Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: Thesis
~BlackRoseRaven
When they arrived back in Endworld, they were debriefed, and then Team 0-0 was shifted to reserve status, so they could get some rest. Cadence was admittedly glad for it, and relieved that most of the Void incursions had vanished, and the few signals that remained were small enough they were able to be investigated and dealt with by other teams.
It felt strange, though, to be left to her own devices. Cadence knew part of the reason why she had, however, was so that she could adjust to her new self. Her final self, she felt strangely: but nine had always been the magic number when it came to things like this, and she was on her ninth life. Just like a cat. Some great bird I am.
Cadence sighed as she stood up: and for her, that wasn't standing on four hooves anymore, but two. She could feel bones shift and muscles flex powerfully as she straightened, her lithe body rippling as she leaned easily back, putting her front hooves into the middle of her back to crack it as she examined her faint reflection in the window.
Her tattoo was resplendent in flowing black across her ivory chest: it had been redone a few days ago by Tormentas, who was now a permanent resident here in Decretum with Vextus Lux. Her limbs were longer, and her forelimbs were strange, double-jointed and capable of bending in ways that shouldn't be possible. Skin clung tightly to muscle and bone, making her look almost emaciated, and her mane and the tuft of the whiplike tail were both flowing, silken ivory that she could never do much with: she cut both regularly, but they didn't seem to take more than a few days to grow back to full length.
Her hooves felt strange, like they were made of a different, clingy material, and they could flex like rubber, expanding and contracting more than they had ever been able to before. Her wings were strange, larger than they had been before, more powerful... heavier, too, she thought, and yet they didn't impede her flying at all. If anything, it was easier to fly than it had been before.
But that had something to do with the Astra. The Astra was everywhere, and if she reached into it, she could do anything with it... anything. It was limited only by her creativity and her willpower, and while she wasn't the most creative pony in the world, she was stubborn as hell.
Cadence met the almost-glowing golden eyes of her reflection, sighing a little as she studied her features in the mirror, stroking slowly, almost wonderingly around one of her sockets. That was the hardest to get used to, she thought, but at least now she wouldn't have to put up with any more clever 'pink eye' jokes from the other Orphans.
She smiled briefly, then turned her attention to another reflection in the mirror as Thesis said softly: “Brought you something, Goldeneye.”
“I wish you could come up with a decent nickname for me.” Cadence said mildly as she turned around, before she frowned when Thesis offered her a box with a grin, taking it suspiciously in one hoof. “This better not be a ring. I don't have a horn anymore.”
“I never understood that. Putting a ring around your horn just seems like a bad idea. Like putting a ring around my... well, you know.” Thesis said mildly, absently rubbing at one of his shoulders as he shifted his weight visibly, and Cadence softened: she recognized that gesture. He was in pain. “Hey, stop. Just look at what I got you, okay?”
Cadence sighed, then she opened the box before frowning in surprise as she found a small golden gemstone inside, and Thesis smiled as she carefully picked it up: it was dome-shaped, perhaps an inch in diameter, mounted on a backplate of some kind... “I asked Mom to help me make it for you. We managed to crystallize and transmute the Clay of Prometheus and make you a... sort of a Third Eye, I guess. Stick it on your head, try it out.”
“Just stick it on?” Cadence asked dryly, and Thesis cleared his throat and gestured to the box again, Cadence scowling as she saw a small bottle of some kind of adhesive. “I am not gluing this to my head.”
“You are the least fun mare in fun town. Fine, I'll do it for you, okay?” Thesis said dryly, and Cadence glowered at him, but didn't resist when Thesis slipped forward and picked up the bottle, removing the dauber from the top and bringing it up to swirl a quick circle on Cadence's forehead.
She wrinkled her muzzle, then sighed when Thesis took the stone and firmly pushed it on, holding it in place. They looked into one-another's eyes, and then Cadence smiled despite herself before she leaned forward and quickly kissed him, the stallion blinking in surprise before she stepped suddenly back, then laughed and caught him when he stumbled forward. “You're like a kid.”
“Hey, we don't all have as much experience as you do, Princess of Love.” Thesis retorted as he climbed to his hooves, and Cadence frowned slightly at the way his body shivered, but he only smiled before he winked and said: “Catch.”
He flung the bottle into the air, and Cadence winced before the gemstone on her head glowed, and her eyes widened in surprise as the bottle halted in midair. Thesis smiled, looking pleased with himself before he yelped when the bottle suddenly dropped, bouncing off his head and spilling adhesive all over his mane.
