Mana is all around me. Coating my skin, lacing itself in my hair, brushing against my face. It's in my blood too, running through my body, pumping itself through my heart. But it is not power I feel; instead, it is complete peace.
I float in this darkness, unthinking, unfeeling, perfectly still. My hands sift through the mana, my eyes stay closed, and for a moment, I want to remain here in this pristine quiet. Here, there are no worries. Here, there are no problems. No more exhausting battles, no more aches and pains from missions, just pure bliss.
Then I hear a voice, calling out to me, piercing the mana.
"Mari! Mari!" It cries.
I frown. That's me, isn't it?
"Mari! Please, stay with me!"
That's my name, but who's calling me?
"Fight it! Come on, I know you can do this! Mari!"
An image sears itself into my head: turquoise eyes, bright like the sky; a flame of red hair; an endearing grin. Leopold.
My hands clench as I struggle to rise. The mana weighs me down like heavy sandbags, spilling over my body, covering every inch of my skin. I kick my feet, thrash in protest, try everything I can to sit up. I start to hyperventilate as I writhe. Then, in the darkness, I see him again. I hear his words of encouragement, his hugs and smiles that give me so much comfort. I latch onto my memories and push myself up as I try to slow my breathing down. The peace is no longer so tempting, not after I've remembered what it's like to live and love and laugh. I grit my teeth as the mana tries to keep me down. My huffs turn into growls, which turn into shouts, which morphs into a scream of protest.
My eyes snap open. The mana is gone, as is the sensation of peace. Instead, I'm staring up at two turquoise eyes glistening with worry.
"Leo...?" I mumble weakly.
He lets out a sigh of relief and hugs me tight, pulling me up from the ground. "You're okay. God, you're okay."
The pain of overexertion slams itself back into my body, and I wince sharply. My throat is suddenly sore, and my lips are so parched that just breathing hurts. "Leo, I can't move," I wheeze.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." He sets me back down on the ground gently. "You must've used up a lot of mana."
"What... what happened?"
Something changes in his eyes; he becomes warier, more afraid. "You... you destroyed the base, Mari. I've never seen anything like it before."
"I... what?" My body goes cold as I try to remember the last hour or so. The memories come flashing back; my kidnapping, Mithras forcing fire flower down my throat, and the incredible surge of power I felt. But in terms of what happened after that, all I draw up is darkness. "I don't remember any of it."
"You weren't in a right state of mind. You weren't really... you." Leopold's voice catches, and he sounds like he's on the verge of tears.
Oh god, what did I do to him? "Leo, I'm so sorry. Whatever I did, I'm so sorry. I... did I hurt you?" The phrase repulses me as I say it. How could I ever hurt him?
"No, Mari. You shouldn't be apologizing for anything. I'm just a bit shocked, that's all." He gives me a weak smile, but I know he's way more shaken than what he's saying. I make a mental note to talk to him later, after this whole mess is over. "You were so powerful, but there was this coldness too you, like you were a machine or something," he mumbles.
"I... Mithras forced me to drink fire flower. That's why."
Leopold swears. "That bastard."
"I must've gone crazy after that." I sit up, groaning. The world spins for a minute before I regain my composure and look around.
The telltale signs of a battle are all around me, from the singed grass to the broken weapon lying a few feet away. My eyes widen when I see Vivaldius tied up, leaning against a tree. His head slumps against his chest and his whole body is limp. Then, when I turn to my left, I see it.
What once was a towering fortress of stone is now nothing but rubble and ash. Anything and anyone inside was completely incinerated. I double over, clamping my hand over my mouth as the tears come rushing.
"Leo... oh God... oh God... I must've killed them, right? There were still monsters in the base, right?" I look up at him, my mouth quivering.
"I'm not sure. They were monsters though, Mari. Moon Shade must've experimented on people, tortured them, hurt them, to make them turn into those things. It's merciful that you ended things here."
His words are little comfort. I took down the entire fortress, and as I scan the forest, I see signs of dark magic in scarred trunks of trees, barren patches of grass, and smoking bushes. I did all that. I'm... I'm the monster.
"Mari, none of this is your fault. Mithras forced you to drink that–"
"Mithras!" I gasp, scrambling to get to my feet. "Leopold, he's still out there! Him and that shapeshifter, and they must have Charles too!"
"Stay put, Mari! You're in no shape to fight, hell, I'll bet you can't even walk! Where were they? I'll send Pearl and Lovinia after them."
"I-I don't know where they were! Somewhere deep in the forest, but there's no way to find them!" I'm panicking now, my heart racing, cheeks flushed. Mithras is dangerous not because of his ability, but because of his mind. He's cold, cunning, and will sacrifice anything to get what he wants.
"Look, the best option for us is to–"
"Well, well, well!" A voice rings out from somewhere in the field. I dig my hands into Leopold's sleeve as I get to my feet, fear piercing through my chest. It's him: Mithras.
"Show yourself, coward!" I yell, trying to keep my voice from trembling.
"As you wish, Mari."
He materializes ten feet away from where Leopold and I are standing. Somewhere in the distance, I hear our three other companions racing towards us, readying their magic to attack and defend. A heat blossoms next to me, and I turn to see that Leopold's fist is ablaze.
"So you're Mithras?" He says, hot rage entangled in his words.
"Why, yes I am!" Mithras smirks as he looks Leopold up and down, sizing him up. "You should put that little fire away though, I'm not here to fight."
"To hell with what you're here for!" Leopold roars, breaking away from me and racing towards him.
"Leo, stop it!" I grab his sleeve and yank him back. He struggles for a second before his flame winks out and stops.
"Mari?" He asks.
"He's crafty, Leo. You can't charge him head-on. Let's see what he has to say first."
Leopold curses under his breath, but he backs off.
Mithras smirks at the scene, which enrages me, but then he says, "That was an excellent test run. Well done, Mari. Thanks to you, I have another set of results to add to my data."
"Wh-What? I... I don't understand."
Mithras rolls his eyes. "Of course you don't. Nobody ever sees the bigger picture, nobody ever thinks past a victory of one fight. What was that one saying? One battle never decides the war? Anyways, the fire flower potion still needs adjustment. You were powerful, yes, but a bit too powerful after you took the version I gave you."
"You used me to test your... your fire flower potion!?" I practically shriek. "What even is a fire flower potion!? How long have you been developing it, and why were you with Moon Shade in the first place!?" Now it's me who wants to charge him head-on.
"The field of fire flowers that you two destroyed was a main potion source, but not the only one. I made friends with Sebastian and Moon Shade to access that important field, and Sebastian let me test my potions on Moon Shade captives. The results were... unsightly. Those monsters you fought earlier were all Moon Shade captives that I tested my potion on. As you can see, the fire flower was misdirected into empowering their physical capabilities instead of their magical ones. When I developed one that strengthened magical gifts, I gave it to Vivaldius and Briar."
"You... you monster!" I whisper. "Then what did you give me? I've seen it in action, that little pill of yours. But what you gave me turned me into something much more powerful!"
"You were a guinea pig, Mari, for my newest development. It didn't work that well, however. You lacked control, but your power level was ideal. Oh well, more to be done, I guess."
Before I can do anything, he gives a smirk and disappears. "No! We need to go after him!" I sputter.
Someone lays a hand on my shoulder and holds me back. "Mari," Leopold says gently, "I think our work here is done."
"I... I... no..."
I stumble, a sudden vertigo overtaking me. My breaths become more shallow, and as I reach out for help, I lose consciousness.
"Crap! Guys, help me out! We have to get back to..." Leopold's voice fades into oblivion.