Resistance

Clad in Shadows

Penned in between two groups, Syrus was forced to walk between them as they traversed throughout the dark, winding cavern.

Thankfully, as always, it wasn't difficult for Syrus to see, despite how dimly lit the area was, and there came a point where he could see some natural sunlight off in the distance, his eyes straining to adjust to it, having gotten so used to the cavern's, dark atmosphere.

They would have eventually walked out of the cavern, a massive rock-face to their immediate left, just as Cai had said...You couldn't even see over them. If this hadn't been a setup, it would have been perfect for a surprise attack.

There was only one, narrow break between the giant rock-face, revealing the camp just beyond it, littered to and fro with tents, racks of weapons, and much more.

It was packed to the rim with Diou soldiers, loading many of the weapons onto small wagons, many of them looking up curiously at the group before sneering at them, realizing they were their newfound prisoners.

Syrus reflexively looked away, glancing over his shoulder subtly to see Aaron, who had woken up a bit prior, between another set of guards just a ways back...As things were right now, they couldn't even converse, much less come up with a plan to escape, and aside from that...Aaron hadn't even looked up for even a moment.

Syrus was sure he could understand why, knowing him.

They were brought to a well guarded corral of sorts, one side an open space where the guards stood, and the other a steep, cliff side. Definitely not something either of them would be able to scale. No sooner had they arrived, they were pushed forward harshly onto the ground without a care, Sydel having already broken away from the group earlier.

"Stay here and behave until we figure out what to do with you." One of the men said before leaving them behind, speaking to one of the guards, who nodded without a word.

Silence followed, dragging on for some time until Syrus eventually broke it with a small sigh, looking over at Aaron, who avoided eye contact.

"...Where's your usual, incessant chatter?" He questioned with a little smile, thinking maybe a little small talk would do them both some good while they waited for...Whatever would happen to them.

Somehow, Syrus didn't feel that bothered by whatever that might be.

"If you keep staying quiet, I might seriously get weirded out." He added in with a little laugh.

Aaron, in response, finally lifted his gaze, royal blue eyes meeting his for only just a moment before he looked away again, looking utterly defeated and in self loathing.

"...I'm sorry." He spoke up quietly, in a somewhat timid voice that Syrus thought really didn't suit him. "...Because of me, you-"

"That's enough of that already." Syrus interrupted before he could finish, still maintaining his composed, reassuring smile. "It's not like it's the end of the world, Aaron. We're still alive, right? I'm sure everything will be alright somehow." He nodded, his tail swishing back and forth in the air behind him. "Don't you worry about it, okay? Worrying isn't like you."

Aaron...Was a bit flabbergasted really. It was just like Syrus to be hopeful in a seemingly hopeless situation. Somehow, Syrus' words alone gave him a sense of reassurance. Even though they were just that; words.

"...It's just like you to not worry about things in the slightest." He laughed, wondering what the point was if he was the only one worrying about the outcomes...If Syrus believed things would be alright, then they just had to be. Somehow, Aaron had that feeling. "You always bring smiles to the people around you...It's like you just shine sometimes." He added in quietly, tucking his knees up against his chest as he rested his chin along them. "It feels like...I dunno...Like you're Hope itself at times."

Syrus was a bit taken aback, his ears folding slightly as he turned his gaze away in embarrassment.

"I...I wouldn't quite take it that far..." He mumbled, not really sure what to come back with in return to something like that.

A sort of awkward silence ensued, and Syrus' tail swished anxiously in response. Too awkward, in his opinion, and he turned around to try and say something else...However, it was at that moment that one of the guards suddenly walked into the small clearing.

Reflexively, they both tensed in response, looking up in uncertainty.

"Come." Was all the man said, and Syrus thought it best to not fight back for now. There wasn't much they could do in this situation, anyhow...However, as they were both about to stand up, the guard shook his head, pointing a finger at Syrus alone. "No. Only this one is coming."

Syrus could tell by the way Aaron visibly stiffened that he didn't like that. Not one bit. Rather, he looked about ready to lash out at any given moment, if not stopped.

"Don't." Syrus hissed under his breath, smacking Aaron in the face with the tip of his tail when he still didn't show any signs of backing off. "I'll be fine. Don't cause any trouble."

"B-But..." Aaron protested, to which Syrus shook his head, casting him a sharp look, and he faltered.

...What could he even do, anyways?? Like this...He'd just have to watch as Syrus was dragged away. Unable to do a damn thing about it.

Hell, the fact that Syrus was even in this mess to begin with was because of him. If he hadn't f****d up and gotten himself caught...

"...Fuck...!" He hissed under his breath, slamming his hands down in frustration, cursing his own uselessness.

Why was he always so...?

