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Chapter Text

The guilt clawing at Lucia’s chest was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She didn’t want to do this. The idea of dealing the last blow to the Moonbeast, the idea of killing something was horrifying to her. 

Half of her wanted to let go. To fall and just let this happen, but she couldn’t. Not after all those people died for this. Not after Jin fought so hard. Not after she fought so hard. So Lucia summoned her spirit guardians and let them do the work. 

Suddenly a hand reached out from the darkness in the Moonbeast’s chest to Lucia. Even though it lacked the claws he once had, Lucia knew it was Everett’s. Lucia took the hand in hers and in that moment, she got an idea. She wasn’t very strong. She didn’t ever have much strength left in her body, but maybe, if the stars willed it, this might work.

There wasn’t much time to deliberate, so with all of her strength, she pulled on Everett’s hand. At first, she thought this was stupid. Everett wasn’t budging and she was just going to end up hurting him, but then she noticed some movement. It was slow at first, then all at once Everett, completely lacking any monstrous appearance, was pulled from the heart of the Moonbeast.

Lucia gasped at the sudden lack of resistance and she fell back, still holding Everett’s hand. She pulled him to her chest and wrapped him in a tight hug as they fell together. She cradled his head with her hand and kept her other arm wrapped tightly around him. He shook just slightly in her arms. Almost like a scared little kid.

“I’m right here, Everett.” Lucia couldn’t help her own voice shaking, she always was a scaredy cat, “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

At her words, Everett’s shaking slowed to a stop and he went limp against Lucia, seeming to have fallen asleep. Lucia stared up at the Moonbeast as it, her sister, and all the people that had become a part of it, exploded into stardust. She watched as the stardust collected and appeared to take the form of her parents, then her little sister, and finally all of them together. A small smile curled the edges of her lips and she tightened her arms around Everett before the eagle came to scoop them up. 

Pebble was using all of his strength to adjust Jin into a safer position when he noticed Everett, “Is that…”

“Yes. We’ll talk about it later,” Lucia grunted as she carefully adjusted to hold Everett while still guiding the eagle. 

They landed in the volcano, right where they’d just left, and all slid off the eagle the moment they were grounded. Lucia struggled with Everett, but managed to drag him over to rest against a rock before helping Pebble do the same with Jin.

“Is it later?” Pebble questioned Lucia.

“Nope.” She didn’t even give him a second glance as she walked over to the wall where the bodies hung. 

Her stomach turned the closer she got, but she powered through. She remembered where Raven had been when Pebble and Jin tried desperately to cut her free, only to be too late. Lucia stepped up to Raven’s shriveled body on the wall and took a deep breath.

“Lucia are you- you think you can heal her?” Pebble was at her side, looking up at Raven with that same grief and sorrow in his eyes.

Lucia glanced down to Pebble before her eyes settled back on Raven, “I- she’s beyond healing now. I have an idea but- I’ve barely ever heard of it working. Others who were blessed by the stars have managed it but I- I really don’t know if I can but- it’s my only option.”

Pebble doesn’t offer any protest, so Lucia takes a diamond from her bag and holds it in front of her. She pulls in a deep breath and presses her hand to Raven’s shriveled chest. Lucia did her usual murmuring of “Please work. Please work. Please work.” that came along with every spell she cast, if a bit more frantic this time.

Warmth spread through Lucia’s palm and into Raven’s chest as the diamond in Lucia’s hand began to turn to stardust. That warmth spread through Raven’s chest to her whole body, bringing color and life back to her skin. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Raven drew a breath in and picked her head up weakly.

Lucia pulled her hand back in panic and turned to Pebble, “Quick! Cut her down!”

Pebble jumped up and sliced frantically at the veins connected to Raven’s arms. Once they were severed Raven fell forward into Lucia’s arms. Lucia fell to her knees from the weight, but did her best to support Raven.

“I… I’m alive?” Raven’s eyes were only half open as she clung to Lucia.

“Well, you are now,” Lucia brought a hand up to carefully push Raven’s stray hairs behind her ear, “You were dead for a second there, but you’re okay now.”

“Holy shit- yeah,” Raven blinked a few times and chuckled, “I died.”

“You did, and now we are all going to get some rest,” Lucia struggled to move Raven and Pebble quickly rushed over to help.

Everyone soon got settled, and Pebble had agreed to take the first watch. Lucia leaned against Raven, desperate for just a bit of physical touch, and let her eyes flutter closed.

–

Lucia was woken up by someone frantically shaking her arm and Pebble’s terrified voice, “Lucia- Lucia, please wake up! Jin is waking up and I don’t think he’s going to be happy about Everett!”

Her eyes quickly shot open and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, “Fuck- okay, I’m up. I’m awake.” 

