of the loved and the unloved

ꖎᔑᓭℸ ̣ ⍑𝙹!¡ᒷ

screams echoed in his head, celestia had found the rest of them and dainsleif was close to breaking apart. his entire arm throbbed with phantom pain even if he could no longer truly feel it, and he gritted. he knew very well that he could no longer save them, but he tried. the blonde tried and he tried and he didn't stop trying because he loved his people so much.

with the king and queen gone, he is all that is left, and they all depend on him because there is no one else. he loves his people.

celestia doesn't.

"dain!!" he heard a broken scream, and his head snaps back to see the small child. tears dripping down his eyes, pure misery etched on his face. his desperate, pleading wails made his feet move on their own. kaeya is hugged in ꖌᔑ⎓╎||ᔑ⍑'s arms and he rushes towards them. if there was no saving, there was only one thing left they could do.

one thing left they had to do.

dain had always tried his best as their leader to delay this outcome. he never wanted to have to do this, but what else was there that could have been done..? he's seen kaeya suffer so much, prepare for it all in his short miserable life.

would lumine have done the same, perhaps?

everything was so loud, it was pure chaos. foolish of him to ever think he could fight against their holiness. they of the unrivaled, pious and reverent. the loud explosions rang in his ears, field tillers long gone. there was only one thing left they could do.

like a mantra, he repeated in his head.

there is only one thing left i can do.

when he reaches them, hidden under a stone beam, his hands grip at ꖌᔑ⎓╎||ᔑ⍑'s shoulders. dain's own tears spilled painfully when his clothes were clutched by kaeya. sweet, young kaeya. the boy never deserved any of this. he hadn't even been alive when their kingdom was in their prime.

he looks at ꖌᔑ⎓╎||ᔑ⍑, and his eyes are constricted, ridden with panic. all three of them flinch at another sound of explosion and kaeya shouts in dismay. "i don't want them to die! dain tell them to stop!! please." he begs, just like they'd done all those years ago.

"dain..." he hears ꖌᔑ⎓╎||ᔑ⍑ say, and dainsleif bites his lips with mourlorn, nodding.

he looked at him, cupped the younger's face. closing in, otherwise kaeya had no chance to hear what he was about to say. "kaeya. you are so brave. you are our hope. i love you, and i need you to live."

"NO!" the child struggled in his father's hold. he didn't want to leave, and dainsleif shook with his own despair.

the blonde used what was left of his energy to get them to the irminsul tree as fast as he could. it's size never failed to daunt him, the child struggled even more and his father looked increasingly dejected the closer they got to the tree.

he could not let their hadiah die here. he had to do what was best for khaenri'ah, and one day he would avenge his people. he needed their gift safe, their miracle child, the child of their legend.

the blonde's arm then, a part of their holy tree, throbs with pain. energy of the ley lines coursed through it, glowing an ocean blue.

dusk reigned upon them, it was darker than ever before.

it was time.

the last thing kaeya hears before it became all bright was that dreaded word.

"live."