Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It hurt to move. Every movement made clay grind against clay and dug pointed spikes into the Light of Cavern’s core. The howling hymn of the Call of Eden filled his head, drowning out all else sans the booming thunder and the whistle of the flying rocks. 

He’d fallen into a crack somewhere. His head was still reeling, struggling to process what had happened. He’d…he’d been climbing a hill when he heard the crack of thunder, and he dove for shelter, and- 

A rock had clipped him in the shoulder, not enough to suck away all his Light, but enough to knock him backwards, down the hill. And he’d ended up here, safe from the rocks but no less stuck. 

He tried to at least sit upright, but the movement only reminded him that his shell had cracked open, and when he pulled back his damaged cape to check, he found a hole the size of his hand carved into his chest next to his core, caught in a spiderweb of cracks. The worst of them crept around and over Cavern’s shoulder, likely trailing down to his back as well. He closed his eyes and leaned back down. Everything hurt, not just the cracks. His head hurt from the force of the Call, his body hurt from the cracks, and his Light- 

He forced his eyes open once again, just a little bit. His gaze flickered to the massive, trembling red crystal lying near his feet. Streams of golden dust flowed into it from his wound, and with every passing second it seemed to grow brighter. 

He was going to run out of Light if he stayed here, but if he moved - if he could even move at all - then he’d risk damaging his shell further. 

He went limp again, fighting the urge to cry. Why had he thought he could do this alone? He should’ve gotten the others - Shadow or Crystal or Blue or Lightning - 

A jolt shot through him as he realized something. Lightning’s weekly visit had been coming up last he checked. He’d been so blinded by the Call that it had been all but forgotten, but now his friend was probably lost and confused and worried for his safety, and Cavern was dying in a ditch from his own stupidity. 

His eyes stung. He cupped a hand over the crack in his chest, as if that’d do anything to stop the crystal from devouring it, and murmured an apology to his friend. 

He’d never experienced it, but he hoped the Call of Eden would stop if he turned to stone right here, far from the Eye of the storm. He was getting dangerously close to it; the Light in his core was growing weaker and weaker by the minute, and it was only a matter of minutes, maybe, before he started losing stars. He’d seen no other Descendants since falling down here, and if he had to guess there were no other Descendants coming, because surely one of them would’ve noticed and rescued him by now. 

The rumble of rocks rattled overhead. He heard them whistle past, and then… 

…then the rumbling didn’t stop. He forced his eyes open and looked up, up at the sky choked with poisonous clouds, up at a sky utterly devoid of the stars’ familiar presence. He stayed there, bleeding Light, watching for the source of the mysterious sound, until harsh blue light filled his vision and dread pooled under his shell. 

He didn’t think there was a dragon route here, but he’d been wrong before. Lightning was the krill tamer, after all, not him. He just knew to run as soon as their beams drew close. 

But of course. This run had already been a disaster; what else did he expect but a dragon attack at a vulnerable moment, when he was already so close to burning out? He closed his eyes and hoped it’d at least be fast about it, knowing there was no way to escape if it saw him- 

But nothing happened. 

Cavern forced his eyes open again. The swirling sky had been tainted blue by the blinding light of the dragon’s beam, but that just confused him more. The beam wasn’t moving , meaning it must’ve seen him, but why hadn’t it turned red? Why hadn’t he heard the sharp clatter of its vision locking on, nor its growl as it coiled up for an attack? 

He turned his gaze in the direction of the beam’s source and had to take his good arm away from the crack in his shell in order to shield himself from the blinding blue light. Brightness wasn’t usually a problem for them; but when that light was coming from a creature of darkness it turned much harsher, even painful to look at. Still, through the haze he made out the outline of a dragon’s head, and… 

Wait, was that another Descendant riding on its back? How…? 

The shrill shriek of a firework rattled through his shell. He flinched, closing his eyes against the blinding light and the deafening sound and the growing pressure building inside his head. The rumble of the krill’s movement started up again, followed by a loud thunk! and the sound of clay footsteps on the harsh rock. A Descendant with braided hair and a yellow-and-orange cape shaped like butterfly wings jumped down into the little shelter. Almost instantly, the vivid colors of her cape began to fade as the crystal drained the Light out of her, but she hardly seemed to notice. She knelt next to Cavern’s head. 

Cavern? She asked. 

It took him a minute to realize that she was asking if it was his name. He nodded weakly, and her eyes lit up. 

I’m Silk, she said. Your friends sent me to look for you!  

