means their god is angry again. The Goddesses have been meaning to eradicate his existence for a few millennia. It appears they have found the vehicle to carry out their will." Atemu handed the pedant back to Jono, who pocketed it again.
"He'll save us all," the Captain observed.
"I know."
xxx