The way Richard clings onto that knife makes me uncomfortable. His eyelids are pulled open as wide as they can, to the point where I'm concerned that his eyes will slide and fall out of their sockets. The blade's handle is almost entirely engulfed by his fingers and is pressed against his palm. A Cheshire Cat like grin slowly spreads across his face, exposing his teeth; something he never does if he can help it. I guess the shock and pleasant surprise is too much for him to bear with an aloof reaction. No cold emotional detachment this time, not when so much elation just radiates off of him. However, I don't share his glee. Instead, I stand as far from him as I can without crossing the entire desert with my arms crossed and pressed against my chest. I throw on a fake, sheepish smile and nod with artificial enthusiasm at him as he shoots a glance back over to me; mostly to make sure I didn't leave, I'd guess.

Again, I see just how much care he's putting into not touching the blade. When he first picked it up, his pinky finger was resting at the very edge of the handle. Now, they're nowhere near touching even the edge. There's something about it, there has to be. He wouldn't be this careful otherwise. I feel a sudden pounding in my lungs which reminds me to breathe. Exhaling out through my mouth, I keep my eyes focused on Richard's ever evolving glee. He actually bursts out in a full on laugh; a manic, choppy laugh of fatigued triumph but a laugh nonetheless. Even though I'm not exactly near him, I backpedal just a bit further, kicking some dust up into the air to be blown away by the slight yet existent winds.

"Oh, this is a great day!"

He looks up from the blade and out towards the expanse of the desert before him. In the corner of his eye, I can see a fire burning in his eyes and while he's toned down the ear to ear smile, its traces still dot the corners of his mouth and my hand stiffen, curling and tightening around my forearms, digging into the skin and turning it red. I would be thinking on the influx information I somehow received from whatever magic trick he pulled using me but I don't trust him with whatever that knife is.

"So, now are you going to tell me why we came?" I ask, calling out across the empty desert.

"Are you blind?"

Figures he'd answer my question with one of his own. I shake my head and he shrugs his shoulders at me, looking at me like there's something wrong with me for asking.

"That doesn't answer anything and you know it."

"I know. Why don't you?"

There's not a trace of his usual sarcasm hidden within his question.

"Why should I? You never told me."

"Wait... you don't know?"

My eyes widen and I cock my head to my right, placing my hands on my hips.

"No-- AH!"

A throbbing, sharp pain rips through my head, feeling as if my brain was being split in half and then into quarters. The crawling under my skin intensifies and I fall to my knees with my hands pressed firmly against my temples. Another scream forces its way out of my mouth, splitting the corners of my lips and causing a trickle of blood to spill out onto my cheeks. I force my eyes shut but instead of seeing black, I get an eye assaultingly bright neon blue flooding through my pupils. Once more I scream and my mouth splits wider more, as blood gushes from my widening mouth wounds. It leaks into my mouth and I spit the thick globs onto the sand. I don't dare open my eyes.

My skin tightens around my bones, providing yet another source of pressure and discomfort. I don't scream this time. I clamp my mouth shut and dig my teeth into my bottom lip. More of the thick, oily tasting blood leaks from the puncture wounds and falls onto the tip of my tongue, pooling up alongside my gums.

"Are you sure about this?" I hear a voice calling out to me from beyond the never ending, never ceasing, never relenting blue light drilling into me. Then, the light swirls. Mixed with a blinding white, the two colors swirl and spin and twirl. Faster, ever faster it spins around until I'm certain I can see a face in the middle. Its irises are white and full of malice towards me. It continues staring daggers into me as the swirling lights continue their trance inducing motions. The skin on my fingers tightens until there's barely enough to cover them and as I touch them with my thumb I can trace the bones urging to poke out through the thin layer of flesh.

I feel like I'm going to die. Die screaming and in pain. Die and not know why or how as the sickening face just looks on with hatred behind its otherwise dead eyes.

And then I feel nothing. It's gone. The tightening, crawling skin; the headache; the whirlwind; the face; everything all gone just as soon as it came. The only thing that didn't make it exit are the visible wounds on the corners of my mouth and my bottom lip. I fall onto my back, looking up to the sky and taking deep breaths in through the mouth. The dust that floated upwards as I crashed back onto the sand doesn't even settle; it falls downward against my throat provoking a coughing fit in which I roll over onto my left side. Weakly, and with my right hand covering my mouth I try to shove myself up off the ground with only my left arm, to no avail. No sooner than when my elbow locks into place does it falter under my weight and I collapse on the ground sending out yet another cloud of dust to float over me.

"It-Indigo!"

I close my eyes for a brief moment and when I open them next Richard's beside me, hand outstretched and ready to help me up. With some reluctance for I can't see where the knife is, I shakily reach my hand out and take his hand. He pulls me up and pats some of the dust away before looking at me with a smile.

"So, now what do you know?"

I think, or at least try to before my mind cycles through a long series of information I never knew before. Memories of things I never did to my knowledge. Names, identities, origins.

"Everything," I say, croaking and coughing trying to dislodge the last bit of dust nestled in the back of my throat. "I know everything. Including what I am."

And oh my, does everything start to make a lot more sense.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."