Chapter Text
Time seemed to slow down for Rayla. The pain in her chest was intense, each breath was difficult and painful. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Callum, with her face buried in his shoulder.
Silence enveloped them for a long minute, before being broken by the harsh clatter of metal against stone. It was the sound of a sword hitting the ground... a blade forged with dark magic, crafted by the hands of Aaravos himself.
As it slipped from Callum's hand, realization began to dawn on him, memories flooding back mercilessly. He had been a puppet again, a vessel for something beyond his control... possessed.
Rayla felt her consciousness slipping away, the edges of her vision blurring as the pain threatened to overwhelm her. She closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to block it out, while she struggled to reorder the chaotic events of the last few days (and minutes) in her mind.
Callum got possessed again some time ago, but this time Aaravos took him along (well, she was pretty sure that qualified as kidnapping). They didn't know anything about his whereabouts for a long while - driving Rayla to the brink of despair -, until he unexpectedly showed up amidst some chaos during one of their missions. If Aaravos was using him as a pawn in his twisted games, or perhaps he just simply derived pleasure from turning him against the people who meant the most to him... she could not tell. Maybe both were true.
She had promised Callum that she would stop him if this were to happen, and she intended to keep that promise at any cost. They both understood the risks.
Janai and the sunfire priests already came up with a possible solution, a modified version of a potent purification spell capable of expelling the lingering dark magic from Callum's body, and with that, severing the links to Aaravos.
However, it posed a considerable challenge — they required someone to restrain him, granting the priests enough time for casting the spell. This task was far from simple, especially when dealing with a skilled mage who was not only possessed but also armed with an enchanted weapon.
She'd make sure nobody else got hurt, at the very least. She just needed to get close enough to him... and to that damn blade. Although Callum lacked skill with swords, this weapon was designed to be wielded by a Dark Mage (or, in this case, a possessed mage). She couldn't bring herself to harm Callum, not even in this state. So she decided to present him the chance to close the distance between them. If she could pin him down long enough, the priests would take care of the rest.
The memory of the blade piercing through her faded into a blur. All she knew was, that Callum was now close enough to be restrained.
She vaguely recalled shouting something to Janai and the priest beside her, before white light enveloped them a few moments later. She heard Callum scream, something she would rather not hear ever again.
They did it... she could only pray that the spell had worked.
How she wished that she could look at his dear face, and reassure him that everything would be okay...
Finally, after what felt like forever, she felt Callum stirring in her arms, slowly lifting one hand - his touch so tentative yet achingly familiar. It was as if he were trying to realize what just happened, the weight of his actions settling upon him... though deep down, he already knew. Memories of the past minutes began to resurface in his mind, like emerging from the depths of a dark dream.
"R... Rayla?" His voice was raw and barely more than a whisper.
She could not find the strength to respond, her grip loosening as her body finally gave up.
She felt herself slipping away, the world fading into darkness as she collapsed against the cold stone floor.
Moments stretched into what felt like an eternity. Shock overwhelmed Callum, waves of emotion finally crashing over him.
In the distance, the clamor of voices echoed through the chamber, desperate calls for help and medics. Was that Janai? Aunt Amaya and Gren? Soren? Perhaps even a faint echo of Ezran's voice.
Callum found himself unable to focus, his attention consumed by the still figure cradled in his arms.
All he could do was to hold her close, praying for a miracle amidst the darkness...
