[Lailah sounds so relieved to hear his voice right now. She has to fight back tears from the sheer force of the emotion. At least one of them has managed to escape, and the fire seraph can only hope the same can be said for Dezel.]
Are you alright? Is Dezel with you? I heard from Allen that he's here.
Yeah, we're together. I guess you know what's going on, right?
[ While he hadn't responded to it he had seen her post on the network. She knows about Sorey, and there's no point in trying to deny it. All he can do is gather his strength and be the one that stands tall, for the both of them. ]
I guess you can't really go exploring yet. I remember.
[ He makes a soft noise, frustrated and a little on edge. He's still coming down from all that happened, and there's not much he can do to make it better. He's on the edge of falling apart and only keeping it together because he's talking to Lailah. ]
I can tell you. Mikleo contacted us and told us that Sorey had been corrupted and we all agreed to go and find him to see if we could bring him back. None of it worked and the malevolence went out of our control - there was nothing we could do. Mikleo...
[ Zaveid swallows, closing his eyes tight. ]
He took in as much of the malevolence as he could. He's a dragon, and I'm going to kill him. When we were leaving, Sorey tried to armatise with me and Dezel had to drag us out. That's pretty much it.
[Lailah's quiet as she listens to Zaveid tell it. When he says that Sorey tried to armatize with him, she takes a sharp breath. Her expression is one of abject horror and terror.
She should've cut the pact. Zaveid is in more danger now than ever.]
I'm sorry I wasn't here before now, or at least when you went to confront him.
[The fire seraph can't help feeling that she's in part to blame. She's failed as a Prime Lord to give Sorey the necessary tools needed to fight his personal malevolence, and for that she has to apologize to him.]
Zaveid, when you face them again, please be careful. We can't lose you, too. And...for what it's worth, I think Mikleo would prefer it if one of us did it.
[ It's not easy, being the one to bring the bad news. The problem is that Zaveid is used to it; he's accepted this as his fate now. He's the one that's lived for such a long time, and... He's seen the best and worst. He can't handle it, not really, but he has to. It's his promise. ]
It's not your fault, Lailah. None of us came here 'cause we wanted to.
[ Everything hurts, and he closes his eyes. It hurts to breathe, to know they're out there, to feel Sorey... But... ]
I know. It's not the first time I've had to face this. It's time for Mikleo's salvation. I'm gonna save him too.
[The idea of a stranger or someone from outside of their group being the one to kill Mikleo seems wrong. At least Zaveid is in a position to be able to do that.]
I'm sorry that this is the second time you have to do this. I'll be sure to sever the Shepherd's pact before you face them again. That way, you'll be safe from Sorey trying to use the armatus.
[Until then, they can use it to monitor them and track them down for as long as they're able.]
[ 'I'm glad it's you'. Because he's the murderer, right? Lailah doesn't say it, but that's what it is. He's the one that kills hellions and there's a hellion that needs to die - so it has to be him. That's fine, Zaveid thinks. He's done it before. He can learn to be numb to it. He can shut himself off. No one else needs to think about it. ]
I'll do my best to make sure no one else has to get involved. Don't you worry about me.
[ He does pause, though. Dezel already broke his pact and Zaveid is clinging on, feeling the malevolence and the darkness each time he breathes. If it's gone will he be able to survive going up to the two of them?
It doesn't matter if he dies, he supposes. As long as he can save them. That's his resolve. ]
I'll make sure to let you know. Try not to think about it.
[Lailah hasn't felt this helpless and useless since Michael. She wants to be there to help Zaveid or even to just take the burden off of his shoulders. The fire seraph knows that it's not fair, in any sense, that he has to do this to Mikleo after Eizen.]
Come back safe and I'll stop.
[Maybe. Then, she confesses:]
I want to help you more. Sorey and Mikleo are my responsibility, and it...doesn't feel right to ask this of you.
