#i wouldn't say it's in working shape now but i guess small steps eventually add up to a good result anyway!!

[hecatesbroom]

finally finished a 2nd draft for my most recent project omg. time to read it over again so I can post it (finally!!)

[husbandohunter]

Moments of Despair #2 [Genshin Impact/Albedo x Reader]

Synopsis: "The alchemist who relished in his gifts only to fall from grace."

(A series of works where the boys deal with the passing of their beloved).

Diluc’s despair

Warnings: angst, tragedy, major character death and psychological horror (correct me if otherwise)

(A/n): I decided to take a slightly different approach this time. Regardless, it’s still killing my heart TwT.

---------------------------------------------------

Out of the many wonders of Teyvat, one thing Albedo loved most was how you were so different from him. 

Difference ties to the unknown, one that must be discovered. He was drawn to you the first time he had laid his eyes upon your form standing at the heights of Mondstadt's cathedral. The Sisters scolded you from below, but all you did was reply with a wink amidst their chaos before soaring into the skies and letting the wind carry your glider. Reckless they said. For him, your recklessness was intriguing. 

As the sun's light blinded his vision, everything he saw seemed like a glass barrier. For the ground was where he thrived and chalk was his core, it became the basis of Albedo's very existence. Even the geo Archon granted him a Vision of the same element to affirm his identity. The earth will forever be attached to his feet as he will keep on his stride until every last truth of Teyvat have all been realized. You, on the other hand, hailed from a place where he couldn't quite reach. What lies beyond this glass ceiling? Albedo found himself gradually holding onto a string of curiosities, a string he could touch but was not able to feel. 

'Interesting,' he thought quietly, while the breeze slip between the fingers of his outstretched hand. 

He was a character of logic, possessing sharp eyes that could pierce through the depths of the most complex formulas and a mind to predict their outcomes-  as long as alchemy was still related. All impossibilities thrown in his way only paved a path for him to become the well known genius he was now. Whether it was alchemy or  investigations with the Knights of Favonius, Albedo never failed to deliver the answers. But despite it all, he always found himself endlessly contemplating over things that were considered intangible. He wonders why you smile when there was nothing to laugh about. How could you tell between the complexities of the human heart? Albedo can't seem to put a finger on it. 

'Why? What drives you? What are you thinking?' 

The Chief Alchemist couldn't resist being fascinated by your unpredictability. It reels him in similar to a fish being baited out of the waters. However, unlike those creatures, Albedo only tightened his grip on the strings as if they were a lifeline, determined to find out what they truly felt like to the touch. 

"I can't really say it's much of an answer," you hummed, clasping both hands behind your back before declaring with a grin, "To put it simply, you just gotta follow your heart."

'Follow your heart...' What does it mean to follow your heart? 

"I'm afraid I still don't understand," he replied in a thoughtful manner. The statement never really resonated with him and it certainly weren't the words his Master taught when he was in the early stages of being created, "But it does suit you very much." 

"Really? But still bring your head with you," a playful laugh escapes and you add while pointing a finger, "At least, it's what everyone tells me these days." 

"Hm," Albedo then affirms with a nod, "I can definitely see why they would tell you that." 

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" 

The days go by and his repetitious march towards the truth remains the same. However, there was never a dull moment when you were at his side. Perhaps that was the reason why Albedo became so attracted to your aura. The way you'd follow around his experiments, eyes so full of enthusiasm at every step of the activity. Sometimes the events can get a little too out of hand in which he needs to step in and save you from getting stuck in slime condensates...constantly. Albedo grew fond of your childlike excitement even when you weren't entirely sure what was going on. He normally distanced himself from socializing as it never sparked his interest. Frankly, he was too much of a genius for mundane conversations. Your presence was rather refreshing in this case. You were an oddball, just like him, and for once the alchemist felt like he didn't need to place that glass barrier between the two worlds. 

"You seem to be in a very good mood today Mister Albedo." 

He was a man of subtle expressions yet anyone could notice the small gleam in his eyes whenever he saw you walking in the hallway. Sucrose often remarked with a giggle after she noticed her teacher holding his documents upside down. But who could blame him? Joy, fun, laughter. He was able to experience those emotions all because of you; his beloved. You were the colour to his canvas and the meaning to his flower. You were a force of nature. Like a warm breeze gracing upon the terrestrial lands, you move him. 

Thump- thump- thump- 

Strings around his world began to weave one whole picture while they also tugged inside his chest. God had finally blown the breath of life into mankind's body, it was only a matter of time before Albedo came to follow his heart too. 

-------- 

"Alright, just one more detail aaaaand done!" 

You gave a small tap using the tip of your pencil and leaned back to examine your artwork. 