He scowled horribly at Cadence, and the mare grinned widely before she threw her head back and laughed, then she picked up the bottle from the floor with telekinesis, smiling warmly at him. “Come on, dumbass. And... thank you.”
Thesis only smiled, then allowed Cadence to grasp him by the hoof and led him to the shower. When they emerged, they found a cleaning drone had already rolled into the apartment to clean up the mess: Cadence didn't want to know how the goddamn things always knew when there was something to clean up.
The little saucer-shaped robot whirred its way carefully past the dripping ponies to vacuum up the trail of water they left behind, and Cadence shook her head before she reached up and poked the crystal on her forehead a few times. “So is this permanently cemented to my face now?”
“Nah. You'll have to be careful with it, actually: someone could rip it off, or your own magic could actually burn it off, too, if you try and pump too much power through it. The adhesive and the conductor plate actually both-”
“I don't really care how it works. I sort of... understand, anyway, since you got the idea from Miss Take, didn't you?” Cadence asked curiously, and Thesis smiled and nodded as Cadence slowly rubbed again at the stone, but it admittedly felt nice to have something up there again. It was comforting, for lack of a better word. “Well, I'm just glad that I don't have to use my hooves and my mouth for everything anymore.”
“Me too.” Thesis said with a pointed waggle of his eyebrows, and Cadence rolled her eyes before she smacked him lightly in the chest. “Ouch. But uh... try something else.”
Cadence shrugged, then she rose her head slightly, and the gemstone lit up before Thesis flinched with a squawk when faint white energy burned across his body, Cadence wincing and blurting: “Oh crap! Sorry, I meant to do a cleansing spell!”
“Oh, good job, then, I think you just cleansed the first layer of skin right off my body.” Thesis retorted, huffing and patting wildly at himself before he said in a quieter voice: “Sorry, Sazerac. I guess the gemstone won't let you focus unicorn magic properly.”
“No, no. No. This is good, still. Just being able to move things around and to do a bit of magic... I'm sure with practice I'll figure out what I can and can't do, anyway.” Cadence responded with a smile, stepping forward and nuzzling the stallion gently. “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you went through all this trouble for me.”
Thesis shrugged and smiled, and Cadence sighed a little before she said softly: “You really are a giant jerk.”
Thesis shrugged amiably again, and then he hesitated for a moment before he asked quietly: “Are you doing okay? I know things are weird right now. Everything's up in the air and-”
“I'm fine. I'm surprised, but... I really am okay. Everything's okay.” Cadence smiled a little, then she shook her head slowly as she said softly: “It helps that Hecate is pushing for some kind of... normalcy around here, you know? Not just concentrating on Loki, but sending people out on other missions, working on trade transfers, rebuilding Decretum and expanding Endworld. And... I guess I've needed the break and to be brought back down to reality after everything that happened.”
She quieted, then said finally: “I'm still worried about Moonflower. But I think he'll be okay. I know he's spending a lot of time with Thorn. 'Magic Assistant' or something.” Cadence smiled in amusement, shaking her head before she said wryly: “It's pretty amazing, honestly. He's called himself a million different titles and names, he used to always try and fight to be team captain, and now he's happily trotting around after Thorn as his Magic Assistant.”
“Well, once upon a time I thought I needed the powers of Dad to be happy. Now I'm happy following you around and being the substitute Regent whenever Thorn is busy.” Thesis shrugged, then he said with a smile: “It wasn't power that I needed to complete me. It was you.”
Cadence blushed at this, and Thesis grinned before he winced when she grabbed him by the nose. But then she leaned forward, literally yanking him into a kiss and holding his snout in place as mouths worked together, her tongue invading his mouth for a moment before she slipped back with a smile and gently pushed his head back. “Asshole.”
“Yeah. I'm the asshole.” Thesis said wryly, and then he asked curiously: “Where's the Swan?”
Cadence scowled slightly, glancing around: it was a silly question, since technically Danzsöngr was never gone from her... but the Swan had taken to wandering quite a bit, all across Decretum. She still wasn't sure how the Swan's projection worked, only that... well, it does. Somehow.
“I have no idea.” Cadence finally answered: sure, she could find out easily enough, but she didn't want to disturb the Swan. It was stupid, but... I cherish my time alone with Thesis. “I'm selfish and crazy, aren't I?”
