Chapter 19 – Strength and Frailty
While floating weightlessly would be a disconcerting experience for most, X was already used to it after having spent so much time deprived of his body. Frustrated at his lack of progress in finding any sign of his siblings or Alia, he had withdrawn into the shack he shared with Zero, now more similar to a proper home after their efforts.
While his body was sitting on the two-seat couch they had assembled together from sheets of metal and bundles of synthetic fibers in Cerveau's workshop, with the Radiant Shard held tightly in his grasp, his mind was elsewhere, in the company of the replicated consciousness of a hero from a distant world.
As his consciousness floated through the increasingly familiar space generated by the Radiant Shard, X's musings were interrupted by its occupant's voice.
"You seem restless, my friend." he remarked with an unreadable expression.
"Maybe because I am." X said with a sigh as he opened an eye.
His attempts at using the space within the Radiant Shard to tune out the background noise coming in from outside had worked, but they had done little to quiet his unease. Perhaps, he mused, a bit of conversation would help take his mind off his worries for a time instead.
"I know that look." the figure said. "My original has worn it many times."
"It still feels a bit weird to hear you speak that way when you have the same memories." X remarked. "I don't know how it doesn't mess up your sense of self."
"Life is strange." the presence retorted with a shrug. "But you are not doing yourself any favors by racking your mind like that. It will not help you find them."
"Can you read my thoughts?" X asked, a little suspicious… and somewhat embarrassed by the mental image of Alia's smile that still lingered in his mind.
"No. I cannot read minds. In this space, you are simply broadcasting your intent clearly." the presence explained with a sympathetic look. "But even if that were not the case, your situation is not exactly unfamiliar. Usul too struggled with the loss of friends and the uncertainty of searching for them."
"I guess I'm frustrated..." X admitted. "And a bit scared of what I might find. But I have to know."
"I cannot help you sense their presence if they are in a dormant state, but the boy sounded like he was speaking from personal experience." the presence said with conviction. "You are doing yourself a disservice by letting this anxiety grip you… but I understand you perfectly."
"I have so many questions for my siblings..." X said with a pained look. "And I miss Alia so badly..."
Since regaining his full sensory range thanks to the new body constructed by Ciel, X had been experiencing another resurgence in emotional intensity, even greater than the one caused by his reunion with Zero. Perhaps his mind had finally accepted that he was and had always been part of the world, but he still felt incomplete.
"I was a fool..." he lamented. "I should have made contingency plans. I should have been braver and taken the plunge with Alia."
The excuses he had given himself over the years lingered in his memory. He had focused on duty, or thought he had enough time, or hesitated, not wanting to make things awkward should his affection not being reciprocated… despite the fact that he had seen plenty of signs indicating otherwise. Looking back, he felt considerably frustrated with himself.
"I guess I never really admitted this to anyone..." he thought bitterly. "But what happened to Iris didn't just affect Zero. After everything Sigma did to torment us, I was sure Alia would have become a target as well..."
"Focus." the presence admonished. "Very few things truly last forever, but you still have time. If she and the others are still here, then you will find them sooner or later. If they are not, you will... be reunited later."
"Later..." X mused. "Where do we all go after our time here is over anyway?"
"A myriad of places, depending on the world, belief and other factors." the presence said. "In the span of infinite infinities, the options for that may well be infinite in turn."
"Actually, that reminds me..." X realized. "How is it that I've met people from at least three entirely different worlds from my own and yet have been able to talk to them so casually?"
"Ah." the presence said with an approving smile. "Now you are asking the important questions. I've noticed that this Caged Light seems reluctant to actively teach others, and instead lets them follow their own path. I'm not surprised that he would have forgotten to mention this."
"Do you know the answer then? Does it have something to do with what we are?"
"Yes. One of the most basic abilities of a Warrior of Light is the ability to communicate with other beings. Anything that has a soul, basically. Language, species, those things are meaningless. Unfortunately that does not help much if you're dealing with something inanimate, like written language."
"And do other Warriors of Light usually move between worlds?"
