Saffron

Saffron Things! Silver Spirit Juvenile Starsweeper Familiar A playful swirl of loosely bound aether and stardust. 250 Orbiting Spirit Familiar Attracted to anything and all things spherical, these specters can often be seen haunting Pearlcatcher enclaves. 1500

Silver Spirit Purity, skies tiled with raindrops. The comfort of an old blanket and the number ten, the leaf-tints of tea. Gossamer cloud weaving, Melting away on our lips. love, one over all, shining through wisps of shadow. Synesthesia Blurb by ladylilitu

It was cold.

Saffron opened his eyes, wincing as the grey light hit him. For a second he laid on the ground, shivering from the freezing air. It was raining, which was always a pain to deal with, but he had more important things to deal with, like the sense of having lost something. That was probably not good.

He also had no idea where he was, but that wasn't too unusual for someone like him, who traveled constantly around the eleven flights. A fire flickered before him, protected from the rain by a faint glow of nature magic. Saffron approached the flames, puzzled at the lack of heat he was feeling, but in its light, he could see Rio. That was a good thing. At least they weren’t separated.

"Saffron," the Imperial muttered. Saffron blinked.

"Yes? What's wrong?" he asked, padding over. He nudged Rio, and the Imperial was... the contact felt strange. Airy, almost, but that was probably just because Saffron had just woken up. His usually capable brain didn’t function right in the mornings. "Come on, why do you look so down? What happened?"

"There has to be a way," Rio muttered, struggling to his feet. He wasn't carrying any of their camping equipment as far as Saffron could see. Had Rio ditched their supplies for a reason? They were going to have a talk about that. Later, when Rio didn't look like his pet fish just died. "I have to find a way. I'll find a way, Saffron. I promise."

Saffron tilted his head. He wasn’t used to Rio talking so much without being prompted. He definitely wasn’t used to Rio talking to him without looking at him. Or used to Rio ignoring him. "Okay?" he said, because that seemed like a safe thing to say, especially as he had no idea what was going on. “Can you tell me what’s you’re thinking? Context would be really, really helpful right now.”

"The Shadow Flight. They have dragons there, those who'd know how," Rio continued murmuring, and it was starting to creep Saffron out a little. He didn't remember his mate being so stir-crazy. What had happened while he was out? Rio was stoic and kind and generally calm. Saffron had never seen him so shaken.

No, shaken wasn’t the right word for it. The right word was desperate.

Rio’s voice dropped to a whisper. "The Ghostlight Ruins. The spiritual connection should be strong enough. We went there once, didn’t we? We met those shamans. They knew the spells."

"Um," Saffron flicked out his wings, and he felt lighter than before. That was probably just his mind playing tricks on him. "Why are we going to the Ghostlight Ruins? Aren't you scared of skeletons? Didn't you say you were never going to go back there again after a Malevolent Spirit sent us packing? Also, shamans? Are you crazy? I hate those dragons!"

"Have to see you again," Rio started trudging off. Saffron, caught between surprise and hurt, wasted a moment before he flew to catch up to his mate. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Saffron."

Saffron inclined his head. "Hey, you can at least look me in the eye when you're apologizing, alright? I'm getting confused here, so stop ignoring me. It's almost like - " you can't see me.

The realization hit him with all the force of a meteorite. Saffron stared down at his own body. It was solid as far as he could tell, but as he reached out towards Rio, his claws passed right through the other Imperial’s body. There was resistance there, a faint pressure in the air, but otherwise, Rio’s body was as untouchable to him as the wind. Saffron stumbled back, startled, and his balance was off, everything was off. He was moving too quickly, and his footsteps were too light for someone his size, and something was wrong.

“You can’t see me,” he said to Rio’s back, and his voice did not sound like his own. “Why can’t you see me? What happened?” Think, think. What was the last thing he could remember? The Star Wood Strand, its sparkly branches as boring as ever. They’d finished hunting, and were heading back home with Rio leading the way, just like every other day. And then… there’d been something, a creature that was supposed to be dead. Saffron could see it now, a blur of blue and purple, blended in so perfectly with the foliage that he hadn’t noticed it moving until it was too late.

Until it was too late.

“I’m-” he couldn’t finish the sentence. No, that couldn’t be it. He was still conscious, still breathing, so clearly, he was alive. It had to be a curse, something the monsters they’d killed had cast on him as they died.

