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 Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:00 am
Takes place on Sessrumnir the evening of January 30th after: First Strike
What he remembered were just fragments, layered over one another without any order:
The room shaking so violently he was certain the ceiling would finally give…
Stone cracking…
Dust filling the air until it burned to breathe…
The awful realization that after everything — after stopping Cahir, after the light, after the miracle of whatever they managed to pull off — they were still going to die buried underground…
That thought made him furious.
Not afraid. Furious.
Because even then — even then — he hadn’t been able to save them.
That was the last clear thing before the world tilted and everything went dark.
Consciousness returned slowly. Not all at once, but in pieces. Heat came first, but not the sharp, electric heat of the battle, but a wet, clinging warmth that pressed from all sides. Humidity soaked into his skin and bones. The air smelled like minerals, but clean… beneath the faint metallic taste of old blood.
Sessrumnir.
The recognition settled before he even opened his eyes.
Pain followed close behind. Deep and aching across his chest and abdomen. A tight, insistent throb in his shoulder and down his arm where blades had torn through him. It wasn’t the blinding agony from before, but it was impossible to ignore.
His fingers twitched. Something beneath him shifted — fabric, not stone. A bed or cot of some kind. Not entirely comfortable, but more merciful than concrete. Nearby, he could hear the quiet trickle of water into a pool, feeding narrow streams that ran through the floor of the small chamber.
He didn’t open his eyes yet. Instead, he listened.
Low voices carried in the air around him. Close and familiar in cadence if not in words. The sound of movement followed. Fabric rustling, hands working with practiced care, the muted sound of tools being set down and picked up again. It was oddly grounding, like something done many times before. Not rushed, not panicked, just… focused.
Reims tried to breathe a little deeper and immediately regretted it. A sharp pull shot through his chest, and a quiet, involuntary sound slipped past his teeth before he could stop it.
The activity near him stilled.
Someone shifted closer. Not abrupt or rough. Just there. Warm, solid. A hand hovered briefly, then settled with careful pressure at his shoulder, keeping him anchored without demand.
His brow furrowed faintly. His lashes fluttered as he fought the rest of the way back to himself. Not fully awake yet, but awake enough to know he wasn’t buried in that room where the plants had been. Or where the sharp gaze of Cahir could cut through like his blade. Awake to know he wasn’t alone.
Somewhere in the room — off to one side, quiet as ever — there was another presence. A familiar weight in the air, gentle and musical even while resting. He didn’t look yet, but he knew who was there, keeping quiet watch the way he always did.
Reims swallowed, throat dry. His body felt heavy and held together by magic, and careful tending that came with experience. And despite all the pain, the exhaustion, the lingering echo of terror, there was one fragile truth that settled in his chest — they made it out.
He just needed a moment longer before he trusted himself to open his eyes.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:07 am
Dering’s uniform, and lute, were clean and in good condition, so he’d obviously powered down and back up at some point. There was plenty of space that he didn’t need to compact himself, but it just came naturally to him. His robes were gathered around himself, tucked close and out of the way. Even his lute was tucked so close to him that it seemed smaller in size. He was tired, from the battle, from running around to help afterwards, from everything. He stayed nearby out of habit, like he always did back home–gravitating in someone else’s orbital field, but far enough away not to be a bother. He didn’t want to be alone, but he didn’t want to crowd them, either.
So he watched, and listened, when his attention allowed. More than once, his thoughts had wandered far away, and he’d found himself abruptly pulled back to the present when someone called his name. He didn’t have much to say, aside from a few quick assurances. A little smile lingered, engraved on his face even when it didn’t meet his eyes.
He’d done his rounds earlier, checked in with everyone he could. Now, he was just resting, and waiting to go home.
Malus sat closest to Reims, smoothing his hair in gentle, steady strokes. He was talking with Michel in quiet voices, so as not to disturb him while he rested. Inevitably, the conversation turned into some sort of bickering, but they were too hushed to make out much details. Dering had glanced over again, like he was trying to decide if he should find some way to intervene, or if he should just stay quiet and let them work it out.
Or, maybe he’d just been aware of how Reims’s breathing had changed, and how he moved just a bit differently as he roused.
Michel watched Reims closely, and whatever conversation he’d been having with Malus faded into silence, until Malus broke it by saying, “Reims!” Excited, but gentle. Worried and relieved, all at once.
