Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story. They are owned by Kore Yamazaki. I just play with her characters.
Author's Notes: I had some time this week to write, and so I was able to make a quick update. If you are still reading, thank you so much. This one is less plot-heavy than the previous chapter, and it also has a bit of fluff. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy. :)
Chapter 13: A Robin and a Thorn
Chise rubbed her hands together to let some heat warm her up as she waited for Elias in the hill in the gardens. It was a Saturday morning, a week after their Scotland trip, and Elias had already fully recovered from his injuries. So far, nothing dangerous happened since then, and there was no clue on what Cartaphilus's next move would be, but the College had already tightened its security for safety purposes. No one could get out or come in without a special approval from the guardians of the College, the cat sidhes. It mattered not to Chise, though, as she was never inclined to leave the College anyway, but it was on this day that Elias asked to meet with her to help her make her own wand, something he told her would be of great use to her in performing magic.
She didn't wait long when Elias finally materialized in front of her. He was holding a large saw, and Chise had to fight a giggle at how crude their current activity would be. The night before, Elias asked her what wandwood she would like her wand to be made from, and she could only think of the wood of the tree in the hill in the gardens. Other trees didn't seem to hold a significant meaning to her. Elias then explained that the tree was an Alder, and that it symbolized strength, protection, and determination. It was a good wood that would never rot even when left soaked in water. Chise was intrigued even more, and Elias even told her that she would have to be the one to cut her own branch from the tree as per Magus tradition.
"Have you waited long?" He asked, shifting his hold of the large saw to his right hand. He was in his wolf-skull form, as he had always been whenever he was with her, but it was daytime and so he had his red cloth cover his face. Chise wished he would do away with it, but she knew he always felt uneasy baring his skeletal face most especially in daytime.
"No, I just got here a few minutes ago." Chise answered him with a smile. She eyed the large saw and then the tree behind her with curiosity. "So, how are we going to do this?"
"I'll hoist you up with my vines to the tree's nearest sturdy limb, and then you can cut your branch from there." Elias replied, handing her the large saw. Chise nodded and received it. They walked closer to the tree, and on the count of three, Elias lifted her and carefully settled her on a horizontal limb.
The Sleigh Beggy found a seemingly thick and long enough branch and began to saw it. Elias patiently stood watch and had his hands ready to catch the branch Chise cut. After a few minutes of sawing, it fell from the tree's limb and onto Elias's arms. He then reached for Chise with his black vines, lifted her, and placed her back on the ground. Chise smiled and said her thanks.
"What do we have to do next?" She asked, touching the branch she just sawed and now noticing that the wood had turned red upon contact with the air around them.
"Not we, but only you." Elias handed her a dirk, and Chise accepted it with wonder, looking at it as she turned it upside down in her hand. "The next thing you have to do is to fashion the wandwood into a wand you like. There is no right or wrong. Just follow what's in your heart."
"Into… a wand I like?" She repeated, pondering how to be able to do it. The branch she cut was thick, and she never had any experience sculpting wood before.
"Yes. It is also customary that you talk to yourself while doing it." Elias placed a hand on Chise's head. "I'm sorry, Chise. I won't be able to help you on this even when I am the one who suggested it. It is something you must do on your own."
"Wait, you're leaving me alone here?" She fought the urge not to sound helpless, even though she found the current task daunting.
"Yes. I'll be in my quarters. I'll come back before sunset, or you can send me a message by the time you think you are done." Elias replied, and when he saw a look of hesitation on Chise's face, he added, "Trust me. You'll know when you are done."
Chise looked at the Alder wandwood in her hands and then nodded weakly. Elias took that as a cue to leave the hill and head back to his quarters. She watched his retreating form until he was at the entrance of the hedge maze and completely disappeared from her sight. Afterwards, Chise took a deep breath and sat on the ground, her back resting on the trunk of the Alder tree. And then she began scraping off the rough barks of the Alder wandwood she had. What kind of wand should she turn this wandwood into? Weren't wands long and narrow? She looked at the wood and flipped it in different angles, estimating how much she would have to whittle off to make it wand-looking in her imagination. Once she found a good estimate, she then went back to the task at hand, gliding the dirk on to the Alder wandwood and cutting off small slices in sure strokes.
