Chapter Text
Time was basically nonexistent in her limbo Smog realised early on. However long she was stuck in the gem, she waded through like she was in a sea of syrup. Her senses dulled aside from the intense feeling of heat surrounding her.
The lava pulsed, the only indication of the outside world still existing. She wasn’t asleep, wasn’t awake she was just… existing.
Fear seemed distant, worry for her sister barely more than an afterthought. It was strangely peaceful.
A hand grasped the ring freeing it from the lava.
The outside world was cold, the feeling attacking her skin like needles. Her hands flickered in and out of existance, shapeless swirls of smoke suddenly taking shape only to dissolve just as quickly. Easily her knees gave out, causing her to fall to the floor.
A hand against her back startled her, making her head snap back to see who had dared come near her.
“Panna Cotta…?” Her voice was weak, almost painful to hear with how rough it sounded even to her own ears. She coughed, small tendrils of smoke escaping the sides of her mouth.
Red Panna Cotta quickly sat her up, holding her steady best he could as she coughed loudly and painfully.
“Easy.” His hand moved to her back in an attempt to hold her straight. “It’s okay.”
The spirit coughed again, trying and failing to force air into her lungs (did she have any in this state? were they too replaced by the smoke normally reserved for her limbs and hair?) another cough escaped her before she managed a deep breath.
The archer by her side held her steady, warm against her. He wisely avoided her still smokey limbs, opting just for her solid torso.
When air flowed into her easily and the coughing eased, he opened his mouth to speak.
“What even happened here?”
Smog took a deep breath, bracing herself to speak.
“…the valley was being attacked, the darkness and corruption.” Another cough interrupted her “Fire and I were burning as much as we could but we kept being weakened bit by bit… then I took a bad hit and wound up in the ring.”
Red Panna Cotta nodded, his expression relatively calm but his grip on her torso tightened, keeping her further grounded in reality. It was nice.
“Is that all you remember?” he carefully prodded. Smog furrowed her brow a little.
“Uhh… Fire kept getting a visitor when I was resting… some purple winged person, don’t know who they were she’d always insist I rest when they came around…” she let out a light cough “Don’t know much else… everything became a blur after Fire stopped being able to fly really.”
Smog let herself slump against the man kneeling next to her.
"Sorry I'm not much help…” she mumbled.
"You've been more help than anything I've found so far,” Red Panna Cotta assured “I just have… One more question.”
"Ask away, not like I can leave in this state,” Smog joked, causing herself to chuckle weakly. She didn’t receive a laugh, only a sigh and a fond head shake before he turned serious again.
"If… a spirit in your state were to leave the valley for a long period of time, would there be consequences?” The question hung in the air. Smog tensed, head snapping up to properly look the guardian in the eye.
"Depending on their strength and whatever’s keeping them bound to the living world…” her brow furrowed in worry “they could last up to a year and a half mostly fine, but they’d need to return to the valley often to reheat, if they were as weak as I am compared to most other spirits they could extinguish within less than that.”
“That’s… the worst answer I could’ve gotten…” Red Panna Cotta sighed “and the reason I asked is… not one you’re going to like.”
Smog sighed. Seems her rest wouldn’t be so easily obtained this time.
At least she wasn’t alone.