Masterpiece! 

On days when Katheryne had no commissions assigned to the guild, Albedo would accompany you to the Whispering Woods and conduct his sketches there instead. He was aware of the discomfort Dragonspine brought as the temperature wasn't ideal for anyone except for him. You eventually learned that your lover was not only intelligently different from the rest but physically too. Albedo, aside from the Cavalry Captain, was mysterious in his own way. He was hard to read yet never came off as intimidating, no one knew of his origins nor they knew how he came to Mondstadt. You wondered why someone like him would have wanted to get involved with your shenanigans. Rosaria often gave warnings regarding the alchemist's 'hidden intentions' in which you'd roll your eyes in response. The Albedo you knew was far from that. He was a big brother to Klee, a man passionate about his work, he was the one golden star among the many silvers in your sky. He was your lover. 

My Albedo. 

Brushing a hand upon the drawing you made of him, you glided down the lines of his cheek before resting your finger on the mark by his neck. You gazed at it with fondness. Truly a masterpiece indeed. 

"You do realize I'm still here?" 

The paper nearly flies out of your grasp and you snatched it back to your chest, "HUH A-ALBEDO, WHEN DID YOU APPEAR???" 

"I was with you the whole time," he states. The corner of his lip tug upward ever so slightly, "You said you wanted to sketch me." 

"A-Ahahaha, so I did," you reply while scratching your head bashfully. 'I thought I was looking at a sculpture!!'  You rushed to cover your face with the sheet. It wasn't that you forgot he was there, rather, you forgot he was still a living and breathing specimen who just witnessed your little serenade. As Lisa had once said, Albedo was easy on the eyes. His graceful features made him seem almost like an oil painting that could only be found in  halls of the most prestigious households. You made sure to capture everything, every detail, every curve just like he had done with your portraits. Only now you noticed the sun already began its descent below the lakeside, dusting the landscape with hints of bright orange as it marked the day's end. If only time could slow down. But duty calls upon your next journey and there was no telling when you'd return. At the very least, a simple portrait would suffice to fill in the temporary gap of his absence. 

"Can I see it?" 

You glanced his direction while keeping the drawing close to your nose, "Are you sure about that? It might not be up to your expectations." 

"I'm sure," Albedo affirms with a straight countenance, "I can already tell you've put a great amount of effort, otherwise you wouldn't have taken this long." 

"Yeeaahh I kinda lost track of time. I guess it's only fair that you get to see the finished product," you say and shoved the drawing in front of him, "Tada! I present to you, my masterpiece!" 

Albedo takes it out of your grasp and you watched the way his eyes expanded upon sight. 

"Well? Whaddya think?" 

Words could not describe the mixture of emotions that erupted within him. Was it distinguishable or abstract? Albedo spent his time pondering between the two answers as he examined the drawing closely. Despite the lines being slightly jagged and the unevenness in the placement of his eyes, he managed to make the shape of the entire image you were trying to convey. Perhaps it was all thanks to his well trained artistic vision which gave him the ability to do so. Or maybe he was simply biased. But there wasn't a shred of doubt that this was indeed your craftsmanship. 

"You even added flowers in the background," he pointed out with amusement. 

"It's the thing you make when using your elemental burst, I couldn't fit your hand in the picture so I decided to put it somewhere empty," you informed, "Out of everything, that one took me the longest." 

"And the rabbits?" 

"They resemble Klee's bombs!" 

He lets out a chuckle, "I see." 

Albedo kept his attention downward until he was mindlessly staring at the paper in hand. This was a memory made to be carried as you moved on to your next journey and it saddens him that he could not accompany you. If only time slowed down. Albedo wanted to hold onto the memory forever, because he knew once he gave it back, he wouldn't be able to see you for an uncertain amount of time. 

"Do you really have to go?" 

His voice was barely above a whisper. Guilt crept into your heart and you gingerly layed your fingers on his gloved ones, bringing down the paper that blocked his face. A pair of teal orbs held a reflection of your image as the sun's rays casted from the side. You returned it with a reassuring grin, hoping to soothe his worries somehow, "I just need to pay a visit to my father since he's been very sick lately. I'll be fine, so don't worry too much okay?" 

Albedo turns over his palm and gave your hand a squeeze, "How long will it take?" 

"I'm not sure but it will be a while. Snezhnaya is pretty far so..." you trailed off, "But my time in Mondstadt, with Klee and with you, I will never forget! I won't even if I tried." 

When you were met with no answer, a breeze came in to fill the melancholic silence. He too will not forget and he would ensure that it was the same for you. Slowly, Albedo brought your hand up, past the center of his heart all the way to cupping his cheek. He allowed himself to indulge in your warmth, tangling the strands of his hair with your fingers while closing his eyes. Sweet flowers. You always carried the smell of sweet flowers. 

