Even as Itzal studied the amulet, Cole was still wary of the simple stone. He stayed back, letting the god do what was needed, though he never let him get more than a few strides away, any more and he was sure that the beings would come back and attack. "Be careful, please," He said, messing with the handle of the sword as he watched the bit of magic seep into the amulet. The longer Itzal held the stone, the more confident he became about how simple it was. Nothing this boring could help them.
It seemed like Karma as Itzal collapsed, the reason for the collapse something Cole didn't know. He rushed to his side in an instant, thrown out of his thoughts as he set the sword down and frantically looked over Itzal. "Hey! No, Itzal, not the time for collapsing. Are you ok? Answer me, c'mon." His words were frantic as he figured he had passed out. From what, he wasn't sure. Whether it was his magic, or the stupid stone, it still left Cole here alone, to keep both himself and the unconscious god safe.
He was back at the beginning. When he and the other gods had first decided their home. He remembered this moment clearly. They had walked in, finding nothing but empty land and… ruins? No, that couldn't be right. He didn't remember those being there. And yet, there they were. The other gods were still acting as if they couldn't see, chatting among themselves. Itzal took a few steps forward and knelt down in front of the nearest crumbling wall. There was something stuck in the dirt there, something shiny. He reached out and started digging, eventually unearthing a crown. Exactly like the ones the beings had floating over their head.
"You were not the first ones," The crown murmured. "You made yourself believe you were to mask the true horror you used to be."
Itzal's eyes flew open, his heart beating in his throat. 'You were not the first ones'? What was that supposed to mean?
Cole crouched nervously next to Itzal, waiting for the god to wake up. He wasn't sure how long it had been when Itzal finally woke up. It could've been hours, or mere minutes, there was no way to tell where they were. He jumped slightly as Itzal's eyes opened, scared but more than relieved that he wasn't dead.
"Thank the lord," He murmured, sighing before turning back to his companion, concern still clear, "Are you alright? What happened? You passed out and fell pretty hard, are you hurt?" Cole spoke in a rush, barely any break between his words. He paused, taking a deep breath and looking back at him, "You scared me."
"Hmm… Cole?" Itzal blinked at the man, feeling very disoriented. "I… I think I'm alright." He carefully sat up, rubbing his forehead slowly. At the moment, the thing that hurt the most was his mind. How could what he'd seen… how could that even happen? That wasn't what happened! They'd been alone! The place had been empty when they'd arrived, he was sure of it. Itzal's attention snapped back to Cole at his last words. "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't expect that to happen," He sighed, feeling guilty that he'd made Cole worry. "I don't think it was for nothing, though. I…" Itzal paused, his mouth suddenly dry. "I saw something," He finally managed, his voice barely above a whisper.
He sighed at Itzal's apology, opening his mouth to tell him it was alright when Itzal spoke again. "What..did you see?" Cole asked after a moments pause, eyes wide. Yes, the entire situation had freaked him out, but any information they could get was useful. Or at least he hoped it was useful. "Was it something bad?" He could only hope whatever he had seen was something good, something that would let them know why in the world these beings were chasing them, or maybe it would let Cole know more about the immortal's pasts, maybe where they had to go to bring Itzal home.
"It…" Itzal opened his hand and stared at the amulet. "I don't know." He honestly didn't know what that history he'd seen meant. He didn't know how it could help them. Except… maybe it meant… maybe he and his godly family had already defeated the beings. But that couldn't be. The first time he'd seen them, they'd been totally unfamiliar. And they were obviously more powerful than he was. So that couldn't be true. "Um… we should probably go. This is what we came for." Itzal closed his fingers around the amulet. He didn't know how it could help just yet, but something told him his words were true. The amulet, and the memories that had gone with it, were what they had been searching for. Somehow, it would help him take out the beings.
Cole nodded slowly, a little disappointed by the lack of an explanation to what had happened, but knowing it wasn't smart to push it. If Itzal wanted to share what he had seen, then he would, he was sure of that. "If you're sure…then let's get going," He stated, a tight-lipped smile on his face. Reaching for the sword, he pulled it to him, looking around just as a precaution for any of the beings. Slowly, he got back to his feet, offering out a hand to the god, to help him up.
