Sparks flew as Bronn deflected one of the wrist blades with the head of his axe, and he barely had time to use the haft to block the other. He had no solution for the tail, however, as it whipped up and around him. He was forced to duck underneath it, and caught a punch in the side of the head for his trouble. Disoriented, he tried rolling away, but his opponent followed. Finally, when he’d recovered enough of his senses, Bronn swung his legs out, trying to trip up his opponent as he got to his feet.
The madman was barely fazed: he was back on his feet almost immediately, using his tail as a counterbalance to roll back up. He kept pushing, leaving Bronn on the defensive. After another flurry of attacks, Bronn felt himself wearing down. One of the wrist blades swung at him again, and Bronn knew he wouldn’t get out of the way in time.
The blade never made it. It made contact with something solid, then a spray of blood appeared from thin air. Nyx materialized, her invisibility Semblance broken - and her aura shattered at the same time, a midnight blue mist evaporating in the desert winds. She fell, slowly, almost gracefully, and Bronn managed to catch her just before she hit the dirt. “Nyx!” he shouted. “No no no no… You can’t do this, I can’t lose you!”
She looked up at him and weakly raised a hand toward his face, but he could tell she was already gone. The gash across her chest was far too deep, too much blood lost. “Nyx!” Bronn cried again. He was drowned out by the maniacal laughter once more, but it seemed to grow fainter as it continued. Within seconds, it vanished - as did his opponent. Nyx disappeared like she was never there, the blood that had spilled suddenly nowhere to be found.
Instead, Emerald stood near him, a tear rolling down her cheek. “Emerald… You… That was an illusion?” he managed to gasp out.
She nodded slowly. “Tyrian Callows. One of Salem’s men,” she said. “That’s one of the people who are going to be after me. You get it now? He’s a monster. They all are. I had to show you. So you’d know what you were getting into.”
“And Nyx?” Bronn asked, his anger growing. “Why’d you show me that? Why show me another member of my team being killed?”
“Believe it or not, that was for your own good too,” Emerald answered calmly. “I know how close the two of you are, even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself.”
“Nyx and I are partners. Teammates,” Bronn said. “We were teammates for three years at Atlas. That doesn’t mean I-”
“Bronn, you’re such an idiot. And sometimes it’s endearing, but other times it’s frustrating,” Emerald said, her expression hardening. “I love you. But I can’t be around you. I will get you killed. This was the only way to get you to see that.
“Besides, it looks like you’ve got your own issues to work out. You’re still crying over an illusion,” she finished, turning her back on him. “Go find Nyx. And stay away from me. It’s for your own good.” She walked away, leaving Bronn kneeling in the desert, helpless.
#Fluffuary2026 Day 28 - "The Angstiest I Love You"
Bronn has a devastating vision of the future that breaks his heart, as well as Emerald's.
