They make him wait a couple of days. Cole now understands why Lloyd didn't want him to know. The waiting is excruciating.
Physically, he improves quickly. Each time he wakes feeling slightly more alert, more present. He starts eating again and the GI tube comes out. He gets out of the bed, walking back and forth between the bathroom and the makeshift 'hospital' room. There was nothing about his injuries that prevented him from walking, the transition in and out of bed was actually harder than the walking itself, rib complaining from the movement, and useless arm unable to help. Now that he was moving about more, they had it in a sling, tied tight across his chest. He was still a bit weak from all the bedrest, still needed far more sleep than he thought humanly possible. His head still ached at times, but was improving despite his lowered medications.
One or more of the team continues to stay with him at all times. No one mentions Yang, the giant elephant in the room. They try to fill the silence with conversation, memories of them together. More talk of the past than of the future. Cole sees it for what it is.
Goodbyes.
In case he doesn't make it.
He wonders if he should update the tapes, but decides that not much had changed since then. At least not much about how he felt about everyone.
He despised sleep. Which was a bit of a problem given how much he currently needed. Yang was there. In his head. Haunting his dreams.
Cole hadn't spoken to him since, doing his best to pretend he was a statue. Yang to his credit, stayed out of the way, silently sitting in his corner. It didn't make sense, but Cole didn't look for answers. He didn't want to find any. A light despair rested over his mind, probably from Yang. Knowing he was on death row.
Zane is changing Cole's dressings, at least the ones that remain, getting him ready for the big event. Cole didn't know all the details of what was going to happen (at his request), but apparently it involved him being submerged in water, so Zane was taking great care in carefully cleaning and prepping each wound so the waterproof bandages would stick. Most of them were recovered enough to not need covering anymore, but the burn running down his neck, and his arm were still problematic.
Zane had dealt with the neck one first, and was now unwrapping his arm. Cole winces as Zane moves it, still incredibly tender. At least 10 stitches run along the remarkably straight line. Apparently one of the Yin blade's three main tips had embedded itself deep within the muscle.
Zane frowns as he examines the wound, pressing a gloved finger gently on the middle. Cole sighs at the cool touch of his metal hand. "Hmmm. It is warm. And a bit redder than it was before."
"That's bad right?"
"Yes. Can you wiggle your fingers for me?" Cole does his best to comply as Zane takes his hand, measuring the pressure exerted by each digit. It hurts, why does it still hurt so much? "This finger, can you try again?" Zane points to Cole's pointer finger, and he tries, he really does, but it barely moves at all.
Cole's stomach drops. "Even I know that's bad… You're not going to suggest we delay?"
Zane shakes his head. "No. If anything, this is a reason to expedite."
Cole doesn't follow the logic, but isn't about to argue.
"You need proper scans, and possibly surgery, we can't do that here."
Cole sighs. Great. Something to look forward to, although it might not matter if this goes poorly… "Do you still have those tapes?" asks Cole softly, as Zane starts irrigating the wound.
Zane pauses for a second before continuing. "Do not think of such things." Cole sighs again. "But yes. I know where they are."
Zane spends a decent amount of time cleaning the wound, bandaging it back up, and then applies the waterproof dressing, which in this case is a large plastic bag taped to his upper arm.
"I hope I don't need to be touching the water for this to work…"
Before too long Cole is dressed in his gi, and out the front of the temple with the whole team. He is greeted with nervous smiles as the vengestone cuff is removed, and Nya guides him down into the pond. Her job was to stay with him and make sure he didn't drown. He was grateful to have someone with him, he was nervous, and if he was being honest, scared. He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to be lost in the darkness.
The water is cool as he wades in, and Nya helps him to lie down, keeping only his head above water. Lloyd paces nervously on the bridge, book in hand, going over it all one last time. The bandages on his head are finally gone, but Cole's eyes stick to the patch of shorter hair, and jagged line hidden within.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" Asks Cole from his puddle.
Lloyd snaps the book shut, turning to Cole. "Yes, this will work." Cole hears the doubt in his voice but chooses to ignore it. They could all use a bit of positive thinking.
Lloyd clears his throat. "As we have all seen, interrupting these types of things can be, um, bad." Lloyd can't help but glance at Kai. "So once we start, there's no stopping. We need to see it through to the end. No matter what."
Cole nods. "No matter what. Finish it. I'll be fine. I always am. I survived an explosion, so I can survive," Cole gestures aimlessly with his good hand, "whatever this is."
"It's probably going to hurt." Lloyd's face is glum as he looks to Cole, seeking his approval to continue.
Cole sighs. "I know. It's fine, just get it over with already."
Lloyd nods, and Cole briefly thinks, damn, those are some terrible last words. He starts trying to think up some better ones, but misses his opportunity when Lloyd asks, "Is everyone ready?" Lloyd looks around to each of the team members who nod in turn. Cole looks around too and sees a number of lanterns which Kai begins to light. Jay is holding some remnants of the Yin blade. Zane is holding a medical kit, love the confidence Zane… and Lloyd towers over him, standing on the bridge with the spell book.
