Author's Notes
Sigh, I'm sorry this one's up so late again. I'm... easily distracted, and it's hard for me to focus on writing when I don't have like... insane amounts of inspiration readily available. So writing is slow, and kept usually to the last minute. I promise I'll try to do better, though.
Now, Reviews!
kevy365, heh, I'm glad you like it so much!
sOL-'-aLOne, heh. Aw, I'm sorry. But you're right, it took me way to long to bring them back together. Thanks for the support! And sorry for making you wait longer than usual.
GiggiEba, :D Yay, finally! Mm, yeah. Also because he's a very powerful ancient demon. Yep, can't have a light without shadow. I'm glad you liked it!
Also, I have a question for you guys. Yes, a lot of what goes on in these chapters is filler. Y'know, fluff, and lore, and little scenes ultimately irrelevant to the plot. I... told myself, because I'm weird, that the story just had to be 32 chapters long, but I've been having more and more trouble writing each chapter because I just don't know what else to add. So, here's the dealio.
Do you guys want shorter stories, about 16-20 chapters long at most, or is this alright to you? Shorter stories means more important events take place faster, and stories are finished quicker. Longer stories have more cutesy or simply fun scenes, but take quite a bit of effort to put together. I would make a poll, but I don't really know how. So I ask you to leave in a review if you'd like shorter or longer stories.
Please follow and favorite my story if you feel I deserve praise. Even if you don't, I'm glad you took the time to read it. :D
And special thanks to kevy365 for doing just that!
Anywho, on with the story!
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Thomas' POV
It had taken some time to get our poor mistreated airship over the wall and all the way to the designated airfield, where it would be repaired and then added to the skeleton clan's inventory. I wasn't piloting, for blatantly obvious reasons, but Javer and I weren't allowed to go anywhere until the Dragoon was documented. Sarah stood next to me the whole time, hugging my arm and holding my hand while wearing a poker face. It was heartwarming and—though I'd never tell her this—adorable.
After the airship thing had been dealt with, Jack invited us to go with them to Simon's house. I agreed, and Javer really had no choice so he came along too. We were also going to visit Eba if we could. I was excited to get back together with all my friends. "What about Adrian?" I asked. "Is he coming with us?"
"No, he's on patrol," the king explained. "But we'll be able to find him once we come back."
I nodded, following them down the busy streets. Val approached me. "How did you come back?" she asked curiously. "If it's okay for me to ask."
Sarah turned to look at me, apparently wanting to know too. Jack and Lila also seemed interested, but they didn't turn their heads. I nodded at the alchemist-in-training walking on the other side of me. "Javer gave me my memories back. Well, some of them."
"How?" the spider pressed.
"I gathered the sun and had him drink it," my friend explained as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
I nodded, confusing the others more. "He found a book that taught him how, but I don't know much other than that."
Valory frowned. "Oh. Alright."
Sarah leant her head against my shoulder, a cute gesture that I could only interpret as 'I'm just glad you're here'. I planted a kiss on the skeleton girl's head, squeezing her hand gently. She squeezed back, not pulling away. We continued to walk through the streets in comfortable silence. A few people bowed before Jack and Valory on our way, exchanging kind words with them.
I leaned to whisper in Sarah's ear. "I know Jack's king, but why are they giving Val bows too?" I asked.
"She's the queen of spiders now," the skeleton girl answered quietly. "Lady June didn't want to rule her clan after the war, so she entrusted the position to Val."
I blinked, leaning away to look at her. "Really?"
Sarah nodded. "Lila and lady June are her royal advisors. I don't know much about their politics, but I think she's doing fine as monarch so far."
"That's good," I said, still a bit surprised. "What other big changes have I missed?"
"Adrian and I are generals, of course," she began with a shrug. "Simon, Izabell, Ara, flicker, Snowdrift, and Blight are living in one big house a couple kilometers from Globe Chapel city. Eba's on her own in a fancy apartment the queen got her, and she's going to be competing in a tournament for the endermen to see who can be the heir to the throne since lady Cassidy's going to retire."
