Wild Tiger Chase - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

— Phillip —
Rafa blinked her surprise away, and Phillip forced a smile.
If Rio wanted him, really wanted him, he would've at least talked to him. He would've been honest. But he didn't, and Rio's mistrust would only end up corrupting the bond they shared. Phillip preferred to protect a good friendship before it could become another ruined love story.
Phillip massaged the back of his neck. That whole conversation thing got his muscles tense like Future Perfect Continuous. He sighed, and his shoulders relaxed for what felt the first time since he got off that airNAV in Cidade Santa.
Talking about this was good. It helped. It put things into perspective or some other shit like that.
And to think Phillip had almost let himself slip back into his old, toxic habits and obsessions. He rubbed his face, trying to erase that thought. He'd need to apologize to Léon for all he had done while he was still sick, that's for sure.
"Well, forget about that," he said—maybe more to himself than to Rafa. He set his eyes on her. "Go. You should try to rest a little. You have two students now, and they'll need you tomorrow."
"They'll need me in a few hours."
"Yeah," Phillip mumbled. "Go ahead. I'll stay a little."
She nodded and started towards the cottage while Phillip lay down in the grass. Rafa hadn't completed her second step when she paused and pivoted around.
"Phillip?"
He rubbed his eyes, dried his fingers on his clothes, and sat up to look at her. "Hm?"
"You're not easy to deal with and definitely not pleasant most of the time."
"Uh... thanks?"
She chuckled. "But I think you have what it takes to be a good friend. And I bet Léon thinks the same."
Phillip blinked a few times. His chest warmed up.
"I'd also appreciate a friendship with a sour, noisy, and sincere man such as yourself. If, of course, you never again try to manipulate my feelings for my brother—or anyone else. Unless you want a beating, that is."
He gave her a nervous laugh, but her eyes and the sure way her hands set on her hips showed she wasn't joking. Phillip cleared his throat.
"I hear you," he said. His voice sounded way weaker than he had expected. Phillip cleared his throat and clicked his tongue, laying on the grass again. "Yeah, well." He linked his fingers at the back of his neck. "I guess I will be your friend then since you're begging me."
This time she chuckled. "You prick."
He laughed. And for a second, Phillip thought everything was going to be okay.
— Phillip - 09:37 AM - Now —
He couldn't be more wrong.
Nothing would ever be okay if she continued screaming like that.
Phillip had been sleeping at the shore of the thermal lake when the first cry of pain echoed inside the forest, scaring birds and small animals all around him. He had jumped to his feet and was searching through the forest since then, running as fast as his legs could take him.
"Rafa!" he shouted.
She shouted back, but the sound carried only pain and not an answer.
Phillip furrowed his brows. Rafa should be training Léon and Pipo now. What if Cae had found them? What if Léon was hurt? He covered his legs with his shadow trace and leaned forward to increase his speed. With a final, throat-grating sound, Rafa's voice led him to a small clearing at the back of a rock face.
He needed a moment to get used to the sudden brightness. There she was.
No. There they were.
"L... Léon," Phillip mumbled. "What the fuck."
On a narrow ledge almost two meters above ground, Rafa was kneeling in front of Léon, holding his hand like a lifeline. Léon, on the contrary, kept silent and passive, his stoic expression set on the horizon with nothing but emptiness.
Phillip climbed up the ledge, and only then noticed the other presences around him. Pipo, Rob, and what's-his-name—the intern—stood beside Léon and Rafa with widened eyes. Phillip studied Léon's unflinching face, then turned to Rafa again.
"What's happening here?"
Pipo dried his tears on his sleeve and said, "It's my fault." His words sped up, each coming faster than the last. "I told Leo and Rafa we could find the purple rocks to recover our powers, but then Leo had one and Rafa said it belonged to the police and Leo said Rob gave it to him and Rafa was mad and Leo was sad and then Leo asked it back and Rafa gave it to him and when they touched their hands and the purple rock, they... and I... and... I shouldn't have told them. I shouldn't!"
Rob pulled Pipo closer and caressed his hair. "Oi, it's not your fault. It's okay. They're okay." He set his eyes on the intern, almost as if asking for a confirmation. "And we're here now; we'll help them."
