The next few days were a blur for Triad as he faded in and out of conciousness, but his sleep was no longer as it was. His mind remaining active as his body slept, leaving the boy stuck in a dark restless void. His only respite from oppressive darkness being his dreams, sharp stabs of pain and his parents arguments. More than once he had dreamt he had awoken, only to be cast back into the darkness. Was this because of Malac? Will I ever wake again? He wondered to himself, a silent prayer in his heart wishing for the next dream to be a nice one.

Two slits of light seemed to split the void, the light flickering for but a moment and cutting through the darkness. The slits grew, and as they did, the void that had once felt so unbearable faded away. “Where am I? Is… It must be another dream.”

“Finally awake are we?” Came the sweet words of his mother, her smiling face causing Triad’s eyes to well with tears.

“Mum… Is this.. Am I..”

“Yes my dear boy, you’re home.” Zuthi said, pulling the boy into a tight hug that sent ripples of pain flooding through his body.

“Ow, ow, ow! Mum that hurts!” Triad yelled, squirming in pain before his mother released him.

"Sorry, I’m sorry…” Zuthi says, the smile falling from her face as she turns her head away from Triad. “I’m so sorry I did this to you, I’m sorry you had to go through that, I’m sorry I… I’ll go get your father.” Zuthi forces a smile in spite of the tears flowing freely down her face before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Triad lets out a few grunts as he readjusts himself sending a few stray feathers into the air. With a sigh of relief he runs his hand along the crude stitches that had been used to repair his bed. “So I really am back.” Triad says with a chuckle to himself. “There’s no way I’d dream mum would be the one to repair my bed.” He continues, his chuckle growing into laughter as he strokes the stitching he knew all too well.

“That’s not very nice, you’re mother worked hard on that. She spun the wool herself and everything.” Vom says pushing the door open with his knee, his arms filled with potions.

“Dad, what’s wrong with mum? She ran out of…” Triad is interrupted by his father jamming the mouth of a potion bottle into his mouth.

“Potions first, questions later.” Vom says dropping the potions onto the bed. “And that’s why we always put corks in bottles.”

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Triad gulps hard as the bitter potion assaults his tongue although somehow it wasn’t as bad as he had remembered. “These aren’t half bad Dad, I think if you refine the flavor a little more..” Vom jams a second potion into Triad’s mouth and uncorks a 3rd with his teeth.

“It’s not the potions kiddo, it’s you. You’ve got some grown up taste buds now so you’re less sensitive to bitter flavors.” Vom answers, spitting the cork out and placing the second bottle on the night stand.

Triad swallows hard again before covering his mouth with his left hand. “No more, they’re still gross.”

Vom’s face scrunches for a moment before letting it relax back into a smile. “Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away there. My strongest potions only work if the patient can drink them and I didn’t want you to see them.”

“See what?” Triad asks, removing his hand from his mouth, his eyes catching the heavy scaring all over it. “What, what happened!”

“You… um… You stopped healing after you made the contract with the snake thing. Your mother and I have been fighting to keep you alive for the past 4 days.” Vom says, his voice quivering as he clenches his fists. “Your mother has been beside herself with grief. If she’s not out looking for herbs or hunting, she’s been beside you. I’m not even sure she’s slept.”

The void had dampened the memories of Triad’s mothers and Malac’s fight, but now they felt all too real. He remember the look of joy his mother had on her face as she slammed her knife into him over and over again. “Dad, Why? Why did she look so happy, does she hate me?” Triad asks, tears now running down his face as he remember each terrible blow.

Vom bundles the boy up in his arm, pulling Triad’s head against his shoulder. “Of course she doesn’t, your mother loves you more than life itself. But that blade…”

“Don’t.” Comes Zuthi’s pleading voice from outside the door. “Don’t tell him… He doesn’t need to know.”

“We talked about this Zuthi, he needs to know what Malac is. He needs to know who he has a contract with.” Vom yells back, their argument rousing memories of the void in Triad.

“Do you mean Malac my slave?” Triad asks, wiping the tears from his face.

“What?” Both Vom and Zuthi yell, Zuthi bursting into the room a moment later.

“Triad, did you say Malac is your slave?” Zuthi asks, her face flushed and still stained with tears. Triad gives a nod and both his parents share a look that makes Triad feel uncomfortable. “Triad I’m sorry, I’m sure I’m the last person you want to see right now, But. But I need you to do something before I go. I need you to order Malac to heal you.” Zuthi says, her eye’s wide and desperate.

“Malac, I order you to heal me.” Triad parrots, his scars fading a moment later as if they were never there. Both of Triad’s parents freeze and remain silent so long Triad started to feel uncomfortable. “Umm, so I have a question, Mum why did you look so happy when you were fighting Malac.”

Triad’s words seemed to take a few moments to get through to Zuthi, a smile creeping across her face as they do. “For thousands of years that demon has tormented anyone that wielded its blade and it loses to a 9 year old Fallen.” Zuthi says, her smile turning in to a giggle and then to laughter. “For 22 years that monster forced me to do awful thing, whispered it vile thoughts to me, threatened the ones I loved and now?” Zuthi’s laughter becomes louder and somehow lighter, as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders. “Now it’s a slave to my son. How did you do it, how did you…” Zuthi freezes, her laughter halting as if by magic. “Sorry, I’m sorry I’ll go.” Zuthi says backing up, towards the door, waving her hands in front of her.

“I.. I told Malac I keep letting you hurt him, I said I don’t get enough quality time with you so. So it might be nice to spend a few more days with you. Even if it did hurt a little sometime. So… So please don’t go mum. I, I don’t want you to go.” Triad says hanging his head as the tears return to his eyes.

Zuthi smiles and kneels down at the foot of Triad’s bed. “Ok, I’ll be right here for as long as you’ll let me.” She says resting her head against the bed her eye’s flickering as a yawn escapes from her. “It feels like forever since I’ve stopped, I’ll just rest my eyes for a second and then I’ll..”

Triad’s father pulls him into another soft embrace and give the boys head a few slow pats. “How did I get such a wonderful son.”