HER HEART

A pretty girl, a Prince, a monkey and a bird were sitting in a tavern.

“This meeting is like a start of a bad joke!” Parsia cried out, sighing.

“Hey, don’t insult the great Phoenix!” the bird screeched angrily. “I’m neither bad nor a joke; I’m great… uh, what’s the opposite of joke?”

“Well, considering how others are looking at us, we very well may be a bad joke.” Thalia added dejectedly.

“Let me tell you a worse one,” the monkey joined. “A group of young and adventurous souls are sitting in a tavern, drinking wine and ale, and being depressed about it. Think about it for a second.”

“…”

“…”

“How’s Lynne?” Parsia asked, shifting the topic.

“Better,” Thalia said, sighing as she filled the glass with wine. “Most parts have regrown. It’ll probably take a few months for full recovery though.”

“Where the hell do you even find these miraculous medicines you damned monkey?” the bird asked angrily.

“Not in your bean-sized brain, that’s for sure.” the monkey sneered.

“Don’t-please, don’t start…” Parsia interrupted the bird. “So, what’s our plan now?”

“What can it be?” Thalia said, smiling bitterly. “Wait for him to get better, and go as far away as possible.”

“Lords of Zen will collapse quickly, with their leader being imprisoned and all,” Parsia said. “So, there’s no reason to run anymore. We can just settle here for some time.”

“We set out for East, and that’s where we’re going,” Thalia said, sighing. “I’m sick and tired of political wars and games as of recently.”

“Ah, I love them,” Parsia said, smiling. “Much safer than unexplored wilderness.”

“Hey, monkey,” Thalia turned to the furry creature nibbling on a small pill. “Any Magus tombs nearby?”

“Why? Feel like grave-robbing all of a sudden?”

“We’re broke,” Thalia replied simply. “So yeah, that inspires some grave-robbing.”

“… I’ll look for them tomorrow.”

“Great. Alright, I’ll go visit Lynne. Parsia, you see how Fen’er is doing. Bird you… eh, you do you.”

“As I always do.”

“… that’s disgusting.”

“Hey, the bird has the needs!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The group separated as they left the tavern, with Thalia going towards the isolated part of the city – where she battled the other woman – which was now rebuilt as a one-man’s hospital, and where Lynne was recuperating.

Two weeks had passed since the battle, and the city was still being rebuilt, with its gates having finally been opened yesterday. Still, very few people left, and more began streaming in as the rumors spread that the city withstood the siege by Lords of Zen, making it one of the safest places in the Kingdom at the moment.

However, everyone was barred from even coming close to the one-man hospital. Sir Loras and two other Celestial Mages were on guard all day and night long on shifts, and only Thalia, Parsia, Fen’er and the Major are allowed to visit.

“Lady Thalia,” Sir Loras greeted Thalia the moment he saw her, smiling as he bowed lightly. “You came for a visit?”

“Yeah,” Thalia smiled back as she answered. “How is he?”

“Same,” Sir Loras said, sighing as he looked at the stone house behind him. “Although his body is quite sturdy, the extent of his injuries was… it will take time.”

“I know,” Thalia said. “Can I see him?”

“Of course.” Sir Loras opened the heavy, steal-cased doors and let her in, closing them immediately after.

Thalia found herself in a familiar, small room, with only a bed and a few chairs as decoration. Walls were painted in Magical Arrays and Formations, and even a band of Celestial Mages would have trouble forcing their way in. She pulled up the chair next to the bed and sat in silence as her eyes shifted on the motionless body lying atop the bed.

Lynne’s expression was peaceful, his lips slightly parted, and his eyes would twitch from time to time, as if he was dreaming. Nearly all of his body was wound in bandages, and his chest and back were riddled with scars. If it weren’t for his chest moving up and down, one would think he was dead.

“Hey,” Thalia said softly as she caressed his hair gently. “You’re doing great. Just a little bit more, and you’ll be back to the way you were.” she sighed gently as she lowered her head. “You know, I can’t help but keep remembering that moment in the sky when our eyes met,” she continued, smiling lightly. “We were miles apart, yet I felt like you were near me. I could swear I felt your warmth at that moment, and as if you whispered into my ear, I knew you were just about to do something completely dumb and reckless.”

“However, in that short moment, your eyes shone with clarity for some reason,” she said, continuing to caress his hair. “As if you understood something that has been escaping you all this while. And… you surrendered. I saw it in your eyes, Lynne. You were ready to die. It terrified me… it terrified me because it wasn’t you. I don’t know what or who pulled you out, or why you changed your mind, but if you ever think of doing something even remotely like that, I’ll kill you. Do you hear me?” she chuckled lightly as she breathed in deeply.

“Hey, did I ever tell you about the time I accidentally got lost during a sandstorm? Ah, it was terrible. Me and a few other of Master’s disciples were celebrating my birthday of all things, when this sudden sandstorm hit us. Well, not sudden really – we were in a freaking desert after all – and it swept past us quickly and viciously. It tossed and turned me for miles on end before I was able to stand firmly. I looked around and I realized I didn’t know where I was. For as far as my eyes could see, there was only sand. Hilltops rolling over like waves, while sun burned so hot I felt it was inside my skin. After about a week, I was out of water and food, and I was dragging myself along, forward and forward. I don’t know why or how I kept on walking. I didn’t feel my legs, or my arms, or anything, really, but I kept on walking. In the end, it turned out there was no sandstorm; rather, we were attacked by a group of bandits, and I was the only one mentally weak enough to be fooled by their illusion. Yet, because of it, I was the only one to survive in the end.”

