Crawling out of his sleeping bag, Isaac shook his head in an effort to clear his head of the past. It was certainly not a day he had ever wanted to live through, much less relive.
Ugh, this is too much, he thought, surveying the sky above him. Heavy rainclouds hung above his head, threatening to let loose rainfall any moment. Some leader I am, he thought bitterly, choosing to stare at the ground, wondering if he ignored the rainclouds would they would simply vanish and go bother someone else. It was selfish of him to keep them here under these circumstances. Even in spite of the weather, they could travel on. He knew this and he knew they had to know. Longing to be at peace with what had happened consumed him, and he refused to leave using the awful weather as an excuse. He just didn't want to leave, always feeling such tumultuous feelings when he went to Ivan's memorial site. He didn't know what would become of Mia if she couldn't visit the marker anymore and try to find her own peace. Garet often stopped by and Isaac was positive he conversed with it as though it were Ivan. He ran his hand across his face, feeling the weight of the world press down on his shoulders.
Luck had not been on their side and fate seemed to mock them with everything that had happened. If they had managed to avoid crossing paths with that monster for just a little longer there would have been no need for a battle in the first place. Time still marched forward and no matter how much he wished for it, Isaac simply could not turn back the hands of time. There was no going back and this was life now. He was withdrawn and paranoid, all his confidence had vanished in that last battle and he feared charging into another one. Mia acted unstable and borderline crazy, muttering strange things to herself and trying to avoid him and Garet as much as she possibly could. Garet had taken it upon himself to try to keep things together and had matured quickly in a short span of time.
Isaac didn't even want to think beyond himself and his two friends. Thinking of Master Hama made him feel weak in the knees; he couldn't possibly fathom how he could inform someone of such a horrible occurrence. It was his hope that she already knew. It was already going to be awful having to tell Master Hammet about what had transpired while Ivan had been left in his care. Isaac knew he wasn't that much older than his friend had been, but still he couldn't stave off the guilt that came with his position as the leader of the group. Maybe if he had chosen to stay put when warned about the storm, Ivan would still be breathing and not ashes scattered throughout the world. He looked down at his hands, recalling when Ivan's body had becoming nothing more than ashes in the wind. He knew Garet would have preferred a burial and just a couple weeks ago, Isaac could have easily moved the earth to perform such a task. He and Mia had yet to cast a psynergy spell since that last battle, both fearing a repeat of what had happened.
He could still feel that golden energy burning in the deepest part of his stomach, he could feel it in his bone marrow, and could feel it bounce around his body, anxious to be released into the world. Garet was the only one who could call upon his psynergy without any fear and he had been the one that had burned Ivan's body. Isaac clenched his fists, the guilt piling up again. Not only did a friend die, but another was forced to do the dirty work that Isaac felt sure belonged to him. It was unfair that Garet had to live with that while Isaac didn't despite the fault he felt over the whole ordeal. Tears pricked at the back of his eyes. He had wanted to clear his head of the recent past, but instead he was too honed into all the guilt he felt over it that he could not escape reliving it over and over.
Garet had heard Isaac leave the tent in a subdued rush, trying not to wake anyone. It was much earlier than when Isaac normally awoke. He waited for several minutes before deciding to check on his friend, feeling worry bubble up within him. He left the tent and quickly spotted his blond friend on a stump close to the tent, facing in the opposite direction, staring into the distance. "Isaac?" he asked gently as he approached before crouching down next to the stump, leaning back on his heels, also staring out into the distance. Isaac swallowed hard, trying not keep the tremor out of his voice.
"Yes?" he cracked.
Garet's eyes softened in sympathy when he heard his friend's wavering voice. He had a pretty good idea where Isaac's head had been. "Couldn't sleep?" he opened up with an innocent question, hoping it would lead into a more serious discussion. Maybe this is what Isaac needed. Maybe he just needed to get it all out and talk through the emotional pain he'd been obviously bottling up. Garet shot a quick glance at the sky, noticing a couple stars that twinkled faintly in the gray dawn. He prayed Isaac wouldn't dodge the question and was taken by surprise when his prayer was answered.
