Jack was sure breathing would have become a problem, but he couldn't bring himself to focus on it no matter how hard he tried. It was nonexistent; he couldn't feel his body, his breathing. He was moving in a daze, as fast as he could through the Tria region. He could see the colored trees of the Nowem in the distance, so close. But no matter how fast he ran it almost looked like the trees were getting further away with every step rather than closer. He was so overtaken with panic, he couldn't focus on anything. Nothing was straight. Everything was distorted.
Finally he reached the edge of the forest, and ran along the path into the trees. The leaves were falling gently, but they looked like streaks in Jack's vision. Everything was getting blurry, almost indistinct. The only thing that was clear to him was the path he was following. The surrounding trees were blurred, the sounds were muffled. His eyes were still clouded with red, with blood. He turned right onto a new road, headed through the massive tree and out the other side. Then he turned left, headed straight for Wind Valley.
And that's when he heard it.
A loud, vicious roar in the distance, echoing through the trees like a voice echoed through a hall. The sound echoed around Jack's helm, repeating over and over in his ears and worsening his red vision. The voice of the blood orc echoed much longer than it should have—Jack wasn't sure if he was imagining it, or if it was real. He couldn't tell the difference.
And then there was another roar, this one angrier and louder. Jack's heart pounded against the inside of his breastplate, and he could feel it in every vein in his body. It was thumping audibly in his ears, racing at an inhuman pace. Surely he would have lost consciousness long ago if he were human.
He could see the clearing in the distance at last; he could hear the roaring, and feel the vibrations of the blood orc's agitated footsteps. Then at last, he was close enough. Lord Nogueira was there, kneeling beside the barely-alive young Hap, who was lying in the dirt. His wings were fading, and Nogueira's face was plastered with despair and worry. But Jack looked past him; he watched as the blood orc launched itself up into the air, coming down flat and body slamming the ground. A huge cloud of dust exploded around it upon contact; Ganz was sent rolling across the clearing, grunting and moaning. Genius was knocked off his floating Rouquiche, which tumbled around. Nogueira looked up at Jack, and Jack barely heard him ask who he was. But Jack wasn't listening.
But what Jack was focused on was Ridley, who slammed into the ground with a cry. Her axe was knocked far from her hand, landing a few feet beyond her reach. She struggled back to her feet, rushing over to grab her axe from the ground and turning back around to face the charging orc. Ganz was trying his best to get back onto his own feet, while Genius brushed off his green robe and hopped back onto his Rouquiche, raising his Abyss staff back toward the orc. But Ridley was flustered, and vulnerable. The orc charged; its fist ignited with flames, sizzling on its skin and licking up the sides of its spiked gauntlet. In a burst of courage, Ridley raised her axe and charged it. And the orc raised its hand to strike her, aiming right for her head. Everything around Jack froze in its place. This was his worst memory, his worst nightmare. And he was reliving it.
No!
Jack sprang forward, pulling out the Ancient Axe. He wasn't sure how it happened, or if he had been closer than he thought, but he found himself standing in front of Ridley, between her and infuriated, attacking orc. Ridley gasped in surprise, and the orc didn't have time to react. The orc's flaming fist fell right onto Jack's raised axe. Its attack was deflected, leaving no damage whatsoever on Jack or his axe. The orc stumbled back in surprise, its fist dousing itself in a puff of black smoke. Jack, mustering all of his strength, swung his axe with unrelenting force and let out an angry cry. It struck the orc straight in the abdomen, leaving a terrible slice and blowing the orc back, launching it into the air. It crashing into the ground a good ten feet away, rolling a bit before trying to get back up, growling and bearing its massive teeth at Jack.
Ridley was saved from the life-ending impact she had suffered in the past life, Jack's worst memory. And with that, Jack was finally able to focus more on his surroundings. His breathing was normal, and the panic was washed away. Now, he was just angry.
Ridley was on the ground behind him, having dropped her axe and fallen back in surprise. "Y-you!"
Ganz and Genius were equally shocked to see Jack there. Jack raised his axe when the orc got back on its feet, looking immeasurably infuriated and staring right at Jack.
"Chief Dragonheart, be careful!" Ganz cried, as though the orc was any threat to Jack at all. Jack ate blood orcs for breakfast.