“We’re at Sessrumnir,” Malus explained, soft and slow to make sure Reims had time to process.
“Everyone’s here,” Michel added, and Malus chimed in, “Everyone’s here. And okay. Healing, at least. Or getting healed. We’re all taking it easy. So just–you take it easy, too. Please. You did good, you all did. So you can rest now. You’re safe.”
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:16 am
Reims let the words wash over him before he trusted himself to react to them.
Sessrumnir. Everyone here. Safe.
His jaw tightened, more reflex than anything, and after a moment he finally cracked one eye open. The light was dim and warm. Malus was right where he’d felt him, close enough that Reims could still feel the faint combing of fingers through his hair. Michel was there too — standing, watching, unmistakably watching — and that alone was enough to make Reims straighten a fraction on instinct.
“Mm,” he managed, voice rough but he was reasonably alert. “Yeah. I figured.” He was starting to get used to dealing with swimming through the air of the springs whenever he, and his friends, were hurt. Not that he was complaining.
He swallowed, throat dry, and shifted his shoulders like he was testing the limits of his body and not just figuring out what pieces were still attached. The movement pulled a sharp hiss from between his teeth, but he quickly pressed his lips together, forcing his expression into something closer to unimpressed than pained.
“Everyone’s okay?” he asked, glancing briefly between his parents before drifting, just a little, to the corner of the room. His eyes landed on Dering, lingering there for a second longer than necessary. The tension in his chest eased, just a little. “Good.”
He drew in a careful breath, then another, and braced one hand against the edge of the cot. Slowly, stubbornly, he tried to sit up. Not fast — he wasn’t that stupid — but deliberately, like this was something he’d already decided he was going to do and the rest of the world would just have to accept that.
“Hey— I’m fine,” he muttered automatically, whether the words were meant for Malus’s fussing or Michel’s look, it was hard to say. “Just… sore.”
He paused, brow furrowing as the memory of what they’d experienced surfaced. The feeling of warmth. The impossible weight of it.
“That thing we did,” he added quietly, eyes unfocused for a moment. “The magic. It wasn’t just one of us, was it?” He glanced back over to Dering, something almost sheepish crossing his expression before he smoothed it away again. “Felt like the whole room… like everything just… merged together with what we had left.”
Then, more practically, he looked back to Michel.
“Cahir’s gone,” he said, not quite a question, but close enough. “Like— gone gone. Not just… disappeared.”
His fingers curled lightly into the bedding as he waited for the answer, sitting stubbornly upright, chin just slightly lifted higher than necessary. He looked exhausted, bruised, and held together by magic, willpower, and pride. But he was awake. And very clearly not finished.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:17 am
When Reims’s eyes found Dering’s, he offered a more intentional smile, and raised one hand to wave slightly. He looked away, like looking for too long was some violation of Reims’s time with Michel and Malus, and busied himself fussing over his sleeve until he’d smoothed it flat on his arm.
Michel side-eyed Reims when he straightened, raising a brow at the sudden tension Reims adopted. “Don’t do that,” he chastised. “He just told you to rest, can you at least try? Jesus, always Mr. Tough Guy with you,” he muttered.
Malus shot him a look. “Stop it, let him sit up. He’s resting,” he protested, and then looked at Reims pleadingly. “Please. ‘Fine’ or not, please just take it easy. You guys went through a lot. That ‘thing you did’ took a lot out of you, I don’t want you to pass out. I mean, you can, if you want to, but I’d rather you, you know–”
He made a helpless noise. “Well, you know.”
“He knows,” Michel said, watching Reims. “Which is why he is definitely going to take it easy and try to relax.” It sounded like more than a suggestion. “Cahir’s not going to be a problem. I don’t know if he’s dead or not, but we were able to pull some video. He’s not going to be bothering you for a while. If ever.”
Michel shrugged, obviously unhappy that there wasn’t a corpse to confirm this, but they’d weighed the possibilities and all came to the same conclusion. “That ‘thing’ you guys did really messed him up. Him and everything he was working on. We ran some scans on the room before coming up here. On you guys, too. That s**t they were tracking you by is gone. Not a trace of it on you, or anywhere. Even if Cahir’s in any condition to be starting s**t, he won’t be able to find you again. There’s no way to track you.”
