Sir Shanman @sirshanman - Tumblr Blog

Posting my D&D character’s backstory here because it’s too long for artfight. If you’re here from artfight and interested in reading it, hi! I hope you enjoy <3

Cyrus Solaria is an Aasimar man born in the state of Denkalon, in the town of Little Hope. He is the younger brother to his sister Cerra, who was born six years before him. They both used to live with their parents in a rather small house on the outskirts of town. Their life was rather plain, and they didn’t have much, but they were a happy enough family. Even though Cyrus and Cerra didn't grow up with much, their parents tried to make sure that they didn’t feel like they were missing out. Their dad was always talking about the next “big break” that would finally make them enough money to live a little more comfortably. The truth was that the “big break” was just him hoping to find some powerful artifact or ancient relic that he could sell for a lot of money. The idea wasn’t completely outside of the realm of possibility, but it certainly was dangerous thinking. Danger aside, nearly no one was as stubborn as their father, so he continued exploring every nook and cranny he could find, even managing to drag his wife into his explorations most of the time.

While Cyrus was ten years old, he would meet an eleven year old tiefling boy named Valen Vale. Cyrus thought that Valen was really cool, he was older than him and could do some awesome magic, so he was determined to be his friend. Valen on the other hand, was certainly not as keen on becoming friends, as he had a very aloof personality. Valen mostly liked to keep to himself, thinking that he was on a higher level than his peers. There was one particular peer that he couldn’t stand though, and that would be Cyrus himself. He found that Cyrus was way too clingy and incredibly annoying, always trying to pry into what he considered his personal business. The personal business was of course just whatever Valen was doing at the time. Valen’s attitude didn’t particularly bother or perturb Cyrus though, as he would continue hanging around the older boy at any given opportunity. This dynamic continued for a few months, with Cyrus trying to hang out with Valen, and Valen trying to ignore him.

One day, Valen found himself cornered by a group of three older kids from school who didn’t quite appreciate his unapproachable attitude, and wanted to teach him a lesson. Rolling his eyes, he prepared to lay them all out, but before he got the chance a golden blur slammed into the main antagonizer, knocking him to the ground. Valen was so taken aback by what was happening that all he could do was stare dumbfounded for a moment. That moment didn’t last long, as that golden blur (who he now realized was Cyrus) was trying to fight off three older kids on his own (and losing). Shaking his head, he quickly fired off a bolt of crackling energy into one of the older kids, sending him sprawling. The other two quickly gathered their friend off of the ground and went running out of there.

“…And STAY out!” Cyrus cried while shaking his fist at the three. He turned to look at Valen. “Hey are you okay?”

“Am I okay?!” Valen asked, “You’re the one who just took a triple beating! Look at you, you’re a mess.” It was true, Cyrus was covered in dirt and scratches, plus he had a particularly nasty cut on his chin.

“Well I couldn’t just let them fight you” Cyrus explained, “A three on one fight is hardly fair.”

“I can handle myself you know” Valen said in a huff “I could’ve laid all three of those guys out flat if you had just let me.”

“Yeah you’re probably right” Cyrus chuckled “Alright next time I won’t jump in all-“

“Swear it.” Valen interrupted.

“What?” Inquired Cyrus

“Swear you won’t take another hit for me.” Valen explained “I- I don’t like owing people.” Cyrus smirked and held up his hands, as if surrendering.

“I, Cyrus Solaria swear to never take a hit for Valen Vale, ever again.” He raised his eyebrows “Satisfied?” Valen sighed deeply

“I suppose.” he walked forward towards Cyrus. “Come here.” He grabbed Cyrus’s chin, and cast a healing spell on it. “There… better?” He said in a voice a bit softer than he’d care to admit.

“Woah!” Cyrus beamed at him “You already know healing magic? So cool!” Valen crossed his arms and held up his chin.

“I know lots of kinds of magic” he gloated, “They even moved me up a grade.” he continued.

“That means you can teach me one right?” Cyrus asked “I don’t know any magic but you’re so smart I bet you could teach me a spell no problem!”

“Why would I-“ Valen began to answer, but paused when he saw the hopeful look on Cyrus’s face. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “…fine. I’ll teach you ONE spell” he stated very matter-of-factly. “But only so that I don’t owe you anymore.” Valen looked Cyrus up and down, then scoffed. “I won’t teach you anything looking like that though. Best follow me and get cleaned up first.” As he turned on his heel and started walking towards his house.

