Time: May 24th, X820, mid-morning
Location: Magnolia
Objective: Embrace the trials ahead
Magnolia bustled in the sunny morning.
"Hey Brett! How's the bread business going?" a middle-aged gray-haired man called as he approached a booth.
"Heya Eddy! It's slowly getting hotter, but business isn't slowing," a fellow middle-aged man with a mustache replied as he sorted baskets of bread.
Eddy rubbed the smooth counter.
"I see you finally got your counter fixed after Adad broke it nearly a month ago," he said with a chuckle.
Brett came over to the counter and leaned in.
"Actually Adad fixed it himself about a week after the whole flooding incident," Brett stated in a low voice.
"He did?!"
"Shh! Shh!"
"Uh! Sorry."
"It's fine. He came by with all of the supplies and patched it right up right around sunset. Then he left a giant wad of jewels as compensation for disrupting the work that day," Brett explained.
He returned to sorting the giant loves into their respective cubbies.
"Wow. Dreadful Dreyar should change his name to Delightful Dreyar!" Eddy remarked.
"Ha ha ha he didn't want me publicizing the event because it would 'hurt his hardcore reputation' or something like that."
"Pffft. Please. Anyone who's lived in Magnolia long enough knows that all Fairy Tail members are giant teddy bears at heart. Some are just more hardcore than others."
"Mhm! Just don't betray them, hurt their members, or steal their children and it'll be a great time."
"Did you hear? There's Sabertooth wizards at the guild hall today!" a lady cried.
The two men looked as two women walked past with shopping bags.
"What?!" the other woman cried. "What business do they have here?!"
"Who knows?"
Brett and Eddy exchanged worried glances.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Location: Fairy Tail Guild Hall
Reiki took a deep breath and looked to the right.
Standing in front of the stage in a line was Raiden, Natsu, Nashi, Gajeel, Metallico, Wendy, Skyler, Erik, and Jace with Blake the Snake coiled around him. Master Laxus stood in front.
His gaze ventured left to see Varsha sitting between Lexi and Addy at a nearby bench, their backs to the guild hall. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she held their hands. Asuka and Everett stood off to the side.
He looked left further to see Master Sting standing next to the bench Varsha sat at. Rogue stood beside him. Floating above their heads were Lector and Frosch, respectively. Behind the Twin Dragons was the Heavenly Twins. Eli and Cal's heads peeked above their fathers'.
Reiki continued his leftward sweep to see Kinana standing off to the side with Laki and Mirajane on either side. Kinana held a lacrima showing Team Freedom anxiously waiting on Tenrou Island. The rest of the guild was packed into the hall while maintaining their distance from the Sabertooth wizards.
Blake the Snake constantly coiled her olive scales around Jace. Her previous words echoed in his head.
'Remember her. Know her.'
'Blakey...I don't know how to feel anymore,' he thought to his companion.
'Couldn't sleep. Couldn't sleep.'
'No...I couldn't. I thought maybe Varsha's memories were her imagination...that they weren't the real thing...that they were stories she made up because she went insane...but I don't think that happened.'
'Remember her. Know her.'
'I know, Blakey. If this little girl is really my niece...then she needs to stay safe.'
'Jace...Kina and I are here for you. We always have been. We always will be,' Erik thought to his son.
He rested a rough yet gentle hand on one of Jace's shoulders.
The seventeen-year-old's lip corners cracked upwards.
'I know, old man. Thank you,' he thought back.
"Master Laxus. It is an honor for you to have us," Master Sting declared in a serious voice.
"Master Sting. It is a pleasure to have you here," Master Laxus thundered.
'Good Mavis. At least these fake formalities are polite,' Reiki thought.
Sting and Natsu briefly exchanged glances.
Rogue and Gajeel did the same.
Lector and Frosch landed on a nearby table with Happy, Lily, and Charla.
The Twin Dragons looked at each other and nodded.
They stepped aside to reveal the Heavenly Twins.
Eleodoro patted Calypso's shoulder as she stepped forward while holding the sleeping little girl in her arms. Her dark purple hair and pale skin shone in the light.