It was a bit much for me to process. "Why is Blight with Simon and not with Eba?" I finally asked once I uncrossed my wires.
"He's with Izabell, not Simon," Sarah corrected me. "Eba didn't want him to be hurt somehow if they found out she had a demon, and thought that it would be an unfair advantage. So they're separated until the tournament ends."
I nodded. "And when does it end? Why is lady Cassidy retiring?"
"It ends in about a month," the skeleton girl answered, smiling at my many questions. "And she's retiring simply because she's tired. Lady Cassidy has been queen for longer than any other monarch. I think she deserves the rest."
I hummed. "I guess she does. How long has she been queen?"
Sarah frowned thoughtfully, moving her head off my arm and staring at the sky. "Around fifty years," she answered after a moment. "She must be at least seventy years old."
We continued to walk down the streets, once again reaching the wall. Anderson and his troops all gave our monarch friends nods and bows as we passed them. In front of our little group was nothing but wide plains and peaceful forests in the distance. It was a beautiful sight after the dull concrete environment we'd gone through. Everybody seemed to relax once we were a short distance from Veridon.
"So, Javer, was it?" Valory asked my friend after a moment.
The alchemist-in-training nodded. "Yeah. What are your names? Tom here didn't bother to clue me in."
The apparent spider queen smiled. "My name is Valory. This is my sister Lila," she said, gesturing at the cave spider, who nodded at my friend. "My boyfriend Jack, and our friend Sarah."
Javer shook hands with Jack and waved at Sarah, who waved back half-heartedly. "Where are you from?" the stray asked him.
"From a village far to the south," the alchemist-in-training answered. "You guys?"
"Sarah and I are from Veridon," Jack said. "Val and Lila are from... Nettle?"
The spider queen nodded. "Mhm. And... what do you do, Javer?"
"I'm training to be an alchemist," my friend replied simply.
Valory raised an eyebrow. "A doctor?"
"Not exactly," Javer began. "Definitely not by your standards. The only school I've ever attended was my mentor's house, and as far as I'm aware, you guys don't accept foreigners anyway."
His tone left the others silent. There was something snarky about his words. I nudged the alchemist-in-training. "What was that for?" I asked in a whisper.
"What was what for?" Javer asked back.
"You nearly bit their heads off," I explained, trying to keep my voice down. "They're trying to be nice. Please do the same."
My friend sighed quietly. "Alright. Sorry." He cleared his throat. "And, uh, what do you do for a living?"
Jack and Valory looked uncomfortable with answering. "I'm Val's royal advisor," Lila answered without a care in the world. "Sarah's a general in the royal guard."
The alchemist-in-training hummed, turning to stare at the stray and spider. Jack shrugged after a moment. "I'm... the king of the skeleton clan," he muttered. "Valory's queen of the spiders."
Javer hummed again. "Congrats."
"So... how's life in a village?" Valory asked.
"It's... more colorful than life in a city," Javer answered with a smile. "It's usually very calm and simple. But I actually haven't lived in my home village for about six months, since I was looking for our spirit friend, but even before I left we were having... financial issues. Thomas, a friend of ours, and I helped set things right though. He didn't want to get here until we were sure the village wouldn't starve anytime soon."
Sarah pressed up closer to me. "I'm glad you only came once your village was safe," she whispered. "But I'm also very angry that you made me wait so much before coming back."
I chuckled, discreetly kissing the top of her head.
"Has that ever happened?" Lila asked. "That you barely had enough food to go by?"
"Not that I can remember," the alchemist-in-training replied. "But some people have told me that it did happen twice quite some time ago. But it hasn't happened for years, so it's all good."
The cave spider hummed. "You said Javer had given you your memories back?" she asked, turning to me.
I gave her a nod. "Yeah."
"How much can you remember?" Lila went on. "Apart from us? Do you even remember anything before you met us?"