"Each is a separate case on their own. Some never leave their homeworlds in their lifetimes. Others visit several. Usul belonged to the latter group."
"This all still feels a little surreal." X mused. "A message in a bottle from a distant world, from someone like me who may or may not still be alive… and in this case the bottle talks."
"It was a necessity."
"What do you mean?" X asked, wondering if there was another reason for the strange practice other than simply the wish to leave a legacy.
"We are not the only ones who can travel between worlds or even universes… and not all who possess the ability to do so are benevolent." the presence said, with a noticeably more somber expression. "We have a duty to life itself, and by preserving and spreading our knowledge, we are fulfilling in perpetuity."
"Figures..." X grumbled. "Are we going to have to worry about something else crashing from the sky?"
"Not in the foreseeable future. But do not let this time of peace drive you to complacency."
"Now that wasn't ominous at all..." remarked with a rare dose of sarcasm.
"That was not my intent." the presence said. "But you will find that more often than not, being a Warrior of Light often means that any peace you find is fleeting."
"I don't want to believe that I'm just destined to keep jumping from one crisis to the next, fighting forever until they day I can fight no more." X said warily. "There has to be more to life than that."
"Good." the presence said with a smile. "Fight for others, but don't forget yourself. Many of our kind were robbed of a chance at personal happiness by the call of duty, or only found it later in life. You have already sacrificed more than enough. Just remember my warning about complacency."
"It definitely sounds like you… or your original… have seen some unsettling things out there." X remarked.
"One of these days I will have to tell you a story of the Source and the Shards. The fiends involved are long gone, many of them brought low by Usul's hand, but there are others lurking out there, great and small. From tyrants to false gods to beings that, if given the chance, would devour all of existence."
"We definitely don't need any of that. I'm glad to finally have some peace and quiet, even if things didn't turn out as I had planned."
"On an unrelated note…" X wondered. "Since you have the memories and knowledge of someone who's traveled across many worlds… Have you ever heard of someone or something called the Actraiser?"
"I have heard the name… but very little else. Some theorized that he might be some sort of Primal, but I seriously doubt it."
"Primal?"
"All in due time." the presence said, raising a hand. "I wouldn't want you losing sleep over things that would never come anywhere close to your world."
"What about… the Ozar Midrashim?"
That name definitely got a reaction. With a distant look on his face, the figure frowned and let out a deep sigh.
"One page..." the presence said somberly.
"Huh?"
"One page was all it took to ignite a terrible war that engulfed an entire world. The greed instigated by the mere promise of such knowledge can be a terrible thing. My original walked on that world and saw the result."
"Who could even create such a dangerous item?" X asked.
"There are many beings who hoard knowledge, but my original believed it to be a celestial."
"Celestial?" X asked. "What exactly do you mean?"
"The winged and temperamental variety." the apparition elaborated with a scowl. "In fact, I believe I have a preserved recollection of the encounter. Let me show you."
With another flash of light, X's mind was abruptly filled with images and sounds of a strange scene, almost as if he were watching though someone else's eyes and hearing it through someone else's ears.
The footage itself was not in the best condition, garbled by sporadic bouts of interference, but he could make out the towering shapes of countless battle vehicles resembling legged tanks and the menacing forms of what appeared to be advanced spaceships, engaged in a chaotic battle with no clear sides or boundaries.
X realized that the original Usul was standing on a plateau at a safe distance, overlooking the battle. He could hear a sigh and then the voice of the Warrior of Light from another world.
"Damn fools… At least the bloody moon isn't coming down this time."
He sounded slightly different from the presence, older, slightly hoarse, and definitely tired. X recognized in his tone the same weariness and frustration that had gripped him several times in the past.
As the combatants continued tearing into each other with beam weapons and missiles, there was a flash of white light in the sky and a figure the size and shape of a man emerged, wrapped in a radiant white nimbus. X couldn't make out most of the features, but he did notice six protrusions on the figure's back, resembling wings.
Most of the sounds of the battle were muffled or distorted in a cacophony, but he did hear the figure's voice with haunting clarity as it thundered over everything else – a deep, male voice with a strange accent and a cultured enunciation, dripping with anger and contempt.