“Self-centered, I thought we agreed on, not selfish. But crazy, yeah, you're completely crazy.” Thesis said mildly, and Cadence sighed before she let him hug her and pull her against him, stroking gently through her long mane before he said softly: “I'll trim this for you, and you can do mine, too. Have to maintain my professional image.”
Cadence smiled despite herself, then she simply nodded. He always knew what to do, as he squeezed her tightly for a moment before letting her go, but not before pecking her forehead with a kiss.
He left, he returned, and he cut her mane, deftly and quickly, simply tossing the shorn locks to the floor for the cleaning droid to pick up. He cut it just as she liked, and she did the same for him, as she pressed her front against the cold metal his exoskeleton built into his back, feeling the whirr of the machinery, hearing the audible hum of the countless metal parts within that all rumbled away, helping keep Thesis alive, yet also... breaking him down.
He was so strong. So brave. So goddamn good.
The days blurred into one-another, and they were good days: days of love, and happiness, and relaxation. They lived together, happily ever after, for a few days, a few weeks, a few wonderful months. The best in Cadence's life, as they lived: she worked, trained, fought, and loved, and almost every moment of that was spent with her friends, her family, and her Thesis.
It was so good, and yet she was terribly, painfully aware that he was getting worse. His reflexes slowed first, and then the pain became harder to hide: and he was so strong, she didn't want to imagine how much it had to hurt, for him to be unable to hide it. Just the thought alone hurt her.
But he always smiled.
He was so good, and so strong, and he always smiled, and he never, ever held her back, and he never stopped giving his best, his all, for his friends, his family, his world, and most of all, for her.
And then, as much as they both didn't want it to happen, as much as they had both fought, so hard and long against it, the day they both dreaded finally arrived; a day that started as normally as any other, where they talked, shared laughs, smiled at each other over the table in the living room, and then Thesis stood up, scoffing at her when she started to stand-
He fell.
There was no blood, no screaming, no crying, no nothing. There was no great epiphany and no last minute salvation, no miracle and no curse. Only life, as Thesis lay on the floor, breathing quietly, his body shivering as his hooves refused to move, as his muscles twitched uselessly, and Cadence stood over him, trembling, staring at him, until Thesis finally whispered: “I can't get up.”
Cadence dropped down and hugged him, and Thesis closed his eyes as she pulled her head into his lap. He felt the warmth of her tears, and the thrumming of her body before everything became blurry, and when he came to, it wasn't Cadence's body that was vibrating, but the gurney he was on as he was pushed quickly through the medical building.
They weren't rushing, though, as they took him to the medical theater. No, everyone knew it was too late. This wasn't going to be a surgery to save his life, to even prolong the inevitable. As they rolled him onto his stomach and applied medicine and magic, he fell into a painless doze, but all the same, he could feel and almost see the eyes of his mother above, watching him like a hawk from behind the glass wall of the viewing balcony above the surgical theater.
“I never thought I'd be going through this again. I never thought I had the strength to.” Hecate said quietly, as Cadence trembled beside her, staring down at Thesis, watching as Dogmatists calmly went to work, quickly and efficiently beginning to remove the purifier from his back. “The machinery is doing nothing but adding excess weight and damaging his cellular structure further. But Thesis has been an idiot, as always, and accelerated the breakdown of his body. He won't last the night.”
“No! There... I just...” Cadence caught herself as Hecate looked at her sharply, the ivory mare trembling before she gritted her teeth and nodded, whispering: “Okay. I'm sorry.”
“Don't apologize. Anger, sadness, outbursts are all to be expected.” Hecate replied, turning her eyes back down to gaze through the glass at the calculated spectacle unfolding below. “We have this under control, Cadence. You don't have to be here for this.”
“I do. I have to be here for every minute of this. Every moment.” Cadence whispered, before she shivered a little as she watched as Thesis' flesh was cut into, as metal claws slowly began to draw the exoskeleton back-
“Not every moment. Now, more than ever, you have to take care of yourself, because he is not going to be there to take care of you.” Hecate said coldly, and Cadence glared up at the Jötnar mare, tears shimmering in her eyes.
But Hecate only leaned down, meeting her gaze fearlessly before she said quietly: “Neither you nor I want my son to spend his last moments worrying about you. He is going to die. There is nothing we can do about that. All we can do is make it as peaceful for him as possible, and show him that we are not going to be stupid. His death will not be in vain. And he doesn't have to spend even one more moment fighting to be strong so that he can lift us up, because we are too stupid to stand on our own hooves.”
