"What's yours is yours..." C. Joybell C.
Chapter 10 - Stick With Me (II)
That Hyunkel keeps looking back to have a check on Marm gets a smile out of her. Marm gladly follows him and enjoys looking at his body as they both are diving under the lake.
Shortly, the temple shows up in front of their eyes. Marm's amazed by the mysterious ancient building, by its typical classic components such as high columns, sophisticated entablature with pediments, friezes and architraves. Following Hyunkel, Marm passes through the entrance which is left open. Like a magic, breathing becomes possible once they are inside the temple.
"Why is this place so easy to get in?" She asks.
"The main door was broken by Larhalt. Otherwise, human beings can't enter this place." Hyunkel explains to her. "Once we stepped in, we have no problem walking around."
Marm looks at her hands, looks down at her body and at Hyunkel's, they all are dry. The granite floor is stiff and still, no water is seen inside the building. "Such a strong magic!"
"Not magic. This is cast by power of Dragon Gods."
It doesn't take long to realise where's the voice coming from: a huge crystal ball located in centre of the portico.
"Dragon God, please meet Marm." Hyunkel introduces.
"I remember you, Marm. Unfortunately today is not a good day to visit. You both'd better leave as soon as possible."
Marm is stunned, can't believe this is the voice of the legendary God in their world.
"Why is today not a good day, Dragon God? The sky is beautiful up there." She smiles and walks closer to the crystal ball, eyeing on the beautiful, pearl color core of the mysterious item.
"Not everything appears in according to its surface."
"You... you are the Dragon God?" As she is standing clearer, the voice turns out to be very familiar. "Hyunkel, why..."
Marm never knows she won't have a chance to complete that sentence.
An explosion is blasting somewhere outside the temple out of sudden. The explosion blows away all pediments on top of the temple, pieces of stones are falling down in front of Marm and Hyunkel.
"Watch out. Another explosion is coming up." They are warned.
"Seriously...?"
"Where are these explosions coming from?" Hyunkel asks.
"A star is falling down. Human beings in your world has not experienced this before, it can have such a huge power to destroy everything underground far beyond your imagination. So, get out of here!"
Marm stays close to Hyunkel and has him hold her in his arms. They look around, every corners of the temple are trembling. Columns, walls, floors and ceiling are cracking. As a basic instinct, both know the warning can't be ignored, they must leave immediately. And they run toward the exit urgently.
"What will happen to the crystal ball once this building's collapsed?" Hyunkel suddenly turns back and questions.
"Of course it will be devastated, too"
"Then we need to carry the crystal ball with us." He tells Marm. "It is the only way to communicate with Dragon God for Dai's whereabouts."
While Marm nods with agreement, the Dragon God rejects the idea.
"You can't move it with human strength."
"You'll never know until we try."
Marm is confident on themselves. Marm has seen Hyunkel lifting up a huge rock with Dai, Pop and herself on it, has seen him tearing off the metal amuro of Myst's minions. From Hym, she also knows that Hyunkel tore off the Orihancol Shinei Kindai using his bare hands.
A smile blossoms on her lips and she ends up sealing kisses on his hands.
"Not now." He teases her.
"Are you moving the crystal ball or not?" The Dragon God sounds dismayed.
Outside the temple, one explosion is blasting after another. Some of temple's columns start collapsing, cracks on the floor and the walls are deepened.
"Arrrgggg..."
"Yaaaaa..."
They keep trying, they try hard, very hard and they try all ways, as a result no way is working.
"Stop, Marm." Hyunkel is shocked to see Marm's bleeding hands. "Please tell us what to do to get the crystal ball out of here..." He asks the Dragon God.
"I won't tell."
"Please help." Marm insists. "Perhaps we are mean to be here today for such a mission."
"Don't you regret, Marm?"
"Certainly not, Dragon God. Please help Hyunkel and I to get the crystal ball out of here."
