Chapter 34: The Healer under the Tree
You know that cliche white encompassed space of nothingness you encountered when the character's subconscious decided to go on either a self-discovering journey or on the verge of knocking on Reaper's door.
It was an...enlightening experience, to say the least. I felt nothing and everything at the same time. There was no smell, no taste, no sound, no sense in the air and saw nothing but the starking white I wasn't sure I was imagining but was hyper-aware of every sensation I felt.
The prickling sting spreading throughout my skin that numbs any other sensation, the sharp smell that choked my own breath and nothing else, a muffled and stuffed discomfort inside my ear like when you were flying up on an airplane yet aware of the loud ringing as well.
Confusing? You should be, because even far in the future after this, I would still be unable to make heads or tails of what was going on in that space. If it had been only a product of my own mind, or if my soul was nearly lost to me.
But then a soft pressure on my eyes darkened my bright surrounding, and I find a reprieve from the stark white space. I should have been alert by the unknown pressure on me, but I was too tired to actually think of anything, including my own safety. The space wasn't exactly comfortable, but I wouldn't have minded staying suspended here just to get away from everything. As if nothing matters. From the battle, the struggle, the pain, life-waitthefuckasecond!
Dangerous! Dangerous territory right there. That's is a start of depression and I'm not opening that can of worms. I should know, I've had it once in my past life and almost had a suicidal tendency from it. Yeah, no. That's not happening again.
With more struggle than it should, I tried to will my body to move. It was almost like waking up from a long wonderful sleep in bed. Your eyelids were too heavy to pull, your whole body felt like it was glued in place, and that nagging feeling at the back of your mind that demanded you wake up another time.
I fought that urge with an insistent cry from my lips to the point of shrieking, waking up my whole body until I finally managed to lift myself up and open my eyes-
-to be greeted by a long fang lion facing less than an inch from me.
"$? /*+#%^&§√¦»※¿~!"
I garbled nonsensical words as I scrambled myself away from it. I got up, tumbled down from panicking, then kicked myself into a roll until I got myself into a fighting stance toward it.
I glared with a burning passion, not letting my exhausted body or newly found decapitated ha—
A flurry of curses flew out of me once again when I looked back and took a double take at my hand. My intact left hand to be exact, which pulled out various questions at the impossibility I was having.
Either a miracle happened or my dream made it very realistic, it is my own mind after all.
But then I spotted a tattoo I'm extremely sure wasn't there the first time. Running down from my wrist to the middle of my front arm, was an abstract shaped symbol; a black circle entwined by a swirl and an overlapped triangles at the top.
A soft texture was on my open palm, I looked up and was greeted again by the lion, but I didn't run this time. Too mesmerized at the unnatural mix of its green-purple eyes, looking at me with a soft caring gaze that didn't make me doubt my own safety around it.
A sudden feeling, not my own, washed over me in a wave of warmth and appreciation. An emotion I recognized as gratitude. It took a moment for me to understand why until I looked up between his eyes and noted the blue shimmering orb I held before in my hand.
Realization hit me like a ton of bricks that I'm facing face to face, with Zatur. One of the so-called gods of this universe. What kind of god he was, I personally don't know. At least, not until he showed me.
He didn't just give me his gratitude through whatever telepathic ability he had, he also gave me all the memories of what he was. Glimpse of images and feelings reeled its way in my mind, too fast and too much for me to discern them all, but Zatur made sure I saw the one he deems necessary to explain what he was and what had happened to him.
Not only did he confirm my theory of his sorry state, but was met with a shock when it turned out I've met with-
"YOU'RE THE GODDAMN GOD OF LIFE?!"
I admit, I figured at first he would be a small-time island god or something. I certainly did not expect meeting the opposite of the god of death, Ankhseram, and living on an unknown island in one part of the world before it plunged between dimensions. You know...the guy who was partially responsible for making Zeref an immortal batshit crazy suicidal/homicidal powerful dark mage with enough charms that he not only has a cult following him but a whole damn country at his disposal.
Like dude...seriously...how much charisma can one emo have?
But I was glad by that revelation, only because the shock helps putting aside the emotions that accompanied the memories had almost overwhelmed me. The peaceful joy, the stabbing disappointment, the raging anger, but most prominent of all was the hot corrosive betrayal that not only seems to claw at my own heart with a very acidic hand that seemed to melt my insides. Seriously, I've been met with both acid and betrayal before so I'm not joking how painful his emotions were and unlike anything I've ever felt. His emotions were literally hurting him.
It strange to know how different a god could physically feel their own emotion. It also showed how much trust he was, baring a part of his soul like this...and the new arm I guess.
He then took a few steps back. His large wings flapped open, showering me of his emerald and gold feathers.
I blinked.
The next thing I knew I had my eyes blow open and my body coughing out the remaining fluids choking my lungs My sight was blurry from the sudden onslaught of pain before I regain some proper oxygen. Breathing and coughing at the same time wasn't exactly an efficient way to do it.
I felt the soft firm pat on my back, looking up I was met with few pairs of blue, brown, and violet eyes that had obvious concern toward me.
"ANIKIIIIII!" Nick cried with obvious tears and snot of relief all over his face. He would have jumped up and hugged me if Erza wasn't holding him back, telling him to give me some breathing room. Zeffik and Heart were beside Spade, they glanced at me with relief in their eyes but there was a tinge of weariness in them. Not surprising since Spade looked way worse than me with a lost arm and eye.
