Shane's heartbeat hammered in his temples. The tip of Sharlot's knife at his neck was a sharp and constant pain. While her knife forced him to keep his head elevated, he could still see the expression on her face from the corner of his eye. Combined with this empathic sensing feat, he had a perfect grasp of how she felt, and it broke him.

Pity

Anger

Sadness

Disappointed

To his surprise, more minor emotions became recognizable as he used his ability to dive a little deeper into her emotional subconscious.

Relief

Pride

….and Happiness.

A lump caught in his throat as he discovered those deeper feelings she buried. They were related to seeing him again for the first time in weeks. Sadly, it didn't last, and those positive feelings dissipated as her knife poked into his neck harder, enough to break the skin.

-2 HP (Sharlot's knife)

Shane winced from the pain as a trickle of blood seeped into his tunic. Yet, he made no counter to her action nor any movement to distance himself from her. I can't hurt her, not anymore. It would only make her hate for me grow, and I just can't bear for that to happen. He stayed still with his arms out and palms open to show her he meant no harm.

Shane closed his eyes. If she was going to kill him, he didn't want to see her do it. He didn't want to be able to recall the hate in her eyes as she ran him through with her blades. Suddenly, the knife's tip left his throat. This is it! He thought as he braced for the finishing blow from his beloved companion turned partial human child.

Five seconds passed. Then ten, and then thirty. At that time, Sharlot made no move against him. In fact, he wasn't even sure she was in the room as all he heard with his eyes squeezed shut was the sound of his breathing. After a few more seconds of silence, Shane opened his eyes to find her standing in the open doorway with her back to him.

This was his chance.

"Sharlot, listen. I—" she immediately cut him off without turning around.

"I will tell master Prime that you aren't anything to worry about. Don't worry about me, and don't look for me, because If I see you again, I will be forced to go all out. Goodbye."

Shane knew she wasn't lying by the coldness in her words alone. Still, he tried to respond with an apology. Even an "I'm sorry!" would maybe be enough to open a dialogue. Unfortunately, as soon as she finished speaking, she pushed off the doorway's frame with enough force to crack the entire side of the dwelling. That action propelled her high into the air.

With her immediate departure came a rising of both the temperature and ambient lighting in the small boxy dwelling Shane was left standing in—all alone. It happened again! He thought. I wasn't strong enough...I couldn't pin her down long enough to explain myself and apologize.

"Fuck!!"

He cursed out of frustration, weakness, and loss of opportunity to make things right with a companion he treasured. His pants were thankfully absorbing a lot of the crushing feelings coursing through his heart and mind. Even with that nullification, what remained of his emotions was left was a profound, crushing numbness. That feeling persisted as he sat down and watched the light from the sun shift through the doorway over the rest of the afternoon.

Sometime after, Shane found himself outside again in that cool evening air. The sun was setting deep into the endless west of Endless Veil. He remembered the almost "smoke and mirrors" trick his team utilized so that the sun could rotate around an infinite plane. That's a sight that will always be gorgeous; he mentally acknowledged while raising his hands to cast [Skeleton Crew.]

Without hesitation, Shane set his faithful skeletal companions upon the small wooden hut. A constant stream of destructive noise spread through the area as Mage, Tank, and Rogue demolished the building with style—each playing to their own flashy strengths. Mage used their explosive fireballs to light the entire dwelling in bright flames. At the same time, Tank and Rogue surgically separated the roof from its support and cut it into easily burnable pieces.

Their master found a secluded spot nearby, watching their destructive handiwork in a detached daze. Shane was so emotionally drained that sleep came within minutes as he lay on a comfortable patch of grass and propped against a gravestone. All by the warmth of the hut's burning blaze under the deepening red of the twilight sky.