"I shouldn't have left," Isaac blurted. "Both times. I made the same mistake twice in a row."
Garet stared up at him in confusion, while Isaac locked eyes with him leaning over the stump, daring him to tell him otherwise.
"You know what I mean," Isaac went on, looking back into the distance that laid out before them. After a couple moments of heavy silence, he added, "Think about it."
Garet quietly stared ahead, absorbed deeply into the past, trying to figure out what exactly Isaac meant.
-Ω-
"Let's do this." Isaac had instructed Garet. They both shot one last glance at Ivan and Mia, making sure that area was clear before nodding once at each other and taking off, leaving mud, grass, and grime in their wake as their heels barely touched the ground. The monster had been an obvious target: a large lumbering figure huge and green, droplets of rain bouncing off it, his indistinct form exaggerated in such heavy rainfall. Garet ignored the pain he felt shooting through every inch of his body, knowing that if they did not defeat this thing it would only bring more pain. He came up on it and dodged to the right, throwing his axe into the green blob with all the might he could muster.
At the same instant, Isaac rushed it on the left side, bringing his sword down with such power Garet could feel rain spray on him from the force his friend had thrown behind his strike. It withered and they heard the loud, cries of agony that had filled the area earlier when Isaac had defeated it in its smaller blobs. The screams stopped and it was silent, but the creature was still before them. Isaac and Garet said nothing, both knowing they needed to strike at it until it was nothing but dust and ash in the world. Isaac ripped his sword out of the blubbery skin, the weapon glowing with power. He brought it above his head and drove it deep into the creature, splitting its skin apart and watching as strange goop oozed out of it. He repeated the attack, hoping to demolish the thing. Garet yanked his axe out of the blob and with a loud battle cry, swung it back into the creature. He knew he was much weaker than usual and couldn't even call upon the power of the weapon, but he was satisfied to hear more agonized shouts meet his ears.
Mia paid no attention to the ongoing battle taking place a short distance away, her sole focus on Ivan, who still laid face down in the mud. Ignoring her own pain and trying to force herself to think straight, she attempted to help him, knowing that he was the one in most dire need of some kind of treatment. Mia leaned over Ivan, frantically feeling for his pulse again and felt a rush of relief when he cracked his eyes open and peered up at her. "Ivan, can you hear me?" she asked, making her voice loud and clear despite her raw throat. She was proud that her voice hadn't cracked.
A small whimper was the only response she got, but she took it as a sign that he had heard her. She leaned closer, rubbing some ointment on the burned parts of his exposed flesh. He gasped and clenched his teeth, wheezing for breath. She looked down at him, worriedly. "It's okay. You'll be fine soon."
It took a lot out of him, but he manged an answer. "I know," he murmured and Mia knew he meant he trusted her to take care of it. His eyes began to droop and he felt sweet unconsciousness began to sweep him away again, but Mia shook his shoulders trying to be gentle and firm at once.
"Please, stay awake," she pleaded with him, worried he might never open his eyes again if he fell back to sleep.
His eyes cracked open again and he gave a very slight nod, indicating he had heard her and would try his best to stay awake, but offered no promises.
Mia felt panic building within her. She had already gone through what little herbs hadn't been water damaged and she had used the healing ring to its fullest extent, yet Ivan didn't seem to be improving all that much. Helplessness was not a feeling she was fond of. It threatened to consume her-this horrible feeling that she could not fight off. She was able to do nothing but watch as his life literally slipped away as though water through her fingers. Frustrated, she decided to do the only thing she thought might help. She would try to force him to stay awake until they could all figure this out; maybe if he didn't go to sleep then death would not take him away. Mia leaned closer and lightly shook him again. He groaned and his eyes reflected the question he couldn't ask. What?