"Murderers and thieves the whole lot, trampling over kith and kin to grasp what does not belong to you! If you crave my work so badly, then so be it. Have a taste!"
The figure spread its arms and roared.
"Tetractys Grammaton! Ain Soph Aur!"
Strange symbols appeared in the air around its hands, as if traced in golden ink by an invisible hand. A moment later, a beam of blinding white light swept across the battlefield, obliterating all in its path. Instinctively, Usul covered his eyes with an armored hand.
When the light finally subsided, there was no trace of the armies or their armaments and a deathly silence fell across the scene.
"Damn you Altima..." the winged figure hissed with unrestrained contempt. "Again the results of your greed are evident."
"Was that really necessary?!" Usul's voice shouted at the flying figure as it descended towards him.
At the edge of his sight, X saw that the Warrior of Light's left hand was clutching something – a piece of parchment that seemed to have torn from a book.
The winged figure turned its gaze upon him and slowly descended.
"This world has already suffered enough because of these greedy imbeciles. At least, with them removed, the healing can begin."
"Take the blasted page then." Usul's voice retorted, holding the object aloft. "And be more careful about where you leave your toys. Why did you even create such a thing?"
The winged figure raised his right hand and the piece of parchment floated towards his open palm.
"Blame it on my misspent youth." he said sarcastically as he finally grasped it.
X still couldn't make out its face through the nimbus of white light surrounding it, but the deep blue eyes definitely stood out.
"Honestly, maybe you should just burn the whole damn thing..." Usul grumbled.
"No." the winged figure said, shaking his head as he summoned a ridiculously large leather-bound tome and carefully returned the page to its original position. As the frayed edges touched each other, the parchment began to mend, sealing the tear.
"This knowledge still has potential for good if placed in the right hands…" the radiant being explained. "But I will definitely not let this out of my sight again."
Then, the vision abruptly faded.
"Such devastation..." X noted apprehensively.
"Sometimes bringing the Light means fighting… and bringing a measure of destruction." the presence said. "You've been around long enough to know this is true."
With a heavy heart, X pondered this. He had always wished for peace, but had ended up being drawn into countless conflicts in order to protect the innocent and prevent greater tragedies. He felt he had made a difference, though not always in the way he had wished, but now that he had stopped blaming himself for things beyond his control, he understood.
"People like us..." X finally said. "We fight for those who cannot. What you just showed me was a terrible sight, and I don't know enough of the context to say whether it was right or wrong, but it's never easy to watch."
"You are wondering if there might have been another way." the presence deduced.
"It's one thing to use this power for healing and protection, like I have before." X mused. "Fighting Sigma was necessary. Saving Milan was only right. Stopping that rampaging Mechaniloid was justified. But once you start wielding this power against other living things..."
"And that, my friend, is another reason why being a Warrior of Light can be such a heavy burden." the presence said with a sad look on his face. "Why so many question themselves, think about quitting outright or blame themselves for things beyond their control. All of us have that nagging voice in the back of our minds. 'I should have done more.' they say. 'What if there was another way?' 'Why did I survive and others did not?'"
"And sometimes it feels like we're trapped in vicious cycles." X said. "Cycles I've been trying to break for a very long time."
"Good and evil, right and wrong… Those are not always clear when dealing with people rather than abstract concepts. It is entirely possible to be a good person and try to do the right thing but still be completely and utterly wrong. All you can do is try to balance strength and compassion… and use your head."
"Now that's a lesson I already had to learn." X noted with a sour look on his face. "At the end of the day, all we can do is give it our all and examine our feelings and motivations to make sure we don't stray. After all, I put down countless Mavericks, but at times I was afraid I might become one myself."
"Your copy, on the other hand, was so fully convinced of his own righteousness that he probably did not even see the slippery slope he was embarking on."
"I've seen where absolute certainty leads." X said grimly. "If we don't think about what we're doing and why, then..."
A slight smile bloomed on the presence's face.
"And that's why you would never have become a ruler unless there was no other choice… but have made for a fine savior time and again."
