Please visit my profile for a general rundown of what to expect from my fanfics.

Chapter 6 – The Theurgists of the Alm-Ardjalus

Hours had passed since Luka and Kaito entered the wilderness to the north of Oto. At first, Luka hoped they would find Gakupo hiding somewhere close; he had nowhere to go, after all. The pair had walked and walked, but aside from a few smoking bushes, there was no trace of their friend. As the night advanced, Luka felt herself fall into a strange kind of trance. Aside from their lanterns, there was no light left in the world. Her bags seemed to grow heavier and heavier with each step, and the air was so cold that her face and fingers ached. So despite her fears, she made no objections when Kaito made her stop and sit down on her backpack while he built a fire.

"You don't seem too bothered by the cold," Luka commented after the flames began to creak between them.

"It does bother me, but… I don't know, I think something is different," Kaito flexed one hand, studying his fingers. "The fire is alive inside of me now, I think."

"Do you think it's the same for him? He wasn't wearing warm clothing…" Luka dearly hoped Gakupo wasn't freezing to death somewhere while they were chatting.

"You said our powers seemed to operate in a similar manner," Kaito replied. "But I'm starting to think he's not in these woods."

"Verdirrama got to him first," Luka surmised.

Kaito nodded glumly.

"What do we do now? They could be anywhere by now. And we have no clues."

"That's not quite the case," Kaito surprised her by pulling a folded paper from the depths of his coat. "I remembered that it was the elders who contacted the mystic, not the other way around, so I searched my father's papers."

"You know where he lives?" Luka leaned forward, excited.

"His base of operations is a tower to the northwest, I'd say about a week on foot from here. But I suggest we get some horses and a weapon for you on the way."

"I can handle a bow," Luka suggested. "But you expect us to take the mage head on?"

"He has to know we're coming!" Kaito again flexed his fingers. "If I figure out how this works, it will be the three of us against him."

"Assuming that Gakupo is any condition to help," Luka mentioned calmly, hoping she didn't sound like she was accusing Kaito.

Nevertheless, her friend's eyes immediately darkened. "I should've been strong enough to fight whatever it was that Verdirrama did to me," he lamented. "It wasn't his hand on the dagger, it was mine."

Luka stared in silence at the flames. She wasn't about to say it out loud, but at least Kaito wasn't wholly responsible for his actions, unlike her. She had let her fears of the unknown rule her, pure and simple. The same thing she usually mocked other people for, and yet it had completely trounced her.

"I'm going to make things right, Luka," Kaito promised.

Luka couldn't tell if he really believed it or not, but she dearly hoped it was true. His newfound powers were the only chance she had to see Gakupo again.

Thankfully, the news of the recent events hadn't reached Asa, the little town grown around the stretch of the Ruta Augusta immediately to the north of Oto. Luka had been fearing they might run into refugees, guards, or worse still, her father wanting to drag her back home. In the first case, it made some sense: no one was going to choose the same direction Gakupo took to escape. As for the guards, she wasn't completely sure what to expect. Did they want to apprehend Kaito? What would they do with him? She suspected the opposite was true: knowing the elders, they were probably very happy that the pair had skipped town, since it meant two less things to worry about.

Luka pondered all those things as she watched Kaito negotiate a price for two horses with the owner of the inn and stables. If the old man was curious about the pair, he didn't show it, despite how odd it was to see a young officer and his 'charge' travelling by foot.

"Oh, yes…" Kaito feigned a sudden realization as he received the reigns of the animals. "I need to purchase a bow as well. Is there somewhere in town I can get one?"

The man pointed to the end of the short street, to a dusty-looking shop. "I reckon you might find something at Tome's."

"Thanks."

The man stood in place watching Luka and Kaito as they walked away guiding their horses by the reigns, though he still had a very bored expression in his face. It almost seemed deliberate, as if to demonstrate he wasn't impressed by foreigners.

"He's going to remember us, if anyone comes asking," Kaito whispered.

"Of course he will." It couldn't be helped given how distinct their looks were. Luka was half amused, half embarrassed to realize she hadn't even considered the issue in all their months of planning their escape.

"Stay outside with the horses, ok? I'll be right back." Kaito quickly slipped into the store, adopting an air of confidence and swagger.

Luka cautiously looked back; the man from the inn was gone. She was alone with the animals in the sleepy street. She looked upwards at the sunny sky and yawned. They had spent the night walking around, with barely an hour's sleep. And they couldn't rest yet, not until they were farther down the road from Oto.