[ Zaveid, on the other hand, is used to this feeling. He knows what it means to stand before a friend incapable of doing anything, knows what it means to struggle and fight, knows what it means to feel tense and alone, and he's come to terms with it. It's happening again, like an unfolding picture, and he's helpless to stop it. ]
As if I was gonna do anything else.
[ She's not hurting the situation, not really, but Zaveid feels something tight in his throat. ]
Hey. They became my responsibility when I entered the Pact. They're not just your kids to take care of, alright? It can't all go on your shoulders, so stop it.
[How many times have Sorey and Mikleo told her the same thing? That she doesn't have the handle things all on her own? A shame, really, that most of her problems come from things she can't talk about because of her oath.]
I'm their Prime Lord. I must take responsibility regardless. And...Camlann.... [Michael is her fault, but Lailah can't say anything about it.] You can't bear everything on your shoulders, either, Zaveid. We've both had to, you most of all, but this time we should both share it.
Your responsibility is to be their guide and their support. The Shepherd's are human, Lailah. They're gonna make mistakes, just like anyone else. Forgetting that is the worst thing we could do.
[ It's the same for Seraphim, too. Mistakes happen. He thinks of Eizen, of Dezel, of himself, thinks back upon thousands of years of living and history, thinks of his own failures and his own mistakes... The problem is that he wasn't a Shepherd. He was never burdened with such heavy responsibility. He could make his mistakes and not suffer for them - no more than anyone else, at least.
They just have to keep moving forward. He's so tired, so desperately tired, and the weight of the pact and the knowledge that Sorey is searching for him is almost too much, but he has to stay strong. The others are relying on him, now - they know what he's going to do.
He's going to kill Mikleo. He's going to bear the mantle of death once more. It's what he's made for. ]
I'm fine, Lailah, okay? Trust me, Ol' Zaveid has handled worse than this.
Whether this is a mistake Sorey can recover from, only time can tell.
[The loss of Mikleo will undoubtedly hit Sorey the hardest, especially the events that caused it in the first place. They have to do their best to make sure the grief and guilt doesn't consume him.]
I do trust you. [Lailah pauses and shakes her head.] Stay safe and keep me in the loop. I'll try to make it on that planet as soon as I can.
[ A part of Zaveid wonders if losing Mikleo will trigger all of this over again, if Sorey will wake up and learn that his best friend is dead and will be consumed by his own darkness once more... But with Lailah here maybe they'll be able to stop it. Maybe having her here would be the safety and the comfort they hadn't been able to give him before.
They had failed, but maybe Lailah would heal what they couldn't. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
voice.
[Lailah sounds so relieved to hear his voice right now. She has to fight back tears from the sheer force of the emotion. At least one of them has managed to escape, and the fire seraph can only hope the same can be said for Dezel.]
Are you alright? Is Dezel with you? I heard from Allen that he's here.
[Somehow.]
voice.
[ While he hadn't responded to it he had seen her post on the network. She knows about Sorey, and there's no point in trying to deny it. All he can do is gather his strength and be the one that stands tall, for the both of them. ]
We're nowhere near it, so stop worrying.
voice.
["Stop worrying," he says, when four people she cherishes are off on some planet being forced to purify two of their number.]
You know I won't until all of you are back safely.
[Lailah sighs softly, and she's glad that Zaveid can't see her looking sick. It's going to be a hard few days in a myriad of ways.]
Zaveid...are you in a position to tell me what happened?
[Her words are gentle and kind, but she won't risk the lives of the wind seraphim if they need to be on the move rather than answer that question.]
voice.
[ He makes a soft noise, frustrated and a little on edge. He's still coming down from all that happened, and there's not much he can do to make it better. He's on the edge of falling apart and only keeping it together because he's talking to Lailah. ]
I can tell you. Mikleo contacted us and told us that Sorey had been corrupted and we all agreed to go and find him to see if we could bring him back. None of it worked and the malevolence went out of our control - there was nothing we could do. Mikleo...