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:17 am
Reims let out a slow breath, jaw tightening as Michel spoke. It wasn’t angry or defensive, just… bracing. Being judged by someone whom he wanted desperately to please was always difficult.
“I am taking it easy,” he mumbled automatically, which was probably proof enough that Michel was right. He didn’t quite look at him when he said it, instead glancing to Malus’s hand. After a moment, he reached out to lace his fingers through Malus’s, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. A quiet promise.
“I mean it,” he added, softer. “I’ll… I’ll listen. I know when to stop.”
That was only mostly true, but he wanted Michel to hear it anyway.
At the mention of the scans and the tracking being gone, something in Reims’s shoulders seemed to ease. “That’s good,” he said. He glanced briefly towards the ceiling, as if Cahir might still be lurking somewhere above the steam and stone. “I don’t like that he’s still breathing… but if he can’t get to anyone again, then I’ll take that trade.”
He glanced back to Dering again, this time not looking away.
“You okay?” he asked, voice rough but earnest. “Have you seen the others yet? Everyone… holding together?” He paused a moment, then Reims leaned back a little, conceding just enough to placate the universe… and Michel.
“I’m not getting up,” he muttered, a faint pink coloring his ears. “See? I’m taking it easy. I always take it easy.”
It was a terrible lie. Everyone in the room knew it. But his grip on Malus’s hand stayed firm, and his eyes stayed open. He wasn’t trying to run back into a fight, he just wanted to make sure the people he cared about were okay.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:17 am
Dering blinked at Reims, and then flashed a quick smile. He nodded, but didn't go into detail because Michel was immediately sighing, exasperated.
Malus, the same.
“Reims,” Malus bemoaned, pained by the very obvious lie. “I might have believed you–” no “–but you’re overselling it. You, take it easy? Everyone in this room knows you better than that.”
“Everyone outside of it, too,” Michel huffed, but placed a heavy hand on Reims’s shoulder. “Rest,” he insisted, with a seriousness that did not stem from nagging as much as it did from care.
“Please rest,” Malus corrected, but he was holding back, too.
“You’re still hurt,” Michel clarified. “They magicked you up, patched you up, but you’re not invincible. You’re still going to have to take it easy. And if you try to push too hard, you’ll make Malus cry.”
“Hey,” Malus said, giving him a stern look. Worry replaced it quickly as soon as his attention returned to Reims.
Michel only shrugged. “You’re supposed to be setting a good example for your friends, aren’t you? You said you know when to stop, yeah?” He gestured vaguely, as if Reims himself had proved his point. “So stop. Your friends are here, you can check on them soon. I’d rather they come over here, though. How are you feeling? Really feeling, don’t tell me ‘fine’.”
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:17 am
Reims huffed softly through his nose, halfway between a scoff and sulking. His ears burned, heat creeping up despite himself, and he stared very intently at a spot on the far wall like it was personally offending him.
He didn’t respond immediately. Part of him wanted to push back — to insist he was fine, to deflect — but his body chose that moment to remind him exactly how bad an idea that would be. A sharp, piercing ache flared across his chest and down his side when he shifted even slightly.
His jaw clenched.
“...Okay,” he said finally, quieter. Not in defeat, just with the intention of being honest.
“I hurt.” He swallowed, the admission clearly almost as painful. “A lot. Feels like if I move wrong I’m gonna… uh… split.” He lifted one shoulder a fraction, then winced and stopped, breathing shallow until it passed. “But I’ve been worse. And I know how much worse it could’ve been.”
His fingers tightened around Malus’s hand, helping ground himself before looking back up at Michel. He didn’t flinch away from the scrutiny this time.
“I’m not trying to prove anything,” he said, voice steady despite the flush still coloring his ears. “I just… there’s a lot to keep track of. And when I don’t, bad things happen.”
He glanced briefly toward Dering again.
“We didn’t do it alone,” he added softly. “Any of it. If Dering hadn’t had his shield up when things got bad. If the others didn’t have their summons. If—” Reims cut himself off because he knew he could go on for a while about each and every one of their friends. Instead, he took a breath and let it out slowly so as not to hurt himself in the process. “A lot of us wouldn’t be here if everyone didn’t pull their weight.”
He leaned back a little more into the cot this time, conceding another inch without being told. It clearly took effort.
“I’m not getting up,” he repeated, more sincerely now. “Not until I can do it without ruining what others have done to put me back together. You have my word.”
