Amends

Chapter 13: Rephrase

Unbeknownst to them, Nakiri and Jerome remain right behind Ingressus and Amantius; but they still think that they are following the Tidesinger, hoping to intercept the Nestoris before he can reach Ingressus.

That is, until they come across what looks to have been a struggle of sorts along the dirt path into Nestoria, and the pair of them are left confused by the reasoning behind it all. Little do they know that it is the biggest clue in their hunt for their Master

Author's note: y'know when it comes to drawing Ardoni, I simply cannot draw them at an angle that does not show off their markings properly. well, this appears to be an exception. I managed to draw both characters with their dominant marking side *behind* the view. they aren't naked; they do have markings, but dammit I didn't plan that out properly XD

I look real bad describing "a labyrinth of markings" only for y'all to see barely nothing XD

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Two miles behind Ingressus and Amantius, Jerome and Nakiri continued treading through what seemed like treacle as they wandered the forest towards Nestoria. Since leaving the mine network, neither of them had felt quite right, and while one had never outright told the other of such feelings, they could both feel it. They were out of sync. They were unsteady, uneasy, unnerved. When they tried to discern themselves what was disturbing them so much, they could only pin it on the very sudden shock of uncovering the conditions that Ingressus had been kept in for ten straight years. They didn't know the details of what happened in that time, but they were certainly more enlightened by the conditions of the cell as well as the network. It was simple: no good was to have come by the tone and setting of such a morbid place.

At least some of Ingressus' reactions to certain touches and conversations were better explained. They always knew that he'd suffered somewhat restrained by his reactions to being handled by his wrists; but now that was all too clear for the two Voltaris. It hurt them, and they still didn't know half of what went on. Until now, they had left Ingressus to tell them on his own terms and when he was ready; but given the extent to what they had found, they weren't so sure that he would ever enlighten them all the way to the details of what happened, or how it happened, although they were less sure of it being a product of trauma and more a personal reservation for their sake.

But they knew by now that no amount of convincing was going to change Ingressus' mind. Ten years was a long time to be kept like that. There was no way that the Tidesinger had been kind even once.

They may be out there searching for Ingressus before he finds the Tidesinger (or before the Tidesinger finds him), but after leaving the mine network with an unknown Aggressium Song, neither Nakiri nor Jerome were so sure that they were on Ingressus' trail anymore. They saw no reason as to why Ingressus would wander even close to the Nestoris territory, let alone have any purpose for entering it; but as for the Tidesinger...

He may be as wanted as the Voltaris Master, but he would find it much easier to blend into his own territory, disguised or not. Ingressus would stand no chance.

They believed that they were following the Tidesinger, and oh were they hoping that they would find him before he got to Ingressus.

Unlike Ingressus, Nakiri nor Jerome knew of the difference between the Tidesinger and Achillean Nestoris. Unlike Ingressus, Nakiri nor Jerome had any experience in dealing with someone of a corrupted nature. As far as they were concerned, Achillean Nestoris was still the same wretched man who had tortured their Master for ten heinous years, and not the broken, destroyed soul that Ingressus had been tending to for two years after he had escaped. They knew him only as a horrid monster who was supposed to have been family to Ingressus after the event that killed Dominus, and not the family that he had wanted, even tried to be to Ingressus during those ten years, fighting his corruption.