Chapter 44 – Past.
"Laphicet!" Eizen roared. "Tell this self-absorbed idiot what she needs to hear!" He strained his body, pulling Laphicet's leg from being sucked into Innominat's mouth.
With that prompt, Phi took a breath of pure frustration.
"WILL YOU STOP WHINING?!" He screamed.
Velvet's emotionless eyes leapt abruptly in shock.
"No, I don't understand!" Laphicet, straining to hold onto Velvet's bandaged hand, screamed at his idiot of a friend. "You snap at people! You're scary!" He swallowed hard. "You-you tried to eat me!"
Behind them, Rokurou held down Eleanor's light weight as best he could against the winds. Eizen grunted as he adjusted his holding arte on the ground, straining as he held onto Laphicet's leg.
Shielding himself from Innominat's wind behind an outcropping was Leo, watching the scene from afar with horror.
"But… you're also kind… And you're filled with life!" Laphicet screamed in frustration. "I don't understand a single think about you!"
"But you gave me a name, when I was a number! You gave me that compass! You taught me what it meant to be alive!"
Leo's mouth twitched into a smile. He always knew, of course. That kid got it. More than he ever did.
"That's why I care about you, Velvet! I'll protect you… for my own sake!" He shook his head wildly.
"I don't care if you're malevolent! Or if it was pointless! If the world says it's a mistake to love you, I'll fight the whole world!" He grunted, squeezing at the hand slipping through his fingers. "I don't care HOW much pain you feel! It doesn't matter! A world without you, Velvet…"
SQUELCH!
"GAAAAH!" Laphicet screamed as Velvet's daemon claw abruptly erupted and latched its fingers deeply into his arm.
"IS THE ONE THING I COULDN'T BEAR!"
"Let… let go Phi…!" Emotion was beginning to color Velvet's words once more. "I'll… I'll eat you…"
"Eat my arm! I don't care! Just… Leave me the other one." Laphicet's left hand curled up into a fist. "I need it to clobber the jerk who made my Velvet cry!" He roared.
Velvet squeezed her eyes shut.
Slowly, ever so slowly, her right hand moved for Laphicet's.
"I… I loved them all. I loved Laphi, and Celica… Arthur. Everyone… to have it stolen from me…" She screamed in pure emotion, "Why them? Why not me? It hurt so much!"
With a howl, she latched onto Phi's offered hand.
"Y-Your despair?!" Innominat, the cruel bastard hovering and watching this sick display, suddenly exclaimed in dismay. "H-How is it all gone?!"
Abruptly, the world went white as Innominat's mouth cracked and vanished in a blinding flash.
Without hesitation, Leo shot up to his feet as the blistering vortex dissipated, blinking the brightness out of his eyes.
He stared at the sight that awaited him.
Velvet was back.
Sane, determined, and full of rage, with her daemon claw out and spewing fire at the earthpulse rift; the Velvet Crowe he knew was back.
Innominat's screams rang out into the air as he was ravaged by the flames and thrown back, unconscious.
Leo stared at the furious woman, the brilliant flames framing her features in a terrifying light. Her long hair billowed alongside her coat from the force of the arte, her body rigid in focus.
A mad grin sprang onto Leo's face.
That bastard had actually done it.
Phi had done it!
Now THAT was what he was talking about!
"FUCK YEAH, VELVET!" He yelled out as he sprinted up the incline towards her, past the rest of the group still recovering from the blast.
"Leo?!" She gasped, registering the man with surprise. "I thought I told you to leave!" She yelled over the roaring of her arte.
Leo rolled his eyes and clicked the safety off on his rifle. "What?" He shouted back as he lifted his rifle. "And leave without winning my bet with Magilou?! Never!"
He shook his head in wry exasperation. "I told you, I'm sticking with you, whether you like it or not!" He grinned. "Get it through your thick head!"
Velvet gaped, lost for words.
"Hawk!" Leo roared. "DAWNBREAKER!"
With a savage howl, Hawk began the mystic arte. Leo slid his trigger finger in to the trigger guard.
Click.
BOOM!
With a massive roar, the rifle spat out copious amounts of raging fire and mana at odds with its small size. The fired explosive round roared through the rift, compounding the savage energy already flowing through it from Velvet's arte.
BANG!
The detonation on the other side violently widened the rift, revealing a completely different world on the other side. Velvet promptly cut off her arte and Leo cocked his rifle as Hawk returned utterly spent inside of him.
Leo whipped his head to the others in his group getting to their feet. "All of you!" He roared. "Let's fucking get out of here!"
Eizen was the first to get to his feet, nodding sharply. "Come on!" He yelled to the others.
Rokurou agreed, "You don't need to tell me twice!"
Laphicet nodded thankfully. "Nice job, guys!" His eyes were wide and happy, taking in Velvet's composed state.
Eleanor panted shakily, "About time you caught up with us, Leo!"
"Bah." Leo waved her off. "I was right behind you guys the whole time. You just walk too fast."