Cadence shuddered for a moment, and then she nodded and closed her eyes tightly, rubbing convulsively at her face before Hecate said in a softer voice: “Instead of watching this, go get some things from home and bring them to Thesis' room here.”
“I don't want him to die here, in this place, in the medical center. I want him home. I want...” Cadence halted, then she looked up at Hecate as she clearly felt the emotions of the Jötnar mare, smiling faintly as she whispered: “You're right. That's stupid. It would... it's better to keep our home...”
She looked away, chewing on her lip for a few moments before she simply nodded, taking a shuddering breath as she composed herself before she silently turned and left, unaware of Hecate's lingering gaze on her, or the silent tears of Thesis' mother.
Cadence moved in a numb daze, ignoring everything and everyone as she went back to the apartment to bundle together some of Thesis' favorite things, their blankets, their pillows, the few pictures they had. But on the way out, she found Moonflower and La Croix and her father, Sombra, just standing there, and it was all Cadence could do to stop from collapsing.
Yet all the same, she stumbled forward, buried her head against her father for a moment, and sobbed against his chest: but then, even as he hugged her, held her tight, she took a breath and slowly, painfully picked herself up, whispering: “I... I don't have time. I have to go.”
“We'll walk with you, mi amore.” Sombra promised gently, and Cadence nodded even as she stumbled past, floating the bundle down to clutch it tightly against her breast.
Everything was sound and color and nothingness as she walked back to the medical center, with her friends and father following silently behind her. She thought of a million crazy things as the minutes seemed to crawl and the seconds raced, but none of it she could really put into words: that was probably for the best, though. She knew she wasn't thinking clearly. She was...
The Swan's claw settled gently on her shoulder, and Cadence looked up silently at the creature as it said softly: “We are never alone. Not in anything. Not in life, or death, pain or pleasure. We are together. Come, Cadence. You are going to sing for him. You will dance for him. You will show him that you love him, one last time. Is this not the least of what we can do?”
“Yes.” Cadence agreed, because there was no time for games, or masks, or outbursts or childishness. And because the Swan was right: Thesis deserved that and more, and she was only sorry she hadn't shared all these things sooner.
But she'd always thought there would be time. There would be time, there would be a tomorrow, and in the back of her mind, she had denied that this would ever happen in spite of the certainty of it. Things like this didn't just happen, after all, and there would be time to react, time to adjust, time, time, bastard time...
Cadence stepped into a quiet, private room with a single large bed with a small pillow and industrial blue sheets dominating the center of it. She looked at the vast expanse of the mattress: it looked so synthetic, so fake somehow, like a false smile on a plastic face: like a decorative cover over a coffin.
She shoved the bundle of things onto a table, then grabbed the blue sheets and ripped them off the bed, flinging them across the room and into the IV poles, making them jangle and the equipment mounted on them bang and clack together, like they were laughing at her. She snarled at them, her hooves flexing against the ground, but her father grasped her quickly around the shoulders and whispered into her ear, soothing her.
Cadence slowly slumped, then slipped out of her father's forelegs, pressing back into the wall and sliding down to the ground, burying her face in her hooves. Sombra only gazed at her for a moment before he turned his attention to the bundle, extracting the sheets and pillows.
Moonflower sat hesitantly beside Cadence, gently grasping her shoulder, and La Croix lingered nearby as Sombra made the bed. Finally, Cadence looked up and rubbed at her face slowly, laughing faintly before she whispered: “I'm not doing very good, am I? You... we've all lost so much. I should be handling this better. I should be stronger.”
“Now you stop that, Cadence. I... we've all been through a lot, but... it's not a contest, and we all handle things differently. At least, that's what Thorn kept telling me. He's going to be here soon, too, he's just transferring over duties to Seneschal.” Moonflower smiled faintly. “The Clockwork Empire never sleeps, as he likes to say.”
“Yes... yes, we always have more work to do.” Cadence murmured, and then she shook her head slowly before she took a slow breath, then forced herself to stand up, raising her head and looking silently at the made bed before her attention was drawn out the open door by a noise and a familiar energy.