The orc stormed toward Jack in a rage, both fists igniting. Jack stood his ground, and when the orc was just close enough, he swung his axe again with unforgiving momentum, slicing across its chest. It fell to the ground, seriously wounded. It lie there in the dirt for a few moments, grumbling and growling, before it finally went limp. Everyone stared at it in awe.
Ridley got up behind him, walking over to him. He turned to look at her when she touched his arm. "You saved me. I owe you my life."
Jack couldn't reply to her. He just looked at her face, washed over with an unbelievable relief that she was unharmed. He'd prevented it. He let out a huge deep breath, a cool feeling overtaking his body. All of his muscles relaxed, and a fluttery feeling filled his chest.
Ganz ran over. "Chief Dragonheart! That was amazing! You are so powerful!" he rambled, his eyes practically sparkling. "You killed that orc with only two hits! And you saved Lady Ridley! The rumors about your power and heart are true!"
He glanced over Ganz's shoulder. Nogueira was staring at him with a soft face, holding Hap in his arms. Jack couldn't read the emotion; he stared at Nogueira's for a second, but couldn't make it out. But it made him uncomfortable. Jack looked at Hap, and did feel a sting of regret that he couldn't save him along with Ridley, but the regret didn't linger long. It was Ridley he'd run all the way from Radiata to save, not Hap. Nogueira could perform the transpiritation on Hap with someone else, and not his Ridley.
Nogueira hovered over to the group, carrying the quickly fading Hap in his arms. He was still looking right at Jack, who again met his eyes. "I am impressed," he said. He sounded sad. Of course he would be, since Hap was dying in his arms. Again, Jack felt a tiny sting of regret. And Genius was looking at the tiny elf sadly, as well. It didn't take long for all of them to be overcome with sadness at Hap's unfortunate fate.
"I'm sorry I wasn't in time to save him," Jack said after a moment, looking down at Hap again.
"I am happy enough that you arrived here when you did," Nogueira said. "My brother Zane will not be happy to hear about this though. Hap is quickly dying, and I was unable to handle the orc myself. This means, sir, that we are indebted to you."
Jack remembered Nogueira's angry words from the previous life, just before he killed the orc himself. 'This is an elf problem. We will not allow ourselves to become indebted to humans.'
But Jack shook his head. "There is no debt here. I hate orcs. I would kill one if I saw it in Radiata, or inside the City of Flowers. It doesn't matter who it's attacking. I kill them because I hate them, not to indebt others." It was the truth, but also a lie. He had come to kill this one specifically because he needed to save Ridley. It did matter who it was attacking. But it was truthful, because even if Ridley was far away and safe from harm, Jack would still kill any blood orc he saw, whether it was attacking a human knight, or an elven child. As long as it wasn't Ridley in its path, it really didn't matter.
Nogueira bowed his head to him in respect, seeming to accept his answer. He stared down at Hap in his arms sadly.
Suddenly, Genius perked up. "Didn't Hyann say there were two orcs? Where has the second one gone?"
Jack looked around the clearing, but there was no second orc in sight. And he didn't hear anything; no stomping, or roaring. It didn't seem to be near. Nogueira seemed equally disturbed by Genius' point, and also looked around nervously. Everyone became edgy, because now they didn't know if they were about to be ambushed.
"A better question," Genius continued. "What was a blood orc doing way out here?" He looked over to the fallen orc, eyes over brimming with suspicion. But Jack knew exactly why the orc was there. It was because the ever-disgusting Sir Cross had brought it there. And when he arrived—and Jack knew he would soon—Jack was considering facing him right then and there. He wasn't going to deal with Cross in this life. He might even be angry enough to kill him.
He looked back to Ridley, who was still looking at him, unconcerned with the orc lying slain in the distance. She seemed captivated by him, and there was some confusion in her eyes. Jack stared into her eyes, thankful they were open, and thankful that she wasn't lying in the dirt, 'white as a sheet.'
"How did you know to come here? Your timing was…so perfect to save me."
It was perfect. He'd arrived at exactly the right time. If he'd spend even a minute longer speaking to Elwen in the Path of the Spider, he might not have made it, and Ridley would be lying in the dirt dying just like in the past life.
