ORIGIN

They haunted him.

Oh, how they haunted him.

Screaming.

Screeching.

P̥̬̂́̒̿̄l͎̯ͧ̆̈́́̀ͮ̌͝ë̼̣͓̮́ͣ̅͆ͥ̃a̢̲̜̥͙̥͍͉̜͎̓͛ͣ̆͛̍̽ͦ͡d͗̓͏҉̥̼̯̪͙̬̳̺͔i̠͙͆̎͗ͮͭ͐ͣ̂͜n̽̈́̋͞҉̟̖̥̻͕̙ͅg̩̰̬̃͆͋̚.

Pleading for something that he could not offer, something that he could not give. His own life. His own soul. He couldn't... there were too many to live for. He couldn't let someone else suffer the same fate he had, tied down in Tunnel K by the iron-wrought shackles of guilt. Every time he gazed into the shadows, he found their eyes and stones, dancing to a cacophony of plaintive cries. Some would even be stabbed by invisible blades, torn apart by invisible foes. All of them forcing him to watch them die. Over and over again. Again and again. Again and again and again—but now, there would be someone else to join them. Someone new. Someone... long gone. Someone that he not seen in so long.

Azazel had been on his way to Tunnel K, hiding among the fog to perhaps hide from his shadows. He disdained being so close to the grave of Mau, but he best not be out in the open. His feathers clung to his almost starved frame from the cool moisture that the eternal mist provided. Carmine eyes gazed about, rolling wildly. He needed to stop. He needed to truly break even with these shadows, these ghosts, these banshees. How could he keep going on like this, listening to his own guilt voice itself every goddamn waking moment. How? How?!

He blinked, managing to preen his chest a little bit to try and calm himself down. The Bone King sucked in a great gulp of air, slowly exhaling. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts. His daughter was back! Yes. That was good. But his other daughter seemed to have gone miss—no, that wasn't happy. Happy thoughts... happy thoughts... he inhaled and exhaled again, glancing off to the side. A glint caught his eye. Oh, a treasure! He could take it to Krakarak... wherever he was.

The lammergeier shifted closer, but something was... strangely familiar about the glimmer. Red. Bright red. Carmine. No. No. No, no no, no!

Staggering a little in his approach, he shoved away the obvious truth. It was just another stone. It was just a very bright red one. As he thought that, the shimmering gleam faded, revealing a multicolored stone banded in specific colors: pale yellow, yellow, and orange, with almost a headband-like appearance. "No..."

Hesitantly, he came closer. So close that he was bent over inspecting the stone. He knew the shape. He saw it so much. He knew. He fucking knew. He wish he didn't. He wished this was just some other stone from some other Gembound he never knew or connected with. But here it was. Yes, here it fucking was.

Here he f̧̤̺͙͇̗̆ͥ͋̏ͪ̒́͠ǔ̴̪̫̬̣̂̐ͨ͗̔͐͘c̨̮͚͓͙͇̍̌̇̚k̖̣̇̀̅̀i̭̰͔̜̥̮̻ͮ̈́̋̐͒̋ͬ̔̚͡ņ̵̼̻̖̩̲̿͗̑͗̆̾̄g͚͖̘̹ͮͬ̐̽̈ͣͪ͋̕ is.

This was where he had been all this time. For the week he had not seen him. This was here he had been. Dead. Gone. Reduced to the very bones he was bound to. His throat tightened as he shakily grasped the skull that the stone was attatched to. Splintered bone was evident on the left side, a reminder of what had happened not even that long ago. He pulled it closer, away from the few decaying bones that were left.

"Hah," he choked, "even in death, we'll be bound to our bones." He stared at the empty holes where eyes should have been, where life should have been. "I... never really think about that much... well, until someone close to me dies." Carmine eyes dulled, and he set the skull down again and choked out a ragged sob, one that racked his entire frame and made his feathers stand up. "What did you do this time. What did you do that was so awful that the bones decided you deserved to die. You didn't deserve it. You have a family." Azazel took the skull into his talons, spreading his wings and gliding towards the grave of another, to add to the beginnings of Tunnel K's graveyard. "They've been so worried about you, Carcino... Amaria, Cure, Remedy. I've been worried about you." He hated this.