After around half an hour of repeatedly doing the same thing, Chise somehow found the task relaxing and therapeutic. Elias, though, had told her that she had to talk to herself while doing it. She paused for a moment, tilting her head upwards to the cloudy sky and wondering how to make that possible. Talk to herself. When was the last time she did just that? It seemed like she had never done so before. It seemed like everything in her life happened without her thinking about them. And yet it didn't turn out as bad as she thought so. Sure, she had sold herself in an auction and was bought by the College. She then became a Sleigh Beggy specimen and was and still being experimented on, but she found that there were good things in her life now. She made friends in her classmates, peers her age that she never once thought possible when she was still in Japan. She was also enjoying learning Magic and Sorcery, and she felt like she now somehow understood herself and accepted her own uniqueness, even as a Sleigh Beggy.
And then there was Elias. The best thing that ever happened to her ever since coming to the College. Even now, she couldn't fathom how fortunate she was to have his friendship. He was the one who understood her the most, the one who cared for her the most. She had never thought she would find such a connection with someone as she did with him. It was as if he was the missing piece in her life that she had always been looking for, even when she was back in Japan. She was certain now that she would do everything in her power not to lose him. Yes, she would do anything just to be able to stay by his side always.
It was a hand on her cheek that woke her up slowly. Chise opened her eyes and found Elias in his wolf-skull form peering at her gently with his crimson eyes. She looked at the sky behind him and saw that it already had turned orange. It was already dusk, and she still had not finished fashioning her Alder wandwood into a wand. She sat up instantly and turned to her side, only to be surprised that it was now really shaped into a wand. It had a smooth, long, slender body and was now topped with a bird-shaped figure, something she never remembered ever making. She turned to Elias with a look of puzzlement.
"You have been using your magical energy even when you were sleeping. Do not fret. This is normal and can happen in wand-making." He explained to her, and Chise finally understood what happened. She had fallen asleep and unintentionally let her magic do the work for her. "May I look at your wand more closely?" Elias asked, and she handed her the item.
Elias held it up to his eye-level and examined Chise's wand thoroughly, turning it up side down at times. And then he handed it back to her and gave her one of his clumsy smiles. "It is very good for your first try. Great job, Chise."
"R-Really? I sort of didn't know what I was doing." Chise blushed at his compliment. Didn't she just whittled off the Alder wandwood absentmindedly after just having a rough estimate? She didn't even remember falling asleep in the process.
"Like I told you before, this task has no right or wrong." Elias placed a hand on her head.
"What's next then?"
"The finishing touches. Don't worry, I'll be the one to do it. It has long been a tradition that a senior Magus does the finishing touches for a junior one. You can liken it to an elder giving a younger one support for their journey ahead."
"How will you do it then?" Chise asked, intrigued by the simple tradition Magi kept on wand-making.
"You'll know tomorrow." Elias beamed and extended his gloved hand towards Chise, helping her stand up from where she was seated on the ground. "For now, I think a reward for you is in order. I have cooked some chicken noodle soup. Would you like to drop by my quarters for dinner?"
It was Chise's turn to smile happily, content to be in his presence once again. "How could I ever refuse your cooking?"
xxxx
Elias trimmed the ends of Chise's hair with his scissors as she sat on a chair he conjured in the hill in the gardens. It was the next day, and true to his word, they were back to their task of making a wand for Chise. The finishing touches were now his job though, and he carefully placed Chise's cut hair inside a glass container.
"Why hair though?" Chise asked in wonder, while brushing a hand on her newly cut hair. They had already grown a bit longer than she was used to. She never worried, though, that they were unsymmetrical because she knew they weren't for Elias was meticulous in everything he did.
"Because it is long known that it contains the residues of the magical energy of a person. Yours has a good color, the color of the earth and blood. Sometimes hair is even used in potion-making." Elias patiently explained. When Chise stood up, he made the chair vanish. And then he fished two things out of his pocket and handed them to her. They were two circular gemstones, both with a shade lighter than the green of her eyes.
"What are these?" She enquired, examining the stones carefully as one ought to do with fragile things. They were very beautiful and had what seemed to be an inner glow.
"Peridots. But these are of the special ones for they are a thousand years old. They said to have been made through the molten rocks of the Earth's upper mantle."
"What are you going with them?" Chise asked again, wondering how these stones relate to her wand.
"I'm going to infuse them to your wand. When I saw the notches you made in the bird-shaped figure at the end of your wand, I knew they would fit there. And these peridots suit you. They instill healing, peace, and harmony to its bearer. Whenever you will use your magical energy through your wand, they will help you find balance by ensuring that your magical energy would not stress your body."