She sat up, making sure that Raven was still supported by something and didn’t just fall over. Lucia glanced over to see Jin rubbing at his face and she rushed over to be at his side. She began carefully checking Jin over, making sure he didn’t have any wounds that needed to be healed or broken bones that needed to be set.

“Wh…” Jin’s voice was gravely and his gaze was distant as he looked up to Lucia, “Oh… I’m not dead. Glad you got out, though. I thought we were all going to die.”

Lucia carefully pushed a few stray hairs behind Jin’s ear to check over the sides of his face, “Well, we didn’t, and we won, Jin.”

Jin blinked in surprise and his eyes finally seemed to focus, “We won? Did- did Pebble get the last hit off? I always knew-”

Lucia didn’t let him finish the sentence, “No, Jin. I did. I dealt the final blow.”

“You de-” Jin cut himself off this time, “What?”

“I know. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I had to choose humanity,” Lucia offered Jin a weak smile.

He stared at her for a moment, looking around her face for something, then he returned her smile, “I’m just glad you’re okay. I- I really thought I’d failed you.”

Lucia surged forward and pulled Jin into a tight hug, her voice small and frail, “You didn’t fail me. You did everything you could, Jin. Thank you.”

Jin hesitantly wrapped his arms back around Lucia and settled into the hug, “You- you’re welcome.”

A few moments passed as they stayed there in each other’s arms, happy to just be comfortable for once in their lives. Lucia wanted nothing more than to stay here for hours. Just feel safe and warm and comfortable in her friend's arms for as long as he would allow, but when a monstrous screech echoed around the volcano, she knew that wasn’t really a choice. 

“Ssshit, we should probably get going,” Jin loosened his arms around Lucia and as he started to look around his eyes locked onto Everett.

Lucia pulled away from Jin, followed his gaze and her own eyes widened, “Jin- please don’t freak out.”

“Don’t freak out?! Are you forgetting that he actively tried to murder us a few hours ago, Lucia?!” His breath began to quicken, “I should’ve finished him when I had the chance, and I won’t make that mistake twice.”

When Jin stood to make his way over to Everett, Lucia placed herself between the two of them, “Jin! Use your fucking brain for once in your life, please . Look at him. He’s not monstrous anymore, he doesn’t even have the hole in his chest or the claws or- or anything . The- the stars gave him a second chance. Please don’t take that away from him.”

There was a moment where the rage in Jin’s eyes didn’t falter. Where Lucia thought he might toss her aside, walk over to Everett and crush his skull, but then Jin’s gaze softened. His eyes moved from Everett to settle on Lucia and it softened even more.

“Fine, but don’t expect me to be nice to him,” Jin sighed, looking to the side.

“Thank you,” Lucia looked back to Everett, then slowly back to Jin, “Sooo… could you carry him?”

Jin’s head whipped back to meet Lucia’s gaze, “What?!”

“I know! I know!” Lucia groaned, “But Pebble and I can’t carry him, and Raven is barely going to be able to hold herself up on her own, so you’re kind of our only option.”

Running his hand down his face and groaning, Jin conceded, “ Fine . I’ll carry him until we’re able to make camp somewhere safer, but after that I’m not doing it again.”

Lucia gave a goofy solute, “Aye aye, captain.”

Jin couldn’t help but smile and roll his eyes as he walked over to Everett and lifted him off the ground. Lucia offered a bit of healing all around, but she still needed a full night’s rest before she’d be able to do any substantial healing. The team gathered themselves, made their way out of the volcano, and started the search for a safe place to camp.

Chapter Text

It took them a while to get somewhere they deemed safe enough to camp for the night. By that time, Lucia was able to heal Raven enough that she could walk on her own, so she and Pebble were making nice conversation while they walked. Meanwhile, Lucia tripped over everything in her path, deciding to keep her worried eye on Jin and Everett.

It wasn’t like she didn’t trust Jin. She literally trusted him with her life, but that doesn’t mean she trusts him with Everett’s life. She was half convinced that Jin was just going to throw Everett to a monster the moment they encountered one. To watch as Everett’s sleeping body was crushed and eaten by what he’d always tried to be more powerful than. Thankfully that wasn’t true and they were able to make it somewhere safe before anyone else got hurt.

They’d been resting for a bit, Lucia, Pebble, and Raven stuck in a riveting conversation about… something while Jin was chopping firewood just outside the cave. Everett was still asleep, but alive. Lucia made sure to check every once in a while. Just in case. She didn’t want him to die. Not after he’d just been given a second chance.

Just as the conversation was getting heated, there was a shifting in the cave that drew the attention of the group. Their heads all snapped toward the sound to see Everett starting to sit up slowly.

Lucia crawled over a little quicker than she intended and stumbled over her own knees before kneeling at Everett’s side. Her hands hovered over him awkwardly as he sat up and looked around confused.

