Chirin and Python entered the Inn, with Python closing the door behind them. With the light of day having bid it’s farewell long ago, the night that replaced it left the Inn’s lobby completely hushed sans the creaking of the floorboards beneath the occasional draft. The check-in desk, polished to hide its age, stood unattended, a small bell waiting patiently for a guest’s ring.

Upon being urged to ring it by Python, Chirin gently tapped the bell, and shortly after a resounding ring echoed through the lobby, an Innkeeper with feathery hair stepped out, smiling patiently at Chirin.

Chirin: “H-Hi! Ummm… Excuse me…? I-I…”

The Innkeeper’s patient smile remained as Chirin nervously fidgeted with the take-out boxes containing dinner for he and Python. Python gently nudged him to go on, and he let out a short gasp as he straightened up, his lips pressed tightly.

Chirin: “D-Drat!”

Chirin was so embarrassed he wished he could just disappear at that moment for subjecting this poor stranger to his cursing.

Chirin: “S-Sorry…’-s my first time doing this… I was wondering if you have any r-rooms available…?”

Chirin: “I mean… Like for staying in? And sleeping in? Two beds for two people, of course! Those two people being me and my guardian, who’s standing right next to me. If that’s okay…?”

To Chirin’s relief, the Innkeeper had stated that they’ll need to check the back to ensure they have any keys for rooms for two, so he wouldn’t need to be talking for them much longer. Once they left, he heard Python chuckle a bit behind him. He slowly turned around, leveling her with a sheepish frown.

Chirin: “Sorry… Was it really that bad?”

Python: “Oh! No. Not at all. You did good for someone asking for service for the first time.”

She gently patted Chirin on the back, but her reassurance did nothing to relieve him of his crippling embarrassment. He knew she thought the little exchange between him and the Innkeeper was funny.

Python: “We’ve all been there. Baby-steps, Chirin.”

Chirin: “...Baby steps? But I don’t have baby feet!”

Python clicked her tongue.

Python: “Monarchs, you’re so literal. Baby steps, Chirin. You take it one step at a time, and in your case, those steps are little teeny tiny steps.”

Chirin mulled over her words for a moment.

Chirin: “...So I didn’t really make a lot of progress, huh?”

Python: “ –No, that’s not… ”

Python sighed.

Python: “You’ve done enough. I can handle the rest from here. Go sit down.”

She pointed to a small couch in the waiting room, and Chirin quickly claimed it with a long, relieved sigh. As he relaxed on that couch, he let his eyes wander to a nearby window, where the light from the late-night street lamps lazily painted long shadows on the hardwood floor.

And then, behind those windows, was a sudden flicker of movement. Chirin squirted, focusing on whatever scene might be unfolding behind the glass.

There was a flash of light colored hair, a silhouette of a girl with a ponytail and a tall, unicorn-like horn quickly snuffed out by the darkness as she shuffled deeper into it.

The girl from Budesca.

A tall hunched-over man with claws that curled like cleavers followed closely behind her.

Hvitur.

A chill ran up Chirin’s spine, his comfort fading into quiet, uneasy distress. He shot a quick glance at Python, who was deeply engrossed in conversation with the Innkeeper, and then to the door that led outside.

Without a second thought, Chirin decided to investigate. 

He rose from the couch with deliberate quietness and moved towards the door, careful not to alert Python or the Innkeeper. Upon opening it with a free hand (the other carefully tucking his and Python’s dinner), a cool breeze gently hit his face. The door creaked softly as he eased it closed behind him, and he set out purposefully.

Outside, the city was deceptively ordinary. But also deceptively quiet. Empty. 

Too empty.

Chirin’s heart raced as he trailed the two figures as discreetly as he could, his hands tightly clutching his takeout boxes. He kept his distance, standing behind trees and other obstacles and he watched the two Abyssinians walk deeper into the darkness, noting with narrowed eyes that the girl’s pace seemed to quicken with every moment that passed. Despite Hvitur's obvious limping, he was still able to keep up with her.

From behind a thick light pole, Chirin watched the girl turn a corner into an alley nestled between two buildings: a fancy-looking restaurant and a clothes store. Hvitur followed shortly after. 

Chirin stepped out from his hiding spot, a perturbed look slowly making its way on his face as he considered following them there. He had already placed a concerning amount of distance between himself and Python by following them for this long, and he was already starting to get second thoughts about all of this.

Chirin: (“No… I can’t give up. I’m too far in already… it’s too late to turn back now.”)

After taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he began to walk towards that alley, each slow, quiet step taking him closer to that threatening corner, and when he rounded it, his eyes widened as he took in what lay before him.

Chirin: (“What? It’s just a dead end… There’s nothing here!”)

He looked around, slightly panicked.

Chirin: (“I could’ve sworn I saw them both go in here! Am I looking in the wrong place, or—?”)

He sighed, shaking his head. If he wasn’t holding take-out boxes, he would’ve been rubbing his temples.

Chirin: (“Wait. No… No, no, no. That whole thing I said about me not being able to turn back? Yeah. That’s a lie. A big fat lie. Disregard everything you said earlier, Chirin, because you ABSOLUTELY CAN TURN BACK!”)

Chirin: (“This whole thing was dumb… Really dumb. I shouldn't have left to begin with. By now, Python must’ve noticed that I’m gone.”)

He shuddered.

Chirin:  (“Drat–! How am I going to explain this to her?!”)

Chirin: (“ ‘𝙷𝚎𝚎𝚎𝚎𝚎𝚢, 𝙿𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚗! 𝚂𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙸 𝚜𝚗𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙸 𝚜𝚊𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙷𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚞𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝙸 𝚖𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚊 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚊 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞! 𝚂𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈𝚂𝙾𝚁𝚁𝚈! 𝚃𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙺𝚈𝙾𝚄𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶!’  ”)

Chirin internally screamed.

Chirin: (“She’s going to kill me—!”)

But nonetheless, despite logic having returned to Chirin, that weight– that intangible menace of uneasiness and curiosity about what he had watched– still clung to his shoulders. This empty cityscape, while unfamiliar, felt extremely foreboding. Chirin wanted out, and he wanted it now.

He pivoted, and began backtracking to the Inn with a brisk pace. The sound of a hard thump instantly followed by a pained shout stopped him dead in his tracks.

It came from behind him.

Chirin spun around, his wide eyes staring at where he had just come from.

Chirin: (“I could’ve sworn that that noise came from the alley, but that’s impossible, I was just there—!”)

The muffled sound of glass shattering against the ground caused Chirin’s body to shudder.

Chirin: (“No… not the alley… Is it… coming from inside the restaurant…?”)

There was another thump: a sound akin to a body being slammed against a wall, and then, there was a deafening silence.

Chirin began sweating bullets as the reality of what could be happening settled in.

Chirin: (“Something is happening inside that restaurant...”)

A torrent of thoughts flooded Chirin’s mind, torn between the instinct to help the girl and the paralyzing fear for his safety. 

On the one hand, the cautious voice in his mind nagged him to return to the inn, get Python, and come back. It was the safer option, but would the time-consuming act of doing so make the difference between life and death for the girl? He was already too far away from the inn. Would she and Hvitur still be there when he and Python confronted them? 

The thought of not doing anything then when something could have been done now distressed him.

On the other hand, his compassionate voice urged him to take no chances of inaction and move forward with confrontation. He imagined the agony the girl from Budesca must be facing and the desperation for longevity that Hvitur seemed to pursue at the cost of her life. He couldn’t help the undeniable responsibility to intervene now that he was here.

As the seconds ticked away, Chirin found himself brutally grappling between empathy and fear, shuddering violently as he considered a choice that transcended his well-being.

He took a moment of clarity by closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, his internal debate quieting and eclipsing to a resolute decision.

Chirin: (“I can’t keep standing here feeling sorry for myself when that girl must be going through much worse… I have to go in! I have to help her now!”)

He briskly started walking back to the alley, each step he took feeling heavier than the last as the sound of his rapidly beating heart overflowed his senses. He rounded the corner to the alley, his gaze hard and resolute.

Chirin: (“The door to the right. I didn’t notice it earlier, but it’s slightly ajar! They went in there—!”)

He pushed it open with his elbow, the heavy door responding with a loud creak. The sight of what was waiting behind it drew a horrified gasp from Chirin.

He saw Hvitur pinning the girl from Budesca against the wall with a large clawed hand wrapped tightly around her throat. He looked frustrated: his teeth gritted and his eyes growing more desperate as he observed his victim. The cracks on his shaking body were more pronounced than before; he looked just about ready to collapse at any moment.

His victim in question struggled helplessly from her suspended position, her body slowly crumbling into oblivion as Hvitur strangled her to death. Tears streamed down her bloodshot eyes as she gasped uselessly for air.

Upon hearing Chirin, Hvitur’s gaze snapped to him, and his wide equine-like eyes shone with a mixture of surprise and pleasure.

