“Are you alright, Arkay?”
Arkay blinked, having been staring at the wall opposite for a little too long. “I’m alright, why?”
Vikalos sat down next to Arkay. The Decay Lord was at least double Arkay’s height, but his size was more comforting than concerning.
“You do not seem alright. Is something on your mind?”
“Eh…” Arkay shrugged. “I guess? There is a lot going on today.”
Vikalos closed his eyes, sighing. “Indeed. I have a lot to do, and the funeral processions will be starting soon. I need to prepare for that.”
“Someone died?”
“A friend of a friend. I met them once, they were already quite old. I am surprised they managed to live as long as they did, but at least they are at peace now.”
Arkay’s gaze fell downwards, as he stared at the floor instead of the wall. “I’m sorry.”
“It is fine. Just a reminder that everything fades away eventually, if you are not careful. I try to keep myself safe and secured. Not everyone thinks the same way. Accidents happen.”
“Yeah, I get that…” Arkay frowned. “I try not to think about it. My existence is stressful enough as it is, I don’t need to be thinking about death as well. Thought I would have escaped it by now.”
Vikalos glanced down at Arkay. “You worry about death?”
“It… it’s a complicated mess…” Arkay tried to explain. “Being here, mostly on my own with Kalis is… alright-ish. But I keep on thinking back to the stuff that I did with Retvik and Litvir and… That stuff was crazy.”
“You do admittedly come from a rather chaotic neighbourhood. Lots of passing traffic.”
“I noticed….” Arkay grunted, turning his attention back to Vikalos. “Are the Thantir even still a thing now?”
“Funnily enough, yes. Galyn has made some…” Vikalos paused, taking a moment to think about his next few words. He didn’t want to upset Arkay. “Galyn has made a deal with a small Life Goddess who is building a Life Oasis. In exchange for helping with the build and providing security, Galyn managed to get a sighed contract allowing him to rebuild the Thantir somewhat.”
“That’s surely good news, right?” Arkay asked. “Wait, are you considering rejoining him?”
Vikalos remained silent for a moment. “I… do not know yet.”
“Why?”
“I feel like I have done a lot to build myself here, and it would be a shame to abandon all you younglings still trying to figure yourselves out. We have come a long way, but we also still have a long way to go. And what with Deathven sending out new notices all the time in regards to hybrids, you need someone who will stand by your side.”
Arkay frowned. “Yeah… to be honest I have been thinking about that a lot. I don’t want to take a cure-all and be just a Decayling. I just need help balancing both sides of myself.”
“Understandable. I do not want you to lose part of yourself either. After all, we are all created differently, and it is the events during our lives which shape us.”
“That… is a really nice way to put it…” Arkay muttered.
With a grunt, Vikalos stood up and opened the door to his medical office. “Anyway, it is time to get your vaccination booster shot. Then you can get on with your day.”
“Yeah,” Arkay let out a small smile as he followed Vikalos inside. “I do have… a lot going on today. Mostly good stuff.”
“That is good to hear!” Vikalos smiled too, before closing the door. “I do not wish to hold you up…”