Archive of Our Own

The stone was freezing. Ash couldn't have said how long he had been sitting against that cold, damp wall. Days didn't really exist here. There was neither sun nor moon, only the guards making their regular rounds and the meals slipped through the bars. The steady sound of a water droplet falling, sometimes interrupted by the scream of someone who seemed to be being tortured in a distant room.

So Ash measured time differently. The patrols, the sound of boots, how long it took a guard to walk down the corridor, the number of keys hanging from his belt... Habits, always habits. The first guard had a slight limp, the second always kept a hand near his keyring, and the last one always turned to look at him before walking away.

Useless. They were all useless. He had tried to come up with a dozen different plans based on those details, but none of them would work. The doors were too thick, the locks too sturdy, the corridors too narrow... Every time his mind came up with a new idea, it died before it could fully take shape. Still, he kept trying.

Then something changed. A sound drawing closer. Several pairs of boots, heavy and fast. Ash finally lifted his head. Figures appeared at the end of the corridor. Four guards. Someone was being dragged between them. Or rather, they were carrying an unconscious man by the shoulders, his feet scraping across the floor.

A torn sleeve, a jacket in colors that were far too familiar, a tuft of auburn hair.
Ash frowned. That silhouette. No... He felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

A key turned in the lock, the door creaked open, and the body was thrown inside without ceremony. The door immediately slammed shut again and the lock clicked into place. The guards walked away without a glance. The sound of their boots gradually faded into silence. A crushing silence settled over the room, broken only by Ewroon's labored breathing.

The first thing Ash noticed was the amulet. Or rather, its absence. Panic began creeping into him. Then he noticed the shredded sleeves, the forearms covered in fresh scars, the dried blood. Claws. Ewroon's claws... His breathing was short and uneven. And that pale shine on his skin. Almost greenish. Ash knew it far too well. Only then did he step closer to the bars.

"Ewroon?"

No answer. The hybrid didn't even move. Ash felt his fingers tighten around the bars until his knuckles turned white. He raised his voice slightly.

"Ewroon... Wake up!"

Instinctively, Ash slipped an arm through the bars separating their two cells. Too far. Just a few centimeters. Ridiculous. He kept reaching, trying to force part of his shoulder through the bars until his fingers finally caught the fabric of Ewroon's sleeve. He gave his arm a gentle shake.

"Ewroon?"

Still nothing. His gaze drifted despite himself to the reddish ears pressed flat against his head. His tail was curled tightly around his torso, as if trying to protect himself. Ash didn't like that, not at all. He knew Ewroon. Even unconscious, he was always moving, complaining, muttering. He always ended up saying something insufferable. But now... nothing.
Something tightened in Ash's chest. He took a deeper breath, but it changed nothing. That strange, unpleasant feeling refused to leave. Like a weight lodged behind his ribs. He hated it.

"Come on, please..."

His voice was quieter.

"At least pretend like you're ignoring me..."

One ear twitched, then Ewroon's eyelids slowly opened. He let out a pained groan and silently looked at Ash. The weight in Ash's chest almost disappeared immediately. Ash let out a breath without even realizing he'd been holding it, his fingers slowly relaxing their grip on the bars.

Then the anger came rushing back, sudden and almost violent. That kind of anger, he knew well.

"Ewroon are you crazy? What have you done?"

Ewroon managed a faint smile.

"Well, well, well, nice to see you too Ash."

"Shut up."

In a way, it reassured him to see that Ewroon was still capable of making jokes, but he was furious with him nonetheless.
Suddenly, Ewroon's body was seized by a violent coughing fit and he spat blood. His face was pale, and he looked absolutely awful.

"They took it from you..."

Ewroon gave a weak nod. Silence settled over the room again. Ash tried to ignore it, but failed. Something was still twisting inside his chest, something that refused to disappear now that Ewroon was awake. It annoyed him. Why was he reacting like this? Why wouldn't his body just calm down? He tightened his grip on the bars again. At least the pain in his fingers made sense.

"Why?"

Ewroon slowly lifted his eyes.

"Why what?"

"Why all of this?"

His voice rose despite himself, and a lump formed in his throat.

"Why Dark Cucurucho? Why did you call him your master, why give him my heart? I know I had agreed to it, but fuck! My heart is now in the hands of an evil entity, and we have no idea what he's going to do with it!"

Each question came out sharper than the last.

"Why...?"

Ewroon remained silent. His ears had lowered slightly. Not fear. Ash knew the hybrid well enough to know it was something else. His tail slowly tightened around him. When he finally spoke, his voice was weak but full of irony.

"Do you really think that I would have done that? Give out your heart to a stranger?"

Ash let out a short, humorless laugh.

"What was I supposed to think? I was there, I saw you, heard you. You were on your knees in front of him, calling him your master, acting like a fucking slave!"

His jaw tightened. With every word, that feeling in his chest came back stronger, blending with his anger until he could no longer tell them apart.

"I wanted to tell you, but I didn't have a choice. But the amulet, it allowed him to hear everything I said."

Silence. Ash felt his anger waver, just a little.

"...Even with me?"

"Yes Ash, even with you. I wanted to explain everything to you, I really wanted to talk to you, but because of the amulet, I couldn't..."

Something no longer fits. He replayed the scene at Camp Fatal in his mind, every detail, every glance, every word. It was as though someone had moved a piece in a puzzle.

"So... About my heart?"

This time, a tired smile tugged at Ewroon's lips.