She sounded almost painfully cheerful despite the situation. He couldn't tell if it was an act or not. Probably not; they weren’t exactly good at hiding their emotions. 

Silk drew her candle out from under her cape and held it to the crack. Energy filled him as her Light mingled with his, and the smaller cracks began to close, slowly but surely. 

He tried to sit up again, and Silk held a hand to his chest, keeping him down. 

Don’t move; you might make it worse, she said. 

Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she pressed the flame a little closer to the larger crack, which refused to close. He caught her wrist. 

It’s too big. It won’t heal. 

Before Silk could say anything, the distant whistle of the wind through a cape interrupted them, followed once again by the sound of clay against stone. Two more Descendants dropped into the narrow crack; he recognized the leaf-shaped red cape belonging to Shadow, and… 

Lightning. 

Lightning’s eyes widened at the sight of him. Ae crept up behind his head and gently lifted it into aer lap. 

How do we get him back? ae asked. 

Silk glanced up over the crack, presumably at her dragon, then back at Lightning. 

Mr Cuddles can take him, she said. 

Cavern almost wanted to giggle, if he’d had the energy. She named her pet dark dragon Mr Cuddles?  

He can probably take one more of you, Silk added. No more. You’re too big for him. 

Lightning nodded sagely and looked to Shadow, who turned his gaze down. 

You’re his closest friend. You should stay with him, Shadow said. 

Shadow… Lightning began. 

I wouldn’t be much of a veteran if I didn’t know how to handle myself in Eden, Shadow said with a tilt of his head. Go with him. I can take care of myself and the others. 

Others? 

Lightning sighed, then finally looked down at Cavern. 

Can you move? ae asked. 

Cavern winced and shook his head. He’d brought his hand back up to cover the crack; even with the trio present, he was still losing Light faster than he was getting it back. 

Okay. Silk, on the count of three, we lift him. 

Lightning curled aer hands under Cavern’s shoulders, pressing Cavern’s head to aer chest in the process. The warmth of Lightning’s core was soothing. 

One…two… 

He was abruptly lifted off the ground. The motion sent a screaming pain through his shell, running from the crack all the way through the rest of him. It felt like he was going to break apart. 

He made a shrill cry without even realizing he was making a sound and writhed. Silk murmured apologies to him, but Lightning, true to form, didn’t say a word or even look at Cavern, too dead-set on getting him out. 

It felt like an eternity before they finally put him down, this time on something rough and sharp. It wasn’t until he felt it move under him that he realized it was the dragon’s back. Lightning climbed up behind him and wrapped aer arms around his chest, avoiding the crack; he didn’t know if that was intentional on aer part, or if it was just a coincidence, but he was thankful nonetheless. 

Hold onto him, Silk instructed Lightning. 

Lightning obliged; aer grip tightened, and he winced as the feeling of cracks forming in his shell returned. The dragon’s scales shifted and rumbled, and it lurched under him as it took off. Lightning glanced over the dragon’s flank, down at the ground; no doubt ae was looking for Shadow. Whatever ae saw must’ve satisfied aem, because ae returned aer attention to Cavern, gripping the dragon’s scales with one hand and burying aer face in his good shoulder. 

You’ll be okay, ae said, sounding more like ae were trying to convince aemself than him. I promise. 

Chapter Text

Cavern woke up staring at an unfamiliar stone ceiling. He was lying on something soft; a bed, maybe? 

He tried to sit up to get a better look at his surroundings, but as soon as he put weight on his shoulder, shell-shattering pain ripped through him, and he fell back onto the bed with a whimper. He grasped at the source of the pain with his good hand and stiffened when he felt a wide crack on his shoulder, hidden by the fabric of his tunic. 

It took him a moment to remember its source, and as soon as he did he wanted to cry. He drew his friends into a dangerous situation out of his own stupidity and desperation to get the Call out of his head, when he could’ve just waited a few hours and Lightning would’ve taken him, and now he’d gotten them all worked up over it, and- 

Footsteps. He lifted his head and looked around. 

The room was relatively big, made of stone bricks with a pattern of diamond-shaped tiles decorating the floor. Next to the bed was a bookshelf laden with trinkets and stuffies; at the foot of it was a wild cluster of lamps, braziers, and torches pointed in his direction. On the far side of the room was an elevated ledge, on which sat a grand piano and a couch. Behind them were three arched windows; through them, he could see the broken spire of Aviary and the twinkling night sky. A corridor led off to the side, but the angle of the bed made it hard for him to see down it. 

