The Fragile the Broken and the Brave

50. Hold On

9.12.20

Connor's POV

Varian's smile made me feel a bit warmer again, but I couldn't trust him quite yet... I need my time to heal. When I looked up from him, I could see the green forest twinkling behind his head. The slowly setting sun was drifting down below the horizon, and the dimming light made me feel like the sun was setting on the worst day of my life. When a soulmate is upset with you, the rest of the world gets put on hold. All you want is to hold them again: you can't focus on anything else. Not your responsibilities or the weight of the world. No, the weight is just him. Everything reminds you of him... Nothing is safe.

"Connor!" My papa screamed, and my head jerked in his direction. He was panting loudly, and his ice blue eyes that I had inherited were glowing with concern. His long legs carried him straight up to me, and he grabbed my arm before dragging me away wordlessly.

"Uhm, where are we going?" Varian was struggling to keep up with us at the pace I was being pulled, and some how my papa was faster than me even though he was about 6 inches shorter. Yeah, I know, I'm a giant. At least the doorways are high in the mansion. Wait... Varian doesn't know about the mansion! Shoot! We'll deal with that later...

"Benji... He's not doing so great."

"What happened?" I panicked, and papa slowly turned around to look at me with his sad eyes. I know that he has never spent long as my friend's legal guardian, but he had grown a strong bond with him. He has always been the cool dad that would let us stay up way later than we should and sneak us extra food. It was almost like he knew that Benji was related to us; he definitely treated him as family right from the beginning day of our friendship. I just hope that nothing bad happens to him... It would shake my family to the core.

"Your Dad's father came back while you were out..."

"Did he hurt Benji? I swear if he did–"

"It's quite the opposite, actually. Benji overexerted himself attempting, and succeeding, to defeat him."

"That's bad and awesome. He really beat dad's dad!?"

"Connor, I know it sounds 'totally sick' at first, but... Well you'll see."

We finally walked into the clearing, and I looked back at Varian as his eyes widened into little saucers. His legs had temporarily stopped walking, and I could see the little hamster running around in his head. "Y-you live here? It's so big."

"I do... I'm sorry I never told you about it."

"No, it's okay... It's really beautiful." I pulled him into my chest tightly, and my heart beat faster when he leaned his head against my ribcage. His black hair was scattered across his forehead in a rat's nest, and my fingers ran through it in a drawn out motion. I don't want to accidentally catch a knot and hurt him.

"I hate to burst your bubbles, but he may not have very much time left... It's better we get there now," papa mumbled, and Vari stood up straight once more. We followed papa hand in hand, and I listened to the loud ringing of our footsteps in the corridor. Where's all of the bodies that usually swallow the sound? How many people did that man hurt? Once we arrived in the medical ward, it was obvious to me where Benji was. The hoard of people was piling out of the door, and I could hear the noises of a woman crying from inside the partition. However, as soon as eyes met our approach, the crowd split like tender salmon. Papa stopped rather close to the door, and he put a hand on Vari's shoulder to keep him still as well. I continued my journey inside, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw him on the bed.

His normally vibrant skin was now sickly and pale, and his cheeks were hollow. My feet moved on their own accord closer to him, and I could see small scratches across his face. A blood stain had placed itself dribbling down from his lip, but the result of the drip was invisible on the bed sheets. When I looked farther down towards his bare torso, I was shocked to see what looked like a kind of hole. The inside was glowing a purple color, but the look was slowly draining. "It's his magic supply," a masculine voice declared off to my side, and I jumped a bit before looking at him. The African American male had Benji's hand in his, and the concern glazed over his eyes. I've never met him before, but that look... He cares for my cousin. As more than a friend.

"What about it? And why are we able to see it?"

"The doctors opened a passage for our eyes so that we may monitor it. That shimmer is supposed to spread all around his stomach and them up to his chest. His heart is where it's supposed to come from, and it'll be where the magic would run to if it feels threatened."

"That's all he has?"

"He used nearly every drop to kill that demon. When we first got him into here it was surrounding his lungs in a circular motion. Now, its dwindled to a mere spark. We have to pray that it doesn't go out."

"What happens if it does?"

"Benji will lose his magic. Forever." The little light flickered inside of him, and it hurt my mind to think of that small recepticle as his power. Suddenly, the heart monitor began to slow down, and I whipped my head to face it. His heartbeat is making a slow decline towards 0. "Come on Benji, stay with me!"

Nurses rushed in when the monitor started to make a loud beeping sound, and the other kid and I were pushed from the room. Their frantic voices shouted at each other to find something to do, but there was hardly anything they could try. He used all of his energy in eliminating Dray. The other boy was pacing back and forth in the open area, and I was fidgeting with my hands. I soon felt a gentle touch as my back, so I turned around to get a hug from Varian. I hugged him back in a bone crushing grip, but he didn't mind as he continued to comfort me. Time was slowing to a crawl, and I remember looking up to meet Papa's eyes. They were shrouded in worry and fear just like I felt, and I wished he would be optimistic like he was when I was a little boy. He was always able to keep my mood afloat by being the happy, easy going person, but that was gone now. For some reason, this is the time that he's decided to lose his joyfulness. Maybe it's because the only two outcomes are bad ones? I'm just hoping– praying– that Benji makes it though. Hold on for us.