27. Sunder

twenty-seven

Sunder

Bobble is a statue beside me, his usually cheerful expression replaced by a grim determination. Through the magic of my blue Chroma, I sense him pulsing with anticipation and fear. He's not used to pre-battle nerves. I grip his shoulder to reassure him as we stand at the base of a mountain, and a flutter of adoring butterflies pepper his anxiety.

Averting my gaze at the sudden burst of feeling, my teeth find the inside of my lip and begin to chew there. It's not that I feel nothing for him. I've never felt like this for another male before. It's… foreign. The last few days of traveling, we've kept things light. We haven't spoken of what transpired between us, instead choosing to pretend it didn't happen.

At least that's what I've done. I can't give him more right now. I can only focus on one thing at a time, and right now it's finding Mira.

But it doesn't stop those swells of emotions bubbling up inside him so high that I can feel them whether I want to or not. It also doesn't stop my thoughts from drifting back to him. To watching the way he licks the back of a spoon after every bite or brushes hair out of his eyes. The way he always seems to know exactly what to say or do when I need it most.

Focus.

"Everything will be okay," I say to the rocky ground beneath my feet. He nods, but my words do nothing to settle him. We've tracked the Second's emotions to this mountain, nestled deep into the Western Slopes. Now, we stand in the middle of what was once a prominent mining town, Zinyth City, abandoned long ago.

I can feel him. Pulling me closer. Not just the oily ball of energy and emotions that belongs to him. It's the pull of our Shards. Like calls to like.

Behind a dilapidated home, a discreet door is set directly into the mountainside. I know they're inside. Our breaths puff out in small clouds of mist as we steel ourselves. Mira lays just beyond.

"Once I get my hands on the Second, I don't know if I'll be able to stop from killing him. I'm going to rely on you to keep him alive. We'll need him, eventually."

Bobble nods but doesn't seem entirely convinced. His massive hand reaches up to touch a pendant that hangs around his neck–a gift from Mira from one of the many towns we wandered through in the early days after the tower. He takes a deep breath and looks at me with fierce determination. "Let's go then."

We take our first steps towards Tairyn's hideout, a foreboding mountainside shrouded in darkness and shadows. The sight of it sends an involuntary shiver down my spine, and I can't help but think of all the horrors that likely await us within its caverns.

As we approach the door, I notice the air growing colder and heavier. It's as if the very atmosphere is trying to smother us, snuffing out any hope or light that tries to pierce through the veil of darkness. I glance over at Bobble, noting his tense posture and clenched fists, and know he feels it too.

"Stay alert," I warn him, my voice low and serious. "He's not going to make things easy for us. There are probably wards around this place and potentially hundreds of guards. We'll sneak as long as possible."

"Understood," Bobble replies grimly, and I can see the resolve in his eyes. He may be the gentle giant among us, but when push comes to shove, I know he'll fight with everything he has to protect those he cares about.

In my mind, the awareness of Mira bursts open. Her shield is off. Bobble and I exchange glances, a feral grin spreading across my face as her presence is close enough to feel.

We'll level this mountain to find her if needed.