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7. Saudade

Lux. I didn't know him well. He seemed like a lazy dog, pretty adorable and really calm. Archon and Erah did, though. I recently found out after the small funeral that he originally belonged to Erah before she found Archon, then he belonged to everyone. Then one of his three owners killed him. Eudokeo. He seemed like a very nice person. Energetic, funny, kind... But when he walked in the day Lux died... Something was very off.

I woke up in the bed I share with Archon, alone. My torso was hurting a lot, even when I wasn't moving. I stood up slowly, leaving my room with the same speed. No one was in the safehouse, not even Lux's dead body. The front door was open, too. I walked outside and saw Erah and Archon standing in front of a small grave with a gravestone. I'm unsure how they got the gravestone, but I'm guessing they just created it. "G-Ow- ugh... Guys... Wh-what's going on?" I stepped closer, and as I did, I began to remember.

"Holy... Oh my Vega, Onyx! I thought you'd never wake up!" Archon rushed to me, pulling me close and hugging me tightly. "A-agh! E-Easy, Archon!" He pulled away a bit, arms still around me. His eyes were getting slightly brighter. "Sorry, sorry." "Are you two done?" I heard. Erah turned to us, eyes dim and gray. "E-Erah, are... Are you okay? Your eyes... And tone." She scoffed, looking down at the bouquet of blue crystal flowers she was holding with both hands. They looked beautiful. "Not sure if you're just blind or you hit your head. Does it look like I'm okay?" Her words were just like Eudo's. "Erah, calm down. You always get like this when something goes bad." "And you don't feel this way too?! You can't be serious!" She clenched the bouquet as I watched the night slowly turn to day, everything getting brighter like the beginning of the sickness. "God, stop yelling. Everytime I faint and wake up there's yelling." Archon turned around, still in front of me like he was protecting me. My face warmed up just thinking about him doing something like that. "...I need alone time. I need to get rid of everything Eudo owns. You two need to move. He knows where the safehouse is, he might come back. Especially to finish you off, Onyx." I gulped with a slight nod following after. "Wait, b-but... I don't want to leave you behind-" "Come on, Onyx. Let's go get rid of the stuff Eudo left behind." I sighed, nodded, and followed him inside.

We finished getting rid of everything. It was all brought outside and set on fire. We packed our bags and moved to my village, Archon and I. Erah stayed behind, not leaving Lux's burial behind. I let Archon move in with me, and the villagers were happy to meet him. They were skeptical at first, since he's a complete stranger to them. But after I explained my friendship with him, they didn't really care. Some did, though. We share a bed together in my home now. Safe from Eudo. No one knows what Archon really is, and I plan to keep it that way.

"Archon, get up! Breakfast is done!" I yelled to him from the kitchen, putting our food on the table. I sat down, waiting for him so I could start eating. "Archon!" I yelled again, looking down at the food with a sigh. Suddenly, I heard someone rushing inside. "I'm here, I'm here. Sorry." He sat down, laughing a bit as he panted. He was wearing a gray shirt with black pants and black shoes. "You're panting, Archon. What happened?" I leaned back a bit, looking up at him. "Nothing, I was just racing the villagers. They're actually pretty fun to be around. This was a good idea." I smiled at him. "I'm glad that you're getting along with them. Sort of surprised, though." "How come?" I took a bite of my food and covered my mouth with the back of my hand before speaking again. "You uh... You're a luminary. You don't have a good history with humans." "I don't think... that matters, Onyx..." I stopped chewing for a second before continuing. "Sorry." Archon nodded slightly and began to eat as well.

We finished eating after a short while, then I washed the dishes. Archon stayed on the couch, leaning back with his legs spread and his arms on the back of it. He had his eyes closed and his head up like he'd be looking at the ceiling if his eyes were open. My vision was still bright, and it got brighter every time I was around Archon or whenever I thought about him. Everytime I look, think, or if just anything that involves Archon happens, my body feels weird. My vision brightens, my face gets hotter, etcetera. But each time my visions get brighter, it slowly dims over time. I wonder if he knows why this is happening.

I go back into the living room and sit down next to him, looking at him. Him in that position made me feel worse. In a good way, though. "All that running wore me out. Thank you for cooking breakfast, Onyx." He leaned forward and looked at me. In my eyes. "...Onyx, your... Your face is a bit red, are you okay? It's not hot." I looked away. "It is a bit, yeah. Don't know how you don't feel it, you've been running around outside." "Yeah, but your case is different." He scooted closer to me, sitting on the couch with his legs crossed and his body facing me. "Look at me." I gulped. "Y'know I uh... I feel pretty cold right now. And my neck is stiff, so I... I can't look anywhere but in this direction-" "Onyx. If you want me to stop worrying about you, stop lying." He put his hand on my chin, leaned forward slightly, and made me look into his eyes. "A-Archon..." As he looked into my eyes, he pulled away slightly with his hand still on my chin. His eyes closed slightly, but not fully, then sighed without opening his mouth, looking from my eyes to my lips.