Itzal noticed Cole's expression but knew that he couldn't tell him what he'd seen. Not yet. Not when he didn't even know what it meant. He nodded instead, accepting Cole's outstretched hand and standing. Itzal headed back towards the exit of the room, absentmindedly hanging the amulet around his neck. It might have been his mind playing tricks on him, but it felt… familiar, somehow. The feeling distracted him so much that he didn't notice the beings until it was too late. An unnaturally cold hand closed around his neck and he was lifted into the air before he could react.
"Well. You found it." The sharp voice of the being stabbed into his mind, making him wince. Itzal could see two more beings walking around either side of him, heading for Cole. Itzal gasped, trying to get out of the being's grasp– to no avail.
"You have me!" He yelled hoarsely. "He has nothing to do with this! Let him go!"
Cole walked alongside Itzal, his focus on searching for beings in front of them instead of Itzal or the room they were leaving behind. he kept the sword in a tight hold in his hand, keeping him focused on where they were. A new sense of calm, mixed with worry settled over him. They had gotten what they needed, and so far, it seemed like they were still alone. Maybe they had managed to lose the beings in the city.
The slight hope didn't last long though, as he turned to look back for Itzal and felt two sets of freezing cold hands grab onto him tightly. Instantly, his eyes went wide and he froze, looking to the god with a sinking horror. "Itzal?" He got out, albeit shakily. There was no doubt in his mind that there were two beings holding him where he was, keeping his arms at his side and rendering the sword in his hand useless. He spotted a third behind the god, a grip on his neck that looked painful from where he was. "Let him go, he's done nothing wrong," He finally got out, worry and faint anger in his voice.
"He's done nothing wrong?" The being holding Itzal made a strange sound that might have been a laugh, directing a cold stare at Cole. "You obviously have no idea who he is."
"Fine, fine! I know I've done something to offend you, but he hasn't. He's just a mortal."
"He has hurt our own."
"On my orders! I made him!" Itzal shouted, pulling at the being's hand.
"It was still blood spilled. He must pay. And hurting you is never a bad thing." One of the beings holding Cole yanked the sword out of his hand and held it against the man's neck.
"Stop!" Itzal screamed, using all the power he could to try and get out of the being's grip. He had to save Cole. He couldn't have him die. That was an impossible thing. But no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't overpower the being. It was too powerful. He was too weak.
"Hmm… It appears that you haven't figured it out just yet." The being laughed again and made a motion towards the other two beings. The sword was raised, poised to cut Cole's throat.
Panic took over as Cole realized he was most likely going to die. This was going to be the end. He didn’t want to die like this, not infront of one of the only people he cared about, but there seemed to be no way out. Panic mixed with sadness, as his mind raced. He was going to die without saying goodbye to his sister, by the very sword that he had used to kill the first being.
Cole trembled the longer he was forced to stand there, his eyes watering while he watched Itzal try to bargain for his life. There was nothing he could do to help, all he could do was try to hold onto his sword, which felt like lead in his hand as the being pried it away.
“Itzal,” He said again, this time in a softer, goodbye like way, “I had a good life, and helping you was the best way I could’ve spent the rest of my time here.”
As much as he attempted to fight out of the beings grip as he spoke, nothing worked, and the sword hovering centimeters from his neck instantly stopped him from trying anything else. He knew at least one tear had fallen as he waited for the inevitable, looking to the god, wishing he had time to say all of what he wanted to say to the wonderful person infront of him.
(Ah… this is really long, sorry.)
"No. No!" Itzal struggled even harder, but the being only let out another one of its grating laughs. The hand around his neck grew tighter until he could barely breathe. He didn't stop fighting, though– he couldn't. He absolutely couldn't lose another person. His entire family might be dead at this point because of the beings. At the moment, all he had was Cole. And he would rather die himself than let that man get killed. Especially since it was his fault in the first place. His eyes widened as the sword was brought down. The only thing that he could do was buy himself some time. Itzal yelled and a burst of energy rippled out, freezing everything in place. The sword was halfway to Cole's neck, and despite his best efforts, it kept creeping closer. No. He wasn't that weak. Itzal clenched his hands into fists and concentrated harder. The sword finally froze in place. He kept staring at the sword, at a total loss of what to do.