“Sir, yes sir!” Cyrus replied, performing a mock salute as he followed close behind. Off the two went, neither of them knowing that this was the beginning of a nearly inseparable friendship. For it wasn’t just one or two times they would end up hanging out, but it turned into nearly every day they would spend time together, and this trend would continue for years.

After a few years had passed like this, the boys were now sixteen and seventeen years old respectively. Most of their free time was spent together at this point, wether it was studying together, or exploring the various areas around the town, they would sometimes even accompany Cyrus’s father on his various quests for riches. There was even one instance where the two were on their way home at night, when they discovered a house being broken into by a few bandits. They stopped the robbery and earned themselves a bit of local fame together. Things for the two were going good for the most part. The only problem was that Cyrus’s family was still not exactly financially stable. Cerra was often heard getting into arguments with her parents about asking for financial help, but her father being as stubborn as he was, would always insist that he could get them out of the tight spot they were in himself, much to her constant frustration. As much as the kids tried picking up extra work to help out, it was just never quite enough. One day, their father mentioned that he got a tip from a man that was passing through town about a nearby cave housing an extremely rare and valuable artifact. He claimed that this was finally what he had been waiting for.

“My big break is finally here!” He exclaimed “I’ve got a good feeling about this one! And it’s not even that far away so it should be easy to grab.”

“Dad-“ Cyrus started “Don’t you think this sounds a little too easy? I mean… there’s no way you haven’t explored every cave around here a hundred times and then some.”

“You’d be right about that but!-“ His father replied “This guy I met told me about a hidden passageway that’s nearly impossible to find, it’s there where I’ll find my prize.”

“You sure this guy is trustworthy?” Cyrus said apprehensively “I mean what reason does he have to tell you about some crazy rare ancient artifact instead of grabbing it for himself?”

“Don’t worry, the guy said he wasn’t one for adventuring himself” His father answered “Plus I payed him for the information, so now I’m the only one who knows.”

“You PAYED him?!” Cyrus shouted “In what world can we afford to be paying strangers for tips right now?!”

“Now son,” His father said, putting a hand on his shoulder “Don’t worry, like I said I’ve got a good feeling about this one, and I’ve got to trust my adventurers intuition.” he continues, tapping his temple with his finger as he said it. Cyrus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Okay fine…” He replied “But at least let Valen and I come with you. We have a class today so we can go after. It’ll be a lot safer that way, plus you know he’s stronger than both of us combined anyway.”

“I’ll think about it.” His father said back “But no promises!” He said in a sing-song voice, ruffling Cyrus’s hair. Cyrus rolled his eyes and batted his father’s hand away. Cyrus walked up to his mother before he left for the day “Hey keep an eye on him.” He said to her “Don’t let him do anything stupid.”

“Oh you know there’s no stopping your father once he’s got an idea in his head.” She said with a soft smile “Have a good day, tell Valen I say hi!”

“I will” he said, returning her smile “Love you mom.” And with that, he made his way outside to meet up with Valen and walk to their class together. Once they met up, Cyrus explained to him what his father’s plan was, and Valen quickly agreed to accompany them, even though he also agreed that it wasn’t the best idea, and seemed a little shady.

The two had been in the class for awhile at this point, and it was late day when they heard their professor at the door talking to someone in hushed tones. Cyrus looked up and his heart dropped when he saw that the person was Cerra, and she looked like she had been crying. As he made eye contact with her, she couldn’t stop herself from bursting into tears once again, and at that moment, he already knew why she was here. He practically knocked his chair over as he got up to go to her. As he stood before her, she could barely choke out the words: “It’s mom and dad… they’re gone.” She kept explaining but he couldn’t even hear her anymore, it’s like his mind was screaming a thousand different thoughts at once. “You could’ve stopped them” “If only you had gone with them” “They would’ve been fine.” Right as his inner thoughts were about to become too much to bear, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and give it a squeeze. It was Valen. He snapped out of it and looked at him, they didn't need to exchange any words to understand each other in that moment. Cerra took a moment to get herself under control before explaining that she had gotten word that their parents bodies were found in the cave that their father had mentioned earlier that day, and that nobody really knew what happened yet. “I didn’t know what else to do” she choked out “I- I just came straight here.” Cyrus pulled her into a tight embrace, as if she would slip away if he let go. Valen stepped away to gather both of their belongings, and also to give the siblings a moment of privacy. When he returned with their things, he silently nodded at the two, and all three of them silently made their way to find out what happened.