As for Syrus, he had no idea what awaited him as he was walked deeper into the camp.

He tried running different scenario's in his mind. Different outcomes, different ways to try and escape...But they were all fruitless. No matter how he thought about it, there just didn't seem to be any plausible way to wriggle out of this one...Plus, there was no way he could just run and leave Aaron behind, even if he could get away.

"Sir, we've brought him, as you requested." A voice suddenly spoke up, snapping Syrus out of his thoughts, realizing he had been brought into one of the tents.

Bringing his head up so he could get a good look at whoever he had been brought to, his gaze fell on a rather tall man, emerald eyes meeting an icy silver.

The man was garbed in intricately designed, black, robe like clothes that swayed just so beneath him...In fact, his whole image seemed entirely dark. Right from his clothes, to his layered, short, jet black hair, coming just shy of the bottom of his cheeks.

He bore not a single weapon, and yet, there was a strong, oppressive air about him.

His entire figure...Was an intense black. It felt as though he himself were a darkness that threatened to swallow Syrus whole merely just by standing near him.

His eyes...There were such a cold, piercing silver. Syrus felt as though they could stab right down to his very core. Like he saw right through him, as though he were as transparent as glass.

Those eyes...He wondered why he was suddenly struck with the sensation that he had seen them somewhere before??

"So you're the one causing all this trouble, are you? I've heard plenty about you." The man spoke, his voice smooth and chilling, his words deliberately slow. "You poor thing, you're all fluffed up."

Syrus hadn't even realized it, but he was fluffed out quite a bit. He couldn't help it. Every fiber of his being told him that this man was dangerous. His instincts were practically screeching at him.

"...Who are you??" Syrus demanded, taking a cautious step back and baring his fangs with an aggressive hiss. Like a cornered animal, he felt threatened. Fight or flight, as the saying went, and Syrus was definitely a fighter.

"Who am I?" The man echoed, blinking in surprise before letting out a deep chuckle of amused laughter. "I think the bigger question is, who are you?" He shot back. "It's not often a fool emerges who has the spine to try and put a wrench in things, much less talk back to me...And certainly not a child, of all people. I'm certain you know what you're attempting is futile."

"Like I give a damn about any of that-" Syrus began, but he was cut off as a hand suddenly thrust out and clamped around his chin, and hard. Syrus could feel his jaw creaking under the pressure, causing him to wince, but he bit back on the pain.

"...Feisty, aren't you?" The man's lips curled in even further amusement. "Be careful, little one. All it takes is a single word from me, and everything you hold dear and precious to your heart can be stripped away in an instant." He gripped Syrus' jaw harder, threatening to break it with just a little more pressure. "Even your life itself is as easy to snuff out as a candle."

This man...Of all people Syrus could get involved with, he had a feeling this was one he didn't want to piss off, and yet...

"...I-If...You had intended to kill me, you would have already done so by now." Syrus managed to find his words, albeit it was difficult to speak like this. Regardless, he fought past the pain and discomfort, channeling all of his fighting spirit into his eyes as he glared up at the man without batting an eyelash. "If you're trying to intimidate me, you'll have to try a hell of a lot harder than that." He finished, basically spitting at him.

"..." The man said nothing, and it was difficult to tell what might have been going through his mind...Perhaps Syrus might have taken things too far, but regardless, he wouldn't take a single word of it back.

He held the man's gaze strongly, stubbornly.

And finally, the man burst into a small fit of laughter, looking terribly amused by all of this.

"...You've got quite a bit of spunk, don't you?"

He was incredibly amused, rather. It wasn't often he came across someone who was either so incredibly brave, or so incredibly foolish. Perhaps this fell under a bit of both of those categories.

Regardless, what was he to do with this problematic child?? Perhaps make an example out of him? Torture him?? Kill him???

It was while he was considering such things, that he noticed something.

"...Hmmm??" He couldn't help but try and get a closer look at Syrus, tugging at his chin to make him lift his head and getting a good look at him. Inspecting him, rather.

This child...He felt as though he'd come across him somewhere before...But where??

"...Take him back to the corral for now, and finish bringing those weapons to the city." He finally said, releasing Syrus' chin, who lost his balance and stumbled backwards a bit.

"Y-Yessir!" The guard hastily nodded, straightening his back and hoisting Syrus back up to his feet before walking him back to the corral.

As for Syrus...He was confused, not quite sure what just happened, but he counted his blessings that it ended with that.

He couldn't really think on it much anyhow as he was hauled back to where Aaron was.

From there, things really wouldn't be looking up for either of them until nightfall.

Well into the night, actually, and while Syrus couldn't necessarily sleep, both his mind and his body were worn. He couldn't help but doze off into a shallow sleep, Aaron watching over him as he had done so.