"Yes," I answered her. "I remember my past life, with you guys, the life before that, with Javer and the village, and small fragments of the life before that one. A few splotchy memories of other lives too, but nothing concrete."
"What can you remember of the... life before the one with the village?" Valory asked afterwards.
I hummed, frowning thoughtfully. "I... had already forgotten that I was the 'golden spirit' by then. I was actually living in a mob city... from the slimes, I think. It was... Marble, I'm pretty sure. I had a job in a little sandwich shop," I said with a smile.
"That lifetime lasted me... four-ish years?" I continued. "Maybe five. It also ended in a battle between me and Darkness where we both died, like all my other lives. There's not much else important I can remember."
"Any friends? Family?" Lila pressed.
I racked my brain for an answer. "I had a group of friends. There were... four of us. But I can't remember their names. I shared an apartment with one of them, that much I know."
Sarah hummed. "Did you ever have a girlfriend in your past lives? A wife?"
She said it in a nonchalant way that terrified me. Lila snickered quietly while the rest of my friends turned away. "Uh..." I scanned my memories, wanting to give her an honest answer. "I... don't think I've ever been married," I began slowly. "But I'm not sure. As for girlfriends... maybe? I'm pretty sure I've had only one other than you."
The skeleton girl blinked at me and nodded. "Okay. Can you remember her name?"
"Mmm... no," I answered after a moment.
"Well, I hope you remember mine if you're going to keep dying for all eternity," she said, placing her head back on my shoulder.
I frowned at her words. Would I keep dying over and over forever? Something in the back of my mind was sure that I wouldn't. That I could actually die for real. My light is what keeps me alive, I thought to myself. And I'm slowly running out of it. If—when, it's all gone... I expected to come to a dreadful conclusion, but all I could think of was that I would be... just another person. I'd be normal. I wouldn't have to chase demons anymore. I'd be free to live my life how I wanted to, and then... sleep forever.
The prospect of that idea was... soothing. Like a promise, that eventually, I'd be at peace. I placed my head on top of Sarah's, giving her hand a squeeze. I don't think I had ever been married. But I couldn't help but dream about it while she was besides me. I let out a sigh, smiling faintly. I wouldn't have powers anymore once I ran out of light. I wouldn't be immortal. But I'd have her, and that was more than enough for me.
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Izabell's POV
Keeping the bottom floor clean was next to impossible with the hurricane of fluffy white and green that lived with us. The little ones tracked mud inside, dropped things all over the floor, and Flicker had actually started to leave small amounts of gunpowder everywhere. Ara said it was normal and in the end harmless since it was still not 100 percent flammable, but it was still a pain to broom up. The monster was very helpful though, and together we managed to keep the house... presentable. Ish.
Simon actually helped out on the days he took off from work, doing the dishes and cooking or taking care of the little troublemakers. Delicious smells flooded me as I neared the kitchen, wiping sweat from my brow. The creeper boy liked to hum while he did pretty much anything in the house. He also made faces and tended to get sidetracked with a lot of things, which I thought was kind of adorable.
He cut up a potato in an overly aggressive way, going 'hah!' at it before chuckling to himself and tossing it into a big pot. I giggled, catching his attention. "Hi," he said, washing another spud and beginning to peel it. "Tired?"
I sighed, leaving the broom leaning against the wall and walking into the kitchen. "A little. How long until our friends get here?"
The creeper boy hummed, checking his watch. "Maybe... half an hour. Are you gonna take a bath?"
"Yeah," I answered, placing my chin on his shoulder and watching him cook. "You should take one too. You're getting kinda sweaty."
"Alright," he agreed with a nod, chopping up the potato. "I know you didn't ask, but I'm making a beef-and-tato casserole plus a salad. Nobody likes radish anyhow, so it's pretty much just lettuce, dandelion, and thin apple slices."
I smiled. "That sounds great. And smells even better."
"I'm glad you think so," he said, adding the potato to the mix.