The next thing I noticed was the state I'm in; wet.
As in, I'm drenched from head to toe, and considering I had spewed out water, I could guess I had been drowning, which was a major confusion on my part since I don't remember taking a dive.
The next part I registered was the cold smooth steel beneath my hand, the well-constructed metal ceiling over my head, and the open view of the outside in mid-air with a full-blown air giving me chills. I knew we were in the hijacked Grimoire Heart Ship, good to know Zeffik, Hope, and Nick managed to do their job without a hitch.
"What happened?" I rasped out, wincing at the pricking from my sore throat.
"After you make the island explode from whatever you did," Erza supplied with a nonchalant tone that shouldn't match to that ludicrous sentence that managed to string my mind straight.
"Erza, Erza," I cut her off before she said anything else, "Pardon me for interrupting but you understand that after weird and interesting experience in the past 16 years which consist of fighting colossal demon, stopping volcanoes at the behest of living talking forest, and running from mindless cannibals, it takes a great deal amount of reality breaking bullshit for me to say WHAT THE HELL?!"
Erza raised an eyebrow then tilt her head outside, and I glanced down to find holy shit the island explode!
And it couldn't have had any other explanation when you looked upon the scattered rubble of the once Mirage Island that had given us hell, the only plants visible were the one floating and spotted large part of the island that wasn't rocky were beginning to break apart before sinking.
Safe to say, I could cross off "Exploding an Island" from my bucket list.
My mind returned into a jumbled mess until Hope flopped down on my lap, looking up with her worried round hazel eyes before her paw touched my forehead. I didn't know if she realized how much that small contact helps to ground me and getting my head straight.
Right, we're not out of the woods just yet. Priorities Roy. Get out of this weird ass dimension, then get Spade some proper help.
I was about to bark out orders when my senses flared without my will. I looked back outside and gaped at the tens of ghosts flying upward like the purified souls they are as they've been released for god-knows how many years they've been bound after setting foot on this island.
You know...I'm throwing out way too many curses with the word god for me to be comfortable with, considering the situation.
"Wha...what is that? They look like ghosts!" I heard Zeffik's trembled voice, and I wasn't surprised to find the ghosts were visible even to then. They had been desperate in getting our attention after all.
"Because they are ghosts," I confirmed simply, eyes never taking off the corporal figure. There was a mix of horrified gasp, a scoff of doubt, and a loud exclaim of cool. "They were the people who became the victim of the Mirage Island, people who came here on purpose or accident who were then eaten by the island. Their soul, the part of them that makes magic, was trapped here as a source for the god, Zatur, to keep himself alive after he was separated from his own heart. It was self-preservation that had gone ugly."
"What changed?" I turned to Heart, who had Spade laid his head on top of her lap. Her lithe yet calloused hand was softly fiddling with his hair, her concern never left him but that did not stop her curiosity, "You said they were trapped here, what did you do that managed to set them free?"
"Easy, I returned the Orb to its owner."
"What?! Are you insane, didn't you read the mural before? That god, who almost killed us by the way, had wreak havoc to its own patron tribe and the Priest had to seal him away for it."
"That's the thing about history, isn't it? You never really know the truth unless you get more than one side of the story. Those weren't murals of Zatur attacking the tribe, it was Zatur being attacked by the tribe. The priest had been greedy in her possession of his heart and used her standing to convince her people that Zatur was becoming a rogue and corrupted god that needs to be put away. She didn't expect the seal would make the orb useless to use."
"But then...then that means…" There was nothing she could say other than the obvious, finally giving herself the chance to look out toward the ghosts.
As much as I could look on, mesmerized, forever at the ethereal figures. But it was not the time, so I ignored the whisper of "thank you" whispered through the air and called the others' attention.
"Alright, enough dawdling. Zeffik, Heart, and Hope you stay and make sure you keep Spade alive. Erza & Nick, we're going to visit the cockpit."
All the crew here must be busy with their task since we met none of them on our way. Erza and Nick kept giving me worried glance since I sound like I was having asthma, I was putting more effort in every step I made, and I think the throbbing in my head indicated a concussion, but I refused to sit down when it's already the last stretch of the leg.
So when we found the door to the cockpit and paused before a wide grin broke out on my face, "I had been waiting for this my whole life."
Erza turned quizzically at me, "For what?"
I raised my foot, forced it open with a kick, getting the attention of multiple pilots with masks, then spreading my arms wide as if proudly presenting myself and yelled, "Ha! Boom baby!"
Hey, I did say I might be concussed. And this js my last stretch of my journey. Got to do it in style, don't you think? Making a big entrance, Kuzco-style, is the least I could do despite straining my body further.
Credit where credit is due for the fast response from two of the six pilots, who broke out of the stupor and activated their magic. Sadly those mooks weren't even in our weight class, much less speed. So it's not surprising when they found they had a sword and the sharp end of a crystal stake pointed at their respective throat before they could react.
"I'll cut to the chase and just go straight to demanding your full cooperation otherwise I'll have to use alternative means to make you. And no one likes being moved against their will, especially after Missus is gratefully...indisposed."