The funeral was overcast, not quite warm, but not cold either. Cyrus couldn’t help but think that it seemed as if the weather was so plain, that the very earth didn't even care what had happened. No downpour as if the sky itself was weeping, no rays of sun to signify that there was still some light left in this world, it was just… nothing. In the end nobody could figure out what exactly had happened to Mr. And Mrs. Solaria. Some of the best mages in town had tried to figure out what was the cause of their death, but they just never could. There were no signs in the cave of a struggle, they weren’t even found in any secret passageway, just on the floor of the main chamber. Cyrus and Cerra were advised to not look at the bodies, and the funeral was closed casket. Just like that, with no grandparents left to speak of, Cyrus and Cerra were the only two Solarias left in the world. It took them a few months to feel any semblance of normalcy again. Their house wasn’t large by any stretch of the imagination, but now it felt like the loneliest, emptiest place on earth. Valen did his best to help the two siblings in any way that he could, but he couldn’t hide the fact that this had hit him hard as well, being practically part of the family himself at this point.

Instead of finding themselves struggling, Cyrus and Cerra received a donation from the Elisaria foundation, to help ease the blow somewhat of their parent’s passing. Cyrus clutched the accompanying letter of condolence from Willow Elisaria in his hand, not being able to ignore the thought of if his father had been less stubborn and had just asked for help like this in the first place, they could probably all be together right now.

One day months later, Cyrus approached Valen and asked him to accompany him into the cave that everything happened. He knew that neither of them would find anything but he needed to see for himself, he needed the closure. Valen of course agreed right away, and that very night the two slipped past the barrier that was now blocking the entrance and went in. Cyrus found pretty much exactly what he already knew he would see. There was nothing in there. No treasure no secret passageways just… nothing. There was a spot in the main chamber which appeared to have been very thoroughly cleaned. Cyrus knelt down, passing his hand over the cool rocky surface.

“…This was preventable.” Cyrus said in a soft tone “This could’ve been stopped.” He continued

“Cyrus,” Valen started “This wasn’t your fau-“ Cyrus held out his hand to stop what Valen was saying, rising from the floor to address him.

“I place no blame on myself,” he declared with conviction “both of my parents knew what they were getting into, they were given warnings and chose to ignore them.” He continued “They might’ve been fine if we had gone with them yes,” he averted his gaze, looking at the ground as he said that last part “but they chose to go by themselves, unprepared. Because of that choice, they died.” He looked back up, his eyes filled with both sadness and determination. “My mother and father made a foolish choice that cost them their lives, because they were underprepared. I know that I can’t stop every foolish adventurer that wants to risk their lives, but I think if I tried, I could educate them.” He straightened up “I don’t know how exactly I’m going to do it, but I’m tired of waiting. Will you help me?” Valen smirked, and clasped Cyrus’s hand in his own, raising raising both of their fists together.

“You never even had to ask” He said, matching Cyrus’s conviction “What do you say we get started right now?” Cyrus smiled at that, perhaps his first genuine smile he’d had in months.

“I’d like that.” And with a promise between the two forged, they left the cave for the final time.

The two boys brainstormed for awhile on how best to inform people of the dangers that exploring could hold, and after a few weeks they settled on writing in depth guides, and posting it online for any to see. The two were top of their class, so the quality of the guides that they wrote were top tier and extremely detailed. The only problem was, they didn't gain much traction. While there were a few people who read them here and there, it just wasn’t enough to get the word out like Cyrus had hoped. A couple of months had passed since their promise in the cave, and they were sitting in Valen’s study brainstorming how to amass more of a following. Cyrus sighed dramatically and slammed his head onto the desk.

“Who knew it would be this hard to become massively popular to a wide audience and force them to learn for their own good?” Valen said in a playful tone, he continued when Cyrus didn't raise his head “Look, remember when you were fourteen, and you were struggling in Mr. Windwood’s class?”

“Ugh Mr. Windwood” Cyrus spat out “Wait… what’s that got to do with anything?”

“Well what did you ask him for when you didn’t understand the lesson?” Valen paused for a moment, but continued when he didn't receive a response “You told him to show you.” Cyrus thought for a moment, his face lighting up with recognition.