Everyone looked at the dragon slayers. Their eyes fell to the two Poison Dragon Slayers. Neither man moved.
Suddenly, the black mamba slithered forth! She flicked her tongue as she reached Cal's feet.
Eli tensed up. A slight hand signal from his girlfriend made him relax.
'I can hear it, Cal. You trust Blakey based on our previous interaction,' Jace noted.
Blake slowly raised her body so that her head was around Cal's shoulders. She flicked her tongue and made two complete circles around the Moon mage. Her head inched forward.
Jace listened to her intense thoughts.
'Close, close. Jace keep safe, keep safe. Not well, not well.'
The message became a broken record in her mage's head.
The snake got so close that her tongue flickered in the little girl's ear. Saiya jolted awake.
"Wahh! Wahh! Callie-nee!"
"Shhhh shhh. Saiya, it's okay. I'm here. There's nothing to be scared of," she soothed. Callie rubbed her back and started rocking her.
Blakey darted back to Jace. She curled up so that some of her body rested on Jace's shoulders.
After Saiya calmed down, silence filled the air. A single sneeze echoed loudly.
Cal slowly walked forward and began to pass each of the dragon slayers. As she passed they each took a silent whiff. Saiya's large, brown eyes watched in awe.
The Moon Mage returned to her original spot and stared at the younger Poison Dragon Slayer.
Jace took a deep breath.
"Varsha," he said.
In such a quiet hall, his voice echoed in previously unknown cracks and crevices.
The Flood mage gulped and squeezed her eyes.
"Based on my smell and hearing as well as seeing my snake's assessment...," he started.
He stopped to swallow.
"Saiya is your daughter," he finished.
Varsha's eyes shot open.
The seventeen-year-old Poison Dragon Slayer looked to the other slayers.
"I can also smell the similarities...she smells like a half mixture of my son and you," Erik gravely announced.
Kinana's lower lip started trembling. Laki and Mirajane began rubbing her back.
"I also can smell the similarities," Skyler declared.
"Having helped Varsha many times, I can confidently say Saiya has Varsha's scent," Wendy stated.
"Her smell hasn't changed since the last time this happened. She's definitely half Blake and half Varsha," Metallico gritted.
"I agree with everyone else's assessment," Gajeel said.
"She smells like you Varsha," Nashi muttered.
"Mhm. I agree," Natsu said.
"Oh! Uhh, my turn. Yeah I don't smell much difference," Raiden admitted.
"Same here," Master Laxus stated.
Everyone looked to the Twin Dragons.
"From over here we can smell Varsha, Erik, Kinana, and Jace," Sting announced, "Saiya definitely carries the same scent as the mixture of Erik and Kinana. That is, similar to Jace. But the other half of her scent matches Varsha's."
"That makes sense given that her father is my elder son," Erik curtly stated.
"My conclusions are the same as Sting's," Rogue admitted.
The mother looked to her right.
Saiya continued looking around.
Her brown eyes looked directly into Varsha's gray ones.
Varsha's heart stopped. She stood up and tucked her cornflower blue hair behind her ears.
'I can hear it. Saiya's facial features. Her dark purple hair. Her pale skin. They all looked like him to you,' Jace and Erik thought in unison.
The mother cautiously stepped towards the girl.
"Saiya," Cal whispered.
"Mhm?" Saiya mumbled.
"You remember how I told you we might find your mother today?"
"Mhm?"
Cal gestured to Varsha with one hand.
"That's her. That's your mother."
Saiya's eyes widened.
"M-m-mommy?" she said.
Varsha smiled as tears snuck out.
"Yes, dear. I'm your mommy," she crooned.
Saiya pushed herself off Cal and slid down, holding onto her big sister's cloak as she went. Once her delicate feet touched the ground, she turned. Cal held her arms around the girl, ready to catch her.
Saiya took one step.
The Sabertooth wizards gasped!
Two steps.
She let go and made three more quick steps!
The little girl's weak legs gave out and she fell down. At the last second, her mother caught her with water.
She pulled her daughter into a tight embrace and began sobbing.
"Oh my goodness. My baby girl!" she sobbed.