Hvitur Lockweed: “T-that colorful aura… It can’t be… It’s you!”

His voice resonated with a gleeful timbre, but as soon as he said those words, his pleased expression melted away to disappointment as the reality of Chirin’s presence clicked into his mind.

Hvitur Lockweed:  “It’s… It’s really you…”

He let out a couple of huffs of laughter that instantly descended into choked sobs.

Hvitur Lockweed: “Ahaha… ha…” 

Hvitur Lockweed:  “W-Why… Why are you here…?”

Hvitur’s grip on his victim’s throat loosened, and the girl collapsed to the ground, unconscious. He slowly turned to face Chirin, his hunched back straightening to a point, and his owlishly huge eyes almost glowing.

Hvitur Lockweed: “I thought I told you not to cross paths with me again.”

An overwhelming sense of fear consumed Chirin as he became pinned under the gaze of a man who stood the tallest he had ever seen of him. If Chirin had a twin, and the two of them stood on each other’s shoulders, they still wouldn’t reach Hvitur’s height.

He must have been over ten feet tall.

Chirin: “H-Hvitur…”

A wave of vulnerability washed over Chirin as he glanced at the girl who lay crumpled beside Hvitur. He knew he had to handle this situation carefully. He was very clearly aware that if he relented for even a moment, he would most definitely end up like her.

Chirin: (“Maybe… I can convince him to not hurt us…)

He leveled Hvitur with the steeliest gaze he could muster, his shaking legs betraying his fear.

Chirin: “What… are you doing…?”

Hvitur glanced at the unconscious girl.

Hvitur Lockweed: “I’m doing what has to be done.”

Chirin: “W-Why?”

The taller Abyssian’s gaze softened a bit.

Hvitur Lockweed: “I…”

Chirin: (“He’s hesitating…”)

Chirin: “Please… You don’t have to do this… I know you’re scared and… you think you don’t have a choice, but… This isn’t right.”

An image of Python flashed in his mind, juggling her coin with her fingers as she told him what happened to Abyssians who ate the hearts of others, her voice low and melancholic as she stared into the distance.

( Python: “...Once you eat another Abyssian’s heart, you change. You stop being the person you were before, because essentially, that other person you stole their future from has become a part of you.” )

( Python: “There’s no going back from that.” )

Chirin: “... What you’re about to do. There’s no going back from that.”

Chirin took a slow, careful step towards Hvitur, his voice shaky as he pleaded almost desperately in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

Chirin: “Please. We can move past this—”

He felt a knot tighten in his stomach as he gestured to the unconscious girl.

Chirin: “--Let’s just… Stop what we're doing here, go outside, get some help, maybe… And… All that… You can still do the right thing."

The silence that followed Chirin's plea seemed to mock him. He hated the way his words seemed to betray his inherent fear.

Hvitur was deathly silent, his unmoving gaze staring blankly at the Abyssian whose heart he was about to take. The dimmed chandeliers that hung above him and Chirin cast intricate shadows on the walls, creating an otherworldly dance of light and darkness that exemplified Hvitur's silhouette. He lifted a single clawed hand -the one he was using to strangle the girl- and stared blankly at it, the gears in his head turning as he pondered Chirin's words and his own hesitance.

Hvitur Lockweed: "The right thing…?"

His eyes darted between Chirin and the unconscious girl. He closed his eyes and let out a long, shaky sigh, his fists clenching in a visible display of inner turmoil.

Hvitur Lockweed: "...You. Boy. You’re alone, aren’t you?”

Chirin: “...”

Hvitur narrowed his eyes,

Hvitur Lockweed: “What's your name?"

Chirin: "I-It's Chirin."

Hvitur Lockweed: "Chirin…"

He said that name with a careful, resigned voice, almost as if he were trying to cement it into his memory, and then, he locked eyes with Chirin. In that fleeting moment of connection, Chirin saw the sheer resolve in Hvitur's gaze, and a primal fear gripped the boy.

Hvitur Lockweed: "I'm sorry—"

(That sentence, left hanging— the outcome of this night poised on this precipice of revelation.)

Hvitur Lockweed: "—But doing the 'right thing' is above all of this. I'm not going to just lie down and die because my lifespan has reached its limit, not if there's anything I can do about it."

There was nothing else Chirin could do. Hvitur had already made up his mind. 

Hvitur Lockweed: "You were dead the moment you left your guardian's side."

A 𓇗  𓆸 A ᪥ L

BONUS!

(Shitpost)