anonymous

(Eilir allowed the static the surround them, almost overwhelming them. It numbed the pain ever so slightly. They couldn’t See. A fog reminiscent of static filled their mind. They were vaguely aware of the glitching monstrosity they had become, and a faint voice in the back of their mind feared that they may be too far gone and that because of this, they had suffered a great loss. Someone… close, important to them. Why can’t they remember?)

<< he knew Eilir was suffering. He could tell, like a sixth sense. He groaned, ignoring the fight that was basically background noise to his ringing ears. He managed to sit up, though dizziness almost made him fall back down. On his hands and knees, he crawled over to the edge of the void. He couldn’t see Eilir, but he knew they were there. >>

<< suddenly Cypher felt a hand grab his own. He almost let go, startling and letting out a pained yelp. How deep was the void? Did it even have a depth? He pulled, but it burned his wounds and strained his body. He continued, however, and soon he had Eilir out of the Void. His eyes widened and he quickly pounced onto them, hugging them tight. >>

(they blinked deliriously. Their entire body still throbbed. The sudden weight of Knowledge that was momentarily cut off from them came crashing down at once upon them emerging from the void. They started to cry. Whoever held them, they felt so familiar, they felt safe. In the background they were aware of everything else going on; Jon laying bloodied and broken in the grass, Tim seeming… off, the entity. They tried to call out to both to see if they were ok)

(Tim didnt hear Eilir. Maybe it was the overwhelming ringing still plaguing him even after the explosion or, maybe it was the clear objective.

“Eilir-“ he froze, afraid.

(They shook their head)

”… if you say so..”

<< his eyes widened and he let out a short laugh, too, though quickly rushed to support them. Offering them a tense smile, he pulled them back against himself and leaned his head against their shoulder. >>

“Hmmm,” he hummed, putting a finger to his chin playfully, pretending to think thoroughly.

T̷̡̤͙̣̪̫͚̠̬̤͖̭̩̤̘͆͑̈̊̍͘h̵͍͍͐̈́̐̓̌̏̀͋̉̐̊̚͝͠͝á̶̢̨͎̞͔̲̩͈̙̔͜ṇ̸̢͍̞͙̰̞̳̦͔͓͎̉͊̏͘ͅk̴͈͚̜̫̀͆͗̋͛̒͗͑̀̈́̾͛͗͗̚ṣ̶̡̧̪͖̅…̴̧̬̯̦̱̙͕̳̣̓̔̎̓̓̒

<< he lightly bonked them with his head. >>

he sighed, biting his lip nervously and nodding. “i figured.” He murmured, giving them a smile.

(Eilir looked at him with the deepest sorrow and… fear? They were scared for Cypher. They seemed positively angry that anyone would hurt Cypher. They lightly but comfortingly hugged Cypher)

“It’s fine.” He said instantly, offering them a smile. He jolted a hit at the hug. “Don’t waste your energy.” He murmured playfully.

(they looked at him sympathetically and shook their head)

”hmm.” He hummed. “But… if you need more, I-I’m not- i can-“ he managed, trying to explain it. He was afraid to do it, for sure, but he was willing.

N̷͈͓̲̓̒͂-̷̨͖̜̘͍̼̀̊͜͜n̶̲͗͆̍̽̈́́ó̸̬̥̮̽̓͊͗͘̕…̵̢̢̦̜͎̪̯̱̈́̎̈̃̔̔̚͠ ̷͈͙̜͚̻̥̖̱̔̊͛͋̓̌̓͂C̴̘͕̆̊̐͘y̴̦̥̿͊͊̿͌̐̽̍p̸̢̢̧͈̭̬͊̿̓̋͋̒̔̒ḩ̸̩̞̩̻͆͒̉ę̸͚̪̆̓̎͂̇̈́̈́̀̚͝ͅͅr̵̢̦͆̇̓͌̇̐̑͝͠,̴̻̯̦̫̼̖̪̦͊͌͌͗́̈́͗͝ ̷̞̾̿̎̃͋͆͐͘i̷͕͂̐̽̓̽ť̴̮̻̘̂̌́͐̚͠’̵̰̯̗̺̞̔̍̽̈́̔̄͛͠s̶̨͎̠͈͖̟̯̲͎͐̽ͅ ̴̮̳̻͈̣͊̄̉̄͜h̵̨̲̩̬̼̠̹̣̔͋ͅŭ̴̡̧͕͔̘͓͕̝́̾̍̓͘͝ȑ̷̡̗̤̫̞͓͎̜̭̘̉̐̄͐͒̓̀̕͠ṯ̸̡̝̱͉͚̫͎̀́̓ͅí̴̟̘̹̝͋̄͆͊̋̇̀͘ņ̶̙̟͈̠͔͈̺̞̗̀́̽̓̐͒͋͊̕͠g̵̺̱͔̯̞̔̉͆͋̒́̕̕͝ ̶͍̙͇͐̔̿̓͛̄̎͌͌͜͝y̷̦̳̱̯̅͋̇̋͘͝͠͠o̷̪͉͓͔̜͑̈́̓͒̓̓̕͜u̵̧̯͓̬̺̬̒͛̎̓̈́̿̇̈̕̚…̵͖͇̗̫͎͖̟̥̞̓̿̇͛̕͠ ̴͕̘̝͎̊̀̃̈̄̀̈ ̶̢̡̉̈́͂̿̆Ì̵̼̹̗̣̰̹̃͑̄̈̄̾̽̉͘’̴̢̟̺̩̳̖͉̻̽͂͆͘͠ͅļ̶͙̱͔̠̯͚̠̇̈́̐͜ḻ̶͍̗̬̒̀̿͂͘ ̵̥͕̌̅͐̔͠b̷͙̩̖̹̤̳͒̈́̉̐̕͝ͅe̶̯̹̺͙̣͒̓̄͘ ̶͕͕̉͛̀͊́͆͋̊̑̾f̸̖̲̓̈́̀̄͌̿͛̄̕i̴͚͗͊̇̄ń̵̢̫̬̠͔̥̋̀͒͂̓͐̈́̋͘e̴̡̩̦̘̯͔͐̄…̴̻͔̟̫͖̅͆

“Stop arguing. It’s worth it, okay? I can literally see you getting better.” He smiled. “I… really care about you, okay? So, uh… don’t die.” He grinned as if he was proud of himself for that statement, though the light blush was unmistakable.

C̸͍͈̯̣͖͎̞̖̩͍̘͉͕̈́͐̈́̃͊̔͋̀̈͂͝͠͝ͅͅy̴̥̩͝p̷͉̹̃̊̅̿͗̇̑̓͋̌͝ḩ̷̨̢̤̻̬͑͐̂͆̔̑̓̊̈́͌́̏̚͘e̸̖̪͂͊̇̊̈́͠͝r̴̢̛̖͚̄̊͗…̸̡̬͍̫͙̙̖͙̬̹͙̞̣̖͒̀͘ ̸͕̫̯̲͔̮̅̔̂̆̑̂̅͂͆͋͛͘͝p̶͇̝͔̮̅̈́̓̓̄̆̊̚͘l̶̡̢̖͙̻̺͓̲͎̟̤̒́̂̎͌͘ͅȅ̶̡̛̳͍̮̳͎̯͈̉̾̊͒̇̌́͋̚ͅả̶̜͍͚̙̾̈́̋̿̀̆̽͛s̷̢̡̝͉͙̫̝͈̳̰̥͉̯̠̐͗̎̄̅͝ͅe̵̛̫̦̙͇̎̄̌̍̀͒̿̑̌ ̷̢̱͎̲̙̟̟̘̭͈̺͍̐̅͗͂̈̉́̏d̶̡̛͍̬̘̘͈̝͖̳̽̉̀͑͗̏o̴̡͍̔͂̔̇̂͑͑͋̎̐̂̚͘͜͠͝n̵̫͇̯̰̲̖̦̖̘̩͈̆̓̆̇̅̅̑̃̏̑̽͛̄̋͊’̶̨̯̤̗̿͐̇̆̇͒͑̐̃͝t̸͖̙̬̼̰̥̤͍̦̪͔̠͔̖̄…̸͇̠͍̟͓̪͓̗̻͎̙̌̇͜

They hated this, he could tell. He knew they weren’t doing good, he knew they’d probably need quite a few statements to actually get better. But he did knowww hat he’d do with - or more importantly, to - himself if they died and he hadn’t done everything he could.

