"M-My love, wh-what's going on!?" I ask my precious one, my words breaking apart as I struggle to speak. Flashes of my true-voice blinding him. Having become all too aware of where we are, I hug him tight. His hands dig into the mountain's rock, crunching and cracking it.

"We... We need to leave now!" he explains, his voice as exasperated as it is seemingly excited. While his words and tone are not so, the way his unfortunate body parts act is hard to ignore. Chittering. Like a child gnashing on a bone in imitation of a monster.

Blinking, I get my thoughts in order, "N- Leave? We just got here, we- I still have things I need to do!"

"I don't care... We need to go now, none of your shit matters!" he practically hisses, the beak of his mask almost spearing the rock at my side. Gulping at the feel of his osibindah shell under-bandage, my touch lightens.

"Why?" is all I can ask, my emotions unable to pick amongst themselves who controls my mind right now.

"The animal rampage, the one from earlier. Osibindah are at the heart of it! They attacked the farmers somehow and spooked the things..." he harshly whispers despite its lack of tone. My eyes fail to blink and my ears grow all the more attentive. An already notable noise from him becomes more pronounced. Everything that he is, is all too noticeable now.

My heart thumps violently as my mind fills with thoughts of the parasites. I fear for my love and how his condition will make him a target. If one drop of suspicion manages to dilute its way into the thoughts of anyone in this settlement. They'll suspect my love to be involved.

Will they suddenly gain an awareness of his hidden shape? The strange noise one might hear if they stand too close? My love has no way of hiding himself completely. Someone's going to figure it out. Is this it, the end of our journey?

No.

As his precious love, as he is mine, I have a duty to him and I will see us through if he's wavering...

"My love, calm down. My precious, beloved love. My precious love..." I whisper to him, tightening my grip once again. I hug him with all the love in my heart and gently hum a song to him. His noises abrupt themselves, his confusion so clear to me. The tension in his body eases.

He knows I love him.

"Do not panic. All you have to do is continue to act like a man. No one will ever think you are in league with the parasites if you continue to do so. No one will suspect a thing at all." I explain, sweetly kissing the part of his mask with the slots to help him breathe. My intoxicating breath fills a heavy intake of air.

"I... I don't care about any of that... I'm not going to remember the people of this town. What I want is to never be near one of those damned holes! I will not go near another one!" he lets out, his tone rising with each word. Intervening, I put my hands on his head, forcing one of his to leave the mountain to hold me. Bringing our eyes inline with the other's, I smile.

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"My love, my champion, do not worry. You earned the right to hold your head high. So many were saved on the day we found you. Humans like those below, aelenvari like I am and so many more. You defeated the osibindah before, you -can- and -will- beat them again!" I tell him, my heart elating with every bit of confidence I can pass onto him.

If I cannot inspire any form of hope within him, then... I am lost as to what to do. I will do my best to encourage him to fight. To get him to stand proudly over the parasite rather than whimpering in fear at the thought of them.

"They're not mine to fight. These people can deal with it!" he snaps, and I shake my head. My true-voice glows softly and while I know he can not hear its beauty, I know he can still see it. The light it shines with, the warmth it emanates.

"It must be you."

"Me!? Do you even hear yourself Rose!? Do you!?" he questions, his head moving in erratic, jagged movements. His head returns to a still position, one of its lenses turning to face me fully. While I cannot see as he can, I know what he wants me to see. All the rage and hatred in each line of red, not even the tint of glass or my vision, can hide that.

I remind him of the firm and fair grip I still have on him, "I do hear myself, same as I do you... And I think it will be in your best interests to fight them off. To wipe them out if need be. It will bring you nothing good if you stay scared of what you have become, my love. Take out all this anger for their kind while you have something to prove. Not to me, not to the world or your fellow man. But to yourself. Prove to yourself that you are above the memories and nightmares."

"You can't make me..." he childishly snivels and I hold him close. Though I am still a virgin, for this moment of trying hearts, he is my child. One I will help to grow strong and powerful, more so than he can possibly imagine.

"I cannot force you, my love. Do not take my words the wrong way, now, but all I can do is to be disappointed. Disappointed by the fact the one who saved me from that sadroobell, from those ryphurgoks... And he's scared of some... Bugs." I tell him, unfortunately feeling the need to taunt him. Though my heart quivers at his snarl, my face remains the same as it has been up to now.

"Oh, brilliant idea. But, problem... What if I find a magic one? I barely beat back the one I fought before. Even then, that was only because it used no magic!" he growls, and I smile.

"Because you took away its staff." I point out and his head goes away from me.

"Staff...?" he questions and I show him one soft hand of mine. My magic brightens our day, and he looks into the mist of swirling forest greens. So weak, so far removed from its greatest extent.

"Remember? Remember what I told you about my own magic?" I ask him, reminding him of our conversation back in the wilderness.

"You can't cast very well without it..." he remembers with a slow nod and the adjustment of his posture. Yes!

"Yes, my love, exactly! You, on the other hand... Oh, you on the other... You are not weak without spells. You are so very strong even without them, and now you are beginning to tap into its potential. Of all the people I've known, my love, you have only been second to one person of true note. The Valkinvar of the holy city if Thurn's Forge!" I tell him, reminding him of his friend and he goes completely silent.

Gentle chitters start to come back out of him. His mind is abuzz with thoughts, and I know he is considering every word I have spoken. Nothing has been lost to him. He ensured nothing would slip and that his focus would never leave. We stay up high, his body relaxing as the ponderings bear fruit.