His eyes locked on Jin, then he quickly looked over to Lucia with wide eyes, “Um- how- what- where- you-”

Everett couldn’t seem to get a proper sentence out, so Lucia answered as many questions she could think of for him, “Yes, you’re alive. The Moonbeast is gone along with all the people who were a part of it. I pulled you out of the Moonbeast at the last second. No, I don’t know how that worked. I’m opting to call it the will of the Stars. Jin is still mad at you. I’m a little mad at you, but not near as mad as him. We’re in a cave a little ways away from the volcano, and we should be heading back to the docks tomorrow first thing.”

Blinking a few times, Everett absorbed all of the information like a sponge. He picked his no longer clawed, fully human hands up, looking at them, then let them rest on his chest. His hands made their way around his chest for a moment before resting in the center.

He looked back to Lucia, his voice sounding a little sad, “I’m normal again.”

“Yeah,” Lucia nodded, tightly holding her hand with her own. Everett had just woken up, she didn’t want to make him any more uncomfortable than he probably already was, “Side effect of getting yoinked out of the Moonbeast, I think. It took all the monster with it.”

Everett just hummed, looking down at his hands again, his gaze seeming distant. He didn’t have much time to get deep into thought before Jin dropped several pieces of chopped wood onto the ground. The loud sound echoed around the cave.

“So he’s not just going to sleep forever,” Jin glared at Everett, “Good to know.”

Everett looked up to meet Jin’s gaze with a much softer one. He frowned at Jin. A big frown, the kind you’d expect from a little kid. They held eye contact for a while. Lucia could’ve sworn they’d stopped blinking, like some unspoken staring contest, but Jin looked away before she could really confirm it.

Eyes lingering for a moment longer, Everett sighed and finally looked back to Lucia. He seemed to be struggling to find the words for what he wanted to say. The expression on his face was uncharacteristic. It was wholly unguarded and open; the complete opposite of what Lucia knew Everett to be.

“Um…” Everett started, pursuing his lips as he thought, “I feel… funny.”

A million things ran through Lucia’s head at once, all the horrifying possibilities of what could possibly be wrong with Everett, “Like- physically? Mentally? Is there something wrong? Do you need me to heal you?”

“No- no healing. Just… my brain is fuzzy,” He sighed again and looked down, eyes lingering somewhere, “Can I hold your hand?”

“What?” Was all Lucia could get out in her utterly shocked state, “You- you want to hold my hand?”

“Is that not okay?” Everett looked a little scared as his brows furrowed and he shrank into himself.

“I- no- here.” Lucia reached over and took Everett’s hand in her own, “How’s that?”

Everett smiled. It was bright and sweet and beautiful and Lucia felt like she was staring into the sun, “Good! Thank you!”

Lucia stared at Everett for a moment, that shock having yet to properly set in. Then she looked over at Jin, who looked just as shocked.

“Everett,” Jin took a few steps forward, looking Everett up and down, “Are you feeling okay, man?”

The man in question looked up to see Jin’s gaze looking all too innocent for being the man who tried and nearly succeeded in killing them hours ago, “Just fuzzy.”

“Fuzzy, huh?” Jin raised an eyebrow and looked over to Pebble and Raven for insight.

Pebble raised his own eyebrow and looked Everett over, “Either some kind of brain damage, general lack of lucidity, or… poooossibly age regression? Alph talked about it a few times, I even witnessed it once, but I don’t know much. It’s usually a coping mechanism for people with extreme trauma, which is just about anyone you meet in this line of work.”

Lucia and Jin made eye contact before looking at Everett. He certainly was acting more innocent but he didn’t seem to be acting any younger . Or maybe he was and it was just less obvious because it’s Everett and he always kind of talked like a middle schooler. Lucia wanted to brush the idea aside, but when she looked into Everett's eyes, he smiled brightly at her, and he squeezed her hand; she couldn’t help but remember when Mary used to do that.

“I think it might be the age regression thing.” Lucia blurted.

“How can you be sure?” Jin took back the step he’d taken forward, “Maybe he’s just acting innocent to get us to trust him again. Maybe it’s all a part of his plan.”

“Jin- do you really think Everett is that smart?” Lucia raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well- no. Not really.” Jin huffed.

“That’s what I thought,” She looked at Pebble, “What um- is there something we should do?”

“Not really,” Pebble sighed, “From what I understand, age regressors don’t often regress by choice. It’s something they fall into when they feel comfortable or safe. Usually they have items that make them happy, like a plush or a bottle or something. They often have a specific age they tend to regress to, so that can change how they will behave. Typically, as a caretaker, you’d just keep them out of trouble, take care of them, and make sure they continue to feel safe.”

“What if I don’t feel safe around him?” Jin murmured.

Lucia opted to ignore him, “Okay, so just make him feel safe and happy until he bounces back to normal?” 

“Pretty much.” Pebble confirmed.

“Alright! I can do that.” Lucia turns to Everett and anxiety immediately welled up in her chest, “I think.”