To her relief, Saiya hugged her back.
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" she cried.
Everyone's hearts melted.
A series of awwws, oohs, and croons filled the hall.
Addy and Lexi started tearing up. The latter quietly clapped her hands with joy.
Asuka looked on with a proud smile while Everett nodded.
"How manly," he remarked.
Even Metallico and Gajeel felt their eyes water up.
'Old man?'
'Yes, Jace?'
'I don't know what to do with this information.'
'Neither do I. We'll discuss it after Sabertooth leaves. The three of us plus Varsha.'
Reiki furrowed his brows.
"So, Mr. Cheney, how did Saiya end up at Sabertooth?" he inquired.
All attention shifted to the Sabertooth's Guild Master's Assistant.
Varsha wiped away her tears and calmed herself down.
"I found her in April X815," the Shadow Dragon Slayer explained, "It was an extremely rainy day. I had the day off, but Sting texted me and asked if I could come to the guild hall for an emergency. I was just about to head inside when I heard a child crying. I followed the noise and saw a basket against the wall of the guild hall. Where it was placed, it might have been dry, but when I found it, water was dripping from one of the statues on top, getting the poor child wet. I couldn't just leave her, so I took her inside.
"She wasn't the emergency, but she became another one. Yukino dried her off while Sting and I dealt with the first one. After that, we debated on what to do with the child. Apparently the girl had come with a note written on a card. Here I have a picture of it."
Rogue pulled out his phone and scrolled for a bit.
"Here it is. It read 'Please take care of Saiya. Find and rescue her mother. If she asks about her father then tell her...' except that the last two lines had been washed out by the water."
'Find and rescue her mother?? That makes no sense given everything Varsha told us about Blake. He f***ing abused her! Then again, that's assuming Blake put Saiya there. But Varsha said Blake had separated the mother and child. Could he have pawned off the child to someone else who then brought Saiya to Sabertooth? Even if Blake did that, I would think he would give the child to someone with malicious intentions...something's not adding up character-wise,' Reiki wondered.
"May I see the picture, please?" he inquired aloud.
"Of course. Here you go," Rogue complied.
He showed the picture, which the scarlet-haired teenager committed to memory.
"We took her to Sabertooth's orphanage and asked them to keep watch while we searched for her parents. Sting and I ran through books and lacrima sources for any kind of clue. Nothing came up. We put up signs around town and in nearby towns asking if anyone would claim this child. Still nothing. A few days later, the orphanage manager called us and informed us that she was rushed to the hospital. It was then we were notified of her condition. Congenital muscular dystrophy. The doctor also guessed that she was around thirteen months old, so we went with that age."
Reiki glanced towards Varsha, who remained silent and still.
'She didn't go hysterical. She must have known about her daughter's poor health prior to separation. I wonder if she remembers her daughter's birthday?'
"After two weeks, we were still hitting dead ends. During that time, I had brought Saiya home to help her recover. Cal took a liking to Saiya as did her younger sister Selene. After a few more days, the little girl had become accustomed to life in my house. So, I decided to officially adopt her and look for her origin myself. Sting called me crazy, and looking back it was impulsive. However, I don't regret it. Given everything my daughters and I had to go through, I am not sure the orphanage would have had the time, money, or resources to allow Saiya to live as long as she has. Also, she would not have been able to reunite with her mother like this."
Eli clenched his teeth and balled his fists.
Cal bit her lip and nodded.
Varsha rushed Rogue and gave him an enormous one-armed hug.
"Thank you so so much! I really really appreciate this! You are so kind! Thank you very very much! Quite frankly the only thing that kept me going the past couple of years was the thought that I might be able to see her again," she cried.
Saiya embraced her foster father as well.
"Yeah! Thank you Daddy!" she squealed.
"If I may ask, Varsha," Reiki interrupted, "When's Saiya's birthday?"
The Flood Mage turned around with a gleam in her eyes and a broad smile.
"March 14th, X814," she immediately answered.
'Thirteen months was correct then. That doctor must've been quite experienced and well-trained to be able to guess a child's age despite the health issues.'
Suddenly, Master Laxus cleared his throat.
