"Welcome back," Mistivera greeted Loganel while sitting on the living room couch.
Loganel looked over at her and then down at the ground.
"You know...did you?" he whispered.
"About what?" She looked at him with a calm and collected expression on her face that masked her inner distaste for the resemblance of his face and Iliad's.
"That the ritual will transform me into a Demon," Loganel's voice trembled out of anger. "You know about it, did you?!" He took a few steps towards her out of anger and frustration.
"Listen here," Mistivera stood up and met Loganel's challenge. She stepped towards him and brought her face close to his, creating an intimidating pressure that forced Loganel to cease his aggression and lean back slightly. "Your job is to create peace between Demons and humans. The simplest way for you to unite all Demons is to become the Demon King. Now, tell me. What race should the Demon King be? And you know yourself you're slowly becoming a Demon way before I showed up. Ever since you received Zweildr, the Abyss Blade, from Iliad, you are slowly turning."
"I..." Loganel took a small step back.
He knows that what Mistivera was saying is correct. He should've known when he had accepted the deal. However, it was such a surprise to him that he couldn't prepare himself mentally for it.
"I know what you're saying is correct," Loganel said, slowly exhaling. "But...but what am I supposed to do now that I am the exact thing that my friends see as enemies? What do I do now?"
"Friends?" Mistivera sneered. "You expect to still keep your current friends once you step onto this path? What a joke...If you don't know what to do, then what about me?"
"Huh?"
Loganel realized that there were tears forming in her eyes as she spoke with intense emotions. In those watery eyes of hers, he could see his own reflection admidst all the uncertainty and fear within her.
"What about me?" Her voice began to slightly tremble. "I've slept for who knows how long because of my lover. And when I woke up, he's gone...My family, my childhood, everything is gone. All that I'm left with is a world in ruins with no one I'm close to left around me...And now? I'm left to partner with you to complete his will, and I'm not even complaining! Do you even know how it feels to lose everybody you know?"
The overflowing of all the pent up emotions of fear, uncertainty, and frustrations led to her becoming extremely emotional, causing her actions to become more and more intense. As she ranted, she continued stepping forward towards Loganel until Loganel fell to the ground with Mistivera on top of him.
"So what about me?" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke with a trembling voice. "Who do I ask for help?"
It was then that Loganel truly realized how alone and helpless she must've felt all that time. She was alone when she had awaken in this world, with no clues as to what had happened to those that she cared for. That daunting feeling...must've been extremely tough for her to even get through. And yet, she persevered. She remained strong despite the tears that she wept and continued on with her mind made up in completing the last wishes of both her father and lover. Loganel suddenly felt ashamed that he even dared raise his voice at her. His worries, when compared to the troubles that she's been through, it was almost nonexistent. He had always been guided by Mistivera, and because of this he had mistaken her to be a strong woman that has everything already planned out, like an ideal and perfect person. However, that is just him holding her to his admiration. In reality, she's not perfect. Although Mistivera is strong on the outside, she's extremely sensitive on the inside. Therefore, Loganel despise himself. He despise himself for his selfishness of expecting others to meet the unreasonable standards that he had set for them.
"I'm sorry," he apologized while on the ground, upper body leaning back slightly with Mistivera on the ground as well over him.
"Don't talk to me with that face of his..." Mistivera lowered her head in depression. "Don't keep reminding me of him..."
Her voice sounded weak and fragile, making Loganel want to do whatever that is within his powers to protect her. However, he knows that he was still too weak to provide any real support for the weeping girl before her.
I...can't do much to help her, he thought as he looked at her with a bitter expression on his face. But... he grabbed onto a nearby towel and wrapped it around his face so as to conceal it. This is the least I can do.
"I'm sorry," Loganel apologized once again. "I'm sorry that I'm not as strong as him. I'm sorry that I can't change the way I look. But I can try and hide it."
Mistivera raised her head and looked at him, revealing her tear stained face.
"What're you doing?" she asked.
"This is the least I can do to help you feel better," Loganel said, feeling a heavy guilt weighing down on his conscience. "If I just keep my face hidden, then you won't have to be reminded of him. As for my voice though...I'm sorry but I can't do much about it."
A smile broke through the wall of sadness as she gazed at Loganel. "What're you? Stupid? How tedious would that be if every time that you see me you will have to don a mask?"
She then reached out towards his face and began undoing the towel mask.
"B-but if I don't, then you will see his face once again."
"It's fine," Mistivera smiled. "I just have to get used to the fact that you're not him."
She finished undoing Loganel's makeshift towel mask and allowed the towel to slip from his face and back onto the floor. Then, she brought her hands to his face and held it there. She gazed at it, taking in every single aspect of the face.
So like him...she thought as she was reminded of her lover. So different yet so similar.
"Mistivera?" Loganel blushed as he felt her hands on his face. His gaze was captivated by those dark crimson eyes of hers. They appeared so relaxed, so gentle when compared to that fierce look of determination when he had first saw them that it intrigued him what made those eyes of hers to soften.
With a look of reluctance, she allowed her hands to slip from Loganel's face and down to her sides. Then, she slowly rose to her feet, removing her weight from Loganel and reached out a hand to help him up from the ground.
"Sorry," she said, her voice slowly returning back to normal. "I shouldn't have acted that way."
"No," Loganel shook his head. "Don't be sorry. I was rather glad that you acted that way."
"What? You have a strange fetish?"
"No," Loganel smiled. "It's just that I felt as if I had met the real you just then."
Mistivera blushed in embarrassment. "I-I hope you don't relax too much because we still have a long way to go." She crossed her arms before her chest and turned her body slightly so that she wasn't face to face with Loganel.
"I won't," Loganel assured her.
"Good." She seemed to have slowly regained her composure as she slowly returned to being the Mistivera that Loganel had known.
The two then sat down on opposite couches.
"Did you do what I told you to do?" Mistivera asked as she sat there comfortably with crossed arms and legs and a commanding aura flowing around her.
"Yeah," Loganel handed the coat to her. "But they told me to not return anymore."
"Why's that?" Mistivera asked as she held up the battle coat and examined its craftsmanship.
"Meriath, the blacksmith and the older sister of the twins," Loganel started explaining. "She seemed to have some history with Demons. Her husband joined a band of Demons who wished for peace between all the races. Do you happen to know them?"
Mistivera sighed. "Sadly, my knowledge is still quite limited on that part as I had only recently regained my memory prior to being sealed away in that slumber."
"Is that so..." Loganel frowned as he stared at the coffee table.
"I didn't expect them to know about the regenerative properties of our kind, but...what is done is done," she sighed. "This is quite a big loss. I've seen your sword and now this armor...the two are truly masters at their craft."
"Yeah..."
"We can't keep dwelling on the past," Mistivera folded the battle coat and placed it on the open spot next to her on the couch. "So, tomorrow you want to return to your party, corrrect?"
"Yeah," Loganel nodded.
"I would advise that you be careful," she said. "We just have to hope that Summoned Hero doesn't know of this obscure property of our kind. If he does...then there's going to be a problem. I originally intend for you to stop going with them, but..." she glance over at Loganel. "I don't reckon you would listen even if I did."
"Haha," Loganel awkwardly laughed as Mistivera had predicted exactly what he would've done.
"Just be careful tomorrow," Mistivera concluded. "I wouldn't want to become a widow and have her fiance die a few days before New Years."
Author's Note:
Please vote and comment if you've enjoyed. It really means a lot to me. If you're just gonna read that part and comment a "No", don't do that. You're not slick or something.