<< he let out a sound akin to a breathless whimper, burying his face in their shoulder. They were too gentle with him. He was not fragile. His thoughts were cut short by a stoning, burning pain from one of his wounds… maybe he was a little fragile right now. >>

(Eilir simply shook their head)

“Eilir..” he said, voice concerned. “Eilir please- i- you Compel me or not, I’m telling you. You-“ he cut off. “You can’t die.”

N̴̬̟̠̳̫̠̬̞͛̊̆͛͋̀͝ó̷̭̪͗̇,̶̦̮͈͎̪̘̖̫̩̱̻̝̻͘ͅ ̷̛̦̥͕̘͍̄̏̾̈́̚C̸̬̹̲̰͚͇̠̱̬͈̞̗̬͒͌̆͑̀̏̚͜͜ÿ̷̧̡̤̜̥̼̭́̑́p̶̢͔̹̩̞̣̲̟͚̠͚͌̀͆̒͒͘͜h̶̢͚͚̗̟̘̳͖̜͎̏̔́̋͊̅̽̊̅̓͐͜ȩ̵̮͚͉̩̻͍̓͂̈́́̈́̕͝r̶̺̠̥͚̭͊̿̑̈́̋̎͐̄̅͌͒̿͐-̴̡̣̝̦̟̬̹̺̬͉͔̀͑́͌͆͋̚͝ ̴͕̝̗͖͖̠͔̲͋̓͑͐̔̅͋̒̎̈́ ̴̨̨͍̫̮̗͖̭̝͗̇̿̈̉̑͂̕͜ͅ(cough) I̷̤̣̦̝̖͆̾͒͌̇̆̄͊̒͐ͅ…̵̢̧̞͎̳͈̞̻̬̬̫̣̺̄ ̸̢͎̬̖̆̒I̶̲͔͌̆̍ ̷̨̡̰̞̳͍̩͉̹̱͉̭͆̐̈́̓͂̓̂͑͜͠͝ẉ̶̢̞̱͓̻̘̥̹̯͇̋́̎̏̓̀̓̈́o̸̫̳̮̿̾̔̉̕͝n̶̤̔̽͛̈́’̷̧͔̤̫̳̣͎̻̦͎̣̠̓̇̽̉̌̈̈́̅͌̂̊͘͝ţ̶̧̪̱̥̩̤͎̤̄͛̑̃̔ͅ ̶̨̡̨̢̨̗̭̯̗̲̦̲͙̀̎

He sighed heavily, his breaths as shaky as his hands. He shook his head.

He smiled, nodded, and gently rested his chin on Eilir’s shoulder.

“Shit-“ cypher managed, stumbling and collapsing to his hands and knees when Eilir moved away. He coughed, quickly covering up the blood he coughed up. “Eilir no-“

Ç̸̊ỷ̸̨̡̛̲͂p̴̖̽͌h̵̫̣̄́̀ë̷̼̬́̿͠r̴̻̘̾͠͝!̵̰̄̅ ̴̣͗̓P̷̞͑̑l̷̫̯̙̅̏̀ḛ̴̪͌̎͌͜a̵͔͔͗s̶̢̧̖̈̽̋ȩ̸̯͂͋…̸͙̬̐ ̷͖̥͛̚s̴͔̦̀t̵̼̙́̅a̸̺̘͌͗̋y̸͔̳̾ ̵̧̦͖͒b̸̯̪̂e̸̞̐͑̓h̸̢͑͋̌i̴̧̟̙̋̃́n̷̥̼̣̆̉d̷̜̹̻̋̓̍ ̶̢̟͕̋̒͠ḿ̵͔ẻ̶̢̂̂ ̸̼̒ ̵̥͎̇͆A̷̓͒̍͜n̸̟͈͌̔d̴͔̩̅…̷̢̝͕͋ ̶̞͊Ì̴͇̙̊’̷̈͜m̸̥̠̋ ̸̩̱̓s̷͕͑̆͗o̵̼͂̄͘r̴̼̰̩̓r̸͕̲͊̋͠y̸̯̌̈́̔ ̶̳͐

”no..” he managed, his voice a breathless plea. He reached out towards them, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t get up, everything hurt so, so very badly.

*The entity watched the interaction unfold as it stalked closer. Its smile appeared to somehow grow. It wanted to pounce, to attack now but wanted to wait for a better opportunity.*

Cypher managed a weak growl from behind Eilir, still defensive of Eilir even if he was pained and incapable of getting to his feet.

“Oh cute…Unfortunately growling won’t do you any good…”

He cried out in pain, bowing his head and pressing his hands tight to the bleeding wound on his ribs. It didn’t staunch the bleeding too well, however.

(Eilir flailed about wildly in the entities grip, infuriated at its attack on Cypher. The amount of static around them grew exponentially as Eilir went into a blind [not really blind lol] rage. They were succumbing to the Eye’s influence. They managed to nick the entity in the jaw with their foot, as their hands were too preoccupied in attempting to free their neck)

*The entity let out a surprised groan as it was kicked, dropping Ellir as it was caught off guard but immediately attacked back, manipulating the surrounding area’s ground, making these unsettling viney tentacles that seemed to be glitching arise from the dirt. The vines grabbed each of Ellir’s wrists (stabbed through them, actually) and pulled them down.*

(Eilir allowed the static the surround them, almost overwhelming them. It numbed the pain ever so slightly. They couldn’t See. A fog reminiscent of static filled their mind. They were vaguely aware of the glitching monstrosity they had become, and a faint voice in the back of their mind feared that they may be too far gone and that because of this, they had suffered a great loss. Someone… close, important to them. Why can’t they remember?)

<< he knew Eilir was suffering. He could tell, like a sixth sense. He groaned, ignoring the fight that was basically background noise to his ringing ears. He managed to sit up, though dizziness almost made him fall back down. On his hands and knees, he crawled over to the edge of the void. He couldn’t see Eilir, but he knew they were there. >>

<< suddenly Cypher felt a hand grab his own. He almost let go, startling and letting out a pained yelp. How deep was the void? Did it even have a depth? He pulled, but it burned his wounds and strained his body. He continued, however, and soon he had Eilir out of the Void. His eyes widened and he quickly pounced onto them, hugging them tight. >>

(they blinked deliriously. Their entire body still throbbed. The sudden weight of Knowledge that was momentarily cut off from them came crashing down at once upon them emerging from the void. They started to cry. Whoever held them, they felt so familiar, they felt safe. In the background they were aware of everything else going on; Jon laying bloodied and broken in the grass, Tim seeming… off, the entity. They tried to call out to both to see if they were ok)

(Tim didnt hear Eilir. Maybe it was the overwhelming ringing still plaguing him even after the explosion or, maybe it was the clear objective.

“Eilir-“ he froze, afraid.

(They shook their head)

”… if you say so..”