"Ahem! As much as I appreciate this sentimental moment, I believe we need to discuss the logistics of this. Varsha, Calypso, Master Sting, Assistant Rogue, Erik, Jace, Kinana, and of course Saiya let's meet in my office. Everyone else you are dismissed."
Cal exchanged brief glances with Reiki and Eli before heading off.
As everyone dispersed, Eli and Reiki carefully approached each other.
Nashi stormed over while Cris ran to his friends from the other side.
'Nashi. Please no fighting him. This is peaceful,' Reiki thought to her via telepathy.
"I gathered that much, Mr. Presumptuous," she snarled out loud.
Eli furrowed his brows.
Reiki sighed.
"Anyways. Thanks for being here, Nashi. And Cris. And Eli. I appreciate all of your support," he said.
Cris smiled awkwardly and scratched his neck.
"Eh hehhh I'm not doing anything special these days. I'm just...here I guess," he said.
"It feels the same way here," Nashi growled.
Eli flinched in place as his bright green eyes met Reiki's glare.
'I heard from Hayley that you almost blew our undercover investigation. We should talk later,' Reiki thought telepathically.
The Sun Mage furrowed his brows before expressing realization.
He grimaced and scratched his chin.
"Oh come on Mr. Hypocrite! You told me not to fight! Yet you look like you're trying to pick a fight with Sun Dude!" Nashi screamed.
"I'm not picking a fight. I'm stating facts," Reiki uttered in a low voice.
"Wait, did something happen?" Cris wondered.
"Hm?"
"I mean, like, did Nashi and I miss something that happened? You know, something that, uh, affected this interaction? Just...now?"
"Indeed it did. But I won't discuss it here. Too many people around," Reiki gritted.
'Does Cal know this happened? If she doesn't I'm going to tell her if you won't,' he telepathically stated to Eli.
Eli sighed.
"Can you stop asking me questions in my head? Jace and Erik are gonna hear them," he stated.
"Yes. That's true," Reiki admitted.
'Although knowing that Jace can't listen to my thoughts is reassuring.'
"Well, what if we went somewhere else?" Cris suggested.
"We don't know when the negotiations will be done," Eli countered. "And I don't want to abandon Callie...and possibly Saiya depending on what happens."
"Saiya will stay here," the redhead noted.
"What makes you say that, Mr. Confident?" Nashi challenged.
"Well...given how happy Varsha is to see her daughter as well as the Hebios' potential state of mind, I bet those four will be more than happy to take in the child. Raiden told me third morning that Varsha has been living with Lexi and Addy. Which explains their really close connection to her. So I'm not sure if she will continue to live with them or if she'll move in with the Hebios. Or move out into her own place. Plus, it sounds like Saiya has been a heavy burden for Cal and Mr. Cheney."
"Tch. No s***," Eli grumbled, crossing his arms, "It's not like she gave up her childhood to raise her two sisters or anything like that."
"She what?!" Nashi cried.
"Uhh, didn't she say that her father had kids outside of marriage?" Cris inquired.
Eli curtly nodded.
"And he's currently single?" Cris added.
"Has been since Selene was born."
"What a jerk!" Nashi cried.
"Cal does act like a mother towards Saiya," Reiki recalled.
"Yeah. Cause she didn't have an official one herself until three years ago. And her father put most of the kid-raising pressure onto her. Starting when she was ten," Eli informed.
Reiki's eyes widened.
"Huh?!" Nashi and Cris cried in unison.
Eli glared up at the office doors.
"Uh huh. It started out as babysitting because he was swamped with Assistant duties. Short bits of babysitting slowly morphed into long bits of babysitting which turned into Cal watching Selene full time. Thank goodness the rest of the adults in the guild stepped up and took turns helping out. Especially my Mom and Auntie."
"What about her primary school education?" Reiki wondered.
Eli sighed as his expression saddened.
"She never finished. She dropped out when she was six."
"That's a very early age. What happened?"
The eighteen-year-old bit his lip.
"If it's incredibly personal there's no need to disclose it in public," the almost-nineteen-year-old added.
Eli nodded.