“Eight of my friends died that day,” she said, her voice anchoring in sadness. “And I only survived because I was too weak. Ah, I guess… I guess I’m trying to apologize. I tried to force Magic on you for selfish reasons. I never believed you when you told me you don’t want to be a part of it because, well, I was never able to escape it. But, you showed me that it’s not the Magic, or the people, or the Master. It was me, all along. You anchored me back into reality, and you opened up a way. Not by words, not by nagging on me or trying to prove to me that I was wrong, but by showing it to me. Do you know when I first realized I liked you, Lynne?” Thalia chuckled lightly as she glanced at him.

“Remember when I tried to persuade you to become my Master’s disciple? And you basically told me to fuck off elsewhere? For days after I fumed with anger, wondering how stupid can someone be to reject such an amazing offer, to be so naive as to think they alone can do it all. Little by little, you carved your way into my heart, and by the time I realized it, I found myself searching for me through your eyes. I watched you defy all you believed in, all you ever wanted, to save someone you cared for. I watched you get buried in guilt, and still manage to smile like nothing’s wrong.” she paused for a moment as she got up and looked through a small window where the only light in the room came from.

“When you wake up, I’ll go back to being who I am to you,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “Just another girl, just another memory on your way to the stars.” she turned around and looked at him again, smiling warmly. “I’ll become someone who’ll make sure this is the last time it’s you being broken whole.” she took in a deep breath, after which her gentle expression suddenly grew stoic and firm again. “Well, that felt terrible. Ugh, I can’t imagine how awkward it would have been if you were actually awake… it’s good I had a test run. I’ll come visit you later. Get better quickly.”

Thalia left the room, paying one final glance at the boy lying atop the bed, before shutting the doors behind her. The room was once more doused in complete silence.

Lynne’s body twitched slightly, breathing growing ragged for a moment before returning back to normal. Within the Garden of Flames, a scythe burned brightly as it sprouted seven flames around its shaft and blade, causing them to morph into lashing whips as they fended off several youths at a time. Beneath, Lynne was holding two chains with two Chakrams at their ends as he swung them around relentlessly, finding off groups of youths who were bombarding him with Spell Arts and weapon strikes.

At the fair distance, the Spirit, Liz-boy and the False God – still taking a body of a child – were observing him in silence, nodding from time to time.

“Do you think we should have let him hear it?” the False God asked the Spirit.

“It’s not time yet,” the Spirit sighed, shaking his head lightly. “He still isn’t clear about it, and he’s already under too much pressure as it is.”

“… he’s really difficult, isn’t it?” the three chuckled briefly as they continued.

“For now, he needs peace,” the Spirit said. “He’s too wound up, and if he stretches himself any further, all of progress he’s made recently will fall apart.”

“I’ll bet both of you that the moment he wakes up, he’ll go back to his olden ways,” Liz-boy said, sneering. “Scamming people, making their hearts explode with mere words, and just being the most annoying brat you’ve ever met.”

“It’s who he is, after all,” the Spirit said. “Hey, Lynne, that’s enough!”

“Finally you blind bastards!!” he roared immediately after the attacking youths disappeared. “Didn’t you say LIGHT training?! What the fuck do you mean light?!! I was just torn in half and barely survived, and before even recovering fully, you have me fighting an army of these bastards? Screw you! If you don’t buy me ten barrels of wine, I’ll smack your ass back into nowhere!”

“…”

“Your scything technique is still terrible,” the False God said instead. “Where’s the passion for it, huh? You just mastered all seven Natural Flames, and the only thing you’re doing is just having them wave about like idiots! Fuse them with the scythe! Morph scythe through them, expand on your battle techniques!”

“… all I’ve heard is ‘bla bla bla, more bla bla, and then bla bla’. Fuse what old man? Morph what?”

“… ah, it’s time you’ve finally entered the Grand Realm,” the Spirit sighed, shaking his head. “So we can actually begin training you properly.”

“Uhhh,” Lynne stuttered as he backed off slightly. “Pr-properly? I… how about I, you know, steady my foundations by staying in Magus Realm for, let’s say, a couple dozen million years, huh?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Hey, Liz-boy, you’ve got no right to judge me! Grill yourself to the next evolution first!”

“… I have. A month ago. I even told you.”

“Oh,” Lynne smiled nervously. “… eh, congratulations?”

“…”

“Get back to training.”

“Oh come on.”

“Or, better yet, let me fuse your consciousness back into your body so you wake up. And feel your broken body, nerve by nerve.” the False God threatened with a strangely warm smile.

“… all of you are just bullying beasts! Ganging up on a small kid! Have you no heart?!” he shouted as he went back onto the island and began preparing to fight again. “Karma will catch up to your asses! I promise you that much!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The trio continued to observe him while Lynne battled the youths, sweating profusely, while attuning himself further and further to the Empyrean Scything technique. He was short ways off from becoming Heavenly Magus, and the plan was to become Celestial Magus before waking up and leaving for the Eastern Wastelands. Although constantly complaining, he was giving it his all, focusing only onto becoming stronger and understanding more, and ignoring everything else, even himself.