Kaito's and Luka's abrupt departure had an unexpected qualifier that was bothering her. She had expected to leave her parents furious, but not homeless. Their building was ruined, and she wasn't going to be there to support them in starting anew somewhere else. Worse still, she was adding to their troubles by running away.

On the other hand, there was no way she could allow Kaito to seek the mage alone. She eyed the store and managed to see his mop of blue hair barely visible in the dim interior. He was doing surprisingly well, all things considered. How much of it was a front, though? The two people he loved the most had been taken from him, and Kaito had a marked tendency to put the well-being of others before his own peace of mind. It was likely he simply didn't want to burden her with his grief. Moreover, since Luka was so hopeless at consoling others, he probably felt it wouldn't do any good to confide in her.

"I don't care about being a proper lady…but I'd like for others to see me as someone they can rely on," she said, lowering her voice as she spoke to the horses. The thought brought to mind Meiko and her talk with the elders. "I hope they didn't hurt her," Luka confessed. Despite all the bitter words that crossed between them for the past six years, Luka felt worried about the girl. She didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of their cruel decisions.

Kaito finally returned to the street, carrying the bow and a quiver. "It should be appropriate for someone of your size and strength," he said in a low voice. "Let's get some distance from here so you can test it."

"Right." Luka considered him for a moment. "Kaito…"

"What is it?"

"I-I know I'm probably the last person you'd like to open to, but if you need to say anything about what happened, I'll listen." Luka felt herself blushing. Oh, I'm such a dummy!

"The last person? You're one of my closest friends, Luka. Well, except for the last two months, I'm still kind of miffed about that." Kaito gave her a wry smile. "But if Gakupo forgives you, I will too."

"That one is easy. He's never met someone he couldn't sympathize with," Luka evaded his eyes, but smiled a little as well.

"Maybe we'll find him having tea with the mage, then, like a couple of good friends," Kaito commented in the same light tone. "But all the same, I'd rather hurry. Let's go."

"Lead the way."

They both mounted their horses and set off at a good pace towards the main road. All around them, the sunlight bounced off the snow on the ground, glittering.

The monotonous sound of the horses' hooves hitting the stones of the Ruta Augusta was a good fit for Kaito's circular thoughts. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't get the terrible images of the previous day out of his head. Now that they were far from Asa, he had little to distract himself from the continuous assault on his mood.

His father was gone, vanished from the world in an instant. The lump of red and black flesh lying there in his memories wasn't Captain Fuuga, not at all. There was nothing left inside of it; not a single one of the qualities of the man Kaito admired so much. And yet it was all he could think about, when he tried to picture his father's face.

Thinking about Gakupo wasn't much better. Everything had been over in a flash; the resistance of tissue as the dagger stabbed him, the warm droplets of blood on his skin, the cries of pain piercing Kaito's ears. The one who shined like no other in his eyes, desperately begging him to stop…

"At least the weather is good," Luka commented out loud.

Kaito grunted in response, barely absorbing what she had just said.

"Kaito, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" After a moment, Kaito's eyes turned towards her, apologetically. "Sorry, what did you just say?"

"I wanted to ask you something. How did you discover that Gakupo had powers?"

Kaito's face adopted a faraway expression. "You should've seen it, Luka, it was so beautiful."

"Beautiful?"

"It happened three or four nights before he got sick. I just woke up in the middle of the night, and saw him by the window." Luka tilted her head, and Kaito suddenly wondered what she thought of the fact that he spent some nights sharing Gakupo's bed. But she waited in silence for him to continue, and he didn't feel comfortable asking her about it.

"At first I thought they were butterflies, fluttering around his head in the moonlight. But it was purple flames, dancing around him like tiny will-o'-wisps. And he just stood there, looking at the moon."

"I realized I was seeing the first indications of the beast, like the mage had warned us. But I didn't feel scared. There was nothing threatening about it. And even if there was…" Kaito paused. "Well, I didn't care. At that moment, nothing mattered to me compared to him. If he had asked me for help in burning down Oto, I would've run to the nearest torch." He smiled openly.

Luka stared at him for a moment, and then awkwardly began to play with her horse's mane. "That's…did he know, then? What he was?"

"What he knows is a bit hard to determine, sometimes." Kaito sighed. "But in this case, he thought he was dreaming, and I encouraged that."