"I'll let her tell you that if she wants to."
Nashi huffed and crossed her arms over her large boobs.
"Too bad we can't fight in here. Or else I would totally kick your sorry a**," she muttered.
The Sun Mage smirked.
"You really think you can beat me?"
"Oh no I don't think. I know I can."
"Uh huh. Sure."
"Nashi. Eli. Please? Not now?" Reiki begged.
"Shut up Mr. Beggar!" she snarled.
"We're barely on the edge of peace. And Reiki's stressed enough let's not stress him out with more unnecessary negotiations and explanations," Cris stated.
"Stay out of this Cold Feet!"
"I'm already neck-deep, Hot Hands!"
"Well swim to the shore ya Soggy Water!"
"What?! That name again?! It's pathetic!"
"Not as pathetic as whatever you come up with!"
"I can come up with much better insults, Fantastical Lava Beast!"
Nashi lit her fists on fire.
"I'm not fantastical! I'm real!" she roared.
The Fire Dragon Slayer charged forward.
"And I use fire not lava ya Sloshy Semi-Frozen Preservative!"
The Water-Ice Mage leapt back and dodged a slew of punches.
"What in Mavis' name does that mean?!" he cried, putting a fist to a palm.
He pulled out an ice shield with watery edges.
"You know exactly what it means!" she shouted as her fist connected with the shield.
The ice didn't crack, allowing the water to envelope her arms up to her shoulders.
"Whatever!" he shouted.
"IT'S NOT WHATEVER! IT'S A REAL INSULT!" she shrieked.
Reiki smiled as he watched.
He pulled out his lacrima phone, navigated to "messages" and "Cal", and began typing.
"Why are you texting her?" a tenor voice growled.
The redhead froze. He slowly looked up and saw Eli glowering down at him.
"Uhh because I have a...a question for her. That's all," the former stated calmly.
His heart started to race.
'What's wrong now? Are you just mad because I exposed an event you're ashamed of?' he thought.
"How inconsiderate are you? She's busy right now. Just ask her when she comes out," Eli half snarled.
"Other people will be around. I don't want this question to be asked aloud," Reiki responded in a steady voice.
He pretended to dust his bare feet against his dark leggings to mask their shakiness.
"Then can I know what it is? The question?" Eli wondered.
"I mean...I'm sure she's going to tell you."
"What if she doesn't?"
Reiki slowly shrugged.
"So what if she doesn't? It's not exactly a question meant for you. But it might be for you. I don't know the answer."
Nashi and Cris glanced over at the duo. Their bickering slowly died down.
They cautiously looked from Reiki's confused face to Eli's despised expression.
Eli let out a "hmph" but said nothing else. His crossed arms tightened.
The Fire Dragon Slayer and Ice-Water Mage looked at each other. The former devilishly grinned and slammed her fists together, igniting them. Suddenly, she leapt at the Heavenly Body Mage!
"Raaaaaaaahhhhh! I'm winning this time, Mr. Unbeatable!!" she roared.
Reiki took a step back with his left foot. As she sailed between the two boys, the older one lifted his right knee into her stomach, throwing her to the roof. She snagged the roof beams and dove to the balcony.
Out of the corner of his eye, the redhead saw a disk of ice hurtling towards him. He pirouetted to avoid it. As he planted his feet and put away his phone, a fist of fire appeared from above. Simultaneously a gauntlet of ice approached his side. Just as the weapons were about to make contact with their target, they were each stopped by a bare hand. The Fire Dragon Slayer and Ice-Water mage gritted their teeth. An instant later, the Heavenly Body Mage tumbled backwards and re-oriented himself mid-air to level out the opponents before allowing gravity to take over.
SLAM!! Creeeaaaaaakkk
"Ugggghhhh," Nashi and Cris groaned in unison.
Their bruised bodies twitched beneath the floorboards.
Eli's jaw clenched silently. He anxiously tapped his fingers on his arms.
Reiki knitted his brows together.
"What was that all about, Nashi and Cris?" he growled, standing up.
The only response he got was louder moans of pain.
He shook his head and brushed the dust off his blue, collarless, calf-length coat.