He paused, then added, quieter still, “I just want to know everyone’s okay. That’s all.”
He brushed his thumb over Malus’s knuckles in reassurance as much as it was a request to stay with him. His eyes were still open and alert, but no longer defiant.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:18 am
Dering flashed another fast smile when Reims looked his way, but he seemed distracted, maybe willfully so. He tugged his sleeves down again and twiddled his fingers, looking down at his hands. It didn’t stop him from listening, mostly..
“Having been worse does not exclude you from care,” Malus sighed, carding his fingers through Reims’s hair . “You’re not going to split. But you are hurt.
“You did get split,” Michel countered, but Malus smacked him in the chest and muttered a very distinct ‘shut up’.
“What he means is that you got a bad cut. So–yes, I know you hurt.” Malus squeezed Reims’s hand gently, and hovered despite his best efforts not to be too clingy. “And you’ve probably got a lot of adrenaline and stress sending confusing signals. So when we say ‘rest’, it’s because your body probably doesn’t even know what it’s going through right now. Am I making sense?”
Michel side eyed him, because he knew Evan was a D student in science. “You don’t have to keep track of things right now. Let us take some of the burden off your shoulders. Everyone’s getting looked after. I promise.” His eyes lifted, briefly seeking out Dering, but returned to Reims.
“Everyone’s okay,” Malus repeated. “I’d be in tears if someone wasn’t,” he said, gesturing to his face as if the lack of extremely puffy, red eyes was any indication.
His nose was pink. His cheeks, the same. His eyes, red, a little watery.
Malus knew how he looked, but as he was already gesturing to his face he said, “The plants were really bad in the route we took. Soleiyu already gave us a scan, I’m having an allergic reaction to it. Or, close enough.”
Even Michel’s nose was a little pink; he huffed in agreement.
“I did cry some,” Malus said, because unlike Reims, he knew there were some lies you didn’t even bother with. “The ‘leaky eyes’ kind. I wasn’t embarrassing.”
Michel raised his brows disbelievingly and made sure Reims saw the exaggerated expression.
Malus saw it too, and hit Michel’s arm again. “Stop it, it wasn’t bad, Reims. I promise. Can I get you anything? Hungry, thirsty…?”
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:18 am
Reims grimaced down at himself when he caught sight of the blood still staining his clothes. It bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Not the sight of it, but the evidence that he’d needed help. And that others might continue to think he needed help.
With a quiet exhale, he powered down.
The magic folded back into him like a held breath being released, the blood-soaked uniform dissolving into light before reforming clean and intact when he powered back up a second later. No stains. No torn fabric. Just the familiar weight of his coat, the fur around his neck from his cape, gloves, and hat. Presentable again. With everything contained.
He settled back against the cot with a faint hiss that he very deliberately pretended hadn’t happened, then glanced over at Dering again. The distance between them felt suddenly more obvious now that he was aware of it. There was nothing hostile about it, just… uncertainty.
Reims lifted his hat with two fingers in a lazy, almost theatrical salute.
“Hey,” he said, purposefully light.
Then, because he was apparently incapable of just letting Dering sit peacefully in the corner, he flicked his wrist and tossed the hat gently in Dering’s direction.
And immediately regretted it.
His shoulder flared in painful protest and his jaw locked as he sucked in a careful breath through his teeth, but opted to ride it out without comment.
He glanced over at Michel for just a second, a quick, silent exchange that said I know, don’t say it, before he looked back to Malus.
“Water,” he admitted. “Please.” Then he lowered his voice just a bit. “And—”
He hesitated. Just long enough that it was obvious he was choosing his words carefully.
“Can I get a hug?” he asked, quieter, almost sheepish. “I promise I won’t move.”
He glanced over to Dering then as well. “And… uh. Don’t disappear, okay?”
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:18 am
“Reims,” Malus fussed, radiating worry. Michel kept his thoughts to himself, but his expression very much said ‘I told you so’. He knew it would be difficult to pry Malus from Reims’s side, so he opted to get the requested water.
“Nobody’s going anywhere,” Michel said, patting Reims’s arm once before he went to grab a drink.
As soon as his back was turned, Malus leaned in to give Reims a hug. If there were no injuries to worry about, Malus would have picked him up to squeeze him tighter. As it was, the hug he gave was full of restraint, and relief, and love.