"You really think that I could give him your heart? You really suck at trusting me."

Ash didn't answer, and Ewroon's smile widened.

"It was a fake. I couldn't tell you before because I was afraid that someone would find out about it."

The silence stretched on endlessly. Ash felt his mind retracing every step. The heart, Dark Cucurucho, the anger, the feeling of betrayal. The two days he'd spent resenting him. Everything came crashing down at once. He had been so sure he understood, but he had been completely wrong. His stomach tightened. Not out of shame, not exactly. More like that unsettling feeling of having the ground suddenly disappear beneath his feet.

"And the real heart?"

"It's hidden..."

Ash frowned.

"...Where?"

"I built a new house in my Safe Space, you're gonna love it."

His ears flicked toward the ceiling and the camera, Ash understood immediately. Besides, he already knew where his Safe Space was. A wave of relief washed over him.
That idiot had had a plan from the very beginning, and somehow he'd managed to fool all of them. Despite himself, Ash felt a surge of pride toward the red panda hybrid.

"I really don't understand how your brain works."

Ewroon's smile became a little more genuine.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Ash let out a quiet huff. He lowered his gaze to his own hands, his knuckles still white from gripping the bars so tightly. Slowly, he loosened his fingers.

"I won't try anymore..."

The hybrid's ears flattened against his head, and he looked almost disappointed.

"...What?"

"I tried to understand, tried to analyze, anticipate. But all that ever got me..."

He let out a quiet breath, his eyes still fixed on his hands.

"Was to call you a traitor..."

Ash could still feel that strange tightness in his chest. It hadn't disappeared, but it had changed. It was calmer now, lighter.

"So, from now on, I'll just trust you."

For a few seconds, Ewroon remained perfectly still. His ears slowly perked back up, and his tail gave a tiny, almost imperceptible twitch that Ash noticed immediately.

"...You're an idiot, Ash."

This time, Ash's laugh was genuine. Brief, but genuine.

"Unfortunately, you see, it seems that a weird Polski dude had a bad influence on me."

Ewroon laughed too, and somehow it eased something inside Ash. The silence that followed had nothing in common with the one before. It was no longer heavy. Just peaceful.
Then Ewroon took a slow breath and hesitated for a moment, as though he already knew Ash wasn't going to like what came next.

"So, Ash, listen to me. I have a plan."

He paused briefly.

"But you're not gonna like it."

Ash slowly turned toward him. His first instinct was to open his mouth.
"What is it?"
The words caught in his throat. He remembered what he'd just said. A quiet sigh escaped him.

"Of course you have a plan."

And, against every instinct he had, he didn't ask what it was.
Without another word, the hybrid extended his claws and rolled up what was left of his sleeves. Ash immediately felt his stomach tighten.

"Ewroon... What are you doing?"

Ewroon lowered his eyes to his forearm. His ears had tilted back slightly, as if he already knew what was about to happen. Then, in one swift motion, he planted his claws into his own skin. The sound was almost worse than the wound itself, wet, brief.

The four claws carved long, perfectly parallel gashes across his arm. Blood spilled immediately. Red. Far too red. Time seemed to slow. For a fraction of a second, something stirred inside Ash. A familiar feeling. That strange warmth that always climbed from his stomach to his chest whenever he saw blood. His breath caught. His pupils dilated despite himself. His heart began to race. Just like it always did. And he hated that reaction immediately. Disgust swept over that warmth at once. Or maybe it was fear. He couldn't tell the difference. The two emotions collided so violently that they almost made him sick.

"...Hey, Ewroon!"

His voice echoed through the corridor as he threw himself against the bars. The hybrid repeated the motion on his other arm. Again. Then again. Blood now flowed freely down both of his wrists.
Ash couldn't look away anymore. He wanted to, he really did, but something inside him stubbornly refused to look anywhere else. Every drop seemed to pull his eyes toward it.

"Ewroon stop!"

He immediately shoved his arm through the bars again, and this time he managed to grab Ewroon's wrist. The warmth of the blood coated his fingers almost instantly. The contact sent a shiver through him, and he nearly jerked his hand away on instinct before tightening his grip around the hybrid's wrist instead. He refused to let go.

"What is wrong with you?"

Ewroon gently pulled on his arm, just enough to free himself.

"Trust me. Wait."

Ash was panicking now. Ewroon was already dangerously weak because of the radiation. If he kept losing blood like this, it wouldn't take long before it became life-threatening.

"Wait for what???"

Another cut. Then another. Blood was now dripping steadily onto the floor. Ash felt like he could hear every single drop. Every impact sent something trembling deep inside him. He clenched his jaw until it hurt. Stop. Stop looking. Stop. Yet his eyes always found their way back to the wounds. He hated himself for it.

"You're gonna kill yourself if you continue!"

"Not if everything goes well..."

Ash shook his head. He had no idea what the hybrid's plan was, but it was clearly a terrible one.

"Is that supposed to reassure me?"

A faint amused breath escaped Ewroon.

"Not really..."

Then Ewroon slowly leaned back against the wall beside the bars and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. His breathing was already growing shorter, and the blood kept flowing. Ash knelt down on the other side, his hands trembling. He no longer knew whether it was because of the fear or because of that other feeling that refused to go away. The two had become impossible to tell apart. And that confusion frightened him almost as much as the blood itself.

"And now... We wait."

