After the End (Julian and MC)

5

Scout leads us through the swamp, her ears pricked and her pale eyes alert. Julian and I keep our eyes peeled, jumping each time thunder rumbles in the distance. We walk hand in hand behind Scout, keeping close behind her.

"Julian?" I ask, swallowing hard as thunder rumbles again.

"Yes, MC?" He replies, squeezing my hand comfortingly despite the tremble in his fingers.

I hesitate, frowning and chewing on my lower lip. I know he's terrified, I am too. I have no idea what the Devil will do to us if we fail. Maybe he'll just put us back in the Hanged Raven, if we're lucky. If we're not...

"Do you think the others are alright?" I wonder aloud, turning my head to look at him.

Julian smiles comfortingly, and steps closer to me as we walk behind Scout. "I'm sure they're fine." He lies, looking ahead when I give him a disbelieving look.

Behind his smile, I can see the fear in his expression, and I let go of his hand to wrap my arm around his waist. Julian's smile becomes more genuine as he winds his arm around my shoulders, holding me close to himself.

Ahead of us, Scout freezes and bristles, growling low in her throat as she looks around. Julian and I stop behind her, our eyes going everywhere at once as we look for what Scout's growling at. From the trees in front of us appears a large leech with two heads, and I cling to Julian as he immediately tenses up.

"What the hell?" He asks under his breath, his grey eyes wide and unblinking.

Somewhere in my memory, I can picture this leech. Did I meet it when I came this way with Scout? It seems familiar, perhaps I did meet it... Yes, yes I did. One of the heads gave me a riddle, and... And then they told me which way Julian went. We must be close to leaving the Hanged man's realm now, I'm sure we hadn't been here long when we ran into the leech.

Scout growls and barks, her fur standing on end as she takes a step back. Julian holds me close, half-stepping in front of me to keep me behind him. I swallow hard and cling to him, allowing my magic to surge through me in case we need a quick escape.

"Oh? Back again? So soon?" The left head comments, shifting closer to us.

"And with more blood!" The right one adds, excitement clear in its tone.

I pull Julian back as Scout continues to back away, glancing back to make sure I don't step into the swampy water surrounding us. The leech begins to advance, and Scout barks another warning at them. My stomach churns with anxiety as we continue to back away, and when Julian begins to tremble beside me, I step in front of him and throw my hands out.

A magic shield bursts from my hands and launches itself at the leech, sending it reeling. Without hesitation, I grab Julian's hand and break into a run, Scout doing the same and leading us on. I can vaguely make out the leeches' voices in the background, but I don't dwell on it, instead focusing my energy on running away.

Scout bounds ahead, and I breath a sigh of relief when I see a familiar door in the distance. Julian and I follow our guide towards it, and when she throws it open, we tumble through without a second thought. As I turn back to look at the door, I hold my breath when I spot the leech chasing after us. Scout barks in alarm and gets to her paws, slamming the door shut before it makes it through.

I breathe a sigh of relief and turn to look at Julian, who still has his arms around me as he sits up.

"Are you hurt? Anything broken?" He asks me quickly, looking me over for any sign of injury.

With a shake of my head, I give him a reassuring smile before pressing my lips to his. Julian kisses me back, holding me close and pinning me to the ground. I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him into myself, smiling into his lips.

Scout makes an impatient noise, and we break apart slowly, Julian helping me to my feet and clearing his throat.

"Thank you, Scout." He thanks her, rubbing the back of his neck as he slips an arm around my waist.