In the corner, Dering had already reached for Reims’s hat. He held it between both hands, while still balancing his lute between his knees.
Instinctively, he brushed his fingers across the fabric. It hadn’t gotten dirty, but he was thorough, anyway.
When it came to disappearing–
Well, he wasn’t planning on going anywhere. He held the hat in his lap, almost protectively, and occasionally glanced towards Reims just to make sure he was doing okay.
“I was worried about you,” Malus sighed, letting his temple rest against Reims’s. “Can I convince you to stay home from school for a day or two? The weekend might not be enough time to rest up.”
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:18 am
Reims exhaled slowly when Malus leaned in, the tension in his shoulders easing despite the way his body protested. He shifted just enough to wrap one arm carefully around Malus’s back.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, voice low and steady, rubbing small, grounding circles between Malus’s shoulder blades. He didn’t squeeze hard — couldn’t — but the intent was there.
When Michel came back with the water, Reims straightened just enough to take it with his free hand. He nodded, sincere. “Thanks.” He took a few careful sips, careful not to agitate his injuries.
At Malus’s question, he didn’t immediately deflect.
“...Yeah,” he said after a moment. His ears felt warm again, but he didn’t look away. “Okay, I’ll stay home.” There was no reluctance in the words, just honesty. “You’re probably right. A day or two. At least.”
Malus was probably right in that the weekend wouldn’t be enough.
He glanced back to the corner where Dering was sitting with his hat. The sight of it there — safe and not discarded — had something warm settling in his chest. Not that Dering was ever disrespectful to things, especially if they belonged to someone else, but it still felt oddly important to him that it was held so carefully.
“Hey,” Reims said again, softer now. “Thanks for… earlier. Your shield. And for just being there. A lot of us walked away with less injuries thanks to you. You can come over if you want. Or don’t. Just… stay where I can see you, okay?”
He leaned back again, carefully, allowing Malus to stay close.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Reims added, mostly for Malus, but loud enough for Michel and Dering to hear. He never expected to have a family after everything he’d been through, but the three near him now were closer to family than he could have ever asked for. More than he thought he deserved. He owed it to them to do his best.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:19 am
Dering rose carefully, hurriedly, with both his lute and Reims’s hat in hand. His movement was stiff, but it was impossible to tell if he was in pain or just awkward. Relocating was no great difficulty, and though he moved closer, he still kept out of the way. When he resettled on a nearer seat, it was in the exact same position he had been before.
He didn’t seem to know what to do with himself, so he sat quietly.
Where Reims could see him without straining himself.
Even when the hug broke, Malus slotted his fingers with Reims’s and held his hand. It wasn’t a full hug, but at least he didn’t have to worry about squeezing too tightly.
“Good,” Malus sighed. “That’ll give Soleiyu time to run the rest of his scans, too. Besides, you boys have been running around like crazy this month. I don’t want you to get sick.”
Again, really; Dering had gotten sick more times in the last few months than in the last decade.
Naturally, Dering nodded. They’d spoken a bit before Reims regained consciousness. Michel was still moving around the room; briefly, he put his hand atop Dering’s head as he passed by. Dering followed him with his eyes.
“We’ll head home soon,” Michel said. “I think everyone’s going to get together to figure out what comes next, but after that,” he shrugged.
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:19 am
Reims watched Dering move closer, feeling relief warm his chest. He didn’t say anything for the moment. Dering was there, close to him, and that was all he wanted for the moment.
He let his head rest back against the cot, eyes drifting shut for a moment as Malus’s fingers wove together with his. The contact was grounding and familiar. He squeezed back gently, a quiet reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Seeing Michel pause long enough to rest a hand on Dering’s head made something more complicated flicker across Reims’s expression. There was relief and gratitude, but also that old, persistent ache of wanting to be good enough. He didn’t say it out loud, but he knew Michel wouldn’t be gentle if he didn’t care. Reims knew that. He always had.
“I want to be around for the meeting,” Reims said after a moment, voice calmer now. “Figure out what comes next. But after that…” He let out a breath, slow and tired. “Yeah. Home sounds good.”
He shifted just enough to settle more comfortably, mindful of every twinge of pain, but not fighting it anymore. He glanced briefly between Malus, Michel, and Dering, grateful that they ended up being his family, against all odds.
Fin!
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