!!!Content Warning!!!
This chapter contains scenes of blood and violence, including descriptions of physical altercations, severe injuries, and death. Reader discretion is advised.
The world snapped back into focus with the painful jolt of a million shards of glass knitting themselves back together. Milo's vision, a kaleidoscope of blinding light and distorted colors, swam before his eyes. The sensation of his stomach lurching and his head spinning was overwhelming, a profound physical sickness that had him groaning into Elias's shoulder.
He was still held tight in Elias's arms, crushed against his chest. But the feel of Elias's body was different now. Instead of the coiled, ready power, there was a deep, bone-weary tremble. Elias's breathing was ragged and uneven, the sound a low, pained gasp.
"Elias?" Milo's voice was a weak croak.
Elias did not answer. He simply held on, a powerful, protective grip that refused to let go. The world around them had changed. The solid hardwood floor of the apartment was gone, replaced by something soft and cool. The air was no longer thick with the stale scent of Milo's home, but with the rich, loamy smell of damp earth and moss.
Milo slowly, carefully, pushed himself away from Elias's chest, his head still spinning. His feet were no longer on solid ground, but buried in a thick carpet of green grass. They were no longer in the apartment in Calin City.
They were in a forest.
Giant, gnarled trees with trunks thicker than a car rose around them, their branches so intertwined they blotted out the sun, leaving the world in a perpetual, eerie twilight. The air was cool and crisp, filled with the quiet hum of an alien wilderness. A faint, ethereal mist curled around the tree trunks, and somewhere in the distance, Milo could hear the gentle rush of a waterfall.
Milo stared, his mind struggling to process the unreality of it all. One moment he was in his apartment, moments from being attacked, and the next, he was in a primordial forest that looked like it belonged on another world. He looked down at Elias, who was on his knees now, hunched over, his hands braced on the ground. A fine layer of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his powerful body was shaking with exhaustion.
"Elias, are you okay?" Milo asked, his voice filled with concern. He knelt down beside him, his hand hovering, unsure of what to do.
Elias lifted his head. His eyes were wide and pained, but the fury was gone, replaced by a deep, weary exhaustion. He looked at Milo, and in his eyes, Milo saw a flicker of the same terror he had felt just moments before, but also a profound, aching relief.
He had protected Milo.
He had brought him to safety.
"The… the translocation," Elias breathed, the words a strained rasp. "It requires much... energy. But we are… safe. For now."
Milo's mind, still reeling from the chaos, latched onto that. "Who were they? The guys in the suit? And the guy in the alley?"
Elias closed his eyes, a pained look on his face. "He… his name is Valerius. The one in the alley was his associate, but Valerius is the one who hunts me. He… he wants something that I possess. Something he believes I stole from him. I am a… collector. I am tasked with protecting artifacts of my world. He believes I stole it from him. He has been chasing me for… a long time. They are a brotherhood. They are everywhere."
Milo's head reeled.
It was all too much.
He was in a forest that didn't belong, with a half-dragon who was being hunted by a brotherhood for a stolen artifact. It sounded like something out of one of his video games.
"I am sorry," Elias said, his voice softer now, filled with a deep regret. He looked at Milo, a vulnerability in his eyes that Milo had never seen before. "I have... I have put you in danger. He knows that you are with me. He may find us."
Milo, despite his terror and his lingering nausea, felt a wave of affection wash over him. He reached out and gently placed a hand on Elias's shoulder. The powerful body, once so tense and hard, was now trembling with exhaustion and fear.
"Hey," Milo said, his voice gentle and calm. "It's okay. You saved me. And you know, you did this to save me. I'm not mad. I'm just… glad you're here."
Elias looked at Milo, and in his dark grass-green eyes, Milo saw a flicker of pure, unadulterated shock. He had expected anger, fear, a reprimand. He had not expected kindness. He slowly, carefully, lifted a hand and placed it on Milo's, a gesture of quiet, deep gratitude. The simple touch was filled with a new, profound intimacy.
They were two boys in an alien forest, on the run from a forgotten war, and they only had each other.