Of Love and Death.

The Past Chapter 17: Blood on the Floor Pt. 3

Don't read my thoughts, Fire told Mind the moment the Sun walked into the room. There was no urgency to the words, despite the force they came with. Just a dread and despair. Fire was begging Mind. And, if the shadow was being completely honest, he was happy to oblige. Only because he could guess what had happened. He could guess from the horrified look in Fire's eyes. Wide and defeated. Like panic had bled out of his body replaced by nothing but dread.

It was how Fire held himself. Slightly hunched over. Wings hanging down his back, not folded up like normal. Hands slightly loose at his sides. When something happened, Fire got mad. He didn't take anything lying down. Not when Mind was being abused. Not when the entire Orb was falling into chaos. Not even when Cold saw the two of them kissing. The Sun had always prickled and been ready for a fight.

Right now Fire looked like he was at his limit. Emotionally. He'd seen something he couldn't come back from. It was written all over him. And probably exemplified by the fact that the sun was covered in blood. It was stained on his feet and up his legs. It stood out against the scarlet of his skin. It dyed his multicolored scales. It covered one side of him and his hands and wings. On his black pants too. Like he'd bled out all over himself. But, the only thing keeping Mind from freaking out at this moment was that Fire couldn't have supplied the blood all over him. Because the Sun would be dead, otherwise.

But...if it wasn't Fire's blood. Than...than who...? Had Blood just gotten really surprised when the Sun went to find him? And covered him with the stuff? Like how Water liked to drench his friend? That...that was what it had to be, right.

But then why wasn't Blood with Fire? Maybe Blood had gone to get some sort of cleaning cloth for the mess he made for Fire? But then why wouldn't the sun have gone with Blood. Maybe Mind's friend was just a few steps behind. That would make a lot of sense. But then why didn't he hear footsteps? Was Blood still asleep in his room? But then why hadn't Fire woken him up?

Mind... Mind knew what made sense. He knew what made sense. For some reason, he was thinking straight right now. It was an emergency. And he was keeping the panic at bay. Like when Fire had given them all orders during the riot. The panic took a second seat to thinking. Because you had to be able to think. You had to be able to understand what was going on to get out of it. It had to make sense.

That was the worst part of it all. The worst case scenario kept making sense. Every other explanation he came up with, he could refute with a thought or two. And, and worst of all, was Fire. Fire shouldn't look so dead. He should have washed off the blood. He shouldn't have told Mind to stay out of his thoughts. Because Fire knew how this would look. And he knew what the shadow would think immediately. And Fire wouldn't want Mind to worry for a second longer than he had to.

Everyone else in the room was silent. They were all taking in the sight of Fire just as much as Mind was. They were all hopping through the possibilities just like him. The shadow was in their heads. He could see how they each arrived at the same conclusion. Some slowly. Some quickly. They all realized the truth, in the end.

Fire didn't even have to say anything.

Blood was dead. 

Dark stared at the Nexus Force in front of him. Fire, standing before them all. Bearing news just by standing. Just by being covered in blood. The blood of Blood. Blood, the force who never should have been able to die. But Dark could see it in Fire's head. He'd used Mind's powers the moment that the other Force walked through the door. He'd what Fire said to Mind. But he'd actually ignored it. And he'd see the image of his poor shadow lying broken on the ground.