"Cole, are you ready?" Asks Lloyd. For a moment he sounds like Wu. Confident, calm, wise. There's something in the way he holds himself. He's wearing his father's robes, why didn't Cole notice that before? He hadn't worn them since stix…
"Yes." Cole nods. Some equally uninspiring last words… guess I better hope they're not my last.
Lloyd opens the book again and starts chanting, holding a hand out above Cole. Cole lies back in the water looking up at the moon, starting to wane, not completely full anymore. He feels Nya's hands underneath him, keeping him steady as he floats. This isn't so bad. A light pressure starts to build in his skull, but maybe Lloyd was exaggerating the whole pain thing?
The pressure quickly passes the point of discomfort. Ok, maybe not… Cole feels his heart rate start to climb, nervous panic coiling inside him.
"Breathe Cole." Nya's soothing voice beside him. Cole gasps, realising his lungs were indeed empty. The pressure transforms into a pounding, centered right on his scar. Something touches it and he cries out in pain, back arching as he closes his eyes.
Nya's hands vanish and he's floating, untethered, alone.
Cole opens his eyes once more, not wanting to be in the dark. He's no longer in the pond, feet crouching on damaged floorboards, the dressing on his arm is gone, and he flexes both hands with ease. Above him is a sight which takes his breath away. The roof of the dream temple is gone. Ripped away by a dark vortex in the sky above. Oranges, pinks and blacks rage through the sky and spiral together into the vortex. Cole watches as a piece of wall snaps off and tumbles up into the heavens.
Yang stands before him, arms outstretched, welcoming his fate. Cole wonders if he should say something, if there was anything he wanted to say.
"Any last words?"
Yang drops his hands and whips around to look at Cole. "You shouldn't be here."
Cole blinks in surprise. "What do you mean I shouldn't be here, it's my head! You're the one who shouldn't be here!"
"No, not your head, here!" Yang gestures to the vortex. "Near that, wake up, go somewhere else, if you stay here it will take you too."
"Why do you care?"
"Because I want my last act on this realm to mean something."
Cole shakes his head. "No. You're evil. You tricked me, you hurt Lloyd, I don't trust you!"
Yang's feet lift up off the floor and he starts to drift towards the vortex. "Goodbye Cole. I'm sorry. Save yourself."
Rage coils inside Cole. "No! You don't get to do that! It doesn't fix anything, you're still just a piece of- ugh!" Cole's thought is interrupted when he stumbles forwards, pain bursting from his skull. A chain protrudes from his scar, and trails up into the sky where it is latched onto Yang's wrist. Cole continues to slide forwards, so he grabs onto what remains of the wall, which successfully stops his movement. There is another burst of pain as the chain becomes taught, tugging on his head.
"Cole! You need to let go!" Yang is stuck floating, the pull of the vortex balanced by the pull from Cole's chain.
"Um, no thank you!" The wall was the only thing keeping him grounded.
"Not of the wall, of me!"
Cole scoffs. "You think I'm doing this on purpose? I'm cursed, you cursed me!"
"No! This chain is your own doing. You wanted to save me, you wanted to bring me with you, so you did."
"You're wrong! I didn't say any spell!"
"You said it with your heart. It was pure, and kind, but you need to let it go!"
The pressure on his head increases, pain building. Cole doesn't dare lift a hand from the wall, activating his lava arms in order to get a better grip.
"I don't know how!" he admits. "Can't you just break it on your end?"
The chain rattles, and Cole regrets the suggestion, pain reverberating through his skull. "No. It has to be you. Just stop caring about what happens to me!"
Cole laughs. "Dude, seriously? I stopped caring as soon as you hit Lloyd."
"Liar."
"Shut up! What would you know!"
The chain rattles, Cole stifles a pained yelp, then looks to see Yang pulling himself closer. Cole groans. "See, you're just using me to save yourself! Again!"
"Shut up, and let me think!"
Yang is getting uncomfortably close, hovering a foot away from Cole, staring at his scar, at his eyes. Looking for something? A floorboard wizzes past, tumbling up into the vortex.
"What are you doing?! I can't hold this forever!"
"I might have this backwards…" mutters Yang.
"What?" The wall creaks, Cole knows he can't hold on for much longer. This place isn't going to last.
"We need to finish what you started. Thank you Cole. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for freeing me from the curse of the temple, for allowing my spirit to move on. Your task is complete. You can let go."
A calm acceptance pulses through Cole's mind. It was coming from Yang, it had to be. As much as Cole wants to fight the foreign emotion, something loosens inside him. "I saved you?" he croaks. It didn't make sense, but it was so hard to focus between the chain pulling on his head, and trying desperately to keep hold of the wall, powers flickering, threatening to go out.
"Yes. You saved me. I lived a good life, and you helped me find my way to the end."
A tear falls down Cole's face as the pressure in his head vanishes. He feels light, dazed at the sudden release. He realises too late that his grip on the wall had loosened, feet rising off the floor. Two strong hands grip his shoulders.
"Now wake up!" Yang commands as he pushes Cole towards what remains of the doorframe.