"Impressive. I hope they're okay, though," a deep, feminine voice stated.
Reiki looked up to see Cal standing next to Eli with empty arms.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"This is normal. They're fine," he stated.
The redhead looked over each shoulder. The defeated opponents were already on their feet and stretching as the floor glowed and began to fix itself.
"We're taking our leave now," Master Sting's voice announced.
Reiki looked back toward the Heavenly Twins. Eli's face was stern yet unmoving. Cal's barely visible mouth corners were poked up.
"Thank you for inviting us," the latter said, bowing.
She turned to Master Laxus and bowed again.
"Thank you for giving Saiya her real home," she stated.
The gruff Lightning Dragon Slayer nodded.
"Your contributions to raising her will not be forgotten," he said.
Eli half bowed to both Reiki and Master Laxus.
"Likewise. Thanks for having us," he half-gritted.
The Sabertooth wizards exchanged brief greetings and goodbyes with Fairy Tail wizards on their way out.
Rogue and Frosch shed tears as they waved goodbye to Saiya. The little girl waved eagerly from her mother's arms. Cal briefly looked back to smile.
As soon as the doors were closed behind the guests, the entire guild went silent.
"HOORAYYY!" someone cheered.
"We have a new guild member!!"
"Sabertooth really isn't our enemy!!"
"Yeahhhhh!!"
"Everyone! Drinks are on the house tonight!" Mirajane cried from the bar.
While people stormed the bar, Reiki quietly leapt to the second floor. He leaned on the balcony and watched the chaos unfold.
Nashi and Cris jogged up and collapsed against the wall.
"You really did a number on us!" the former cried.
"I haven't seen you that serious in a while," the latter remarked.
Reiki shrugged.
"I didn't really do anything different," he muttered.
'What was Eli's deal? All I wanted to ask Cal was if we could meet up to discuss anti-Enchantments. Last I checked Eli didn't know anything about those.'
He bit his lip and sighed.
'Eli. Please don't blame Cal for any of this.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time: Sunset
Location: Sabertooth
"I'm glad no demons were unleashed on Magnolia," Eli muttered.
Cal's hood wasn't off, but there were visible tear streaks on her pale face.
The young woman sighed and looked ahead.
"Love for others can take the form of a turbulent river, a sturdy glacier and anything in between."
Eli blinked and stared into space.
"Huh. That's very true."
His face was pulled into a tight grim as he crossed his arms.
"You're still angry," she stated.
Eli bit his lip.
"Of course I am," he growled.
"Saiya's where she should be. With her real family."
"Screw that."
"Excuse me?!" Calypso cried.
She turned her head to her boyfriend.
"Eleodoro Stingyu what the hell are you talking about?!"
The wind blew her hood off. Her short, shaggy black locks danced in front of her face. They hid her darkened seas of green-brown.
Eleodoro returned the sharp gaze.
"Calypso Roguerva you have suffered for over five years because of this mother and hospital nonsense!" he exclaimed.
His lively green eyes were set ablaze like the sunset before them.
"She would have died if my father hadn't taken her in! I knew that from the beginning!"
"You almost died, too! You worry so much about other people that you forget about yourself! It makes me sick!!" he shot back.
Calypso winced.
"Have you once thought about how your decisions affect other people?! I understand you want to help the weak but sometimes the weak is you! It doesn't matter how much magic you have or how smart you are if you don't have the body to actually use them properly!!" he shouted.
Calypso was stunned.
'He's right. As usual he's right. He's always right in social situations. Why can't I be for once?'
He audibly swallowed and stared ahead.
"Calypso. I'm going to admit I've been naive all of these years."
"On what?"
"I had thought your poor mental health was just a part of you. I thought the shadows dragging you in was what sapped your energy. But it wasn't that. It was your fight to simply not drown and become a part of them. And yet...despite that, you helped me fight my demons. As well as Diamond. And Emerald. And Carmine. Heck, even Amethyst was helped. To think you were uplifting all of us while struggling to keep your head up...," he gulped, "Calypso...You are undoubtedly the strongest person I've ever met."