In response, his former teacher simply gave him an eye roll.
Together, the others all rushes towards the rift, away from Innominat and the miserable earthpulse, towards freedom.
Velvet let out a fantastically sane laugh that made Leo's heart sing. She smirked. "Your family, huh?"
Leo gave her a swat on the shoulder. "Our family, dipshit."
Velvet gave a scoff in response.
"There it is." Leo grinned. "…It's really, really good to have you back, Velvet." He commented genuinely.
The woman turned to face him fully.
"Leo." She intoned seriously. "After everything you've said... Are you sure you want to stay?" She asked pointedly. "With me? Even after everything I've done? Everything I will do?"
"…Jesus, lady."
This time, it was Leo's time to scoff.
"Man," he threw up his hands in mock annoyance, "I gave this whole great big heat-of-the-moment speech about how I feel alive when I'm with you guys, my crippling fear of goodbyes, my loneliness, and still you ask me that! Gosh!"
He shifted on his feet. "I ran from you when I first met you." He recounted seriously. "I ran from you when I found you again. And… I still regret those choices still, even though the reasoning behind each of those acts still holds."
He shook his head. "I'm just not going to run anymore. If I did… I'd never forgive myself. I realize that now. Different world or not, temporary or not, monster or not… a friend is a friend."
He clapped a firm hand on her shoulder.
"And friends help each other out." He glared over his shoulder at Innominat's prone body. "Even if it means fighting psychopathic brothers."
Velvet followed his gaze with a hard look.
"…I... Thank you." She settled for those woefully inadequate words, meeting the man's gaze.
"I suppose I'd appreciate your help." She smiled in genuine gratitude.
Leo huffed. "Shut up." He scolded. "I'm just doing this for myself, not for charity you know. Just like that kid of yours." He grinned. "Just another selfish bastard in a group of self-serving pirates."
"Heh." Velvet's smile was honest. "Phi…" She mouthed tenderly.
Leo's expression was soft. "He's right, you know." He intoned.
"Everything he said, he said better than I ever could."
He shrugged. "You might be a 'monster'… but you're our 'monster,' Velvet." He grinned. "Not that we consider you to be a monster, of course. You're family. That's all we care about."
"We're alive, right?" He prompted.
Velvet gave a smile. A genuine, happy smile. "Yes… We're… alive."
There was no greater, more rewarding feeling for Leo than seeing that smile on his friend's face. A friend who'd finally found her way.
None whatsoever.
Abruptly, the man coughed.
"ALTHOUGH," he drawled, "we're not going to stay that way if we keep chit-chatting here." He made a furtive glance to Innominat's form, hearing the worrying sounds of consciousness.
"Let's go, Velvet." He met her gaze. "Together."
Velvet nodded resolutely. "Well, come on then, 'Wanderer of Worlds.'" She gave a derisive scoff as she charged forwards. "Honestly, how melodramatic can you get?"
Leo sputtered indignantly at her back. "H-Hey!" He yelled as he followed hot on her heels. "It's a better title than 'Lord of Calamity!'"
"Heh." She grinned back despite herself.
As one, the two of them charged together at the rift. They leapt forward, away from the past and into the future. Leo smiled happily as the surroundings shifted around him and Velvet.
It would seem that he would be sticking around in this world for a bit longer yet.
Reason be damned, he was going to make something right in the time that he had. He had friends in this world, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to see their stories to the end.
He was done running away.
With that final thought, the Wanderer of Worlds realized he had finally found the peace he had been searching for so long.
And it felt fucking great, thanks for asking.
"…No matter how hard… No matter how sad it gets…"
Velvet's voice was level and rife with determination. The howling of the air around them in the strange place they had exited the earthpulse from filled the brief silence.
"…I will take my vengeance to the very end!" She declared firmly.
Laphicet's eyes were wide and happy. "Velvet!" he exclaimed.
By her side, Leo grinned. All around them, the group stood steadfast, unwavering in the face of Melchior's reason who faced them down indignantly.
"Don't be a fool!" Melchior demanded heatedly, red-faced with fury. "Just give up an die like you ought! It is your destiny to wallow in despair!"
Velvet's arms crossed, unimpressed. "You take my family, turn me into a monster, and you want my soul, too?"
SQUELCH.
Her daemon claw ripped out, aimed directly at the legate standing before them. "Now who's being the fool?!" She yelled.
Leo chuckled openly. "She does have a point." He commented. "I personally feel like she is entitled to an angry murder or two here and there."
Eleanor gave him a glare. "Leo!" She reprimanded hotly.
"Haha!" Rokurou laughed with a shrug. "Hey, but can you blame her though?"
"W-well not… especially…" Eleanor stammered, wringing her hands. "Not after everything…" She trailed off.
Leo just patted her gently on the back. "That's just how Velvet is, Eleanor." He pointed out.
Eizen let out a fond sigh. "And that's the truth." He let out grudgingly.
Laphicet smiled widely. "That's our Velvet!"
