#paravspeaks

[fivefatedfriends]

Parav's mind raced even in sleep as he dozed off, his head falling onto the shut cover of that mysterious book. In his night, visuals haunted him, ending with a stare into purple eyes. He awoke in a breathless huff, sliding his still-asleep dragon into his leather backpack before exiting. Maybe he could find some peace somewhere else in the school.

[fivefatedfriends]

Parav woke up groggily, his dragon still fast asleep as he rubbed his eyes. Looking at the time, he rubbed his eyes and got himself presentable, putting his headphones on and exiting. Maybe a walk would help wake him up, he figured.

[fivefatedfriends]

Parav sat at his desk, his dragon again fast asleep upon it. A book lay in front of him, the same one that had mysteriously appeared at his door moments before. He stared at it and the engraving upon it.

By the Last Sensation.

"Is... this meant for me?"

He wasn't sure. But the possibility that it was convinced him to open the cover, looking at the pages below. ________________________________________________________________

The Last Sense

The Sense Mage was a solitary figure. 

When the corruption came, it was a first to know. It heard the crackle, smelled the stench, and saw the roots as they overtook personage entirely. 

Against it’s former living, it had no choice but to involve.

A tracker by nature, it followed the trails left for it. It saw destruction and decay, then a kingdom in trouble and outskirts destroyed.

It looked out to the destruction only it could see the depths of and decided, in a moment, what to do. It opened up it’s sight, it’s hearing, it’s smell and taste and touch, the entirety of it’s sense opened up and began to feel. 

The corruption rushed towards the mage, consuming it in full sensation. Magic rippled as the mage felt every movement within it’s skin.

But when the magic ended, it had done something else too. Trapped within senselessness, both the mage and corruption existed as nothing more than a ghost.

The kingdom was saved, but the cost was grand.

And feet couldn’t even imprint against the ground as the Sense Mage continued on, in a world that registered neither it nor the corruption it had trapped in it's bind.

________________________________________________________________

He let out a soft breath, closing the book and moving it to his bookshelf.

"Shit... is that meant to be me?"

He didn't know. He felt like he was meant to know. He still didn't. All he could do was look at the pages, reading over this strangers fate again and again in hopes of answers that wouldn't come.

[fivefatedfriends]

Celina tilted her head as Parav returned.

"Any luck with... whatever happened?"

"Sort of- um, but it sounded like something else. It targets people alone, taunts them- um, but I just heard me without taunting. So I don't know."

"It's got you bothered though."

Parav looked at her, a well duh written in his expression. Celina laughed lightly.

"I get why. Something like that existing here... do you think it could be corrupted?"

"Maybe. Or just a messed up ritual or something, this place could be filled with that."

"I'd hoped this place would be competent enough to avoid that. At least we got a warning in advance about this thing, yeah? Sticking in groups shouldn't be hard, you all could be vulnerable to it."

"You could be too."

"Probably. But I'm pretty resilient, and I'll be sure to let you guys know if it does. Honesty's the best policy for all this. Maybe it's something we can ask others about."

"It didn't sound like there's a known solution. Just- pushing it about itself, that was recommended."

"I'll make sure Hum knows. And Jupiter, whenever he's back. He's gonna be more vulnerable to this thing than he thinks."

Parav looked for a moment.

"I um- I honestly think he'd be fine. He loves the sound of his own voice, something mimicking him would just be that again. He'd probably annoy it out of the academy."

Celina snickered, but shook her head.

"I've got good reads on people. He's nicer than he seems, you've just gotta get him when he's being serious."

"Right... maybe."

He didn't sound convinced.

"Um- well I'm heading to read a bit more, are you staying up tonight?"

"Nah. Sleep impacts this little guy."

Celina nudged her dragon, who was already dozing off in their backpack.

"He tried to run out of the dorms again. I figure he might behave better well-rested. He keeps trying to run away from me, it's driving me batty."

"Good luck with that."

At that, Parav made his way to his dorm, only to see a book on the ground outside of it. He picked it up, bringing it inside.

[fivefatedfriends]

"But it looked tasty-"

"Absolutely not. Repeat it again, Hum."

"But-... fiiine. I will not eat paper without getting permission from Celina first..."

"Again."

"I will not eat paper without getting permission- can Jupiter give me permission?"

"No, but Parav can because he won't abuse it to mess with you."

"...what in the world did I miss?"

"Hum ate paper again."

"It looks tasty!"

"It does not. Where've you been?"

"Library. I had something weird happen- actually, does anyone in this place know anything about ghosts or mimics or- stuff like that?"

"I heard someone mention a Nem in the hallway once, maybe they do?"

"I'll try that. Thanks. Uh- don't eat paper."

"Awww..."

[fivefatedfriends]

Parav sat in the library, headphones kept across ears as he leaned, head in hands, over a book. It was simplistic, but fascinating, and his dragon Mx. Steppers sat on the table, equally content.

As the two, mage and dragon, read, footsteps soon began to ring out.

"Hello?"

He kept the headphones on, paused, and finally moved to un-obscure one of his ears.

"I hear you."

"I hear you."

The voice, eerily similar to his own, seemed to come from the hallway. After a moments hesitation he stood up and looked: but saw nothing.

"I'm not crazy. I'm not-"

He sighed, then returned to his book. Whoever it was had either left or was never there at all, and he was too frightened to be sure which. It didn't matter. It didn't.

He ignored Mx. Steppers unsettled sniff and sat back down. The dragon looked for a moment, then crept back under his hand. He ran his palm over the scales, closing his eyes and focusing on the sensation. Soon settled, he continued his text, intermittently petting his companion as he read.