Ewroon closed his eyes, and silence settled over the room once again. Ash stood up and began pacing around his small cell. He ears on alert, almost expecting to hear something. Boots, screams, explosions, anything. Something that would finally make sense of all this. But there was nothing except the deafening silence, broken only by the sound of blood dripping onto the floor. Another drop. Then another. The sound was almost imperceptible, but it was all Ash could hear.

He looked down the corridor. Empty. Then back at Ewroon, still leaning against the wall, eyes closed, his breathing growing shallower. His ears had drooped slightly, his tail lying motionless on the ground. Ash looked away. The corridor was still empty. He felt his fingers tighten around the bars once again. He had always hated waiting. Waiting meant enduring. Waiting meant being unable to do anything. He had always preferred acting, even if it was a terrible idea. Anything was better than standing still.

And yet he waited, because he trusted him. But the minutes passed, and the silence remained unchanged. The corridor stayed empty. Ewroon took a strained breath, a slight tremor ran through his ears before they drooped a little more.

"You're losing too much blood."

"I know."

Ash hated feeling this helpless.

"So that was your plan? Bleeding to death in a prison cell in front of me?"

This time, Ewroon didn't answer right away. He slowly turned his head toward the corridor as well, as though he was still waiting, but no longer certain. When he finally spoke, his voice nearly broke.

"He... He should've been here by now."

Ash's heart skipped a beat. His eyes darted back and forth between the hybrid and the corridor. Something had changed. It wasn't just the words, but the way he had said them, as if Ewroon was trying more to convince himself than to reassure Ash.

"You... You're not sure?"

Ewroon didn't answer. His ears were now completely flattened. For the first time since they'd met, Ash saw him doubt. Truly doubt. Not think, not calculate, doubt. The silence became almost painful.

Ash stared at the blood still pouring from the wounds. There was far too much of it. Ewroon's face had turned deathly pale. His eyelids kept falling shut on their own. His ears barely moved anymore, nor did his tail, as though he was conserving every last ounce of energy.
Ash felt a lump rise in his throat. Slowly, he understood. The plan might still have a chance to work... but Ewroon might not survive long enough to see it through. Waiting was no longer enough.

He abruptly sat down against the bars separating their cells. Slipping his arm through them, he reached for the hybrid's hand. His fingers were freezing. The contrast with the blood that was still warm sent another shiver through him. He tightened his grip.

"Ewroon, don't fall asleep."

A faint, exhausted smile appeared on Ewroon's face.

"Didn't plan to..."

"Liar."

Ash smiled back, and Ewroon let out a quiet chuckle. He had to keep him awake until... Until what, exactly? He didn't know. But he had to trust his assassin. So he talked. About anything and everything. The awful prison food. The ridiculous arguments they'd had in the past. Their trips aboard all sorts of flying machines. Sometimes he even made things up. He didn't care. Anything was worth it as long as Ewroon answered him, as long as his fingers still squeezed back. As long as he stayed there, awake and alive.

Then... a sound. Far away. Like a wall giving way beneath an enormous impact. Ash's head snapped up. Silence returned. Then another crash, much closer this time, the ground trembled beneath his feet, dust drifted from the ceiling. The noise kept drawing nearer. Heavy impacts, entire sections of walls collapsing. The deafening sound now echoed through the entire prison. Ash let go of Ewroon's hand without thinking and quickly stood.

"What the..."

Then he heard them. The guards. They never spoke, but now their footsteps echoed through the corridors, fast and chaotic. They were running, fleeing. One final impact rang out. It sounded as though the entrance to the corridor had just been destroyed, though Ash couldn't see it from where he stood.

A figure slowly appeared at the far end of the corridor. Entirely white. Smooth. Almost human. And yet no human moved like that, as though its joints obeyed a different set of rules. Two small black eyes. And a creepy black smile, always the same smile, frozen. Impossible to tell whether the creature was happy, or if its face had simply been made that way.

Fatal Error walked slowly past the cells, completely unhurried, as though searching for something. Then he stopped, his black eyes settling on Ewroon. He slowly raised one arm... then struck. The crash was deafening. The bars of multiple cells were ripped free with a piercing screech of twisting metal.

Fatal Error started walking toward Ewroon. Ash didn't even think. He lunged out of his cell and placed himself in front of Ewroon, arms spread wide, as though he could somehow stop a starving creature that had just torn through solid steel bars as if they were made of wax. He was nothing more than a ridiculous obstacle.

And yet Fatal Error stopped less than a meter away. His small black eyes seemed to be looking at Ash. Or perhaps straight through him, it was impossible to tell. That unsettling black smile never changed. Ash held his gaze. He didn't move. Fatal Error slowly tilted his head... then simply stepped to the side. He walked right past him without touching him, without even acknowledging him. His entire attention was elsewhere. He approached Ewroon and crouched in front of him, his long arms hanging loosely at his sides. Then he stayed perfectly still, simply looking at him.
A quiet sound escaped him. Barely audible. Not a scream, not a whimper. Something strangely soft, almost worried.

"Fatal Error..."

Ewroon's voice was so weak... He forced his eyes open, his ears completely flattened and his tail lying motionless on the floor. And yet a faint smile appeared on his face.

"My beautiful beast, you came."

Ewroon struggled to catch his breath.

"I'm proud of you."

His eyes slipped shut once more. He truly seemed to be at the end of his strength. Fatal Error remained motionless for a while before simply sitting down beside him. Like a child waiting to be told what to do. Then he slowly turned his head toward Ash, then toward Ewroon, then back to Ash again, still wearing that same unsettling frozen smile. Ash understood immediately. He didn't know what to do. He was waiting for an order that would never come.