"Where did you even come from?" she demanded.
Jack didn't have time to think up a good lie. He'd literally run all the way from Vancoor in Radiata to stop the orc attack. He didn't have an excuse thought up ahead of time. He just stared at her, speechless, trying hopelessly to think of an excuse. But nothing good game to his mind.
"I was nearby," he managed to say, knowing it probably sounded like a lie. "I heard roaring."
Ridley was looking at him with a look of disbelief—she wasn't buying it. But Jack didn't care.
"Wait!" Genius cried out in shock. "Listen! Listen!"
Everyone fell silent, stiff as stone. There is was. Growling. Then the ground began to vibrate, faster and faster. Footsteps!
And the second horned orc emerged from the trees, its fists enflamed. Its eyes were burning with rage. Its comrade was fallen.
Jack's vision went red again. He didn't have time to move, or lift his axe.
The orc lunged forward for the nearest person, swinging its fist. It nailed Ridley, its fist crashing against the side of her head with a crack. She let out a scream, falling to the ground motionless. Blood began to slowly pool around her head.
Jack's heart stopped. There was no sound. No movement. Things became blurry. He could see the blurs of Ganz and Genius moving to stop the orc's rampage. The orc punched Ganz in the gut, denting his armor and launching him back, but he rose back to his feet. Nogueira, in a rage, raised his hand, which began to glow with light as he prepared an attack of his own.
But Jack's eyes were locked on Ridley, lying there on the ground, bleeding. There was a sharp pain in Jack's heart. It felt like it was literally cracking. Hot tears stung his eyes, threatening to overflow. He body was overcome with pain, but he couldn't tell if it was physical pain, or a strong emotional pain.
His eyes moved to the orc rampaging around the clearing and leaving streaks and puffs of fire in its wake. It was chasing a panicking Ganz around, who was fleeing for his life, having dropped his sword. Nogueira was nearly ready to kill it, but his light was taking too long to grow. Jack felt his hand release his axe, letting it fall to the ground. He couldn't move to pick it up. He couldn't control himself.
And then all he felt was flame in his chest. A surge that was bubbling up toward his head. His head was flushed with head, and tears streaked his face, falling from under his helm. It was a searing anger. He felt his eyes sting not with tears, but fire. The surge of power flew up through his throat.
And he opened his mouth, and let out a devastated, enraged scream.
His vision was blinded with a golden, sparkling light. He could see silhouettes just barely, being blown away by the power that was radiating from his body like phoenix fire. Everyone was thrown away from him. But there was one silhouette that exploded in the light—vanishing into a cloud, being worn away by the power.
His scream resonated all through the air, echoing far and wide while his powerful light pushed everything away from him, bending the trees like a powerful wind. Then finally, his voice cracked, and his scream faded to a sob. The light vanished, and everything was unnaturally still and calm. Jack's eyes never focused; things began to grow dark. He felt himself fall, landing in the dirt—but he didn't feel the impact. He was near Ridley, and tried to reach out to her. He kept sobbing "No!" but whether he was saying it in his mind or out loud was beyond him now. He felt disconnected from the world. His eyes were locked on Ridley's face, which was the only thing he could see clearly enough to make out. He dragged his hand along the dirt, trying to reach her, but he couldn't his vision was fading and his breathing was uncontrolled.
He felt someone kneeling over him, as though to protect him. There was no sound except for his own choked sobbing—which may or may not have all been inside his head. He saw a flash of green. Was it Lord Nogueira hunched over him?
He stared at Ridley's face until everything finally went black.
It was Nogueira who was leaned over him. His practiced hands were checking over Jack's fallen body, checking for injuries. Ganz struggled to his feet, while Genius sat in the dirt, staring wide-eyed at the scene before him. The second blood orc was nowhere to be seen, completely destroyed by the power unleashed from the armored man. Ganz rushed over to Jack and Ridley, both fallen in the dirt. Jack's hand was just inches from Ridley's, outstretched as though trying to reach her. Both Ganz and Genius were struck with overwhelming emotions that seemed to have been ignited by the light, and Jack's tortured scream. They both had no idea what had brought on the sudden emotions within them.
