As the twilight gave way to the night, the silent air was broken by the exhausted heavings of four travelers, each leaning against one another for support, both physically and emotionally. The cleric's fists trembled slightly, the magic in her fingertips numb, and the mage slung over her shoulder struggled to stand, even with her support. Their star limped slightly, his usually cheery smile turned down in an absolutely miserable expression, and the chef, walking further from the rest, struggled to keep his frown firm, occasionally throwing his head back and blinking his tears away. Their walk back was wordless and awkward, and the comfort they once felt in one another's eyes was now null, the four of them only sharing nervous glances and the occasional bump into each other.
The moment they reached their camp again, immediately they all collapsed, some on top of another and others hitting the ground hard, the chef even hitting his head on one of the logs they had dragged near the fire to sit on. The fire itself was dim and drab, hardly but a flicker in the darkness, and still not a word broke the silent air. A long, uncomfortable moment passed them by, and eventually, the mage took initiative in rekindling the fire, casting whatever sliver of magic left in her fingers into the wood. It wasn't much, but it sufficed, and with groggy grunts and groans, they each sat up, not as one, but chaotically, like they were each their own, but still, their red, tired eyes seldom met one another's, as if ashamed. A single HP banana was passed between them in quarters, each of them hardly full, but still significantly healed and content by the end of it. Eventually, they each managed to turn their eyes up, each of their expressions different, but despairing all the same.
Soon, at last, the cleric broke the silence, though her words in no way instilled her companions with comfort.
"This isn't gonna work." She said shamefully, her hands clasped together so hard her knuckles turned white. "We're not cut out for this."
"What?" The mage responded instantly, returning the cleric's tired gaze with anguished but equally tired eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I mean we can't do this." The cleric answered, turning her gaze away, her voice somehow stern and shaky all at once. "We're never going to make it like this. We're not strong enough. We're just not."
With a slightly stricken expression, the mage turned to the other two. The star looked surprised, though not quite as much as the mage, as if he had expected it, while the chef next to him had a completely unfazed expression, though he didn't look happy about it in the slightest.
"So..." The star said with a joyless chuckle. "That's it? We're just giving up?"
Both the cleric and the chef winced, their gazes meeting past the others in a silent, dubious agreement.
"She's right." The chef admitted. "We're never gonna make it. Not like this." He paused to meet the gazes of the other's as well, his eyes alone plagued by exhaustion and a lament that made it clear this was as hard for him to say as it would be for the star and the mage to admit. "Maybe we're the right people, but this isn't the right time. It just isn't. I'm sorry."
The mage opened her mouth to speak, but at once, both the chef and the cleric stood, meeting each other's eyes one last time before they both turned, distancing themselves silently, only the chef muttering a soft, anguished "Goodbye." as they made their otherwise wordless departure.
The star let his eyes linger on the others as they left, but as he finally turned to the mage, he found her looking back at him with a silent understanding, her eyes glazing slightly. His eyes softened in mutuality, and eventually, they both stood, lowering their heads slightly in defeat.
"I'm sorry, Kei." The star said, gently resting his hand on the mage's shoulder. She let out a deep sigh, her shoulders rising high before deflating again, her hand coming to rest atop the star's own.
"It'll be okay." She said, smiling with the scarcity of relief in her heart. "I knew this was going to happen. I just... didn't think it would be so soon."
The star nodded in understanding, letting out a sigh as well, gently wrapping his arms around the mage's shoulders, an embrace that she returned in full with a slight whimper. Eventually, they pulled away, both nodding as they let their arms slip apart, slowly turning away from one another as well, making their own departures in tow. Maybe a single glance was shared as they grew distant, but as they left, the faraway feeling that their paths would cross once again remained, a tiny glimmer of hope lingering deep in their souls. Perhaps it really was for the best. In this merciless battle of light and dark, it was either you or the other guy.
Though soon enough, she'd find that sometimes "the other guy" would be a knight, a cleric, a thief, a mage, and maybe even a sage, a factory worker, and a woeful little girl that she wouldn't be able to save.