The blatant demand and my declaration of one of the Seven defeated, no matter how my words implied she was defeated, gave an extra weight to the presence of danger they're in.
"Now, first thing first, let's continue our way out shall we? Can't leave you people hanging around for someone who wouldn't come, wouldn't we?"
They didn't need more prompting before they began anew to set their course outside. The three of giving them wary observation to make sure they don't pull anything weird. The journey was rough when the ship stretched for its interdimensional journey, something I bet it wasn't made for.
Once I felt the familiar thrummed of ethernano in the original universe, I was finally able to sigh a calm breath, releasing the taut muscle in me. I requip a watch on hand and press the button on top.
The familiar chimed of TORRI's arrival made my body boiled in excitement, just so we could finally go out, out, out. Away from the wretched guild, from this place, and the nightmares. My favorite Redbox appeared, his door opened on his own accord and we were about to take a step in.
But things just can't end peacefully, couldn't it?
The heavy set of footsteps booming behind me, and appearing just as grand as I did, was chalk white man with a horrible fashion sense. Heaving heavy breath after a long run while shakily pointing at me.
"Wai...huf...please wait for a minute-su. I've come...huf...I've come to announce...huf...your warrant for your death-su."
"It's Kain-sama!"
"Kain-sama is finally here!"
"Alright, he'll easily get rid of the intruders."
"This will teach them not to mess with Grimoire Heart."
The crowded words were spoken but I was mentally and physically exhausted to register them, so it wasn't a big surprise when after going through the Hell Island, meeting the guild that reasonably could have set off my childhood trauma, fighting a god-class mage, then confronting literal god, sacrificing an arm and getting said arm back, you can't blame me when I was interrupted the first chance of me getting a good month sleep, something in me snap.
I teleported behind him, leg raised and poised to give him a roundhouse kick. The Newcomer was fast and had already raised his army to guard against me. I caught the briefest look of his calm and composed face as he faced me, probably confident in putting up from someone as scrawny as me, but that was wiped away when he was all gone from his spot the next second and there was a hole at the side of the ship where he had flown off.
Normally, this would have been the perfect time for me to make a quip or two at the gobsmacked mooks from seeing their superior officer blown away like that. Maybe even crowed at the achievement of finally managing to use my version of Tsunade's Super Strength because God knows how many trials and errors I made without mummifying myself or almost dying.
Least to say, I wasn't just pissed, I was done.
"Any of you want to try their luck?" My voice set on heavier than normal. When no one answered, I scoffed and finally set foot in at my ship. I heard Erza's and Nick's footsteps as they followed along behind me, but I didn't turn to see the look of their gobsmacked and awed faces. Too preoccupied in getting our other group teleported safely here without aggravating Spade's injury, and biting my lip for my undecided course. Because my mind drew a blank on where to help my unfortunately newly crippled and half blind Knight. Hospitals are out because I'm a fugitive, but at this rate I might reconsider, leaving me the option of a small-time healer who lives in a remote place which is waaaaaaaaay too specific for me to conveniently know one. And even if I do know one, it's not like they know how to treat a recently severed arm, much less regrow a new set of limbs—
...wait. Regrow?
My eyes subconsciously glided toward the red-headed knight.
Specifically, her right eye.
The right eye that used to be hollow before she had—
Before I knew what I was doing, I had moved way too close to her personal space and grabbed her shoulder, holding her in place so I could beg her eye to eye.
"Tell me where Porlyusica is!"
She opened her mouth, most likely ready to cast suspicion in how I know or the like, but time is ticking and we haven't got the time. "Look, I know you have questions but you know what state Spade is in and Porlyusica maybe the only one who could help him so please—"
"The middle of the East Forest, after turning left from the Rabbirds nest, and around half an hour walk from Magnolia."
"—you know what he has gone through, and doesn't deserve this wait, what did you say?"
"I think you heard me clearly enough," she pointed out with both hands on her hips, and with a slight curved of amusement on her lips. My face must have told her my confusion why she was so cooperative because then she continued, "You don't need to convince me what needn't convincing. Spade deserve a proper healer...and after what we've been through today, how could I not trust you?"
There was a lot of things I wanted to say for The Erza Scarlet to have that much faith in me, but I gave her a short squeeze of gratitude before quickly set off.
When we arrived in the East Forest, there wasn't much preamble before Zeffik went out alongside Heart in hasty stride as they follow Erza toward the most unnatural tree around. It's not like it was weird or anything but the surface and shape was too perfect, like something you find in a painting,
I knew it was rude, but the thought of a hurt Spade made it hard for me to think about manners as I forced the door open and yelled out, "We need a healer!"
It shouldn't have been a surprise when I got slapped away by a broom and arched out of the Tree Clinic.
"I'm not open for business with a human, and a rude one at that, go away!" screeched the pink haired banshee, still brandishing her broom on hand like a weapon.
"Porlyusica-san," Erza was already in front of her, her tone softer than I ever heard her in, "We're sorry for barging on to you like this, but we desperately need your help."
Porlyusica flicked her eyes at her former patient then to Spade's unconscious form in Zeffik's hand, and she hissed at the sight before giving room for us to come through the door. "Quickly, get him inside," she ordered.