Ganz looked down at the two, his eyes almost tearing up. "Are they dead?" he asked in a whimper.
Nogueira was more concerned with Jack's well-being than Ridley, but glanced to the girl. "No, neither of them are dead. But the girl is in grave danger."
Ganz looked to Ridley in a panic.
"Ridley!"
Everyone looked to see a knight approaching, running across a fallen log. His purple armor and silver hair were unmistakable—it was Captain Cross of the Noire Mouton Brigade.
"Lord Cross!" Ganz said as Cross approached them.
"I was on a mission and heard orcs, so I came as fast as I could. What was that light, and that scream?" he demanded.
Nogueira stepped up and said bravely, "It was me."
Ganz and Genius looked at Nogueira in shock. Why was he claiming to have done what Jack had?
"Of course, it did seem like the trickery of your kind," Cross snapped. Nogueira looked to Ganz and Genius with a stern look. Don't say anything. And Ganz and Genius both got the message. Neither spoke up or called him out on his lie. Cross, however, was looking angry. "What are you doing here, anyway? Leave us, and go back to your lair."
Nogueira moved so he was for the most part blocking Jack from Cross' vision. He carefully placed the dying Hap on the ground beside Ridley, between her and Jack. Cross' eyes flashed with anger.
"Damn you! Keep your hands off Ridley!"
"Lord Cross!" Ganz exclaimed. He glanced to Nogueira. "Lord Nogueira was the one…who saved us!" It wasn't true, but Ganz had faith in Nogueira. He must have had a reason for covering up for Dragonheart.
"I'm sorry, but with the girl in this state, I cannot help her…" Nogueira said sadly. A sadness rippled over the others. "However, there might be a way to save her. Whether it will work or not…I cannot say. But we have no other choice. A transpiritation ritual is their only hope."
Genius eye's widened. "Huh? You'll perform a transpiritation? On a human?"
"Transpiritation?" Ganz mumbled.
"I'm not going to trust you lot and your depraved rituals," Cross said angrily, reaching over Ridley as though to block Nogueira from touching her. "Ridley will be cured by human hands!"
"Then I am afraid the girl is doomed," Nogueira said. "She has only a few moments before her heart stops beating."
Cross grunted, and straightened back up.
"Can this transpiritation save Lady Ridley?" Ganz asked desperately.
"I am not sure. But I do know that if we do nothing… Hap and the girl will die. Now, what will you do?"
"Lord Nogueira," Ganz said, "we beg you. Please save Lady Ridley."
Cross faced him with a rage in his eyes. "Damn you, Ganz. I'll report you for this."
"Quiet, all of you," Nogueira demanded. "We will begin."
He closed his eyes in concentration. Finally, he reopened them, and raised his hand, waving it around. Blue lights radiated over the chests of Ridley and Hap, forming a sphere. With a burst, the light crashed into spheres, one above each of them. The lights rose into the air, following Nogueira's hands. Everyone stared wide-eyed in amazement as Nogueira guided the lights upward. They touched, and merged together, changing color and growing brighter. A new, orange light hovered above Ridley, and Nogueira closed his eyes, guiding it back down to Ridley's body. It touched Ridley's chest, and a bright red light blanketed the orange sphere. It disappeared into Ridley's glowing body. Her head wound closed, healing itself.
And in an instant, Hap's body vanished into sparkles, as though it were never there.
Nogueira hunched over, grunting and clutching his chest in pain.
"Are you all right?!" Ganz cried.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired," he promised. They all looked down at Ridley, whose white face began to regain its pink, flush color. Ganz's face lit up with happiness. "She is not out of danger yet. You must take her back to your castle at once. This young girl needs to rest. I will return to the City of Flowers. I must tell my brother Hap's body is no more."
"What about Chief Dragonheart?" Ganz asked, looking past Nogueira at Jack, who was lying on the ground, unmoving.
"Who?" Cross demanded, stepping to the side to see for himself. "Who is that?"
"It's Chief Dragonheart, of Theater Vancoor," Ganz informed him. "He helped us to fight the orcs before Nogueira finished them off."
"He will be coming with us," Cross said. "I will not leave a human in the hands of an elf."
But Nogueira stepped between Cross and the fallen Jack. "No. He will be coming with me."