Ash knelt beside them, slipped one arm beneath Ewroon's shoulders and the other beneath his legs, then stood up with the hybrid in his arms. His tail hung limply over Ash's arm, his body completely still, even though his breathing remained somewhat steady. It was enough to make Ash panic. They had to move, fast. He looked up at Fatal Error.

"Come, follow me."

The creature tilted his head slightly, then immediately got back to his feet and followed Ash without hesitation. The corridors seemed deserted. The few guards who had survived had fled long ago. Ash walked as fast as he could with the red panda nestled against his chest. Fatal Error followed several meters behind them in complete silence, still wearing that same disturbing smile.
He found their belongings much faster than Ash had expected, the prison actually being smaller than he'd imagined. Their bags were there, along with their armor and weapons. Everything was there. Almost. Ash searched through the hybrid's belongings a second time. Then a third. His stomach tightened. The amulet was nowhere to be found. He searched the room, but still nothing. He looked back at Fatal Error. The creature simply stared at him without reacting.

"We'll have to do without... Follow us."

He grabbed his Warp Stone from his bag and collected the rest of their belongings. Holding the red panda tightly against his chest, he teleported them all to Prawdziwa Polska 2. For a fraction of a second, the world around him disappeared. Then the ground returned beneath his feet. Along with the silence.
In the distance, Ash spotted a beautiful wooden house perched on top of a small hill. He hurried toward it, and as soon as he stepped inside the entrance, he nearly collapsed to his knees as he gently lowered Ewroon onto the floor.

"Ewroon?"

No answer. He waited a few seconds.

"Ewroon, it's over. Come on, wake up."

The silence was eating away at him like acid. He placed a hand on Ewroon's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. Then a little harder.

"Come on, idiot, wake up!"

Still nothing. Something tightened in his chest. Not the same feeling as back in the prison cell, worse, much worse. As though the air had suddenly refused to enter his lungs. He rested a hand against Ewroon's cheek. Cold, far too cold.

"Hey! Ewroon!"

His voice had risen without him even realizing it. This time, he shook him properly. Still nothing. Ash felt his hands begin to tremble. No. No, no, no. The plan had worked. Fatal Error had come. They'd made it home. It was over. So why...

He pressed two fingers against Ewroon's neck. His pulse was still there. Weak, but present. His breathing too. He was still alive. But probably not for much longer.

"Okay..."

He took a deep breath. His breathing still refused to settle into a normal rhythm, his thoughts colliding into one another. He needed to think. To do something, anything. He grabbed a potion and somehow managed to make Ewroon drink it. No change. He rewrapped the bandages around his arms to stop the bleeding.

"Wake up..."

He didn't know how long he'd been repeating those two words. His hands were covered in blood. He hadn't even noticed. It had already started drying on his fingers, that all-too-familiar metallic smell still lingering around him. Usually, it always made him feel something. That strange warmth. That strange pull. This time... nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Please..."

He remained frozen, unable to act, unable to do anything. Because for the first time in a very long time, Ash had absolutely no idea what to do. He was free, but completely helpless. His thoughts raced in circles until one finally surfaced.

Ghostie.

He suddenly lifted his head. If anyone could help Ewroon, it would be her. Or at least, she was the only person he trusted enough to ask. Slowly, he turned toward Fatal Error. The creature hadn't moved. Still sitting there. Still wearing that frozen smile. Simply staring at Ewroon, as though waiting for him to finally open his eyes.

"Fatal Error?"

The small black eyes immediately turned toward Ash.

"Do you know where Ghostie is?"

Deep down, he already knew Fatal Error hadn't eaten Ghostie. He could still feel her. Alive. Somewhere. Fatal Error remained motionless for a moment before giving a slight nod.

"Can you bring her here?"

The creature vanished instantly, without a sound.
The minutes passed, and the silence felt endless. Then a white light flooded the room as Fatal Error reappeared, Ghostie floating beside him. Her gaze instinctively swept across the room. Then she saw Ewroon, and froze. Her book nearly slipped from her hands before she caught it. A second later, she crossed the room.

She knelt, or rather, floated just above the floor, beside Ewroon. Her fingers quickly checked the bandages before moving to his pulse and his breathing. Then she abruptly looked up at Ash. Her eyes were filled with confusion and a quiet, simmering anger, as though asking: What did you do?

Ash stood there for a few seconds, unable to speak. Only then did it truly hit him. Ghostie was here. Standing in front of him. Alive. Well... as alive as a ghost could be. He felt something tighten in his chest as a small part of the tension he'd been carrying for weeks finally eased.

"Ghostie..."

His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Where were you?"

His daughter's eyes softened immediately. She opened her book, her pencil moving quickly across the page. Then she held it out to him.

"The Federation found the altar, and it was too dangerous for me to stay.
I had to run before they captured me.
Fatal Error helped me hide.
But that isn't important right now."

She gently closed the book again, then pointed toward Ewroon. Her expression had already turned serious once more. Ash understood. He took a deep breath and told her everything. Dark Cucurucho, the exchange of the heart for the amulet, the argument. Then his capture, Ewroon's capture, the plan, the waiting... The words came out in no particular order. Sometimes he went back in time. Sometimes he forgot details, only to correct himself moments later. It felt like he was reliving every second as he spoke. Ghostie never interrupted him. She simply read every sentence on his face as much as she did through his words.

