Regal darted through the cracked door of Akira's room the moment Celeste opened it to peek in at the withdrawn fox teen. There had been no movement in the foxling, it seemed, and it disheartened the elf to see her so distraught and broken. But there was nothing left to do but let her heal with time. First crushes were hard to overcome when they push you away. The chimera, however, refused to let Akira be alone today. Something was happening, something that required Akira's attention. He had to remind Akira that life did not revolve around just the one person, but everyone who makes a bond becomes connected.

Jumping onto the bed, Regal pushed himself under one of her hands and turned his onyx eyes to her. She barely moved. "Hey Regal…" her voice was so soft, it might as well have not been there at all. "Master, I need your assistance." Akira still did not stir. "Get my mothers to help you." Regal pounced onto her lap, wings flared open as he tried to portray how urgent the matter was.

"No, it requires your attention, Master." With a sigh, Akira stood and finally began to move around for the first time in weeks. With Regal by her side, she left the house and made her way into town, her eyes almost vacant as she glanced at the passing structures and people. If they noticed the difference in the girl, none made comment.

Her feet did not hesitate as she followed the chimera from one district to another. Not even when vibrant color gave way to black. It was no different than when she lived in Vilpamolan. Yet, when she came up to an inn, she paused. Her ears twitched yet she heard nothing. Amber eyes slowly drew up to the inn. The scents that came from the establishment was varying, but something was familiar… Regal flew up to her shoulder, pleased that she was finally following her instincts.

Akira slowly made her way into the inn, eyes squinting until they grew accustomed to the dim interior. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was a simple inn, obviously with a kitchen that had served breakfast that morning but not cooking anything else now. The innkeep was a bored looking elf who lazily glared at her.

"Get lost kid." he said before burying his nose back into a book. Ignoring him, Akira followed her nose. The familiar scent was getting stronger, but she still couldn't place it as the scent was almost drowned out by smoke and other foul odors. Slipping past the innkeeper, Akira followed the scent into the kitchen and found the door to the basement.

She opened it and took two steps when the innkeeper's voice sounded irritably behind her. "I said get lost. Tis no place for a kid." he reached for her. With a hiss from Regal and a help from Akira, she bound down the stairs, quickly finding herself in a dark hallway. There were several doors on either side, and only one was cracked ajar. The foxling darted into the room and scrambled behind the door to close it while trying to formulate a plan.

There was once a young boy…

There was a pressure in his arm, a slight pain, and then bliss…

There was once a promising young boy, who saw the streets as his home. He was alone, but not afraid to stand up to what was right….

He hissed. The bliss was leaving faster this time. “No..no no no….” He tightened the band around his arm, yanking hard with his teeth. His dull eyes scrambled to find the needle. He needed more.

The boy found himself among those who were beaten down, and saw that they had a common enemy. With the help of a noble woman with a heart of gold, and a loyal friend gained along the way, he lead the downtrodden to victory against their oppressors. It was a hard battle, but in the end they survived. They had won.

“More…” The pain was coming back. “Where is it…I need more…” His voice was cracking. Failing.

But this was not the end. No, they were destined for great things. The boy was proud. Between his newfound savior and his new best friend, they built something greater so that the downtrodden would be safe. From that moment on, they were more than just a group. They were a family.

The pain was gone again. He sighed. Everything was okay again.

Like any family, though, they had their growing pains. But they worked through it all, and even became well known. It was then, that she arrived. The girl who warmed the hearts of the family. She was brave and spirited, and willing to join in their cause to help the innocent. With no fear in her eyes, she braved the darkness…

“Fuck…already?” Another. He needed another fix. Wasn’t there anything stronger? “I’m…almost out…”

Things went on, and his best friend and the girl all lived happily ever after. There world never collapsed around them, leaving me all alone. They never betrayed me. The Gods never destroyed my home. Yes…that’s it. My world is still here…all right here, for me…for all eternity….

“No.” He scrambled for the last vial. “No…it can’t end. Not here…not now. I just n-need more!” There it was again. That sharp pain. And then he was back again…surrounded by his friends. By his family.

“I love you guys,” he said with hollow eyes, staring off into the distance. “I’m sorry I went away for a moment…but I’m back now. We can stay like this forever…”

Suddenly, she felt as if she had stepped out of time. That familiar scent she had noted earlier was stronger now, almost curling around her to say "he's here". Akira silently drifted toward a dark corner of the room. Indeed… There he was. "Xeik…" his name came out as a breath, a whisper of disbelief. How was he so close to her home, so far from his, and she never knew?

A hand grasped her arm, the stench of rotten teeth filled her nose as hot breath made her ear twitch. "Time for you to leave." Akira yanked her arm from his grip, her gaze never leaving Xeik. "I'll pay you anything you want, but I'm not leaving him…" silence hung in the air as he pondered the proposition. His hand was now waiting expectantly before her. She reached into her bag of holding and pulled out a somewhat heavy pouch of coins, dropping it into his hand. When he decided it was satisfactory, choosing not to question where a child came across such deep pockets, he left and closed the door behind him.

Now alone with Xeik, Akira almost crumbled into tears. He looked broken, about as bad as she felt. He appeared a mess. Worse of all… He had those vacant eyes… eyes that told a tale of substance usage. Someone close to her had that same expression, their mind lost to the induced euphoria as they relinquished all responsibility. They numbed their mind, disconnected themselves from that which made them dangerous. Now, Xeik was doing the same thing, using the chosen substance to hide from something.