Except… he had magical defenses to make sure that would never happen. Except that Saffron was the only one affected when Rio was the one who’d killed them.

Except his last memory was the realization that the monster still breathed.

Saffron took in a slow breath, the pieces falling together in his usually efficient and capable brain. He was an Arcane dragon, and he knew when to believe in his gut instincts. Especially when those instincts had kept him alive over his long career.

Until now.

“I’m dead.” The question didn't even warrant an echo. Saffron stared at the back of his mate. "I'm... dead, aren't I? I died. I’m a… I’m a--” he felt sick, which he hadn’t even known was possible as a ghost. He shook his head. Focus, focus. He wasn’t the important one here. He was never the important one.

Saffron ran after Rio. “I died, and you're blaming yourself? Does that mean you're the one who- " no, it wasn't. He knew it as surely as he knew he was dead. He could remember seeing something behind him right before he'd lost consciousness, and presumably died. And Rio wasn't the kind of dragon to slip up and hurt another, even accidentally.

"No, you didn't kill me," he said, flying quickly to catch up with Rio now, his brain making the connection. "You're blaming yourself for my death, aren't you? Come on, Rio, please don't be like that. It wasn't you!"

"It's all my fault," Rio whispered.

"No, it's not you. It's me. I was the one who didn't watch out."

"I let you die."

"It wasn’t you! I was the one poking around where I shouldn’t be poking around. This isn’t your fault!”

“It’s okay, I’ll make everything right again.”

“No, don’t you try to take responsibility for this. Rio, light of my life, this is like the start of every bad horror story, do not do this!” Saffron spread his wings. “You are alive, and that’s all I need!”

Rio took a deep breath, looking straight at him, and for a second Saffron thought the other Imperial might be able to see him. But he turned around, and it was a road marker Rio was looking at. One that pointed towards the Tangled Wood.

Saffron felt his nonexistent heart drop into his stomach. “Rio, no. Please, don’t. Don’t do this to yourself, it was not your fault.”

Rio trudged on, the silvery rain cascading off his scales. Saffron tried to step in front of him, tried to stop him, but his mate passed through him like the winter wind, cold and bitter and frigid.

“Rio, please, no,” he whispered, but Rio didn’t hear him.

Rio would never hear him again.



It wasn’t the first time Rio had traveled across the wide expense of Sornieth. Before he’d met Saffron, he’d been a lone wanderer, going from clan to clan, flight to flight, to find just a bit of food or someone who would take him in for the night. When he hadn’t been able to find lodgings, he’d slept right under the stars, relaxed in the embrace of the wild.

He missed it, at times, while he traveled with Saffron. The other Imperial was very picky about where he would sleep, and the answer “on the ground” was usually met by excess screaming. Saffron had insisted on lugging their camping equipment wherever they went, despite Rio’s protest that the grass was perfectly good bedding. Rio had often thought about tossing all their equipment and forcing Saffron to sleep out in the wild, but it’d been more of an amusing thought than a plan of action.

He was glad to be back out in the wild now, unencumbered by tents. But if he knew returning to nature meant losing Saffron, he would’ve gladly given up sleeping beneath the stars.

Now, the Twisted Wood loomed before him. Rio continued on, numb to the world. It was still raining, and it seemed appropriate, somehow, since the one warmth he’d held onto no longer lived. He could no longer feel anything. On some level, he was aware of the raindrops shattering off his scales, of the cold wind, of the feel of the rocky ground as his abused feet carried him forward. He was aware of the vista before him, blurred by the rain. But mostly, Rio was just numb and senseless. He wasn’t sure he was capable of feeling anything anymore.

“Who goes there?” A voice called out. Rio turned slowly around, his reflexes dulled by the rain. A Nocturne was perched on a nearby road marker, violet eyes aglow in the fog. A chain of bones hung around her neck, and her wings were spread defensively.

“Just a traveler,” Rio said, and he was surprised his voice still worked. “I’m looking for the shamans of the Ghostlight Ruins.”

The Nocturne looked at him, head tipping to the side. She was a small thing, and she reminded Rio uncomfortably of the monsters he’d met in the Star Wood Strand. The Nocturne blinked twice, as if trying to remember how to look confused but failing. Then she shook her head.

“You be a fool, if you’re lookin’ for them,” she said, voice a lyrical little singsong. “They ain’t the type a dragon like you should be seekin’.”