A shape emerged from the corridor. It took him a minute to recognize it as Blue; she’d switched out her usual snowflake cape for a ragged turquoise-and-blue striped one, and her thick cream and blue tunic and pants for a blue tunic with white tights and brown boots. It was her mask, streaked with colored stars and blue paint, and the colored ribbons in her hair that led him to actually recognize her. 

Her eyes widened when she saw him, and before he could even get a word in, she darted back down the hallway out of sight. He sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes and draping an arm over his head dramatically. 

After a moment, though, the footsteps returned, and this time it wasn’t just Blue who entered the room. Behind her was Lightning, whose eyes grew even wider than Blue’s had when ae saw Cavern awake. Ae strode over stiffly, trying not to seem as worried - or maybe excited - as they actually were. Cavern almost chuckled; typical Lightning, thinking anyone bought aer’s gruff image. 

Lightning perched on the end of the bed, cape fluttering, one knee drawn up to aer chest and the other dangling off the edge. 

Hope you had a nice nap, ae said. 

I did, actually, Cavern said, not buying the snark bait for a minute. He sighed. I’m sorry. I should’ve waited for you. 

What are you sorry for? That was Blue. She sidled up to them, but didn’t sit. I went to Eden alone my second time. I would’ve thought I was safe if I was in your shoes, too. 

But it wasn’t my second time- 

It’s your fifth, Lightning interrupted. If you only go when Eden Calls you, you’ll never learn how to make it through. You’re an idiot, just not for the reasons you think. 

Cavern giggled. You offering to teach me how to make it through? 

Lightning’s eyes narrowed. Don’t push it, Cavern. 

Blue glanced between the two of them, looking like she’d just learned they ate butterflies for breakfast. 

That was your fifth time ?! she cried. 

Cavern nodded. Blue slumped. 

Please tell me you fell during the Season of the Nine-Colored Deer, she said, knowing full well that he, in fact, did not. 

Passage, Cavern replied. 

Blue looked like she was going to explode. She glanced between Lightning and Cavern, Lightning and Cavern. Then she threw her hands up. 

How?! she cried. I fell during Moments, and I’m well into the double digits now! 

I don’t hear the Call very often, Cavern conceded, scratching behind his ear and wincing when that tugged at the cracks. It could be worse. I could be like that one guy who never heard the Call at all. 

The one that went missing right before Season of Aurora? Lightning guessed. 

Yeah, him. 

Where did you even  hear  about that? 

People tell you some interesting stuff if you invite them in for tea, Cavern said dismissively. Anyway, that’s not important. The important part is that I’m sorry for putting you two and Shadow and Silk in danger- 

Oh, there were a lot more of us than that, Lightning said. 

…how many? Cavern asked nervously, not sure he actually wanted to know the answer. 

Give or take about ten of us. 

Cavern withered a little inside. He almost wondered if maybe a fragment of darkstone crystal had gotten wedged in his shell while he was stuck in Eden. 

To be fair, most of them volunteered, Blue said. Yellow probably thought he was being peer-pressured, though. 

Didn’t you and Yellow once get into a loop of apologizing to each other until Moss showed up to separate you? Cavern asked. 

…yeah, yeah, we did, Blue said with a weak chuckle. It wasn’t our finest moment… 

The point is, if none of us cared, we wouldn’t have gone looking for you, Lightning said. We knew what we were getting into as soon as we realized you went to Eden. Sparrow even tried to shove her moth back through a portal. 

I wish she had, Blue admitted. I kept having to rescue them from rock rains. 

Don’t apologize for putting us in danger when we were the ones who opened the Eden gate on purpose, Lightning said. You going in alone is a different story, but we can talk about that when your shell is whole enough that pushing you in the Wind Paths for being a massive idiot won’t tear you apart. 

…I think I’d deserve that, Cavern mumbled. 

No, you don’t. Stop beating yourself up. We just talked about this. 

Blue glanced back and forth between them, made a few awkward gestures and stuttered a bit, caught between telling them what she was doing and just doing it anyway, then darted out the door before any of them could stop her. As soon as she was gone, Lightning’s shoulders slumped. Ae crawled up alongside Cavern and dragged him into a shell-crushing hug. 

You moron , ae whispered. You absolute buffoon. 

Cavern snickered lightly but fondly. He pulled Lightning’s hat off, to which ae grumbled in complaint, but didn’t stop him, even when he booped aem on the nose with it. 

I love you too, he said. 

Lightning curled up beside him. After a few moments, aer breathing slowed and aer grip on him loosened. He laced their fingers together and brought their hands up to his chest. For the first time in a while, his head felt clear. The Call of Eden was gone.