Rafa screamed; this time, a tear rolled down the corner of her eyes—transparent at first, it was then tinted with a soft shade of orange that soon became dark-red.
"Blood. It's blood!" Phillip said in a trembly voice.
"What's happening, Anhangá? What can we do?" Rob asked. Why would a fucking intern know the answer to that?
"It's an anima weld, bitter boy; they're hammering their undimensions in the same plane and will only leave this state when they decide to do it together. It's..." his voice faltered. "Extraordinary! I never thought I'd see something like that between two wielders so young."
"How can we help?" Rob insisted.
"We can't." Anhangá crossed his arms. "We could ease dear Rafaela's pain if she were to let go of Léon's hand, but to do that—"
Phillip didn't let him finish. "That's easy; I'll do it." He stretched his hands to touch Léon's and Rafa's wrists, but the air felt colder and denser around them. The closer Phillip got, the colder it felt. It didn't take long until his palms started to burn, cold as if he was touching an ice wall.
"What are you doing? Stop!" the intern said. His name was Anhangá, right?
"I'm helping, partner. If you don't wanna, just take a step back and leave the work for your betters."
Anhangá scoffed and his voice felt heavier and deeper when he said, "My... betters?"
"I'll help too." Rob stepped beside Phillip.
Phillip groaned and pushed against the dense air around Rafa and Léon. "This is nothing compared to Satina's mind locks or whatever. I'll help her in... no... time!"
Rob's eyes widened. "W-what did you say?"
"Oh, Goddess, look at this." Anhangá's voice was even harsher this time, charged with a power Phillip hadn't noticed before. "Stepping away from the abyss, coming forth to reminisce, a weaker man of heart amiss." Anhangá stepped closer. "What an entertaining sight it is." Anhangá's breath, so close to Phillip's neck, made him shiver. The intern completed, "Let's see what you can do... snarky boy."
Phillip growled. The pain didn't faze him at first, but as Anhangá pushed him and Rob down, directing their hands towards Rafa and Léon, something changed. Phillip gritted his teeth to stop himself from screaming; with a groan, he spread his shadow trace down his arms and hands and pushed against the freezing air until his hands felt the ice-cold of Rafa's wrists at the same time Rob gripped Léon's.
They tugged at them, trying to separate their hands.
"Rafa," Phillip growled. "Your hand. Remove... your... hand!" Warmth rippled at Phillip's back, renewing his strength. "Rafa!" he shouted again.
Something seemed to wake up inside her. Rafa's shoulders jerked up, and her body came to life. She peeled her fingers off of Léon's and, slowly, she stood. When she straightened her back, a renewed wave of force pushed Phillip and Rob away.
The burning in his palms soon subsided, replaced by a throbbing pain in his back. Phillip gathered his bearings and looked up.
"C'mon," Anhangá said, offering him his outstretched hand.
And only then did Phillip notice he was lying on the floor. He sat up with a groan and looked at Rafa and Léon. She wasn't screaming anymore; instead, she stood like an amazon, her face hard like Léon's. Ethereal shapes appeared around them. A long cloak formed at Léon's back, while pointy crystals fanned like feathers from Rafa's temples and shoulders.
"On your feet, boy," Anhangá insisted.
"Yeah," Phillip mumbled. He moved to accept Anhangá's hand, but the intern dodged his fingers and gripped at his wrist instead. Phillip got up. "Aren't you a bit young to call me boy, though?"
"You surely believe so." The intern smirked, the little shit. He went back to Rob's side and stood on the tips of his toes to whisper something in his ear.
"Shut up," Rob snapped back, shoving him aside. Anhangá sneered.
Phillip was starting to like him.
"What do we do now?" Rob asked.
Anhangá took in a deep breath. "Now we treat the snarky boy's burns—and then we wait."
"All done," Rob said.
Phillip opened and closed his hands, trying the bandages Rob had made with Modraniht's instructions. His hands had seen their share of pain, so he wasn't unused to seeing them bandaged like this. "I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but you're moderately good at something, Roberto."
