How did this happen" They were the strongest weapon-handler team in their village, bested by a guy who hadn't a weapon' Those shadows" They had forced Em to transform back" How" The weapon wasn't sure, but he knew one thing; it hurt' Those shadows had been wrapping him like a hungry serpent now and he'd found himself trapped. What had he said" He was just speaking, what did he say"....Emlen tried to recollect the lyrics spoken by the man.

"I've done my research too, Emlen" Novia."

Upon hearing his lover's name, the weapon's eyes trailed over to the girl. Dark hair masking her face but unable to cover those bright emeralds that stared widely. Her legs were apart in a defensive stance which had been rendered useless without him. Her height did not rival his, but had been impressive considering some of the other female villagers. There were cuts and bruises littering her body, she'd taken a beating and for what?"for it to end like this" Her lips parted to shriek, "Stop it! Please! What do you want"!"

Emlen could feel the tendrils creeping up to his throat. "I want you guys apart, of course." The man whispered softly, his hand aimed at Emlen. "Just one of you to die, and then I'll be satisfied"a healing weapon, what a prize!" The insanity rang in his tone as the shadows began to strangle Novia's weapon' "His wounds regenerate, it's true" But can he die like this?"

The immortal was bleeding out gasps and grunts as his oxygen depleted from his lungs. He would only glare at the man, shoulders bucking and jerking to no avail"he was trapped. Novia, helpless looked at the man. "Please" We won't fight anymore, just don't hurt him' Please" I'll do anything?"

"Don't be stupid, Nova!" The lyrics were distorted and pathetic and yelped out hopelessly. "Get out of here!" They began to lose volume as his face turned red, and soon a deep shade of violet. ?"run?" Everything was going dark, and he felt his body lose fight.

"I'm not leaving you here, stupid!" Novia said in that lovingly condescending tone she often used for the man. He would have smiled, had he not been on the brink of unconsciousness"

"Anything, you say' Would you trade your life for his" Would you die for him, Novia?" The man asked, but he hadn't loosened his hold on Emlen just yet. If a trade was to be made, the boy would black out first' No risks"

The girl lowered her eyes. Newfound feelings mingled in her chest"a happy mixture of fear, grief, anxiety, and love; all swimming around her at once muddled together a potent blend of something ultimately toxic. Those eyes moved from the man, to Emlen, whose eyes were once bulged out but now were rolling back as unconsciousness gripped him like the very shadows that kept him from the stone. The girl dropped her defensive stance, and her lips parted once more to allow lyrics to spill out to the man. ?"Yes. I'll die for him' Please, just' Just let him go?" There was defeat in that tone, courage accompanying it. "I love him?"

That was the last thing he'd heard" He didn't hear her say, "It's my turn to take a hit for you....I love you, Emlen Slane..." Right before the man dropped Emlen to the ground. He hadn't heard her gasp"but by God, that scream would haunt him for the rest of his immortal life.

Memories, or a dream"he wasn't sure which"had washed over him.

"What're you thinking about, Nova?""

"You?" The girl said softly, looking up at him.

"That's what you say every time, but there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

?"" Nova stayed quiet for only a moment before opening her mouth to speak. "We are broken up, and you still jumped in front of that sword for me?" The handler said, recollecting the events of just earlier that night. The two were in battle, had just fought with one another, and in the end, Emlen still put his own comfort, his own chest on the line for the woman, it haunted her, it flattered her, it haunted her that she was so flattered.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be disgraced as your weapon." His words would be followed up by her hand smacking across the back of his head.

"That's not funny!"

"Broken up or not, I'm still your weapon, Nova?" Emlen said. "You don't have to like it, but it's there" And bonded or not, I love you?"

Novia's eyes trailed downward, she fought back tears. She didn't want to say it, but she had to....?"I love you, too."

Emlen scoffed, "Don't sound too excited about it."

?"Do you always have to make jokes?"

"It's what I do."

When oxygen finally made it to his brain, the boy's eyes opened. Groggily, he groped the ground and shoved himself up from the cobblestone. ?"the hell?" Recollection wasn't coming to him, not until he glanced over and caught the sight of her broken body staining the cobblestone. "Nova?"" Those eyes grew wider, bluer, truer" "NOVIA!" His legs weren't agreeing with him, which left him crawling to her on the ground. Her shoulders were lifted and brought to rest against him. "No, no, no?" Denying the situation. "No, Nova" We came this far, you can't do this?" The boy whispered. "C"mon?" Staring at her for a moment, because he'd been waiting for her to open her eyes and begin to laugh it all off like it had all been some sick joke" It wasn't. Her eyelids weren't parting and he was alone" "No, come on' COME ON!"

As the wheels of his mind began to turn, he shook his head. "No, no' Caia could do this thing" With her hands" She could take wounds. I'm older, I can do it too. I have to be able to do it, too' I have to?" His hands moved to press against the gaping hole in her abdomen. The bastard had let her suffer and left him to sleep" "Come on' I have to' I" Nova" Nova, come on?" The boy rambled insanity coupled with grief as he went on. When his hands didn't work, he let them drop to the side and sniffled softly. His fist slammed into the ground over and over, and he screamed out. "IDIOT! Why did you let him' How could you just give yourself to him!" Nova" God damn it, Nova!" His voice was breaking, he was breaking. Despite the blood and broken knuckles, the boy still punched the hell out of that ground, and soon, while the boy hollered and yelped, his bones repaired, his flesh sewed itself back together. "WAKE THE F-CK UP!" Emlen cried.

There he was, screaming at his dead lover for saving his life. What life was it now, though' What had he left' Fingers moved through her hair, caressing the soft tresses, brushing them from her face and soon moving to grab the back of her neck in a gentle embrace. The other hand would scoop up beneath her thighs, he pulled her onto his lap with every intention of taking her body back to the village" He couldn't get past the holding her, couldn't bring himself to his feet. Broken, and empty, he stared down at that wound. That sticky, red, fleshy symbolism of death that would haunt him forever, it was a deep and fatal gash, which may as well have made its home in his heart. "Novia?? The boy whispered, one last attempt at stirring the forever-sleeping beauty.

She always told him he was a man and behind all that sarcasm, a beast lay' Now on the broken battlefield, he wept. The beast cried, too.