<< his eyes widened and he let out a short laugh, too, though quickly rushed to support them. Offering them a tense smile, he pulled them back against himself and leaned his head against their shoulder. >>

“Hmmm,” he hummed, putting a finger to his chin playfully, pretending to think thoroughly.

T̷̡̤͙̣̪̫͚̠̬̤͖̭̩̤̘͆͑̈̊̍͘h̵͍͍͐̈́̐̓̌̏̀͋̉̐̊̚͝͠͝á̶̢̨͎̞͔̲̩͈̙̔͜ṇ̸̢͍̞͙̰̞̳̦͔͓͎̉͊̏͘ͅk̴͈͚̜̫̀͆͗̋͛̒͗͑̀̈́̾͛͗͗̚ṣ̶̡̧̪͖̅…̴̧̬̯̦̱̙͕̳̣̓̔̎̓̓̒

<< he lightly bonked them with his head. >>

he sighed, biting his lip nervously and nodding. “i figured.” He murmured, giving them a smile.

(Eilir looked at him with the deepest sorrow and… fear? They were scared for Cypher. They seemed positively angry that anyone would hurt Cypher. They lightly but comfortingly hugged Cypher)

“It’s fine.” He said instantly, offering them a smile. He jolted a hit at the hug. “Don’t waste your energy.” He murmured playfully.

(they looked at him sympathetically and shook their head)

”hmm.” He hummed. “But… if you need more, I-I’m not- i can-“ he managed, trying to explain it. He was afraid to do it, for sure, but he was willing.

N̷͈͓̲̓̒͂-̷̨͖̜̘͍̼̀̊͜͜n̶̲͗͆̍̽̈́́ó̸̬̥̮̽̓͊͗͘̕…̵̢̢̦̜͎̪̯̱̈́̎̈̃̔̔̚͠ ̷͈͙̜͚̻̥̖̱̔̊͛͋̓̌̓͂C̴̘͕̆̊̐͘y̴̦̥̿͊͊̿͌̐̽̍p̸̢̢̧͈̭̬͊̿̓̋͋̒̔̒ḩ̸̩̞̩̻͆͒̉ę̸͚̪̆̓̎͂̇̈́̈́̀̚͝ͅͅr̵̢̦͆̇̓͌̇̐̑͝͠,̴̻̯̦̫̼̖̪̦͊͌͌͗́̈́͗͝ ̷̞̾̿̎̃͋͆͐͘i̷͕͂̐̽̓̽ť̴̮̻̘̂̌́͐̚͠’̵̰̯̗̺̞̔̍̽̈́̔̄͛͠s̶̨͎̠͈͖̟̯̲͎͐̽ͅ ̴̮̳̻͈̣͊̄̉̄͜h̵̨̲̩̬̼̠̹̣̔͋ͅŭ̴̡̧͕͔̘͓͕̝́̾̍̓͘͝ȑ̷̡̗̤̫̞͓͎̜̭̘̉̐̄͐͒̓̀̕͠ṯ̸̡̝̱͉͚̫͎̀́̓ͅí̴̟̘̹̝͋̄͆͊̋̇̀͘ņ̶̙̟͈̠͔͈̺̞̗̀́̽̓̐͒͋͊̕͠g̵̺̱͔̯̞̔̉͆͋̒́̕̕͝ ̶͍̙͇͐̔̿̓͛̄̎͌͌͜͝y̷̦̳̱̯̅͋̇̋͘͝͠͠o̷̪͉͓͔̜͑̈́̓͒̓̓̕͜u̵̧̯͓̬̺̬̒͛̎̓̈́̿̇̈̕̚…̵͖͇̗̫͎͖̟̥̞̓̿̇͛̕͠ ̴͕̘̝͎̊̀̃̈̄̀̈ ̶̢̡̉̈́͂̿̆Ì̵̼̹̗̣̰̹̃͑̄̈̄̾̽̉͘’̴̢̟̺̩̳̖͉̻̽͂͆͘͠ͅļ̶͙̱͔̠̯͚̠̇̈́̐͜ḻ̶͍̗̬̒̀̿͂͘ ̵̥͕̌̅͐̔͠b̷͙̩̖̹̤̳͒̈́̉̐̕͝ͅe̶̯̹̺͙̣͒̓̄͘ ̶͕͕̉͛̀͊́͆͋̊̑̾f̸̖̲̓̈́̀̄͌̿͛̄̕i̴͚͗͊̇̄ń̵̢̫̬̠͔̥̋̀͒͂̓͐̈́̋͘e̴̡̩̦̘̯͔͐̄…̴̻͔̟̫͖̅͆

“Stop arguing. It’s worth it, okay? I can literally see you getting better.” He smiled. “I… really care about you, okay? So, uh… don’t die.” He grinned as if he was proud of himself for that statement, though the light blush was unmistakable.

C̸͍͈̯̣͖͎̞̖̩͍̘͉͕̈́͐̈́̃͊̔͋̀̈͂͝͠͝ͅͅy̴̥̩͝p̷͉̹̃̊̅̿͗̇̑̓͋̌͝ḩ̷̨̢̤̻̬͑͐̂͆̔̑̓̊̈́͌́̏̚͘e̸̖̪͂͊̇̊̈́͠͝r̴̢̛̖͚̄̊͗…̸̡̬͍̫͙̙̖͙̬̹͙̞̣̖͒̀͘ ̸͕̫̯̲͔̮̅̔̂̆̑̂̅͂͆͋͛͘͝p̶͇̝͔̮̅̈́̓̓̄̆̊̚͘l̶̡̢̖͙̻̺͓̲͎̟̤̒́̂̎͌͘ͅȅ̶̡̛̳͍̮̳͎̯͈̉̾̊͒̇̌́͋̚ͅả̶̜͍͚̙̾̈́̋̿̀̆̽͛s̷̢̡̝͉͙̫̝͈̳̰̥͉̯̠̐͗̎̄̅͝ͅe̵̛̫̦̙͇̎̄̌̍̀͒̿̑̌ ̷̢̱͎̲̙̟̟̘̭͈̺͍̐̅͗͂̈̉́̏d̶̡̛͍̬̘̘͈̝͖̳̽̉̀͑͗̏o̴̡͍̔͂̔̇̂͑͑͋̎̐̂̚͘͜͠͝n̵̫͇̯̰̲̖̦̖̘̩͈̆̓̆̇̅̅̑̃̏̑̽͛̄̋͊’̶̨̯̤̗̿͐̇̆̇͒͑̐̃͝t̸͖̙̬̼̰̥̤͍̦̪͔̠͔̖̄…̸͇̠͍̟͓̪͓̗̻͎̙̌̇͜

They hated this, he could tell. He knew they weren’t doing good, he knew they’d probably need quite a few statements to actually get better. But he did knowww hat he’d do with - or more importantly, to - himself if they died and he hadn’t done everything he could.

<< he let out a sound akin to a breathless whimper, burying his face in their shoulder. They were too gentle with him. He was not fragile. His thoughts were cut short by a stoning, burning pain from one of his wounds… maybe he was a little fragile right now. >>

(Eilir simply shook their head)

“Eilir..” he said, voice concerned. “Eilir please- i- you Compel me or not, I’m telling you. You-“ he cut off. “You can’t die.”