"Albedo?" You gawked, "What's the matter?" 

"...There are certain aspects where drawings can't imitate,"  he says, grip tightening ever so slightly, "How I feel against your skin, the shape of my jaw, your warmth radiating with my own. These are the things I want you to remember." 

Breath leaves your slightly parted mouth. It was unfair how straightforward Albedo could be when showing his affection. Doing as he pleases without anyone's approval to the point it would even catch you off guard since he often absorbed himself in the arts of alchemy. But during times when Albedo did choose to express his feelings, you knew they came from a place of pure genuinity. The thought made it hard for you to tear away from him, "Did you ever find out what the strings felt like then?" 

Albedo returns his gaze, long golden lashes hovering them as he smiles softly, "...I have." 

As he began to reveal his stories, the dusk sky continued to flare across the landscape with colours of passion. Red, it was the thread that had led him to you, the same string that weaved him together as a whole. Albedo lays a kiss atop of your pinky, there was a reason why Mondstadtians called him the Chalk Prince. You didn't know the intention behind his sudden affection but he knew. It was a promise, one to ensure that the thread would also have you return safely back into his arms. 

Oh how he hated the colour red. 

"Al...bedo..." 

With speed he never knew he had, Albedo scoops you into his embrace and held you close. How did everything happen so fast? He curses his mind as it proceeds to scan your injuries, drawing a conclusion where he wished to be wrong for once: 

You were beyond help. 

"Ah..haha..." you managed to laugh through bitter tears, "You don't have to say it. I know." 

His breath hitches, trying to make sense of the feeling that was slowly tearing him apart from the inside. It's not real. Of course it wasn't, it couldn't be. What other possible answer was there to explain the numbness stinging his fingers? The reason for his shaking? Everything felt so cold. Your body hardly registered to his to touch, you were losing so much blood. You were losing. He was going to lose you. 

"No," Albedo shakes his head, "We still have time. I'll go find help." 

Please, hold on. 

He forced himself to think. The ruin hunter ran off shortly after it had ambushed you, by now the Knights would eventually noticed and apprehended it on sight. They couldn't be too far. All he needed was to carry you back to safety and everyone can go home. Albedo darted his eyes all over the place, breaths becoming shallower with each passing second. Where? Where to go? Which route was best to not overexert your wounds? Think. Think. Think. Why couldn't he think? 

"A..." You watched him in your helpless state. Every part of you throbbed with pain but it pains you even more to see the renowned genius who stood atop the pedestal of elegance and grace so utterly, undoubtedly lost. This was not the goodbye you wanted, though death already had you tight in their grasps. Not yet. Using the last particle of your strength, you tried to stay alive as long as possible. Just a little bit more time. 

Albedo freezes when a trembling hand extends itself to cup around his cheek. Every single thought he had in mind vanished and was replaced by a loud ring resonating in his ears. Dreadfully, mechanically, he turns his attention to where you lay. 

"Don't cry," you whisper, "I love you, don't cry- okay?" 

Albedo grimaces, shutting his eyes closed as he allows the pent up sadness to flow out of him completely, "I can't," he said in a shaky voice, "Please. Stay." 

"I'm sorry," Your vision blurs and he hugs you even more. Drawing your final breath, you relay your most cherished words through a broken smile, "But no matter w-where I go...I won't for..ge.." 

The moment your hand fell, Albedo finally understood the difference between death and loss. 

It was...suffocating. Having the air trapped in his throat, begging to release yet it hurts to speak. The never ending stabs that pulsed within his veins rushed forth like the scraping  blizzard of Dragonspine until his whole body lost all its senses. The world was shattering. He could no longer feel your weight. He could no longer feel. 

(Y/n). 

Albedo glances at his blood stained fingers where the thread had been severed, wide eyes drowning in sorrow. What a horrible feeling. Was this a warning sent by the gods? For stepping into the boundaries of knowing too much? Ah the curse of knowledge man must bear when eating the temptatious fruit. It was the result of choosing to love you. With life, death is inevitable and with love, it will eventually bring pain. Everything had a price to pay and as an alchemist, Albedo knew that better than anyone. 

"...Meaningless..." 

But he refused to accept it. 

Cradling your corpse, he leans in and places a kiss on your forehead, lips quivering as they lingered for a second too long before gathering the strength to stand back on his feet. Nothing will stop the alchemist from reuniting with you. If the laws wished to take you away from him then he will use everything in his power to fight against those laws. 

"This is not goodbye..." Albedo said to the sleeping girl, "And it will never be." 