"Absolutely not! He is a human," Cross shouted. "He will return with us to Radiata, where he belongs!"
"He needs the help of the elves, or he will die," Nogueira said. "There is nothing you can do for him. We will heal him, and we will send him back to you when he has regained his strength. You must trust me. No harm will come to him."
"I will not allow it!" Cross boomed.
But Ganz stepped in. "Lord Cross, if Lord Nogueira says that Dragonheart can only be healed by elven medicine, then we must allow them to care for him! Why go against him? He has already saved Lady Ridley! He will save Dragonheart, as well."
Cross glared at Ganz, ready to spew insults and threats.
While Cross was distracted, Nogueira turned and lifted Jack into his arms. Tiny lights began to rise from the ground around him as he prepared to fly.
Cross saw what he was doing and turned back to face him. "Stop! Unhand him, elf scum!"
"He will be safe, I give you my word," Nogueira promised, lifting into the air with Jack in his arms. "He will be returned to the castle as soon as he is well. Please, take his axe back to your city with you. I cannot carry both."
Ganz rushed over to pick up the Ancient Axe. He struggled to lift its weight up, resting it on his shoulder.
"And please, do protect the girl and see she gets well. I shudder to think what would become of this man if something were to become of her."
They stared up at him in confusion, watching as Nogueira ascended into the sky with Jack. Down below, Cross wasted no time lifting Ridley up into his own arms, taking off into the woods to return to the castle. Ganz and Genius ran behind him.
Nogueira looked down, watching them go, and then looked to the unconscious Jack in his arms. Without a word, he took off through the sky toward the distant City of Flowers.
(The Next Morning)
Jack stirred with a quiet groan. He was beginning to regain consciousness, and could hear noises around him. Shuffling, some quiet talking. Where was he?
He struggled to open his eyes, but managed to force them open. A bright light blinded him for a moment, before his eyes managed to focus and things began to become clearer. He looked to be in a large, earthy hut. It was filled with flowers and vines, and intricately carved wooden furniture. It was bright, and green. It was warm. There was the distant sound of running water.
Jack rubbed his eyes and struggled to sit up. He heard a quiet gasp, and the talked ceased. He wasn't aware enough to tell where the people were, how far away. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up. He opened his eyes again, looking down at himself. He was in a bed, covered by a warm green blanket.
But most notably, his armor was gone. He was wearing grass clothes, comfortable and warm. He stared at himself, aware something was missing but not thinking straight enough to know what.
"Can you hear us?" someone asked.
Jack looked in the direction of the voice, and could see two people standing beside the bed. They were wearing long robes, and there was a swirl of green around both of them. Behind them, there was a rainbow shimmering. Light elves?
"Where am I?" Jack barely managed to mumble, rubbing his head. He was suddenly struck by a headache.
He heard a faint reply. "You're in the City of Flowers."
The words struck Jack. His focus snapped in slowly, and he opened his eyes. Finally the blurriness began to clear up.
He was in Zane's house!
He looked at the elves beside him. It was Zane and Nogueira, looking down at him. Nogueira was looking sickly, and there were bags under his eyes. His wings looked dimmer than Jack remembered.
Jack tried to recall what had happened, but his memories were all hazy.
"What happened? Why am I here?" he asked, trying to remember.
"You unleashed your power upon a blood orc," Nogueira explained. "And you fell unconscious. We brought you here, fearing the humans would realize what you are."
Fear struck Jack's heart. What he was? Had he revealed himself?
"I claimed responsibility for the light and wave of power to protect you," Nogueira said. "I can only hope the knight and his companion will keep quiet about the truth. If the humans were to figure out that you were a dragon, they could seek to slay you."
Jack's eyes fell. He had revealed himself.
"Why would I do that?" he asked, mostly to himself. He still couldn't remember what happened.
"You seemed to lose control of your emotions," Nogueira claimed. "When the blonde girl was struck by the orc, you unleashed your power in a rage."
Jack thought on it for a moment. When who was struck?
And then it all rushed back to him. The orc attack, the second orc ambushing them. Ridley being hit before Jack could protect her. The blood pooling around her head.