"I really need you to stay awake," Mia explained, her voice hoarse. She stuck her hand underneath his head, trying to prop him up, so he would be forced to look at her. It trembled with fear at what might happen should he go back to sleep. "Isaac and Garet are trying to kill that thing and then we'll all go to the next town and have a nice little feast, okay? How does that sound?" His mouth tugged upwards at an attempt to smile. Mia went on, happy with the reaction. "It does sound good, doesn't it? I think we should get a stuffed turkey, sushi, a ton of rice, grilled fish, crackers, chicken, and there should be a ton of desserts, too." Ivan's eyes lit up a little and she kept listing off foods they had all been craving and dreaming about the past couple days, "We could ask for all kinds of sweets, any sweet we want. I don't think Isaac will care if we overspend some. Chocolate sounds really good right now. I would kill for some honey, right now, wouldn't you?"
That small smile pulled at the muscles around his mouth, but never fully formed. Mia could see the agreement shine in his eyes. He didn't speak, so she spoke for him. "Yeah, it does sound good, right? I know you think so, too. Don't worry. I can tell what you're thinking." She went on to describe what comfortable beds they would be sleeping in and how they were definitely going to get the most luxurious room this time and wouldn't sleep in the cheap ones at the Inn like they usually did. She talked about how dry and warm the place would be and how great a hot, steaming cup of tea would be. About that time, Ivan's lids closed back over his purple eyes and Mia felt panic grip her again. She had been keeping it barely contained as it were. Using her free hand, she quickly checked his pulse, trying to convince herself to remain calm. Everything in her body ached and she was still trying to straighten things out since she'd been attacked by the shine plasma earlier.
There was no pulse.
No, no, no! Ivan! She shook him, more harshly than she intended. "Ivan!" she cried desperately, hoping her voice would bring life back into him. In her haste, she didn't stop to think what she was doing. She shoved her hands onto him and reached within her to cast a psynergy spell. "Ply!" Ivan's eyes snapped open, wide with pain. Mia felt pain shoot through her own being and wondered how she could have been so foolish to have been tricked yet again. Of course, the creature already had displayed high intelligence, of course it would be smart enough to reverse a healing spell. Regretfully, she stared down at her friend, knowing his fate was sealed. There was no way, not after all this. Tears sprung to her eyes and she began to mutter apologies even though she knew he couldn't hear her. Her own hands burned with intense pain and Ivan shook beneath them, writhing in agony.
Garet and Isaac had both pulled their weapons from the monster and spun to look at Mia and Ivan when they had heard both of them shout loudly with pain. It amazed Isaac that Ivan was capable of making any sound at all. He stared in horror at the sight that met his eyes. In her panic, Mia must have tried to cast psynergy in order to help him. Her hands were firmly against his chest and her whole body trembled in pain. Ivan's body was violently shaking beneath her hands and his screams were the most awful thing Isaac had ever heard. Mia began to scream, too, in between her shouts of apologies. He could hear the agony in her voice as she begged for forgiveness.
"Isaac!" Garet cried, having managed to tear his eyes away from the awful sight of Mia and Ivan. The creature had noticed their brief inattention and taken advantage of it. Another glowing ball floated above Isaac, only this one pulsed a bright red color instead of gold. Isaac didn't hear him, still too shocked by what was happening with their friends. Garet jumped at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him away just as the ball exploded into vicious flames raining down on the spot they'd been in one second earlier. Isaac stared at it in disbelief. Garet shook him, angry and worried. "That could have been you!"
"Ri-right, sorry," Isaac tried to apologize, still wide-eyed, not sure what he should be more shocked about: Ivan and Mia's predicament or the fact he had nearly been scorched alive. "Let's take care of this thing," he instructed shakily, firmly gripping his weapon. Garet nodded and they looked up at where the creature had been at moments earlier, ready to jump it. Both lowered their weapons in shock when it hit them it was not anywhere near them.
Isaac felt all color drain from him and fear stronger than he ever felt took over all his senses once he finally spotted where the creature had vanished to. "Garet." It was just his name, but Garet knew it was bad, that something dreadful had just happened. He followed his friend's gaze to where their other two friends were. The creature loomed over them, neither able to do anything about it.