Chise finally understood what he wanted to do. "You're giving them to me? But they're special and yours, Elias. I can't possibly—"
Elias though immediately placed a hand on her cheek, stopping her rant. "Chise, I have no use for them. I received them as a gift from a mission I did around fifty years ago. It's just been sitting inside my drawer ever since. So, it's better for you to use them, right?"
Try as she might, Chise could no longer argue. It wouldn't be right to refuse his generosity after all. So she covered the hand on her cheek with her own and smiled at him instead. "Alright. If you say so. Thank you, Elias."
Elias nodded at her to acknowledge her gratitude. "Now, this is the fun part. Will you hand me your wand?" Chise handed it to him obediently. He held it with the bird-shaped figure end close to him, and with a flick of his wrist and a little bit of magic, the peridots were inserted onto the vacant notches. And then Elias scattered Chise's hair on the ground. The wand they were making floated on top of it. He spread his arms wide and closed his eyes. Then he began his incantation. "Howl, howl, air from the four winds. Pierce the dark, fire from the Sun. Cry, cry, water from a spring. Merge onto the Earth as one, into the light of my right arm."
Chise silently watched as the strands of her strawberry-colored hair began to wrap around her wand. They infused themselves so much to it that the wandwood turned into a color almost akin to her own hair. Even her wand shone brightly for a moment when Elias did his incantation, various lights of red, blue, and green sparkling together and coalescing themselves. When Elias's magic was through, the lights disappeared and he held Chise's wand towards her. Chise received it reverently, eyes wide as she felt powerful magic coursing inside it.
"Thank you, Elias." She breathed out, warmth spreading through her body as she now realized she would always have a piece of Elias's magic with her through her wand. "I'll take care of it."
"It is my pleasure, Chise. Always. Though I must admit that this is for my own benefit too." Elias replied, his gloved hand scratching his skeletal jaw.
"For your own benefit?" Chise repeated, not comprehending the connection in what he said.
"Yes. I want you to be always safe. Your wand will help you in that, along with your knowledge of Elemental Magic."
"I see. Still, thank you, Elias. I haven't even thought of making one." She told him. And then a thought crossed her mind, something she had wanted to ask but never did before ever since they talked about making a wand for herself. "Come to think of it, do you have a wand of your own, Elias?"
Elias fought hard not to flinch at her question, yet he knew Chise saw his discomfort. "I used to have. And it was my master who did the finishing touches too. But the moment I was imprisoned, the Tribunal of Magi destroyed it. I'm not allowed to have one anymore."
"What wandwood was it made of?"
"Funny, I never once thought about it when we were making your wand. But," Elias paused to look at the clear winter sky as if trying to remember one important detail. And then he turned to her with an unusual glint in his crimson eyes. "It was made of Alder too, from the tree beside my master's greenhouse."
Chise's eyes widened at his confession. Was it a coincidence? She knew the tree he was talking about. She saw it when she dreamt her first memory of him and Rahab. That was where Elias liked to stay and read books.
"You know, according to wandlore, those whose wandwoods match can use each other's wands without any backlash." Elias mentioned, his tone back to being a professor.
"Is having a backlash from using another Magus's wand common?"
He shrugged, as he wasn't sure of that one fact in wandlore truthfully. "Normally. Wands are seen as a Magus's extension of magical identity. If a Magus uses another Magus's wand, there's bound to be some conflict, wouldn't you think?"
"But not with those whose wandwoods match?" Chise asked unsurely, though a part of her seemed pleased by that little fact. If her current wandwood and Elias's previous wandwood matched, it all seemed like their meeting was determined by fate itself. "Then you're welcome to use my wand anytime, if ever you feel like it."
"Thank you for the offer, Chise. But now, I guess it's time to put your newly made wand to a test." Elias stated and patted her shoulder.
"A… test?" She repeated, uncertain of what Elias was planning. Yet in an instant Bael appeared before them accompanied by three other fire sprites.
"Hello, dear Robin!" The fire sprite greeted and spun around Chise's form.
"Bael! It's been a long time. How have you been?" Chise addressed the leader of the College's fire sprites, surprised to find her within their midst.
"Always fine and dandy! Anyway, bonehead here said I need to help you with something." Bael flew from Chise and settled herself on Elias's shoulder. The other three fire sprites, though, hovered over the Sleigh Beggy, awestruck at her mere presence.
