CW: Mentions of blood and death

Rafessor grunted and pushed himself to his elbows.

The side of his head throbbed as he looked up and around. A flurry of wings passed by him, soon followed by Frost.

Rafessor pushed himself to sit, looking around at the scene. As his vision cleared, he saw charred grass across the middle of the yard. Then, his eyes glazed over to the right.

The golden grass was stained red. Jerome was curled up, unmoving. Florian was leaning against the side of SSundee's house, staring at his feet.

Rafessor struggled to his feet and ran over to Jerome. He crouched beside the limp body, panic drumming in his ears. He heard a far off shriek.

Rafessor snapped towards Florian, "Go help them."

"He's dead," Florian whispered hoarsely, "You can't save him."

Jerome's warmth was dying. Rafessor huffed and attempted to lift Jerome, struggling under the weight. "I'm going to try."

"Magic can't cure death," Florian murmured, watching hopelessly as Rafessor stood, Jerome curled in the admin's arms.

"He's not dead." Was all Rafessor said before shifting into the spirit realm. The weight in his arms lightened. He didn't bother to look around to find anything, instead he set at a dead sprint for the treehouse. Rafessor ignored the voice calling for him. He weight started to return, and the fog settling over everything lightened, clearing the path. He dragged Jerome the rest of the way to the house.

With the help of the elevator, Rafessor managed to rest Jerome on a spare bed in the makeshift infirmary. He whirled towards the desk in the corner that was overflowing with papers and books. He sifted through them, flipping them open and skimming the pages to find any hints, any ideas.

He wanted to believe that there was a way, but deep down he knew there wasn't a solution.

Ever since the night Nico had died, Rafessor spent days on end trying to learn everything he could about healing and magic. Countless times Frost or Florian had found him passed out at his desk, leaning over ancient books.

Rafessor forced himself to stop. He inhaled shakily, staring down at the books littered across the desk. He turned back to Jerome, limp and lifeless.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, both to Jerome and Nico, "I tried."

A wisp of cool air brushed against his back before disappearing. Rafessor lowered his head.

"RAF!" A voice shouted. He turned, seeing Frost stumble into the treehouse, dragging Sigils with him, who was unconscious and slumped against Frost's side. Florian showed up behind him, supporting a shaky but thankfully conscious Henwy. Florian shielded Henwy's view from his dead partner and led him off to a different room.

Rafessor surveyed Sigils and sucked in a startled breath. Burns snaked across his body. His fur wasn't charred, however, instead it was damp.

"Water?" Rafessor murmured, eyes flashing in worry, "What happened?"

"Biffle," Frost replied simply, "I tried to remove as much of the water as I could. He might be feral, I'm not sure."

Rafessor jerked his chin towards a bed at the far end of the room, "Start taking care of him, I'll be there to help in a minute."

Frost nodded and left. Rafessor turned back towards Jerome. Taking a white sheet, he laid it on top of the bear, then turned to try to save Sigils.

——————————
Word Count: 561