Finding himself crash landing into an unknown area is the exact opposite of what Seto had anticipated his return to the School of Creation was going to be, but here he is, bubbled and laying in a crater clutching his ankle. He can easily fall from a tall building, but can't scale a stupid gate? Sloppy work on his end. He hisses in pain while attempting to heal his ankle.
Must be fractured, Seto thinks to himself while squinting at the purple glow. Yeah, this going to take a while.
He needs to conserve his energy after this. He had no particular interest in learning healing, since he figured he wouldn't get injured on the battlefield. He cringes at his own stupidity for jumping the gate incorrectly; he could've just floated over it! Regardless, it's too late now to contemplate on his mistakes.
He's not sure how to approach this. He's use to Kyle healing him after he's sprained or broken something. He places both his hands on his ankle, focuses, and hopes for the best. Curse his weak stature. His body easily absorbs Sorcery and other things of the equivalent, but however, when it came to physical contact, he withers like an unwatered plant. Guess that's the punishment for being such a strong individual Sorcery wise.
When he realizes his healing isn't working, he rips a piece of cloth from his shirt and wraps it tightly around the fracture, making sure it's tight and secure. This is how casts work, right? He's not entirely sure, but he hopes the bone will stay in place and not damage more. He sighs, mutters something about being tired, and crawls out of the crater.
Seto has entirely no clue where the hell he was. From what he could see on the ground, there were some scattered trees here and there, but it was mostly a clearing. He can't fly, since he's been flying all day and wasting his stamina, so there would be no choice but to go on foot. Or, just go on what's left of his feet.
He scolds himself as he limps down eastwards and anticipates himself going no where. There's a tree, so he pauses and recollects himself in the shade. It's quiet, with a gentle breeze swaying over him in a peaceful manner. The sun would be setting soon, thankfully, and he'd have the opportunity to sleep. Under normal circumstances, to recharge he would've just drank a potion, but alas none were available and the materials he needed were not present. So, he shuts his eyes and listens to the sounds of nature.
The breeze picks up a bit and ruffles with his hair, chillingly even. There are no animals nearby, he can sense a bird flying by occasionally. Yeah, he can't sit like this forever, so he opens up his eyes again to see time hast passed at all. Walking leisurely would get him to some places, he'd just have to be wary of his foot.
He stands up again, hissing at the pain, and limps again eastward. He focuses, hearing the sounds of happy screams and people in that direction, particularly belonging to Hybrids. They're far, maybe about twenty miles east and two miles north. It's a tedious walk that surely would take over seven hours. By the second hour, he's sure that he'd have enough energy to fly the rest of the way.
He's pretty sure that the place he was going to wasn't the capital city he had once visited, maybe just another major city in the district. He's far away from the School of Creation, Seto knows that for sure. He needs a place to rest, quite desperately he may add, and maybe some medical attention for his stupid ankle. At this point, the pain was so bad he might as well cut off the whole foot!
He continues walking for about an hour before collapsing on the ground. He's weary and the sun that's been setting hasn't been so kind to him, either. It's close to dusk yet the heat was unbearable in his eyes. Yeah, dying out here from heatstroke wouldn't be a good idea either. There were no trees in sight, just tall, tan grass. It cushions him, lulling his body into a false sense of security for sleep. He snaps his eyes awake; Seto needs to keep going.
He manages to bring himself up and, in an idiotic turn of events, decides to waste his remaining energy to fly the rest of the way. Takes him about a good thirty minutes, give or take, and he softly crash lands on top of a building in the city. He made it, but he's too weak to move. So, he shuts his eyes and lays his body to rest.
***
He wakes up at past midnight, with the moon shining over his head like a bright, heavenly light. Seto yawns, fully recharged. He's still on the building's rooftop, astonished that no one had seen him. He gazes down onto the empty street below him, then jumps, landing like a feather. He strolls down the sidewalk, managing to not draw attention. He strolls past empty shops and stores, trying to find someplace that was open to the public. He needs to know where he is.
He stumbles upon an open library, much to his delight. He pulls the glass door open and a bell chimes. Seto loves libraries; they're quite breathtaking. This particular library has an array of bookshelves with some candles sitting atop of them (which is quite the fire hazard). The air's tainted with lavender.
"Hello!" A woman behind the counter waves. "How may I help you."
There's something odd about her, like she isn't a Hybrid. The atmosphere, in Seto's opinion, becomes quite tense. He shakes off the unpleasantries and asks, "I'd just like to know what city I'm in."
The woman eyeballs him with suspicion, "You don't know where you are?"
Seto shakes his head, "I'm kind of—lost?" Okay, that was true. He is of the upmost certainty lost.
"Where are you suppose to be heading? I'm about to close up, I could bring you there if you'd like," she smiles warmly.
What was the capital's name again? Was it Gold City?
"I'm heading to the capital city?" It sounds more of a question and Seto cringes at his own stupidity. Again, the woman eyeballs him with suspicion.
