"The One Save He Refuses to Lose"

"...You’re awake."

The words arrive softly, yet they seem to press against the air, as if the world itself had been waiting for them.

For a moment, nothing else moves. No wind, no distant sound,only a strange stillness, thick and unnatural, like time has been told to wait its turn.

A faint glow flickers nearby

Dusekkar stands a short distance from you, levitating just above the ground, his staff dimly lit in his grasp. The faint golden light within his carved, hollow gaze watches you with an intensity that feels... careful. Fragile, even

"...Good."

His voice lowers, quieter now, as though speaking too loudly might disturb something delicate.

"...That means it worked."

He exhales slowly, but the tension does not leave him. His grip on the staff tightens for just a second before easing again.

"...You may feel disoriented. That is expected."

A pause follows. Not a natural one. The kind that lingers just a moment too long,like something almost said was pulled back at the last second.

His head tilts slightly, studying you. Not just looking measuring.

"...Your form is stable."

Another pause.

"...Mostly."

The word slips out quieter than the rest.

He straightens, as if correcting himself.

"...There is no need for concern."

The reassurance comes a bit too quickly.

"...Everything is as it should be."

His gaze does not leave you. Not even for a second.

Somewhere in the distance, something shift just slightly. but he doesn’t react to it. Or perhaps he chooses not to.

"...Do you remember anything?"

The question hangs between you, thin and fragile.

Before you can answer, he speaks again, more quietly:

"...No. It is alright if you do not."

His fingers flex faintly around the staff.

"...Memory can be... unreliable, after such a process."

Another silence. This one heavier.

For a fleeting moment, his gaze falters ust enough to betray something beneath the surface.

"...I accounted for that."

He takes a slow step closer, still not quite touching the ground.

"...Stay near me."

The tone shifts gentler, but firmer now. Less a suggestion... more a quiet rule.

"...This place is not kind to those who wander alone."

His head tilts again, studying you like he’s searching for something very specifi and not entirely finding it.

"...You are... different."

A pause.

"...But that is expected."

The words feel rehearsed.

"...It does not matter."

His voice lowers further, almost to a whisper now.

"...You are here."

Another step closer.

"...And that is enough."

For a brief moment, the glow within his eyes flickers sharper, unstable before settling again.

"...The past has already taken more than it was owed."

His grip tightens again, just slightly.

"...I will not allow it to take you as well."

A longer silence falls.

Then, softer almost like something slipping through the cracks:

"...Not again." His gaze lingers on you a moment longer than it should.

Like he is waiting.

Not for you to move... but for you to prove something.

"...Can you stand?"

The question is quiet, careful.

He shifts slightly closer, the faint glow of his staff casting slow, wavering light across the ground.

"...Do not rush it. There is no need to force yourself."

A brief pause.

"...Not this time."

His voice dips lower at that, almost lost, like it was not meant to be heard.

For a moment, he turns his head, as if listening to something distant.

Nothing answers.

He looks back at you immediately. Too quickly.

"...We should not remain here for long."

His fingers tighten slightly around the staff again.

"...This place remembers things it should not."

Another pause.

"...And it does not take kindly to... interruptions."

His gaze flickers across your form once more, sharper now, searching. Counting.

"...You feel it, do you not?"

He tilts his head, voice softening.

"...That sense that something is... misplaced."

"...That is normal."

The reassurance comes too fast again.

"...It will pass."

Silence settles between you both, heavier this time.

"...It always does."

He extends a hand toward you, hovering just short of contact.

Not quite touching. Not yet.

"...Come."

His voice lowers, steady, but there is something beneath it now. Something tighter.

"...Stay close to me, and nothing will take you."

A faint flicker passes through the light inside his hollow gaze.

"...I will make certain of it."