"Outside of the walls?! Where? No– better yet, why? You know what's out there… and I can't imagine you would be this panicked if you are going on a stroll in the outskirts."
Caster began tapping his feet softly but quickly. A slight panic was setting into his voice, but it felt more like a calculated discomfort.
Like he was willing to hear Day out, but he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to.
"People… Four of them. Don't worry how I know– but they are going to die. A terrible, no good death, by the hands of foul beasts. They aren't Fallen, but–"
"Wait, plural? How many are there?!" Caster said, his voice raising and echoing through the hallway.
"Three, but it isn't a collective effort. They are all opposing."
Caster cleared his throat, and then lowered his voice greatly.
"How do you…"
Caster paused for a moment, as if remembering Day's words a moment before. After these few seconds of pause, he spoke once more, with a new look and tone setting into his features and voice respectively.
"I'll ask you one more time, Day, why? I'll trust… reluctantly, that you are telling the truth, but I don't even need an in-depth explanation to know it's risky, so why should… either of us take the risk?"
Day wasn't quite sure how to respond.
'I'll lose my powers?'
Could he really say that?
No… Even if it was Caster, he couldn't. He would never reveal the fact that his powers would be stripped away if he didn't try to save people who appeared in some visions. Maybe Caster could piece together that he saw visions, but he would never let anyone know about his flaw in detail…
But maybe he didn't need to say that, because deep down, he knew the worth of what he was doing… and that was exactly what he could present to the world.
Because his words wouldn't be a lie.
Day took a deep breath, and then stepped forward.
"Because they are people."
Caster grimaced and looked away.
"Tell me really, Day, could it really be worth it to oppose three immeasurable forces of nature... with seven people, if even? That isn't solid enough of a reason for me…"
Day went silent for a second and sighed.
Without another word, he passed Caster in an instant and began walking down the hall. He did not have the time to bicker with him. He wouldn't hold it against the Legacy boy if he didn't want to go on a deathly mission to save people he didn't know, and if he passed, Day would be regretful in death that he let this chance slip away from him…
But Day knew well just how difficult it was to convince someone to follow blindly… especially after his experiences with Audrey.
And he knew just as well how easily even two minds merged together as one could end up falling apart, even when the odds seemed completely in their favor.
Except this time around, it wasn't in their favor at all.
Caster stared at him silently and contemplatively as he walked away, but before Day could leave, Caster called out to him one more time. His voice was stern and powerful, and his gaze bore a determination that was palpable enough to pierce Day straight through.
"Day… I want to help you, because you've helped me, so do me a favor and give me a reason to."
But not make him falter.
Day stopped in his tracks, and then, without looking back, he spoke solemnly and quietly:
"I need not… No, I can not put into words the value of a human life."
Day continued forward once more. He clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white, as if trying to hold onto something.
"Let the infinite value of a human life be the reason why you help me."
Caster's eyes widened to the utmost…
And he closed them just as quickly and let out a small chuckle.
"Alright then, Day… that I shall."
As Day turned the corner and started down the stairs, Caster began walking as well.
But for Caster, his steps were quick.
He was moving purposefully…
So he could catch up to Day... and walk beside him.
"..."
Their expedition down to the gates of the castle was fast and unobstructed. Nobody bothered them, because nobody was around. Everyone was likely either at the main keep or somewhere near it.
When they reached the front, Day witnessed the sight of Harper leaning on the desk of the stand he was always at. He was munching on food and staring out into space quietly. He was completely alone, with not a soul in sight.
Day stopped for a moment, and then began slowly approaching Harper. He wasn't treating him delicately, he just didn't want to run up to him like a maniac and startle him.
That would be rude.
As he approached, Harper put a hand over his mouth and looked away slightly. After a moment, Day heard a loud swallow, and then Harper turned back with a weak smile on his face.
"Hi, Day, can I help you? Oh, and… Caster, right?"
Day glanced back at Caster for a moment.
He had almost forgotten that Caster hadn't interacted even once with Harper since they arrived. Caster asked Day to go pay each time.
"Yes, you are correct." Caster said.