"Elias?" Chise turned to her mentor, eyes looking for more of his guidance.
"They're here so you could test your wand. But I wouldn't want you to overexert yourself. So I asked them to help you."
"How will we test my wand?"
"That's up to you. The faes' magic will support you, but as to how you will manifest this magic is your discretion." Elias instructed gently, but when he saw a look of doubt on Chise's face, he walked closer to her to place a hand on her head and comfort her. "Remember, Chise, your wand is your own. You can use always use it as you please in whatever form. Nonetheless, don't be surprised if you feel a great surge of magical energy. They are meant to augment whatever amount of magical energy you release after all. Think of it as someone giving you a boost when you are trying to reach something that is high up. Again, this has no right or wrong."
Chise nodded meekly, still hesitating and filled with trepidation. It was Bael flying towards her that reassured her. "Don't worry, dear Robin. We won't let you down."
"Then I'll put myself in your capable hands." Chise smiled at the fire sprite.
"Ready?" Bael asked, and the other three fire sprites surrounded the Sleigh Beggy in each direction.
Chise extended her wand and closed her eyes in concentration. She felt magical energy beginning to rise within her through her wand and around her from the fire sprites. How should she manifest her magic? Perhaps she could just create balls of fire around her, as it was her Elemental Affinity after all. Upon deciding this, in an instant, fireballs with intense flames appeared around her. And she now found how easy it was to do it with her wand helping her.
"Is that all?" The fire sprite behind her asked.
"I think we can do better." It was the fire sprite at her left that spoke this time.
"Chise, dear Robin. How would you like to fly with wings of flames?" Bael asked the Sleigh Beggy with a knowing smile.
"W-With wings of flames?" Chise stammered, finding the idea a little reckless and unbelievable. She didn't even know if such a thing could happen.
"I'll lend a hand on that!" The fire sprite on her right chimed in, and the other two too exclaimed, "Count me in!"
"Don't worry, Chise. We won't let go of you. Just think of flying to the sky, free as a bird. And we'll do the rest." Bael encouraged.
Afterwards, Chise felt gentle heat all over her body. All of the fire sprites' magic, represented as bright yellow and red flames, encircled her and swallowed up her whole form. She thought of flying, and the moment that she did, she felt herself hover upwards from the ground. Her lower limbs transformed into the flaming legs of a bird, her arms changed into fire-touched wings, and her head was cloaked with brilliant embers—the shape that of the head of a bird. Soon, before she even knew it, she was soaring to the sky, her view of Elias and the hill in the gardens become smaller and smaller as she increased her altitude. She could even see the whole of London now.
Elias watched the whole thing with a clumsy smile on his skeletal face. He always knew that Chise had incredible magical energy, but to see it in action made him feel proud of her and of how she was growing. She would be a very fine Magus someday, and that thought filled him with so much satisfaction. He never shifted his gaze from her as she flew high through the sky, every bit like a bird—or to be more exact, a phoenix.
Chise glided through the clouds and circled the airspace above the College a few times. She didn't know why, but now that she had experienced it, she quite liked flying now. On a bird's eye view, everything seemed small and insignificant. There was only her, her flaming wings, and the winds around her, making her feel that she could leave everything behind. But there was one thing she could never leave from. Elias. Yes, that was right. Whatever may happen, she could never leave him. So she flew above the hill in the gardens and caught sight of him looking up to her with amazement. She didn't know how to stop her flying, but she went with her instinct to slow down, hover above him, and then undo her magic. When she did all that, she was surprised to find herself in Elias's arms, catching her and embracing her tightly as if she had been absent from him for decades instead of just a few minutes.
"Good work, Chise." He breathed out in an astonished tone because of what he had just seen. Nonetheless, it would be a lie if he didn't say that he worried for her all throughout her magical flight.
"I didn't even know that that could happen." Chise said, her arms around Elias neck and not wanting to let go yet, simply because he was always warm even in this cold, winter day.
"Were you shocked by how much your magical energy and the fae's were amplified?" Elias asked as he settled her down to the ground.
"At first, yes. But then I remembered what you told me and also Bael's promise." Chise replied in an even tone. Yet it didn't escape Elias that her knees were wobbling as she stood on the ground once again. He concluded that it was because of the thrill and excitement of flying for the first time.
"I'm just glad you are back in one piece." He patted Chise's strawberry-colored head and nuzzled her temple.