"Don't you start that too." X said, visibly uncomfortable. "I'm tired of people putting me on a pedestal. I'm tired of having the world on my shoulders. People are finally learning to build the future without depending on me for everything. Let's keep it that way."
"I understand you completely. My original felt much of the same fatigue and frustration. He feared what might happen to those around him once he was no longer around to protect them… and was often aggravated by their habit of falling into repetitive patterns."
"Do beings like me exist just to keep people from constantly harming themselves and each other?" X pondered with a hint of annoyance. "No, I refuse to believe that. They are better than that… and I'm more than the Busters in my arms."
To his surprise, the presence laughed.
"What's so funny?" X asked.
"Sorry, I don't mean to offend. But right now you definitely sound like my original."
Meanwhile, in Cerveau's workshop...
As Ciel continued working on Phantom's replacement body, her thoughts drifted to other matters, namely a certain tall long-haired hero who had stolen her heart without even realizing it. After everything that had happened since the aftermath of Ragnarok, she was finding it it somewhat difficult to focus on her work like she had before. On a fundamental level, she understood that her feeling were reciprocated, and that filled her with a joy she couldn't quite put into words.
"I don't mind waiting a few more years..." she thought with a smile. "I know I'm not going to change my mind and he's not going anywhere… I hope."
Thinking back to her first encounter with Zero in the abandoned laboratory, she recalled how ludicrously dangerous the entire situation had been, and how she had put herself in harm's way with little to no hesitation.
"Things might have turned out very differently if you hadn't been there..." she thought as she recalled the Pantheon's onslaught and the Golem that had tried to snatch her.
Devoid of memory and acting on instinct, Zero had effortlessly cut down the metallic monstrosity and returned her to the old base unharmed, but as she steadily grew a little older and a little wiser with each day and found more time for reflection, she found herself conflicted. The thought of having Zero keep protecting her as he had done before made her feel a little giddy, but as a human she was aware of her own fragility.
"Even Reploids got cut down with barely an effort..." she thought with a sigh, recalling the carnage on that day.
Though the Resistance had plenty of humans in its ranks, many of the Reploids in their midst had been quite protective of them, insisting on taking the most dangerous assignments. Though she appreciated their dedication, she had always felt a little bad about it.
Her thoughts turned back to the Golem, the same that had effortlessly decimated an entire squadron on the surface before coming for her. The memory being roughly seized by that metallic hand, bigger than her body, had taken some time to get out of her system.
"I never want to feel helpless like that again."
Unable to focus on her work, she put the tools down on the workbench. She took a deep breath and idly glanced around. Through the corner of her eye she eventually spotted a familiar sight.
Worried about keeping his Z-Saber well maintained in case it was needed again, Zero had left it in the workshop for her or Cerveau to examine once they had enough time. She knew very well that he was capable of tinkering with it on his own, and the fact that he had left such a thing in their care spoke of the absolute trust they shared. X had told her at one point of how important the weapon was to Zero, and how attached he was to it.
Hesitantly, she stepped closer, then picked up the weapon from the workbench and held it pointing sideways.
"He makes those stunts look so easy..." she mused.
Ciel located the activation switch with her thumb and ignited the emerald energy blade, then stared at it for a brief moment. She stopped for a moment, then glanced around to make sure nobody else was coming.
"After the lectures we gave Alouette, it would be hypocritical of me..." she thought with a smirk. "Still, I wonder how it feels..."
After backing away from the workbench to avoid any accidents, she hesitantly took a swing at empty air. The weightless blade hummed as she did so, leaving a faint smell of ozone in the air as the plasma interacted with the oxygen in the air.
In a momentary flight of fancy, she struck a pose, holding the blade diagonally above her right shoulder, pointing down. With a smile on her face, she briefly imagined herself wearing a suit of armor like Zero's, standing side by side with him with a blade of her own.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Zero asked sternly from behind her as he stepped into the workshop, snapping her out of her daydreaming.
Ciel nearly jumped with a start and quickly shut the Z-Saber down and set it back on the table.