N̴̬̟̠̳̫̠̬̞͛̊̆͛͋̀͝ó̷̭̪͗̇,̶̦̮͈͎̪̘̖̫̩̱̻̝̻͘ͅ ̷̛̦̥͕̘͍̄̏̾̈́̚C̸̬̹̲̰͚͇̠̱̬͈̞̗̬͒͌̆͑̀̏̚͜͜ÿ̷̧̡̤̜̥̼̭́̑́p̶̢͔̹̩̞̣̲̟͚̠͚͌̀͆̒͒͘͜h̶̢͚͚̗̟̘̳͖̜͎̏̔́̋͊̅̽̊̅̓͐͜ȩ̵̮͚͉̩̻͍̓͂̈́́̈́̕͝r̶̺̠̥͚̭͊̿̑̈́̋̎͐̄̅͌͒̿͐-̴̡̣̝̦̟̬̹̺̬͉͔̀͑́͌͆͋̚͝ ̴͕̝̗͖͖̠͔̲͋̓͑͐̔̅͋̒̎̈́ ̴̨̨͍̫̮̗͖̭̝͗̇̿̈̉̑͂̕͜ͅ(cough) I̷̤̣̦̝̖͆̾͒͌̇̆̄͊̒͐ͅ…̵̢̧̞͎̳͈̞̻̬̬̫̣̺̄ ̸̢͎̬̖̆̒I̶̲͔͌̆̍ ̷̨̡̰̞̳͍̩͉̹̱͉̭͆̐̈́̓͂̓̂͑͜͠͝ẉ̶̢̞̱͓̻̘̥̹̯͇̋́̎̏̓̀̓̈́o̸̫̳̮̿̾̔̉̕͝n̶̤̔̽͛̈́’̷̧͔̤̫̳̣͎̻̦͎̣̠̓̇̽̉̌̈̈́̅͌̂̊͘͝ţ̶̧̪̱̥̩̤͎̤̄͛̑̃̔ͅ ̶̨̡̨̢̨̗̭̯̗̲̦̲͙̀̎

He sighed heavily, his breaths as shaky as his hands. He shook his head.

He smiled, nodded, and gently rested his chin on Eilir’s shoulder.

“Shit-“ cypher managed, stumbling and collapsing to his hands and knees when Eilir moved away. He coughed, quickly covering up the blood he coughed up. “Eilir no-“

Ç̸̊ỷ̸̨̡̛̲͂p̴̖̽͌h̵̫̣̄́̀ë̷̼̬́̿͠r̴̻̘̾͠͝!̵̰̄̅ ̴̣͗̓P̷̞͑̑l̷̫̯̙̅̏̀ḛ̴̪͌̎͌͜a̵͔͔͗s̶̢̧̖̈̽̋ȩ̸̯͂͋…̸͙̬̐ ̷͖̥͛̚s̴͔̦̀t̵̼̙́̅a̸̺̘͌͗̋y̸͔̳̾ ̵̧̦͖͒b̸̯̪̂e̸̞̐͑̓h̸̢͑͋̌i̴̧̟̙̋̃́n̷̥̼̣̆̉d̷̜̹̻̋̓̍ ̶̢̟͕̋̒͠ḿ̵͔ẻ̶̢̂̂ ̸̼̒ ̵̥͎̇͆A̷̓͒̍͜n̸̟͈͌̔d̴͔̩̅…̷̢̝͕͋ ̶̞͊Ì̴͇̙̊’̷̈͜m̸̥̠̋ ̸̩̱̓s̷͕͑̆͗o̵̼͂̄͘r̴̼̰̩̓r̸͕̲͊̋͠y̸̯̌̈́̔ ̶̳͐

”no..” he managed, his voice a breathless plea. He reached out towards them, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t get up, everything hurt so, so very badly.

*The entity watched the interaction unfold as it stalked closer. Its smile appeared to somehow grow. It wanted to pounce, to attack now but wanted to wait for a better opportunity.*

Cypher managed a weak growl from behind Eilir, still defensive of Eilir even if he was pained and incapable of getting to his feet.

“Oh cute…Unfortunately growling won’t do you any good…”

He cried out in pain, bowing his head and pressing his hands tight to the bleeding wound on his ribs. It didn’t staunch the bleeding too well, however.

(Eilir flailed about wildly in the entities grip, infuriated at its attack on Cypher. The amount of static around them grew exponentially as Eilir went into a blind [not really blind lol] rage. They were succumbing to the Eye’s influence. They managed to nick the entity in the jaw with their foot, as their hands were too preoccupied in attempting to free their neck)

*The entity let out a surprised groan as it was kicked, dropping Ellir as it was caught off guard but immediately attacked back, manipulating the surrounding area’s ground, making these unsettling viney tentacles that seemed to be glitching arise from the dirt. The vines grabbed each of Ellir’s wrists (stabbed through them, actually) and pulled them down.*

(Eilir allowed the static the surround them, almost overwhelming them. It numbed the pain ever so slightly. They couldn’t See. A fog reminiscent of static filled their mind. They were vaguely aware of the glitching monstrosity they had become, and a faint voice in the back of their mind feared that they may be too far gone and that because of this, they had suffered a great loss. Someone… close, important to them. Why can’t they remember?)

<< he knew Eilir was suffering. He could tell, like a sixth sense. He groaned, ignoring the fight that was basically background noise to his ringing ears. He managed to sit up, though dizziness almost made him fall back down. On his hands and knees, he crawled over to the edge of the void. He couldn’t see Eilir, but he knew they were there. >>

<< suddenly Cypher felt a hand grab his own. He almost let go, startling and letting out a pained yelp. How deep was the void? Did it even have a depth? He pulled, but it burned his wounds and strained his body. He continued, however, and soon he had Eilir out of the Void. His eyes widened and he quickly pounced onto them, hugging them tight. >>

(they blinked deliriously. Their entire body still throbbed. The sudden weight of Knowledge that was momentarily cut off from them came crashing down at once upon them emerging from the void. They started to cry. Whoever held them, they felt so familiar, they felt safe. In the background they were aware of everything else going on; Jon laying bloodied and broken in the grass, Tim seeming… off, the entity. They tried to call out to both to see if they were ok)

(Tim didnt hear Eilir. Maybe it was the overwhelming ringing still plaguing him even after the explosion or, maybe it was the clear objective.

“Eilir-“ he froze, afraid.

(They shook their head)

”… if you say so..”

<< his eyes widened and he let out a short laugh, too, though quickly rushed to support them. Offering them a tense smile, he pulled them back against himself and leaned his head against their shoulder. >>

“Hmmm,” he hummed, putting a finger to his chin playfully, pretending to think thoroughly.

T̷̡̤͙̣̪̫͚̠̬̤͖̭̩̤̘͆͑̈̊̍͘h̵͍͍͐̈́̐̓̌̏̀͋̉̐̊̚͝͠͝á̶̢̨͎̞͔̲̩͈̙̔͜ṇ̸̢͍̞͙̰̞̳̦͔͓͎̉͊̏͘ͅk̴͈͚̜̫̀͆͗̋͛̒͗͑̀̈́̾͛͗͗̚ṣ̶̡̧̪͖̅…̴̧̬̯̦̱̙͕̳̣̓̔̎̓̓̒

<< he lightly bonked them with his head. >>

he sighed, biting his lip nervously and nodding. “i figured.” He murmured, giving them a smile.

(Eilir looked at him with the deepest sorrow and… fear? They were scared for Cypher. They seemed positively angry that anyone would hurt Cypher. They lightly but comfortingly hugged Cypher)

“It’s fine.” He said instantly, offering them a smile. He jolted a hit at the hug. “Don’t waste your energy.” He murmured playfully.

(they looked at him sympathetically and shook their head)

”hmm.” He hummed. “But… if you need more, I-I’m not- i can-“ he managed, trying to explain it. He was afraid to do it, for sure, but he was willing.