The rest of us was about to follow her but she gave us the sharp hated eyes and kicked me, Hope, Nick, and even Erza out, much to our surprise. "Don't crowd in my working place! I hate humans and you're only going to be useless when you gawk around like children. Now shoo and let me work in peace." She shut the door with a loud force and left us with nothing but time.
I'll skip the boorish and nerve wrecking wait. The sun had barely come out when we first arrive. By the time the sun shone its blinding heat above our heads, the door opened revealing the identical pale faces of Zeffik and Heart, followed by a grim Porlyusica.
My gut dropped at the gloom atmosphere their face showed, but the Heart sighed and gave us a genuine smile, "He'll live," she told us.
All of broke out into a joyous shout that made even the birds flew in surprise. Hope randomly twirled around the sky, Nick jumped up and down with his fist pumped up, Erza crossed her arm and gave a relieved sigh with a smile, Zeffik was silently pouring tears out his eyes, and me? I was surprised by my own action when I felt my knee weaken and I gave an almost delirious yet relief laugh I couldn't hope to contain.
But that quickly came to a stop from a firm shout of "BE QUIET!" coming from Porlyusica. Sheesh, that old bag has a mouth. "Your friend has just gotten his consciousness back and wouldn't fall back asleep without seeing all of you first. Stubborn human he is, the kind I hate the most."
We didn't need any more prompt before we rushed in to take a look of him. He was laying on the bed, his whole body and eye were bandaged like a mummy, but Porlyusica left enough of his face to show us his crook but confident smile that seemed to say, "Look at that, I'm alive."
"You all look like shit," was the first thing he said to us with his croaked voice, and I couldn't help but scoff at his audacity.
"We look like shit? Try looking at yourself in a mirror." I couldn't help but glance at his missing limb, and almost like he knew where I was looking, his hand came around his wounded shoulder. Feeling the hollow of what was once part of himself. I turned to the old hag, "Can you regrow another arm for him, or possibly use any kind of healing that would get his arm back?"
"No." Surprised, that wasn't Porlyusica who answered but Spade. I observed his adamant but firm glare toward the healer, the kind of look I know that wouldn't let anyone budge his answer which served to confused me more.
Porlyusica's own glare withstood his own. Sending battle sparks between two contrasting wills. My eyes glanced the others and they were just as confused as me...except for Heart and Zeffik so clearly this was something they had discussed.
"Anyone mind filling in the clueless people here?"
The healer from another dimension huffed irritability, but not like she felt anything else most of the time, "I could grow him an arm, it is within my capability, but it's not as easy as implanting and growing an eye. An eye is easy, but developing a whole arm would take at least four years, and another year for him to adjust with his new arm."
Realization dawned on me as I looked back and forth between the doctor and patient, "And Spade refused to get one if it meant being bedrest that long."
"Then are you saying you rather be crippled rather than waiting around for a few years nyu?" Hope was gobsmacked at the prospect. I'm more surprised that the others weren't acting more bewildered or even trying to convince him otherwise. Heck, they all looked more grim resignation and understanding instead.
"I swore to be my Master's sword and shield when I pledge a Knight's oath to him," he started explaining, "I will not be disengage for FIVE whole years to have an arm when I'm still needed by his side now."
"And you think you could be of use with only one arm and an eye?" Porlyusica's tone was caustic, yet if one notices her gaze, you would realize she was trying to argue some sense into him.
"I still have two legs to stand and an arm to swing my sword, that's all I really need," he insisted. My eyes widen because wow, that is hardcore stuff right there. I don't think anyone else could have made claim and meant it like him, or even keeping his crippled state just to keep fighting. I guess him being the best swordsman in the land wasn't a title for show.
Porlyusica sighed audibly and turned her glare at me, making my back straighten, "As you can see, he's making himself difficult. You're his master unless you order him so he wouldn't budge from his own decision so it's your call to what his fate would be." Her glare made it plain and clear that I should address his idiotic notion of human pride.
I met my gaze with Spade's head on. I was visibly letting him know that my mind was geared to answer. His muscle tensed and loud gulp showed that despite his adamant, he would listen to me if need be. It's a matter whether I choose to be a Master to him or not.
"I'll be frank, I'm not as strong as I make myself to be, and most of the time I got off by smarts or sheer fluke. While I have no problem growing in my own time, me being a fugitive complicates things and I need you in your best form if I ever going to get through my life."
Spade's shoulder dropped along with his eyes, the air around him spoke of resignation but I wasn't finished, "Hence, why you either have to wait five years for an arm or one year for a metal one. Your choice."
Everyone jerked their head at me, the shock was evident on their faces but only Nick was loud enough to voice out, "Metal arm? Are you serious? That's so dang cool!"
Prosthetic existed in Fiore but it's not common, so usually it would have been a simple wood puppet limb like the one from my previous world, and if you're lucky, one embedded with Lachrima to be used as good as a real leg. However, a metal arm would mean a more sophisticated and advance maker involve, something Fiore is indisputably in sparse off. Though a neighboring country would be another story.
"Of course there'll be downsides. You can't feel with it for one, and it'll undoubtedly be a painful procedure that made countless adult scream like a little girl. I'm not making you choose though, if you feel like you're confident in taking on enemies with only one arm, then I won't force you. But you've pledged to be my knight, and I'm asking you if you can with only an arm?" The image of him while covered with dust and blood, his hand under a boulder, and Heart heart-wrenching scream flashed before me, and my face grimaced at the memory.