Jack was overcome with despair. He leaned over, holding his head. "Ridley was…she was…" he mumbled. Tears spilled over, running down his face like rivers. He started to sob, crying harder and harder the more he thought about it. He failed to save her. She was dead. His beloved Ridley, the one person he loved more than anything in the world. Dead.
He felt someone wrap their arms around his trembling body, trying to comfort him. "Shh, it will be all right," they said. It was Nogueira. "The girl is alive. I was able to save her."
But Jack still trembled, crying his heart out. The transpiritation. That was the reason she became the vessel in the past life, before Jack took her place. He didn't want that for her. Hearing that didn't make Jack feel any better. He still cried, his sobs turning into wails. He couldn't control himself. He'd failed.
"Please, calm down," Zane urged over Jack's cries. Nogueira tried hopelessly to comfort him, but Jack was beyond his help. He just needed to let his emotions out before he could calm down. He needed to let everything out. He couldn't bottle this up.
Realizing that they couldn't talk him into calming down, Zane fell quiet, and Nogueira just sat on the edge of the bed, his arm around Jack's shoulders. For a long few moments, Jack just despaired, before finally, he started to calm down. His crying finally died back down to sobs; it seemed like the worst was over, and the two light elves visibly relaxed, clearly relieved that Jack's flurry of despair was coming to an end.
"You don't need to cry so hard," Nogueira reassured him. "I saved her."
Jack knew that, but Nogueira didn't realize that a transpiritation was bad, too. But Jack knew that Nogueira had the best intentions, and so couldn't bring himself to be angry at him. He tried to wipe the tears out of his eyes, and looked to Nogueira. He struggled to say, "Thank you."
Nogueira smiled at him.
"Why do you care so strongly for a human girl?" Zane asked. Jack looked at him, and so did Nogueira.
"Brother, it is none of our business. He has clearly had feelings for the girl for much longer than we can perceive. It is not our place to judge him."
It was true. Jack's feelings for Ridley were born in the last life, and had been growing and dwelling for centuries until the present time. He'd had hundreds of years for his love to grow.
"It seems hardly natural," Zane said, carefully wording his sentence and clearly trying not to insult Jack. But Jack still felt a sting of anger at him.
"A dragon's love is powerful, brother. This is beyond us," Nogueira urged. "Let him be."
Jack was thankful for Nogueira. He had always admired him. Zane was more of a pain, but Nogueira was always soft and kind, and understanding more than anything else. He was wise.
Jack remembered, he'd die soon. He looked at Nogueira, who was already beginning to look ill. His life looked like it was being sucked away.
"You don't look so good," Jack said, staring at Nogueira.
He offered him a sad smile. "The transpiritation took a lot out of me. I am still tired."
Jack knew he was lying, but respected his privacy. He wasn't sure if Zane knew what had befallen his brother, and he didn't want to reveal it when Nogueira wanted it kept secret.
Finally, Jack looked down at himself, and was fully aware that his armor was missing. "Where is my armor?"
"Some of the women are cleaning it," Zane reported. "It will be good as new when they are finished."
"And my axe?" He noticed that was nowhere to be seen, either.
"I could not carry both you and it," Nogueira said. "The short knight took it back to the human city with him. I promised you would return safely as soon as you were able. There was another knight who arrived after you fell unconscious. He was insisting he be allowed to take you back to the human city."
Jack scowled. Captain Cross, no doubt. Nogueira seemed to pick up on his disgust.
"I told them you would die if you did not receive care from the elves, and promised you would return unharmed once you had regained your strength."
"I do not think he should return," Zane declared. "He is not safe in the human city. If they learn of his nature, they will try to kill him."
"I'm going back," Jack quickly said. Zane looked ready to protest, but Jack glared at him.
"You are not safe there, Lord Quasar," Zane insisted.
"I am perfectly safe. They couldn't hurt me if they tried," Jack said. "And I was discovered, I could defend myself just fine, and leave the city if I wanted to. They couldn't stop me."
Zane sighed, crossing his arms. "We need you here. We need your support. Unrest is growing. I fear conflict may soon break out. Surely you will stand with us? Should it come to that?"
"Where I stand is my business," Jack snapped. "When the time comes, I will decide. But the time hasn't come yet."
Zane sighed again, and didn't speak.