It was then that the pendant around his neck started to grow warmer. He wanted to look at it, but the combination of the being's arm and the effort of keeping the sword frozen stopped him. The amulet grew progressively hotter until it seemed to be burning into his chest. Itzal moved his hand to try and take it off but was stopped by a feeling of intense familiarity. Something inside his mind shifted, accompanied by a splitting headache. But now he knew exactly what to do to get Cole out of here. And the way he could destroy those beings that dared hurt those he cared about. Time could be stopped, but it could also be moved backward or forward. Itzal, feeling only halfway in control, grabbed the arm of the being holding him and flung it into the far future. The being crumbled to dust without a sound. Itzal landed lightly on the ground and stalked towards the two beings holding Cole. The man was frozen, a tear stopped halfway down his face. Itzal turned his gaze to the beings, his eyes narrowing. The two silently withered away, and Itzal caught the sword before it could do any harm to Cole. Since there weren't any more beings in the area, he let time settle back into its original course. The tear traced the rest of its way down Cole's face.
"Are you alright?" Itzal asked, ignoring his growing headache. "Did they hurt you?"
(It's ok! I don't mind!)
Cole wasn't sure what happened in the span of time it was taking for the sword to reach his neck. One moment he was mourning the loss of any time left in his life, waiting for the pain of death, the next he was safe. He had pressed his eyes closed, hoping it would make things easier, but nothing came. Slowly, he opened his eyes, not bothering to wipe away the tear from his face.
"What happened?" He asked, his voice shaky as he looked around, instant relief washing over him when Itzal was alright. Cole didn't ask any more questions, just stepped close to the god and wrapped him in a tight, thankful hug. He wasn't sure if it was alright to do so, all he knew was that he was more than thankful to be alive, and that Itzal had something to do with how he was still living.
"Thank you," Cole said, gently, the same tremble in his voice. He was sure he could say those words forever to the god, and he would never be able to pay him back for saving his life. "I'll be fine," He added as he realized he had been asked questions, "I want to know if you're alright." Something in him told him that he would never be fully fine after being that close to dying, but he didn't want to worry him.
"I killed the beings," Itzal said, his voice much calmer than he was actually feeling. He blinked in surprise as Cole suddenly hugged him, but quickly returned the hug. "Mmm." Itzal frowned slightly and stepped back, giving Cole a once-over. He kept his hands on the man's shoulders, feeling like he needed to somehow ground himself in the present. "Alright. If you need anything, tell me." He stared into Cole's eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to experience that. I promise that will never happen again." Itzal pressed his lips together and glanced down. "I…" He was alright at the moment, but his mind was getting fuzzier the longer he stood there. Itzal still had no idea how he had figured out how to kill the beings so quickly, or why he had enough power to do it in the first place. Thinking about it worsened his headache. "I think I'll be alright," Itzal finished, looking back up at Cole with a small smile. Lying to the man wasn't what he wanted to do, but he didn't want to make Cole worry. He was a god, after all. He could handle it– it was his duty to handle it.
Cole was sure his hands were shaking as he pulled them back to himself, silently relieved that Itzal's hands were still practically holding him together. He wasn't sure how much more he could take today, almost dying was enough to freak him out for the time being. "You don't have to promise me anything," He added gently, looking anywhere but Itzal's eyes, "I don't think we should put the idea of my death out of mind. We're dealing with powerful beings..I'm no more than a human." Cole let out a soft breath as he looked around, finally looking back at Itzal. He was still shaken, but they had to get moving, who knew how soon more beings would show up. "We should probably head back to the city…unless you think there's anything else we have to get here?"
(Sorry for the delay, sports have started up again for me and life is a little crazy now. :)
Itzal stared at Cole, desperately trying to do the exact opposite of what Cole suggested. There was no way he would ever want to think about Cole's death, nor would he ever accept that outcome. "They might be powerful, but I am too. You won't die on my watch." Itzal said, trying to keep his voice soft. He was sure his eyes were a little too intense, though. "You are much more than a mere human, Cole." Itzal squeezed his shoulders gently, then let his hands fall back to his sides. "Yeah, we should get going. We got what we needed." He turned back towards the exit. Now facing away from Cole, he let his eyes squeeze shut for a second. Memories were bursting in and out of his mind rather violently, making his head pound. The faster they got out of there, the better.