There is a moment of silence, seems like the Dragon God is under a consideration before he finally raises his powerful voice.
"The only way is to scarify one life between yours."
Both are stunned.
Marm holds Hyunkel's hand tightly, her heart beats fast. She definitely doesn't consider the advice but she knows her husband may not share the same thought. "Please give us another recommendation, Dragon God." Marm lowers her voice.
There is no reply.
"There must be another way." Hyunkel rest assure her. "Let me try to break the base."
Looking at him fighting hard on the item with his barehands, Marm knows both of them should do their best to get the crystal ball out of here.
So Marm joins him, ignoring her wounds and ignoring his concerns.
"Kyyaaaaa..."
Together, their last attempt breaks the base into pieces. Without a base, the crystal ball is floating, appearing much easier to grab.
They immediately reach out for the mysterious item. As soon as their fingers are laying on it, they can't feel it anymore. The crystal ball becomes intangible, transparent in front of both's disappointment.
"You can't take it away just by physical strength." The Dragon God raises his voice again, "If you want it that much, scarify one of your souls."
Marm shakes her head, implying to Hyunkel she doesn't agree to get the crystal ball by that way.
Marm's mind is filled up with regrets for asking Hyunkel to bring her here.
"Hyunkel... how about using teleport to bring sensei or Larhalt, Pop here, we will get more helps, we can discuss with them..." Marm asks softly.
"You will have two minutes for that, having Larhalt here may be good idea." The Dragon God reminds them.
"Unfortunately we don't have enough time, honey. I have no ideas where they are at the moment." Hyunkel turns to Marm, gently squeezes her hands. From Marm's facial expression he can tell how nervous his poor Marm is. "I don't want to take a risk at this stage."
The pressure is terrible for him, too. Hyunkel notices the increasing heat suddenly surrounding them.
"Hyunkel... shall we leave without the crystal ball?" Marm looks up at him, their hands are holding each other and she will never let them separated.
Hyunkel knows they can leave and it is easy to leave. He can use teleportation, or they can just swim out of the place, any ways will work and they are fine with both.
He knows they must leave for the sake of their family. Karl and Danny are waiting for them at home. He can also tell that there seems to be nothing in Marm's mind except the natural instinct of a mother that is guiding her to get out as soon as possible.
"Crystal ball is the only connection about Dai that we have discovered so far."
Regardless of what his heart wants, his mind is telling Marm such an answer. He cups her face in both hands and kisses her.
Everything happens for a reason.
He has been happy for a long time. For him, the happiness is kissing her whenever he can. Regardless of their real fights, their fake fights, their real arguements, fake arguements, as long as they are together, their nights end with a kiss, or more than just a kiss most of the time...
His Marm doesn't always make eatable meals for him, but happiness is easily found in her broken fried eggs, salty soups, hard noodles. She can't do any good knitting jobs, but the (only one) long scraft she makes for him is the warmest. She is normally late, making him wait, but the moment she shows up with smiles, or with any lame escuse, the whole universal shines on him. When they sleep, she will grab the blanket all to her side, but this gives him opportunities to spoon her, to grab her body and roll her to his side, and his sleeps will be excellent. When he has showers, she complains it takes him so long and she will get in and help him. She is the best mother of his children. The happiness happened in his life over the past eight years is a miracle, a beautiful star.
But what is yours is yours. He has to put back this star, this happiness to the sky, where it doesn't belong to him. When it is the part that he has to repay everything wrong he did in the past, he has to repay it.
Breaking the kiss, he looks at her lovingly. There are millions things he needs to tell her, but he says nothing at all because he doesn't have much time left. So he is pleased to just look at her like this, and hold her in his arms, and kiss her again.
Understanding his intention, Marm cries immediately.
"Don't ever think of it. Think of our children, think of me." She embraces her husband tightly. "If you leave me alone today, I will never forgive you and myself. You say I have to stick with you!"