When the sun sinks below the plains and the stars lose their light, the sky had been replaced with a palette of darkness. It was time to go home. 

------ 

"Have you all heard about the rumours?" 

A group of knights gather in the corner as they whisper about. Sucrose stops on her tracks and hides behind a wall, clutching the book close to her chest in an attempt to stay hidden. 

"Another criminal disappeared from the dungeons? Crazy..." 

"More like creepy. I was told that place might be haunted by some dead prisoner's ghost. Even the Church is hopping onto this case." 

"Well I hope it doesn't get any worse. So many of us started going on night patrols..." 

Their voices faded out of range as the anemo user backtracks her steps carefully. Several months passed since the news of mysterious kidnappings have been announced to the public. Rumours of their whereabouts swirled around the city and much to her discomfort, Sucrose happened to catch every single one of them. There couldn't possibly be evil spirits lurking in the Favonious Headquarters right? She silently shrieks at the thought, shaking her head furiously to stop her mind from going too deep. No, I have to find him. Without wasting another minute, the anemo user sprinted towards the stairs all the way up to the second floor before stopping directly in front of her teacher's office. Despite the adrenaline that occured at the same time, she made sure to knock. 

No answer. 

"Strange, he told me he would be here today..." Sucrose muttered to herself. But suddenly she heard the sound of objects shifting from the otherside, signaling that there was indeed someone occupying the room. Without realizing, she held her breath out of anticipation. 

"Come in." 

The door creaks as she opens them, giving her enough space to slip between the gap, "Mister Albedo?" 

"You're early today," The Chief Alchemist noted from his desk, "Is there something the matter?" 

"Y-You mean you don't know? There was just another case about a person disappearing from the dungeons," Her tone became more frantic as she rambled to herself, "The kidnapper never leaves a trace and no one knows how they were able to get out. Even when we ask the guards what happened, they can't seem to remember as if...as if someone casted a spell on them!" 

"A spell?" He inquires, "I suppose that could be a possibility." 

"I think so too. I-It's the only explanation that makes sense! I mean...ghosts don't exist after all," Sucrose nervously looks down at her shoes while giving her book a squeeze, "But why? Who could be capable of such advanced techniques? No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to understand their intentions." 

"...Yes. It is a very strange occurrence indeed." 

Noticing her teacher's withdrawn attitude, Sucrose couldn't help but feel flustered at her own behaviour, "Ah my apologies Mister Albedo, I didn't mean to go off track. Have there been any progress on the investigations so far?" 

Albedo briefly glanced at the various documents splayed across his table. His reputation as an incredibly intelligent individual had reached far and wide through Mondstadt. This led to the authorities requesting his assistance regarding the recent matters, despite him specializing in the alchemical field, he was also the Captain of their Investigation Team. Although, Albedo detested partaking in things he deemed irrelevant to his research; 

"I'm afraid I would need more evidence to draw a conclusion." 

"Eh? You still need more?" 

He could not deny that the given authoritative position had provided much benefits to his own accord. 

"My expertise lies in the subject of alchemy," Albedo reasoned and proceeds to intertwine his fingers in front of his mouth, "Humans on the other hand, are very unpredictable in nature. Even the essence of their existence is hard to obtain." 

"Essence of their existence?" Sucrose repeated softly. She wanted to ask what he meant but the blank expression was evident  enough to signal his impatience. At least, that was what she thought, "Nevermind! I have something that might help," taking out a slip from her textbook, she handed it to him, "It's the report Captain Kaeya gave me. He said that the culprit might be a traitor coming from the Knights of Favonius." 

He narrows his eyes. 

"I-I think he might be right! Just think about it, we haven't found anything at all for the past few months but when we do, I sometimes feel like we're just running in circles...oh what if it's becau-" 

"Sucrose." 

"Y-Yes?!" 

Albedo calmly looks at the flustered girl, not realizing how sharp his tone was, "You're overthinking again. Perhaps it's best that you take this day off." 

"But I came here to help," she insisted, "I know it hurts to lose someone you love! Don't you understand that we're all worried about you? And Klee, she..." 

"..." 

"Please Mister Albedo, if there's anything I could do-" 

"No need," he cuts her off once again, "Your stress levels are too high. We can't go any further if you continue to act like this." 

"Oh," her ruby eyes casted to the side, "I understand..." 

"Good. Now, if you would excuse me," Albedo bid her farewell and watched as the door clicked behind her, observing every detail until he was sure that the absolute silence had returned. He picks up Kaeya's document. Such remarkable handwriting. But of course, appearances are only meant to be displayed on the surface for the Captain was a sly man, wearing a mask to shield what lies underneath. Just like his letter, they were full of innuendos and condensed meanings, orchestrated together until the truth spoke loudly to Albedo himself. 