"You aren't from around here, are you?" She exits from behind the counter.
"N-No," Seto shouldn't be intimidated, but he is.
"My name is DeceptiBonk, you can call me Bonkers," she puts out her hand. Seto assumes she's gesturing for a handshake, so he does as so.
"I'm Seto," the brunet scoffs.
"You're a Sorcerer, right?" She blurts out.
Seto nearly chokes on his own words, "W-What? Of course not!"
"You're a bad liar," Bonkers sneers. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Well, besides Ashley."
"Who's Ashley—?"
"Oh, you're going to love her! Now, come along, we have a train to catch!"
"Train? What's a train?"
Seto's being dragged by Bonkers down the sidewalk. Her skin is fair, with bright pink eyes to compliment her features. Her hair is black and falls just above her shoulders. She's wearing makeup, pink eyeshadow, black winged eyeliner, and cherry red lips. He takes notice to the black splotches dotted across her face. They look to be burn marks. She's dressed in a maroon hoodie and black jeans, with matching red converse.
It takes a lot for Seto to walk as the same pace as her, but they finally stop in front of a railroad. There, what Seto assumed to be a train, ushers past them. She jumps into one of the cargo sections and, hesitantly, Seto follows. They both sit behind tan boxes, hiding.
"This is totally illegal but it beats public transit," Bonkers snickers, leaning against the boxes.
"What exactly are you?" Seto questions. "You don't appear to be a Hybrid to me."
"I'm a dragon," she smiles and Seto nearly chokes on his own words again.
"A dragon? Like, those giant lizards?" Okay, that sounded a bit more harsher than he'd expect.
"Great way to describe it," she rolls her eyes and laughs. "I've been living with Hybrids for hundreds of years. Pretty amazing, right?"
"Yeah," Seto nods. "Then, what's Ashley?"
"I'm surprised you even remembered her name," she gives an exasperated sigh, as if she's ready to tell a story. "Her last name is Mariee; ring any bells?"
"Not really," Seto shakes his head.
"She's a rebelling Sorcerer, just like you!"
***
After what seemed to be hours, Bonkers instructs Seto to jump off the train. They both hop off in unison and land on solid concrete. The brunet manages to not break anything, luckily, while Bonkers scrapes her arm. It's bleeding an oozy green color, but she doesn't seem to care. They're in a small neighborhood.
Seto follows Bonkers to her house, one that is the third house down on the left. It isn't very large, being just one story, and looks quite bland as well. It's a pale blue exterior with a black roof, with a garage door being a shade of white. The door is unlocked and they both enter. Somehow, the scent of lavender lingers in the air.
"Bonkers, you're back!" Another woman rushes down the stairs. She's pale skinned with coffee brown eyes and long blue hair.
"You dyed your hair again?" Bonkers shakes her head. "Oh, and I brought along a guest. This is Seto."
The two make eye contact and Ashley freezes, almost as if she was a deer in headlights. Seto's praying for her not to recognize him. Innocently, Bonkers frowns, "What's wrong, Ash?"
She shakes her head, "Oh, it's nothing. He looks eerily familiar to the Headmaster's son, Jason."
That's right! She doesn't know who he is because she left before the School of Creation mission: where Seto was introduced to the people for the first time. He shrugs it off innocently, "Oh, that's strange."
"Yeah," Ashley frowns. "It is."
The air gets thick, tension arising. Bonkers laughs, "Hey, I'm going to go upstairs to get changed. You two should, uh, bond I guess."
She rushes past the blue haired female and disappears. Ashley chuckles and shakes her head, making her way towards the couch. She sits down, beckoning Seto to come sit next to her. He complies, limping.
"Take off your cloak and shirt," she commands. "You want me to heal you, right?"
Seto gulps and nods. He takes off the cloak, folds it and sets it aside on the coffee table. He does the same with his shirt. Ashley places her hands on his back, then her hands light up a shade of fiery red. It goes against her color scheme of blue, but Seto's not to judge.
"My mother specialized in healing," she murmurs softly. "You seem to have less bone mass. Are you of royal status?"
Seto doesn't know what to say. He can't lie at this point, so he replies, "Yes."
"Figures," she clicks her tongue. "You have so many fractures in your body I'm surprised you can still function. What's a royal guy like you doing in Hybrid territory?"
"I'm—" Seto gulps, hoping she won't react in an ill manner, "—the Headmaster's son. Not Jason, but his younger brother."
She pauses, astonished, "What? You're a Prince?"
"I'm rebelling," Seto shakes his head, trying to piece together his motives. "There are things worth protecting, I realized that while staying at the School of Creation. My father is a wicked man indeed, but the Hybrid leader is no better."
"You plan to kill both of them? Even your own father?" She says, speechless.
"Yes, but I'm not alone. The Hybrid leader's son is rebelling with me."
"What a wicked turn of events, I suppose. A Hybrid and a Sorcerer of both royal rank become allies just to take down their fathers. Now that's truly a tale to be passed down onto generations beyond us."