Shortly after leaving the old woman, the monotonous greys of the walls and pavement of Marque shifted from plain dullness to a menacing darkness. Raine wasn’t sure whether the setting sun was completely to blame for the gradual change in the atmosphere. Though, the rapidly approaching night wasn’t exactly helping matters, either.

Your anxiety is almost palpable. We’re just walking through a neighbourhood. Calm down.

There was a slight tremour in Nikolay’s voice as he said this. It was almost small enough to be deemed insignificant, but Raine was willing to grasp at straws to get back at Nikolay. Ever since Nikolay learnt to hide his feelings from being loudly broadcast into their shared minds, it was getting harder to detangle the truth from his words. Raine, on the other hand, still had no idea how to even begin hiding his emotions, despite his fervent desire to do so.

You’re one to talk. I can picture you shaking in your metaphorical boots right now, Raine shot back.

A lack of fiery response from Nikolay indicated that Raine had hit the mark. Still, having each other’s presence made everything a little more bearable. Even though Nikolay couldn’t really do anything if someone attacked them, it was nice to have someone there. Raine didn’t consider himself a particularly cowardly individual, but walking down this ominous street alone was too much for him.

A few too many minutes later, Nikorai caught sight of a brightly lit establishment with a large, blinking ‘Vacancy’ sign. Compared to the dim streetlights, the hotel shone like an eye-burning beacon of light.

They entered the motel with the expectation of being turned away for not carrying any identification, but a glance at the patrons quickly changed their minds. They all seemed to be in various stages of sleep, drunkenness, and even unconsciousness. As they made their way through the havoc, the smell of body odour mixed with alcohol grew even more pronounced.

Slumped in one corner was a passed out drunk, half-emptied bottles left strewn around his unconscious figure. Similarly, there was a woman sprawled over a couch, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling — probably seeing substance-induced hallucinations. The reception room wasn’t particularly large, but the corner opposite to the entrance had a couple engaging in activities that were better done in private.

And yet, with all the chaos unfolding in front of them, the receptionist looked as if they had never been more bored.

As soon as the receptionist noticed Nikorai — the only other sober person in the room — they nodded absent-mindedly and reached towards an open drawer full of keys. In a practiced manner, they pulled a key from one slot and placed it on the high desk in front of them.

“Single bedroom on the second floor. Room 204,” they curtly said.

They didn’t even give us a choice, Raine huffed.

Did your prissy ass want a queen-sized bed? What other room would we take?

Raine gingerly picked up the room key between his thumb and index finger. It was rusted and probably carried a high risk of tetanus, but the numbers ‘204’ were just barely visible on the head.

They hovered awkwardly at the counter for a long moment before Raine mumbled a quiet word of thanks. As they rushed out of the main area, he avoided making eye contact with anyone. He intently fixated his eyes on the linoleum floor while he made his way towards the stairwell.

Once they had escaped into the privacy of the stairs, the immediate risk of danger ceased to plague them, but the looming sense of dread persisted all throughout their trip to their room.

What is wrong with this motel?

This is relatively tame, considering that the other guests didn’t bother you.

A pit settled in Raine’s stomach as he climbed the rusty metal steps. They only needed to go up two floors, but the journey seemed to stretch on for an uncomfortably long amount of time.

Once they finally left the stairwell, however, it was a relief to find their room diagonally across from the emergency exit, next to the stairs. Not that Raine hoped there was an emergency, but it was nice to have the exit nearby in case. Considering the rough nature of the hotel, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine a fire breaking out from a couple of rowdy patrons.

They pushed open the door slowly, with trepidation at the quality of the room.

Raine squinted at the room in front of them. It’s not... too bad.

I’ve definitely seen worse.

Barring the suspiciously human-like chew marks on the furniture, the room seemed semi-tolerable. It was on the smaller side, but still within the boundaries of what would be considered ‘regular sized’. The room would have even been pleasantly cosy, if not for the broken chandelier hanging obtrusively from the ceiling. The amber lights were flickering pitifully, and there was a visible layer of dust covering the entire thing. At the very least, Raine appreciated the effort to seem like an elegant, first-class hotel. The single bed was complete with bedsheets, a blanket, and a pillow, going far beyond what they had anticipated. Ignoring the inexplicable stains on the fabric, anyway.

The bathroom was probably a different story, though. It was usually the least well-kept area in most hotel rooms, which didn’t bode well for them.

Worst-case scenario, we don’t shower for a day.

Huh? I’m gonna shower either way. With that attitude, you probably stink.

What kind of insult is that?

It’s just an observation.

Are you saying that I-

Let’s investigate the bathroom, shall we?

Raine walked into the bathroom, ignoring Nikolay’s complaints still echoing in his mind. As expected, it was far from perfect. The once-white tiles were stained yellow, and mildew was festering in every corner and crack in the walls.