(Same for me…sports have taken over my life, and I'm a little swamped with my mental health right now, so I'm trying to respond when I can)
Meeting Itzal's eyes, he tried his best not to look away. The god's words stuck in his mind, but it didn't change the fact that he was slowly coming into acceptance in what he had gotten himself into. Cole simply nodded, feeling a little bit less calm as the hands left his shoulders. "I'm not sure if the taxi we took up is still here…but I suppose I can try to call one before my phone completely dies," He offered, his voice still soft, "Or we can try to catch a ride…anything to get back to the city so we can rest."
(Alright, no worries! Also, thank you for sticking with me for a year! This has been really fun so far. :)
"We can check first, and use your phone as a last resort," Itzal said, composing himself before turning to look back at Cole. He wanted to keep the man in his sights at all times, just in case more beings popped out of nowhere. There was no way he would ever let Cole be in that sort of situation again. Not now that he could stop it from happening. Itzal waited until Cole was next to him before leading the way back out of the cave. The outside was calm and normal and not full of monsters and burning memories. It was almost foreign to Itzal. To get in a taxi– which he hoped would still be there, as he didn't think he could hold out much longer– would indeed be a weird experience after all the unusual things they'd gone through.
(It's already been a year?? HOOOOOLY CRAP! This had been so fun and I can't wait to see how it continues, plus this has to be one of my longest running rps :D (If this one ever ends…how would you feel about starting up another one?))
Cole decided without hesitation that he was never leaving Itzal's side until the god returned home. There was too much adrenaline, worry and anxiety coursing through his system just from what had happened, he was terrified to figure out what would happen if they had to go across those beings again. He nodded in response to Itzal, then started the walk back out of the cave, feeling his worry slowly wash away the farther they got, though it was quickly being replaced with a sinking feeling of dread at what was to come. His grip on the sword tightened as he let his mind run rampant, though he wasn't quite sure when or how he had grabbed the weapon from Itzal. Not that he was ever going to let it go. It was the only way he could protect himself without having to rely on the god anyway.
(It has, somehow. Time really flies nowadays. This really has been fun! (And I am open to rp with you at any time. :) )
Itzal glanced over at Cole to see him gripping the sword like it was his lifeline and his heart squeezed painfully. It was because of him that this wonderful, amazing man had to undergo such hardships and experience such terrible things. The beings were chasing him, after all, and Cole had been caught in the crossfire again and again. One of those times had nearly gotten him killed. Itzal let out a long breath, expelling those thoughts along with it, and reached towards Cole's hand. However much Cole was in danger near him, Itzal didn't want him to go. It was selfish– more than selfish– but he would rather kill every single being that existed than have to say goodbye to Cole. He was a protector, after all. It was his job to keep others safe. He couldn't very well keep Cole safe if the man wasn't with him. Itzal's fingers closed around Cole's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Even if he had to give up his life, he would make sure those he cared for would stay safe.
(yay ok!)
A soft frown had settled on Cole's face as he walked, a look of thought, though about what in particular couldn't be figured out. He walked along quietly, his steps on the dirt path being the only sound coming from him. Cole couldn't muster up the voice to speak even if he wanted to, there was still way too much going through his mind. Between the shock of almost dying, to the chaos of trying to get a ride to the city once more, and hiding from the beings that were surely coming after him, he didn't have much mental power left to speak. He just listened to the world around them, step in step with Itzal, and he intended to stay like that. Until he felt someone grab his hand. The motion made him quickly snap to reality, looking towards his hand as quickly as he could before he looked to the god. Relief washed over him when he realized it was just Itzal, not another being. Slowly, a small smile flashed over his face and he squeezed his hand in return, feeling much less like he was going to fall apart at any moment.
The path they were walking on slowly became more populated. It wasn't an outrageous amount of people, but this small, normal thing hit Itzal in the face again. He was glad he had Cole's hand in his. It helped him keep in the moment. As they walked, the god hoped that the taxi was still there so they could get back as quickly as possible. Having to wait there for who knew how long didn't sound like something he would easily be able to do.
