Journey | Albedo's Descent Book 3

Chapter 31: Vitality

Once they were once again in the warmth of the camp Rosaria said something, "aren't you guys engaged? Why are you acting like children with crushes?"
Kaeya and Albedo didn't say a word, both looking away.
Rosaria rolled her eyes, "you two..."
Albedo quietly cleared his throat as he made his way over to his experimentation table. Kaeya busied himself with tending to the fire.
"Ignoring me doesn't work. Did something happen?" She folded her arms, "what? Did you guys like accidentally hold hands or something, you're seriously acting like children."
Albedo slowly looked up at her, "nothing happened..."
"Then why are-"
"You wouldn't understand, Rosaria..." Kaeya said quietly, "you've never bathed with someone before..."
She narrowed her eyes, "how would you know?"
Kaeya paused, "because you wouldn't be asking."
She snorted, "I still feel like you aren't telling me something."
"I swear we didn't even touch each other," Kaeya said sincerely as he stood up.
Albedo nodded as well.
Rosaria looked between them, "then-"
"Can we please talk about something else?" Kaeya asked, on the verge of kneading his forehead.
"Would you rather talk about the problem that is now inside your fiancé?" Rosaria gestured at the alchemist.
"It won't be a problem for long..." Albedo said slowly, "I just..."
"How long, then?"
"Hopefully by tonight," Albedo nodded to himself, "if I can do want I need to."
Kaeya shifted on his feet, "last time-"
"I know," Albedo closed his eyes, "it.. won't be easy..."
Rosaria leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, "what do you need?"
"Oh, it isn't something that I can have help for... it's only a matter of if I can-" Albedo was staring at his hand intensely.
"What is it?!" Kaeya rushed over.
Albedo turned his hand over a few times, holding it up to stare at it in wonder.
There seemed to be nothing wrong or abnormal about it at all. Rosaria and Kaeya shared a strange glance.
Albedo saw around his hand and up his arm a swirling, red dusty sort of matter. It looked just like Durin's vitality. Was this what he needed? Did this come from what he had been forcibly fed? Is that why he needed to have eaten it?
Albedo began to smile as he took his gloves off. As he did, he noticed that it wasn't only on his hands, but coming out of his chest as well. His thoughts were interrupted when Kaeya took his wrist, "is everything alright?"
"Yes," Albedo was beaming, "yes, everything is right." He turned around, trying to locate where he had stashed away the tooth.
Had this live goo had some sort of ability to do this? Or had Albedo had his own "vitality" this whole time and the sludge had awakened it? He had so many questions.
Kaeya looked to Rosaria, hoping she understood something he didn't. She only shrugged and spun her finger around her ear to show Kaeya she thought Albedo had finally gone mad.
"Ah! Here it is!" Albedo laughed as he placed the big bone on the table.
"Albedo... what are you doing?" Kaeya asked worriedly.
"Completing the puzzle," Albedo examined his arms once more.
"But didn't you need-"
"No, I- I can do it myself," Albedo actually laughed a little bit, "this is so weird!"
Rosaria made the sign again.
Kaeya pursed his lips as he placed his hand on the alchemist's arm, "Albedo..."
"Kaeya, it was your nasty drink that did it! I told you it would drive someone crazy!" Rosaria snapped.
"It did not," Kaeya said firmly, "that was hours ago."
Albedo took his arm back, "watch."
Both Kaeya and Rosaria shut their mouths and locked their eyes on Albedo.
The alchemist, with a smile that didn't seem quite right, placed both his hands on the dragon tooth and his arms tightened.
It felt like a twister was forming around the tooth as wind started blowing their hair and clothes about, along with loose objects around the room.
Albedo's excitement grew as the vitality around him began swirling around the tooth. And, unexpectedly, Albedo's sword, from across the room, started glowing faintly, red dusty particles spilling out of the eye above the hilt. It traveled over and mixed with the particles, making a deep rusty color.
Albedo suddenly released his hands, stumbling a few steps back: the winds were gone. All was still.
Kaeya caught him, "what just happened?"
Albedo felt dizzy, "I just... gave it some of my own vitality..."
"What? What does that mean?"
Rosaria's eyes narrowed at the bone, "that doesn't look right..."
Kaeya and Albedo looked over. The vitality was visible to everyone now, but the color was like that of blood and was slowly getting darker by the second.
Surely this wasn't a problem, right? Would this affect the puzzle? Would it make everything Albedo worked for all worthless?
He managed to stand up on his own. He felt so oddly cold again, he rubbed his arms, almost shivering. This wasn't a problem, right?...
"It's perfect..."
No one in the room had spoken. And it seemed Albedo was the only one who had heard those words. It was the same voice from earlier, only, it sounded slightly closer.
Albedo had been hearing this voice for a while now and he knew what it was coming from.
He smiled wider, taking the tooth into his hands once more, "finally... we can both be whole again..."