N̷͈͓̲̓̒͂-̷̨͖̜̘͍̼̀̊͜͜n̶̲͗͆̍̽̈́́ó̸̬̥̮̽̓͊͗͘̕…̵̢̢̦̜͎̪̯̱̈́̎̈̃̔̔̚͠ ̷͈͙̜͚̻̥̖̱̔̊͛͋̓̌̓͂C̴̘͕̆̊̐͘y̴̦̥̿͊͊̿͌̐̽̍p̸̢̢̧͈̭̬͊̿̓̋͋̒̔̒ḩ̸̩̞̩̻͆͒̉ę̸͚̪̆̓̎͂̇̈́̈́̀̚͝ͅͅr̵̢̦͆̇̓͌̇̐̑͝͠,̴̻̯̦̫̼̖̪̦͊͌͌͗́̈́͗͝ ̷̞̾̿̎̃͋͆͐͘i̷͕͂̐̽̓̽ť̴̮̻̘̂̌́͐̚͠’̵̰̯̗̺̞̔̍̽̈́̔̄͛͠s̶̨͎̠͈͖̟̯̲͎͐̽ͅ ̴̮̳̻͈̣͊̄̉̄͜h̵̨̲̩̬̼̠̹̣̔͋ͅŭ̴̡̧͕͔̘͓͕̝́̾̍̓͘͝ȑ̷̡̗̤̫̞͓͎̜̭̘̉̐̄͐͒̓̀̕͠ṯ̸̡̝̱͉͚̫͎̀́̓ͅí̴̟̘̹̝͋̄͆͊̋̇̀͘ņ̶̙̟͈̠͔͈̺̞̗̀́̽̓̐͒͋͊̕͠g̵̺̱͔̯̞̔̉͆͋̒́̕̕͝ ̶͍̙͇͐̔̿̓͛̄̎͌͌͜͝y̷̦̳̱̯̅͋̇̋͘͝͠͠o̷̪͉͓͔̜͑̈́̓͒̓̓̕͜u̵̧̯͓̬̺̬̒͛̎̓̈́̿̇̈̕̚…̵͖͇̗̫͎͖̟̥̞̓̿̇͛̕͠ ̴͕̘̝͎̊̀̃̈̄̀̈ ̶̢̡̉̈́͂̿̆Ì̵̼̹̗̣̰̹̃͑̄̈̄̾̽̉͘’̴̢̟̺̩̳̖͉̻̽͂͆͘͠ͅļ̶͙̱͔̠̯͚̠̇̈́̐͜ḻ̶͍̗̬̒̀̿͂͘ ̵̥͕̌̅͐̔͠b̷͙̩̖̹̤̳͒̈́̉̐̕͝ͅe̶̯̹̺͙̣͒̓̄͘ ̶͕͕̉͛̀͊́͆͋̊̑̾f̸̖̲̓̈́̀̄͌̿͛̄̕i̴͚͗͊̇̄ń̵̢̫̬̠͔̥̋̀͒͂̓͐̈́̋͘e̴̡̩̦̘̯͔͐̄…̴̻͔̟̫͖̅͆

“Stop arguing. It’s worth it, okay? I can literally see you getting better.” He smiled. “I… really care about you, okay? So, uh… don’t die.” He grinned as if he was proud of himself for that statement, though the light blush was unmistakable.

C̸͍͈̯̣͖͎̞̖̩͍̘͉͕̈́͐̈́̃͊̔͋̀̈͂͝͠͝ͅͅy̴̥̩͝p̷͉̹̃̊̅̿͗̇̑̓͋̌͝ḩ̷̨̢̤̻̬͑͐̂͆̔̑̓̊̈́͌́̏̚͘e̸̖̪͂͊̇̊̈́͠͝r̴̢̛̖͚̄̊͗…̸̡̬͍̫͙̙̖͙̬̹͙̞̣̖͒̀͘ ̸͕̫̯̲͔̮̅̔̂̆̑̂̅͂͆͋͛͘͝p̶͇̝͔̮̅̈́̓̓̄̆̊̚͘l̶̡̢̖͙̻̺͓̲͎̟̤̒́̂̎͌͘ͅȅ̶̡̛̳͍̮̳͎̯͈̉̾̊͒̇̌́͋̚ͅả̶̜͍͚̙̾̈́̋̿̀̆̽͛s̷̢̡̝͉͙̫̝͈̳̰̥͉̯̠̐͗̎̄̅͝ͅe̵̛̫̦̙͇̎̄̌̍̀͒̿̑̌ ̷̢̱͎̲̙̟̟̘̭͈̺͍̐̅͗͂̈̉́̏d̶̡̛͍̬̘̘͈̝͖̳̽̉̀͑͗̏o̴̡͍̔͂̔̇̂͑͑͋̎̐̂̚͘͜͠͝n̵̫͇̯̰̲̖̦̖̘̩͈̆̓̆̇̅̅̑̃̏̑̽͛̄̋͊’̶̨̯̤̗̿͐̇̆̇͒͑̐̃͝t̸͖̙̬̼̰̥̤͍̦̪͔̠͔̖̄…̸͇̠͍̟͓̪͓̗̻͎̙̌̇͜

They hated this, he could tell. He knew they weren’t doing good, he knew they’d probably need quite a few statements to actually get better. But he did knowww hat he’d do with - or more importantly, to - himself if they died and he hadn’t done everything he could.

<< he let out a sound akin to a breathless whimper, burying his face in their shoulder. They were too gentle with him. He was not fragile. His thoughts were cut short by a stoning, burning pain from one of his wounds… maybe he was a little fragile right now. >>

(Eilir simply shook their head)

“Eilir..” he said, voice concerned. “Eilir please- i- you Compel me or not, I’m telling you. You-“ he cut off. “You can’t die.”

N̴̬̟̠̳̫̠̬̞͛̊̆͛͋̀͝ó̷̭̪͗̇,̶̦̮͈͎̪̘̖̫̩̱̻̝̻͘ͅ ̷̛̦̥͕̘͍̄̏̾̈́̚C̸̬̹̲̰͚͇̠̱̬͈̞̗̬͒͌̆͑̀̏̚͜͜ÿ̷̧̡̤̜̥̼̭́̑́p̶̢͔̹̩̞̣̲̟͚̠͚͌̀͆̒͒͘͜h̶̢͚͚̗̟̘̳͖̜͎̏̔́̋͊̅̽̊̅̓͐͜ȩ̵̮͚͉̩̻͍̓͂̈́́̈́̕͝r̶̺̠̥͚̭͊̿̑̈́̋̎͐̄̅͌͒̿͐-̴̡̣̝̦̟̬̹̺̬͉͔̀͑́͌͆͋̚͝ ̴͕̝̗͖͖̠͔̲͋̓͑͐̔̅͋̒̎̈́ ̴̨̨͍̫̮̗͖̭̝͗̇̿̈̉̑͂̕͜ͅ(cough) I̷̤̣̦̝̖͆̾͒͌̇̆̄͊̒͐ͅ…̵̢̧̞͎̳͈̞̻̬̬̫̣̺̄ ̸̢͎̬̖̆̒I̶̲͔͌̆̍ ̷̨̡̰̞̳͍̩͉̹̱͉̭͆̐̈́̓͂̓̂͑͜͠͝ẉ̶̢̞̱͓̻̘̥̹̯͇̋́̎̏̓̀̓̈́o̸̫̳̮̿̾̔̉̕͝n̶̤̔̽͛̈́’̷̧͔̤̫̳̣͎̻̦͎̣̠̓̇̽̉̌̈̈́̅͌̂̊͘͝ţ̶̧̪̱̥̩̤͎̤̄͛̑̃̔ͅ ̶̨̡̨̢̨̗̭̯̗̲̦̲͙̀̎

He sighed heavily, his breaths as shaky as his hands. He shook his head.