When Ash finished, silence settled over the room once more. Ghostie slowly lowered her gaze toward the hybrid. Her fingers tightened around the cover of her book as she remained perfectly still. For a long time. Too long. Ash didn't dare interrupt her. He could see her thinking, truly thinking. Not searching for an answer she already knew, but trying to build one, trying to find a solution.

Eventually, she opened her book. Her pencil hovered above the page for several seconds, as though she still wasn't sure whether she should write the words. Then she began. Slowly, much more slowly than usual. Every word seemed heavy. When she finished, she quietly handed the book to Ash. He read it carefully.

"There may be a way.
I know of a ritual that would allow two people to share the same heart.
If it works, Ewroon should recover from the radiation and survive.
But...
I don't even know if anyone has ever survived this ritual.
I don't know the full extent of its consequences or side effects.
I've never performed it, and I don't know if it will work.
I only know that it exists."

Ash read the page once. Then a second time. His eyes lingered on the words "I don't know." They kept appearing. Ghostie wasn't offering him a solution, she was offering him a possibility, a tiny sliver of hope, nothing more. He slowly looked back up at her, and she held his gaze. Then, almost shyly, she added one last line at the bottom of the page.

"I think it's his only chance."

Silence settled over the room again. Fatal Error hadn't moved. His small black eyes slowly shifted between Ash and Ghostie, as though he understood that something important was being decided without being able to grasp what it meant. Ash remained perfectly still. For the second time that day, someone was asking him to leap into the unknown. The first time, he had chosen to trust Ewroon without knowing his plan. This time, he would have to choose without even knowing what Ewroon would have wanted. The thought filled him with dread. He looked up at his daughter, who was watching him with a gentle expression.

"Okay, explain the ritual to me."

She quietly took back her book. Her pencil moved across the page for a while as Ash waited in silence. Then she handed it back to him.

"The ritual is ancient.
I only know its principles.
Two people share a single heart.
If one suffers, the other feels it.
If one grows weak, the other must carry part of that burden.
They can no longer live completely apart.
They can no longer die apart."

Ash felt something go still inside his stomach. He read the last sentence over and over again. Ghostie took the notebook back to add a few more lines.

"I don't know all the consequences.
I don't know if the bond can ever be broken.
I don't know exactly what it will change for either of you.
I only know that it might save him."

The room fell silent once again. Ash kept staring at the notebook, his fingers tightening around the pages. Then he slowly shook his head.

"No."

Ghostie didn't respond. She simply looked at him, waiting. Ash handed the notebook back to her.

"He would never accept that."

His voice was quiet.

"He would kill me if I made a decision this important without him."

Ash didn't know what to do. He was willing to live with every consequence, but the hybrid almost certainly wouldn't be. Ghostie remained motionless for a few seconds. Then she slowly opened her notebook again. The pencil hesitated for a long time, as if searching for the right way to phrase what she wanted to say. When she finally held it out to him, only a single sentence was written across the blank page:

“So watch him die.”

Everything else disappeared. Every sound around him faded away. Ash felt his throat tighten. He wanted to answer, but no words came. His gaze slowly drifted toward Ewroon, still lying perfectly still. His breathing had become so faint he had to look for it. Ash walked over and sat beside him, his fingers instinctively searching for the hybrid's hand. It was even colder now. He squeezed it gently, as if hoping Ewroon would return the pressure. Nothing.

He stayed like that for a long time, thinking. His mind wandered back to the prison. That cell, the anger, that sentence.

"From now on, I will just trust you."

He had thought that promise only applied to the plan, but it didn't. From the very beginning, he had always tried to make decisions for Ewroon. Because he was afraid. Afraid he'd do something reckless, get himself hurt, throw himself into another terrible plan. He was afraid of losing him. So he kept trying to control things, to understand everything, to stop him, always... His fingers tightened a little more around the hybrid's.

"You would be furious..."

A quiet laugh escaped him, brief and hollow.

"You would say that's completely irresponsible."

He could already picture the look on his face, his ears standing straight up, his tail lashing behind him in frustration while he called him insane. The image was so vivid it hurt. He slowly lowered his head, his eyes fixed on their joined hands. When he spoke again, his voice was barely more than a whisper.

"I think I wouldn't survive if you died anyway..."

The words came out on their own, without drama or emphasis. Just a truth he had only now realized. He remained silent for a few more seconds before looking back at his daughter. The hesitation had vanished from his eyes.

"Tell me how we're gonna do this."

Ghostie didn't move right away. She slowly opened her notebook, and the pencil began moving across the page once more. While Ash continued holding his assassin's hand, she started describing an ancient ritual that none of them truly knew would save one life... or condemn two.

Ghostie closed her notebook, then simply gestured for Ash to follow her. Without a word or a moment's hesitation, she floated across the room. Ash carefully slipped one arm beneath Ewroon's shoulders and the other beneath his legs, lifting him into his arms. His body was limp and cold. Ash hated it. He glanced at Fatal Error, who was still watching them in complete silence.

"Wait here, please. I'll take care of him."

The creature tilted its head, seeming to hesitate, then gave a small nod before sitting down cross-legged on the floor. Ash followed Ghostie upstairs into the red panda's bedroom. She immediately floated over to the bed and slowly lifted one of the pillows. Ash's heart was there, a sphere glowing with a deep blue-violet light, pulsing softly. Ash raised an eyebrow. Seriously? Under his pillow? A quiet laugh escaped him despite everything.