Nogueira was just looking at Jack's face. "To have become the vessel at such a young age," he mumbled to himself. "It's…rather sad. It must have been hard for you."
Jack didn't reply. He didn't want to talk about it. He wiped his eyes again, trying to dry the last of his tears. There was an empty feeling growing in his stomach, likely because of his failure to protect Ridley. It was a cold feeling inside him.
"I want to leave."
Zane and Nogueira looked ready to refuse. "Are you well enough?"
"I'm fine. I want to go back to Radiata. I don't want to stay here."
Zane called for someone, and a small female elf hovered in. Zane muttered some words to her, and she nodded and took off. After a few long moments, she and two other women flew in, carrying the separate pieces of Jack's armor in their arms. One of them had his red cape, which had been washed clean of the stains from the sewer. The set the armor pieces on his bed.
"How long was I unconscious?" he asked, standing from the bed. He looked at his armor, which was scrubbed clean of any dirt or other imperfections. It was shimmering in the morning sunlight that was shining through the windows of Zane's house.
"It is morning now. You fell unconscious yesterday in the afternoon. It's hasn't been terribly long," Nogueira replied. Jack nodded and pulled off the grass shirt. He'd gained considerable muscle over his centuries as dragon, in comparison to when he was a human. He pulled on the black shirt that he wore beneath his armor, and changed pants quickly. He began to put on the pieces of his armor; the boots, the leg armor, his chest plate, the gauntlets and shoulder plates. Nogueira attached his cape when he was adjusting his gauntlet, and he thanked him. Then he picked up his helm and held it under his arm, turning to face the light elf brothers.
"Thank you for caring for me," he said nodding to them. The both nodded back.
"When the time comes, Lord Quasar…" Zane began, "you are welcome to return here. You are always welcome here."
"Thank you," Jack replied. He pulled his helm on over his head, concealing his face once again.
"What name do you go by, if I may ask?"
"Jack Russell. But they call me Dragonheart in the city."
Zane looked shocked by his name, but Nogueira just nodded. Of course Zane would recognize it; he would have known Jack's would-be father well.
"I'm leaving. Thank you again," he said, walking past them and going through the door onto the walkway. He looked around, staring at the beautiful City of Flowers. It was one of his favorite places in the world. There were groups of light elves standing and hovering nearby, watching him wide-eyed and whispering among themselves. Jack quietly made his way down the long path to the cliff face, where the large crevice cracked the rock. The river was rushing through it to the other side into the Elf region. Jack stepped into the water to go through, when someone called for him from behind.
He turned to look who called him, and saw none other than the famous light elf warrior Gil flying toward him.
"Yes?" he asked, ready to leave.
Gil held out his hand, and a spike of ice formed in his palm. He gripped it tightly. It was a sword, identical to the ones Gil used himself in battle. Its blade was shimmering in the sunlight, catching the light like a crystal.
"Use this on your way back," he said, holding the ice sword out for Jack, who reached and took it. It was freezing in his hand, but his glove protected him from any frosty pain. "It is nothing like your weapon, I'm sure, but I'd hate for you to be unarmed. It will melt in a half day. You can throw it in a river when you've finished with it."
Jack admired the blade for a few moments. Even though it was just a chunk of sharp ice, it still managed to be beautiful and elegant, like an expensive, intricately-decorated sword made to be presented to royalty. Jack had always admired Gil's swords when he was a human, fighting with the nonhuman races in the war. Gil was one of the first people he befriended after joining them at Fort Helencia, and they had barely ever left each other's side during the war. Gil had even followed Jack into the Distortion Corridor.
"Thank you, Gil."
"You know my name?" he asked.
"Of course," Jack replied. He couldn't outright say how he knew him—well, he could, since Gil was undoubtedly aware he was the gold dragon. But he still didn't want to, preferring not to reminisce about their friendship from the past life. So instead, he said, "I've read your poetry. I love it."
Gil was overcome with visible happiness. "I'm honored. I will write poetry about you, as well!"