"Now that I mention it, I should apologize too for not being good enough Master to prevent you losing an arm." Spade looked ready to protest but I held my arm out. "I know it was your own choice to fight and stood beside me, but like I said, you swore to protect me by giving yourself to me. Meaning that I am responsible of deciding how you'll live your life," a rueful smile slip upon my lips, "and I seem to only just realize how much weight the oath you made had on me and took it for granted instead. For that, I am sorry."
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath to gain a more steady bearing before opening them and continuing, "You know yourself better than I, so I respect your wish enough to let you decide. But my life will continue to be filled with danger, so if you truly wish to continue to be my sword and shield, I would need you to be not only at your best but to be better than you were before."
I gave him a bit of time to let my words sink in, for him to have a clear head before he could decide anything. I was about to say that there was no rush but was cut off by his blazing pair of eyes that speak nothing but determination.
"Six months."
"What?"
"By six months I would be ready to stand by your side and served you with both hands."
Oh? Big words coming from him, but I don't expect anything less. The grin I had was more feral than glad but it matched with his own as we were both met by a challenge we set ourselves.
"For heaven's sake!" Porlyusica almost screeched, "I brought you so you could knock some senses into his head and you only brought more of your stupid ego into this."
I couldn't help mischievous smirk I gave her, "Humans, right?"
The responding groan was enough sign how much she gave up on the conversation entirely.
I chuckled at her reaction but was cut off abruptly when I jerked involuntarily and the pain was shooting up everywhere like a thousand needles prickling every skin in my body before the numbness came and I fell to the ground. No strength to keep me upright. I could make out people shouting for me but there was only an annoying ringing that was deafening my surrounding. It was disconcerting to say when I was made self-aware while my body was out of my control. As if my brain couldn't agree with what my body wants. But that was soon addressed when blackness crept at the edge of my vision before fully taking over me, and I knew no more.
. . .
"You overworked yourself," Porlyusica said the first time after I woke up from a three day bedrest. Her words were kind, considering she had diagnosed of me not only magic deprivation but a stab wound, followed by internal bleeding and infection, a whole leg with minor fracture bone, a few third-degree burns, then there are the many contusions like some child had colored my whole body in my sleep.
I'll live and heal, sure. But you could almost tell how Porlyusica came to hate humans when kept grumbling the numerous problem in my body with begrudging expression. As if she couldn't believe she had to deal with this shit after becoming her own hermit.
"That's nothing new," I quipped in response, which got me her signature hateful glare from her. Nick and Hope were crying together on my lap as I tried to soothe their worries. Every tear and snot that wets my lap was like a pull to my guilt. "Am I free to go now?"
Her glare hardened at me, daring me to do just that on her watch, "Hardly, I'll have you stay in bed for a whole week before I deem you well to move."
"Tomorrow," I told her, not feeling to stay in one place for that long.
"Five days," she compromised.
"Three."
"Fine," she relented, through her tone said she did it reluctantly, "Go and kill yourself while you're at it. I never want to see you in this bed if you're so stubborn about getting out of it."
"Aaw, Porlyusica-san, you do care."
She said nothing while turning her back on me and proceeding to work on her medication potions. Zeffik was there, standing beside her as he helped prepare the ingredients, all the while he asked questions of her work which she obliged...happily? Not really sure with her scowling all the time but with Zeffik being partially human and all.
As far as I had covered, while I had been out cold, Erza had gone back to her guild but it would seem she would come over to check on me today. Heart and Spade had gone over their sibling drama if the bright red handprint on his cheek was any indication and her red wet pair of eyes were any indication. As curious as I was about what had gone over them, it wasn't enough that I'd like to experience their shouting match.
I only hope they hug each other in the end.
Unfortunately, I experienced their shouting match in the end, but on a different subject.
"You're- you're selling weapons again!" he nearly cried out but lower his volume at the last second, his eyes glanced nervously at the Pink Healer before continue shooting his sister a disbelief look.
"I'm not selling weapons again, I'm making one for a friend. Notice the difference?"
Can't they do this elsewhere besides my bed? I thought in defeat.
"But...but" he stuttered like he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You're making swords again?"
"I am," she answered short and simple before arching an eyebrow at him with her arms crossed, "Problem?"
If my bed wasn't in the way, Spade might have lunged at her so he could shake some sense into her from the way he leaned in and the harsh grip he had on my blanket, "You goddamn right I have a problem, don't you remember why you stopped making it in the first place?"
She bristled at the reminded but gave him a sharp look of hers, "And if I remember correctly, you were insistent in not letting me stop doing what I did."
"That was before you disappeared and I had to go through years of painstaking journey to find you."
"I didn't ask you to come find me, Swordbrain!"
"And I didn't ask you to be gone from the face of the earth, Metalhead!"
Oh great, they pull out the love-hate sibling nickname, just what I need for my growing headache.
My brain's savior thankfully came in literal knight-in-shining-armor thumping the head of both adults.
"Enough, my apologies for my rude behavior toward the both of you but are you not ashamed bickering like children next to a patient and hindering his progress toward health?"
""But—""
"But nothing," and with that, they quieted down.
Wow, I never thought I would have Erza used her Titania's Glare for my sake.