"Do you really have no faith in us?" Bael complained and flew around Elias, sticking her tongue out at the same time.
"I do. But that was a little reckless. You'll just never know when things could go wrong, Bael." Elias told the fire sprite, and then he turned to the Sleigh Beggy. "Anyhow, at least you've experienced how to use your wand now. Use it well, Chise, alright?"
"I will. Thank you, Elias." Chise nodded in agreement. She then faced Bael and bowed. "Thank you to you too, Bael."
"It is no problem. You can always count on us to help you. Until next time, dear Robin!" Bael said as a farewell. And without delay, she and the other three fire sprites that helped Chise in her flight disappeared.
"Ah, by the way, I forgot to give you this." Elias took something out of the inner pockets of his embroidered robe and handed it to Chise. It was a small, brown belt bag, and Chise received it with thanks, though she wondered what it would be for. It didn't take long for Elias to explain. "Something to hold your wand so you can bring it with you everywhere you go. Just place your wand inside and the magic of the bag will shrink it. It also works for other essential items you wish to carry with you."
"I… Thank you, Elias." Chise said, a sense of gratitude filling her whole heart for Elias's actions towards her today, from the peridots of her wand to its finishing touches and now this belt bag. She didn't know how to repay him yet for his kindness, but she knew she should someday. The only thing she could do right now was to appreciate how much of a giver he is.
"Anyway, we're done here. I'm sorry I took your weekend away from you. But I really deemed that we should make you a wand. Nonetheless, use the remaining time of today to do whatever you wish."
"I've already finished my homework. Is there… is there anything I could help you with?" Chise asked Elias, not wanting to part from him yet. It was true though that she had nothing else to do today anyway.
Elias placed a gloved hand under his chin, thinking of any tasks he could do together with Chise. "Hmm. I seem to remember Professor Wellington asking me to shear the cottonflies in one of the greenhouses this week. It wouldn't hurt to get a head start. Would you like to help me?"
"Cottonflies in the greenhouse?" Chise repeated. She had never seen a cottonfly and wondered why there was any in the greenhouses.
"Yes. You may not know, but the greenhouse's climate always oscillates between spring and summer to grow the different plants there. Spring is fine, but the summer atmosphere attracts magical creatures like cottonflies, even when it is in the middle of winter outside its premises."
"I see." Chise remarked, learning something new about the College again.
"So, what do you say?" Elias asked, extending his right, gloved hand towards her as an invitation.
"I'll do what I can." Chise smiled and took it, happy that she could spend more time with Elias no matter the task they were doing.
They started their trek to one of the greenhouses, silently walking side-by-side. Elias had put on his human glamour again, and Chise mused on when he would be able to walk the College halls without it. It wasn't long after when they reached one of the entrances to the greenhouses. Professor Wellington was standing outside, carrying a tray of seedlings. The Herbology professor spotted Elias and greeted him with a welcoming smile.
"Oh, Ainsworth! Good timing. Come to shear now? Greenhouse 2 is swarming with cottonflies, you know. I've just finished doing Greenhouse 1." Professor Wellington exclaimed. Elias nodded, and she settled the seedling tray on the ground and handed him the clippers that were in her apron's pocket.
"I'll be needing two." Elias said, and before Professor Wellington could wonder why, Chise stepped into her view. He gestured his hand to the Sleigh Beggy. "She'll be helping."
"Ms. Hatori! How have you been?" Professor Wellington said in surprise and shook Chise's hand. It had been a long time since they last saw each other after all. The last time was when the Herbology professor helped her get sunflowers for Elias. "Well, we could always use an extra hand. Thank you, dear." She handed Chise another pair of clippers too, before lifting the seedling tray again. "I'll just be in Greenhouse 1. Let me know when you two are done, ok?" She told the Magus and the middle school student and then went inside the Greenhouse 1.
"She's… different from the others when it comes to you, isn't she?" Chise remarked as the Herbology professor disappeared.
Elias turned his gaze towards her, a little bit surprised that this one thing didn't escape the Sleigh Beggy's keen perception. "You noticed too? She's been that way ever since she came here thirty years ago. I don't think she sees me as a friend, but she does appreciate what I do for her. I often work with her whenever Alexandra asks me to brew potions for the infirmary."
"I'm glad then." Chise gave him a smile, pleased that there was at least someone who wasn't repulsed by Elias before she even came to his life. "Let's go shear?"