The muscles in Rob's jaw clenched. He took in a deep breath. "Can't you say thank you like a normal person, Phillip?" He closed the first aid box with a hard slap and got up.
"And lose the chance to try your patience? Nah."
Rob pivoted around.
It was already half-past two, and the hot weather inside Caidara's pocket dimension was starting to feel uncomfortable. Caidara, Anhangá, Pipo, and the recently awakened Modraniht were keeping an eye on Léon and Rafa, while Phillip and Rob waited in the shade of a massive oak tree a few meters away. For a reason neither Rob, Anhangá, nor Phillip could explain, Rob's hands were unharmed, so he—begrudgingly—offered to help Phillip while Modraniht checked on the two cosmic trace wielders.
Phillip tried to keep to himself, but his conversation with Rafa kept coming back to his mind like an old song with broken lyrics he wanted to understand.
He didn't know where this was coming from, but as Phillip looked at Rob's back, all he felt was... pity. The words left his lips before Phillip could think about them.
"Your sister is a good person, Roberto. So is Léon."
He was less than a step away, so Phillip heard his sharp intake of air. Rob's shoulders tensed. "I know."
"They love you."
"I..." Rob ran a hand through his hair. "I know that too."
Phillip nodded. He stared long and hard at the bandages wrapped around his palms. In the distance, Modraniht and Caidara's quiet words carried a weird sense of tranquility.
"So... four years ago. It was you, huh." Rob turned around. "You helped Satina unlock Léon's memories."
"I did." His smirk was already a knee-jerk reaction. "I wanted to fucking break you, Robbie. To expose you for the piece of shit you are." Phillip shrugged. "And I wanted you far away from Léon."
Something crossed Rob's expression; something so evil and wicked, the hairs on Phillip's arms stood on end.
That something went away as quickly as it appeared.
Rob sighed and walked back to lean against the oak tree. "I... would've done the same in your place."
Phillip's eyes widened. He did nothing but stare as Rob slid down against the tree and sat on the grass. Holy fuck, he looked exhausted. He looked... broken. Rob turned to face him, and in that brief moment of silence, the men reached a silent understanding. Phillip knew there was much in Rob's head. He knew Rob needed to talk about things and to organize his thoughts.
He also knew Rob would never have that heart-to-heart with Phillip, of all people.
"You should talk to them," Phillip said. He emphasized that last word so it would add a silent not to me in his sentence.
"Yeah," Rob murmured. "I know."
"And..." Phillip grimaced. He knew his advice might fall on deaf ears, but he needed to say it. "Be careful, partner." He got up and stood beside Rob. Rafa's damned words kept circling his head, so he crossed his arms to keep them at bay. "You're about to make the same mistake again, Roberto. If you really changed, you won't let that happen. Don't. Fall. Into your old patterns. Think before acting."
Rob hummed. He took in a deep breath, then exhaled through his mouth. His eyes locked on the lifeless tattoos on the back of his hand, and he lowered his head, rubbing his eyes.
Phillip inched closer. "If you don't treat Léon like he deserves, I'll fix your fucking jaw. I'm serious, Roberto."
His answer was a raised middle finger and an almost-smile that barely curved Rob's lips.
Modraniht and Caidara's voices got louder. Pipo and Anhangá joined their small celebration, so Phillip guessed Léon and Rafa were back.
"Go check on them." Phillip gave Rob a hard slap on the shoulder. "They'll want to see you."
"Yeah." He pursed his lips. Rob looked towards Léon, then back at Phillip. "You're..." His hands balled at his sides. "You're his friend. You should come too."
And yeah, Rob's voice was bitter and filled with reservations, but holy fuck! Was he... inviting him? Accepting him? Phillip blinked again.
Rob's cheeks darkened, and he cleared his throat. "Oi, don't read too much into this, mate. We still hate each other. We'll always do!"
Phillip let out a sigh and reeled a full step back, shaking his head. He chuckled, then laughed as he scratched his growing beard.
His eyes met Rob's again, and this time they laughed together.
"You're a piece of shit, Roberto."
"Yeah, well." Rob's voice was firm when he said, "I'll change too, Phillip. For real this time."