QUEST FOR THE RED STONE (Pillar men AU)

Kars and Esidisi

The moon hung high in the sky, casting its glow over the desert and illuminating the sleeping forms of Kars and Esidisi nestled together on a bed of animal pelts. In their spooned position, Esidisi was the "big spoon," his arms wrapped protectively around Kars, who had always taken comfort in being held close. The silver light crept over Esidisi's face, stirring him from his sleep.

Groggy, Esidisi reached a hand out to where Wamuu should have been, expecting to feel the warmth of the young warrior resting close by. But his hand met nothing but empty space. A wave of worry prickled through his sleepy haze. He stretched his arm further, searching for Santana, but found only the cool pelts.

"What the...?" he murmured, blinking away the sleep as he sat up, his eyes adjusting to the moonlit cave. He scanned the area, his heart picking up speed as he realized they were truly alone.

With rising dread, Esidisi frantically checked their belongings, fearing a robbery or an ambush. But everything was intact, untouched. He took a shaky breath, calming slightly, but the gnawing worry remained. Where could those two have gone?

In desperation, Esidisi crawled over to Kars and shook him awake. Startled, Kars's reflexes kicked in, nearly swinging at Esidisi before his vision cleared. Esidisi quickly spilled out his worry in a rushed, panicked tone, tears brimming in his eyes as he told Kars about Wamuu and Santana's disappearance.

Kars, who rarely showed panic, felt his heart sink. He glanced over to where they were supposed to be and found the spots empty.

"W-what?! Where could they have gone?" he shouted, trying to keep his cool, though his voice betrayed him. Esidisi just sobbed, each tear fueled by worry for their young apprentices.

Determined to keep his composure, Kars started pacing, his mind racing for answers. Suddenly, a memory struck him—the little house they'd passed on the way up. It was the only place nearby that Wamuu and Santana could possibly have headed.

He made his way to the edge of the cave and looked down toward the house, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the area. Sure enough, he saw two figures creeping around in the moonlight. As he squinted to get a clearer look, realization dawned—it was them.

A deep sigh of relief escaped Kars as he sank to his knees, pressing his forehead to the cool ground, grateful beyond words. For a moment, he'd thought they'd lost the boys and would have to scour the land to find them.

After gathering himself, he returned to Esidisi, who perked up at Kars's calm expression. "I found them," Kars reassured him, pointing to the house below. Esidisi let out his own relieved sigh, joining Kars at the cave's edge.

"Wait... but why would they go there?" Esidisi asked, peering down.

Kars's eyes narrowed as he noticed something glinting in Santana's hand. Recognition hit him hard. "Is that the stone mask?"

Esidisi's face went pale. "You don't think they're... planning to turn the man into a vampire, do you?"

Kars's heart dropped. "It looks that way—wait, no! They can't! It's far too dangerous! They could get hurt or worse... we need to stop them before they get themselves killed!"

Without another word, Kars leapt from the edge, sliding down the mountainside in a hurried descent. Esidisi followed close behind, struggling to keep up, nearly losing his footing on the loose gravel. When they reached the base, they wasted no time, sprinting across the sands with an urgency that made the desert seem endless. The sand seeped into the holes punctured by the mountains' rocks in their shoes, but they pushed on, ignoring the discomfort. They could see the house drawing closer, catching glimpses of Wamuu and Santana just before they vanished inside.

A new tension filled the air as Kars and Esidisi approached, steeling themselves to intervene before the plan spiraled out of control, before the night became a lesson in survival for their beloved, troublesome apprentices.