They then headed to Greenhouse 2, and soon as they opened the door, Chise was shocked by the number of cottonflies floating all around her. The whole greenhouse seemed to be brimming with them. One even flew towards her, hitting her softly in the head. She grabbed it and observed it more closely. It had six transparent wings and six plump legs, and its wool even seemed fluffier than a sheep's.
"This is a cottonfly?" Chise thought out loud, and Elias nodded. He grabbed the one Chise was holding and guided her to an empty area of the greenhouse.
Elias then taught her how to properly shear a cottonfly. She was to start with the body first and then leave the wool on the legs alone. It was a simple thing really, but she found the repetitive task relaxing. They worked together silently for a long while that Chise didn't even notice the time pass by. Soon, it was lunch time, and Elias announced that they could stop for the day. There was already a mountain of cottonfly wool around them.
"I'll just go to Professor Wellington and ask for a sack to put all these wool in." Elias said, standing up and then brushing off from his trousers any remnants of stray wool. Chise only nodded her head to let him know that she heard him. When he was about to leave, he added, "By the way, it is rare, but if you see a sort of different cottonfly, call me before you touch it, alright?"
"A different one?" Chise repeated, unsure of what would make a cottonfly different.
"Yes, it has six legs but more insect-like and different from the normal ones. Its snout also is a light gray instead of black." Elias explained further, before heading to the exit of the greenhouse. When Chise didn't respond, Elias called out to her. "Chise?"
"Y-Yes, I will." She agreed, and at that Elias left the Greenhouse 2.
Chise then went back to shearing cottonflies. Now that she was alone, she took the time to think, mostly about herself and mostly about Elias. Why didn't she want to part with him today? Why did she offer to help him in whatever task he had for the day? She only knew that she wanted to stay by his side and do things together with him in whatever way she could. A part of her even thought that it was her way to repay his kindness for all the things he did for her in making her wand. And yet she knew there was something more. Something that she couldn't name but sent a flutter in her stomach whenever she saw him gazing at her with his clumsy smile these days. She smiled at the irony of things. She was Elias's teacher when it came to human emotions, and yet she didn't even know how to name what she was feeling.
A cottonfly speedily flew past her, distracting Chise from her thoughts. She took a look at it and noticed that it was the different cottonfly that Elias warned her about. Nonetheless, before she could even do anything, it shot straight to her, colliding with her body. In an instant, Chise felt unbearably cold as if all the warmth in her body was gone. The cottonfly rounded a corner, and it was about to hit Chise again. But the Sleigh Beggy was ready with her wand, and this time, she hit it with it, flames erupting from the end of her wand. Despite that, nothing happened to the cottonfly and just continued flying. It was headed straight to her again, when, in a flash, Elias was in front of her, gripping it tightly by its neck.
"You've eaten enough. Be gone." He told the cottonfly coldly, and when he released it, it flew away from them to the other end of the greenhouse, leaving them alone.
"W-What was that?" Chise breathed out, still feeling cold and unbelievably weak. Her knees trembled and she was about to fall flat on her face if not for Elias's hands catching her.
"A snowfly. Another kind of cottonfly, but unlike the normal ones it breeds in winter season, but it consumes warmth and so they are attracted to warm places too." Elias quickly took off his embroidered robe and wrapped it around Chise's shivering form. "When it collides with a warm body, it eats its warmth. You may feel weak and very cold. It's alright. Rest for now, Chise."
Settling himself on the ground, Elias sat on a lotus position and laid Chise's body on his lap. He ensured that she was securely wrapped in his black robe, gathered a handful of cottonfly wool and placed them on top of her body. Then he watched her intently, his gaze never shifting from her face and wanting to be certain that warmth was flowing back to her system again.
The last thing Chise felt was Elias's gloved hand brushing her hair back from her forehead before falling completely asleep.
xxxx
Chise opened her eyes and found that she was back in Rahab's cabin again. But this time she was in a bedroom. It was quaint and sparsely decorated, except for a queen-sized bed in the middle and two tables on each of its sides. On one table, a photo of Rahab and her husband in sepia tone was there. On the other one was a photo of Rahab, Elias, and a blonde-haired man Chise assumed was Elias's brother. It seemed to be taken on Elias's birthday for he was wearing a party hat and there was a birthday cake in front of him. Rahab had her left arm wrapped around Elias and his brother's were behind his back. It was overall a wonderful photo, but Chise didn't have the chance to look at it more closely, for Rahab was in bed, coughing hard and wheezing.