I hugged Simon, giving him a little squeeze. "I love you," I told him quietly. "Thank you for everything you do."
The creeper boy smiled, turning around to hug me back. "I love you too, Z," he said, planting a kiss on the top of my head.
I pulled away after a moment longer. "I'm gonna go take a bath, then. Could you make sure Snowdrift and Flickr don't make a mess again?"
"I'll try," he answered with a chuckle. "But I'm not sure if that's physically possible."
I giggled, turning away and walking up the stairs to our bedroom.
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I sat at the couch, scratching Snowdrift between his ears. Ara was giving Flicky bath, or was at least trying to. The house was clean now, and I was once again banned from the kitchen, so there was nothing else to do but wait. I placed the right side of my head on the back of the couch, staring at the kitchen over it. "Simon?" I called.
The creeper boy poked his head out after a moment. "Yeah?"
"Hasn't It been half an hour already?" I asked.
Simon nodded. "More like forty-five minutes. They must've gotten held up by something, Z. I'm sure they'll be here soon."
I sighed, sitting back down properly. The creeper boy walked out of the kitchen, sitting on the other side of me and pecking my cheek. "How do you feel now that you've had a bath?"
"Better," I answered with a smile, kissing him back. "You need to go take yours before they get here."
He nodded. "I know, but I have to finish preparing the food so I can leave it cooking before I wash up." Simon smiled at Snowdrift, petting my snow fox's side. "Hey, buddy. You all nice and clean now?"
Snowdrift opened his eyes, chirping at him softly. I giggled, leaning against the creeper boy. "Yes, he's very clean."
"Certainly looks that way," he agreed, taking my free hand. "He's so white it's almost blinding."
I shook my head, pulling away after a moment. "Go finish cooking and then take a bath," I told the creeper boy.
Simon nodded, getting up off the couch. "Alright. Tell me when our friends arrive, okay?"
"Okay, love you," I told him as he walked back into the kitchen.
"Love you too," he called back.
I continued to just sit there for maybe ten more minutes. Simon finished preparing dinner and went upstairs to take a bath during that time. I was about to pick out a book from one of our shelves when I heard a knock at our door. I nudged Snowdrift off of me gently, getting up to answer it. Jack, Valory, Lila and Sarah were there, as well as two others.
I gasped, staring at one of the boys. "Thomas?"
He smiled, nodding. "Yeah. I'm here."
"Wh... how?" I asked incredulously.
"The long and short of it is that my friend, Javer," he answered, gesturing to the boy beside him, "found me and gave me my memories back with a vial of sunlight."
I blinked at him, and then stared at the others in turn. They all nodded back. I smiled at them. "Well... come in! I'll... go tell Simon!"
I turned around, running to the back of the house and then up the stairs. I burst into the bedroom and walked up to the bathroom door. "Simon!" I called from my side.
"Yeah?" he asked, shouting through the sounds of his shower.
"Hurry up!" I told him. "Thomas is back!"
Something thumped against the floor, and the water was turned off. "Come again?" he asked slowly.
"Finish your shower and come downstairs," I repeated. "Thomas is back."
There was silence from the other side. "Right," he finally answered, turning the water back on.
I giggled at his reaction and turned to go back downstairs. The others were standing and sitting around the living. I smiled at Sarah, sitting on an empty couch and patting the space beside me. The skeleton girl exchanged looks with Thomas before dragging him over and sitting down. The other boy I didn't know was still standing awkwardly next to the door.
"You can take the coat off," I told him, gesturing to the rack where everybody else's jackets and things where hung, "and sit down. There's plenty of room. What's your name?"
"Javer," he answered, reluctantly taking off his coat. It made glassy tinkling sounds as he did. "What's yours?"
"Izabell," I replied. "Where are you from?"
The boy sat down on an empty couch next to Thomas. "A village to the south. This is a pretty nice house."
"Yeah, it's my boyfriend's," I told him. "Um... how did you bring Thomas back?"
