The Above

-Sixteen-

"Well," Wren grunted, Perses' heavy wing in her hands, "I have both good news and bad news. He'll be okay—the wound isn't severe. However, the arrow did hit some of the major nerves in his wing, so unless some form of healing magic can help him, he may never fly the same." I cringed at her final sentence and the thought of healing. I used to have the capacity to do such a thing, but not now, it seemed.

We had made it back to the camp safely after ransacking the shelves in the Queen's observatory in order to find more about The Above. We had failed to gain any proper knowledge from our escapade and eventually, we decided to take our leave. By the time we got to him, Perses was hardly conscious, and we had to practically drag him back to the camp using a map we discovered.

Now he lay on the ground, his giant chest heaving with tired breaths. Wren was able to channel some of the pain from the animal to herself to keep the beast awake. She masked the hurt well, but you could still see her shoulder twitch or a grimace cross her face. When asked about it, she just brushed it off, saying that Perses was going through worse.

"The only person I can think of is Kaseko. She could heal him, though it might take time. He's rather... large," Atlaster said, eyes scanning the sizable body of the dragon.

"Ah, that one girl from the Haven, right?" Wren questioned, and the water user nodded. "Are you thinking of returning?"

"Maybe," he sighed. I looked at the bloke, would he still want me to go with him, after all the destruction I've caused? It was probably for the best that he returned. It wasn't his duty to look after me or ensure that I was well. "There's a few people I miss, and I don't want Kaseko singlehandedly overlooking that great of a position."

"You aren't going to leave your girl, right?" Wren questioned, quirking her eyebrow and gesturing towards me. I flushed red, nails dragging up and down my arm as I feared for the worst. He put his hand over mine to stop me from drawing blood. I gazed up at him with a smile and a nod, assuring him that I would be fine if he left. He didn't need to know how I truly felt.

"Firstly, don't make her uncomfortable," he said, turning to the protector, "And secondly, that's up to her. I want you to come with me, but I can't make you." He spoke to me gently, like I would shatter if his words were too harsh. Even still, it was likely a good move. I was unstable at the moment, considering what happened, and being left alone didn't seem like the best option.

"I'll go then." I smiled at him and he beamed back. And yet, I still didn't feel happy. I had gotten what I wanted, and he had seemed to want me. But I was scared. Scared of destruction, scared of what I could do, scared of who I would become. Would I only ruin things for him? For Katoka, for Kaseko—for everyone? And after Nearyx...

"Then it's settled!" Atlaster exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "We'll stay here a little longer and then return." He seemed excited, and I should've felt the same. I didn't, and Wren seemed to take notice. She shot me a concerned look and I mustered up a small grin in return.

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed, "I'll get you all ready to go back. Eralyn, would you like to join me quickly?" Their eyes turned to me, light gazes feeling like sharp glares. I didn't have the courage to say no, to tell her that I wanted to hide away, to scrape off the skin on my arm and remove the brand that labeled me, to curl up beside someone and cry away my worries. Currently, none of those options sounded possible, so I gathered what little was left of my rationality and agreed.

"Yeah, of course." My voice wavered as I spoke, betraying my feelings. I ignored the way Atlaster looked at me and walked off with Wren. She led me through the camp, weaving between clusters of people and small huts. We ultimately came to a house hidden in the back and covered in vines.