At the sound, Elias immediately burst through the door of her bedroom. He sat Rahab up and immediately handed her a glass of water. The Magus Master drank it while Elias puffed up the pillows behind her back. He then measured her temperature with a thermometer and shook his head in dismay. "Hmm. Your fever is still very high."
"I'm sorry, Elias. I meant to be well for your visit and all, but this old Mage is just really getting old, I guess." Rahab told him, a look of sorrow marring her face.
"Please don't let yourself think that you are bothersome to me, when I depended on you all my life so far." Elias said as he pulled the covers towards Rahab's body even more, determined to keep her warm. Afterwards, he sat beside her on her bed gently.
"You don't now though. You've grown up, Elias, and I'm proud of you. Now, tell me. What of your travels?"
"You advised me not to wander in Europe during this time. So I went to Egypt instead. I saw the pyramids in Giza. Then I went to Peru. There I saw Machu Picchu. Seeing these places gave me wonder, Rahab! They were just like what I saw from your books. Humans are truly amazing in creating things. You were right in telling me that I should travel." Elias recounted, his crimson eyes sparkling with intense passion.
"And were you able to interact with humans?" Rahab asked for it was the sole reason why she suggested to Elias that he should travel on his own.
Elias bowed his head in embarrassment. "I… hid in the shadows most of the time. So, no…"
"Oh, Elias. You need to." Rahab gave a soft sigh, yet it wasn't of disappointment but of worry.
"But the only humans I want to interact with are you and Lindel. Why couldn't that be enough?"
"Because we will perish one day. Lindel and I. And you need to find friends of your own, or else you'll end up just like me when I lost my husband Isaac. A hermit Mage living alone. I do not want that life for you, Elias, when you have such a kind heart." Rahab reasoned, reaching for him and holding his hand, wanting him to know that she had only good intentions for him.
Elias shifted his gaze from his master and onto the floor. Yet Rahab knew this was his way of admitting to her something he found hard to say. "Rahab… during my travels, there were times when I wanted to… to talk to humans. But I didn't because I feared their reaction. I feared that they would fear me. Does that make any sense?"
"That is called fear of rejection, Elias. It is when you fear that people would not accept you as you are. So you fear showing your true self, or you never show yourself at all."
"I…" Elias didn't know what to say to that anymore, for he knew that that was exactly what happened to him during his travels. He never once showed himself to other people, fearing that he'd see revulsion in their eyes.
Noticing his distress, Rahab tenderly held her apprentice and child's skeletal face and looked deep into his troubled crimson eyes. "I accept you as you are, Elias. So does Lindel. But someday, I wish you would find another or some other than us who would also accept you."
Chise watched the whole conversation of Elias and Rahab with a feeling of warmth. Yet at the back of her head, she could feel slight embarrassment, for she felt like she was witnessing something that should be intimate and private. Weren't all these memories she was seeing like that? Glimpses of Elias's and Rahab's past that she didn't know why she could see. Guilt lodged in her tummy because she had never told Elias about them ever since the first memory. What would he say to her if she told him that she could see his past?
Chise did not have enough time to think about that question though as the whole scene before her shifted and faded once again. She was falling in a dark abyss again, but this time, she felt two phantom arms catch her in an embrace. They were not physically real, but they felt like flames engulfing her softly.
"Hatori… Chise…" A tender voice whispered in her ear, and the moment she heard it, she immediately recognized whose it was.
"R-Rahab?" She asked in the midst of emptiness. The voice didn't answer back anymore, but the darkness was insistently pulling her to consciousness and the gentle flames she previously felt began to fade away. Chise reached out her hand, but she only grasped air, and then everything was gone.
She woke up lying on Elias's lap who was watching her with worry. She was now wrapped in his embroidered robe with a pile of cottonfly wool sitting atop her. She looked around and saw that they were still in Greenhouse 2, with a few number of cottonflies floating around them. She tried to remember what happened before seeing another memory of Elias and Rahab, however she drew a blank.
"Chise. How are you feeling?" Elias asked, brushing back her strawberry-colored bangs that were sticking to her forehead.
"I'm… fine. Although I feel very warm." She answered. "What happened?"
"A snowfly attacked you and ate your warmth." Elias replied, removing the pile of cottonfly wool that was on top of her. "I had to ensure you recover from it. Hence my robe and all these cottonfly wool around you."