“Wait… you're right!” He said, head shooting up from the desk “And it actually helped! Hold on… how do you even remember that?”

“Impeccable memory” Valen said with a joking tone, tapping on his temple “Anyway, how about instead of trying to throw countless words at people, we just show them? Besides, what’s a better learning aid than a demonstration?”

“This might actually work!” Cyrus exclaimed, excited at the new prospect before them “You're a genius Valen!”

“I try” he responded playfully “So TubeTime is our best bet right? We should probably-“ The two continued scheming, not realizing how this one small idea was about to snowball from local fame into international renown.

It had been five years since that night in Valen’s study, and the two’s online series that they decided to name “From Dungeons to Dragons” had skyrocketed in popularity. People from all around the country found that the content the two produced was both informative, and entertaining. Much of the appeal stemmed from the fact that Cyrus and Valen were extremely close, which meant that their chemistry on screen was extraordinary. The money they earned was more than enough to support each of them and then some, it even allowed them to help Cerra move to the capital where she could pursue her dream of modeling. Things were better than ever for the both of them, and they were about to find themselves even greater still when they were approached by a TV production company. As it turns out, their online series had caught the eyes of some higher ups in the company, and they wanted to put them on TV. This was by far their best chance to reach the widest audience possible. While the contract was daunting at first, the two agreed on the condition of the situations they were in would ALWAYS be real, and never fabricated, or on a set. The waiver that they each had to sign was about ten feet long, and took days to go through thoroughly, but once they did they now were officially TV stars.

The new show (Which for copyright reasons was renamed “Dungeons to Dragons”) was quick to catch on considering they already had quite a fan base. Having the funding of a very wealthy production company meant that they could now also travel the world. And they didn’t only dungeon delve, far from it. They used this new platform to show what the world had to offer, different cultures, foods, people, even bringing light to issues that needed more attention. Both of the men found this life extremely fulfilling, and the best part was that the got to do it side by side.

Fourteen years have gone by, Cyrus and Valen are now 30 and 31 years old, and by this point they have reached international renown. Against all odds the two actually managed to not just stay relevant, but steadily increase their popularity over the years by keeping their various topics relevant and up to date. This also lead to them starring in an educational spin-off series that was focused on teaching younger audiences. Not only that, but there was also a decently popular graphic novel series based on the two, this particular series being the only media with their likenesses that they allowed to be based completely in fiction. Of course with everything that came with their fame (Public appearances, advocacy, philanthropy, cameos, etc.) they never forgot their original goal. Bringing awareness to the various dangers of this world and preparing people accordingly. What the two didn’t know, was that they were about to find themselves dreadfully underprepared themselves.

Their next filming location was the country of Aberra. A dangerous place by nature, and the exact reason that the two wanted to go. They figured that considering the country was almost entirely populated with fearsome monsters, it would be the perfect opportunity to film a special. The journey was long, and the arrival wasn’t exactly what one would call welcoming either. The very air itself seemed almost heavy with grief at the loss of what was once a beautiful and prosperous place. There was also… something else that Cyrus had noticed. The feeling like when you’re in a crowd and you can feel one pair of eyes searing into your back, but no matter how hard you try you just can’t find the source.

“Everything alright?” Valen stepped up to Cyrus, noticing that he seemed distracted.

“Yeah, I’m fine” Cyrus answered “This place is just… it’s so somber here. Imagine, a whole country gone in an instant.”

“It’s awful” Valen nodded “I can’t even begin to imagine the depth of what was lost that night.”

“It’s nice to know that there are some people willing to settle here again at least,” Cyrus perked up as he spoke “and maybe while we’re here we can make this place a little safer for them too.” Valen smiled and hummed in agreement.

“Let’s get ourselves set up so that we can get that ball rolling.” Valen added. Cyrus nodded in agreement, and started enthusiastically unloading the supplies that they had brought with them on the ship. With the two men, was a small-ish crew that would be directly involved with the filming process, and some that were part of the production team. They needed people to scout the locations ahead of time, cameramen, sound people, and perhaps most importantly medics. As the first hints of evening started to show themselves, the three scouts reported of a small site of ruins nearby that was completely uninhabited except for a strange looking monster, that they didn’t recognize from any bestiary. After the preliminary search had been completed, the two decided along with their executive producer that based on what the scouts had told them it would be a relatively simple, yet interesting beginning to the Aberra special. They also decided to head out Immediately, while the lighting was still good.