"So, that's what he thinks." 

Perhaps the alchemist should have been a little more discreet. 

-------- 

There was a certain place in Dragonspine that no one dared to enter. But those who have, they never return. 

"Hm, no response. Now as for the next step..." 

And he was the reason why. 

Taking the sword out of the transmutation circle, Albedo turned to the snowy hill nearby and activated his alchemy. A small portion of it dissipates, revealing a trench that went so deep underground that even warmth couldn't outplay the sheer cold. It was the perfect hiding place for the evidence to lay out of sight and an environment where only he could handle. The alchemist tossed the leftover along with the others before exiting quietly, summoning back the ice to bury his victims once again. Another day, another experiment, another stain goes to his title. The path he walked upon was one littered with corpses and the sins he committed. But despite the bones crunching beneath his feet and the weight of the dead hanging on his shoulders, the alchemist was numb to it all. Like an entity floating in space with nothing to hold, he became unable to feel. 

"I'm back," When reaching the center of Starglow Cavern, Albedo puts his hand on the icicle and caressed it's hard cold surface, "Did you sleep well?" 

The girl did not respond. Her eyes were closed and her skin was as young as ever. She was frozen in time. 

"You must have." 

Albedo felt the sword beginning to shake in his grasp as it resonated with his energy. Dust particles emitted from the hilt and slowly made their climb to the side of his arm. Still, Albedo's attention did not waver, "To this day, I've been thinking about what you told me the first time we met." 

"..." 

"Follow your heart. I couldn't understand it at first but after being around your presence, I believe I can finally recognize what that term means." 

He closes his eyes as he envisioned your lively form running across the landscape. Albedo, Albedo! The sound of his name was mixed with your laughter while Klee came into the scene and caught the dandelions with you. A content smile formed on his countenance as he watched from afar, even if it was just a memory, "It's everything. The breakfast we ate together, to the nights spent camping outside, and the silly moments we shared, they bring all these colours that I never knew existed." 

"..." 

Albedo curls his fingers against the ice as he continues to lament, "Perhaps that's why I began noticing the strings around me. The closer I was to answer, the more I felt it was necessary to discover what they are. All this time, you were the answer I was searching for," Moist begins to build up in his eyes but they freeze up once reaching the corners. How cruel. Despite what he went through, he wasn't even granted the liberty to cry, "Because with you, I'm able to feel them." 

He wonders what you would think if you saw him right now. Albedo peers at his reflection casted on the crystalline surface, the frame of his face had been decorated with streaks of purple and red, spreading out like tree branches as they both fought for dominance. The teal coloured orbs you once adored were beginning to transform to a colour that reminded him of his darkest days. This was Albedo's true nature- a monster, a being that wasn't human, the essence in which you never had the chance to see. 

"I know I may not be the same as I was before," he added, "But if that is what it takes to follow your heart, will you let me feel the strings again?" 

Would you still love me the same? 

"..." 

"If so, then please understand my actions," Albedo takes a step back as he held out the sword in front of him. At last, the preparations have finally been completed. He plunges the blade to the ground with full force and the surrounding area begins to shake under the power accumulated through many, intentional sacrifices. To revive the dead was a forbidden art as it came with heavy consequences. If it weren't for Albedo's talent and quick wit, the process would have consumed him long before executing the last stage. He winces, the pain was excruciating. It was hard for him to ignore the sound of his skin cracking below his ears and all the way to his nose as they fall off in the shape of small rock-like chunks. Everything hurt so much that even death sounded like a sweet dream but Albedo couldn't afford to give up. He had already come this far, his hands completely washed with sin and his reputation already broken beyond repair, Albedo had nowhere else to go. This was his last destination. 

"Soon-" he pants between choked breaths. Soon your eyes will open. He could drown in your embrace, one that was warm and not cold. Soon he will be able revive those cherished memories from a frozen past. It was all he could think of right now. Your existence was the reason why a part of him felt whole and your death made him realize how painful it was to tear away those pieces. Albedo refused to let go of those pieces, they had already become a part of him. And if this path ended up tearing him even more, then so be it. 

"I should have stopped you the moment you were born." 

The intruder snapped him awake and he swung around to where they stood. But before Albedo could make out who it was, they lunged past him with incredible speed, kicking the sword off the ground while severing his two arms once and for all. They flew to the side, blood dyed purple trickling from the edges of his joint as he struggled to stay upright. 

"Dains...leif..." 

Dainsleif watched the alchemist fall onto his back as the light around him slowly faded away. He turned his gaze to where the objective was and noticed a girl encased within the ice. The man sighs out of relief when she shows no signs of life, he came just in time, "So this is how it ends." 