"T-Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you and touched a snowfly." Chise said, finally remembering what happened. She noticed she was still lying on his lap, so she moved around and settled herself on a sitting position beside Elias's body.
"There's no need for apologies." Elias told her, giving her a clumsy smile. Since they were alone, he was back to his wolf-skull form, and Chise felt that flutter in her stomach once again. He took his robe from the floor, wore it, and smoothed it out. And then he stood up and began placing the cottonfly wool they just sheared into a sack.
Chise watched his back as he did so and could only think of what Rahab said to him in her recent dream. About him finding someone who would accept him. There was no doubt in her heart that she accepted all of him. All of his quirks, mannerisms, and yes, even all of his forms. Yet she knew so little about him, other than what she was seeing in her dreams. So she decided she would change that and ask something about him.
"Are your other forms just two, Elias?" She blurted out all of sudden. But when she saw him flinch, she immediately regretted it. Nonetheless, there was no taking back her question.
He stopped placing cottonfly wool in the sack and took a deep breath. A part of Elias didn't want to have this conversation, but he knew it was bound to happen at some point. "Why do you ask?" He asked her back, his tone gentle and unassuming. And then he faced her and handed her the sack, appearing undisturbed by her question but feeling otherwise deep inside.
Chise took it as a cue to further ask questions. She received the sack and placed there the cottonfly wool that was on her end, glad for the distraction so he wouldn't see her nervousness. "I'm just wondering. I saw you in your Naga form before and in your beast-like Chimera form when you fought Cartaphilus. I want to know if there are others."
"I have another one. A wolf-like one with a fish tail. Though if I have others, even I don't know." Elias admitted reluctantly and sat back on the ground. Chise finished placing the cottonfly wool in the sack and tied it. And then she sat beside him, eager to continue their conversation. He, on the other hand, decided to swallow the lump on his throat and asked, "Did it scare you? My beast-like Chimera form?"
Chise looked straight into his crimson eyes and shook her head adamantly. "I told you before, didn't I? I would never fear you. If I feared anything that day, it was you having to fight three Spider Chimeras just to keep us safe."
"Chise, I—" Elias began to say but paused, hesitating if he should tell her the one thing he had not confided in her yet. She told him that she would not fear him, but he knew that if she heard what he was about to say, she would. Still, his need to be honest with her overpowered everything. "Rahab Melamed-Ainsworth." He finally said after taking a deep breath.
Chise's eyes widened in shock when she heard Rahab's full name. Elias though was not looking at her and was staring directly at the aisles of the greenhouse they were in.
"She was my master. My… mother. Yet I…" He paused again and looked at Chise. She nodded her head and silently urged him to continue. "It was in the age of the Second Great War. Being one of the successful contributors to ending the First Great War, the Tribunal of Magi sent her on a mission again. She never told me about it. I was travelling. But the moment I heard about it, I followed after her. I found her on the war front, enemy Magi and Sorcerers all around her. I wanted badly to save her, but without knowing it, I transformed to my beast-like Chimera form for the very first time. When I came to, I was in a cave, her body half-eaten and lifeless beside me."
Chise listened intently on Elias's words. It somehow matched what Tory Innis had told her before when she had asked the researcher about Elias's past. Still, she didn't know why but she can't help but feel like there was something more. Something that went beyond that story. For what was the reason she could see his past in her dreams if they didn't mean anything?
"Do you know what I'm saying, Chise?" Elias asked her, not able to hide the desolation in his voice anymore. "I ate my own master, siphoned the life out of her. My own… mother."
"Thank you for telling me. But it doesn't matter to me. You never even intended for it to happen." She told him, holding his wolf-skull of a face in her hands and resting her forehead against it. And then Chise said the words that were like a balm on his soul that was hurting for seventy-five years.
"I accept you. All of your forms, all the sins in your past, all of you. I accept you as you are, Elias Ainsworth."
xxxx
Additional Notes: I forgot to ask everyone if my portrayal of Joseph in the previous chapter was acceptable. I truly had fun writing him, which probably makes me a bit twisted. I also opted to keep Rahab's fictional husband's name as 'Isaac', since it seems very hard to go back on the previous chapters to change it. Anyway, there are no other notes for this chapter; I just hope you had fun reading it and didn't mind the fluff at all. :)
AL-AB93, tropicangell: Thank you for your wonderful reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying reading this little fanfiction. :)