The trek to the location wasn’t too far, they were still pretty close to the coast. When they had finally reached the location, the crew set up outside, and fitted the two with small cameras that they could wear on themselves. They didn’t often use POV shots in the final show, but they were useful just in case some of the other footage didn’t turn out the way they wanted so that there was a backup. Usually the camera crew themselves weren’t very close to the action, as that would put them in danger, and in this case they were set up from high vantage points from just outside the ruins. When the two reached the threshold of the ruin, Cyrus stopped for a moment, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong. He ran through the mental checklist in his mind, unable to find any reason for such a feeling. He shook off the thought, trusting that their scouts had done a good job, as they always had done in the past. The two nodded at each other and headed in.

The fight against the monster went well for them, it had the ability to camouflage, which led to them being able to demonstrate a few good counters for such a defense. It wasn’t like anything anyone had seen before, as if it were otherworldly. As the creature lay dead, they were able to walk away with just a few superficial cuts and scratches. “Wrap!” They heard called from just outside the ruins, and the two turned to leave. Cyrus thought that that feeling he had since they arrived would’ve subsided by now, but he still felt it now, if not even stronger. That’s when he heard it. The crackling of stone about to collapse. In an instant, the stone above the way out collapsed, blocking their way. As Valen gave an exasperated sigh and went to go asses the situation, Cyrus heard something else. A single, quiet footstep accompanied by an incantation being whispered from behind them.

Valen could hear the crew shifting a few of the rocks from the other side of the collapse, when he heard Cyrus shout “LOOK OUT!” As he turned his head he only had a fraction of a second to process what was even happening. First he noticed that familiar golden blur from all those years ago, coming straight at him. Then he noticed why it was coming at him. From across the room where they had stood not long ago themselves, was a figure clad in black, and they were casting something directly at him. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. Cyrus slammed into his side with a great force, knocking him unceremoniously to the ground. As Valen scrambled to right himself, he saw whatever spell that was cast by this mysterious figure hit Cyrus directly in the center of his chest. It didn’t pop, or burst, or send him flying. It seemed to just phase right through him, the only thing is it didn't come out the other side. He saw Cyrus’s eyes go wide as his arms fell limp at his sides. Valen couldn’t waste any time though, as he got up and sprinted at this mage in front of him. He fought with a ferocity that even he didn’t know he possessed. He wasn’t even thinking as he traded spells back and forth with this figure that was… smiling? He went into a blind rage. This black robed figure was faltering, Valen was too fast and too ferocious, throwing caution to the wind and attacking them with everything he had. He saw as the mage in desperation aimed a spell behind Valen, towards where Cyrus was. Valen whipped around, fearing the worst, but the spell wasn’t intended for Cyrus, as it hit the rubble behind. Valen snapped back forward, but the mage had gone. He cursed himself for falling for such a basic deception. He had no time to pursue this figure however, as he started sprinting back towards Cyrus, who he could now see had slumped onto the ground. He practically slid across the ground trying to get to his friend who was thankfully, alive.

“…your fault” Valen’s blood ran cold as he heard those words cracking out of his dearest friends mouth.

“Wh-what?” he stammered, looking into Cyrus’s glassy eyes.

“Not… your fault.” Cyrus repeated, trying to shift his weight.

“Woah woah woah don’t move.” Valen said, Putting a hand on Cyrus’s chest to hold him still, ignoring the thought of what he had just misheard. “Let me see what we’re working with here.” He busied himself examining his friend.

“Just like my damn parent’s huh?” Cyrus choked out with a dry laugh “I had a bad feeling this whole time and I ignored it… serves me right I guess.”

“Shut it” Valen snapped, perhaps a bit harsher than he meant to “It’s fine, You’re fine, I can fix you.” As he continued examining Cyrus, he tried to steady his shaking hands.

“…Valen… Valen!”

“What!?”

“…It’s a curse.”

“That’s… that’s fine.” Valen stammered. “I can halt a curse… I can stop it’s progression until we can get it broken. I can do that”. The last part was mostly him trying to convince himself of what he was saying. “I just need an anchor, something I can bind it to.” He started frantically looking through his bag, cursing the fact that most of their supplies were still trapped on the other side of this rubble.

