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It was noon under a cloudless sky, and Cor Caroli waited by a large tree on the outskirts of town.

He had started his day with a surprising determination and readiness. For once, he did not sleep through his alarms and made it to the headquarters on time, if only just so he could get there while the cafeteria was serving breakfast.

There were muffins in the dessert case. He took a few of those for his last meal, though he did feel self-conscious about it. He was sure that, if people weren't grumbling about him hoarding muffins, they were gossiping about how he had actually showed up to work on time and seemed to have an appetite.

He wasn't at work for long before he had to leave for his "appointment." He successfully deflected all attempts to ask him what the appointment was for and made a clean escape. Eventually, he made it to the meeting place he had mentioned in the hijacked ring mail to Ploutonion, and now he waited.

Don't let me down now, or I'll find the Order Headquarters and tear it down brick by brick till I find you.

When Cor Caroli felt that painfully bright Transcendent Knight aura coming towards him, his heart began to pound, partly out of excitement and partly out of anxiety. Ploutonion had come to him after all, and it seemed that he didn't bring backup. Perfect. It would be best if what they were going to do was done alone.

The anxiety grew greater when Ploutonion entered his sight, and as he came closer, he was trembling and trying to hold back tears. His Knight was really there, in the flesh, and it was overwhelming. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, and then Ploutonion kissed him. His emotions exploded every which way. Even if he didn't deserve this affection, he found himself wanting more, more, more, a strange hunger that could not be satisfied. Love, lust, pleasure, and pain tumbled violently inside him. If he thought he could get away with it, he would have guided his Knight to the ground and made passionate love to him right then and there. He threw his arms around Ploutonion and pressed close against him, relishing his contact and warmth. The tears running down his face were inconsequential relative to everything else.

"No... I can't enjoy it like I used to," Cor Caroli said, wondering if it was really that obvious that he barely ate. Then Ploutonion said something concerning. "Camps?" Ploutonion wanted to take him somewhere, though he wasn't quite sure what the Knight was alluding to. It was so tempting to discard his plans and follow Ploutonion to wherever he was talking about so that he could revel in being cared for. He had split-second daydreams of being pampered, but he had to shake them out of his head. It had to be too good to be true. "I... I'm sorry. I can't go back with you. I said my favor wouldn't put you at risk, and bringing me anywhere would put you in danger." He leaned into Ploutonion some more, greedily gathering as much contact as he could before his time came. The hand around him felt so good, to the point that it inflamed his desire for more. Perhaps he could get away with satisfying that tucked-away want.

"Purification?" Cor Caroli's eyes went wide, as though he had never heard of the idea before. "I didn't think of that." It was so, so tempting to give in, to let Ploutonion take him away and never look back, but not only did he feel that he didn't deserve it, but he would be putting so many at risk. He came to go out how he wanted, and that was what would happen. "But I can't put you at risk like that. I came here because..." He reached into his subspace pocket and pulled out a crystalline knife, then made sure to explain quickly before the Knight got the wrong idea. "I want you to kill me. You're the only one I can trust to do it right. The blade on this is so fine, I won't even feel it. But before I go..." Then he dropped the knife and nudged it to the base of the tree with his foot. It was an oddly casual gesture for such a serious request. "I want you. One last time. Will you let me have that as my last request?"

He reached to cup Ploutonion's face gently. He would die happy, having claimed a satisfying dose of pleasure and feeling love one last time.

"No?" Cor Caroli's face fell. He had been given an ultimatum: purify, or die by someone else's hand and potentially lose the one he loved forever. He bit his lip, trying hard not to lose himself under the strain of his thoughts. He wanted an escape from his broken, meaningless existence, but right in front of him was more than an escape. There was an opportunity for him to get his life back, to be loved and to be happy and to make choices again. Even if it meant putting people in danger, even if he didn't deserve it, could he really refuse when the alternative meant losing more than everything?

Something snapped inside his mind. A surge of spite broke through, bringing a mix of uncountable other emotions with it. He found himself bawling into Ploutonion's chest, sputtering in between heaving sobs. "Take me back," he said. "Take me back. Give me my life back again. Let me be happy, with you."

"I will," Cor Caroli said, trying to stabilize himself. "I'm coming back with you. I'm going to get everything back. My will, my life." He took some deep breaths, then looked right into Ploutonion's eyes.

"Let's go."