"Why?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he shrugged. "If he didn't think he had powers, he wouldn't accidently use them in front of the other guards, right? Yes, I realize now I should've been more forthcoming with Gakupo and you. It wasn't something I could keep secret."

"You were trying to protect him," Luka whispered, her fingers still busy with the brown hairs.

"And I did such a great job at that," Kaito commented bitterly. "I protected him so hard that he's going to need an eye patch for the rest of his life." The sickening sensations transmitted from the blade to his hand returned to the forefront of his mind and Kaito felt bile rising to his mouth. He squeezed the reins, trying to bring himself under control.

Luka watched him worriedly, clearly trying to formulate a proper response in her mind and failing.

"I'm ok, Luka. I'll get this done, one way or the other," he spit out, after the nausea abated somewhat.

Luka nodded, though her face still seemed tense.

Silence stretched between them after that, but it had little resemblance to the comfortable silences of their past. It was plagued by wounds too fresh to be ignored and complicated by the menace of more troubles to come.

"I believe it's time for supper, mas- um, Gakupo."

Gakupo rose from the grass reluctantly. He and Maika were in the gardens, the vast green area around the palace, lush and fragrant. The many paths circling the flowering rosebushes and reflecting pools were completely deserted, except for some guards circling the perimeter and stationed by the doors of the palace and the exterior wall. They were distant enough to ignore, even though Gakupo was sure they had been staring when he rolled on the grass, or when he tried to do a cartwheel and failed. For once, he didn't care too much, though a part of him was still expecting the yelling and violence he had experienced back at the square of Oto.

"This was very fun, Maika. Can we come here again tomorrow?"

The servant girl smiled. "Of course, this is your home now." She moved in closer and straightened his outfit and swatted a few bits of grass away. "Please follow me." She turned around and headed towards the big doors of the palace entrance.

Gakupo walked after her and into the palace. The soldiers posted by the doors saluted him smartly, their expressions serious but respectful. Apparently, they weren't too disappointed by his lack of athleticism.

The pair crossed several luxurious rooms, until they found themselves inside a long corridor, flanked by more guards at each side. Too many guards, thought Gakupo nervously. To distract himself, he lifted his eyes to the frescos on the ceiling.

"Is Master Verdigris a religious man?" He asked the servant girl.

"Hm?" Maika turned towards him, and he pointed upwards.

"Those are scenes from the Book of Light, right?" Gakupo hadn't attended a sermon in six years, but he vaguely remembered the grave priestess that gave classes inside the House of Gifts every Saturday morning, and her stories.

"Those were commissioned by the old king," Maika explained with a hint of contempt in her voice. "It's easy to claim you're virtuous by surrounding yourself with the proper imagery; or giving away a sack of grain when you have a full granary."

"Some expected Master Verdigris to purify this place when he took over the country, but he said art should be respected, despite what one might think of the subject depicted." The girl looked up, her gaze focused on a robed figure with long silvery hair escaping from her cowl. "I don't like it. Why waste your breath on someone that won't answer when we have beings of true light among us?"

"I'm not really sure of what to believe anymore…" Gakupo uttered, studying the figure as well. "What possible reason can there be for everything that's happened?"

"The mechanisms of the world are blind. You'll never receive a proper answer to a question like that, much less from Her."

For a second, Gakupo considered probing Maika's beliefs further, but then they reached a big pair of gilded doors. The guards at each side nodded at the girl and opened them, and one of them announced out loud the presence of the seventh mage.

Inside, there was yet another room of marble and gold, colorful panels on the walls and vases of flowers over expensive furniture. Gakupo felt strangely tired just looking at the suffocating tapestries and overdone decorations.

In the middle of the room, there was a long table, likely longer than his cell back in Oto. Most of it was unoccupied, but there was an older man sitting at one end. A beautiful middle-age woman with black hair and eyes stood behind him, in a similar uniform to Maika's.

"Come in, son." The man waved vaguely at a chair to his right.

Gakupo's chest tightened and he took a step back, eyes wide. Before he could bolt out of the room, Maika grabbed his arm with a little quizzical smile on her lips. "What's wrong?"

Gakupo looked from her to the older couple and back, finding suddenly very hard to speak. Behind him, the doors closed.

"There's no need to be shy," the man added.

It wasn't the same face. Verdirrama had visited Oto only on three occasions, and he had always covered as much as his body as he could with his dark cloak. Still, Gakupo could see the rough angles of the mystic's face in his mind, and they didn't match the elegant man with a trimmed silver beard and shoulder-length hair before him.