“I’ve met them before.”

“An’ you’re lucky to ‘ave gotten away,” she retorted, wings flapping in a skittish show of nerves. “Heed my words, Imperial. Don’t go near ‘em. It ain’t worth it.”

Rio just shook his had and trodded on. The road was muddy now, made all the muddier by the damp foliage of the Twisted Wood. Months ago, he would’ve flinched at the thought of entering the Shadow Flight’s territory, but now he passed the border without a cringe. His own fears didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Saffron back.

No, not back. He knew better than to bring another dragon back from the dead. But he wanted to speak to Saffron, see him, just one last time. He needed the comfort. He needed the words. He needed to see, to hear, his mate. More than he needed to breathe.

A flutter of wings told him that he wasn’t alone. Rio continued on, breaking through the tangled brambles and vines. The Nocturne swooped into his line of sight, her frantic twitches clearly copied from that of a Fae.

“Hey! Lis’en to me!” she protested. “You’d really be crazy to look for ‘em shamans!”

Rio padded forward, unyielding to the twisted terrain, or the increasingly frantic words of the Nocturne following him. She would’ve gotten along with Saffron, he thought. Or rather, if Saffron were still here, maybe he would’ve befriended her in his cause to stop Saffron from poking dangerous things. But now she was nothing more than a shadowy form at his side, and he couldn’t work up the energy to care about her.

“Hey!” She finally landed atop a glowing blue mushroom. “Look, I ain’t the type to stop others from committin’ suicide, but at least give me a reason why you’re doin’ this, ‘kay? I deserve an explanation, if I do say so myself.”

Rio looked at her slowly. She was strong and fearless, despite her small form and broken speech. She met his gaze head-on, and he lowered his eyes.

“What are you?” he asked, only half-caring.

“Me?” She puffed up her chest. “Just a warden, they call me. I’m suppos’d to stop idiots like you from meeting them cursed shamans.”

“So you know where they are.”

“Can’t guard ‘em if I don’t,” she replied amiably.

Saffron shifted at that. “I need to find them.”

She huffed. “Listen, big one, ain’t nobody ever need to find those shamans. They’re bad news! Some drag’uns, though, they want to see ‘em, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why.”

Rio stared blankly at her. “My mate died.”

She paused, her head tipping so far to the side Rio was sure she’d fall off the mushroom. “Aw, sorry to hear that, pal. But ya probably shouldn’t bring them back from the dead, yeah?”

“I just want to see him.”

“Oh, so you don’ wanna bring him back in the flesh, you wanna drag his soul from the depths of the underworld. That’s so much better.”

“He’s dead,” the words were hollow. “He’s dead, and it’s my fault.”

The Nocturne was silent for a moment. Then she heaved a sigh. “Fine, you need consolation, I ain’t gonna stop ya.” she pointed with a tiny wing towards the east. “Go straight through the woods ‘ere, you’ll see an encampment. The shamans are there, terrible things. Have ‘em summon the spirit for you, you hear me?”

Rio lifted his head for the first time in days. “Yes.”

She pinned him with a glare. “They’ll try to trick ya, get you to summon the spirit instead. Don’t do it. Hey! Are you listenin’?!” she complained as Rio hurried forward, his goal now in sight. He could almost see Saffron. He could almost hear Saffron. The Nocturne yelled after him, but seemed reluctant to follow him, and he should’ve been worried, but he found that he didn’t care.

I’m almost there, Saffron. I’m almost there.

It took a while, but Rio was unmoved by the trees and boulders in his way. What he couldn’t step around, he plowed straight through, uncaring of the brambles that dug into his skin. The encampment materialized before his eyes, and Rio stopped at the edge. It was a ring of tents circling a bonfire, the murky shapes of the shamans apparent in the firelight. They were dragons of all shapes and sizes, and the first time Rio had met them, he’d felt a sense of doom and chill. Now, he felt more alive than he’d been in days.

He marched forward towards the fire, where a Pearlcatcher shaman was perched atop a large mushroom, rapid, alien words flowing from her. The other shamans scattered at his approach, but she merely turned an eye in his direction, her pearl gleaming amber in the light. She was pale and skeletal, her mane a tangled mess of a mop. Chain circled her neck, her wrists, her ankles, but her orange eyes were full of malice.