"Hell yeah." Leo agreed.
Velvet gave them all a smirk before returning her hateful eyes upon the bewildered old man.
"Remember this well!" She ordered. "The Lord of Calamity never gives up, not even in the face of death."
"H-have you no shame for your sins, you unholy monster?!" Melchior cursed.
Magilou abruptly broke into a hysterical cackle, stumbling to her feet, clearly exhausted from battling the old man, protecting the rift. "Lemme in on this!" She demanded, wiping the blood from her mouth. "I lost a bet, and I've got some anger to work out!" She yelled with a grin.
Everyone grinned widely back at her.
Velvet asked wryly, "You sure you can fight in your condition?"
An offended finger rose to point at the woman. "Who do you think I am?" Magilou chortled.
Silence.
"Oooh, I thought you'd never ask!" She grinned, steadying herself. "I am the dastardly witch Magilou, scourge of self-righteous exorcists!" She declared, hands on her hips. "Now face, the wrath of Magilou Mayvin!"
"Fools, all of you!" Melchior roared, channeling an arte. The emotionless boy malak at his side followed suit.
And with that, the two parties burst into motion.
"Hey Magilou!" Leo yelled as he reloaded his rifle. "You wanna let me in on how you can be so bad at betting?!"
"Oh, be quiet." The witch grumbled, flicking her wrist and sending the enemy kid malak flying into the air with a water arte. "And naturally, I blame old reaps over there."
The reaper in question shot her a look over his shoulder before springing into a backflip, kicking Melchior in the face. "My curse has nothing to do with your poor decisions, witch!" He yelled.
Magilou just blew a raspberry in response, sliding to the side as the enemy malak retaliated with his own water arte.
Laphicet laughed, sending his own arte at the legate. "Magilou just doesn't want people to know she believes in Velvet. That's why she bets against her."
Eleanor blinked in surprise, whirling her spear over her head to fend off a fireball arte. "Huh!" She exclaimed. "That's actually quite insightful, Laphicet. I never would've thought of Magilou as that emotionally invested in someone."
Rokurou grinned coyly, slashing at the legate and driving him into Eizen's punches. "She really tries hard to hide it," He explained, "but it's actually pretty obvious."
Leo laughed, raising his rifle.
CRACK-CAK!
With a boom, the piercing round burrowed through the conjured shield and contacted with the malak, sending him flying unconscious out of the battlefield. "That does makes sense." Leo observed. "I guess the self-declared 'evil witch' just a bit of a romantic at heart."
"Haha!" Laphicet laughed. "I guess she is!"
CRASH.
Everyone blinked as Melchior was abruptly thrown into the air, howling in agony, by a massive, intense flame arte.
Magilou's eye twitched as she lowered her extended hand, growling lowly, "You… Did NOT just call me a ROMANTIC!" She yelled indignantly. "THAT'S SLANDER!" Her eyes were dark.
"I will not stand idly by and watch you hooligans destroy my carefully-crafted reputation that I've spent centuries carefully nurturing!" She yelled. "Now!" She demanded. "Call me evil! Call me wicked! Call me anything! But don't you dare!" She seethed. "Don't you DARE," her voice dropped hatefully, "call me a romantic." She hissed.
Eizen exchanged a glance with Rokurou.
Laphicet exchanged a glance with Eleanor.
Leo exchanged a glance with Velvet.
Velvet smirked evilly. "Oh, is that so? I actually considered you the most romantic out of all of us." She called.
"AGH! I said not to-!"
Rokurou had a sly grin on his face. "Actually, you're the one who's always harping on about the kid's love life, aren't you? I'd say that's a hallmark of a pure romantic right there."
"Stop that right this-!"
Eizen chuckled. "I've travelled the world and seen many things in my time on this world and I must say, nothing has ever quite matched your level of delicacy, Magilou."
Abruptly, Magilou froze.
"…D-delicate…?"
She muttered incomprehensibly under her breath. "…Stabs in the chest, over and over…" She whispered, a sly, happy grin on her face.
Leo shook his head in exasperation as the rest of the group continued to tease Magilou. "Some family." He muttered fondly, reloading his rifle. "They're all cuckoo."
At his side, Velvet shrugged with a smirk on her face. "Your fault for staying." She pointed out.
A sigh. "Yes." Leo grinned as he cocked the rifle. "I suppose I'm a bit cuckoo as well." He admitted openly.
"We've established that, I think." Velvet noted wryly.
The man's eye twitched. "That's my line."
Velvet shrugged. "The Lord of Calamity has no shame for her sins, didn't you hear?"
"Oh, shut up." Leo rolled his eyes with a smirk.
He blinked as Hawk began to growl warningly. "Hey you guys! Break time's over!" He yelled.
Together, the group raised their weapons as Melchior reappeared in a flash of mana with his malak, out for blood.
And together they fought, as one.
On and on the clock ticked, unceasing and unerring.
End of Part 7 – Will and Reason.
