Icetales grumbled as he exited from one of the houses of the village, feeling somewhat fatigued. Between keeping his evergrowing darkness in check and the cognition-miasma affecting his mind, he felt mentally exhausted.
He was glad he had got the chance to spend time with his friends and to help them feel better in that desolate hellscape, at least. Even though, what he heard happened some time ago shocked him. Did some of them get affected by madness? Already?
“That was… precisely what I was afraid of…” mumbled Icetales to himself, before shaking his head. “I’ve got to aid them. I’ve got—”
The Ninetales winced and sat down on the floor, panting heavily. From his body radiated an intense dark aura, which made him almost look like a phantom fox. His Shadow walked after him and looked all over him in concern.
“…Our darkness is growing,” commented the darker Ninetales, before sitting by his host’s side. “We cannot stay here any longer. We must depart at once. Thou art… blending too much with the darkness. Enjoying it far too much. We must go.”
“B-but… my friends!” hissed Icetales, glaring at his Shadow.
“Thou hast friends out there, too. And while I cannot tell how long it has passed due to these timeless days, they must be worried about thee. We cannot simply… leave them behind.”
Icetales stared hard at his Shadow, then lowered his gaze. What he was saying was true. There were his other friends out there that needed his help. That needed his strength to help to find the way to help their currently dead comrades. He couldn’t just abandon them, but… he was torn, as he didn’t want to abandon his dead friends, either.
“I wish I could have done more to help…” admitted Icetales, shuddering violently. “I… I wish I had the power to… to help them…”
The Shadow walked toward his host and started nuzzling him on his cheek. He could clearly feel that Icetales wasn’t afraid for himself, but for his friends. He was afraid… that they would go through the same hellish experience he had gone through as a pup. An experience with madness and years and years of recovery.
“They shall be fine. They are strong, and thou got to believe in them,” said the Shadow, his wisps taking a black hue. “Unlike us, they are not alone. They will support each other and keep each other’s morale up until we can free them from this hell. We ought to have faith. Can we… have faith?”
Icetales rubbed against his Shadow, suppressing any tear that was about to fall from his eyes. Once more he felt the darkness crawling, which meant he had to take an important decision: leave his friends behind so that he could rescue them later.
“I shall… have faith.”
Icetales and his Shadow turned toward the house. Something was bothering the fox-in-flesh somewhat, but he knew already what to do. His body glowed with an intense Radiant energy and waves of hope raced inside the house, coating them in a golden powder.
Fear not, my dear comrades. While I must leave now, this is no farewell. This is… a see you soon.
Somewhat heartened by his final gesture, he turned to the sky with a determined expression.
“Sir Diyem. Time for me to march once more among the living. I am ready.”