~ Chromatober 2024 ~

Day 30: Eclipse/Bloodmoon

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Series: RQ

AU: Sacrifice

Characters: Sabre, Time

Angst level: Moderate :D

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A once in a lifetime event. Yet...

I couldn't see it.

I feel Time's hand curled around mine as he sat beside me, his body gently leaning into mine. I feel the hum of his voice as he speaks, describing what was happening above us. "It... finally blacked out everything." His voice was strained, as I could feel him beside me. I gently rub his hand with my thumb, trying to comfort him.

A scream in the distance meets our ears and Time jumps a bit, startled. I hold him beside me though, trying to keep him calm. This point... This eclipse... It was a full lunar eclipse. I knew right now everything was most likely a dark red around us and the moon was a bright red. I remember what a full lunar eclipse looked like back on other realms. Some would call it a bloodmoon once it was full. Others just called it the lunar eclipse. However... I knew the full potential of this eclipse...

I could feel it so strongly, now that I was dead.

Twice I had escaped death. Now twice would I prove to the world beyond that I would not go back. That I would not leave this world without making sure that everyone I cared about was safe. 

But... I knew I had partially failed.

Time coughs roughly from beside me and I feel his grip on my hand tighten. His heart was beating fast through his skin. Whether out of fear or something else, was to be determined. With gentle movement, I turn and use my free hand to reach for Time's face to hold it. I can feel him shaking, then gently trace my thumb over the corner of his mouth.

I feel my heart sink as I feel a trace of thick liquid there. It seems as though... I didn't have as much time with him as I thought I would. With a gentle sigh, I hold onto his hand, then pull his head down towards mine and rest his forehead against mine.

"Time... It'll be okay."

"I... I'm sorry... Sabre. I knew after that battle with Void that... I wasn't going to make it."

"I know..."

I feel his breath sharp against my chin.

"How...?"

"Cheif... I could feel it. I've felt it this entire time. I just... didn't want to leave your side because of it. I knew you didn't want to be alone in your last moments."

Something wet drips down Time's smooth face and I wipe at it gently. I... knew this hurt. It hurt me too. However... I didn't want him to be alone. Not after everything.

"... Th... Thank you... Sabre..."

He shifts so that he was resting against my shoulder and I move myself around enough so that the hand that had been on his face, was now behind him and resting around his shoulders, holding him close.

Moments pass by before I realized that the ticking from Time had stopped and his grip on my hand had lessened. A pain in my chest settles as I grit my teeth, trying to hold back my emotions. At... At the very least... he wasn't alone.

He didn't die alone.