“Well, well,” she chuckled softly. “What do we have here?” she slid forward, her presence a physical shadow of cold as she crept up to him. “A grieving lover, searching for his lost one?” she chuckled. “Oh, I can summon him for you. But the price, the price. Can you pay it?”

Rio didn’t bother asking how she knew. He just centered himself the best he could. “Yes. I’ll pay anything.”

“You are a fool,” she chuckled. “But a loyal fool. Those are the best.” In the blink of an eye, she was behind him, and Rio didn’t turn to look at her. “Summoning, now, that’s a difficult thing. See those chains?” she rattled the one around her neck. “They were given to us by the wardens.” her lips curled up in a faint snarl. “Stops us from summoning things. But I know the spell. And I can teach you.” she leaned forward. “That is, if you’re brave enough to learn.”

Rio hesitated, the small part of his brain that was still rational tugging at him, telling him something was wrong. That it was a trap - but she was offering to summon Saffron. He knew the shamans, and he knew what they could do. Why was he questioning himself? He was doing the right thing, but no, this was wrong, but -

“Well?” the shaman whispered. “Your dear lover is just a spell away. Will you do it?”

His brain warred, rationality fighting against desperation, against emotion, and logic had never won when it came to Saffron, because loving Saffron had been muscle memory, had been instinct, had been conditioning - had been everything that was irrational. Rio’s breath came in short inhales as he tried to make everything make sense, but pain stabbed in his mind and he winced.

They’ll try to trick ya - he shook his head, forcing himself to focus. He could do this. He had to do this. He needed to do this, more than he needed to survive. What was important wasn’t the consequences. If he had to die, he’d gladly give his life. What was important now was Saffron. He could see Saffron, if he did this. He could hear Saffron, if he did this.

He lifted his head, and met the Pearlcatcher’s glowing orange eyes.

“I’ll do it.”



The rain made Saffron miserable, even if he couldn’t feel it. Over the past few weeks as a ghost, he’d discovered some absolutely wonderful things about being dead. The first was he couldn’t eat, which was just great when Rio was passing by a fancy restaurant or chowing down on some of Saffron’s favorite foods. The second was that he didn’t need to sleep, which was just sad, since Saffron loved sleeping. He still laid down next to Rio when his mate slept, but he himself was unable to fall asleep. If Saffron started losing consciousness, he discovered that he would start sinking into the ground, and wow. No.

He needed to stay, to watch over Rio until his mate was okay. He could figure out where spirits were supposed to go next.

“Rio, love, this is a really bad idea,” Saffron said for what seemed like the eightieth time in the past eight minutes. “Can you even go into the Twisted Wood? Weren’t you terrified of the stuff in there? Please be terrified of the stuff in there. It might just stop you from going in.” he floated after his unresponsive mate, skimming over the ground. “Come on, Rio. Please.” he couldn’t bear to look at Rio’s face, the hopelessness and anguish there. “Please, Rio.” he glanced up as they approached the crossroads. “Please.”

“I’m almost there,” Rio mumbled, almost deliriously. “I can almost see you. I can almost hear you.”

Saffron tried not to stomp around like a petulant hatchling. “I died that day! Please, Rio. Please get over me. Please. You can’t spend the rest of your life trying to bring me back! You don’t need to bring me back! I am already here for you.”

“I promise you, Saffron.”

Saffron hissed in frustration. “No, Rio. No. Don’t you dare.”

“I’ll find a way.”

“No. Please don’t do this. Please just let me go. Forgive yourself.”

“I’ll search for you for as long as I have to.”

“Rio, no. Please!”

“I promise.” Rio headed onwards, and Saffron struggled after him. There was a gravity that was pulling him down now, making it hard to float, but he persevered. Rio needed him. That was all that mattered. Rio needed him, so he would stay, and he’d be damned if he couldn’t bring his mate back from the brink.

He had to.

A couple meters of hopeless, one-sided conversation later, the warden showed up. Saffron had met them before, the guardians of the Twisted Wood, but he’d never actually heard one speak. If there was anyone who could convince Rio to turn back, it was a warden.

“Come on, you can do it!” Saffron urged as the warden tried to persuade Rio to stop. “Don’t let him go in!” He watched helplessly as Rio muscled on, into the Twisted Wood. The Imperial didn’t even flinch as he stepped on Shadow Flight territory, and Saffron really did not like how this was going. The warden flew after him, but Saffron knew she’d have a better chance of convincing the Arcanist to sell the Observatory for a cookie. He’d seen Rio this stubborn before, and it never boded well.