A gurney rolled slowly towards them, pushed by a Beauty Dogmatist and followed by Hecate and Thorn. Thesis was in the gurney, his eyes closed, his breathing slow and steady, laying on his back: he looked comfortable at least, Cadence thought, but he also looked so... different. It wasn't the bandages that did it, either: it was the way he was laying, how he was settled, completely, on his back, without any exoskeleton to hold him up.
The Beauty clone pulled back the covers, then transferred Thesis to the bed with gentle telekinesis, and Cadence almost shoved forward to the edge of the bed, looking down at him with a tremble before she smiled faintly as she grasped the covers, carefully tucking him.
Thesis' eyes opened as she leaned over him, and he studied her for a few moments before he said softly: “Hey, Honk.”
“Hey, asshole.” Cadence murmured, before she shifted a little, sitting on the bed beside him. She hesitated for a moment, then she reached out and gently touched his forehead, and a moment later, the Swan reached down and touched the same place.
Thesis closed his eyes as his senses swam, and then he looked up in surprise. He could still feel his physical body, all the heaviness, all the hurt, but at the same time he was somewhere else. Somewhere completely different, where it was nothing but endless space for as far as the eye could see.
He was comfortably seated back in a large chair, and Cadence stood in front of him, smiling faintly at him as she said softly: “I would have loved to do this for you in person, but... I guess there's not enough room for that in the hospital room, and...”
She rubbed at her face slowly, and Thesis stared at her in surprise: she was dressed all in silks and a long, feathered dress that flowed beautifully across her body. She looked up at him, and Thesis didn't know what to say: he simply sat and studied her and how beautiful she was, until Cadence finally said: “I'm going to dance for you now.”
She closed her eyes, then began to dance: she flowed effortlessly, like water, sometimes on four legs, sometimes on two, moving in graceful gyrations and twists, the silk scarves around her limbs raising and twisting through the air and around her body, the feathers of her dress fluttering against the air as she danced to an unheard rhythm they both felt thrumming through their hearts and souls.
Cadence danced, danced to the silent music until she could no longer contain it, and then she began to sing. She sang of their love without words, in a voice she never knew she had, a voice that quavered and shook with emotion as her body moved fluidly, perfectly, gracefully through every movement, every verse without hesitation, as if she'd practiced these movements a million times before, and yet she never had: no, every dance the Swans did was unique, and never before had a Swan danced for love.
And when it was over, she stood in front of him, vulnerable, soul bared, tears flowing from her eyes as she looked down at him. And when it was done, she shivered once before she slipped her hooves from his forehead to his shoulders, her tears falling on his muzzle as he looked up at her from the bed he had never left, and Cadence Danzsöngr said quietly: “I love you, Thesis.”
“I love you too, Cadence Danzsöngr.” Thesis smiled faintly up at her, and then he whispered, as her tears fell across his face, mixing with his own: “Thank you. For giving me a second chance. For redeeming me. For helping me to live.”
“No, Thesis. You saved me. You helped me in ways I can't thank you enough for. And...” It was hard. It was so, so hard, but all the same Cadence forced herself to give a shaky smile, to promise not just Thesis, but herself: “I'm gonna be strong for you. For me, and for you, for... for us. I... I want to continue to be the person you showed me I could be.”
“Hey. It's not all about you, Honk.” Thesis said softly, and Cadence laughed despite herself, rubbing silently at her eyes before he murmured: “Just promise me you'll be okay. Just promise me that. That you'll keep going. That you'll be okay.”
“I'll be okay. I'm always okay.” Cadence said softly, and then she smiled faintly at the look he gave her. Even as he lay here, dying – fading away – here he was. Still making jokes. Making her smile. Making her laugh. Making her feel just the right amount of bad, as she murmured: “I promise. I promise I'll do my best.”
“Good.” Thesis breathed slowly, settling back in bed before he looked up with a smile, adding quietly: “That goes for you too, kiddo.”
Thorn smiled faintly at this, nodding once as he straightened and said quietly: “You have my word. I'll do my best to take care of Mother, too.”
“Oh, don't even bother. That's impossible.” Thesis said softly, as his eyes roved to Hecate, who gave him a faint smile as a tear spilled down one ivory cheek, glowing in the light of her electric mane. “But it's okay. Mom does... a pretty good job of taking care of herself. You just need to remind her now and then to lighten up, and that... it's not the end of the world when...”
Thesis coughed a few times, and Cadence leaned worriedly over him, but the stallion only shook his head weakly before he struggled to hold a hoof up, whispering: “I'm okay. Everything is just... very heavy.”