Albedo weakly stared at the blonde man. He attempted to say something but the blood caught in his mouth prevented him from that. 

"Save your breath, you won't be having any," Dainsleif remarks in a cold manner and glared at his bloodied form, "The renowned Chief Alchemist of Mondstadt and an important member of Ordo Favonious. Hmph, what an interesting turn of events. Out of everyone, I never thought you were the type to act so foolish." 

Foolish...what a foreign name to be called as. He never heard anyone tell him he was foolish. 

"Truly a pity," With a flick of a wrist, Dainsleif brought his sword to Albedo's neck. It was unbelievable how he had the endurance to go through all that pain while still breathing at this point but what is there to be expected from a monster? "Remember that all actions have consequences." 

The alchemist watched as his life flashed before him, the weight of his sins had finally caught up. He had always seen the world as a platform for his objectives and results were merely a natural cause after attempting many experiments. But death as a consequences was an unbearble realization upon his final moments. He abandoned his title, his pupil and his dearest sister. In the end, he was still unable to fulfill his duty. 

"I just..." Albedo mumbled, his words slurring together, "wanted..." 

As the ashes turn to ashes and dust becomes dust, chalk returns to the earth, forever yearning a place that can never be reached.

[captivesrp]

Ffrewgí wakes up to Anwen’s heartbeat, and as his mind surfaces from the floods of sleep he knows she has a jagged scratch scabbed on her ankle; probably from an errant step in the woods on a slaves’ errand yesterday. He can feel the broken skin mending beneath the congealed blood; creeping ever so slowly back together past grains of dirt and dust.

Weave.

It is Grandmother Uerichí’s voice, unmistakable in the still silence of the village. At first he does not understand; he sits up wondering; but when he looks over at his sleeping tent-mate and glances at her ankle, the sore there red and angry, he reaches out with his mind and takes the infinitesimal fibers of her skin in gentle, invisible fingers. He kneads them first until they are pliant, then draws them out across the gap beneath the dried blood. He holds the fibers from one side under a patient finger until his other hand has pulled across fibers from the other. Then he weaves them together, starting from one end and working his way up.

Anwen stirs and wakes. When she scratches her ankle, the scab falls away, reveals unmarked skin beneath. Her hand freezes by her calf. Her brow furrows and she looks at Ffrewgí. “Did that . . .” she starts.

“I don't know how, but I can . . . feel things suddenly. Heartbeats, blood,” he nods towards her ankle, “scratches. And I can,” he hesitates, unable to find the right words, “change them.”

"You healed it?” asks Anwen, looking at her bare ankle. “That’s amazing!”

Ffrewgí regards her for a moment. “Do you feel different at all? Since . . . the creature. And Alaric.”

“I don't know. Somehow I feel like everything is different; that I'm . . . different. But I don't understand what it is.”

Ffrewgí feels their experiences diverge, asks, “But you can’t, like, heal anybody?”

Anwen shakes her head. “Is that what you used in the … memory? “ she asks. In it, she shares, she had felt connected to the wind, as Ffrewgí had felt the connection to blood vessels and skin. She trails off, a distant look in her eye. The flap of the tent suddenly shivers and snaps open, a morning breeze refreshing the dense atmosphere inside. A single orange leaf twirls down from the dying wind to land in Anwen’s hand.

Ffrewgí stares at his companion, not sure what all this means. “So,” he starts after a long pause, “what now?”

Anwen’s eyes are wide, afraid, and her voice is hushed. “Escape?”

Loud calls from the complex outside interrupt their shared reverie and they stir, waking themselves back up to the reality of their laborious lives. But as Ffrewgí executes his morning tasks, Anwen’s last word lingers in his consciousness, riding the waves of the sensations of heartbeat, ache, and biological imprint passing ever by Ffrewgí’s awareness as he moves through the village.

By early afternoon, the drudgery of his labour and cruelty of his position have diminished Ffrewgí’s inspiration. He is standing by the river with Heulwen, each of them preparing to shoulder a water yoke when his eye is drawn by unexpected movement on the far bank, upstream. He looks up just in time to watch Anwen leap into the air above the water and fly across its span, her tunic floating up by her waist as she is drawn in a gentle arc to the near bank. She alights on the mossy stones and laughs. 

Ffrewgí is silent; awed by what he just witnessed. When Anwen turns and notices him, he self-consciously closes his mouth. “So the creature did give you a gift!” he exclaims.

Anwen’s eyes are bright with excitement. “This is so incredible!”

Ffrewgí can hardly believe he just saw her soar across the river. “What else can you do?” he asks, his curiosity almost wholly instinctual.

