Theo's breath hitched sharply, a spasm of pure agony racking his large frame as Alias's light tried to close the deep laceration in his gut.
"I wouldn't have, Alias," Theo whispered, a tear of his own mixing with the blood on his cheek. "I just… He's my son. I fought... but there were too many… they dragged him off."
The hand gripping Alias's tunic lost its strength, sliding back down into the red mud. Theo's eyes closed, his breathing flattening into a terrifying, silent line.
"Theo! Theo, open your eyes!" Maya screamed, pulling at her hair, her face smeared with dirt and her brother's blood.
Alias didn't look back at her. He kept his hands pressed to the wound, his silver hair falling forward, veiling his face as he poured did his best to keep Theo's heart beating.
But inside his mind, Norx's words were echoing over and over again like a sickening taunt.
