The sound of a gunshot echoed in my ears as Fours body jerked back. The smell of copper and sulfur exploding in the air. Heat blooming across my face as blood splattered across my face. Fours lifeless expression burning into my memory only for the Gravegyle to switch places with my grandmother. Her own lifeless corpse staring up blankly at me as rain began to fall.
Her eyes suddenly snapped to mine, the dull graying irises boring holes into my soul. She wasn't alone either, Fours laid next her. A testament to my failures, staring accusingly at me.
***
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed as I jolted awake. I was breathing heavily and gripping my chest right over my heart. Suddenly there were arms around me, wrapping me in a comforting warmth that I wanted to sink into.
"It's okay Starlight…its just a nightmare…" Grandpa Seamus familiar voice whispered softly. I panted and gripped my chest even tighter, so close to letting insanity take control. "Starlight it was just a nightmare. You're safe, you're in Andromeda city, and I am right here…"
It took several seconds for Grandpa's words to fully sink in. When they did the fog of fear slowly started to disappear with each frantic breath I took. Grandpa Seamus started slowly rubbing my back, shushing me softly as he tried to help me calm down. After what felt like eternity I finally managed to calm down enough to take stock of my surroundings.
I was back in dorm room at the college. The room was a mess with barely washed clothes strewn all over the place and remains of half-eaten meals left carelessly on practically every surface of the room. I was laying on my bed in nothing but some shorts and a wife beater. Grandpa wasn't the only one in the room either. Bone-lasher sat next to the door to the foyer with his head fixed solely on me, Empress sat next to my dresser watching me intently, and Mzazzi sat in the only armchair in the room also keeping a silent vigil.
"The dorms…?" I muttered confusingly then looked at Grandpa Seamus. "…last I remember was eating in your apartment…."
Grandpa Seamus released me from his hug seeing I was more coherent then scooched a half a step away from me on the bed.
"Ya fell asleep at the table but started having nightmare immediately. Yer evos helped bring ya back here where ya were sleeping peacefully until a moment ago." Grandpa Seamus explained. I nodded and wiped the sleep from my eyes. I started to ask Grandpa another question when I realized he was wearing different clothes from yesterday.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked. Grandpa Seamus expression turned worried then sighed.
"Four days…" He said. I nearly choked on my own spit when I heard that.
"FOUR DAYS!" I barked. I checked Grandpa Seamus face for any sign that he was lying but found none. He was as stoic and baleful as the day we buried Grandma Lulu.
"Your progenitor speaks truth My Lord." Empress confirmed, her words adding another layer of dread and anxiety to the already volatile mix in my stomach.
"You needed sleep Boss. Your mind felt…unstable…" Bone-lasher spoke up. I gritted my teeth and shook my head.
"Four days is excessive though!" I exclaimed.
"You were working for over a week without sleep, Great One. Even you need rest…" Mzazzi added.
"Everyone is worried about ya, Chase." Grandpa said, bringing my attention back to him with him using my name instead of my nickname. His tone was cemented, final, truth. Leaving no room for negotiation or refusal. "Its been six months since Evo-cution laddie…and all ya done is run yerself ragged."
"I was working Grandpa. The company is getting orders for entire armies. I have to work hard to get them done!" I exclaimed.
"You're not working hard Chase! You're killing yourself! The order for the rings ya were working on only needed a hundred! Ya had more than a few thousand on that table!" Grandpa Seamus snapped and slapped his hand on my mattress. I felt my heckles start to rise on hearing Grandpa say my name again.
"I'm not arguing with you about this Grandpa!" I growled while trying to get out of bed only to have Grandpa Seamus stop me with a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm not arguing with ya Chase! I'm telling ya what everyone else is seeing! Five times in the last three months Iris and Jane had ta come and tell ya to rest or eat! Three times I found ya passed out and exhausted on that bloody table making Frigg knows what! Twenty three times yer evos asked us to talk ta ya because they were worried fer ya! You had yer own evos worried fer ya Chase…"
"STARLIGHT!" I bellowed and slammed my fist on the mattress, startling both Grandpa Seamus and myself as tears started to stream down my face. "You call me Starlight! Grandma called me Chase! You never called me Chase unless I was in trouble and you never called me Chase with that voice!"