Instead of continuing, like Day, for some reason, expected him too, Caster glanced over at Day.
Without a second thought, Day turned back to Harper, laid his palms on the table, and leaned over slightly.
"We are leaving for the day… We'll be back. Do you mind greeting us when we arrive back? We just want to prevent any trouble with the guards."
Harper looked at Day for a moment silently, and then nodded.
"Mmm… Sure, I can do that for ya."
Harper fanned himself and then pulled on his shirt with a chuckle.
"There shouldn't be any problems, I hope."
Caster took a sharp breath in.
"What does that me-"
Day put his hand up, and then smiled.
"If there are problems, we can help you sift through them when the time comes. "
Day assumed that Harper meant the guards might not listen to him, or they may cause problems just for the fun of it, though he wasn't sure which one– but Day had a feeling that Caster, and maybe Day himself, could deal with that promptly if the time came.
The guards seemed fairly reasonable in Day's eyes, when they weren't being outright scumbags… so hopefully Day could convince them.
Harper's eyes lit up ever so slightly, and his smile widened just enough to where it was noticeable.
"I– I appreciate the sentiment."
Day nodded, and then turned away and began walking. Caster, who was silent throughout the exchange, simply sighed and followed.
When they were a sizable distance away and about to exit through the gate, Caster spoke quietly to Day.
"What was that about? I'm no expert, but that exchange felt a little… weird, to say the least. It felt like there were some thickly veiled, big feelings there, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it."
As Day exited the gates and the musty smell of the outer settlement filled his nose, he glanced around, looking for the guards who were, at the moment, nowhere to be found.
At the same time, however, he responded to Caster.
"Harper's been dealing with some problems. Doesn't seem like he has many people on his side, so he probably feels grateful for the fact that I'm willing to stand by him if something goes wrong."
Caster raised an eyebrow.
"Are you actually going to?"
Day craned his head over at him with a genuinely confused look on his face.
"Pardon…?"
Day went silent for a second.
"Well, duh…"
Caster chuckled.
"Thought so, not quite sure why I asked, guess I'm used to strings being attached to everything. From what I recall, the people you would have to push against are rather… Anyway, back to the task at hand. "
After that quick exchange, they were now standing face towards the downward slope that was the hill leading up to the Castle.
Day took a deep breath, and began weighing his options. Despite them being… limited to one at the moment.
He didn't know how to navigate the dark city well, and with the information that there were Fallen creatures lurking… The prospect of running into the city wasn't exactly exciting.
But there wasn't exactly a choice. It was either go or don't, and time was short. Each minute mattered, so they couldn't stand around forging a new navigation system.
Therefore, Day made a quick, prompt decision on how to proceed.
"Caster… Let's just do what we did before. Stay close to the wall, go in if we have to, hopefully… No, surely, that will-"
"Fuck off! You want to die or something?!"
Day and Caster's heads, at the same time, shot in the direction of the booming, female voice that completely cut off Day's words in an instant.
Day squinted to get a better look, and a few dozen feet away to the left of where the two boys stood, there were three people facing each other. Two guards, and one tall, muscular girl with hazel eyes and simple, but neatly braided brown hair running down her back.
She was butting heads with the two guards who usually patrolled around the front of the gate. They were the same ones that so kindly asked him if he wanted help with his injuries, and the ones who walked up to and insulted Harper on that fateful day.
They were snickering and pointing at the full sack that the tall girl had slung over her back. Day had no idea what the two guards were saying, but the girls' near incoherent string of vulgar curses towards them certainly weren't giving him much of a hint.
There were a few moments where Day considered simply leaving them to dash towards the place he so desperately needed to be… but when one of the two guards gripped onto their sword softly just out of view with a smirk on his face, Day made a split second decision to go do something to help her.
Day clicked his tongue, clenched his fists, and started forward.
'It's just problem after problem, isn't it? I'm getting sick of it already.'
Caster raised an eyebrow at him as he walked towards the scene, but he didn't stop him, he just let it happen with a look of defeat slowly creeping onto his face.
Day couldn't walk away if something as dastardly as a clash of swords was about to happen– but he just hoped that he wouldn't regret it.