Raine peered at their reflection in the dingy bathroom mirror. You know, Nikorai looks good in this dim yellow lighting. I can’t believe that this vessel was only meant to be yours. It doesn’t suit a guy like you, to be honest.

A flash of indignation sparked from Nikolay. What? Why?

You’re more like the guy who sits in front to study well, but doesn’t even talk to the teacher or raise your hand. You scare people off because of your attitude, which works out for everyone. If anybody tried to get closer to you, they’d quickly give up.

Nikorai, on the other hand, looks like a guy who would sit in the middle of the class and be as unassuming as possible. He’d be willing to meet new people, but his shy nature prevents him from taking the first step. He’s attractive enough at first glance, but people would probably find him too kooky to actually fall in love with.

Sounds like you’re describing yourself in the latter.

Raine raised his eyebrows at the mirror with a sly smile. So, you think I’m attractive?

For the first time, Nikolay was lost for words.

Wh- You- I-

A mental stone wall slammed between them, an impassable barrier that concealed any of Nikolay’s emotions. Unlike last time, Raine could still sense Nikolay’s presence through the wall, though it was more fuzzy and faded than usual.

Words can’t convey how incredibly wrong you are.

Raine sighed at the overreaction. Just kidding, Nikolay.

The static obscuring Nikolay gradually dissipated in response, revealing the mildly perturbed state still surrounding him.

...You have a terrible sense of humour. Now, are we going to unpack our things or stand in this filthy bathroom for the rest of the night?

I’m going, I’m going.

They trudged back to the backpack and duffel bag, still lying discarded at the entrance. Even Raine’s attempts to follow Nikolay’s instructions weren’t enough to appease him, and Nikolay continued rambling.

If you’re going to take a shower, go take your toiletries and clothes out first. We should keep essentials like the first aid kit in the bag, just in case we need to flee. Are you hungry? You can eat something from the duffel bag if you need.

Yeah, whatever, Raine swatted the air near their head, as if he could somehow dislodge Nikolay from his brain. I can fetch food by myself. No need to sound so overbearing.

As annoying as it was, Raine was glad that Nikolay had quickly forgotten his poorly worded joke. He was used to jokingly flirting with close friends, but it slipped his mind that he had only known Nikolay for a couple of days. Nikolay was completely in the right to react that way; he would have acted the same if a stranger started flirting with him.

Though, Raine was beginning to realise that any form of teasing would quickly shut up Nikolay. He filed away the piece of information for later. Maybe he should tease Nikolay more often.

While picking through the contents of their bag, the gleam of a scratched silver case caught Raine’s eyes. The past few hours had felt so long, and he had all but forgotten about Gull’s compass. Feeling the weight of the compass in his hand felt comforting. Raine didn’t like gifts as a rule; however, in a time like this, every little thing mattered immensely.

Every small, seemingly insignificant thing.

Especially when he had no idea what to do from here. Supplied with zero knowledge of where to go, what to do, or how to start. The prophecy itself was a contradictory predicament. When Raine first heard of the prophecy, it was a chance to finally do something helpful with his pathetic life. But now that it had time to sink in, the sheer importance of the task was constantly looming over his shoulder.

He didn’t even say goodbye to his family. Were his mother and sister thinking about him? They probably already thought he was dead. Oh god, what if he actually died? They wouldn’t even know. Nobody would miss him. Nobody would care. He’d just be a stain — an unfortunate tragedy.

RAINE!

Nikolay’s voice reverberated throughout their entire being, sending shockwaves down their spine. The sheer power forcefully put a brake on Raine’s spiralling thoughts.

In a softer tone, Nikolay said, I thought I lost you for a second.

Scared of losing me? I’m touched, Raine weakly joked.

Well-

Nikolay carefully placed a filter between their consciousnesses for his next words.

I can hardly function as normal when you’re having a mental breakdown in the other corner of the vessel.

Raine slumped against the suitcase. I’ll try to be more mentally stable, I guess.

Still pulling sarcastic jokes at this time? Nikolay exhaled in a mix of disbelief and amusement. Look, nobody can blame your reaction. I’d imagine that this entire situation is rather jarring to somebody uninitiated to the magic world. Not to mention the responsibility on your shoulders.

Raine drew his knees to his chest, keeping his thoughts as silent as possible. There were a lot of negative things that were swirling around in his head, and they were drowning out any possible normal responses to Nikolay.

Do you want to talk about it?

I think I’ll really have a panic attack if we do, Raine choked out a pitiful laugh. It’ll probably get better once we’re on the road.

Sleep will help, Nikolay tentatively offered.

Raine hummed in agreement. Nothing seemed more appealing than to sleep and momentarily forget about their shitty situation. They hadn’t showered like they initially planned, but Nikolay didn’t say a word about it.

Blissful sleep came to him in the instant that he face-planted on the crusty bedsheets.