Unknown L (Book 1)

~~ The Keeper ~~

Just thinking that sent a pang of pain through L's heart. Her thoughts immediately sprang to Matilda. Her death had been a horrible experience and L couldn't help picturing it happening over and over again. She hoped they'd never have to go through anything like that again. She had to put it out of her mind for the time being. She would grieve later. There were things she needed to know right now, questions were starting to pile up in her mind and she ordered them into a list of priorities, starting with the top.

"Frallica? The fight? What... happened?"

She didn't need to say much more than that; Emilia made an excuse to take Illiana away and Bryce moved closer so they could speak more privately.

"It was horrible, L... the whole thing, and me getting knocked out. I- I failed, I failed to protect you..." Bryce looked down in shame and L forced her arm out to lift his chin.

"No... you didn't. You did everything you could and that's more than you ever needed to." L tried to make her voice as firm as possible. Bryce could never have failed her, he fought as amazingly as everyone else had. He tried to disagree but L held his face a little tighter. "No."

Bryce stared at her and sighed, though L thought she saw a smile playing on his lips.

"There's no point arguing with you even in this condition, is there?"

L smiled and shook her head. She gestured for more water and Bryce passed her another bottle. He waited until she'd finished before he continued with his story.

"I guess I should start from where I was knocked out... Emilia found me under your barrier and woke me up. I took a second to get my head straight and then we raced to find you, but we were met with a scene that even we had trouble seeing. An enormous Dragon, standing beside a roaring orange and blue inferno. I had no idea what was going on and for a second I almost attacked Robbie, thinking he was with Frallica.

"Then I noticed the eyes and the heartbroken expression on his face, even on a Dragon I knew what it meant. I turned to face the fire and saw you inside of it. You looked so peaceful and I assumed it was in death. I fell to my knees. I thought I'd lost you. I could see what was left of Frallica behind you and figured out some of what happened. She was screaming and writhing in the fire but suddenly it was cut off and I watched as she grew still. Then suddenly she began to melt and her body was eventually reduced to a pile of black ooze."

L had to interrupt there, her voice was feeling steadily better. "So she's really gone? It wasn't another trick?"

"We had to wait over an hour for the fire and magic to die down, by then most of the community was regrouping around us. We had to watch you in that fire. You didn't move or scream, you just stood there motionless. It finally dissipated and we approached but you were still standing upright and motionless. I came to you while the others checked the mess on the ground that used to be Frallica. Edra conducted her own examinations but there was nothing identifiable left. No way that she could have faked that. She is definitely gone, L."

L could scarcely believe it. She didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry. She wished she had seen it for herself though, just to make sure.

"Then what... happened?" Was all she could ask.

She couldn't help it but she was already making plans to go back to that spot and make sure for herself that Frallica was gone.

"Then... I-I couldn't touch you, I couldn't make it real, I didn't want to... Edra finished her observations and she did it for me. She moved you with magic so you were floating horizontally above the ground and she examined you more closely. Somehow you were untouched by the fire or the magic- not even your clothes were singed.