He smiled, nodded, and gently rested his chin on Eilir’s shoulder.

“Shit-“ cypher managed, stumbling and collapsing to his hands and knees when Eilir moved away. He coughed, quickly covering up the blood he coughed up. “Eilir no-“

Ç̸̊ỷ̸̨̡̛̲͂p̴̖̽͌h̵̫̣̄́̀ë̷̼̬́̿͠r̴̻̘̾͠͝!̵̰̄̅ ̴̣͗̓P̷̞͑̑l̷̫̯̙̅̏̀ḛ̴̪͌̎͌͜a̵͔͔͗s̶̢̧̖̈̽̋ȩ̸̯͂͋…̸͙̬̐ ̷͖̥͛̚s̴͔̦̀t̵̼̙́̅a̸̺̘͌͗̋y̸͔̳̾ ̵̧̦͖͒b̸̯̪̂e̸̞̐͑̓h̸̢͑͋̌i̴̧̟̙̋̃́n̷̥̼̣̆̉d̷̜̹̻̋̓̍ ̶̢̟͕̋̒͠ḿ̵͔ẻ̶̢̂̂ ̸̼̒ ̵̥͎̇͆A̷̓͒̍͜n̸̟͈͌̔d̴͔̩̅…̷̢̝͕͋ ̶̞͊Ì̴͇̙̊’̷̈͜m̸̥̠̋ ̸̩̱̓s̷͕͑̆͗o̵̼͂̄͘r̴̼̰̩̓r̸͕̲͊̋͠y̸̯̌̈́̔ ̶̳͐

”no..” he managed, his voice a breathless plea. He reached out towards them, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t get up, everything hurt so, so very badly.

*The entity watched the interaction unfold as it stalked closer. Its smile appeared to somehow grow. It wanted to pounce, to attack now but wanted to wait for a better opportunity.*

Cypher managed a weak growl from behind Eilir, still defensive of Eilir even if he was pained and incapable of getting to his feet.

“Oh cute…Unfortunately growling won’t do you any good…”

(Eilir allowed the static the surround them, almost overwhelming them. It numbed the pain ever so slightly. They couldn’t See. A fog reminiscent of static filled their mind. They were vaguely aware of the glitching monstrosity they had become, and a faint voice in the back of their mind feared that they may be too far gone and that because of this, they had suffered a great loss. Someone… close, important to them. Why can’t they remember?)

<< he knew Eilir was suffering. He could tell, like a sixth sense. He groaned, ignoring the fight that was basically background noise to his ringing ears. He managed to sit up, though dizziness almost made him fall back down. On his hands and knees, he crawled over to the edge of the void. He couldn’t see Eilir, but he knew they were there. >>

<< suddenly Cypher felt a hand grab his own. He almost let go, startling and letting out a pained yelp. How deep was the void? Did it even have a depth? He pulled, but it burned his wounds and strained his body. He continued, however, and soon he had Eilir out of the Void. His eyes widened and he quickly pounced onto them, hugging them tight. >>

(they blinked deliriously. Their entire body still throbbed. The sudden weight of Knowledge that was momentarily cut off from them came crashing down at once upon them emerging from the void. They started to cry. Whoever held them, they felt so familiar, they felt safe. In the background they were aware of everything else going on; Jon laying bloodied and broken in the grass, Tim seeming… off, the entity. They tried to call out to both to see if they were ok)

(Tim didnt hear Eilir. Maybe it was the overwhelming ringing still plaguing him even after the explosion or, maybe it was the clear objective.

“Eilir-“ he froze, afraid.

(They shook their head)

”… if you say so..”

<< his eyes widened and he let out a short laugh, too, though quickly rushed to support them. Offering them a tense smile, he pulled them back against himself and leaned his head against their shoulder. >>

“Hmmm,” he hummed, putting a finger to his chin playfully, pretending to think thoroughly.

T̷̡̤͙̣̪̫͚̠̬̤͖̭̩̤̘͆͑̈̊̍͘h̵͍͍͐̈́̐̓̌̏̀͋̉̐̊̚͝͠͝á̶̢̨͎̞͔̲̩͈̙̔͜ṇ̸̢͍̞͙̰̞̳̦͔͓͎̉͊̏͘ͅk̴͈͚̜̫̀͆͗̋͛̒͗͑̀̈́̾͛͗͗̚ṣ̶̡̧̪͖̅…̴̧̬̯̦̱̙͕̳̣̓̔̎̓̓̒

<< he lightly bonked them with his head. >>

he sighed, biting his lip nervously and nodding. “i figured.” He murmured, giving them a smile.

(Eilir looked at him with the deepest sorrow and… fear? They were scared for Cypher. They seemed positively angry that anyone would hurt Cypher. They lightly but comfortingly hugged Cypher)

“It’s fine.” He said instantly, offering them a smile. He jolted a hit at the hug. “Don’t waste your energy.” He murmured playfully.

(they looked at him sympathetically and shook their head)

”hmm.” He hummed. “But… if you need more, I-I’m not- i can-“ he managed, trying to explain it. He was afraid to do it, for sure, but he was willing.

N̷͈͓̲̓̒͂-̷̨͖̜̘͍̼̀̊͜͜n̶̲͗͆̍̽̈́́ó̸̬̥̮̽̓͊͗͘̕…̵̢̢̦̜͎̪̯̱̈́̎̈̃̔̔̚͠ ̷͈͙̜͚̻̥̖̱̔̊͛͋̓̌̓͂C̴̘͕̆̊̐͘y̴̦̥̿͊͊̿͌̐̽̍p̸̢̢̧͈̭̬͊̿̓̋͋̒̔̒ḩ̸̩̞̩̻͆͒̉ę̸͚̪̆̓̎͂̇̈́̈́̀̚͝ͅͅr̵̢̦͆̇̓͌̇̐̑͝͠,̴̻̯̦̫̼̖̪̦͊͌͌͗́̈́͗͝ ̷̞̾̿̎̃͋͆͐͘i̷͕͂̐̽̓̽ť̴̮̻̘̂̌́͐̚͠’̵̰̯̗̺̞̔̍̽̈́̔̄͛͠s̶̨͎̠͈͖̟̯̲͎͐̽ͅ ̴̮̳̻͈̣͊̄̉̄͜h̵̨̲̩̬̼̠̹̣̔͋ͅŭ̴̡̧͕͔̘͓͕̝́̾̍̓͘͝ȑ̷̡̗̤̫̞͓͎̜̭̘̉̐̄͐͒̓̀̕͠ṯ̸̡̝̱͉͚̫͎̀́̓ͅí̴̟̘̹̝͋̄͆͊̋̇̀͘ņ̶̙̟͈̠͔͈̺̞̗̀́̽̓̐͒͋͊̕͠g̵̺̱͔̯̞̔̉͆͋̒́̕̕͝ ̶͍̙͇͐̔̿̓͛̄̎͌͌͜͝y̷̦̳̱̯̅͋̇̋͘͝͠͠o̷̪͉͓͔̜͑̈́̓͒̓̓̕͜u̵̧̯͓̬̺̬̒͛̎̓̈́̿̇̈̕̚…̵͖͇̗̫͎͖̟̥̞̓̿̇͛̕͠ ̴͕̘̝͎̊̀̃̈̄̀̈ ̶̢̡̉̈́͂̿̆Ì̵̼̹̗̣̰̹̃͑̄̈̄̾̽̉͘’̴̢̟̺̩̳̖͉̻̽͂͆͘͠ͅļ̶͙̱͔̠̯͚̠̇̈́̐͜ḻ̶͍̗̬̒̀̿͂͘ ̵̥͕̌̅͐̔͠b̷͙̩̖̹̤̳͒̈́̉̐̕͝ͅe̶̯̹̺͙̣͒̓̄͘ ̶͕͕̉͛̀͊́͆͋̊̑̾f̸̖̲̓̈́̀̄͌̿͛̄̕i̴͚͗͊̇̄ń̵̢̫̬̠͔̥̋̀͒͂̓͐̈́̋͘e̴̡̩̦̘̯͔͐̄…̴̻͔̟̫͖̅͆

“Stop arguing. It’s worth it, okay? I can literally see you getting better.” He smiled. “I… really care about you, okay? So, uh… don’t die.” He grinned as if he was proud of himself for that statement, though the light blush was unmistakable.