“The curse…It’s inside.” As Cyrus spoke those words Valen finally stopped his frantic search and looked at his friend with horror. Cyrus let out a small chuckle, that sounded more like a cough. “The promise I made you when we were kids… sorry, guess I… ended up breaking it after all…”

“I don’t care about that right now!” Valen was starting to panic, as it seemed like they were running out of solutions faster than he could come up with them. “I can just… I just have to- I need-“ He was interrupted by Cyrus clasping his hand in his own and squeezing. When he let go, he saw that Cyrus had pressed the hilt of his own sword into Valen’s hand. Valen took a moment to understand what it meant, but when he did his eyes widened, and he dropped the sword as if it had been sitting in hot coals.

“N-no! Absolutely not!” Valen shouted “That would probably kill you! There’s no way of telling if it would even work!”

“It’s the only shot we have right now” Cyrus then squeezed his eyes shut and folded in on himself “-I can feel it spreading!” He managed to choke out. “Valen I’m sorry I have to ask you to do this… but please this is my only chance right now-“ He paused to cough “I don’t want to find out what happens if this curse spreads… it feels… wrong.” Valen looked into his pleading eyes, and suddenly he had no choice. He had to drive the sword through Cyrus’s chest to seal the curse temporarily.

“O-okay.” Valen said, with barely a fraction of assurance in his voice. “I’ll do it. But don’t you even think about dying on me.” Valen picked the discarded sword back up off of the ground, and lined it up with the center of Cyrus’s chest. “Here?” Cyrus nodded.

“Just try not to hit my spine please.” He wheezed out with a smile. Valen did not return the smile as he placed a thick scrap of cloth from his own cloak into Cyrus’s mouth to bite down on. Wiping the monster blood off of the blade the best he could, he paused for a moment to regain control of his shaking hands. He had to be extremely precise if he didn't want to hit any organs on the way through. After regaining his composure to the best of his ability and receiving a nod of approval from Cyrus, he began to drive the sword in. He could tell that Cyrus tried to keep control of himself at first, but after a few seconds he couldn’t stop himself from screaming into the cloth. The process was slow and tormenting for both of them. Valen had to focus on driving the sword in with one hand, and placing sealing runes on the blade with the other as it went in. He tried not to focus on the sound of his best friends screams. After what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality only about a minute, Valen fell back onto his heels, huffing in relief. That brief relief was extremely short lived, as he noticed the dead silence that he heard. He looked in horror at his oldest friend in the world, now completely still. He crawled forward to brush the hair out of his friends face and remove the cloth, hoping for just the faintest sign of life, but he knew. Cyrus’s halo was completely gone, and there was no telltale rise and fall of his chest. Cyrus Solaria was dead. Valen sat staring at his own bloodied hands for what felt like hours, in reality it was about ten seconds. That’s when he heard a rock fall, and saw a hand poke through the rubble blocking their path.

“Are you two alright?” A muffled voice was heard from the other side of the crumbled rock. Valen shot up from the ground and ran over. This was the final option, the faintest glimmer of hope had presented itself, and he had about fifty seconds to make it a reality.

“Get a diamond and toss it through NOW!” He screamed at his crew on the other side of the wall “HURRY!”

“A diamond?” The voice replied “What could… oh no.”

Forty seconds.

“JUST DO IT” Valen didn't even notice the tears streaming down his face at this point.

“O-Okay!” The voice said “Hold on!” Valen heard hurried voices and scrambling coming from the other side. He couldn’t stop himself from nervously fidgeting and glancing at his friend’s dead body sprawled on the ground.

Thirty seconds.

“I NEED IT NOW!” He screamed at his team, as if it would help them find it any faster.

“Found it!” The muffled voice of one of his teammates exclaimed “Hurry up and get it to him now!” Said another.

Twenty seconds.

Valen jammed his hand into the hole in the rubble, grasping for that small final chance at saving his friend’s life. That’s when he felt it. Fingers and something small and cool to the touch.

Ten seconds.

He squeezed his fist around the small diamond and ripped his hand out of the crevice, not caring how it cut through his skin. He ran faster than perhaps he ever had before, rapidly closing the distance between himself and Cyrus.

Five seconds.

He skidded to a halt next to Cyrus’s body, nearly toppling right past him.

One second.