"I bought a book from a wandering trader," Javer began. "I learned how to gather... well, I'm not sure if it's literal, but sunlight nonetheless."
"Really?" I asked, turning to look at Thomas. The boy, and Sarah, nodded.
"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I set of to find him after a year's worth of sun-collecting—which by the way amassed to a small vial—and spent six months traveling before I finally found him lying on his back in a taiga biome. I gave him the vial, and he got his memories back. That's about it."
"We did spend a few weeks in our home village where I lived during my lifetime before the one with you guys," Thomas commented. "But otherwise, yeah, that's it."
I nodded, unable to keep a smile on my face. I turned to Sarah, who rolled her eyes and smiled back. "I'm so glad you're back," I told Thomas. "Now we can all get back together in the next couple of months!"
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Why specifically then?"
"We're all pretty busy with our lives, Tom," Sarah began explaining. "But we still meet up every three months, even Kait. We had a meet-up last month, and we'll be having another one in... April, I think."
I gave her a nod. "Yeah. Where did we agree to come together this time?"
"The castle's dining hall," Jack reminded me. "It's plenty spacious, and I can make sure we're not bothered by any of the residents."
"Right, okay." I turned back to Javer. "What do you do for a living, Javer? What is it like to live in a village?"
"It's, uh... I'm training to become an alchemist," he answered after gathering his thoughts for a moment. "And it's very peaceful, usually. Everyone knows each other, for the most part, and we all take care of everybody else. Our Healer makes sure that we're healthy and warns us if there's anything dangerous is coming."
I hummed, tilting my head. "That's sounds really nice, actually. So your Healer is like a doctor for everybody?"
"Yeah," Thomas answered with a nod. "A doctor and a... mayor, I guess you could say."
I nodded and opened my mouth to ask something else when footsteps caught my attention. Simon walked down the stairs, his hair a bit of a mess. The creeper boy smiled at Thomas, who smiled back and got up. Simon outstretched a hand. "Welcome back to the land of the living, man."
Thomas chuckled, shaking the creeper boy's hand. "Glad to be back."
My boyfriend gestured for him to sit back down, taking his own seat on the couch's armrest next to me. "I'm sure you've had to repeat the story at least five times already, so I'll ask about it later. What's your name?" he asked, turning to the alchemist.
"Javer," he answered simply.
Simon nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Simon. Again, you must feel like a broken record, so I'm not going to pester you with anymore questions."
"Nice to meet you too," Javer answered, looking a bit surprised. "And yeah, thanks."
The creeper boy took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Why don't you guys all sit at the dinner table and I'll go see how everything's going in the kitchen?"
Our friends all gave murmurs of agreement, getting up and walking towards the table. Simon planted a kiss on the top of my head before walking into the kitchen. I followed everyone else, sitting in my usual spot. I smiled, finding Snowdrift resting on Simon's chair. Thomas and Sarah sat down to my left, Javer finding a spot next to the boy.
Simon came back, picking up Snowdrift and setting him on his lap after sitting down. The snow fox chirruped and hopped off. "Well, how are you all doing?" Simon asked with a chuckle.
"Nothing bad has happened recently, so it's all good," Jack answered.
"We've been okay too," Valory replied. "Just had to deal with a few minor issues." The cave spider huffed at that, but didn't say anything.
"Honestly, been better," Javer muttered. "We were stuck on that airship for more than a week."
Thomas nodded. "Also, I'm kind of glad you weren't there to receive us, Simon," he added.
The creeper boy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"The Dragoon was... well, it had seen better days," the boy explained with a nervous smile.
Simon chuckled, shaking his head. "I can imagine."
"And how have you five been?" Valory asked.
"Simon has actually gotten himself Tuesdays and Fridays off," I told her. "Which is great for everyone because he gets to relax and spend more time with us while we get to enjoy good food for once."
The creeper boy wrapped an arm around my shoulder, kissing the top of my head. "What are you talking about? Your cooking's great."