Anwen bounds a few paces closer. “Anything the wind can do . . . or that I can imagine the wind doing!” Her cheeks glow with exertion, but her eyes grow more thoughtful. “I feel like anything is possible.”

Ffrewgí can feel Heulwen shift behind him. When he turns to look, she is standing up from a crouch. Hovering between her hands is a ball of earth. Tiny roots dangle from the soil, and a small, still colourful flower nods on its top. She makes a small gesture and the soil parses from among the roots, trickles in a coiling stream back to the riverbank.

“You have a gift, too!” gasps Anwen.

“Ever since I remembered Alaric . . .” Heulwen whispers.

“And now all three of us can do things we couldn’t do before,” says Anwen excitedly.

“Ainsley was also in the memory,” ventures Heulwen. “He must’ve got a gift as well.”

“Yes!” says Anwen. Then, “I haven’t seen him yet today.”

On an impulse, Ffrewgí says, “We should all meet tonight. With the others, too,” he adds.

Anwen volunteers to find Ainsley and Murchadh; Ffrewgí and Heulwen offer to talk to the others. Before parting, the children agree to meet in the field as soon as their daily tasks are finished and they are able to slip away.

*     *     *

“Ffrewgí!”

Anwen’s voice behind him causes him to jump; his own hammering heart is flooding his new sense as he creeps downriver towards the field, abandoning the cleaned pots and vessels of his day’s final task until after the captives’ clandestine meeting. Ffrewgí turns and sees in Anwen’s eyes a glimmer of the same consternation that might be found in his own. “You didn’t find Murchadh, did you?” he asks, suspecting the answer.

Anwen shakes her head. “He’s gone!”

“Ashrille and Wyddryr, too.” A Gwaedwn had found him stepping out of the former’s tent when he had gone to look; the new bruise on the back of his head still aches.

“Do you know anything?” presses Anwen. “Where did they go?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they . . .” He trails off as they reach the bend in the river signifying the fringe of the woods by the field. Ahead, he can see the dark forms of Cydwag and Heulwen, their legs lost in the long grass. He holds Anwen’s gaze for a moment and shrugs before ducking under the fence.

As he arrives by the others, Ainsley is seen, shoulders hunched, coming towards the field from the woods.

“I guess that's all of us that are coming, then,” says Anwen.

“What about the others?” asks Cydwag.

“They’re gone. We couldn’t find them anywhere.”

Cydwag’s eye are dark. “None of you know where they’ve gone?”

No one answers. 

“What should we do?” says Ffrewgí eventually.

“Try to find out where they’ve gone?” ventures Anwen. 

“How?” There is a note of anger in Cydwag’s voice. “And if they didn’t tell any of us, then …” Silence falls as she trails off.

“Do you think the creature is behind this somehow?” asks Anwen in the quiet. “It’s behind everything else that’s been happening.”

“But we all think—we all know that the creature is good. Why would it take Murchadh and the others away?” Ffrewgí swallows hard. “Do you think that---”

Anwen is quick to speak. “But they wouldn't—Murchadh wouldn’t just leave us. There has to be some explanation.”

“They all took the pact. We have to imagine, wherever they’ve gone, it was their choice.” Cydwag looks around at each member in the group. “Right?”

Cydwag’s suspicions find allies in the shadows of Ffrewgí’s mind. 

Anwen’s angry response floods him with guilt and he feels a blush rise on his cheeks: “Sometimes things happen that leave you no choice. And sometimes we do have a choice. Like right now. And we probably don't have long, so we should figure out what we're going to do.”

“Well, you’re the ones with the gifts,” starts Cydwag hotly, “so . . .”

Heulwen’s soft voice is like the breeze that stirs the grass about their legs. “Cydwag didn’t mean it like that, Anwen.”

Anwen’s quiet “Sorry” is almost lost in the night.

“Murchadh and the others are gone,” says Cydwag. “We don’t know where. We can wait for them to come back, or . . .” she pauses. “It feels like something big is about to happen here. I know I’m not---I don’t have a gift like the rest of you. But I’ll help you however I can.”

“We can do something,” says Heulwen. “Together.”

“I think Murchadh would want us to act,” says Ffrewgí, less sure than he hopes he sounds.

“So,” says Cydwag, “what can you all do?”

Ainsley speaks up for the first time. “I can make things appear,” he says. Suddenly, an enormous bear is next to him, its bulk pressing the grass it passes through as it moves around the boy.

Even after watching Anwen and Heulwen reveal their creature-gifts earlier in the day, Ffrewgí had not been prepared for this. He starts back, mouth agape as the bear fades gently away. Ffrewgí looks at Ainsley and sees him sitting down, as if on a chair . . . but there is no chair. “What,” starts Ffrewgí, shaken, “what are you sitting on?”