"Do you see it?" Itzal asked when they reached the front of the park, leaning towards Cole slightly as he asked. "The taxi, I mean." He glanced around, searching for the car.
Cole was more than relieved to be holding Itzal's hand as the path became more crowded, even if it was a calm, small stream of people. It made him more nervous than he wanted to share, and yet, he wasn't sure why he felt so jittery around people all of a sudden.
"Hm?" He started, his focus jumping back to Itzal as he spoke. "Oh…uh, I think I see it over there," Cole replied, squinting as he pointed to a single taxi parked quite far away. He didn't know how common it was for people to take taxi's out here, but he had a good feeling that the one he saw was theirs.
Itzal looked towards where Cole was pointing and nodded. "Alright. Let's go, then. I'm looking forward to getting away from here," He sighed, giving Cole's hand a little squeeze before he started towards the taxi. At this point, he was thinking that a nap in there might be the best idea. He couldn't think of anything else to take away the memory-induced headache. As they got closer, Itzal recognized the taxi and the person driving it. "Thank everything," he breathed, glancing at Cole. "Are you ready?"
(Sorry for the wait)
"It's really no problem, you don't have to thank me Itzal." Cole smiled weakly and nodded, squeezing his hand back, "I'm ready to get going too, the sooner we're out of here, the sooner we can relax." Reaching the taxi, he opened the door for the god, "After you." He was more than ready to be away from the park, and the taxi was the easiest way to get away. As instinct was now teaching him, he glanced around as he slipped into the taxi as well, seeing no sign of any of the beings. At least for now they were alone…with the taxi driver that was.
(You're good! :)
"Agreed." Itzal gave him a soft smile and a nod before ducking into the taxi. He'd been sitting for about five seconds before the exhaustion hit him full force. Itzal tried and failed to stifle a yawn, leaning his head against the seat. "Um… I'm going to try my best not to, but I might fall asleep before we get there. Please wake me up if anything happens." He blinked a few times and looked over at Cole, covering another yawn with his hand.
Cole relaxed as he followed Itzal into the taxi, resting his head back against the seats as he instructed the driver to go back to the city. He was physically exhausted beyond belief, but his mind was too awake and alert to let him sleep. He turned to look at Itzal, nodding softly in understanding, "Get as much sleep as you need, I'll be sure to wake you up if I can't handle anything." Cole knew the god was exhausted, frankly, he would've been surprised if he wasn't, after messing with time for so long without break.
(Sorry for the delay!)
Itzal lasted maybe three minutes before his eyelids were almost too heavy to keep open. He was conflicted about this. On one hand, he was exhausted and could definitely use the sleep. On the other hand… all these new memories would probably make for very, very bad dreams. In the end, his body decided that it simply couldn't stay awake any longer, bad dreams or not.
Itzal's dreams, like his memories, were fractured. They stopped before they had run their course. They started in the middle with no idea for how they had started. Most were of his time with the other gods, before these beings had appeared. But they always felt off. There was something synthetic, something fake. And there would be moments when a breath of reality would slip through the spiderwebbing cracks, but that was almost the worst part. Because Itzal was quite sure he didn't remember those things happening.
(It's ok lol,mine is like a month late…)
Cole stayed silent as Itzal dozed off, finding himself playing with the sword laid across his lap. He was zoning out, that he knew, but he couldn't help to stop it. All his thoughts were filled with horror, and he was internally freaking out, replaying the last day in his head, realizing just how much had happened. He had taken in a literal god to help, killed his first shadow being, used a sword for the first time, went on the run from more shadow beings, given up most of his life to help Itzal, and almost died. All so close together that he was having a hard time separate each even, or process them in a way that wouldn't cause him to have a panic attack.
He ran his finger down the sword blade as he lost himself in thought, his hands shaking. There was too much going on, he needed to calm down, but he couldn't. Cole couldn't stop thinking, and he couldn't do anything to stop showing how scared he was becoming. And the one person who could assure him that things would be alright was fast asleep in the cab beside him, recovering from things much more complex than his overreacting mind.
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