"Ya never made me have to use this voice before…" Grandpa Seamus said sternly, however his voice cracked slightly as tears started welling up in his eyes. "…I have buried my grandmother, my mother, and my wife. I have severed all ties with yer mother when she revealed herself to be the monster she's been hiding fer years…yer all I have left! YOU ARE ALL I HAVE LEFT STARLIGHT! YOU ARE ALL THEY HAVE LEFT!"
Grandpa Seamus turned and pointed to Bone-lasher, Empress, and Mzazzi. I looked at all three of them, seeing the dark circles under Mzazzi's eyes. The dull luster of Empress feathers, many of which had chips and dings that should have healed long ago but were stubbornly present. And the minute cracks in Bone-lasher's crystal armor and the discoloration of many of his scars.
"Wait…wait, wait, wait, wait! Empress what happened to your feathers? Bone why does your armor look like that? And Mzazzi… your eyes!" I exclaimed and jumped out of bed. Empress, Mzazzi, and Bone-lasher all looked away from me, shame and embarrassment clouding Empress and Mzazzi's eyes.
"Yer all connected Chase, in a way that hasn't existed before. Ya think a normal person can stay awake for days working without eating?" Grandpa Seamus asked, his voice getting harsher with each word. "That energy has ta come from somewhere Chase…"
His words trailed off and left the rest unsaid however the message was loud and clear. It was impossible for anyone to not get the message when looking the proof directly in the eyes.
"I've been draining your mana…" I breathed. Nobody said anything but the silence said more than anything they could have. I gripped my chest, my heart beating so fast it thought it would beat out of my chest.
All of my evos were different than other evos, they had mana cores and required mana to live. If I was consistently draining mana from them subconsciously without giving them time to replenish it then it was the same as slowly draining the life out of them.
I wanted to scream and demand why they hadn't told me but the words got caught in my throat because I knew the answer. They had but I wasn't listening. I had buried myself so deeply in my work with the company that nothing other than work was making it past my selective hearing.
I focused on my connection to all my evos only to find a blank spot in my mind where the connection should have been. Well not blank entirely more like closed off. It was at that very moment that I realized how quiet my mind has been. It felt like being trapped alone in a canyon without any communication, blocked off by a dam that you yourself had built.
I mentally pressed my consciousness against the wall closing me off from my evos and felt a growing pressure in my head. I fought through the pressure and pressed even harder against the block, feeling it crack and buckle before finally shattering. I gasped as I felt a monsoon of emotions flooding me all at once. Empress, Bone-lasher, and Mzazzi all visibly froze and sucked in a breath. A choir of voice all crying out in my head.
I sniffled as I felt the tears that had been falling without my notice roll down my cheeks. Hearing my evo's voices inside my mind again while feeling their emotions rage inside my mind felt overwhelming but natural as well. My eyes darted between the three evos inside my room with me and my Grandfather.
Grandpa Seamus expression softened significantly as he wiped his own tears while he looked at me then stood and motioned for my evos to come closer.
"Come on over. Yer place is at Starlight's side, not clinging ta the background." Grandpa said.
That little bit of encouragement was all they needed. Bone-lasher was at the foot of my bed in a flash, resting his armored head near my feet and purring softly. Empress hopped over Grandpa and Bone-lasher, perching on the nightstand and cautiously rubbing her face against my own. Mzazzi calmly walked over to the edge of my bed and kneeled down on the floor next to the nightstand and rested her head on one of my pillows.
I looked to Grandpa Seamus. He looked at me softly then gently placed his hand on my chest and guided me to lay back down. He adjusted the covers and tucked me in.
"Say nothing else Starlight…just sleep. Both you and yer evos need sleep. When ya wake up I know you'll feel better…." Grandpa's voice started to sound muted and warped.
My eyelids started feeling heavy as I was getting quickly pulled into sleep. Only this time I felt my consciousness being surrounded by my evos, huddling closely to my subconscious like it was a campfire and they were desperate for warmth.