"I can fix it," he said, soft and certain. Eyes still shut. (Still leaking.)
"Stop it," Croatoan said, pleading now, as he sank to his knees. "You can't. . . ."
Duke frowned, fingers twitching as he pulled harder. Croatoan doubled over, retching -- then collapsed into a boneless heap.
Duke lowered his hands, feeling the last of the aether in the world dissipate. A few items on the shelves around them, items made from troubles, by troubles, had crumbled or shattered. Duke opened his eyes and smiled.
"It's over," he said. (He stopped leaking. The black goop finished fading away.) "The troubles. All of them. I ended them."
He swayed, dizzy. One side of his face went slack.
(He was a thing -- a person -- made of troubles. And things inside him were crumbling and shattering.)
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Trap! Confrontation! Battle! Deeeeath!
Date: 2025-02-21 07:51 pm (UTC)"I can fix it," he said, soft and certain. Eyes still shut. (Still leaking.)
"Stop it," Croatoan said, pleading now, as he sank to his knees. "You can't. . . ."
Duke frowned, fingers twitching as he pulled harder. Croatoan doubled over, retching -- then collapsed into a boneless heap.
Duke lowered his hands, feeling the last of the aether in the world dissipate. A few items on the shelves around them, items made from troubles, by troubles, had crumbled or shattered. Duke opened his eyes and smiled.
"It's over," he said. (He stopped leaking. The black goop finished fading away.) "The troubles. All of them. I ended them."
He swayed, dizzy. One side of his face went slack.
(He was a thing -- a person -- made of troubles. And things inside him were crumbling and shattering.)