It would be a lie to say that a part of him did not wish to have reeled back his thoughts—his words—before they had slipped like a sin between his teeth. But now they were out, their string of sounds discordant with the very belief that the pair of them had been raised with. He knew better than to let such things be uttered in the wind, to be carried into flight and allowed to grow limbs of their own. And yet, he had not been able to keep such treasonous worries to himself any longer. The very thought like a searing burn across his flesh.

However, still, he could not deny the absence he felt. The abandonment and the emptiness that lingered where once he felt warmth, trust and faith.

Where had the Five gone? And why would they send such misery to the world they supposedly protected?

His ears flickered backward, lowering against the weight of his twin’s gaze as he too paused in their trek. Now, he stood before her, head lowered and ears drawn back as a tail sat limp between his legs. Ashamed and yet unconvinced in both the argument of their existence or the lack there of.

Amaris dragged his gaze away as his words flickered into the deadened space between them. He cannot find the strength to look at her, not when his admittance of his lack of sight and intuition already felt like a weakness he could no longer carry.

It is only at the sound of her following words, as her shoulder melted against his own, that he inhaled a shuddering breath. She is so convinced, and Amaris found himself envious of her conviction, in that moment. He had lost his far too long ago. Now he felt cast aside, astray in the vast waters of dwindling hope, as the Five (or the world) looked down at him and laughed.

An ear twisted at the sound of her words, listening as his eyes remained glued to his paws, his breathing unsteady as he willed his own anxiety to simmer and sleep.

He gave a half-confident nod.

He remembered the waterfall. But back then, the world was…normal.

Now, their world was nothing more than a festering wound. Sick, ill, and dying.

Amaris tried to muster up a smile, although the grin did not quite reach his eyes as he bobbed his head into a slow, accepting nod. He realized then as his own attention searched the moonlit gaze of his twin that her belief is what kept her going. It empowered her and offered her hope.

And while it may no longer be the same for him, he was not yet ready to rip away that promise wrapped in faith or trust from his other half so soon—if ever at all.

So instead, he swallowed those quiet insecurities, the uncertainties and the doubt and did his best to acknowledge Aelia’s words. Maybe you’re right, He said after a breath, his heart still hammering like a drum behind his ribs. We have drifted apart for so long that maybe its time we reconnected…and tap into our intuition together. As a team. Like before.

It sounded nice, in theory, and yet, it was still too difficult for Amaris to fully believe his own words that echoed in the air.

Maybe I’ve just been exhausted, he tried to rationalize, We’ve been traveling for so long, running for so long… the monster by the water, the dream visitor’s cryptic messages, that pulsing rock…maybe I just… He shook his head, uttering an exhausted sigh as he turned his stare toward the darkness of the tunnel. Maybe I’ve just been tired.