"I've seen you wield it many times." she said. "I've seen you tinker with it, I've helped Cerveau tune it. I guess part of me was wondering what it would be like to use it."
"Well, don't." Zero said firmly. "You're not a Reploid. Your skin is organic and your reflexes aren't like ours. With a weapon like that you'd be more likely to hurt yourself than any actual enemy."
"Sorry..." she said, realizing that she had made him worry. "But what will happen if I have to defend myself someday?"
With the same intensity in his gaze he had displayed on their first encounter, he locked eyes with her.
"I'm not letting anyone hurt you again." he said, unwittingly echoing one of her dreams.
Upon hearing this, her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as she recalled that particular scene. He noticed, but chose not to comment on it.
"But if it would help you feel safer…" he added. "There are other ways."
"What do you have in mind?" she asked, feeling slightly giddy.
"I trained many a rookie Hunter back in the day." he said with a confident smile. "I definitely don't even want to think of you in actual combat, but if it'll put your mind at ease I can run you through the basics."
She gave him the most adorable look she could muster.
"Really?"
"Really." he said, looking away and covering his eyes as if he had been blinded. "But dial it down. I can't focus when you and Alouette do that."
She giggled and flashed a mischievous grin at him.
"Sorry..." she said playfully.
"Just don't tell Alouette about this." Zero said with a smirk. "Don't want to give her any ideas..."
Meanwhile, in the wilderness outside the settlement, an unexpected encounter was unfolding…
"You..." Colbor said, noticeably tensing up as he recognized the woman clad in blue.
Leviathan glanced over her shoulder and stopped her practice, stowing her trident in a holster on her back.
"Yes, me." she said warily. "What of it?"
"What are you doing here?" Colbor asked.
"Exactly what you saw." she retorted with a shrug. "But should you be patrolling alone?"
"I am not patrolling. Just walking." he said, looking rather upset at the remark. "And even if I were, I wouldn't want to drag anyone else down again."
Realizing that her choice of words might not have been the best, she tried to correct it.
"I didn't mean it that way. Just..."
"You don't owe me any explanation." he said rather coldly, before turning to leave.
"Damnit..." she thought, once again reminded of the guilt and regret that she and her siblings had been struggling to overcome.
It was then that an idea unexpectedly dawned on her.
"I guess… we're not the only ones trapped by the past… But what if..."
"Wait." she suddenly said.
"What?" Colbor asked, stopping in place but not looking at her.
"I get where you're coming from..." Leviathan said, crossing the distance and circling around to speak to him face to face. "Hear me out."
Being in her presence again and looking at her face made him visibly uncomfortable, but he stood his ground.
"What?" he asked again.
"You have every right to be angry at us." she said with a downcast look on her face. "We made bad choices and are still trying to find our way."
"That's one way of putting it." he retorted coldly.
"We can't exactly turn back the clock and undo what we did." Leviathan pointed out. "But what if… What if I could share my skills with you? Help you get stronger so you never feel that helpless again?"
"And why would you do that?" Colbor asked suspiciously.
"We were looking for ways to make amends to the other Reploids." Leviathan said with a shrug. "Why not start with this?"
"Maybe Ciel and X were right..." she pondered. "The way for us to put ourselves back together may be by helping others do the same."
"Just to make sure my audio receptors aren't malfunctioning..." Colbor reiterated. "You're offering to train me? Me, of all people?"
"X and Zero can't be everywhere at once." Leviathan pointed out. "Don't you want to be capable of protecting the people around you?"
The fact that she had omitted Axl had not escaped his notice, but something else about her choice of words caught most of his attention.
"Are you making fun of me?" he hissed as bitter memories of his first encounter with Harpuia danced across his mind.
"Am I laughing?" she retorted, her expression suddenly steely.
He looked at her face for what felt like an eternity and while the anger subsided, the confusion remained.
"Why?" he finally asked.
"You faced a situation you were unprepared for, and it left its marks." she said evenly. "But you had the courage to head into danger despite your average specs and lack of experience."
"I wish I hadn't." he said bitterly. "Maybe the others would still be alive if someone else had led them."