I giggled, pulling away in embarrassment. "Yeah, but yours is much better."
Simon hummed, getting up. "Speaking of which..." he said, walking back into the kitchen.
We continued to talk while he was gone, about how our days had gone and the adventures Thomas and Javer had been in. There were just about to finish a story about escaping some monster-riddled mineshafts with a friend when Simon got back, carrying a big pot, inside of which was a casserole that smelled of heaven. The boy warned us not to touch it yet, taking several trips to give everyone their salads.
He sat back down, smiling as everyone began to take pieces of the beef cut in the casserole. "What do you think?" the creeper boy asked after we had all had a bite.
"I think I'll have to hire you as a cook," Valory answered. "How much does Adam pay you?"
Simon chuckled. "A hundred and fifty gold coins a month."
The spider queen blinked, turning to her sister. "Can we afford that?" she asked.
Lila's head dropped to the table, the cave spider trying to hold back laughter. "No!" she answered laughingly after a moment. "We are not spending the people's money on a cook that asks for almost twice what ours get!"
Valory giggled. "Alright, alright, calm down."
"What do you do for a living?" Javer asked. "Must be important if they're paying you so much."
"He's one of king Adam's royal engineers," I answered proudly before Simon could.
"It's nothing too impressive," the creeper boy said, smiling at me. "But it does pay well."
"He designed the airship we flew all the way over here," Thomas told the alchemist.
"Oh, really?" Javer asked Simon. "Congratulations, I guess. Considering how badly Tom was flying the thing, you did a really good job."
We laughed, and kept laughing and chatting between delicious mouthfuls for a while. "Hey, guys?" Jack eventually asked. "Where are you planning on staying?"
"Maybe an apartment or something," Javer answered. "We're only going to be around a couple months, right Tom?"
Sarah suddenly tensed next to me, slowly turning to look at Thomas. I could almost imagine her look of rage half-hidden beneath a poker face... The boy stared back, stuttering for a moment. Everybody else was silent as well, professing Javer's words. The alchemist was also starin at Thomas, maybe waiting for a confirmation.
Thomas took a deep breath, staring back at Sarah sadly. "It's... I'm going to be around for a while longer, okay? We just... I promised I'd go back to the village eventually."
"I don't want you around 'a while longer'," the skeleton girl told him quietly, turning away. "I... want you here, with me, for good..."
The boy sighed, pulling Sarah into a hug. She wiggled out of his grasp, getting up. "I want to be here with you too," Thomas told her, taking the girl's hand before she could leave. "I... Okay, listen. J and I are going to stay here two months, and then we'll go back to the village for a week. I'll come right back afterwards, okay? I promise."
The skeleton girl stared at him for a moment. "Please sit down," the boy asked quietly.
Sarah let out a sigh, getting back into her chair. "Sorry," she mumbled. "It's your... your home, I guess. I just... thought you were going to stay with us now, instead of traveling back and forth."
"It's fine," Thomas murmured, wrapping her in a hug. "I should've told you guys."
"You can stay at the castle," Jack suggested after a moment of silence. "We've got plenty of roooms. Now, let's... change the subject, okay?"
Everyone agreed, and the rest of our chat went on like that tense moment had never happened. We continued to laugh and tell stories until it was time for everyone to go home. As I went to bed, I suddenly remembered all the dreams I'd had of... getting to relive the days when we were all together. Now... those days had never felt closer, and it warmed my heart.
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Eba's POV
My nerves were all over the place. Today was the first—well, third day of the tournament. I had actually gotten in! ...and it was terrifying. There were 200 participants chosen out of six hundred applicants. That meant I had to outlast 199 others who had trained probably harder and for longer than I had. I was still processing the fact that I had gotten chosen to begin with, and it was all so overwhelming, I just-
"Hey, you okay?" Annie asked, pulling me from my thoughts. "You looked really worried for a moment."
