The Evanescent

Chapter Six

The main room of the HQ appeared around them, bringing with it the raving of the mad man under Rhi's foot. She removed it and knelt down beside him as the chains began coiling around his body.

Deitonin glared at her, snarling through clenched fangs. She placed a hand on his chest, "Shut up..."

He snapped at her hand, but she pulled it back in time. Rhi looked up at Torn and Samos, who seemed stunned about the whole thing.

She gently set Mae down as Deitonin started pulling against the chains, gnawing at the links. Samos slowly moved past the Dæmon as he went to Mae, frowning, "She seems to be hallucination...or lost herself somehow..."

Rhi nods, "She started acting like that when Dei was fighting a Dark Maker."

Torn and Samos exchanged glances, "Dark Makers? They've returned?"

She flinched back as the Dæmon's fangs broke through his binds, he flipped over and lunged at her with his claws out. Samos looked to Deitonin and a wave of calm hit everyone.

Deitonin snarled deeply as he collapsed, glaring at the Sage with pitch black eyes. The Sage looked down at him, "He has been deranged by Dark Blood..."

Rhi frowned, "Is it permanent?"

"It isn't, but it will last a while if we do not purge it from his body."

She watched Deitonin, his nails were cutting into the ground, "How do we do that?"

"My suggestion is Light Eco." Samos replied.

"Is that the only way...?"

"Well, he could purge it naturally," he ponders, "But the effects could last longer that with the Eco."

"Then let's do the Eco...he's ill enough already..." Rhi said sighing.

Samos nodded, "Alright then."

"Poor thing..." Rhi looked down at Deitonin as he winced, causing Dark Blood to leak from his mouth as he rasped out in obvious pain. She looked up to see Samos going into his study. Rhi was about to go after him when Deitonin's hand grabbed her wrist in a crushing grip, she looked back to see him trying to stand, which only seemed to hurt him worse as more Dark Blood leaked from his mouth.

Mae was still out of it, shaking as she looked around in terror.

Then the elevator doors opened and Jak stepped out, instantly bewildered at the sight of them.

Deitonin's grip loosened as he went over to Mae, slowly lifting her into his arms and holding her close as he staggered away to the study. Mae gasped and began struggling in his hold, trying to pull away. He could see that her once bright eyes were now glazed over in fear, but he ignored this fact, I'm trying to help you... he thought looking down at her.

She stopped her struggling, looking up at him.

He forced a smile as he entered the study, but it faded as lights and static invaded his fevered senses once again. Deitonin was forced to his knees in the center of the study as he faded in and out of conscious...

Mae gasped again, screwing her eyes shut.

The Dæmon shook his head, snarling through grit teeth, "S-Samos...I...I need you..."

The Sage came from deeper in his study with a vial of white liquid, Deitonin's senses focused on the vial at once, "N-no...!" he gasped, "I-it'll kill me...!"

Samos stopped, "It's not going to kill you...it will only target the Dark Maker blood."

But Deitonin wouldn't have it, "It will...tear me apart...scorch my insides..." he hissed, "T-the Blood...it's already...in my bloodstream...Let it go..."

"Very well..." Samos said with a sigh.

Deitonin looked down at Mae as she trembled, "What about Mae...?"

"I do not know...perhaps showing her something familiar would help her."

The Dæmon furrowed his brows, "What about you? You both...bear the name Hagai..."

Samos shook his head, "She doesn't know this...that we are family..."

Deitonin frowned, "What is familiar then...?" he asked, not very familiar with the word.

The Sage frowns, "I don't know..."

Deitonin looked around for an answer, then his mentor, Shadow, came scampering in and hopped onto Deitonin's hunched back, climbing up and over to his shoulder to look down at Mae. Her eyes widened as she looked to the cat.

He waved his paws excitedly, grinning. Mae slowly extended her arms to him; his ears perked and he gladly climbed into her hands, hugging her wrist.

A faint smile formed on her face as she brought him close, the haze fading from her eyes.

Shadow hugged her face, purring loudly.

Deitonin watched Mae's eyes drift shut, her body visibly relaxing as she fell asleep. The Dæmon couldn't help but smile, then he looked to Samos, "Where can she rest...?"

"There's the resting quarters on the lower level," he told him."

The Dæmon slowly stood, holding her close, "Please...take me there..."

Samos nods and turns, walking away, "This way."

He followed him with lurching steps.

The Sage led him down a long hallway and a flight of steps before coming to a passageway with many doors. Deitonin looked down at Mae, a blush warming his cheeks.

"Take any room you want." Samos said turning toward him.

The Dæmon nodded, "Thanks..."

He nods and walks back down the hall.

Deitonin watched him leave before he opened a door to his left and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. He flipped the light switch to the right of the door and harsh lights turned on overhead, revealing a small metal room with two bunks on either side of another door opposite of the one he stood before.

The Dæmon moved forward and gently laid her out on the right hand bed, carefully removing her cloak and sword and setting them on the ground beside the bed.

He took a seat against the bed on the ground, watching her even as he began to doze off as well...