C̸͍͈̯̣͖͎̞̖̩͍̘͉͕̈́͐̈́̃͊̔͋̀̈͂͝͠͝ͅͅy̴̥̩͝p̷͉̹̃̊̅̿͗̇̑̓͋̌͝ḩ̷̨̢̤̻̬͑͐̂͆̔̑̓̊̈́͌́̏̚͘e̸̖̪͂͊̇̊̈́͠͝r̴̢̛̖͚̄̊͗…̸̡̬͍̫͙̙̖͙̬̹͙̞̣̖͒̀͘ ̸͕̫̯̲͔̮̅̔̂̆̑̂̅͂͆͋͛͘͝p̶͇̝͔̮̅̈́̓̓̄̆̊̚͘l̶̡̢̖͙̻̺͓̲͎̟̤̒́̂̎͌͘ͅȅ̶̡̛̳͍̮̳͎̯͈̉̾̊͒̇̌́͋̚ͅả̶̜͍͚̙̾̈́̋̿̀̆̽͛s̷̢̡̝͉͙̫̝͈̳̰̥͉̯̠̐͗̎̄̅͝ͅe̵̛̫̦̙͇̎̄̌̍̀͒̿̑̌ ̷̢̱͎̲̙̟̟̘̭͈̺͍̐̅͗͂̈̉́̏d̶̡̛͍̬̘̘͈̝͖̳̽̉̀͑͗̏o̴̡͍̔͂̔̇̂͑͑͋̎̐̂̚͘͜͠͝n̵̫͇̯̰̲̖̦̖̘̩͈̆̓̆̇̅̅̑̃̏̑̽͛̄̋͊’̶̨̯̤̗̿͐̇̆̇͒͑̐̃͝t̸͖̙̬̼̰̥̤͍̦̪͔̠͔̖̄…̸͇̠͍̟͓̪͓̗̻͎̙̌̇͜

They hated this, he could tell. He knew they weren’t doing good, he knew they’d probably need quite a few statements to actually get better. But he did knowww hat he’d do with - or more importantly, to - himself if they died and he hadn’t done everything he could.

<< he let out a sound akin to a breathless whimper, burying his face in their shoulder. They were too gentle with him. He was not fragile. His thoughts were cut short by a stoning, burning pain from one of his wounds… maybe he was a little fragile right now. >>

(Eilir simply shook their head)

“Eilir..” he said, voice concerned. “Eilir please- i- you Compel me or not, I’m telling you. You-“ he cut off. “You can’t die.”

N̴̬̟̠̳̫̠̬̞͛̊̆͛͋̀͝ó̷̭̪͗̇,̶̦̮͈͎̪̘̖̫̩̱̻̝̻͘ͅ ̷̛̦̥͕̘͍̄̏̾̈́̚C̸̬̹̲̰͚͇̠̱̬͈̞̗̬͒͌̆͑̀̏̚͜͜ÿ̷̧̡̤̜̥̼̭́̑́p̶̢͔̹̩̞̣̲̟͚̠͚͌̀͆̒͒͘͜h̶̢͚͚̗̟̘̳͖̜͎̏̔́̋͊̅̽̊̅̓͐͜ȩ̵̮͚͉̩̻͍̓͂̈́́̈́̕͝r̶̺̠̥͚̭͊̿̑̈́̋̎͐̄̅͌͒̿͐-̴̡̣̝̦̟̬̹̺̬͉͔̀͑́͌͆͋̚͝ ̴͕̝̗͖͖̠͔̲͋̓͑͐̔̅͋̒̎̈́ ̴̨̨͍̫̮̗͖̭̝͗̇̿̈̉̑͂̕͜ͅ(cough) I̷̤̣̦̝̖͆̾͒͌̇̆̄͊̒͐ͅ…̵̢̧̞͎̳͈̞̻̬̬̫̣̺̄ ̸̢͎̬̖̆̒I̶̲͔͌̆̍ ̷̨̡̰̞̳͍̩͉̹̱͉̭͆̐̈́̓͂̓̂͑͜͠͝ẉ̶̢̞̱͓̻̘̥̹̯͇̋́̎̏̓̀̓̈́o̸̫̳̮̿̾̔̉̕͝n̶̤̔̽͛̈́’̷̧͔̤̫̳̣͎̻̦͎̣̠̓̇̽̉̌̈̈́̅͌̂̊͘͝ţ̶̧̪̱̥̩̤͎̤̄͛̑̃̔ͅ ̶̨̡̨̢̨̗̭̯̗̲̦̲͙̀̎

He sighed heavily, his breaths as shaky as his hands. He shook his head.

He smiled, nodded, and gently rested his chin on Eilir’s shoulder.

“Shit-“ cypher managed, stumbling and collapsing to his hands and knees when Eilir moved away. He coughed, quickly covering up the blood he coughed up. “Eilir no-“

Ç̸̊ỷ̸̨̡̛̲͂p̴̖̽͌h̵̫̣̄́̀ë̷̼̬́̿͠r̴̻̘̾͠͝!̵̰̄̅ ̴̣͗̓P̷̞͑̑l̷̫̯̙̅̏̀ḛ̴̪͌̎͌͜a̵͔͔͗s̶̢̧̖̈̽̋ȩ̸̯͂͋…̸͙̬̐ ̷͖̥͛̚s̴͔̦̀t̵̼̙́̅a̸̺̘͌͗̋y̸͔̳̾ ̵̧̦͖͒b̸̯̪̂e̸̞̐͑̓h̸̢͑͋̌i̴̧̟̙̋̃́n̷̥̼̣̆̉d̷̜̹̻̋̓̍ ̶̢̟͕̋̒͠ḿ̵͔ẻ̶̢̂̂ ̸̼̒ ̵̥͎̇͆A̷̓͒̍͜n̸̟͈͌̔d̴͔̩̅…̷̢̝͕͋ ̶̞͊Ì̴͇̙̊’̷̈͜m̸̥̠̋ ̸̩̱̓s̷͕͑̆͗o̵̼͂̄͘r̴̼̰̩̓r̸͕̲͊̋͠y̸̯̌̈́̔ ̶̳͐

”no..” he managed, his voice a breathless plea. He reached out towards them, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t get up, everything hurt so, so very badly.

*The entity watched the interaction unfold as it stalked closer. Its smile appeared to somehow grow. It wanted to pounce, to attack now but wanted to wait for a better opportunity.*

(Eilir allowed the static the surround them, almost overwhelming them. It numbed the pain ever so slightly. They couldn’t See. A fog reminiscent of static filled their mind. They were vaguely aware of the glitching monstrosity they had become, and a faint voice in the back of their mind feared that they may be too far gone and that because of this, they had suffered a great loss. Someone… close, important to them. Why can’t they remember?)

