"…we have to go back," she repeated, looking at them; really looking this time.
Fear was still there.
But now...
So was resolve.
Her breath quickened again, panic rising back to the surface.
"Thalia was fighting that thing alone" her voice shook, words rushing over each other, "I have to go back… I have to go back!"
She tried to push herself up;
Her body barely responded.
The horned girl raised a hand lazily.
Interrupting.
"You mean Nhal'kor?"
A small pause.
Then, casually;
"Don't worry. Nhal'kor is dead."
Leah froze.
Her movement stopped completely.
"…dead…?"
Her voice came out hollow.
Uncertain.
"…dead means…?"
The word didn't fit.
Didn't work.
Not after what she had seen.
The horned girl straightened slightly, folding her arms.
"Nhal'kor and the Graveclaw Stalker are bound together," she said. "That means if one dies… the other dies as well."
Leah's brows pulled together tightly.
Her mind struggled to catch up.
"…how…?" she whispered. "How can you be sure it's dead…?"
The masked warrior answered.
Calm.
Certain.
"It is the unknown law of bounding."
Leah looked at him, still trying to understand.
He continued.
"This Nhal'kor was not meant to exist here."
A slight shift in his stance.
"This realm… is not its origin."
His voice lowered slightly, carrying weight now.
"It was trapped in an alternate plane… long ago."
Leah's fingers curled slightly.
Alternate plane.
Netherroot Abyss.
"It remained there," he continued, "until a group… found it."
A pause.
"A group that worshipped ancient deities."
The mist seemed to grow heavier around them.
"They sought power. Control."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"And they found a way to amplify Nhal'kor's influence… beyond its prison."
Leah's breathing slowed;
Not from calm;
From focus.
"They needed a vessel," he said.
"Something that could exist in this world."
His eyes shifted slightly toward the fallen remains of the creature.
"They found one."
A pause.
"A creature that wandered these woods."
"Graveclaw Stalker."
Leah's chest tightened.
"And through dark binding rituals…" he continued, "they fused the two."
Silence.
Heavy.
"They anchored Nhal'kor to this realm."
Leah's lips parted slightly.
"…so it could feed here…"
"Yes."
A beat.
"But binding works both ways."
Leah looked up.
Confusion;
Then realization;
Slowly forming.
"If one dies…"
"…the other cannot exist," the warrior finished.
The words settled.
Final.
Leah's eyes flickered slightly.
Back to the fight.
The blade.
The moment the creature's head fell;
The smoke;
Stopping.
Her body jerking;
Everything breaking.
"…so when you killed it…"
Her voice dropped.
"…Nhal'kor…"
"…ceased."
The masked warrior didn't nod.
Didn't need to.
The truth was already there.
Leah sat there;
Silent.
Trying to process it.
The horror.
The relief.
The loss.
All colliding at once.
"…then Thalia…" she whispered suddenly.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"If Nhal'kor is gone…"
Her voice trembled;
But this time;
Not with fear.
With hope.
"…then she's not being consumed anymore… right?"
Her eyes stayed fixed somewhere beyond them;
Leah didn't respond immediately. Her gaze drifted past them, unfocused…
Not seeing.
Not fully here.
Her thoughts tangled together; Nhal'kor, the Abyss, Thalia, the word dead repeating in ways that didn't make sense.
Her fingers tightened slowly against her knees.
Then loosened.
Then tightened again.
Lost.
The horned girl watched her for a moment;
Then sighed lightly.
"Alright, that's too much thinking," she said, waving a hand in front of Leah's face.
"You're going to melt your brain."
No response.
Leah didn't even blink.
The horned girl leaned closer;
"…yep. Definitely gone."
Then suddenly;
She straightened and turned, walking over to the masked warrior with a grin.
"Don't worry, girl," she said over her shoulder, her tone bright again. "No one in this realm knows about bounding more than us."
She reached him;
And casually threw her arm over his shoulder.
"After all…"
She leaned in slightly;
"…we're bound together too."
And then.....
She winked.
A very deliberate wink.
The masked warrior froze.
Just slightly.
His head turned.
Slowly.
Toward her.
"…remove your hand."
"Why?" she asked innocently, not moving it at all.
A pause.
"…because I asked."
"That's not a reason."
Another pause.
"…it is enough."
She tilted her head, pretending to think.
"Hm… no."
Silence.
The mist itself seemed to pause.
"…you are testing my patience."
"And you're failing very calmly."
His shoulder shifted slightly;
Trying to move her arm off without actually touching it.
She tightened her grip instantly.
"Oh no, you don't."
"…let go."
"No."
"…let go."
"No."
A beat.
"…you are insufferable."
"And yet," she smiled, leaning her head slightly closer to his, "you're still here."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"…unfortunately."
She gasped lightly.
"That hurt."
Leah;
Still sitting against the tree;
Stared at them.
Blinking.
Slowly.
Her expression;
Completely blank for a second.
Then slightly confused.
Then more confused.
Her fear hadn't vanished;
But now it had something else mixed into it.
"…what… is happening…?"
Her voice was quiet.
Genuinely lost.
The horned girl turned her head slightly toward Leah;
Still leaning on the warrior;
And smiled.
"See?"
She gestured casually with her free hand.
"Perfectly normal people."
The masked warrior closed his eyes for a brief second.
As if reconsidering all of his life choices.
Leah stared at them a moment longer, her brows slowly knitting together, confusion finally pushing past the fear.
"…you two are definitely weird."
Her voice was quiet;
But certain.
A pause.
Then....
"…who are you?"
The question hung in the mist.
Simple.
Heavy.
The horned girl's grin returned instantly, like she had been waiting for that.
"Ooooh, finally," she said, straightening up and finally removing her arm from the masked warrior's shoulder; though not without giving it one last light pat.
"She's asking the important questions."
The masked warrior exhaled slowly, as if relieved at the shift in topic.
"About time."
The horned girl stepped forward slightly, placing one hand on her hip, the other gesturing loosely toward herself.
"Well then...."
A small dramatic pause.
"I'm the one who just saved your life," she said with a playful tilt of her head.
"You can start with gratitude."