“He’s dead,” Rio’s words woke Saffron from his train of thought, and he looked down in dismay as his mate spoke emptily. “He’s dead, and it’s my fault.”

“Oh, come on, that’s not it!” Saffron threw his wings up, floating higher into the air. “Please, Rio!” the next words were almost tears, just barely a whisper. “Why can’t you just let me go?”

The warden sighed. “Fine, you need consolation, I ain’t gonna stop ya. Go straight through the woods ‘ere, you’ll see an encampment. The shamans are there, terrible things. Have ‘em summon the spirit for you, you hear me?”

“Don’t encourage him!” Saffron snapped. “Oh, Arcanist, you’re a freaking warden! Wrestle him down or something!” he eyed the Nocturne’s tiny stature. “Okay, maybe not wrestle him, but you can stop him! Please!”

“Yes,” Rio said, a bit of life creeping back into his voice.

“No, no, this is a terrible idea!” Saffron protested, swooping down to stand in front of his mate. “Rio! Don’t do it!”

The warden stepped forward. “They’ll try to trick ya, get you to summon the spirit instead. Don’t do it. Hey!” she yelled as Rio plowed off through the dark forest. “Are you listenin’?!”

“Rio, if you’re going to go invade a creepy shaman camp, at least listen to the warden!” Saffron yelled, but of course, Rio couldn’t hear him. Frustrated, Saffron floated after him, flitting through trees and vines. “Well, this is just wonderful,” he mumbled, more out of the need to hear his own voice than anything else. “I can float around and talk to myself as I watch my mate go completely nuts.” he glared at the sky. “Arcanist, I am blaming this one on you. I don't care if this isn’t your fault, but I’m blaming you!”

“Ya know, ya probably shouldn’t curse your own god like that.”

Saffron froze. He turned around slowly to see the warden perched on a branch behind him.

“You can see me?” he whispered.

The Nocturne snorted with a little flap of her wings. “I’m a warden, ya know? ‘Course I can see spirits. I deal in goddamn spirits. It’s a Shadow Flight thing for those of us living ‘round the Ghostlight Ruins.” she frowned, violet eyes going narrow. “You’re the one, eh? The one that Imperial was looking for.”

“Yeah.” Saffron sat down on the mushroom. “I might’ve died.”

“Well, ya look dead, so I’m gonna assume you did.” The Nocturne hopped down onto the mushroom. “What’s keepin’ you here? Most ghoulies, they be going off to the underworld.”

“I’m not sure,” Saffron admitted. “I mean, I don’t know why I’m still here. But he needs me.” he stared after Rio’s back. The Imperial was tearing through a wall of brambles, and his heart sank. “For now, at least.” he glanced at the warden. “Can’t you just tell him you can see me?”

The warden was already shaking her heard. “No can do, sorry. It’s against protocol. We ain’t allowed to mess with the ghost side of things.” she exhaled, a little huff of breath. “We wardens observe things, but we ain’t suppose to interact or force a connection between the livin’ an’ the dead. Besides,” she curled her tail around her claws. “Some of ‘em need to see to believe, you hear?”

“Yeah.” Saffron’s heart sank. “You think he’ll be okay?”

“Okay?” she snorted. “Ain’t nobody ever okay after dealin’ with them crazy shamans. Ain’t nobody ever listen to me ‘bout them, either. I’d say your boy be alright, but I can’t really tell from ‘ere. Hopefully he doesn’t let them use him.”

“Use him?”

“By order of the Shadowbinder, the Dark Lady herself, we put ‘em chains on the shamans,” the warden explained. “Stops em from ripping holes in the spirit world an’ all that. The only thing they can do is summon spirits, but nothin’ else, especially nothing that can cause other drag’uns trouble. But occasionally, they convince some idiot to cast a spell for them, and we get all sorts of fishy stuff going on.” she huffed. “Hate dealin’ with that, to be honest.”

“Ok-” a sudden burst of pain rushed through Saffron, and he flinched, the first sensation he’d had since he’d died. The burning feeling rushed through his body, hitting his throat, and he gagged. What the-

He paused. Wait, what?

“Ah, looks like you’re finally turnin’ into a full ghost,” the warden said. “It ‘appens slower to Imperials. I’ll admit it’s my first time seein’ it myself.”