He hated death, now. Already, he could feel his sins crawling on his back, he could feel the cold yellow glare of a new shadow. A new shadow had joined his collection of tulpas. He needed to pay Cancer proper respects. Azazel knew he'd feel selfish later for not having an actual funeral, but he decided that he needed to do this now. Amaria and Cure would recieve the news later. He'd tell them. They could visit the newly dug grave. Maybe he should bury him in Pisces? The place that he had been born? No. Maji Walezi certainly wouldn't welcome a Bonebound in. Not after continually refusing to allow them to take Kerberos to trial for a crime that he did not commit on purpose.

No... here would be alright. Right? Yes.

He found himself at the home of the first grave dug in Tunnel K. Something had slightly unearthed the shimmering aquamarine gemstone, cracked down the middle with an ugly scar. "Bastard." He stared at the stone longingly for a moment before covering it with earth once more. Then he set down the leopard skull and began to set to work, clawing at the hard earth with already blunted talons. He eventually gave up on that and just found a decently sharp stone to chisel away the stone into dirt.

After about an hour of painful work, he managed to finish the task. A hole large enough to accompany the skull was made, with extra room to breathe. Azazel found his throat tightening again as he reached for the skull, talons clenching and unclenching as he tried to make his way towards it. He... Carcino didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve death. Perhaps others thought so... but the Bone King did not think so. The harsh glare of the shadows behind him softened for only a moment as they began to surround him, ethereal wisps flying about like dandelion puffs in the breeze, mixing and melting with the mist for only a few seconds before gathering their forms again.

There was peace between him and them, for now. The leopard-shaped shadow was the first to ease forth, sharp yellow gaze flicking up to him carefully as it placed its paws behind the skull, waving one at the skull as it feebly attempted to interact with the real world, to push the bone towards Azazel. The lammergeier found the strength to grab it, and the feline shadow then lumbered towards the hole that the bird had dug out. A wide splayed paw was placed in it, beckoning for the skull to join it. The Bone King gingerly deposited the stone within the earthen pit. Sharp yellow eyes softened, almost gaining a peculiar warmth in them. The feline almost slithered forth, phasing through the vulture in a show of affection before peering over his shoulder, soundlessly asking for him to finish what had begun. With a single swipe of a wing, he covered the pale and splintered skull.

The faintest tug of magicka was felt from his gem as a small whoosh! of air blew towards the two. The shadow did not move one inch, only shifting to approach the newly created grave. The eyes and seemingly corporeal stone of the tulpa glimmered a bright candy red, before the entire creature exploded into carmine light. All that remained was a swirling sphere of light, which funnelled out into a small stream, quickly emptying out into the earth. Just like that, the creature was gone. The guilt was gone. The shackles felt almost lighter. The Bone King smiled almost softly, "even in death... you will be bound to your bones." He leaned down, nuzzling the earth with his beak and chirping, "I'll miss you, Carcino. We'll all miss you." What he failed to notice was another shadow that had crowded him was slinking off to the side, stone and eyes glowing a brilliant blue.

It also exploded into cyan light, the faintest tug of magicka, and emptied out into the earth, into the grave of Mau. Now, there were two less voices shrieking incessantly into his ears. Azazel sighed, closing his eyes. For now, the ghostly shadows were silent, quietly crowding about him. Milling about the graves. Behind tightly shut eyes, he saw a harsh flame, then a symbol. He knew the symbol. Opening his eyes and gazing down, he used a single talon to etch the zodiac symbol for cancer into the earth, two circles conjoined by lines in an eternal circle, an eternal chase. "Sleep well, old friend..." With that, he fell fast asleep as well, nestled between the graves of two he had lost.