He wasn't sure how long he had been in that shallow, sleep like state, but there came a point where he heard noise...A commotion of sorts?? He wasn't sure, but regardless, Syrus opened his eyes, wondering what was going on...But as soon as he did, his eyes were immediately covered, a crashing sound echoing in the distance.

Even as his eyes were covered, he saw a bright flash of light past the back of his eyelids.

This light...It really could have only been one thing; a Lumos Stone.

As the name implied, it was a stone, that when broken against something, gave off an intensive light throughout a given range. The ranges and intensities varied too, depending on the size of the stone. They were incredibly hard to come by, a precious item, really. Syrus had one, maybe two.

But this one...Well, only one person came to mind, and it was just as they did, that Syrus felt someone tug at his arm, urging him to his feet and to run...And Syrus didn't really consider refusing, letting himself get tugged along, the sounds of commotions growing farther and farther away.

After enough time passed, he wouldn't hear any of them at all. Rather, the roaring sound of water reached his ears.

Were they back at the Falls?? Syrus dared to open his eyes, making out not one, but two silhouettes just ahead of them...One of them belonging to Cai, just as he thought.

None of them spoke a word until they were well away from the camp and deep into the forest.

"You really saved us back there..." Syrus spoke up once they stopped to take a rest, having made plenty of distance by then, and it didn't seem as though they had been followed either.

He was dripping with sweat from running such a long distance, and he couldn't resist the urge to reach up and rub some of it off of his forehead...Before realizing he was still cuffed. They had run all the way from the camp without stopping, after all.

"Come here." Cai suddenly spoke up, amber eyes fixated on him as he gestured for Syrus to come over, fishing out a set of keys from his pocket that he'd snatched from one of the guards.

And with a click, the cuffs fell off, Syrus instinctively rubbing them afterwards. They were both a bit raw and chaffed from the constant rubbing of the crude cuffs, his jaw too, but the discomfort was only just that. It didn't seem like there was any long term damage he needed to worry about.

"...How in the world am I going to explain this to my old man...?" He muttered out loud, already worried about how things would go. Rather, he was pretty sure he'd never hear the end of it. Maybe it'd have been better if he met his end back there, because at this right, he was going to meet it the moment he got back home.

Better to not think of it for now, he thought.

His gaze trailed off towards Aaron, who also had his cuffs undone by Cai...But it was just as they fell to the ground with a dull thud...That something unexpected happened.

Out of the blue, Cai suddenly pulled his arm back, balling his hand into a fist, and socked Aaron square in the cheek with enough force to send him flying back a bit.

Understandably, Aaron was incredibly startled and confused, pressing one hand against his already swelling cheek.

"Cai, what the hell-?!"

"You blasted fool!" Cai rose his voice, enraged as he looked down at Aaron, who was even more startled by the way he rose his voice...It was Cai. He never showed so much outward emotion. "Stick to the plans!! That's our basic, number one rule, isn't it??! But you had to have extra bravado and rush ahead yourself??!! Well look where that got you!!" He hissed, clearly restraining himself from throwing another punch.

"I-I just..." Aaron began in protest, but it was weak, at best, and he immediately faltered long before he could finish.

Rather...He knew his own folly. He couldn't blame Cai for being so angry with him.

"Not only did you put yourself at risk, but Syrus too! Syrus!! Did you forget what we swore that day?!? Or are you that daft??!?!"

"I wouldn't ever forget that." Aaron interjected, furious that Cai would even dare to accuse him of forgetting something so incredibly important to the two of them.

Syrus...Was at a loss for words, not sure how to handle this escalation. Aaron and Cai never really saw eye to eye, but they never went at eachother like this...On top of that, he had no idea what this 'oath' they spoke about was either.

Just what was he supposed to do about such a situation??

"H-Hey now. Let's take a moment and calm down, alright??"

He interjected, slipping in between the two in hopes of derailing the feud.

"I'm alright...We're alright, so everything's good, right?" He laughed, looking between the two of them, but...The two simply stared eachother down for several moments before Cai finally let out a heavy sigh, turning his gaze away.

"If something like this happens again, I won't let it go so easily." He frowned, turning his back. "If you really meant it, don't let it happen a second time."

Aaron glared daggers at Cai's back, probably with enough force to burn holes through it, if that were possible, but he eventually backed down. Having no rebuttal, he simply pushed himself to his feet, brushing himself off.

"Let's go." Cai nodded, jerking his head in the direction of where the city would have been as he looked over at Syrus, who was still at a bit of a loss, but...Regardless, it wouldn't be good to dawdle around here for long.

The sooner they could make it back to the city, the better...Or so Syrus would have liked to think, but he would have quite a bit of explaining to do when he got home.

He certainly wasn't looking forward to it, not in the slightest.