"You're such an idiot..."

Ash still couldn't decide whether it was incredibly clever or completely ridiculous. Probably both. The thought drew a tired smile from him. It was so... Ewroon. He found it... strangely adorable.

Ghostie carefully picked up the sphere. She held it as though it were something fragile, something precious. Then she gestured toward the bed. Ash understood and gently laid Ewroon down, adjusting the pillow under his head. Without thinking, he brushed a loose strand of hair away from his face. His ears still didn't react.

Ghostie took a slow breath. Then... she raised both hands.

The silence seemed to grow heavier. Even the air itself changed, as though it had begun to vibrate. One rune appeared. Then another. Then dozens more. They formed around her before slowly beginning to orbit through the air around her. Their gentle glow filled the bedroom like a constellation.

The runes shone brighter and brighter, spinning faster and faster. A wind rose inside the room despite every window being closed. The sphere slowly lifted into the air. It now hovered directly above Ewroon's chest, each pulse becoming stronger, brighter.

Ghostie extended one hand. The runes abruptly changed direction, all converging toward the heart. The light became blinding. The sphere slowly descended until it brushed against the hybrid's chest.

Then it sank inside without resistance, as though it were passing through the surface of water. A massive beam of blue-violet light erupted instantly, swallowing the entire room. Ash instinctively threw an arm over his eyes. A strange warmth washed through the air around him.

Then... nothing. Silence. Ash blinked several times. His vision slowly returned, colors settling back into place. The bed, the room, Ewroon… Ghostie was gone.

"Ghostie?"

No answer. Her notebook had disappeared with her, as though she had never been in the room at all. Ash took a step forward.

"Ghostie...?"

Still nothing. The worry in his chest kept growing, it didn't feel like last time, when she had died, but he could barely feel her presence, as though she had lost all her strength. Then... something else. A pain, brief and unfamiliar. Not physical pain, but more like a crushing sensation. As if the walls of the room were suddenly closing in around him. His breath caught, the air seemed to disappear. His heart raced, his hands clenched. Why was he panicking like this?

The feeling vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced by another. Fear. Vast, primal fear. Not the fear of a fight, not the fear of dying. A child's fear, with no face, no memory. Only one unbearable certainty. "Leave. Hide. Don't make a sound. Stay away from the dark at all costs." Ash felt his muscles tense on their own, his eyes instinctively searching for an exit, a hiding place, anywhere.

Then he froze. Everything disappeared just as suddenly as it had come. Another wave rose. This time it wasn't fear anymore, but overwhelming exhaustion. His arms felt unbearably heavy, every breath demanded effort. As though his own body no longer belonged entirely to him.

Ash knelt beside the bed, pulled the blankets on top of the hybrid and took his hand. He gently stroked the back of it in silence. Then... another emotion. So gentle it almost stole his breath away. Relief, deep, inexplicable relief. As though someone had finally arrived, as though... they weren't alone anymore. Ash felt something tighten in his chest.

The waves kept coming, with no pattern at all. Worry, a dull ache in his arm, cold, darkness… Then that same nameless fear returning, again and again, like an old instinct that refused to fade. There were no images, no memories, only sensations. Instincts. Wounds so old they seemed carved directly into the body itself.

Ash closed his eyes. And for the first time since meeting Ewroon, he understood something that words could never have explained. It wasn't just that Ewroon was afraid. It was how long he had lived with that fear. So long that it had become instinct, a way to survive, a way to exist.

Ash felt his throat tighten. Every time he had tried to understand Ewroon's decisions, every time he had searched for logic behind his actions, a strategy, an explanation... when the one thing he had truly been missing was something else entirely. He had never known what it felt like... to be Ewroon. And now, at last, he was beginning to.

Ash had no idea how long he sat beside the bed with Ewroon's hand in his own. Eventually, the sensations began to settle. They still came back from time to time: a worry that wasn't his, a strange exhaustion, like waves, never entirely predictable.

After what felt like an eternity, Ash felt the slightest movement. A tiny twitch of fingers, almost imperceptible. He immediately looked up at the hybrid. The reddish ears twitched ever so slightly. Then his tail gave a weak flick beneath the blankets.

Ash immediately felt his anxiety ease. And this time, it was unmistakably his own emotion. Ewroon's eyelids trembled, and he grimaced as though simply opening his eyes required an immense effort. Then, at last, his irises appeared, unfocused and lost. It took them several seconds to find Ash. Ash immediately let go of his hand.

"...Ash?"

His voice was hoarse.

"Hey..."

Silence. Ewroon slowly looked around the room before placing a hand over his chest, instinctively searching for the amulet, then turned back to Ash.

"What... It hurts everywhere."

He seemed to think for a few seconds.

"But I can't feel the radiation anymore... What happened, Ash?"

Ash hesitated. Where was he even supposed to begin?

"Fatal Error came."

Ewroon's ears lifted slightly.

"Wait, really? So the plan worked?"

Ash nodded, and a faint smile appeared on the hybrid's face.

"I knew he'd come!"

Then he noticed the expression on Ash's face, and the smile vanished.

"What? What happened?"

Ash lowered his eyes.

"You wouldn't wake up. Your pulse was so weak... I really thought I was gonna lose you..."

"Ash... What did you do?"

"Ghostie came back. Turns out Fatal Error was actually protecting her from the Federation..."

Ewroon's ears snapped forward.

"Wait, what? Seriously? Whoa, I'm so proud of my beast! Is she alright?"

