two idiots and a turtle (a kotlc fanfic)

chapter six: in which it's legacy all over again

a/n: lol be prepared for some? angst <3

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keefe

The thud of Tam's body hitting the floor seems to echo through the room, magnifying the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

I let out a small sob at this new emptiness inside me, the dull ache of freezing cold growing behind my sternum. The sobs don't stop, tears flooding out of me as I stare at the limp body on the floor.

Is he dead?

I cautiously approach him, shying away for a moment when it seems like the shadowflux is going to attack me, but it fades, and I finally get near enough to get a better look at him.

You'd expect him to look more at peace, like he's sleeping or something, but no. His delicate features are screwed up in anguish, his hands still clawing at his arms like he's trying to fight something inside him.

Maybe he is.

What happened, anyways? I'm not even sure.

All I can remember is me being angry, yelling at Tam, and then. . .

And then I hurt him.

"RO!" I scream as I kneel over Tam, and the pink-and-purple-haired ogre quickly rushes in, taking a single sweeping look at the situation before taking charge. She grabs Tam and holds him in her arms, then turns to me expectantly.

"You'll need to lightleap us." She says, her voice containing not even a single hint of fear. "Take us to the Healing Center."

I gulp and shakily nod, resting a hand on Ro's shoulder and guiding us to a beam of light. I gather up as much concentration as I can, making sure Ro could leap with me and that Tam would be protected.

And with that, I let my body dissolve into particles of light as we leap to the Healing Center.

"Keefe? Tam? Oh goodness, what's happened now?" Elwin rushes out of his office, clad in colorful dinosaur-spotted pajamas, his eyes widening when he spots us. He quickly slips his multicolored lenses over his eyes, snapping his fingers.

What's happened? Can't you use your eyes or are they blinded by those lenses? Tam is obviously injured, idiot.

After a few moments of multicolored light flashing over us, Elwin pushes me into a seat, handing me a few elixirs and a Bottle of Youth, before quickly laying Tam down in the bed.

I fight back my urge to say anything sarcastic, instead asking, "What are these for?" My voice is hoarse and soft, yet clearly heard in the quiet room.

Elwin glances over at me, his concentration broken for a moment. "You were fading a bit, Keefe."

Oh. I must have wrapped too much of my concentration around Tam and Ro. At least they didn't fade.

I gulp down the potions and then watch Elwin examine Tam, the light flickering through the color spectrum, the long minutes filled with tense silence, before he finally turns to me, looking like he's aged several years. He takes a deep breath.

"What exactly happened to him, Keefe?"

My fists clench as I avoid Elwin's gaze. "...I got angry. I-I used my power on him, something about being numb. And then. . .and then his shadowflux, something happened, I don't know, it's like it attacked him. And he's been like this ever since."