From the Vast

Chapter 34: Judgment

Slush and fallen branches crunched under Marco's feet as he walked along the human path, following Yaksha. Sage hovered beside him, struggling with the oddly shaped rain-shield every once in a while.

He expected every step to fill him with more and more dread. Which was the case for the first few minutes, but eventually the worst of that faded away. Not because of their mission somehow not being doomed anymore, but because it'd be a while until they got there.

His psychics could lead him in the dark reasonably well, but even they had their limit—such as the debris in his way, or anything smaller than trees for that matter. He took a sigh of relief once they'd finally climbed their way onto the path, its guidance much appreciated. It freed him from having to constantly probe his surroundings with his aura—he had to conserve his strength for what awaited them, after all.

But what awaited them, he wasn't even sure of.

Anne mentioned several things to look out for once they arrived at the human settlement, but they were far from a comprehensive overview. He hoped her instructions for remaining disguised would prove sufficient, but even if they did, they wouldn't help with actually finding what they were looking for.

Worries kept swirling around his mind as the group pushed through darkness, the thick clouds above them not letting any moonlight through. It was just them, the freezing rain, and the dirt path stretching into the distance, forever. A freezing purgatory; what laid on its other end was unknown. Wishful redemption? An almost certain damnation?

Marco didn't know, and it terrified him.

His clothed body shuddered, the motion sudden enough for the Phantump beside him to notice, even despite the constant wind. His dimly glowing eyes turned to look at her once her twin pink pinpricks glanced at him in concern. He worried about spooking her for just a moment, the unpleasant thought only making him feel even colder than he already was. Oh well, he was never good with kids, just had to push on—

And then, he felt something small, warm, and spectral grab his gloved hand.

"~Mr. Marco?~" Sage asked, worry leaking into her voice.

The Gallade held her inky tendril of a hand with a couple of fingers, making her hover even closer to him as he gathered words. "^I'm here Sage, I'm here. Is something wrong?^"

"~I'm a bit cold, but I think I'm okay. Are you okay, Mr. Marco?~"

He hoped beyond hope Sage would remain okay throughout their entire ordeal, but if it ended like he had predicted, he doubted it'd be the case. His features narrowed, unseen, as he held her hand just that bit tighter, wishing he'd be able to protect her from the despair ahead. It was a feeble, downright childish wish, and he knew it well.

And yet, he still wished.

"^I'm just cold too, Sage. Don't worry about me, sweetie,^" he mumbled out, focusing on maintaining his composure. Just because he wasn't taking what awaited them the best, didn't mean he had to make the Phantump concerned already—she didn't deserve to have her innocence torn away. Not yet.

Trying to yank his thoughts away from that dark path, Marco instead focused on planning out what they'd do once they arrived at the human town. To his concern, Anne hadn't given them many hints for navigating the massive settlement—she didn't know how to either.

He remembered staring at her, stunned for a good few minutes back at Vivian's tea shop once she'd told him that Sage's town was easily twenty times the size of hers.

As much as the sheer scale of their undertaking chilled his spirits, he knew that the spirit beside him ought to be familiar with the place. It'd still be a while until they got there, but Marco figured it wouldn't hurt to ask Sage for leads in advance.