"Yeah... she was. And she found a way to save you."

The hybrid's ears slowly folded back.

"Was? Why do I have a bad feeling about this..."

Ash hesitated for a long moment before speaking. He took a slow breath.

"I... I gave you my heart..."

Time seemed to stop. Ewroon stared at him in complete disbelief.

"What are you talking about, Ash? What do you mean, gave me your heart?"

Ash could feel the knot returning to his stomach. How was Ewroon going to take this?

"Ghostie... She knew a ritual. One heart shared between two people. My heart is inside you now. It was the only way to save you..."

The silence lasted several long seconds. Ash kept staring at the floor. When the hybrid finally broke it, he was almost shouting.

"Ash, are you completely insane?!"

The words carried anger, but something else too, an emotion that Ash couldn't quite identify. Ewroon suddenly tried to sit up, only to grimace immediately. His ears flattened against his head, his tail lashed nervously across the blankets.

"What the hell were you thinking? You can't make a decision like that on your own!"

The hybrid's breathing grew faster. He ran a hand over his face.

"I know..."

"No, you don't! Do you have any idea what you did?"

Her voice trembled slightly this time.

"No... Not really."

Ash refused to look up and meet the hybrid's eyes. A knot tightened in his throat. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

"Well me neither! And that's a big problem!"

Ewroon almost exploded. Ash took the anger without saying a word. It was almost reassuring. At least... Ewroon was awake.

"I would have never accepted."

"I know..."

"Then why??"

Ash opened his mouth, but this time no sound came out. His fingers were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Why? Because he hadn't thought it through, hadn't weighed the pros and cons. Because the moment Ghostie wrote those words... ”Then watch him die.” He had only seen one thing. Ewroon's face, perfectly still, growing paler and paler, his breathing slowly fading away.

"What did..."

His voice broke before he could finish the sentence. He tried to inhale, but the air refused to fill his lungs. His heart was pounding far too fast, his hands were shaking. He hated it. Hated losing control.

"What did you want me..."

He quickly wiped at his eyes, his breathing now uneven.

"...to do?"

He tried to take another breath, but failed.

"Watch you die?"

His voice was trembling openly now, the words escaping him.

"Wait for..."

He shook his head. Tears blurred his vision, and he was almost ashamed of them.

"...for your heart to stop?"

He swallowed with difficulty.

"I thought... I thought I lost you..."

Silence. Ash lowered his head even further, trying to hide his face. He wasn't even attempting to hide his trembling anymore. His stomach was still burning, as though someone had poured acid into it. Even now, with Ewroon alive, his breathing remained shallow and his throat painfully tight.

Across from him, the hybrid had stopped speaking. His ears, which had been pinned flat against his head, had slowly lifted again, and his tail had gone still. He simply looked at Ash. His expression softened.

"Ash..."

It was no longer a reproach, barely more than a whisper. Then, slowly, he opened his arms. Ash froze for a second before slowly letting himself fall in his arms on the bed, hiding his face in the hybrid’s neck.

They stayed like that without speaking. Ewroon's arms wrapped around him, Ash's forehead resting against his neck. The silence was occasionally broken by the quiet sound of Ash sniffling as tears soaked into the collar of the hybrid's jacket. He couldn't remember ever crying like this, not even after Juan's death... Here, in his assassin's arms, he simply let himself fall apart. The red panda's hand gently stroked his back while his fluffy tail brushed softly against his leg.

The silence was now complete, but it was no longer empty. Ash could feel Ewroon's relief, immense, overwhelming, almost painful. And Ewroon could still feel Ash's panic. The two emotions blended together until it became impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Little by little, Ash's breathing steadied, and his shoulders finally stopped shaking. He wasn't sure anymore which one of them was comforting the other. Maybe both.

Eventually, they pulled apart, almost reluctantly. Ewroon kept one arm around Ash's back who slipped under the covers as well. They lay facing each other on the bed.

"Explain me..."

Ash gave a small nod. He spent a few seconds searching for the right way to explain what Ghostie had written.

"She told me that we'd share the same heart."

He paused.

"We will have some sort of link, a connection."

Ewroon didn’t look away.

"If one suffers... The other one will feel it."

The words still felt strange in Ash's mouth.

"We can't live completely separated."

He took a slow breath.

"And... If one dies..."

Silence settled between them again. He saw in the red panda's eyes that he already understood the rest of the sentence. Ewroon rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. His ears twitched, and his tail slowly curled around himself.

"You're insane..."

His voice was barely above a whisper. But this time there was no anger left. Only overwhelming exhaustion. And something else. A warmth, gentle, almost shy. It suddenly washed through Ash's body. He instinctively lifted his head. It wasn't coming from him. He was certain of that.

The feeling was almost impossible to describe. It wasn't fear, panic, or relief. It ran deeper than that, something quieter, something vast. Like a silent certainty. Like the overwhelming need to protect someone, to stay close to them, to see them smile... A tenderness so immense it was almost painful. Ash felt his breathing stop.

The wave vanished almost immediately. He remained perfectly still, completely bewildered. Across from him, Ewroon was still staring at the ceiling. He looked just as thoughtful, just as lost. Ash said nothing. Because he had no idea what he had just felt. He only knew one thing: the bond was real, and they would have to learn how to live with it.

They remained side by side for a long while. The silence stretched on. Ewroon was the first to speak. His eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling. His voice was quiet, uncertain.

"The federation knows..."

Ash turned his head slightly toward him.