He slammed his hands down onto Cyrus and cast revivify. A soft golden light spread from beneath his palms, and over Cyrus’s body. It didn’t take long to find out if he had cast the spell in time, as Cyrus woke up screaming. It was both the most beautiful and most horrific sound that Valen had ever heard. He hurried to try and calm his suddenly living friend, holding his arms to stop him from thrashing about and knocking the sword out of place. “Easy, EASY” He said “I’m right here, it’s okay.” He cast some healing magic to help as much as he could. That’s when a large portion of rock crumbled away and the other members of their team were finally able to rush in and see the state the two were in.

“What the hell happened in her- gods…” Their director stopped in his tracks as he saw what was on the ground in front of him. “Is that… his sword?” He took an uncertain step forward, unsure of how such a thing could occur in such a short amount of time.

“There’s no time.” Valen stood up, grabbing Cyrus under the shoulders. “We need to move him out of here NOW or else we could all be in danger.” The director nodded, motioning for one of the stronger members of the team to come and assist. “Be careful when you move him, make sure you don’t bump that.” He said, gesturing to the sword. And so the quickly and carefully shuffled out of the ruins, with Cyrus in tow. Valen was adamant that they leave Aberra immediately, not willing to risk being attacked again while he wasn’t at 100%, not to mention Cyrus who was literally dead not that long ago. So they all packed up and left, not even lasting a full day in the country of Aberra. Once they were safely on the ship and sailing away, with Cyrus being looked at by a medical professional, Valen finally explain in the best detail he could muster what had happened after the rocks fell. Every word felt like a knife tearing itself out of his throat, as he was forced to relive how he killed the person that mattered most to him in the entire world. He didn’t even notice the tears falling down his own face until one of the crew members gently put a hand on his shoulder.

“I think you should get some rest.” She said softly “You can tell us the rest in the morning.” Valen nodded slowly, and wordlessly got up to head below deck. He knocked on the doorframe of the room Cyrus was in, to see the medic packing up their bag.

“How is he?” Valen said almost afraid of the answer he would receive.

“All things considered” The medic wiped some sweat from their brow as they stood up. “He needs a real doctor’s care but… for now he’s going to be alright.” Valen let out a small sigh of relief at that, even if it felt hollow. “You did a good job with… this” the medic said, gesturing to the sword. “Nice clean entry and exit, and I don't think you nicked any organs.” Valen felt sick at hearing that. A good job? They called what he did a good job? “-although I want to keep an eye on his lungs.” The medic seemed to notice that Valen was distracted. “I’ll leave you to it… you need some rest too, so get some.” They bowed their head and left the two alone. Valen sat on the bed next to Cyrus’s. He noted how frail he looked in this moment. He had seen the man in front of him fight off ten foes at once but now, he was here in front of him reduced to a shadow of his former self in one evening… all by Valen’s hand. “Gods…” He muttered to himself, putting his head in his hands “I’ve ruined his life.”

“Don’t count me out just yet.” Valen snapped his neck up as he heard his friends voice, hoarse but stable. He rushed over to him ready to bombard him with a million questions.

“How do you feel!? Does it still hurt!? Do you need anything!? Can I-“ He started asking, not even giving Cyrus any time to respond.

“Jeez, give it a rest would ya?” Cyrus said, covering his ears to block out the barrage of questions. “I already had to answer all those once and I’m not too keen to do it all over again.” He removed his hands from his ears to address Valen. “So… I’m really gonna miss sleeping on my back.”

“Cyrus you-“ Valen stuttered out, not being in quite the joking mood that Cyrus was in. “You- you almost, well I mean- you did-“

“Die?” Cyrus finished for him “Yeah I kind of figured as much. The medic didn't want to give me a straight answer so I kind of knew. I suppose I have you to thank for the fact that that’s no longer true?” Valen wrinkled his nose when he heard Cyrus use the word thank. “Hey-“ Cyrus said, noticing the reaction. “I don’t want to catch you blaming yourself for this alright? You literally saved me today. Who knows how bad it could’ve gotten if that curse had been allowed to spread.”

“But it was meant for me.” Valen spat out “I was supposed to be the one to take that hit, not you.” He had his fists balled at his side.