I'm certainly not biting my lip and holding back an excited squeal with a giddy face.
Really, I'm not!
"Thanks for that Erza, but I'm as curious as Spade here. I don't know your history as Spade does but it's clear something happened before because of your reputation as a blacksmith. From what I could tell, either one or more were hurt from your sword enough to make you quit form the business or they were hurt on your behalf for a similar scenario as the last case.
"Relax, I'm not going to pry," I said when I noticed she became paler at my more-or-less accurate guess, "Your past is your business unless you want to share it. What I do want to ask is what Erza had done to pull you out of retirement?"
Spade nodded at my question and Erza looked at her just as curious it seems. She had explained before that the reason she had search for Heart Kreuz was to request her in designing her armor because the one she had was plain. She hadn't planned to have her making her a whole new set of armor for the foreseeable future.
Heart looked away, most likely debating with herself what she could say to us about what's on her mind. "Back..." it was clear she was having a hard time when she needed to choke out her first word, "Back on the island, remember when we had sneaked in the base to make you a new armor. It started there."
The walls and ceiling trembled to the timed explosion outside where the fight was happening. Heart was increasingly aware of returning toward the place she had served her time in captivity. For every step she took through a more familiar hallway, it was like everything was closing on her at once and for her throat constrict, making it hard for her to take in more air her.
"Kreuz...Heart...listen to me...breath...focus on my voice, feel my lungs, and follow my breathing...that's it, you're getting it."
"I can't do this," Heart suddenly said, her legs already edging back, "I can't, not again. My hands could only shed innocent blood, even now I could only make things worse, I should have stopped when I could, I should have died, I should have—"
SLAP!
Wet streaken cheeks met with a hot hard hit.
Heart was silent from shock at the unexpected slap from the younger woman. Before she could say anything to retaliate, she was suddenly engulfed in a tight grip tight in reassurance.
Heart gulped at the sudden 180-degree attitude, "I'm getting mixed signals here."
"You'll be fine," she took a step back so she could face her, "I know, trust me I know, it's hard. You feel you can't do anything right, that when things go wrong its weight is on you, but you can't let that stop you from trying or moving forward, you can't let your past hold you back in living."
The Blacksmith growled and pushed her off, "What do you know? What do you know? You talk as if you have any idea what it's like to have to have your parents killed by the sword you boast as your best work? To have the things I love most be stained by the memory of their dead faces? Had I not been so foolish and arrogant, blinded by the praise and my own skill, had I tried to take two seconds to learn more about people instead of what's under my own world...they wouldn't...I wouldn't…"
Heart froze and closed her mouth, not at all expecting to reveal her deepest darkest secret she buried through all her time in Fiore in the heat of the moment.
Erza bit her lip, looking away to give her some time to process and decide what to say, "I was a slave once."
"What?"
"Years ago, I was a slave under a Zeref Cult. I was made to work in the hopes to revive him. I didn't understand it then, being a child, but I had been a part of what was essentially reviving the Darkest Mage in recorded history just so they ensue chaos," she shuddered, "The only thing on my mind then was to get out. I have...friends who have the same thought as me. We failed, so I led a revolution the next day."
Heart blinked, confused by the sudden reveal of the knightish girl's backstory or where she's going from it, but she managed to respond "That escalated quickly."
She nodded with a chuckle but even that mood was quickly sobered, "A lot of people died and got hurt, I lost a good uncle and a friend, and I...I ended up escaping alone… I left my friends...I could have gone back for them, but I didn't."
Erza gaze was intense toward her armored feet that not even another shook of the base was able to snap her out, one of her hands clenched tight to her sword. "I search for a place I could belong, and I found Fairy Tail. It took a long time for me to open up to them, I didn't think I deserve them, but then the guild became the family I wish I always had, and I realized that isolating yourself might have been easy was not the answer to my problem. It won't make things better and it won't right the wrongs you committed, or change how others would have acted. Instead, I promised to myself, to be a better and stronger person, to be able to protect my family so I could never feel as helpless as I had in the past and turn my back on them.
"What about you Heart Kreuz, is your weapon not the best of all the land that manages to punch the hole in mountains, cut through seas, and shield a whole city? Or will legacy will end by the shed blood of your kin and a Dark Mage willing to sacrifice many more?"
Her last words managed to cut through her forted heart and jolted her. Gaping like a fish the whole time before she scowled with her arms crossed, "Is that supposed to bring sympathy to my bleeding heart? Telling me a sob story about yourself and expect me to be like you and get my shit together?"
Erza tilted her head at her, "Is it working?"
Heart breathed out hard through her nose, and wiped her face exasperatedly, "God forbid it didn't...FINE! You want a freaking armor? I'll get you your armor." She made wide stride between her hasty pace until she was back to her cell. She felt her leg stiffen, and gulp, trying to will her body to move.
"So...you want an armor that could have a standing chance to one of my best work with a leftover material and a timeframe of about an hour."
"I think our talk had shortened it two half that time."
"Great...greeeeeaaaat…" she cracked her neck and fingers, pulled her sleeve up and tightened the band of her hair, "Good thing you don't just have a blacksmith, you have the Blacksmith." And for the first time in a long time, she smiled at a new challenge in front of her.
"—the rest you could say, is history," Heart finished. Erza was silent the whole time, seemingly fidgeting at the reveal of her past to a bunch of strangers so I decided to press further on Heart.