What do you mean, a full ghost?

“Real ghost don’t really function like us livin’ do,” the warden waved a claw through him, and Saffron tried not to throw up. “You’ve already stopped flying, haven’t you? Ghosts float, and they think rather than speak. Your body works differently. It’s hard ta explain.”

This is… really disconcerting.

“Yeah, well, I’m talkin’ to a ghost, how ya think I feel?”

So can I not talk anymore?

“You’re talkin’, but it ain’t the same. You don’t need ta use your mouth, you just think. I hear it weirdly, too. It’s more like telepathy than me actually hearin’ you, ya get me?”

Uh, no.

“Figures.” The Nocturne peered after Rio. “I hope he’s gonna be alright. Grieving drag’uns ain’t ever rational, in my opinion.”

Rio’s smart. He can negotiate with them.

“Yeah, but he’s also desperate, and that ain’t ever a good combo.” The warden shifted restlessly.

Do you know of a way I can commune with him? Saffron asked. If I can just talk to him-

“You’re a ghost. You got no magic, no nothing. He’s gotta be the one to make the connection, if ya wanna meet.” the warden examined him. “The other option is the Star Wood Strand. Freaky stuff goes on in there. I ain’t surprised if there be a way to make a connect there.”

Saffron swallowed. That’s where I died.

“Can’t say I’m surprised. Ya Arcanites always be poking into the wrong things.”

In my defense, I thought the monster was dead. It was small and sparkly and there was an entire nest of them, and I thought they’d die after they broke their bones.

The warden froze. “Wait. What monster are we talking about?”

Tiny, little sparkly things-

“Glowing with blue lights, have purple wings, got black scales?” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Somethin’ like that?”

Saffron blinked. Yeah. How do you-

And then, the entire world fell apart.

With a roar, the ground erupted, and Saffron couldn’t see as solid chunks of dirt shot up towards the sky. The tree screamed as they were ripped from their roots, the tangled behemoths tossed across the forest like rag dolls.

Warden noc! Saffron yelled, trying to float towards where he’d last seen the Nocturne, but before he could move, a single vine ripped out of the ground and hurtled towards him.

And for the second time in his short existence as a ghost, Saffron felt pain.

What in the- before he could do much more than scream, the Nocturne warden was there, blasting through the vines with a burst of purple magic.

“That idiot!” she was cursing in about eight different languages, one of them Coatl. “He used the spell!”

What? Rio? He would never-

“Well, he did, and now I’m sure the shamans are happily dancing over his dead body!”

No! Saffron surged to his feet. I’ll go-

The warden whistled, and the sound was immediately echoed by calls of other dragons in the forest. “We’ll deal with it! You’re a ghost, ya be careful and stay out of it!” A Mirror dragon swooped by, collecting the Nocturne warden, and the two sped off into the darkness. Saffron, ignoring the parts of him that told him to stay, rushed after them. The entire forest was moving, and he nearly jumped out of his nonexistent skin when a single, thorny vine shifted. A Spiral that had to be a warden shot overhead, followed by two Nocturnes, and Saffron raced after them, floating with all his might. He knew where the Ghostlight Ruins were, even without being alive, and he knew, more than anything, where Rio was.

I’m coming, Rio. Wait for me.



Things were not going well at the Ghostlight Ruins.

There were wardens everywhere, and the ragged figures of shamans, chanting eerily as brambles ripped through the ancient cemetery. Saffron scanned the chaotic scene, frantic, and spotted his mate struggling amid a pile of tendrils, clearly at the epicenter of whatever spell he’d cast.

Rio! No! Horrified, Saffron rushed over and tore at one of the vines, but of course, his claws passed right through. The vine snapped back and slammed into him with all the force of a Snapper, and Saffron went straight through a tree. A vine grabbed him, and with all the force he could muster, he scrambled out of the trap, floating high into the air.

The vines could hit him. He couldn’t hit them. It seemed unfair to him, but there were more pressing matters to worry about. He charged into the mass of brambles, but they pressed against him, a physical barrier stopping him. He could sense the rage of the Twisted Wood, and it was terrifying.

The Star Wood Strand might not have particularly cared about dragons, but the Twisted Wood radiated pure, dark fury.

What did you do?! Saffron fought against the brambles, and they dug into his non-physical body. Rio! No!