"O-oh, um, yeah," I stuttered out. "I-I'm fine."
Cynthia gave me a sudden hug. "Hey, relax. You've been training a lot for this moment. You're gonna kick ass, I'm sure of it."
I smiled at her, feeling my cheeks redden at the surprising embrace. "Thanks... I'm just really really nervous."
"Don't be," Blight told me, summoning a shadow for himself. My friends tensed a little. They were still not used to him being around, or making himself appear out of the blue like that. We were actually walking through the woods towards the arena that had been built specifically for the tournament, so it was alright for him to be out and about.
"I know how good of a fighter you are," my demon continued. "You'll do great in the tournament. Just remember that we all have your back."
I took a couple of deep breaths and then nodded. "Thanks. All three of you."
Blight smiled. "Not just the three of us. The rest of your friends will be there too. You did say you didn't want me with you during the tournament for safety's sake."
I smiled back, although I felt guilty as well. It was probably hurtful to him that I wanted to do this alone. "Let's get going," Annie urged. "We don't want you to be late."
I nodded, picking up the pace. It took us another ten minutes to find the dirt path that had been flattened out to get to the arena, and then fifteen more to actually reach the large structure. I smiled, noticing my group of friends standing near the door. They all noticed me as we neared, turning to smile. I was about to give Izabell a hug when I noticed somebody new in our little group, as well as somebody who I hadn't seen in ages.
"Thomas!" I called in surprise, nearing them more slowly.
The boy smiled, walking past our friends to meet me with Sarah in tow. "Hey. It's nice to see you again, Eba."
"Hi," I said incredulously. "You're... here? How?"
"My friend brought me back," Thomas replied, gesturing to the other boy. "His name's Javer, he's training to be an alchemist, and he lives in a village to the south. He gave me a vial of sunlight and I got my memories back from that."
I blinked at him. "Oh. Um... okay?"
The boy smiled. "It's a bit confusing, I know. But we can talk about that later. Who're your friends?"
"This is Cynthia," I answered, gesturing to the young woman. "And this is Annie."
More greetings were exchanged by everyone. "Okay, um... Iza?" I asked the slime girl. "Could you... take Blight while I... do this?"
Izabell nodded. "Okay. But, uh... where?"
I frowned, thinking for a moment. "The woods over there," Blight suddegsted, nodding at the forest in question. "We just need to be far away enough from the path to make sure nobody sees."
The slime girl nodded, pecking Simon's cheek and walking into the underbrush. I followed her, and we stopped a couple of meters from the stream of people arriving at the arena. We both sat down, and my demon's shadow turned into a cloud of dark-grey dust, making its way back to me.
Ready?
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the pain. Yes, I'm ready.
Blight gave me a sort of nod inside my head, and then I felt like my forehead was being perforated from the inside-out. The pain faded after a few excruciating seconds, but it took me a moment longer to feel like I could open my eyes without it stinging like hell. Izabell was taking several deep breaths, a couple of tears making their way down her cheeks. I got up on slightly wobbly feet and held my hand out to her.
"Thank you for this," I told the slime girl as she took my hand. "And... I'm sorry that you have to go through that."
Izabell smiled, rubbing her forehead a little. "It's okay, I'm fine. Let's get you into the tournament."
I gave her a nod, and we both walked back to the arena's front gate. I had to sign some paperwork and then show the guard there the letter I had gotten to prove I'd been accepted. My friends got tickets that said 'visitor', and I got a cloth bracelet that said 'participant'.
"The tournament starts in twenty," the guard told me. "You can help your friends find seats if you want, but you need to be down in the participant's area at least five minutes before it starts."
I nodded. "Okay, thank you."
I led our little group into the arena, and tried to not lose myself in just the... everything. The stadium was full of people, and at the center was a large area filled with grass and little stone structures; walls, pillars, and ramparts. But what overwhelmed me was the amount of onlookers. There were just so many of them! I almost froze, my nerves coming back in full force.
