𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄 -- 𝐀 𝐌𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐘𝐅𝐈𝐂

⸻ 𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒

⋯

It's still dark, and a looming presence hangs over the perimeter of their narrow vision. It doesn't look like a forest anymore, it's empty and void-like. An abyss of gloom that encompasses all it contains. And a figure, humanoid at first, that stretches forward. Its limbs lengthen, and the cracking sound of bones and ripping skin echoes the mock night that has settled. The flesh is loose and grey, hanging off the bones as if moments from slipping off of them, and dark purple matter has begun crawling in spiderwebs up its face. What it is, is still the question. Inhuman. Otherworldly. Some kind of goddamn eldritch horror as it leans and warps, crawling toward the edge of nothing. Its eyes are dark and wide, stretched over uncanny features, drinking in the sights in front of it. Absorbing everything the darkness hasn't yet contaminated.

"Sulli!"

Magnus?

"Sulli, oh god-"

Sulli's eyes open to late afternoon sun, warmth streaming through openings in the canopy. Birds twitter in soft anticipation, fluttering away as rapid footsteps dart through the forest floor. They're lying flat on their back, staring up at the blue sky peeking through the leaves. An ache buries up from their stomach, and a sharp piercing feeling stabs through their skull.

What happened?

Sulli pushes themselves up, reaching up to run a hand through their hair. Everything feels distorted, and rising sickness presses against their lungs in their chest, throat hoarse and drier than they'd ever felt it be. Even their vision feels blurry from the sudden migraine that's come upon them, they see someone darting towards them, and in a single moment, there are warm arms around them.

"Oh God."

Magnus.

He's a radiator of heat, and while some of it might be the fact that Sulli is most definitely sick, it's almost unnatural how warm they are in Magnus' embrace. For right now, however, they aren't planning on complaining, and instead close their eyes again, setting their head against his shoulder. Magnus must be talking to him, but Sulli still feels floaty and distant, like they're rapidly descending from the stars that hang in the sky.

It takes them another moment to realize Magnus is hugging him. And the last thing they remember before this happened at night. 6 o'clock at night. In the middle of the woods. And certainly not where they are right now.

"Sulli, are you fucking stupid? Where have you been?"

Yeah, that makes more sense for him.

Magnus pulls back, but only a little, and warm hands are suddenly on their face, scanning them. "Why do you have blood on your face?" He blinked, then shook his head, features hardening, "Where the hell have you been? It's been two fucking days."

Two days.

"God, you have bruises too, and we found your fencer-sword thing. Well, Kelsey found it - but - that's not important right now."

Two days.

"Christ, you're definitely sick, you look like you've been laying out here all night. You're too warm. Are you stupid?? Not telling anyone where you were going?? What happened?"

"Two days?" Sulli finally says, and their voice comes out scratchy and sore. It hurts more than it should, but if Sulli can't remember anything that happened after that night, then maybe they had been laying out here for two days.