The Aspiring Archivist

"Well, I guess we might as well try."

Antin sat there, unsure what to do and unsure what would happen to him. He felt inside himself for magic reserves but found none he could use. He just waited for the witch to come.

@Mr. Misting

"Yeah. Guess so." "I don't know. It doesn't matter."

TAAron slumped into Haly, still shaking. "I killed him. I should die too."

@Mr. Misting

"Oh." Antin chuckled softly. "So it was poison. Just not the deadly kind." He slumped to the ground, and his vision began to go dark.

"Fine." Antin took it and drank, making an effort not to gag. Let's hope that wasn't poison.

He raised his eyebrows. "What is it?"

"Got it." He did so, not wanting to endanger Quest by trying to escape, at least so early.

Antin followed, feeling very guilty. "So... what are we going to do, exactly?"

"Why not?"

"My entire world was destroyed. I was thrown into a new one with nothing." All through this exchange, TAAron shook violently. The memory flashed in, one final time. --- TAAron emerged from his daze after being beaten. He could tell he probably had a concussion, as well as some broken ribs. Still, he was alive. As soon as he found himself able to move, he scrambled over to his fallen partner. Kol lay there, still breathing, face down in the dirt. TAAron turned him over. At first glance, the boy didn't seem particularly injured from his brief scuffle. Yet there was something wrong. The child did not speak or try to move as TAAron rolled him over. When he caught a glimpse of Kol's face, he tensed. For the year or so that TAAron had known him, Kol had maintained a confident demeanor, a projection that he only rarely let down in personal moments with his friend. Overall, for a street child, Kol had been remarkably happy. Had been. His expression, once so confident and good-natured, was now a mask of pain. Eyes teary, jaw tight. Kol began to whisper softly. "It hurts so bad. TAAron, it hurts so bad. Make it stop. Please, make it stop." "Kol! What's going on?" TAAron pulled the boy into his lap, examining him for unseen injuries. There were none. The only thing that seem out of place were the pieces of what had once been a glowing sphere. What did they do to him? Then, Kol began to scream. It wasn't any sort of magically enhanced, unearthly scream. Just the yell of a child in agony. "MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!" Tears sprang to TAAron's own eyes as he cradled the boy, wishing more than anything in the world that he could do something for him, ease the pain. But TAAron could do nothing. He had no magical ability, no knowledge of whatever curse it was that had been placed upon Kol. He just watched as his only friend was consumed, his screams growing more desperate, his body convulsing, hand gripping TAAron so tightly it drew blood, though the older boy couldn't bring himself to care about that. After what seemed like hours, Kol stopped screaming, voice having grown raw and hoarse. Something inside both the younger boy and the older seemed to break as he returned to his whisper. "Kill me. Kill me. Kill me." TAAron stayed like that for a whole day, listening to the words being repeated over, and over, and over. Finally, unable to bear seeing his companion in pain any longer, he did so.

"Kol... he stole food for us. I stole books. The only place in town with bookshops had another group in it. They didn't like us." He shook his head, distraught. "I killed him."

"That doesn't matter. I killed an innocent child, Haly. Don't you get that?"

"He was still alive then. But I killed him."

The memory cut out again. "I can't, Haly. It's my fault. I killed him."

"I don't know. Spend time with you, I guess." The memory continued in full force. Kol and the leader wrestled on the floor, and shouts rang out in streets nearby as law enforcement took notice. In a minute, they had flooded the always and broken up the fight. The group retreated, leaving both TAAron and Kol bleeding on the floor. The strange sphere had been smashed against Kol's back.

As he was beaten, the one with the sphere---the leader---approached ominously. Suddenly, Kol appeared. The small boy tackled the leader, managing to bring him to the floor. The rest of the group paused the beatings, surprised.

The memory snapped back into focus. TAAron was on the floor, being beaten horribly by a group of adults. One held a glowing sphere. TAAron's life began creeping away.

"Don't you think he'll be able to sense it anyways?" TAAron woke up to the sound of pounding footsteps. "Kol! Get up!" TAAron shook his partner awake, dread building in his chest. This group had been chasing them for the better part of a month now. Kol woke up with a start, and quickly rise to his feet. "They're here?" TAAron nodded. The footsteps grew louder. --- Back in reality, TAAron let out a cry of anguish. The memory cut out.

"You can look. Go ahead." His voice was hoarse.

He sobbed quietly. "So. We just need to trick a god into entering a suspicious magic circle."