As Damian finished retelling the story of Reserve and his eventual conquest of Javier to his wife he felt her arms grow even tighter around him, hugging him so deeply it felt like they would become one by the end of it all, the heat of her body was a comfort which Damian relished for every second he was blessed to experience it.
He had talked about what happened afterwards but that was because there was nothing much to say, the people of the reserve thanked them for taking out their tyrannical leader, their weapons didn't disappear either which meant that even if they were to be left alone they had a better chance than most to survive wherever they went and other such mundane details of the journey afterwards,
She leaned her head against his shoulder before she spoke out, her words soft but a tone of concern laced underneath,
"As terrible as that all sounds, you're still leaving out one detail aren't you my love?"
Damian signed heavily, there was no getting away from it, there was one detail he had failed to address and hoped that she would not ask for, for what he discovered about Javier during his days hiding had pained him more than any injury ever could, it was what he hoped Jasper would never know.
"Your right…I am leaving out something but it's not because of distrust or the fact that I believe you wouldn't be able to handle it. The truth is I just don't want to accept that what I saw down there, in the cellars was real, its my own selfishness to leave what I saw unsaid because I don't want it to have been true, by saying it outloud….I feel like im giving power to the suffering of the people there."
Elizabeth looked at her husband, this man had seen the horrors of war more than most… No, probably more than anyone else alive would ever dare imagine, he had fought hordes of terrifying abominations in the single minded goal of reuniting with the ones he loved no matter the obstacle, and yet there were still things which could cause this man to shudder.
It was a relief in some ways to know that despite all his newfound strength he was still the same man as he was before the infection…the Nightmare Spell spread across the world, however she was worried for him, he had seen so much and would see so much more she was sure of it yet she couldn't do anything to save him from this suffering, would he still be the man she fell in love with all those years ago by the end of it all? She was about to ask him again, wanting to carry the burden of what he found with her in order to help him through it but before she could he spoke again,
"I don't want to give his actions any more power than they did by saying them out loud, by bringing them into the world in that form would mean adding strength to his memory, and I would much rather that man be forgotten. However I know you wont stop until I tell you, so I will answer your question with another, this one will answer your own. How did he always have meat ready for his banquets?"
As she pondered the answer to his question Damian could feel her body tremble in his grasp, she was a brilliantly smart woman afterall, she could have pieced it together from what had remained unspoken itself but that would have given Javier too much credit. He simply held her tighter as they watched oceans waves despite the pollutants masking its once sublime beauty, its motions still brought comfort to those who watched them.
They stayed silent for quite some time after that, simply happy to once again be in each other's company after all this time, their connection seemingly deeper than ever for it seemed the time apart only made their desire to be within each other's grasps burn even brighter and so, on this desolate roof away from the prying eyes of those who would seek to do them harm, they indulged in their raging desires exploring each other's forms as if they were ravenous beasts, for it was at this time Damian discovered that there were even those of a mundane nature who could keep up with his inhuman endurance.
Jasper had found himself in a rather strange situation, for the first time in many months he was truly alone, and not only that he could even dismiss his armour which frankly was starting to smell a bit from all the dried blood over its surface, he had done his best to clean it off but he couldn't always get it all before it dried. He was currently taking a warm shower, the facilities at this place were still functional to some degree and with them being so close to the ocean water was the least of their concerns.
Of course the sea water was only really useful for washing after being filtered a few times over and it took even longer to make it drinkable but it seemed to be working in the meantime, the sprinkling of the shower and the cold wet sensation crossing over his body reminded him too closely of his nightmare on the Twilight Sea, a storm had passed over them which had separated them from the main formation of the fleet, and as their captain it was his job to guide them back.
Of course he wasn't really their captain and had very little idea on how to manage let alone control such a ship but he had tried his best, remembering the distant screams of his crew haunted his mind as he turned the shower of, his breathing had grown rapid and shallow before he had ever realised with wide eyes he stared at the draining water as the memories of crashing thunder erupted in his ears.
Lowering himself to the ground he had to ensure that he was still on the land, that he was now safe from the creature that had tormented him for many days and nights, to convince himself he was no longer stuck there and that he was back in the real world. His nightmare was fierce and terrible to the point that he never wanted to be on the sea ever again, he would never sail the Twilight sea again.
In the end he managed to calm himself down enough to head to his room, it was a private area since no others wanted to be near him or Damian for that matter, they seemed to fear that they would transform into terrible monstrosities before their very eyes. He enjoyed a comfortable meal he prepared for himself as he laid in bed remembering the days where he would just sit back and relax whilst watching some cheap entertainment on his communicator.
As he sat back and enjoyed his meal he quickly finished and decided to look over his runes,
***
Name: Jasper
True Name: -
Rank: Dreamer
Soul Core: Dormant
Soul Saturation: 91/1000
Memories: [Blacked Sky], [Devourer's Sight]
Echoes: -
Attributes:[Fool] [Kinetic] [Storm Child]
Aspect: [Storm Herald]
Aspect Rank: Awakened
Aspect Abilities: [Lightning Shroud]
Flaw: [Momentum]
***
It was a strange feeling, Jasper could see how far he had come in this journey yet whilst he laid in his cot he felt just as strong as any mundane person would, it was strange to know that others could experience their power at all times, it was almost a little unfair in his opinion, sure not just everybody could destroy entire groups in seconds with relatively little effort but if he slowed for even a second his life could very well end.
A strange feeling washed over him but he quickly realised what it was, it was jealousy, he had always dreamed of being powerful as a child, wielding strange magics to save the world from evil in all forms, but as he grew he realised the greatest evils of the world were none other than other people, he had wanted to become a therapist to help others in their problems. The profession was dying out due to various reasons and the war for global resources pushed out all unnecessary jobs in favour of supporting the regimes of the world but as all the veterans returned and had no one to talk to he saw it as his opportunity to make a difference.
It wasn't long before Jasper fell asleep, and for the first time in months he dreamt, at first his body felt cold, wet and sticky as if he was lying in a thick bed of mud with small bristles scratching at his naked skin, light shines through in small rays above him as he tried to pull his sheet over him yet it wasn't there any longer. Instead all he found was a handful of fallen leaves scattered over the ground, which prompted him to sit up.
What he saw made his heart drop, he was still alone but he had now found himself in the middle of a dense woodland with the sounds of distant creatures echoing across the forest floor, without a second thought he summoned his armour which hugged tightly against his skin as the grey fabrics underneath the black leather warmed his skin against the breeze in the air, as well as his trusty blade as he studied his surroundings,wishing to wake up but knowing he wouldn't be so lucky.