Isaac snapped the neck of the black Goldfinch between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. The tiny bird, conjured from magic, burst into a swirling sandy cloud of inky black that evaporated in the moist air. The message it carried lost. Melfina was nothing if not persistent.
He let his hand fall slack at the wrist as he sighed, his arm propped up on his knee, and leaned his head back against the stone wall of the cave that provided refuge from the raging storm that swept the Coerthas plain. The beating drum of the rain echoed off the walls, ringing in his ears.
“Through darkness, destruction shines like a beacon. Death looms in its light.†He said absently as he pushed the sleeve up on his left arm, studying the dark tendrils of evil’s taint spreading from the underside of his forearm, wrapping around to his wrist and elbow like a meandering spiders web, trapping what was once his sanity, feeding.
“Evil holds no sway over madness.†The wound was beginning to fester, the taint growing with each day that drew destruction closer.
Eternal looked up from her musing, regarding Isaac with a cautionary expression. She knew to tread lightly when he was in one of his moods brought on, she knew as well, by the darkness that coursed through his veins. She drew her cloak tighter about her self in a vain attempt to stave off the cold of the storm.
“Isaac?†She said carefully in a low tone, the rain nearly drowning out her thick honey smooth accent.
He looked up to her, his green eyes taking on a slight glow beneath the shadow of his hood. Eternal could see the madness seething just beneath the surface, begging for release from its prison. She suppressed a shudder. She had come upon him lying wasted and near death from a battle in the heart of Mor Dhona, the ground soaking up his life blood. His breathing had come in racking sobs. At first, she thought him just another casualty of the Empire’s occupation of the area and was about to put him out of his misery.
The point of her lance drawn to his throat, muscles already committed to the thrust, the kill. His eyes had shot open and pierced into her soul and made her strike falter. The look of utter despair and loss in his eyes had sent a shock of horror through the core of her being. Impossibly, he had lifted his battle torn arm and pointed at first to her, then to the sky behind her. “Meteor…†his torn throat had issued.
She turned to look into the sky, seeing the red moon, Dalamud, looming ever present in the dark sky. When she turned back to him, her brow furrowed in confusion, he had a smile on his face. His arm flopped back down to his side. She had decided, then, to try to heal his wounds. After several hours of pouring forth every ounce of energy she had, she had been able to repair the brunt of the damage, ultimately saving his life. He had done something, then, that had changed the course of her life. He had also saved her life.
Eternal broke from her reverie as Isaac began to mutter in a non-existent language, ramblings, the glow in his eyes becoming hollow and lost. She quickly jumped to her feet, throwing open her cloak, and rushed to his side, kneeling down in front of him. His body was shaking and she could see the taint in his arm throbbing as it grew.
Eternal placed one hand on his left arm and the other over his eyes, closing her own as she began chanting a spell beneath her breath. She let the flow of her magic course into him, beckoning him back to sanity as she attempted to bar the taint from spreading further.
When she removed her hand, his eyes shot open wide. He took a sharp intake of breath, held it for a moment, then let it out slowly. He blinked several times and looked around, as if confused of his surroundings. His wandering eyes finally settled on hers.
Eternal relaxed and gave him a warm smile. “Welcome back.â€Â
Isaac placed a hand to his throbbing head. “How long was I gone?â€Â
She backed away, pulling her cloak about her again, and sat against the opposite wall of the cave. “Not long. A few moments.â€Â
He peered over to her from beneath his hand. The attacks were happening more frequently lately. Though not as violent or long lasting as they had been in the beginning, the fact that they were happening more often wasn’t a good sign; the taint was winning and they both knew it but didn’t want to say it. “Thank you.â€Â
Eternal nodded to him. He didn’t have to thank her for her aid, as she had told him numerous times for what he had done, but he insisted. “What do you think the cause of the attacks are? Dalamud?†She asked.
Isaac could feel the red moon burning into his core. Every day it drew nearer and every day he slipped ever closer into the bosom of madness. It pulled him to the cusp, held him, taunting him, slowly eating away at him but never keeping him. Not yet, anyway. But soon he would fall victim to its calls. He felt a sensation he assumed as akin to drowning.
Isaac decided to change the subject, attempting to draw his mind away from itself. “What are the Legatus planning? What’s the Empire’s next move?â€Â
Eternal shrugged, shaking her head. “I am not sure,†she brushed a stray lock of blue hair from her face. “It could be anything.â€Â
“Surely you must know something, you held a high rank amongst their order.â€Â
Eternal tapped the side of her head with a finger. “The bug, remember?†Isaac nodded. “I remember little of my time with the Empire. The bug did its job well.†She shook her head in resignation. “Though I am glad for what you did, you gave me back to myself, I do sometimes wish that I could remember knowledge I had been privy to in their service. Even at the cost of knowing what I had done in all the grisly details.â€Â
She looked up to him, sympathy and longing in her eyes. “Would that I could do the same for you as easily as you had done for me, but alas I cannot. I can only help to stave off the clutches of the evil within you.â€Â
“I know,†Isaac said. He closed his eyes as weariness began to take hold. Though he couldn’t see it, he could feel Dalamud like a thorn in his side. The burgeoning sense of doom it brought a constant reminder of the danger the entire world was in. “We should get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Let’s hope this storm gives up.â€Â
Isaac’s last thoughts were of his sister, Ailith, before the darkness of a restless sleep claimed him.
