Corvus lay in the sand, unmoving. Helsay had stitched up the sling and tried to console him, but had shuffled away shortly after. Gregory had come down from his stone throne to try and strike up a conversation, but left after receiving no reply whatsoever.

Jack had sheepishly walked over, looking to see if Corvus was ok, even sitting down beside him and stuttering through an apology. Aria and Lanya limped weakly over to Helsay, trying to avoid looking at Corvus as he lay prone on the ground. Aria opened her mouth to say something to him while Lanya was getting healed, but stopped and nodded subtly.

Damian and May both said quiet greetings but nothing else. May rubbed her eyes as if she was crying, but hid it well enough for even Corvus to wonder if he saw it. Henrith walked over, patting Corvus on the shoulder and trying his hardest to keep his usual goofy smile on his face, but even he left eventually, smile gone.

The audience filtered out, whispering amongst themselves about the spectacle of that session and what they saw. Corvus imagined all the thousands of things they could be saying about him. How he was a monster and how he was powerful. He didn’t care either way, but the thought still stuck with him.

The silence settled around him, the slight crackling of the green fires sending an annoying flicker of a shadow across Corvus’ eyes. He thought about tilting his head, but there would be no real point to it. The light was everywhere, and the shadows chased him no matter how much he shifted his eyes. Then a darkness settled over him, obscuring the oppressive light with a comfortable shadow.

“I’m sorry.” Johanna’s voice tumbled into Corvus’ ears like feathers in the breeze. Corvus glanced up to see her face, her ruby red eyes glinting with a sad kinship.

“Wmhp fiur?” Corvus’ voice was muffled by the sand that his head was nearly buried in. Johanna chuckled a little, sitting down on his left, gently lifting his head out the sand. She brushed the sand out of his hair and shuffled closer beside him, rubbing her shoulder against his, carefully stroking the scars on the side of his head.

Corvus shook the dark sand out of his ears and coughed a few rough grains out his throat.

“What for?” Corvus tried again, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground.

“Hard to say. It just felt right, somehow.” Johanna shrugged slightly, leaning her head over to rest on his arm. “I thought you could use someone to talk to, seeing as everyone left.”

“Why?” Corvus looked at her, taking in her content expression curiously. “I’m sure you have better things to do.”

Johanna shook her head, raising it to look into his eyes.

“The only thing I want now is here.” She smiled, a slight air of laughter in her eyes which was almost unsettlingly different from her usual stoic sadness. “Besides, you still owe me a life story.”

“I already told you and everyone else everything that I remember.” Corvus shrugged the comment off, but her smile turned into irritation.

“We both know that’s not the whole story. So tell me who you are!” Corvus was taken aback by her forcefulness. She was a hair’s breadth from shouting, tears of anger starting to well in her eyes.

Corvus took a quick glance around the large, darkened arena for anyone who was listening, but all he saw was Gilgamesh loudly snoring upside-down on Gregory’s stone throne.

“Alright. Have it your way.” Corvus sighed, picking up a small handful of sand and tossing it limply into the centre of the colosseum.

Corvus told her everything he remembered about himself and what happened before his suicide, including the many lives he had taken so easily. He was hesitant to tell her about his curse, but with a bit of insistent prodding from Johanna, he decided to tell her about the Entity he killed and the hell it was putting him through.

Her eyes got steadily wider throughout the long and bloody story, with barely enough time to process the fact that she was sitting next to an emotionless serial killer. When she heard about his curse though, her expression of shock turned to worried horror, her wide eyes glancing down at the newly mended sling that still had streaks of dark purple burns on it.

When Corvus finished speaking, he stared down into the black sand that seemed to be constantly shifting beneath him. He waited for her to get up and start pummelling him, call him a monster and storm off, or cast aside his story as false because Entities are nearly unkillable to normal people. He kept waiting…but only silence followed.

He glanced over at her, to see if she was still conscious. The moment his eyes met hers, the deep red of her iris’ began to flood with tears. Her face remained perfectly still, a mask of shock and worry, but her tears continued to flow like waterfalls down her red cheeks.

“You’re crying.” Corvus noted, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

She didn’t say a word, but smiled in her usual sad way.

“I…” Her voice croaked. She cleared her voice and took a deep breath to compose herself. “I thought I was the only one.”

That statement took Corvus by surprise. Of all the things he had told her, none of them boded well for what had happened in her life previously.