Ainsley looks up. “You can’t see it?”

“See what? You’re sitting on . . . nothing.”

“Or something only you can see,” suggests Anwen, looking at Ainsley shrewdly.

Ainsley mutters something indistinct and a blush crawls across his face.

A sudden noise from the Gwaedwn encampment draws the attention of all the children.

“We’ve been out here too long,” hisses Cydwag. “What’s our plan?”

“Escape?” says Anwen. “Tonight?”

Ffrewgí feels his stomach drop. “Now?”

“Now works for me,” says Anwen, her wide eyes flicking back towards the village.

Cydwag scoops them up as she says, “I’ll trust you. Let’s move!”

Ffrewgí stumbles along with the rest, but his feet are wooden and he has trouble keeping them.

“Run!” cries Cydwag. “Run!”

Looking over his shoulder, Ffrewgí sees the wide dark shape of Máerl barreling over the fence. Anwen is suddenly beside him, and her hair erupts about her face in a wild burst of wind that flattens the grass in a thick wave rushing towards the Gwaedwn warrior. Moonlight glimmers on the bent blades.

Máerl roars as the wall of wind hits her. She is stopped for a moment, then presses forward, leaning into the gale.

Ffrewgí is frozen, staring into the dark shadows beneath the furrowed brows of the oncoming Gwaedwn, hardly a stone’s throw away. A hand slips into his and pulls, and blood rushes into his feet as he stumbles, turns, runs.

Anwen’s hair is a cape behind her and there is a salt scent from it, its tips hand’s-breadths from his nose, as she pulls him along into the woods.

The dense silence of the forest envelops him as soon as they have passed the first few trees. Anwen releases his hand as he keeps pace.

“I’ll take care of our tracks!” Heulwen is saying as they approach. She and Cydwag let them pass; Ffrewgí following Anwen and Anwen following the dim shape of Ainsley ahead.

The children run; Ffrewgí can hear Heulwen and Cydwag join behind them. Over roots, beneath branches, past fallen trunks. Soon, it is too dark to properly see; Ffrewgí can no longer see Anwen and Ainsley ahead, though he can hear from indeterminate direction the sounds of his companions: the laboured breathing and heavy footfalls. And he can feel them, feel their muscles and lungs burning. He is himself at the end of his endurance. Panic had drawn his energy before the exercise had had a chance.

He focuses his gift-sense on the woods around him and feels the tiny heartbeat of a mouse filling a hidden cavity somewhere near. He feels its muscles propel it through the space---a large space; large enough?

Ffrewgí corrects his path, slanting towards the cavity; dimly, he makes out a half-fallen tree ahead, its roots like gigantic spider-legs still secure in the earth. Beneath it, a solid shadow. Ffrewgí stops. He feels Anwen’s approach just before she runs into him and turns to absorb her speeding form. He guides her towards the shadow. “In here!” he says for the others.

The five children press tightly into the space, infinitely dark but hotly claustrophobic. Their breath nearly steams against the cold soil, and it is some time before it calms. When it does---

“Someone’s coming!” exclaims Ffrewgí in a whisper. The unmistakable sense of a moving creature is heavy on his mind---as if in his own sockets, he can feel the person’s eyes scan back and forth, back and forth. Their nostrils flare, draw in a breath that Ffrewgí feels in his lungs.

“I can---” starts Heulwen, but she is cut off by the sudden completeness of darkness in their grotto. No faint moonlight, no dark spectre of grey, shows through the slats of the tree’s roots. They are sealed in. Ainsley’s work, perhaps.

Ffrewgí hears the rumble of Máerl’s voice outside, joined by one or two others. Then silence, but Ffrewgí can feel their footsteps lightly pressing the loam around the base of the tree. Then they are gone into the darkness whence they came, back towards the encampment.

“They’re gone,” says Ffrewgí with the breath he had not known he was holding.

Ainsley’s cover disappears, but none of the children make a move to leave the grotto. Ffrewgí leans back against the dirt, feels someone else press against the knees pulled up to his chest. 

Full darkness creeps over the woods. When, in silence determining it is time to move on, Heulwen and Cydwag slip out from beneath the roots, cold air crawls across Ffrewgí’s skin.

The children move forward slowly, Anwen and Heulwen leading the way, their creature-gifts giving them a sort of second sight. Through the trees behind them, Ffrewgí makes out the faint orange flickers of torches, the indistinguishable calls of distant voices. The search continues. But so, too, does the captives’ escape---leaving behind them their captors, nightmare spectres moving in dreamlike slowness through the pure night in the back of Ffrewgí’s mind.