the chill always lasts longest. it, consequently, was also magnus’ least favorite part about the whole thing, but he settles anyway because he supposes that just comes with the territory &, besides, there was always the light. still, the chill always took longest & magnus knew this because it was his least favorite part so therefore he felt it most. therefore it affected him most, creeping into centerfolds of heart & making a resting place here ’tween ribcage as he faded from consciousness, digging talons into where black tendrils now strike him dead & begin to change shape of him as it prepared to take over. still, there was respite. a light from the dark, a final hope. a warmth. but first, the cold. first the death & the dark & the hunger & this is most unforgiving, it’s his least favorite part, & it always takes longest to fade. always leaves him more raw & open & shaken & less human than before & magnus knows this, but he’s panicking now in the moments of consciousness he’s granted between worlds because it was never like this. it was never anything that had felt permanent, never in a way that made magnus afraid. the light always saved him. the light always saved him.
there’s a warmth. blooms from center of chest & only spirals outward from there, growing & enveloping the whole of him as he’s made whole once more. there’s a warmth, a light, bright & everpresent & falling near perfect into same routine, stitching him together & making him whole once more & the form of magnus that materializes now can’t help but smile because this is familiar. he can never quite recount the sensation of rebirth afterwards but he lingers on edge of consciousness now & he can feel it, can sense it as it stitches him together again & it’s familiar & suddenly magnus isn’t so afraid anymore. he knows this. he’s done this before ; he can do it again.
& then he’s back ! then he’s blinking in the sudden light ( literally ), hand coming to shade eyes as he blinks in rapid succession to how he’ll step back in surprise. this, however, only lasts a moment as he’s smiling wide & bright once more, all soft & bright & magnus, as he hears familiar voice. ❝ light ! my buddy ! my dude ! how are ya ? doin’ well ? doin’ good ? ❞ surprisingly nonchalant for having just died, but the numbness to death is something all of them have become well acquainted with by now. ❝ man, you tuned out fuckin’ ages ago ! it’s, like, cycle fifty five now, my dude. where you been, homie ? ! ❞
The Light gives a small sigh of relief when the fighter speaks && resumes his familiar rhetoric. There was always something akin to fear when he resurrects his fallen crew members in the fluff of the in between---that maybe he had made mistake somewhere in the CREATION process && the fallen wouldn’t return as themselves. That they would return to him as someone entirely new && the fallen would truly be lost.
However, the fear is soon dissolved when Magnus opens his mouth && signature enthusiasm greets him. Yes, yes this was indeed Magnus Burnsides &&he had successfully brought him back. The Light offers the newly resurrected a wide && joyous grin, “Hey! I, uh, I’m good! Jus’ y’know, fueling---”
His head whips around to the ship’s engine to see that the extra boost he gave the engine is beginning to dim. The Light sharply inhales && runs back over to the engine, hands beginning to glow with power as he channels energy to his palms. Quickly, he slides back into plush chair && thrusts hands into the power chamber to make sure fuel didn’t run out. Energy stems from his core && channels down his arms && manifests itself as a soft white light in the center of his palms. The light then travels from palms to the core of the engine in thin rivers that perfectly resembled the tendrils that murdered his companion in the first place. The tendrils of his brother’s wrath. He swallows.
The Light turns back to Magnus && smiles a bit sheepishly, “Ah, sorry bud. I’ve been, uh, kinda out of it lately. Too busy... Thinkin’ about stuff.” He inhales through his nose && gives the engine an extra boost, “But hey! I said fifty-something! I was close!”