I felt the rough dirt under his feet, sand grating into the cracks of his toes. Amateurs. Everywhere they went, they left a trail of crumbs for me to follow. Romulus had probably made it easy for the boy—Graham was only twelve, after all. And he didn't know I was inside him, not entirely. But there had been moments, brief slips when fragments of my presence seeped into his consciousness, leaving impressions he couldn't quite understand but could never forget. Memories. Half-formed, half-hidden. Of course, he knows I'm here—Dyn made sure of that, coaxing the child into giving himself up to me.
A sudden, pounding ache seized my head, forcing me to clutch my temples. In the recesses of my mind, I could hear his high-pitched, frantic voice: "LET ME OUT!" He was fighting, desperate to reclaim control of his own body.
Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps he does understand—at least enough to know what I am.
"I'm helping you, child," I muttered through gritted teeth, my voice barely more than a growl. "Without me, you'd be dead, you ungrateful little—"
***
[POV switch]
I gasped, jolted as if shocked. Control—yes, I had control again. I was here. I was here. I was here. I was…
I was me.
A hollow laugh escaped my lips—my lips. It had been so long since I'd felt this. With a trembling hand, I traced my face, skin smeared with grime and things I couldn't even name. My face.
Helping me? I asked Him. Him, the eidolon I had surrendered myself to—and regretted with every fiber of my being. What are you talking about?
We have to finish this, Graham, He whispered, and a shiver snaked down my spine.
Finish what? I had no memory of the 'this' He spoke of, and how did He even know my name? Where am I?
Listen, child, He murmured, His voice slurred and dark, as I felt my grasp on myself slip, my control falter. Do you want to die?
I shook my head. No, I don't. I never did.
What was this monster talking about?
In that moment, it was like falling, spiraling down into a bottomless chasm, a nightmare with no end. My mind went blank, empty and cold, as if swallowed by darkness. The last thing I felt was my hand reaching down to pick up… a scrap of metal.
Then, nothing. Just black.
***
[POV switch]
"Aiaia… that damned, pirate-infested island," I muttered under my breath, barely stifling a scoff. "Those children have no idea what they're stumbling into…"
"Yeah, yeah, but they're barely teenagers, Theodoros. Again, you weren't exactly… sharp, when you were their age." A voice, high-pitched and clear as day, called out my name—my real name—from behind the palm trees casting long shadows over the sandy shore. I stiffened, my muscles tense.
"Why are you here, Rowena?" I clenched my jaw. "Romulus haven't issued any new orders, and yet—"
"C'mon, Theo, stop being such a party pooper," she teased, her giggle bubbling into a grin that spread across her face, almost too wide, almost delirious. "Oh, and by the way, Romulus has issued new orders. Guess you're not his favorite anymore. I'm backup now, in case you mess things up. Again."
I rolled my eyes, already regretting my decision of engaging in the first place. "If you're going to ruin my day, you might as well help me steal a boat."
"Ooh, I know, I know!" She chirped, waving her hands around like a madwoman. Even the vines wrapped around her waist seemed to loosen with her energetic movements. "There's a boat race nearby. I'm sure we can snatch one. Or two, if you don't want us on the same boat."
"And risk getting caught? I'm smarter than that, Wen."
"Uh-oh," she said with a sly grin, making a face. I shot her a glare. "Looks like someone's forgetting their past attempts at sneaking around, huh?"