"Are you already forgetting?" Leviathan asked. "The whole speech about moving forward and trying to be better? Do you really want to get another scolding from a little girl?"
"I… suppose not." Colbor conceded. "She does have a point… and I'd rather not upset her again."
"Then stop thinking about what ifs." she retorted. "I know it's hard. You're not the only one who wishes they could turn back the clock. But none of us can. All we can do now is be better."
"I suppose." he said hesitantly. "But wouldn't you rather train someone more capable?"
"Feeling inferior about your specs? Is that what this is about? Or is it because of who the offer is coming from?"
He said nothing.
"I get it." she said with a sigh. "There's still lingering bad blood, and with good reason, but here's something you need to remember. Specs don't matter compared to will."
"What?"
"It may sound hypocritical of me to say it, but it's true." she insisted. "After all, didn't X take down a Mechaniloid on his own while he was in that temporary body?"
"Not the best comparison, considering everything he can do… even without that strange power." Colbor said with a wince, feeling rather inadequate.
"Do you have any idea how many times he and Zero survived having half their bodies destroyed?" she pointed out. "Hell, X survived losing his entire body. Held himself together long enough to wait for a new one while still helping out here and there."
"There's something to be said about that, yes..." Colbor conceded. "I doubt I could ever compare to either of them, but I get what you're saying."
The Resistance Captain clenched both his fists.
"After that mess, I tried to resign but Ciel would have none of it."
"From what I've seen so far… that definitely sounds like her." Leviathan mused. "Some might say she's too kind for her own good, but then again… the same thing has been said about X."
"Despite my blunders, she still trusted me. She didn't blame me for what happened. Zero even came to speak to me just to make sure I was holding it together. Time to prove myself that I deserved their trust."
He was still noticeably tense in her presence after the previous encounter, but at least the latent hostility seemed to have subsided. She had not expected him to speak of something so personal, but his earnest reaction did earn another measure of her respect.
"Good." Leviathan said, her expression softening slightly. "As long as you follow my regimen and don't pull any crazy stunts like that madman Faucon, you should be just fine."
"Don't remind me..." Colbor grumbled.
The so-called Faucon Punch incident had been widely talked about in the settlement and his reckless antics were becoming admired by some of the children, much to the chagrin of the adults.
Several hours later, as Leviathan stepped inside the old facility she and her brothers were staying at, Phantom cast a glance at her from the chair where he was poring over technical schematics.
"Glad to see that your mood is improving." he noted.
"So am I." she said with a nod. "And what are you up to?"
"Simply pondering how to better serve our newfound purpose." he said pensively.
"Same thing here." she said with the first smile she had shown in a while. "In fact, you could say I've found a rather interesting project..."
"You mean other than getting back to that ocean monitoring plan?"
"That's too far away and I don't have the resources for it yet." she said, shaking her head. "This is something a little more local and short to medium term."
"Do tell."
"Overcoming the past… by helping someone else do the same." she explained. "Just like X suggested."
Around the same time, on the outskirts of the settlement…
A simple metal shack had been set up in the earlier days of the relocation, mostly for use as a temporary storeroom. Having served that purpose, it had been then used as a guard station of sorts and later adapted into a simple firing range with the side windows covered and the walls reinforced with additional plating and an energy field generators in order to prevent any accidents.
Knowing that they didn't have much time left before it started getting dark and that Ciel would need to get a full night's rest before she could face the next day's work, Zero had hurried along. Nobody else was around at that hour, which meant they had the entire place to themselves.
"Are you sure about this?" Ciel hesitantly asked as she gripped a Buster Gun.
"You said it yourself. Hope for the best, but be prepared." Zero said. "But if you're going to use something like this, there are rules you'll need to be mindful of."
"I know." she said with a nod. "These things are dangerous, as intended."
"I know you know." he said with a smile, patting her head. "I wouldn't have suggested this if I didn't trust your judgement. We'll practice later with stun charges, but for now, just get a general feel for it. It's unloaded so you don't have to worry about any accidents."
He paused for a moment and then continued.