“You shot yourself as well?” Corvus tilted his head in extreme confusion. A short chuckle escaped her lips as she rubbed the tide of tears off her face.

“No…not that.” She stared at Corvus, the hint of sadness behind her gaze now covered her entire face, but she looked comfortable and accepted. “I thought I was the only one of us who had taken a life before.”

“Oh.” Corvus shrugged. “Who’d you kill?”

She made a face at him, expressing her displeasure at such a blunt question. Corvus shrugged a small apology, but still looked at her, expectant for an answer.

“Well…if you insist.” She sighed, drawing up old memories of who she used to be.

“I was born on Cindrea, far inland. The laws are enforced harshly everywhere, even in the most lenient districts. My family wasn’t very well off, but that didn’t stop mother and father from trying every possible method to gain wealth. One of my father’s business deals went badly and we were forced to sell what little possessions we had to cover the costs.

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“Mother wasn’t prepared for a life of poverty. She went to every wealthy person she knew, begging for help and offering everything to get back to how things were. Later that week, she sold me to the highest bidder. Her own daughter. The old man that bought me was nice enough, but his children, two respected knights, were demons. They used to beat me, shred my clothes and throw me into the latrines for fun.

“Not even a year later, the old man died, and his sons inherited everything, including me. They…” Johanna took a breath in, digging her nails into her arms. “They used me. It was nearly seven months before I decided I wouldn’t be theirs anymore.” Her expression turned dark, and a crazed smile tugged at her lips. Her eyes met Corvus’, her gaze was steeped in manic fury.

“The older one dragged me to his chambers, tearing the rags off me and laughing. I tore his throat out with my teeth, and nothing was ever sweeter. He tried to scream, he thrashed around like an eel. His sword was close to him, so I picked it up and skewered his heart. The moment when the light left his eyes is one I’ll treasure forever.

“His brother came in to see what the noise was. I ran him through, pulling him to the ground. He screamed louder than I ever could. I couldn’t stop myself from cutting him up. I just kept swinging that sword until he stopped moving. I think I kept cutting him for a while after, I don’t remember. All I can remember after that is wandering the streets, their evil blood dripping off my hands and my laughter filling the air.

“I found my mother after that. She was…with someone who I didn’t recognise. I can still hear her beg for help when I stuck a knife through that man’s head.”

Her breathing was erratic, her gaze shifting crazily. Corvus put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down, but she turned and pulled a hidden knife out. She stuck the short blade into Corvus’ chest, her eyes steeped in vengeance and mad rage. Her eyes snapped back to reality and she looked down in confusion. She nearly screamed in shock when she saw Corvus’ blood begin to seep out of his wound into his padded shirt.

“I was beginning to like this shirt.” Corvus sighed, pulling the blade out and checking to see if his cast was damaged.

Johanna took several moments to overcome her horror and realise that Corvus was, in fact, still alive. She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back on the black stone wall at their backs.

“So there. That’s my story.” She let out a breath that she seemed to be holding for years, easing into the ground. She weakly glanced at his sling. “Is that thing really that dangerous?”

Corvus glanced up, nodding slightly.

“It’s killed someone before, and it may well kill me. So, yes.” He shrugged, softly grasping his wrapped arm. Johanna leaned in closer, looking at the singed cloth curiously.

“Can I?” She looked at Corvus expectantly.

“Can you what?” His voice dipped, wary and defensive.

“See it? Just see it?” She smiled sadly at him, her eyes showing no air of hostility.

Corvus looked around the area of black runes. He wasn’t dead yet, so the field must work, he should be safe. He was still hesitant though, his free hand quivering with apprehension.

Johanna reached out and squeezed his shaky hand, her warm, sad smile piercing Corvus’ eyes. Her presence gave Corvus some air of comfort around himself.

“Oh, for the love of Ruin, get a room!” Gilgamesh yelled, from his rather ‘unique’ position on the throne. Corvus scowled at the Recluse King, eager to slap him in the face.

“Relent.” The word caused the ribbons in the sling to retreat into the soft cloth. His right hand was gradually released from its vice grip, the joints in his elbow cracking from inaction.

Corvus pulled the soft sling away from his hand, and his eyes widened with horror, as did Johanna’s.

The curse had grown.

The twisted mass of black charcoal that was his skin had moved up his arm. It was barely an inch below his elbow, covering the majority of his forearm with fractured, purple burns. The Swallow bracelet was barely visible, cutting into the hardened flesh, obscured by wisps of violet fire.