"Xeik…" Her voice was a little louder this time, a little stronger as she took a step forward. "I'm here…" As she took another step forward, the foxling wondered how easy it would have been for her to fall down this path. What had caused Xeik such pain to turn to this in the first place? Akira carefully moved the used needles out of the way so she could sit down beside him. "I think I now know how you've felt… all this time… When he left…" She assumed he would probably not notice her words, nor her presence. Still, she leaned into him for warmth as she laid her head on his shoulder. "But I promise… I won't leave you this time."

How long had it been since Xeik had felt truly happy? That day where the three of them had met in spite of the Goddess Sironia’s crusade perhaps may have been one of those days. Despite the anger that he felt for Lewis, the three of them had done well to achieve their goals and fight back in the name of the darkness that they all served. But it was all too late. Sironia’s followers had destroyed the guild, burned it to the ground. Had Akira known about that? Did she ever try to visit them again? Or had she been so infatuated with Lewis that she merely abandoned them all as a second thought?

The last of the drug was wearing off, and he noticed there was something else in the room next to him. A warmth that wasn’t present the last time he came around. “What…what are you doing here?” he asked. He couldn’t tell who it was right away. His vision was hazy, and his mind was all over the place.

“Where is the vial that was here?” He tried to search for it, but Akira had taken the place of the stash. Not that there was any left. “What did you do with it?” There was anger in Xeik’s voice. She was standing between him and his happiness. “Who are you to take this away from me!” he yelled.

And then he recognized her.

“A…kira?” he asked. Was this the drug as well? She couldn’t possibly be here. “I don’t…” It didn’t make sense. She was with that backstabbing traitor Lewis. “Akira…where’s the vial?” He didn’t care that she was here. Only that she was in the way. “Either give me the drug, or leave. Can’t you see I need it? I can’t see the guild again without it…” He held out his hand.

“Just….just hand it to me and go…”

What was going to happen to them now? Everything was gone. Lewis, the guild… The world seemed so empty and bleak now. Especially with Xeik currently lost in his drugged haze. Akira spent an unknown amount of time drowning in the darkness next to Xeik as she waited… waited for him to wake up. By the time he began to stir, his voice distant and almost slurred, Akira's toosh had grown as numb as her mind.

Her voice was slow to come to her as he spoke. Vial… What vial? Akira flinched at the anger in his voice as he yelled at her, half scrambling away. She knew how drug-addled minds could become violent even when the person normally was not that way. "Xeik…" she replied when he finally recognized her. But he was still searching for his next fix. "Xeik, there was nothing left… I just moved it to the side to sit next to you. See?" Scooting off to the side, Akira showed him where she had moved the needle and vial.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she shook her head. She moved to her knees and took his hand in hers, not willing to let go. "The guild can't be seen, Xeik. It's gone. They're gone… He's gone," Her throat threatened to close off the ability to make sound with pain. But he needed to understand, needed to see. "Everything's gone, and you're not the only one hurting!" Akira screamed at him as her tears were now freely rolling down her face. "I'm in pain too, can't you see? But I don't try and kill myself to chase phantoms!"

Xeik scoffed as Akira tried to make sense out of it all. Of course everything was gone. He knew that so very well. That’s why he needed the drugs. She couldn’t understand. Perhaps that was the most infuriating part. Why bother facing it? Lewis was right. Only the strong survive.

What a terrible world they lived in.

“Damnit Akira, I know they’re gone,” he snapped. He hated admitting it. “I want to go back, so be a good girl and just go get me more. There should be coins…” He scrambled in his pockets. Nothing. He cursed. “Never mind that…just…just go steal something. Anything. Just make yourself useful…”

But he already knew her response before she said it. It would be an outright refusal to help. “What a waste of time,” he said as he scrambled up. “I’ll just do it myself.” It took him a few tries to get up on his feet. He steadied himself against the wall, shaking at the effort that it had taken to get up.

Now that he was upright, it was easy to see that he had lost a lot of weight. He looked half starved, and his clothes were loose fitting, his shirt draped over him.

“I’ll just…” He took a shaky step forward. “I’ll just go get some more….” A second step. The moment he let go of the wall, he fell. Hard. He crashed into the ground, crying out in pain. His hand brushed against something. A strange syringe full of a blue-green liquid. At once, his eyes locked onto the edge of the needle.

What…is that? He had never seen anything like it before. Where had it come from? How long had it been there? None of these questions actually mattered. Before Akira could do anything, he grabbed the needle, and stabbed himself with it, injecting the unknown substance into his arm.

Whatever it was…he didn’t care. He wanted the pain to be gone. For a moment, everything was great. The warmth…the happiness, he could feel it returning. The dream world where everything was sunshine and rainbows was coming back.

And then it was gone. Xeik was suddenly hyper aware of a growing pain running through his veins. An icy liquid, following by agonizing spikes, as if someone were dragging knives through his veins. And they were headed to his heart. It didn’t take long for the pain to strike, his heart rate skyrocketing as the pain peaked.

Was this it? Was he about to die in silent agony as Akira watched? What fresh hell was this?

Do I really deserve this?

And then nothing…