He carefully settled his hoof down, and he let out a long breath as his body settled next, shaking himself once more before he murmured: “I know you're going to beat me for this, but... none of you have to be here. It's just... going to sleep. It's just a going to sleep, that's all.”
“I'm staying.” Cadence said quietly, and she met Thesis' eyes before she reached up and silently stroked his mane back, murmuring: “I'm going to stay until... until you go to sleep. I... I don't want you to have any nightmares.”
“Okay. I know that... you'll chase them all away.” Thesis chuckled softly, giving a faint but honest smile up at Cadence, and she smiled faintly in return before she kissed his forehead delicately, then stroked his mane gingerly back.
But no one was eager to leave: the Beauty Dogmatist weaved carefully between them every so often to check on Thesis, but there were no tubes, no medicines, no needles, no machines: just brief checks every so often on how he was doing, and sometimes a gentle brush with a cloth until the unit was dismissed by Hecate.
They talked, all friends, all family here, and Thesis laughed, and smiled, and was... happy, Cadence thought. And others came, and she was so glad that they did: the Replicants all came to pay their respects, and Necrophage rambled away until Hecate threw her out, Muse following and mumbling apologies, but seeming to know that, really, it was all okay, and Hecate was glad that they had been here.
Luna Brynhild, Morgan Heldóttir, and Scrivener Blooms showed up as well, offering sympathy and kindness and love. Brynhild fumblingly offered Danzsöngr a shoulder to cry on and someone to turn to if she needed it, and Scrivener and Thesis embraced, and Morgan promised they would be there for them in every and any capacity they needed, and gave Thesis comfort: it was more than Cadence could have hoped, let alone asked for. It was perhaps the only moment where she could say that she and the Valkyrie were able to truly put aside their differences, and it was something she would forever be grateful for: not for herself, but because she saw how much it meant to Thesis.
They didn't stay for very long, and when they left, they took Moonflower and La Croix with them, and Cadence appreciated it. That they understood that, selfishly, she wanted to be here with Thesis for his last moments, alone. And the time was drawing closer by the moment, but Thesis was still acting strong, still smiling in that undefeatable, enviable way he had...
Others came, in a blur, but they were less and less important: only Hel truly stood out among the many people who came to say their goodbyes. And she was so strange, so gentle, touching his hoof, looking at them both with kindness, and Cadence felt like that wasn't truly for Thesis, but somehow, for her. And perhaps the strangest thing of all was just how reassuring it was.
Sombra left, and it was just Hecate and Thorn, in this room that was suddenly too big and too empty. Cadence sat on the side of the bed, in gentle contact at all times with Thesis, looking at him with love and affection, and they were simply... silent together, for the longest time.
One hour passed like that, then two. Cadence expected it to last forever, even as Thesis' breathing slowed, as his eyes began to flutter, and she was taken by surprise when Thorn said quietly: “I love you, big brother. Sleep well.”
“Love you too, kiddo.” Thesis whispered, and Thorn smiled faintly before he turned and let himself quietly out. Thesis studied the door for a moment, before his eyes roved tiredly to Hecate, saying softly: “You didn't have to.”
“Yes, I did.” Hecate looked at Thesis for a moment, and then she strode to the side of the bed and leaned down, embracing him fiercely before she kissed his lips, then his forehead, trembling once as she whispered in his ear: “I love you, my son. I love you, so very much. So, so much. I'm glad we got to spend this time together.”
“Me too, Mom. I love you too. You take care of yourself, and... it all matters, I promise. I promise it's not all for nothing.” Thesis smiled faintly, before he whispered: “Family first. You lose a son, sure, but you gain a daughter, and she's even more awesome than me. Just a little, though.”
Cadence laughed faintly, and Hecate shook her head slowly before she murmured: “You were born as my son. And now you die as my son. But you've earned it, Thesis. You've earned your rest. And I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep our family safe.”
“I know you will, Mom. I'll see you again... I just hope it's not too soon.” Thesis smiled again, and Hecate nodded before she straightened and took a slow breath, then she turned and headed for the door, letting herself out.
It was just them now, Cadence and Thesis. And they sat together for a few moments before Cadence carefully slipped over him and laid down in the bed beside him. They embraced one another, and there was no need for words, or actions, or anything but to be with one-another.
They stayed together like that, taking comfort in the silence and one-another, until two ceased to be, and there was only one.