"So you're commissioning weapons again?" I asked.
Heart threw her head back and barked out a laugh. "Not a chance," confusion spread in all our faces, "I may be willing to forge swords again but I'm not making the same mistake again. From now on, Heart Kreuz Weaponry would only serve Erza Scarlet as her sole patron and unless they have the same heart of gold as her, then they can get their crummy swords elsewhere."
Erza blushed at the compliment, yet couldn't help giving her a tight reassurance squeeze on her shoulder. For someone so young, she got her motherly face pat down. With those soft doe eyes and proud smile on her lips.
Heart, whose cheek had flushed from her sudden exclaimed resolution turned brighter red. Looking anywhere but at Erza but her eyes kept glancing up at her from her seat anyway.
...wait...she's not...surely she's…
I mean, sure Erza looks like the type who could charm women as much as men, but from the look of Heart, don't tell me she's…
You know what, I rather have that question unanswered.
Spade, on the other hand, was trying his best not to cry, but his glassy eyes that spoke of unadulterated joy was unmistakable. He reached out his only working hand to cover hers and had her locked gaze with him, "I'm happy for you."
"You're being sappy," Heart mumbled, her head tucked down.
"No, I meant it. All this time I search for you, it wasn't so I could have you make me a better sword or even force you to make more weapons no matter what I had said before. All I wanted, was to see and know you were happy and safe. That's all I ever wanted for you."
His words must have been the last hit to her wall because her whole body began to shook. We were all worried before realizing she had broken down crying. Her emotions were palpable as tears were wetting her scrunched face and her sobbing cries she couldn't hold back from making, it was unmistakably out of sheer joy and relief. So we gave her time to let out all her emotions she had tried years to bury in herself.
And all was good in the world.
Just for today. In the small tree clinic hidden from the rest of the world.
All was good.
. . .
"Psst, psst, Zeeeeeeffiiiiik, wake-up!"
Zefifk broke his snoring and blinking hard at the blurred scene he must be having. Once he had a solid grip on his mind, he was met with a pair of mischievous grins of me and Nick.
"What time is it?" He said between yawns, rubbing his eyes awake.
"Hurry and get dressed, Spade and Hope are waiting already."
That got him up, though the dazed look was still there, "Waiting for what?"
We didn't answer, just threw him some clothes, and pulled him out of the clinic. Quietly, unless we wanted to wake up Porlyusica, which no one here wants it. The sight of us ready to ditch the place finally seemed to click in the Big Guy.
"We're leaving. Now? Why? None of you are even 100% healed yet!"
"Well according to that Hag, we only need to eat our meds and rest for two weeks for us to be good enough to move. She never said it had to be on her doorstep."
Nick scoffed at my reason, "You're just scared of being under the same roof as Porlyusica-san, Aniki."
"Hey, don't think I don't see you trying to get out of the house yourself," I pointed out.
"She's terrifying!" Nick shuddered.
"This is not an advisable action," Zeffik protested.
I simply brush his worry off, "I for one had enough being cooped up in the forest with a temperamental crazy old person...it brings up bad memories to be honest. So I thought, "What the hell," and decided we should pick up our journey where we left off."
"That, and finally getting me a fully functional arm." Spade was halfway reaching his nonexistent arm, but froze before it fell to his side, "And you know I'm not one for sitting around when I can...need to do something."
"But..but what about your sister?"
Spade shrugged his worry off, "Relax, I've already gave her a letter for her to read. It's payback for suddenly disappearing on me the first time."
"I also asked her to send our regard to Erza," I added an afterthought, "I left some money for Porlyusica so as far I know, our business here is done."
"Well, let's go nyu~" Hope excitedly squeal, impatient for another adventure.
We were ready to climb in and set off at once when I noticed Zeffik was a few steps away and rooted to his spot. Looking down at the grass as if it had wronged him.
"Hey Buddy, are you coming?"
He looked up surprised at the call from his fellow former-slave friend, his eyes began to gleam and forced himself to smile, the kind you made when you were about to say goodbye. I knew because I've seen it more than I could count and the memories burned at the back of my mind.
I sunk in a breath and quell the shock inside me when I heard his next words, "I'm not coming."
"WHAAAAAAAAT?!" Nick and Hope simultaneously yelled, their jaw unable to snap shut even when their words had gone breathless. "But why? Did we do something wrong? Was the adventure too much? I mean we almost died a couple of times so that would make turn off anyone, but...but..we were good together!"
"Okay Nick, that's enough. You're about to sound like you're going through a bad-breakup...which isn't entirely out of place in this situation. Care to enlighten us?"
Zeffik nodded but he still ignored the look on our faces, or maybe one particular face, from disappointment. "I've always dreamed being a doctor, it was my first dream when I was a child. Maybe because it started with having the local doctor who never treated me nothing less knowing I was a Half-Giant, but I made a promised to myself to be a worthy man just like him. I thought I never get to chance to be one, not to mention to study further than what I know. And...and I actually got the chance here. I'm sorry if I sound ungrateful to you all but...but if there's one thing I learned from our brief adventure was that we should never give up on hope, not until your last breath and looking at you guys...fighting with every fiber of your being kind of...inspires me I guess? To be better than what I am now, does that make sense?