"In my days as a Hunter I trained plenty of rookies. Obviously, the first step of learning to use a weapon is knowing when not to use it, but you already know that. But you also need the awareness to evaluate the entire situation… and if it's called for, you need to be measured and act without hesitation."
"That makes sense..."
"The Hunters had their fair share of human staff, mostly in administrative duties, but a Reploid's muscle mass and physical fitness aren't affected by exercise, so we focused on training the mind."
"Actually..." Ciel wondered. "Were there any human field operatives back in your day?"
"Very few." Zero said. "The higher ups tried to train some and outfit them with power armor, but the level of violence and destruction the Mavericks were capable of put a lot of people off. The idea ended up being canned after too many casualties and training accidents."
"It… takes a lot of courage to stand in harm's way for the sake of others..." Ciel mused, her voice trailing off.
Zero cast a worried glance at her.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm… not sure..." she said, feeling light-headed. "Maybe lunch didn't… agree with me?"
She put the Buster Gun back on the table and tried to head for a nearby chair, but started stumbling. Alarmed, Zero caught her and placed a hand on her forehead.
"You're burning up. How did you even make it here?"
"I guess… it just snuck up on me..."
The weather was growing noticeably chillier, and while it hadn't started snowing just yet, it was becoming distinctly uncomfortable outside. The household heating systems were already at work on a low setting, but most people had not yet switched to winter clothing.
"OK, lesson's over." Zero said with a frown. "I'm taking you home. Are you well enough to walk?"
Despite the circumstances, she found the presence of spirit to crack a joke.
"If I say no, will you carry me?" she asked with a mischievous smile.
"I can see who Alouette takes it from..." he scoffed, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Fine, but let's keep it between us. We'll never hear the end of it from Axl if he finds out."
Later…
"Relax." Cial said. "It's just a fever. It's not like she's dying or anything."
"I know… It's just that I've never seen her like this before." Zero said, visibly unnerved as he paced around the living room. "I'm definitely not used to it."
"Part and parcel of being human." Cial pointed out, though her expression was somewhat softer than usual. "For now, she has medication and people to look after her. She'll probably feel like crap for a few days and then she'll be back to her usual self."
Zero had definitely noticed a change in the former Head Administrator over time.
For the most part, unless she was around her mother and sister, Cial would keep a distant, almost haughty facade. However, as she gradually grew used to being back with her family and in the company of Alouette and the former Maverick Hunters, she had slowly begun to show a different side. Amused and somewhat heartened, he chose not to comment on it, lest she withdrew back into her shell.
"You've lived among humans long enough to know that we're not as fragile as we may look." Cial added, with the faintest hint of a smile as she patted his shoulder ever so lightly. "But I'm sure you'll both feel better if you go see her."
Zero nodded and headed into the petite scientist's room, a place where had never been before. He found her tucked in bed, underneath a thick blanket.
"Hey..." he whispered, leaning closer.
"Glad you could make it..." she said, looking at him with tired and rather reddish eyes.
"You don't look so good..."
"It was a bit sudden. Must have caught some cold outside..."
"Do you want me to get X?" Zero suggested. "See if his glowing hand trick can fix that?"
"It probably could… but let's give it a rest."
"Hmm?"
"I guess this is my body's way of telling me to slow down for a while." Ciel reasoned. "If he finds a way to make it better right away, I'll probably end up just going back to work."
"Besides..." she added with a smile as she reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "At least this way I get to spend a little more time with you without interruptions."
"The fever must be getting to your head." he scoffed. "When did I ever refuse to spend time with you? But don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."
The fact that she still had the presence of mind to crack jokes was reassuring, but he was definitely not used to seeing her in such a vulnerable state.
"This is another thing I'll have to get used to..." he mused.
He knew that one day, like all humans, she would pass from the world, taking another piece of his heart with her like Iris had done. He tried not to dwell on such thoughts, reminding himself that she was still young and had a long, promising life ahead.
"Guess one day I might have to cut down the Reaper himself." he thought. "But for now, I'd rather live life than worry about the distant future."