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Angst Meme
43. “I knew it’d come down to this.”
“I knew it would come down to this…”
✧ 天才 ✧ The others had long since faded, many fires built and burned out in their place, and their ashes turned to dust. Scattered across the sky, the sea, the earth, free to go as they pleased - lost but not forgotten.
Time had taken its toll on the once delicate and feminine features of the self proclaimed genius. Ginger locks had grown long and faded to white, tied back with a orange ribbon in remembrance of better days. Once childish and sparkling blue eyes had matured into sharp, intelligent pools of wisdom, hardened from years of study. But time knows no bounds and as the years passed it slowly claimed his vision, irises now dulled and faded, clouded like a foggy night sky. Not blind, but close.
The loss of beautiful features would have upset the ryokuryuu of their group, but the once motherly figure willingly paid the price to be able to have just a little more time. At first the loss of his independence had bruised his pride. He’d been stubborn and foul towards the people trying to help him. Combative of the argument that it was the least that could be done for him after all the care he’d given.
The loss of his children had left deep scars across his heart that still bled from time to time. Even dreams were bittersweet, plagued by memories that had him waking in fits, ready to resume his duties and care for his brethren.
His age made it impossible for him to do more than the basics for himself. The rest of his care had fallen to the ouryuu, physically untouched by time.
It was painful at first, because they had lost the others, but as the years slipped through his fingers the aged genius found himself facing a pain he couldn’t bear. Silent tears often rolled down Yoon’s cheeks at the thought of the inevitable. He’d held on for as long as he could, bartered with everything he had to trade, to be able to give the yellow dragon as much of his time as possible.
Time was a bottomless, insatiable pit, always hungry for more. It knew no mercy, took no prisoners, gave no favors. The fact he’d been given as many years as he had was a miracle in itself. Without complaint he’d traded his senses, all but touch, and even the sharpness of his mind, so that he could make Zeno’s pain a little less.
But the price had grown too high and he had nothing of value left to offer it. Wrinkled fingers gripped the apparent youth’s, squeezing as tightly as they could. Tears wet the aged features of his face as he looked upon the shimmering golden glow that had become his last solace. A beautiful sun he'd had the fortune to call his own, even if for just a little while.
“...Zeno” His voice was tired. He was tired. It was brutally apparent that there would be no waking from his next rest. Slowly, Yoon’s free hand reached up to cup his elder’s face. “...I know it was an impossible wish… but I had hoped anyways….and I am so very sorry that….I have to leave you alone again. Do you think...you can forgive me?”