"I'm sorry I'm rambling, I know I may sound ungrateful after this. I'm sorry, I'm—" he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and was looking anywhere else but us, so I cut in to make it easier for him.
"Don't be, we get it. You want to be a doctor and Porlyusica is one of the best in her field work to give you the knowledge to be what you want. I won't judge you for that, heck I tip my hat for you, right Nick?" There was no answer from the Dragon Slayer and I frowned, "Nick?"
I turned and feeling sweatdrop at the sight of him biting his lips to hold back the sob as tears were against streaming down his face, "I'm not crying, I'm not crying, I'm not crying," he kept on saying the contradictory. Hope doesn't have the same reservation though as flew right up to the gentle giant's pair of arms. It was a funny sight, seeing the small orange exceed trying to engulf the wide man in her hug. Yet despite that, Zeffik gently returned with a soft pat to her back.
"Hik...do you have to go...hik...I'll miss you…"
"And I'll miss you too," he choked out with quivering lips, "but I want...I need to do this. I've given up my dream for so long, I don't want to leave and regret, or even began to resent all of you because of "What if" that would keep me up at night."
Nick swallowed his sobs. Looking down in silent to will his tears away before looking up with wet cheeks and red eyes. Walking up to him determinedly and offering a hand to shake, "It...it was a pleasure meeting and fighting with you. I...we won't forget you."
"Of course we won't, it's not like we're saying goodbye forever. Sheesh, you guys are overdramatic." My words were thrown out casually with a lighthearted smirk. "I have TORRI with me, the world is literally his backyard. Anytime we need you," I requip a watch on hand and threw it at him, Zeffik expertly catching it, "or you need us, in a push of a button we'll be there."
Zeffik turned wide-eyed at the small device in hand and gave a grateful smile, understanding the privilege of trust I had given him.
Then, all our eyes were locked on Spade. The only one silent during the whole ordeal. He stared unashamedly at the Half-Giant with unblinking eyes. His emerald eyes locked with Zeffik's own pair of brown, and it took an effort not to look away.
Spade then took one step, then another, one second to the next he came ever closer without breaking eye contact. Like trying to come close to a scared cornered animal. Only, in this case, the size ratio was in reversal.
Spade stood in front of him, inches from one another. We waited with bated breath of what was to come, of what he had to say. Then with one good arm, he pulled the only friend he had into a tight hug. Zeffik stiffened, not looking sure either because he was surprised or he was hesitant to reciprocate said close contact when his smaller friend was still bandaged from head to toe. Yet, he then gently threw his own arm around him. Content in sharing each other warmth.
There was something to be said about the two when they begun separated at one and have some wordless eye-to-eye conversation that only they could understand. I glanced at their neck, specifically at the tan lines comes from having used the slave collar for years, and I was reminded again that those two, despite the different background, had gone through the same hardship. Sharing the same understanding and a bond thicker than blood, one could not easily comprehend or cut away.
With that said — well, with nothing said actually — he turned his heel around and walked inside the red phone box. Nick, Hope, and I followed behind. I took one last at the Would-Be-Half-Giant-Doctor.
"See ya Zeffik," I called out.
"Goodbye Roy Jurenelle, it's been an honor flying with you."
"Pssh, You sound like we won't see each other again. You only need to notice a bit better and you might find and out-of-place-phone box at the corner of your eyes, and I'll be there where you least expected." I gave him a mock salute before I fully went in and closed the door. TORRI took in my emotional state and threw us into our home base with little shift through our ride. I looked up the ceiling with a tight grateful smile for the ship.
I looked at the other three passengers. Only one went missing and already we horribly felt the vacuum presence of our big friend. Thinking this was no time to wallow in misery, a loud clap gained their attention, and I opened my mouth to make the next set of order.
Only to find a paper plane struck the side of my head. One must have slipped in TORRI while we were
"Hey, that's Mirajane's letter. It's been a while since we've had those." Nick perked up alongside Hope, eagerly waiting to see what was written inside. Even Spade, who knew nothing of her, leaned in interest. A distraction for all of us, I'm sure, from the obvious absence among our midst.
I chuckled at their attics, then opening the folded letter, and read.
Three words in and the world felt it had swallowed me whole.
I didn't realize my knee had hit the ground, and my lungs were short out of breath as I took in the first sentence of the letter. Again, and again I read with trembling hand. In my head, I knew this would happen. I knew it, yet the news didn't soften the blow of having a blow a hole in the gut. At all.
Because the news didn't stop the image of an older sister, bruised and broken, writing a letter in her lonesome room as she tried to write the first three words when her world shattered around her.
Lisanna is dead.
AN: Sooooo...how was today's chapter. I honestly consider splitting it into two but you guys have all been patient for the upcoming canon chapters after the next chapter. Though fair warning, the first chapter won't be starring Roy, and istead focuson the changes he made before he even met with Fairy Tail.
Also, if things go well I might add an extra Captain Who chapters. I won't publish it until the cannon chapter start so you don't have to read it when it's updated. Don't hold your breath just yet though, it'll still ve quite a while before the next chapter is even out. Thank you beloved readers for being so loyal to this day!
Now that's done, I DEMAND COMMENTS! Hehehe, just kidding. But do comment on what you thunk of this chapter and do try to be nice about it!