<< he knew Eilir was suffering. He could tell, like a sixth sense. He groaned, ignoring the fight that was basically background noise to his ringing ears. He managed to sit up, though dizziness almost made him fall back down. On his hands and knees, he crawled over to the edge of the void. He couldn’t see Eilir, but he knew they were there. >>

<< suddenly Cypher felt a hand grab his own. He almost let go, startling and letting out a pained yelp. How deep was the void? Did it even have a depth? He pulled, but it burned his wounds and strained his body. He continued, however, and soon he had Eilir out of the Void. His eyes widened and he quickly pounced onto them, hugging them tight. >>

(they blinked deliriously. Their entire body still throbbed. The sudden weight of Knowledge that was momentarily cut off from them came crashing down at once upon them emerging from the void. They started to cry. Whoever held them, they felt so familiar, they felt safe. In the background they were aware of everything else going on; Jon laying bloodied and broken in the grass, Tim seeming… off, the entity. They tried to call out to both to see if they were ok)

(Tim didnt hear Eilir. Maybe it was the overwhelming ringing still plaguing him even after the explosion or, maybe it was the clear objective.

(After finally reaching Jon. Tim has a moment to collect his thoughts and, process everything that's happening.

<< he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He pulled Eilir closer, supporting their battered body against his own. >>

“Can’t exactly be super careful when there’s a evil computer thing here but yeah I’ll try”

(Eilir managed to compose themself after a minute and immediately tried standing up, attempting to go after the computer. Instead, they practically fell on their face before taking the first step. They looked up and flared at the entity)

(( holy shit i fell asleep i am so sorry / ooc ))

Tim: Sorry for party rocking 👅👅

Tim Is Alive

Sorry to break it to u but you don't actually know that! Ur just hanging on to tiny bit of hope (and I say tiny bit bcz there's a big part of u that knows that Tim might be dead)!

FUCK THEYRE ONTO ME MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE

Tim: Sorry for party rocking 👅👅

Tim Is Alive

Sorry to break it to u but you don't actually know that! Ur just hanging on to tiny bit of hope (and I say tiny bit bcz there's a big part of u that knows that Tim might be dead)!

Tim, what do we do!?

Ok. Y-yeah, you do that.

Jon ran. You won’t find him.

(Tim just looks between the two.)

Yes, please get its attention.

*Jon was stopped at what seemed to be…just a devoid of…anything. He was standing there in shock, horrified. They were in for some reeeaaal shit.*

Oh gods…

You tried to distract me?!

*It stood there for a second before pushing Ellir down…whatever void there was forming around where they were. It was just…never ending.*

…Nope!

You know what I will! I'll show you.

“TIM!”

( Cypher had stopped his rampage to dodge the explosion, but noticed Jon just... Laying there. Perfectly still. He lightly waves the spider away before helping Jon up and carrying his weight. )

(it sits, waiting)

*…The thing came out pretty unscathed but the dynamite did at least SOMETHING to weaken it. It was angry but that wasn’t going to let it stop it.*

(The spider scurries over to the entity, waving its arms angrily. It was adorable to watch. Almost out of nowhere, a mass of hundreds of thousands of spiders come to the first spider’s aid. Together, they clambered over each other until the form they made resembled a humanoid figure)

Well I do too. And you’re in my world. Treading on my territory isn’t smart…

Ah, you forget! You’re actually encroaching on my territory by bringing this technological madhouse here. My darling spiders are quite capable of handling themselves as well, even if it’s on ‘your’ territory. Now, I kindly suggest that you release the Archivist or face the consequences that the Mother will give. And she does not play fair…

{ his door opens from nowhere. Was it always there..? Maybe… }

Ah, Michael! What a pleaser to see you here.

.

Tim, what do we do!?

Ok. Y-yeah, you do that.

Jon ran. You won’t find him.

(Tim just looks between the two.)

Yes, please get its attention.

*Jon was stopped at what seemed to be…just a devoid of…anything. He was standing there in shock, horrified. They were in for some reeeaaal shit.*

Oh gods…

You tried to distract me?!

*It stood there for a second before pushing Ellir down…whatever void there was forming around where they were. It was just…never ending.*

…Nope!

You know what I will! I'll show you.

“TIM!”

( Cypher had stopped his rampage to dodge the explosion, but noticed Jon just... Laying there. Perfectly still. He lightly waves the spider away before helping Jon up and carrying his weight. )

(it sits, waiting)

*…The thing came out pretty unscathed but the dynamite did at least SOMETHING to weaken it. It was angry but that wasn’t going to let it stop it.*

(The spider scurries over to the entity, waving its arms angrily. It was adorable to watch. Almost out of nowhere, a mass of hundreds of thousands of spiders come to the first spider’s aid. Together, they clambered over each other until the form they made resembled a humanoid figure)

Well I do too. And you’re in my world. Treading on my territory isn’t smart…

Tim, what do we do!?

Ok. Y-yeah, you do that.

Jon ran. You won’t find him.

(Tim just looks between the two.)

Yes, please get its attention.

*Jon was stopped at what seemed to be…just a devoid of…anything. He was standing there in shock, horrified. They were in for some reeeaaal shit.*

Oh gods…

You tried to distract me?!

*It stood there for a second before pushing Ellir down…whatever void there was forming around where they were. It was just…never ending.*

…Nope!

You know what I will! I'll show you.

“TIM!”

( Cypher had stopped his rampage to dodge the explosion, but noticed Jon just... Laying there. Perfectly still. He lightly waves the spider away before helping Jon up and carrying his weight. )

(it sits, waiting)

*…The thing came out pretty unscathed but the dynamite did at least SOMETHING to weaken it. It was angry but that wasn’t going to let it stop it.*

Tim, what do we do!?

Ok. Y-yeah, you do that.

Jon ran. You won’t find him.

(Tim just looks between the two.)

Yes, please get its attention.

*Jon was stopped at what seemed to be…just a devoid of…anything. He was standing there in shock, horrified. They were in for some reeeaaal shit.*

Oh gods…

You tried to distract me?!

*It stood there for a second before pushing Ellir down…whatever void there was forming around where they were. It was just…never ending.*

…Nope!

Ooh another guest…Skilled manipulator…Spider…Last I checked…you were…

Tim, what do we do!?

Ok. Y-yeah, you do that.

Jon ran. You won’t find him.

(Tim just looks between the two.)

Yes, please get its attention.

*Jon was stopped at what seemed to be…just a devoid of…anything. He was standing there in shock, horrified. They were in for some reeeaaal shit.*

Oh gods…

You tried to distract me?!

*It stood there for a second before pushing Ellir down…whatever void there was forming around where they were. It was just…never ending.*

( he comes running into the scene at eilir's glitchy cry, watching them fall, and fall.. )

…Knives…Stupid.

Tim, what do we do!?

Ok. Y-yeah, you do that.

Jon ran. You won’t find him.

(Tim just looks between the two.)

Yes, please get its attention.

*Jon was stopped at what seemed to be…just a devoid of…anything. He was standing there in shock, horrified. They were in for some reeeaaal shit.*

Oh gods…

You tried to distract me?!

*It stood there for a second before pushing Ellir down…whatever void there was forming around where they were. It was just…never ending.*

…Nope!

Tim, what do we do!?

Ok. Y-yeah, you do that.

Jon ran. You won’t find him.

(Tim just looks between the two.)

Yes, please get its attention.

*Jon was stopped at what seemed to be…just a devoid of…anything. He was standing there in shock, horrified. They were in for some reeeaaal shit.*

Oh gods…

You tried to distract me?!

*It stood there for a second before pushing Ellir down…whatever void there was forming around where they were. It was just…never ending.*