As the weeks drew on, he did not learn as much about his new companions as he would have hoped–especially one particur companion–but there were a few standout details. Namely, that all of the others but Nuzumi had earned their keys by tricking the Trickster rather than as a result of it tricking them. Echo had already expined to Denholm that you were rewarded with a key no matter which way your interaction with a Trickster panned out, but even so, hearing Nuzumi admit to earning her key through failure just as he had, Denholm almost slipped up in the moment and admitted that the exact same had happened to him, but his rational mind just barely managed to reel him back. His trust in his new companions was growing by the day, but no amount of trust could make him willingly revisit the events that had led up to the key that still weighed heavily in his pocket, much heavier than the mere weight of the metal it was made of.

  Unfortunately, the nightmares of the white masked Trickster only continued to get worse. Denholm couldn’t prove it, but constantly having to expin away how he and Echo had come to be so close with deflections and half-truths was what he felt was causing it. The truth was begging to be spoken, and the longer he held it in, the tighter the hooks of the Trickster’s memory dug into his mind. And though he couldn’t bring himself to admit it, even to Echo, the nights were no longer the only time his past chased after him.

  During the day, he was beginning to see things now, things that his rational mind knew weren't really there. Nothing concrete, no more than glimpses of vague impressions in the corner of his eye. But it was getting harder and harder to ignore, all the same. His sleep being taken from him, he could stomach. He deserved as much. But whether the exhaustion from sleeplessness was the cause or something more sinister, Denholm now found himself seeing white masks in the clouds, or the silhouette of a set of vertical eyes in the cracked bark of a tree trunk. He had thought finding these adventurers was his light at the end of the darkness, but now he realized it was only another false hope, just as his ill-fated quest to bring Silvi back to life had been.

  No matter how much he fought against it, he knew eventually something would give. And it was one night, not three days from the date they had set for Denholm and Echo’s full acceptance into the group, that his failures finally caught up with him.

  ***

  Jezra was, as most nights, lulling himself to sleep with musings of open green fields and long wisps of purple hair blowing in the wind, when a guttural scream the likes of which would have made a honey badger blush snapped his eyes open and his mind alert. He was already halfway upright, flinging his bnket off with one hand and grabbing for his sword with the other, before the cry of pain had gone on for even a full second.

  The others were not far behind him, each springing up to a sitting position at minimum. In Baise’s case, he was already on his feet, being the one who had watch duty tonight. Jezra followed Baise’s withering stare, though he already had his suspicions, which were confirmed the moment he id eyes on the young boy who was sleeping some twenty paces from the main camp. His dark silhouette was bolt upright, and his shoulders rapidly expanded and contracted with each frantic breath he took.

  Jezra flopped back down with a groan. “Sometimes, I think a heart attack is more likely to kill me out here than a monster or Wanderer.”

  Baise growled something fierce, taking a half step towards Denholm with gritted teeth. “He’s been practically convulsing the whole night. I’m convinced if he didn't have his god-bnket keeping him in pce, he would have rolled off into the woods, and we would have never seen him again. And I’m beginning to think that not such a bad outcome.”

  Jezra raised an eyebrow as he watched Nuzumi take one bounding step and elbow Baise in the side.

  Baise grunted and doubled over. From his hunched position, while holding his gut with one hand, he used the other to jab an accusatory finger at the boy. “I am not happy being surprised like that. With a Mark like mine, I could have easily killed him by accident in the heat of the moment if he had been closer to me. The rest of you cannot really be content with this, can you? Would you have a restless child rolling over onto you in the middle of the night or screaming in your ear? Sooner or ter, he will become a problem.”

  Jezra groaned again. “Optimistic of you to not consider him one already.”

  “I will take watch for the rest of the night,” Nuzumi said, and though it was all she said, there was a forceful tightness in her words that gave both Jezra and Baise visible pause.

  The two men shared a gnce, but neither protested. “Get some sleep, Baise.” Her words were even quieter this time, yet Baise averted his eyes and went about settling in beside the fire without further compint.

  Jezra gnced once towards Oiro, only to find the man peacefully snoring.

  As his own eyes fell slowly closed again, the st thing he saw was Nuzumi’s long hair where it fell down her back, swaying to one side as she turned her protective gaze towards Denholm. If only he knew how just lucky he was. It might not be the same as romantic affection, but Jezra would have eaten his own big toe if it caused her to look at him with any kind of emotion.

  ***

  The next day, Denholm woke up ashamed of himself. He hardly added anything to their group besides his tie to Echo as things already were. Adding extra burdens like he had st night? Well, as he slowly collected himself and his clouded mind gradually cleared, he became even more certain of it. Something had to change. Be it him or his presence in the first pce. He could not stomach being a constant burden forever, not even if it meant getting to stay with Nuzumi.

  Just as he was thinking about how he might broach the topic with Echo, a familiar set of tired eyes caught his. If Denholm had gnced away quickly enough, he might have been able to pass off that he didn’t notice her looking. But this was Nuzumi. The moment he noticed her attention on him, he froze, completely and utterly. She, it seemed, took that as an invitation. Striding over with her characteristic warm smile, she kneeled next to him.

  “Jezra and Baise were crude st night, but also right in a way.” Gently, she set a hand down on his shoulder. “I’ve taken my fair share of night watches over the past few weeks, and without exception, you toss and turn every night as if something is trying to crawl out of your skin.”

  Denholm flinched despite trying not to. Though, instead of retracting her hand, she mirrored the action with the other, gripping him hard by both shoulders now. “You don’t have to tell me what you see in your nightmares. Just know that if you want to talk, I am here to listen. I’m worried about you, Denholm. If there is anything I can do to help, all you need to do is ask.”

  Denholm opened his mouth and closed it again. It didn’t matter how much he wanted to trust the look of genuine care in her eye. If she knew what he had really done–if all of them knew–he would be tossed aside just as he deserved.

  Nuzumi gave him one more squeeze of the shoulders before smiling fondly at Echo–who floated beside him as usual–and turned to go. Denholm watched her walk all the way back to the fire pit, not able to bring himself to avert his eyes despite Jezra’s constant watchful eye filled with a renewed sense of suspicion.

  That day, as all those previous, Denholm felt woefully inept.

  He felt more of a burden the longer he tagged along, thanks not only to his gradually degrading sanity, but also his general ck of ability to do… well, much of anything. The longer he waited for some obstacle to come along that he could have a hand in solving, the more the realization settled in.

  His only use in the group was as the point of attachment that kept Echo around. She was constantly making herself of use in various ways, and the frequency of her helping was only increasing as the trust of the group gradually shifted into acceptance of her.

  Meanwhile, Denholm was just as useless as always. No, a drag. That was what he was now. A constant drag on the group, not even a meaningless factor. Even Echo, he suspected, was tiring of him, even though the reasonable part of his mind told him that was nonsense. After all, regardless of his circumstances in meeting the other adventurers, Echo had gone out of her way to befriend him at the most hopeless and pathetic moment in his life. Even still, it was hard not to feel the doubt creeping in. Maybe she had been away from humans for so long she had just forgotten that some of them could carry their own weight, and soon she would see Denholm for what he really was.

  Nothing.