It was barely morning yet as the boil finally stirred. He just couldn't sleep anymore. Despite the crack in the stony façade of the demon sleeping soundly beside him, he knew it wasn't to last. Zar was unwell and it was something inside him, something that did not belong was at fault. He wasn't going to get better until it was removed.
It was with a pained ache deep down to his core that Nuru slid from beneath the welcoming warmth of his covers. For all he knew they would no longer be welcoming the moment the incubus was to arise. He slid from the bed and tucked the covers under Zar with care, protecting him from the chill of his absence. He rounded the bed and leaned over the still body. Zar looked so peaceful for once. He wished for it to last, but wishes don’t make themselves come true. At this point, he knew he had to. That if Zar was ever to be happy, to remember what happy even is, he was going to need to face the creatures that made him this way. Nuru planted a careful kiss on Zar’s forehead. Hopefully it was enough to tide him over.
Nuru approached Zar’s desk, all the supplies he needed to begin his adventure within easy reach. He slid a fresh piece of parchment, ensuring there was no work being conducted on either side before dipping a quill in ink. He wrote with utmost care and attention to detail. He wanted Zar to take this note seriously and being what Zar was, Nuru was not going to achieve that without throwing all his effort into it.
Dearest Zaram,
I am writing you this note so that you might understand. Maybe not the first time you read it, possibly not even the second or third time either. I just want the possibility to be out there, in case I don’t make it.
I am leaving to find those that changed you. Took away what made it possible for you to enjoy life and its amazing little feelings. I can’t imagine a world without knowing what it is to love or be loved. Because Zar, you are loved. For as long as my heard continues to beat, you are loved.
This is why I can’t just let it be. I am going to the hunters. I’m going to beg them to fix you until I cannot beg anymore. When I cannot beg anymore, I am going to demand. I am going to demand until no one will listen. If they stop listening, I will make them listen. I will not stop until I am sure you can be happy again, even if it is without me.
Love,
Nuru
It was the most mature he’d ever been in his life about anything. There was no more cowering and hoping things fixed themselves. He had to face it now, like the guardian he knew he could be.
He placed the note where he was certain Zar would find it, right on top of his most important looking documents. It was more important than them, he felt anyway. At this rate however, Zar was unlikely to agree.
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Nuru knew where he was going, he knew it wasn't safe. He still had no reason to pack anything. On one hand his adventure could be swift and easy, a simple misunderstanding. On the other, he might never get to return.
There was a knot of anxiousness caught in his throat as he wandered the quiet halls; hardly a soul was up at this time. Doubt crept forth from the sobering darkness. His thoughts more than made up for the silence with voices that argued back and forth, around and around. He was being stupid; Zar was simply a first love. He could love again, couldn't he? He’s risking his life for someone he’d really only just met… but Zar trusted him and deep down loved him too. You can’t just abandon people like that. It wasn't even his fault. Could he really live with himself if he didn't even try?
The answer was no.
The shadows seemed to suddenly recede about him as a flicker of light illuminated his path forward. He ran without thinking. It was time to face it, time to see what scared him so much. Time to be the protector he always wanted to be.
He soon found himself facing a massive tear that did not belong. Glowing around the edges and clear, almost reflective on the inside. He approached and held a hand out tentatively to touch it. It was like gazing into a pool of water but just beneath the surface was another world entirely. It was terrifying on a primal level, but exciting too.
The answer was still no.
He greeted the rip in his reality with open arms, marched in there with his head held high. He didn't know what he was going to face for certain, but at this point it didn't really matter. All that mattered was doing everything he could do to keep a promise. To protect those he dedicated himself to protecting. To be who he was born to be.