Corvus hastily grabbed at the bracelet, tugging it up his arm. Chunks of black skin broke off, falling to the ground and burning to dust among the sand, exposing bright sparks of fire, which flickered out shortly after. With careful effort, the golden bangle edged its way over the hardened crust, to the edge of the curse.

The inside of the sling was scorched to the point that some of the cloth had started to wilt and crumble, but the runes and ribbon seemed mostly untouched, which gave Corvus only slight apprehension.

Johanna held her hands to her mouth throughout the ordeal, looking on in dread.

“That’s…a curse?” Her voice was trembling at something so dangerous being so close to her.

Corvus nodded, a tiny wave of resignation flickering across his face. He turned his eyes back to Johanna and shrugged, re-covering his cursed flesh.

“Support.” That word cued the ribbons to shoot back out, tying the white sling back to Corvus’ chest, just below his recently bloody stab wound.

Johanna wrapped her arms around Corvus’ free hand, to his surprise. Her face was a mask of sadness and dread. Her grip was that of a vice, refusing to give the slightest inch.

“If you want my arm, you’re welcome to have it. It grows back.” Corvus tried and failed to shrug with her holding it so close.

“Promise that you’ll live.” Her words were quiet and quivering by another wave of her tears.

“Where’s this coming from?” Corvus raised an eyebrow, trying to pry his arm away again, to little effect.

Johanna lifted her face, locking a gaze between them.

“We’re here together. You can’t leave me alone.” She was almost pleading, her grip tightening.

Corvus was silent for a few moments. He couldn’t make that promise. Not yet, not until he was sure he could seal the curse properly.

“I…” The words stuck in his mouth. He didn’t know why. It was a simple fact, so why couldn’t he say it to her. He closed his eyes.

“It technically isn’t a lie if you word it right. How do you think politicians get by?” Gilgamesh called from the stands, where he was swiping at pebbled out of sheer boredom.

Corvus glanced up at him, then back to Johanna, who’s eyes had only got more and more red.

“I…promise to survive anything I can.” Corvus spoke slowly, trying to word it so that it was a promise he could reasonably keep to her and to himself. The look of relief in her eyes indicated that she believed him, and that she wouldn’t stab him again, which was a bonus.

She eased her grip on his arm and rested against his shoulder, allowing her eyes to naturally fall closed. Corvus was about to ask what she was doing, but noticed that she was already in deep sleep. He raised an eyebrow at that particular quirk. He would have to learn that someday.

Her tiredness seeped into Corvus, making his eyes feel heavy as well. He’d lost track of how long he’d been in the colosseum, and how long they’d been talking alone together. He rested his head back onto the hard, stone wall, closing his eyes and becoming numb to the world yet again.

His pearly dreamscape was somewhat different this time. Gilgamesh was nowhere to be seen. The curse had grown, and had began twisting violently. Corvus took a closer look at the incinerated section of his soul. There was something there. Something that wasn’t there last time.

An eye burst open, staring back at Corvus. He recoiled, a ghostly paw swiping out at him. The enraged face of the slain bear Entity roared at him, emerging from the tear in his soul and charging forward, purple fire glistening against its spectral fur.

It grew in size, opened its jaws and lunged, aiming to swallow Corvus whole, taking his soul for itself. Corvus threw up his arms in defence, feeble as it may have been.

The jaws never came. The blow that would have ended him never even came close to him. Corvus looked towards the beast, but saw something different entirely.

Gilgamesh stood before him, a hand on each of the bear’s jaws and an angered grimace on his face.  His comfortable white and gold gown was crackling with energy, floating just above his skin, eager to unleash the power inside it.

“I can’t leave you for one second, can I?” Gilgamesh complained, cracking his neck.

He grunted, forcing the beast’s spirit backwards, much to its anger. Golden light surrounded Gilgamesh’s hands, exploding out in ethereal lances that pierced the spectral hide and launching the Entity back through the tear of the curse. He turned back towards Corvus, an irritated sigh following shortly after.

“Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll be back shortly.” With that, he strode towards the charred scar on Corvus’ soul, another golden spell amassing around his right hand.

The Entity burst from the breach again, launching curved sickles of purple fire at Gilgamesh, which he swept away with ease. He raised his right hand, touching it to the spirit. An explosion of light sent the bear flying back through the hole.

Gilgamesh glanced back again, scowling, but nodding at the same time.

“Stay safe, cabin boy.” Then he disappeared through the charred cracks of the violet void.