A Question of Duty

The light gleams, the faintest of pinpricks. But in this abyss, it might as well be the sun itself.

I have to reach it. But how, when I don't have hands to grab it? When I don't have wings to drive me forward?

It doesn't matter. I haven't vanished completely yet, after all. I still have this – my power.

So using every last scrap of will I have left, I gather my dawn glow. It's not enough to even begin to penetrate the darkness, but at the very least I can still feel it. As long as I can, I won't give up.

Finally, I manage to summon enough power to shape into a single arrow. I aim it directly at the pinprick of light below me.

Darkness rushes past me as I hurtle through the abyss. The light still seems so tiny, so distant. Will it ever come closer? I can't – I don't have enough power to make it all the way.

No! I must. I will.

My efforts must be making some kind of difference, because gradually the light grows larger. As I race toward it, I feel it reaching for me, extending its gentle touch across the gaping distance.

With it comes a familiar voice.

"Theo. I've been waiting."

~*~

When Theo twitched and let out a soft gasp, Zenith tensed. Automatically he reached for his wizard, but by the time he touched Theo's shoulder, his breathing had returned to normal. Still labored, but steady. Aside from the rise and fall of his chest, he remained perfectly still.

Sighing, Zenith lifted his hand and sat back on his heels. It was foolish to get his hopes up over every slight movement. He had been watching Theo for almost eight hours by this point, and he still showed no signs of awakening.

Perhaps it made sense. When he reached across their contract, Zenith only detected a few sputtering sparks. Whatever Theo had done back in the Liminal had drained him of nearly all his Levia.

Yet by this time, he should have recovered much more than this. Especially now that they were in Tielos. Even the scattered remnants of Levia within the land were enough to resonate with Zenith's, brightening his light and filling him with a calm that he hadn't realized he had missed until now.

Indeed, Zenith's Levia levels had basically returned to normal. The attack that had allowed him to defeat Victor – those hundreds of light-swords – had used almost none of his own power. It had all come from Theo.

And in the end, it had even opened a portal. In truth, Zenith couldn't remember any details – only the sensation of light blazing inside him, swallowing his entire being. Then one last, desperate attempt to reach for Theo.

Now he was kneeling by Theo's side, so why did his wizard feel further away than ever?

If only he could do something to help. Perhaps...perhaps he ought to give Theo some of his own Levia to compensate. Yes, it was better than doing nothing.

His mind made up, he tucked the loose hair behind his ears and leaned over Theo. Yet when his eyes fell on Theo's slightly parted lips, he found that he could not move any closer. Somehow, it did not feel right do this while Theo was unconscious.

Strange. Why should that make a difference? Frowning, Zenith tried to bend down further, but that was when he heard loud footsteps and Sam dropped down by Theo's other side.

Zenith blinked at her. She winked, then brushed aside Theo's fringe and settled a damp cloth on his forehead. The tenderness of the gesture made something clench inside Zenith's chest.

Instead of just kneeling here staring, he ought to have been more proactive. But wasn't it his duty to guard Theo? In that case, he very well could not leave his wizard's side.

So he told himself, yet the ache didn't go away as he watched Sam press her hand to Theo's cheek. "He's still burning up," she said softly.

Zenith clenched his hands into fists, suddenly wishing more than anything that he possessed more knowledge about medicine. Well, he understood it was not normal to sustain a fever for so long, but what good did that do him if he couldn't alleviate Theo's suffering?

Before, he'd never thought he needed to. He didn't suffer illnesses or injuries himself, and the skycraft crew had a dedicated medic. As long as he devoted himself to his duties as a knight, all else was unnecessary.

At that moment, a familiar Levia sparked in his core. Even before he turned around, he already knew his liege was approaching.

"Sir Zenith," she said, resting one hand on her rapier. "If you'd come with me? Meg, Lodo, and I are going ahead to scout for a bit. We need to figure out where exactly we are if we're to have any hope of getting out of here."

Her words made perfect sense, yet before he could stop himself, Zenith glanced at Theo. Darian noticed, of course.

"In his current state, Theo can't go anywhere. It's fine. This will just be a little bit of scouting, so I doubt we'll run into substantial danger. If we do, Meg's support should be enough."

"Yeah, leave Theo to me. Nothing's happening to him on my watch!" Grinning, Sam lifted her thumb in what Zenith had learned humans considered an affirming gesture.

"Let's get going, Sir." Darian nodded sharply at him before starting down the cavern.

Zenith rose to his feet, his body automatically obeying the order. Yet he couldn't take his eyes off Theo.

He was Theo's familiar. He had a duty to protect to wizard.

But he was also Prince Darian's knight. Didn't he have an equal – no, greater – duty to his liege?

So he told himself, yet that could not explain why right here and now, he wanted nothing more than to stay by Theo's side.

"Sir Zenith?" Darian's voice startled him. He whipped toward her to see her tilting her head expectantly.

In all of his existence, Zenith had never once disobeyed an order from his liege. The thought had never so much as crossed his mind. Not when she was his liege – the one who had given him a cause, a purpose. Her quest was his quest, her desires his desires.

But even as he reminded himself of these things, a voice drifted from the depths of his memory. So soft it was barely a whisper, yet it cut like a knife.

'Isn't there anything you want for yourself? Like, just imagine you didn't have to fight for her. If you were a human on Earth. There's – there's gotta be something else – '

Ice slipped down his spine. At the time, those words had horrified him to the core – and they still did. He only wanted what his liege wanted. Why hadn't Theo understood that?

But now...now….

"Sir Zenith?" Darian's voice again, sharper this time.

Zenith swallowed hard, willing back these useless thoughts. These doubts. He didn't need them; he only needed to perform his duty.

So summoning all his resolve, he stepped away from Theo and lowered his head in a bow. "By your will, my liege."

To his relief, his voice came out calm and emotionless. Exactly the way it should be. Yet for the first time in his life, he had needed to use a conscious effort to make it so.