[ Zaveid swallows, closing his eyes tight. ]
He took in as much of the malevolence as he could. He's a dragon, and I'm going to kill him. When we were leaving, Sorey tried to armatise with me and Dezel had to drag us out. That's pretty much it.
voice.
She should've cut the pact. Zaveid is in more danger now than ever.]
I'm sorry I wasn't here before now, or at least when you went to confront him.
[The fire seraph can't help feeling that she's in part to blame. She's failed as a Prime Lord to give Sorey the necessary tools needed to fight his personal malevolence, and for that she has to apologize to him.]
Zaveid, when you face them again, please be careful. We can't lose you, too. And...for what it's worth, I think Mikleo would prefer it if one of us did it.
voice.
It's not your fault, Lailah. None of us came here 'cause we wanted to.
[ Everything hurts, and he closes his eyes. It hurts to breathe, to know they're out there, to feel Sorey... But... ]
I know. It's not the first time I've had to face this. It's time for Mikleo's salvation. I'm gonna save him too.
[ Just like he'd saved Eizen. ]
voice.
[The idea of a stranger or someone from outside of their group being the one to kill Mikleo seems wrong. At least Zaveid is in a position to be able to do that.]
I'm sorry that this is the second time you have to do this. I'll be sure to sever the Shepherd's pact before you face them again. That way, you'll be safe from Sorey trying to use the armatus.
[Until then, they can use it to monitor them and track them down for as long as they're able.]
voice.
I'll do my best to make sure no one else has to get involved. Don't you worry about me.
[ He does pause, though. Dezel already broke his pact and Zaveid is clinging on, feeling the malevolence and the darkness each time he breathes. If it's gone will he be able to survive going up to the two of them?
It doesn't matter if he dies, he supposes. As long as he can save them. That's his resolve. ]
I'll make sure to let you know. Try not to think about it.
voice.
Come back safe and I'll stop.
[Maybe. Then, she confesses:]
I want to help you more. Sorey and Mikleo are my responsibility, and it...doesn't feel right to ask this of you.
["Please, forgive my weakness," goes unsaid.]
voice.
As if I was gonna do anything else.
[ She's not hurting the situation, not really, but Zaveid feels something tight in his throat. ]
Hey. They became my responsibility when I entered the Pact. They're not just your kids to take care of, alright? It can't all go on your shoulders, so stop it.
voice.
I'm their Prime Lord. I must take responsibility regardless. And...Camlann.... [Michael is her fault, but Lailah can't say anything about it.] You can't bear everything on your shoulders, either, Zaveid. We've both had to, you most of all, but this time we should both share it.
voice.
[ It's the same for Seraphim, too. Mistakes happen. He thinks of Eizen, of Dezel, of himself, thinks back upon thousands of years of living and history, thinks of his own failures and his own mistakes... The problem is that he wasn't a Shepherd. He was never burdened with such heavy responsibility. He could make his mistakes and not suffer for them - no more than anyone else, at least.
They just have to keep moving forward. He's so tired, so desperately tired, and the weight of the pact and the knowledge that Sorey is searching for him is almost too much, but he has to stay strong. The others are relying on him, now - they know what he's going to do.
He's going to kill Mikleo. He's going to bear the mantle of death once more. It's what he's made for. ]
I'm fine, Lailah, okay? Trust me, Ol' Zaveid has handled worse than this.
voice.
[The loss of Mikleo will undoubtedly hit Sorey the hardest, especially the events that caused it in the first place. They have to do their best to make sure the grief and guilt doesn't consume him.]
I do trust you. [Lailah pauses and shakes her head.] Stay safe and keep me in the loop. I'll try to make it on that planet as soon as I can.
voice.
They had failed, but maybe Lailah would heal what they couldn't. ]
Sure. Let me know when you're free to move.
voice.
I will. I'll see you then.