Callie swallowed a small lump.
Eli's eyes watered. His lips trembled.
"Which is why I can't do this," he croaked.
"Can't do what?"
"Stay with you."
"What?! Eli! Stop speaking nonsense!"
"I'm not! I'm speaking the truth! I'm weak, Cal! Look at me! You've survived onslaughts of whispers and stares and depressive cycles while I can barely handle a few outspoken criticisms that come from outsiders!"
"That doesn't mean you can't grow stronger."
"So you do think I'm weak!"
"I didn't say that! You did!"
Eli scoffed and stomped to his feet.
"How did you hear about her anyways?" he asked in a low voice.
"Saiya's mother?" she clarified.
"Yes."
"Reiki told me. He called me, actually. He wanted to bring Saiya yesterday afternoon, but I told him it had to wait because you were trying to relax since we didn't have a quest for once this week."
She listened as his breathing deepened and intensified.
His arms uncrossed and his hands balled up.
Eleodoro looked down on the Moon mage through narrowed green eyes.
Cal felt a shiver down her spine.
"Tch. Just go with that redheaded bastard. He's better for you."
Cal shot to her feet.
"What?! Eli! Stop that thought process!"
"But it's true! He's much stronger than I am!"
"No he's not! He's just as scared as you and I!"
"Oh yeah?! Then how come you're trying to help him!"
"Because he's suffering from the same crippling doubts and anxieties I've had my whole life! And the same ones you've had as well! Nobody deserves to live in constant fear! Have you forgotten how much I helped our other friends with the same situations as well as you?!"
"REIKI TRIED TO KILL YOU!"
"AND I TRIED TO KILL HIM BACK!"
"He was first!"
"I didn't have to respond!"
"Why did you then Calypso?!"
"I don't remember Eleodoro!!"
"Well maybe spending quality time with Reiki will help you!"
"I'm not leaving you!"
"I know you won't! That's why I'm leaving you!"
"Wh-what?! N-no no no! Eli please don't do this! I need you!"
"Ya know what?" he growled through clenched teeth.
Calypso gulped.
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU NEED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!" he roared.
She flinched back.
"Just go with your new redheaded boyfriend! After all, he's better for you! He's got brains! He's got brawn! A fantastic memory. Excellent intelligence. Social anxiety. Hell, he's even got a whole guild on his side! I'm nothing! Absolutely nothing!" he exclaimed.
Calypso's body remained frozen.
Tears leaked out the corners of his eyes.
"I'm nothing! I'm nothing! I'm nothing!" Eleodoro exclaimed. "I can't beat you at puzzles or games! I can't think fast! I can't do any other magic than Sun and Celestial Spirit! I don't even have a single damn golden key!! I can't self-teach myself high levels of magic like Enchantments! It seems like I can't do anything for you other than help you talk to others on quests and get through your BLOODY PERIODS!!"
The developed rivers misted against his hot skin.
He turned towards the sunset. His muscles visibly quivered.
"Thank the gods above, our lease ends in a week. I'm gonna crash at Diamond's house. I'm sure he has room. Even if it's the damn couch."
He leered over his shoulder.
"Because right I sure as hell don't want to be anywhere near you," he snarled.
Cal's legs quivered under her thick cloak.
'Is this a dream? Please tell me it's a dream,' she thought.
"What was Reiki's nickname for you three years ago? Shadowy Slut? Yeah, it suits you PERFECTLY right now!!" Eleodoro screamed.
Just as she opened her mouth, he dashed off using Sunlight.
Callie's body went numb.
'What did I do wrong?'
She collapsed to her hands and knees.
'Why does he think this is a competition?'
Her lungs fought for air.
'Did I not help him enough?'
As his streak of light got farther away, the sun sunk below the horizon.
'How can I make this up to him?'
Soon after, the cold darkness enveloped her. She shivered and buried her head in her hands. Her tears started to flow like that of a child.
'Mom. Dad. Please help.'
Annnnnd that's Volume 2! Volume 3 will come out at some point in the future. I'm not going to make any promises until I have things more sorted.
Have a great day! Don't die! Be safe! Be happy!