Faith - Kain Highwind x Reader (FFIV)

XIV. One last act

One more day had slowly passed and you soon found your positive spirits decreasing as time went on. A horrible hunch was gnawing at your heart, causing you to feel as if the journey was turning more into a disaster than something blissful. Trying to figure out what exactly bothered you, you figured it was the growing anticipation of a dangerous battle and perhaps, yes just maybe, still the fear of losing yourself to the darkness. How contradictory your thoughts sometimes were... It frustrated you to see how the atmosphere had tensed up in just a day. Even the sky did not appear to hold anything good for Kain and you, as rain soon came pouring down. Each drop of water felt like it made your body much heavier, as if you had to forcefully drag it with you. You shook your head, dispelling these notions inside your anxious mind. Focus was all you needed at the moment. You knew it oh so well, however, in reality staying concentrated proved to be a lot more difficult.

Nervously, you massaged your hands, as you silently walked next to the Dragoon, ignoring the rain. Both of you had agreed on continuing the walk despite the weather - after all, it didn't appear to stop any time soon and you desperately needed to reach the last dark orb. You slightly moved your head up, staring off into the distance, which seemed foggy at this point. For a moment, you squinted your eyes, believing your exhaustion was getting back at you. Nonetheless, you quickly came to realize it was indeed heavy mist that started blocking your view. The world truly did not wish to support you or your mood in any possible way. It was ironic, since you were on this mission to save the blue planet.

Sighing to yourself, you hoped that Kain did not notice your distress too much, as you didn't wish for him to worry over you. You two were too close to your goal, this was no time to give up or let outer influences slow you down. Gradually, you and your traveling companion traversed through the fog, staying in close proximity to each other. The more steps you took, the more it felt as if the fog got thicker and you surely did not want to be separated from the Dragoon. Not only were you convinced that you needed his strength for this last fight but you were desperately clinging onto the bit of emotional support his presence offered you. Without Kain... Who knows what you possibly would have done?

Moderately, the mist started to lift, which surprised you, hence your head shot up. At the same time, you witnessed out of the corner of your by now slightly dim eyes, how Kain grew partly tense. You directed your gaze at the scene in front of you, which was now as clear as the day again. Unfortunately, it was nothing that would've made the situation any better. It was quite the opposite actually. Your heart dropped from seeing what the darkness had done to the forest Kankeria. The air was incredibly thick, almost suffocating to breathe in, despite you still being about a mile away from the woods. Your body grew hot, while concern pushed its way forward inside your head. This was obviously the influence of the black energy, no doubt. However, if it already affected you a little, how much had the darkness spread already? A cold shiver immediately ran down your back, as you bit onto your bottom lip. Then, another thought shot up inside your mind.

Hurriedly, you turned sideways to face Kain, who clearly was feeling uncomfortable. Having almost no resistance to dark energy, his mind and body were easy prey for the negative energy. It could quickly drive him mad; cause him to lose control over himself. Your heart felt as if was frozen by that idea alone. Especially with Kain's past and how he had already had to undergo such gruesome mind control, your eyes widened in shock. The Dragoon lifted one of his hands, holding it on top of his chest, breathing heavily, yet never voicing his pain out loud. It was like a vivid nightmare right in front of you. Of course, you weren't going to just watch! "Give me a second!" You exclaimed, partly panicking on the inside. This stupid darkness was really getting to your mind now too, it was evident in your sudden loss of composure.

Without hesitating, you drew your short staff and pointed it at Kain, hastily whispering a few words to cast a shield that was supposed to protect him. After having finished your work, you deeply exhaled, trying to calm yourself down on the inside. The Dragoon let his hand fall back into its original position, now peeking at you. "Are you feeling all right? You look drained." He commented, sounding worried. For a moment your mind went blank, before a notion appeared out of nowhere. Yes, he cared about your well being. In order for the darkness to disappear from inside your body, you focused on the warmth Kain made you feel, which was something positive to be reminded of. Slowly but surely, you managed to take a few measured breaths, then nodding towards your partner. "I'm fine. But we need to hurry." You urged, determination currently taking over your mind. The man beside you raised his head a little and then hummed in agreement. As fast as possible, the two of you started running towards the beginning of the forest.