“Listen to me,” Cyrus said, voice softening “No one forced me to take that hit for you okay? It was MY decision. I didn’t know what would happen sure…” He reached out to unfurl one of Valen’s balled up fists, clutching his hand in his own. “…but I would do it again a thousand times. This was a choice that I made, and I alone will live with the consequences.” He let Valen’s hand go, reaching his hand up to place over his own eyes. “I guess I’m more like dear old dad than I’d like to be eh? I should’ve taken my own advice…” Valen thought for a moment about what Cyrus had said, but before he could respond, he noticed that Cyrus was already asleep. He slumped down onto the next bed, exhausted. He had actually never felt so drained in his entire life, but no matter what, he just couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was going too fast with all the things he did wrong, all of the things he could’ve done differently, done better. He laid awake for hours just staring at the ceiling until his eyes were red and raw, praying for his own mind to stop tormenting him so that he could rest.

The journey back to the capital was uneventful, which seemed like a mercy. Cyrus was even up and about by the time they made landfall again, much to the protest of the medic. He could tell something was off with Valen, and was eager to show him that he was going to be okay. When they had returned the good news did not continue. After being checked over by numerous powerful mages with curse breaking abilities, it was determined that none of them had seen anything quite like this before, and were unable to remove it for the time being. A dead end as soon as they had arrived. Cyrus tried to be positive for Valen’s sake, while Valen feigned optimism in turn. In truth, the two were worn ragged. Their production company did the best they could for them of course, giving the two extended recovery time, plus some of the higher ups even gave money out of pocket for Cyrus’s treatment. But the truth is, a dirty sword that was still covered in monster blood through the chest is not actually good for you, not to mention the dormant curse that still dwelled within him. The treatment was… rough. Between the physical therapy, copious amount of medication, and constantly feeling drained, Cyrus was at his wit’s end. Another thing that got in his way, was clause 38 of his extremely long contract with the company. Due to this clause, he was unable to discuss any ongoing project with the public until it has been completed and released. This essentially meant that he couldn’t even warn people about what had happened to him, even if awareness was the whole reason that he did this in the first place. He felt like he had lost everything, and he essentially had. He couldn’t do the show anymore for obvious reasons, he wasn’t allowed to continue the spinoff either, as the sword was considered too scary for kids. Perhaps worst of all, the company’s medical insurance wasn’t cutting it, as he found himself paying more and more out of pocket for the various treatments he required. He was running out of money, and running out of time. When all seemed that it would fall apart, he found a listing for a position on an expedition group with Zipple Industries. He applied in maybe thirty seconds flat, knowing that their health insurance was the best of the best, and having better health insurance would free him up to hopefully figure out how to get this curse out of him. He heard a knock at his door frame. He turned around to see Valen standing there looking… tired.

“Hey uhh…” Valen walked in “Got something I want to talk about.”

“Sure, go ahead” Cyrus replied “I’ve got something too.”

“Oh yeah sure” Valen said awkwardly “Well… I’m leaving.” Cyrus looked shocked at that, as it was not what he expected at all. “We’ll not, LEAVING leaving I’m just going to go study advanced curse breaking, y’know with the team thats working on Denkai.” Valen was looking at the floor as he said this. “I think that this is probably the best way that I can help you so… that’s what I’m going to do.” Valen finally looked up to see Cyrus meeting his gaze with a sad smile.

“Are you sure?” Cyrus inquired. Valen gave a determined nod. “Alright then. Thank you, Valen.” Cyrus grabbed his friend’s hand and squeezed it. “I have something as well, he gestured over to his computer screen. I just applied for a position on an expedition group with Zipple Industries. I know it’s a long shot but if I can just get an interview I think that-“

“You did.” Valen interjected

“What?” Cyrus inquired

“Look at the screen.” Valen pointed. Cyrus turned around to see a message on screen with the word “APPROVED”, and a time, date, and location.

“I- I literally just applied as you walked in here.” Cyrus stated, dumbfounded at the speed at which he was approved.

“Well you do have an impressive resume.” Valen added. “Are you sure you're ready for this? It’s only been a few months since… you know if you’re not feeling up to it I could-“

“Valen,” Cyrus interrupted him “I’m fine. I can handle this. Plus you’ve already done so much for me when this is all my fault, I just… I need to feel useful.” Seeing the familiar conviction in Cyrus’s eyes, Valen relented.

“Okay fine.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But promise me that you will keep in touch, and I mean constant updates. I want to know where you’re going and what you’re doing got it? I need to know that you’re alright”

“Yes DAD.” Cyrus replied in a playful tone. “I promise.” Valen sighed and began making his way to the door. He paused just before he left.

“Hey… Don’t break this one, alright?”