One of the wardens screeched something, and the vines became animated, brambles raking through the air, punctuated by the screaming of the shamans. Saffron fought to get closer to Rio, curling his body around the other Imperial’s. The brambles slammed into his scales, but didn’t seem to be able to tear through his body, and that was okay. The pain didn’t matter. All that matter was that Rio was safe.

Saffron folded his wings over Rio as the brambles dragged them both into the earth. There was chaos, clear around him, and then nothing but the single terrifying thought that this time, maybe it wouldn’t be his heart that stopped beating.



They were saying it was a curse.

Rio stared, senseless, at the scene before him. The Ghostlight Ruins were overwhelmed by dragons. Dragons spoke and dragons hissed and dragons stomped around, blasting at the monstrous thorns that had come ripping out of the ground.

Rio still wasn’t sure how he escaped unscathed, and he wasn’t sure he was thankful for that fortune.

“Hey! You!” the warden Nocturne from before stomped over. “Are ya stupid or suicidal or both?!” she yelled, smacking him with one tiny fist. The brambles that had wrapped around him remained embedded in his scales, a scarring reminder of his failure. “Don’cha have any idea what you’ve done?! You could’ve died! Both of ya coulda died! Now, look at yourself! You’ll never be the same again. Idiot!”

“Enough,” said a nearby Spiral, with a warning look Rio was too tired to interpret. “Let’s go. We have cleanup to do.” he glanced at Rio, pale purple gaze gentle. “We will be placing the blame on the shamans, but still,” he paused, expression hardening. “Leave the Twisted Wood. You are no longer welcomed here. Should any of us see you in these parts again, we will abide by the rules and bring you the consequence you deserve.”

The Nocturne muttered something in another language, but led the way as the two wardens left to round up the shamans. Rio stared unseeingly after them. It didn’t matter what they said. The rules didn’t matter, and neither did the consequences.

All that mattered was that he failed. He failed, and now, he would never see Saffron again. He could almost feel his mate’s body pressed to him, almost taste his lingering scent in the air, but he knew it was just an illusion. A hallucination, a creation of his fevered mind, of his grief, of his sorrow.

Saffron would never call his name again. Saffron would never laugh with him, cry with him, or sleep beside him again. The pain was so agonizing Rio would’ve screamed if he had the energy left to do it. Instead, he folded in on himself, rocking himself, the grief and rage and utter desolation keeping the world at bay.

He clung to himself, blank and lifeless, because there was nothing left to cling to.




The wardens had been kind enough to provide Rio a portal to transport him back to Arcane land. Saffron wasn’t sure why Rio had chosen to go to the Starfall Isles, when he could’ve easily returned to his homeland, the Viridian Labyrinth. He didn’t question it, though. After everything had happened, Saffron was starting to realize that Rio might not be the same anymore.

Well, that wasn’t quite true. Rio wasn’t the same anymore. But it didn’t matter, because Saffron would stay with him all the way. No matter what happened. No matter what he chose to do.

He would stay with him, until Rio understood that he was not alone.

Now, a week after the shaman fiasco, they stood together in the grove where Rio had buried Saffron. It was disorientating to see his own grave, and Saffron hated the very idea of Rio sitting there, motionless, his head resting against the headstone. The rain was pouring down, but Rio barely seemed to notice it. He leaned against the cool stone, one claw coming up to trace Saffron’s name.

“Saffron,” he whispered, and his voice was broken.

Saffron sat down beside him. Rio… he didn’t even know what to say anymore.

“I failed you.”

No, you didn’t.

“We should’ve never taken that job. I should’ve made sure those monsters were dead. We could’ve come out of that alive, if I’d just paid attention. Instead, you died.”

But you survived. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

"I'm sorry, Saffron. I'm so sorry."

You have nothing to apologize for.

“I messed everything up,” Rio sobbed. “I failed. I failed you, I failed everything.”

No, you didn’t. You never have, you never will.

“I’m sorry.”

I’m the one who should be sorry.

Rio fell silent, wings going limp under the burden of the curse, under the weight of the world, under his own grief. Saffron curled up around his mate, wings held aloft to keep the rain at bay. He might not be able to keep Rio warm anymore, he thought. But what warmth he could offer in this form, he would.

It’s okay. No matter what happens, I will always be with you.

The rain continued to fall.

Maybe one day, Saffron thought as he gazed at the sky, it would stop.




Story by MythicalViper
Graphics by PoisonedPaper