Jack nodded, thanked him again, and turned to leave. He held the icy sword in his hand as he crossed through the crevice, walking through the water. He emerged in the stream, and went up onto the path, turning left and headed back for Radiata. He tried to think about happy things from the past life, like his friendship with Gil, but his mind kept ending up back on Ridley. And the more he thought about it, the more his bubble of despair grew. It quickly overtook him, and he walked in a daze, cutting down anything that tried to bite at him without even barely looking at it.
The only think on his mind…was if Ridley would somehow manage to again become the new vessel, but this time, for Aphelion.
(Later that Day)
Jack was finally back in the city, having talked his way into Fort Helencia so he wouldn't have to walk all the way around through Nowem and Tria. He entered through the Faucon gate into Black Town, still very much in a heavy daze. He was rarely ever seen in Black Town, so everyone who saw him was staring and whispering—probably gossiping. He at least passed through Blue Town on occasion, so he wasn't so amazing there. But Black Town was a different story. He saw some people staring at him menacingly from the shadows—Alba in particular, and he saw Eon run by—looking very much ready to jump and try to steal from him. But, thanks to Jack's long-standing friendship with Ortoroz, he knew that the members of the Void were forbidden from attacking him. To think offering 10 dagols to a child would turn out to be such a good choice. If there was one thing Jack wasn't for, it was fighting off annoying Void rats.
He made his way through the entire city until finally, he came to stand before Vancoor in Yellow Town. He wasn't particularly happy to be back—but he wasn't really particularly feeling anything at all besides the huge bubble of despair he was trapped in. The sadness was looming over him like a cloud, raining hard on him and occasionally zapping him with a lightning bolt.
He took a deep breath and went up the stairs, opening the door and stepping inside.
There were more people than usual in the lobby. Everyone looked when Jack walking in, some of them gasping. Gerald, Caesar, and Alicia were the first people he saw.
"Chief!" Gerald exclaimed. Everyone crowded him in a hurry. "Chief, are you hurt?!"
"What happened? Where did you go?" Alicia asked, clearly worried.
"Some fat knight came in here with your axe and said you were hurt in a fight with blood orcs, and that you were taken by the light elves! Did they hurt you?" Gerald went on.
"We were getting ready to come and rescue you," David said. He was behind Gerald. Jack noticed even Jarvis was there, with a near-tears Daniel beside him. There were more behind them. It looked like a considerable size of the guild had gathered there—apparently getting ready to leave on a 'rescue mission.'
"I'm fine," Jack said quietly. It didn't seem like many, if any, heard him.
"What did the elves do to you?" someone else demanded.
"They probably performed some crazy ritual on him. Look at him! Something is clearly messed up. They've done something to him!"
"We should go show those elves who's boss!"
"How dare they touch our Chief."
Jack couldn't take it. "Get away from me!" he yelled. The whole group looked shocked, quickly backing away to give him space. "Everyone, just shut up!"
"Chief, what's wrong?" Gerald asked, with a quieter voice. "What have they done to you?"
"They haven't done anything to me!" he yelled back. "I wasn't hurt by any blood orcs, and I wasn't messed up with an elven ritual. Where's my axe?"
"It's upstairs on your desk," Gerald replied. "Chief…"
"Be quiet!" he ordered. "Move!"
Everyone moved out of his way to let him pass; he went to the staircase and went all the way up, leaving the group of warriors behind without another word. He threw the door to his room open, went in, and slammed it shut behind him. He stormed over to his desk, where his axe was sitting, shimmering like it always did. He picked it up, and in a rage, went over to the armor suit on display in the corner of the room. With a single swift swing, he cut it in half, and watched it crash to the floor. He let out an angry, despaired scream at the top of his lungs with all of his breath. It didn't release an unforgiving light upon the world, nor did it echo. But it struck the hearts of everyone beneath him, who heard his agonized cry. He threw his axe down on the floor—it cracked the wooden planks with a loud boom—and Jack fell to his knees, letting his despair overtake him once again. A few tears fell from his eyes, but then he willed the rest to dry. He just sat there, his hands shaking, as he let it sink in that for the second time…
He'd failed the save the one he loved.
(A/N: I was babbling about Gil and Jack never leaving each other's side because literally that is what I do when I play the game. If I'm playing the nonhuman path, Gil is in my party at ALL times lol. He is my favorite character. So there'll be a friendship between them when I write because I use him in my party so often.)