Cynthia took my hand. "Hey, relax. You're going to to great, everybody's sure of it."
I blinked at her, surprised at the gesture. Then I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. "Okay... okay. Let's find you guys seats."
We spent a little while wandering up and down the arena's bleachers, which looked surprisingly comfortable. This project must not have been cheap for lady Cassidy. We eventually found a pocket where they could all sit together. "You've got this," Annie assured me with a smile.
The others agreed, nodding and smiling at me. "Blight wishes you good luck," Izabell told me before I left. "So do I."
I smiled at the slime girl. "Thank him for me, please. And... thank you. All you guys."
We exchanged some more goodbyes and I was wished more luck. I wandered all the way back to the entrance, this time walking down the set of stairs marked with 'participants only'. I was stopped by a guard at the bottom, who asked to check my bracelet and then let me inside. There were at least twenty other people already there, either practicing battle moves or getting ready in one way or another.
A woman with a clipboard was ordering people around. She noticed me standing there, and walked over. "Name?"
"E-Eba Delgado," I answered nervously.
"Delgado, right. You're up against Magnolia Vesper. Luckily for you, she's already on the other side, so you're in time to get ready. There's armor and weapons on the wall, so take your pick. You're the fifth pair, but that doesn't mean you should relax. Quickly, get ready, and be ready for me to call your name."
I gave her a nod, but the gesture was wasted as the woman had already turned around before she spoke the last word. I sigh, walking up to the wall. A lot of the weapons and armor were already missing, which I guess was my fault for getting here so late. I took a set of violet-dyed leather armor, and scanned the swords that were set on the racks. A wide variety of them had been taken, leaving only a couple of each type in their slots.
I sighed, opting for a thin longsword. I waved it experimentally, trying to see how it would be to weild it. It was nothing like what I was used to, since my Needlepoint and even Piketooth were pretty evenly balanced with weight. This sword was very front-heavy, and hard for me to move around. I put it away again, taking a similarly-shaped shortsword from its place and testing that. This was more my speed, although still a bit heavy.
Once I was satisfied with my choice of a weapon, I walked over to a free corner and began putting my armor on atop my clothes. I tied my hair up too, although since it's pretty short now it didn't cause me much issue. I took a deep breath, sitting down on an empty bench to wait. Everybody else seemed really good at fighting... much better than me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Everybody said they knew I would do good. I just... had to believe that...
"You okay?"
I blinked my eyes open, staring up at a young woman, who smiled. "Hi. Are you alright?" she repeated.
"O-oh, um, yeah," I answered. "Just a bit nervous..."
"Hey, it's alright to be nervous," she said, sitting down next to me. "I'm Janice. What's your name?"
I smiled back at her. "Eba. Are you nervous too?"
"Oh yes, very," she answered with a little giggle. "But, um... just, don't let it get to you. If we all got accepted, it's because we're all plenty good at this, right? So just wait your turn and see what happens. There's no shame in loosing, either, so it's pretty much for fun that we're doing this. Relax, nothing bad's gonna happen to you."
I blinked at her, nodding. "You're right... thanks."
"No problem," she said, getting up. "Nice to meet you, Eba. See you 'round."
"Yeah, nice to meet you too," I replied. Janice nodded with a smile and then walked away to somewhere else. I stared at the door on the opposite side of the room, which was labeled with 'arena entrance'. It didn't see all that menacing now. Just a bit spooky, but no longer the... terrifying thing I saw before. I would be alright. I might even win. It was all going to be okay. I took one last deep breath, and waited patiently for my turn.
Everybody was right. I got this.
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Author's Notes
So, it took me three days to finish this one, and I'm sorry. But, to make up for it, and on accident, the chapter is 6.5k words long. I... hope that's worth the wait. This one was very difficult for me to write, but I got through it in the end. I hope you enjoy it as much as the chapters before. :)
Thank you so much for your time, support and patience. Have an awesome day!
~ LeMafiaKreb
