Chapter 106: Back Together
The ancient stone chamber reeked of battle. Aziel navigated carefully across the floor, his boots crunching over fragments of shattered rock. His eyes swept methodically across the devastation—walls gouged with deep furrows, pillars reduced to rubble, and blood splashes that painted macabre patterns across every surface. The broken remnants of what had once been the formidable sheepman armor lay destroyed like some sort of discarded toy of some malevolent child.
And then, he saw Jonas.
The headless corpse lay sprawled awkwardly on the floor, limbs layed limp. Jonas’s powerful frame now nothing more than cooling meat. Aziel’s breath caught momentarily in his throat, a slight hitch in his otherwise measured stride. His fingers twitched at his side, an involuntary spasm quickly suppressed. He permitted himself only a single, measured inhalation before continuing his approach toward Arthur.
Arthur stood near the chamber’s center, clothes torn and saturated with blood. When their eyes met, Arthur seemed to shrink further into himself. His shoulders hunched defensively, gaze dropping to the blood-slicked floor as if it held some profound secret.
"I- I- I tri-" Arthur stammered, voice fracturing under the weight of whatever confession he struggled to release.
The words never found completion. Instead, Arthur found himself enveloped in Aziel’s unexpected embrace. Not tight—just a careful encircling of arms that spoke volumes more than any platitude might have. Arthur froze, arms hanging uselessly at his sides, eyes wide with disbelief at this uncharacteristic display.
"It’s not your fault," Aziel murmured, his normally energetic voice softened to something almost gentle. "You did good."
The simple affirmation landed with physical force. Arthur’s body tensed as if struck, muscles coiling tight before gradually surrendering to the truth of those words. The tension drained from him like water through sand, and he cautiously returned the embrace, arms lifting to complete the circle.
The moment of connection lasted precisely three heartbeats before Arthur’s face contorted with confusion. He began pulling away, nose wrinkled in distinct displeasure.