Damian's mind rang with the words, echoing through his consciousness like a bell that refused to stop: "It was always going to be me."
And the Sage's body dimmed fractionally, the purple lightning flickering across his skin becoming fainter.
"No."
The word came out quiet, almost a whisper, then louder.
"No no no no NO!"
His hands shot forward, fingers wrapping around the collar of the Sage's torn clothes, pulling with desperate force.
"You don't get to die today!"
The shout tore from his throat, raw and frantic.
"Do something, you bastard! You hear me?!"
His grip tightened, knuckles going white, trying to shake the fading figure back to consciousness.
"You don't get to die so easily! Not after everything you did!"
His voice cracked on the last word, breaking completely.
"You need to pay for what you've taken from me! You need to pay for betraying the man who trusted you more than anyone else in this world!"