"There are too many mysteries about the crystal ball that we haven't found out. If it's devastated, Dai may never be able to come back. Both you and I, we love Dai, don't we? If we leave this place without the crystal ball, we'll live with regrets for the rest of life. You know it, love."
"I'd rather having our lives with regrets than having to live without you!"
"Is this one of the last things I hear from Marm?" He strokes her hair and smiles.
Marm beats him on his chest. "I'm a fool to ask you bringing me here! I wish we were still in Romos!"
"Perhaps this is your karma, Hyunkel." The Dragon God says.
"We are not listening to whatever you say, Dragon God. We are leaving." Marm wipes the tears and drags her husband away.
He is not moving.
The temple has lost its protection. Although the entire building has not collapsed, water starts coming inside and filling up the whole area at a speedy rate, nothing can stop it.
"If you don't leave in the next minute you will never be able to." The Dragon God warns them about the final explosions.
"Since Hyunkel is not leaving, I'm happy to end my life here together with him." Marm gives up dragging Hyunkel.
"Mad woman." He lifts her chin up.
"Hyunkel, pleas..."
Hyunkel locks Marm's lips once again. Marm's heart is broken before she actually has him tell her anything.
Now as he is kissing her, he is looking handsome just like he always is, his mouth is greedy just like everytime when he is too much into her, but tears are coming out from his eyes.
His tongues are suckling hers passionately and he holds Marm so tightly that he almost squeezes her soft body out.
Marm is grabbing every piece of him trying to do the teleportation, yet failed. Marm fights hard to get out of his embrace, yet failed. Everything has become more difficult, water level has now reached her waist line and Marm is not sure how many seconds are left, thirty, or maybe fifteen?
"Hyunkel... don't..." Marm murmurs in between the kisses.
And he covers her eyes.
Everytime he covers her eyes, there will be a surprise or a delight for her. But this time...
"No!..." She screams. Although she can't see anything, she knows.
The smell of blood is spreading fast.
Marm feels that her heart has vanished, she can no longer breathe, when her trembling hands moves around his body, blood are dripping on them.
"Let's play a game. If you get all the answers right, you will win, Ok?" He whispers in her ears.
"Let me look at you, let me heal you." Marm snobs, hugging him with both hands, being alive again when feeling the beats of his heart.
Their bodies are wet because of the water, because of his blood, but his heart is still beating, his beautiful, warm and kind heart must never leave her. Marm puts the strongest heal spell she can make on him, even she doesn't see anything, she knows what to do to keep his life, she knows...
"What's sensei most favorite?" Hyunkel starts asking.
"What's sensei most favorite?" They keep arguing on this.
'Wine!" She always said.
"Wrong, it's curry." He confirmed.
"No, wine is correct!"
"Curry."
"It's because you like curry."
"It's because sensei admits it himself."
"Wine..." Marm answers.
You are stubborn as hell. Hyunkel smiles and moves on to the next one, "What is the code of our bank treasury?"
"I will never remember..."
I wish to be by your side and remind you anything you forget. "No worry, your mother and sensei will tell you, whenever you need it." I wish to pamper you forever...
"Let me look at you! Are you recovering?"
"I'm doing good. I just can't make it to the last question. I'm very sorry, Marm..." Hyunkel's voice becomes softer. "Love you."
Marm feels a kiss landed on her forehead, his tears dropped on her face, and then his hands let go of her. Marm immediately opens her eyes.
In front of her is the gray sky.
It is raining heavily, winds are blowing strong, her whole body is wet, she is laying on the lake side, on the grass. Next to her, the crystal ball is shining
There is an absence of his breaths, of his heartbeats, of his warmth. Marm looks down at her clothes and sees a huge blood stain. She collapses but her trembling legs are getting her to stand up.
Hyunkel... Hyunkel...
Marm runs to the lake, dives in it without wasting a second. The fierce and weird waves are waiting to swallow her.
End Chapter 10.