"Yes..."

Ewroon rolled onto his side again to face Ash.

"They will come for us."

Ash made no attempt to reassure him.

"Yes..."

The word lingered between them. There was nothing else to say. No comforting lie to offer.

The bond pulsed softly, carrying a familiar worry. Ewroon lowered his eyes to his chest, his fingers absently brushing the place where their shared heart now rested. Without thinking, Ash placed his hand over his. He looked down at their intertwined hands. Two people. One heart.

They remained silent, the weight of this new reality settling in little by little. They had just become each other’s weakness, and sooner or later, the Federation was bound to figure it out. Ash felt a flicker of anxiety run through him and turned to face the hybrid.

“Are you afraid?”

Ewroon didn’t answer right away. His ears twitched, then he let out a quiet breath.

“Yes…”

There was no shame in it, no pride either. Just the truth. He held Ash’s gaze.

“You are too.”

It wasn’t a question. Ash gave a faint smile.

“Yeah…”

For a brief moment, their fears echoed each other. The same fear, exactly the same. And neither of them needed to hide it. Ewroon closed his eyes.

“We’re going to be in a lot of danger.”

Ash thought for a few seconds, searching for the right words.

“I think we already were…”

Ewroon’s ears flicked slightly.

“But not like this.”

“No… Because now…”

Ash swallowed.

“If one of us falls…”

He didn’t need to finish. Silence settled over the room again, heavier this time. Ewroon took a deep breath.

“Now we only have one thing left to do.”

Ash frowned.

“What?”

Ewroon met his eyes.

“Finish what we started.”

His ears perked up, determination shining in his eyes.

“Destroy the Federation.”

A tired smile crossed Ash’s face.

“Are you sure?”

Ewroon didn’t answer immediately, but the bond pulsed, and Ash could feel his faith and determination blending with his own until he couldn’t tell them apart.

“I think it’s too late to turn back anyway.”

A quiet amused huff escaped Ewroon.

“That’s probably the worst possible way to say we’re about to do something incredibly stupid.”

Ash shrugged.

“Well, I guess you really have been a bad influence on me.”

This time Ewroon let out a genuine laugh, tired but sincere. His ears finally stood tall again, and his tail swayed lazily beneath the blanket. A strand of hair had fallen across his eyes. Without really thinking, Ash reached up, his fingers brushing gently against his temple as he tucked it back into place. The gesture was simple, instinctive. His fingers lingered just a second too long, softly caressing his cheek.

Their eyes met, and neither of them looked away. They stayed like that for another moment. Then, almost at the same time, they leaned closer. Just a few inches, their breaths mixing together. It was as if each of them was waiting for the other to make the first move, silently asking the same question: “Is this really what you want?”

Ash already knew his answer. He closed the last few millimeters between them, and their lips met, so gently it was barely more than a brush. They stayed perfectly still, as if time itself had stopped. Then they slowly pulled apart. Ash immediately searched Ewroon’s face, as though checking whether he had just made a terrible mistake.

Ewroon didn’t say a word. His cheeks had turned bright red, and his tail swayed rapidly under the covers. He seemed incapable of holding Ash’s gaze for more than a couple of seconds. Then, very shyly, the hybrid’s hand came to rest against the back of Ash’s neck, and he closed the remaining distance himself.

The second kiss was different. Slower, longer, still unbelievably gentle. They had nothing to prove. They simply took their time. Time to realize that they were alive, that they were together, and that, from now on, they shared the same heart. When they finally pulled away, their foreheads remained pressed together, their breathing had fallen into the same rhythm, as though the bond had reached that far too. They stayed like that for a long while. For the first time that day, Ash finally felt calm.

Ewroon only pulled back to yawn. Ash remembered that the idiot had lost a tremendous amount of blood and had just gone through a heart transplant by ancient magical ritual. His body had to be completely exhausted. Ash slipped his arms around Ewroon’s back and shifted their positions.

“What the…”

The next thing he knew, Ash was lying on his back with the red panda sprawled on top of him. Ash couldn’t help letting out a small laugh at the hybrid’s surprised expression. Ewroon frowned at him.

“Stupid obsidian boy.”

Despite the insult, he settled comfortably against Ash, resting his head on his chest. His tail curled around Ash’s calf, gently brushing against it. Ash buried one hand in the hybrid’s hair, softly scratching behind the base of his ears. The red panda let out a contented sigh, and it felt as though his whole body melted against Ash’s, every muscle relaxing one after another. A soft sound escaped his throat, almost like a purr. Ash had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. It was adorable.

A few minutes later, Ewroon’s breathing became slow and steady as he gradually drifted off to sleep. Ash remained awake, unable to sleep after all the adrenaline that had run through his body that day.

The first rays of dawn slowly filtered through the window. Ash watched the sky grow brighter. Every now and then, the bond carried a quiet sense of peace. Then the anxiety returned. His or Ewroon’s, he already couldn’t tell anymore.

The Federation would hunt them. They would try to understand, to separate them, to turn their bond against them. The thought should have terrified him, and it did. But beneath that fear lay something else, something calm and unshakable. All his life, he had fought just to survive. Now, at last, he had a reason to fight.

He lowered his eyes to Ewroon, sleeping soundly against him. Ash pulled him a little closer, burying his nose in his hair at the base of his ears. For the first time in a long while, the future frightened him. But he was no longer afraid of facing it alone.

Together, they would destroy the Federation… or fall trying.

There was no other path left.