It wasn't the same voice. This man's tones were rich and resonant, but had more energy that Verdirrama's usually subdued and affable words.

But his eyes were unmistakable. Those were the eyes of the man that smiled beatifically as he tied a collar and chain around his neck as a child; the man that foretold of his friends leaving him to face his worst moment alone…the man that killed Captain Fuuga.

"Verdirrama…" Gakupo finally uttered the word, leaning on the uneven surface of the door for support.

"The boy's still unwell," commented the impassive woman behind the warmage. "He confuses you with a country enchanter." Her eyes fixed on the servant girl with a cold stare. "Maika, you should've told us that he wasn't ready to leave his room. The Five are almost here."

Maika paled. "I'm sorry, he-" She interrupted herself nervously and bowed deeply. "I beg your forgiveness, Master Verdigris!"

"I'm sure he can handle a quick introduction before he retires for the day." Master Verdigris steepled his fingers, examining Gakupo's panicked form with some amusement. "I never knew I could have such an effect on someone, outside of the battlefield."

"Gakupo?" Maika tried to get his attention, but the youth wrenched his arm away from her grip.

"Let me out of here…Let me out!" Gakupo knocked on the door violently, to no effect.

At this, the woman walked quickly and decisively towards Gakupo. "Stop making a scene, young man. This is Verdigris, bane of corrupt kings and idle nobles. You have nothing to fear from him."

"Milena, be charitable. This poor boy has been traumatized by his years amongst the good people of Oto. His mind is a bit fragile, I'm afraid."

But Milena grabbed Gakupo's shoulders with surprising strength and made him face the smiling Verdigris. "This man is trying to help you, young mage. Don't let your past experiences cloud your eyes to the truth."

Gakupo hesitated. Had the cell eroded his brain to this point? How could he ever hope to navigate the world like this, doubting everything and everyone he met? But another dark idea crossed his mind: even if this was some kind of trick, he was deep inside a palace full of this man's supporters. There was no possible escape, especially if Verdigris was such a powerful magic user as Maika's tales implied.

He breathed in deeply several times, trying to get his panic under control. After an almost imperceptible gesture from Milena, Maika threw her arms around him, squeezing him hard. It wasn't the embrace he longed for, but it helped Gakupo slow down and organize his thoughts: the only recourse he had was to play along, at least for the moment. With effort, he opened his eyes once more and looked the mage in the eye. "I'm sorry, Master Verdigris. Thank you for saving me."

It was hard to say what the man really thought of his shaky words, but he smiled nonetheless and again gestured to the chair to his right. "I could hardly let the frost take a promising young man like you, could I? Do sit down."

Maika guided Gakupo towards the table with an arm around his waist, as if he was recovering from some long illness. Once he was seated, she stood behind him with her hands over his shoulders, softly squeezing them from time to time.

"When you start training, you'll find your mind more focused and less prone to fabricating terrors." Verdigris sipped from a goblet on his hands. "Not to mention, you have many things here to keep you from contemplating the past, not the least of which is this lovely girl here. I trust that you found her time alone with her pleasurable?"

"Um…" The phrasing gave Gakupo pause. Is he really asking that?

"If she doesn't satisfy you, I can get you a new one. Or several ones. O a boy, if that's your preference," the warmage watched him with keen eyes.

Gakupo reddened and fixed his eyes on the empty plate before him.

"There's no need for that look. Those prejudices are for commoners or wizened priests. What do you want? A friendly, energetic boy? I'll get one for you, if that's your desire."

"I'm fine with Maika, thank you," Gakupo replied, his eyes still evading the warmage's silvery gaze. Behind him, he heard a small gasp. The servant girl obviously appreciated the endorsement.

Verdigris nodded, apparently satisfied. There was a small silence.

Gakupo examined the room restlessly, as he considered what to do. Out of the many issues plaguing his mind, he chose one that hopefully might give him a clue to the mage's intentions. "I was lead to believe I had the beast of Arjavanda inside of me, but everyone here calls me a mage."

"One doesn't preclude the other, quite the contrary in fact," Verdigris replied. "Humans are completely insensible to the lines of power, unless their souls are replaced or merged at birth with the essence of another creature, or they are the offspring of a human and a magical being. You carry a fragment of the beast inside you, my boy."

"A fragment…?" Gakupo touched his chest. I don't have a human soul?

"That's why you can access her powers, but aren't plagued by the beast's instincts. She is dead." Verdigris took another sip of his drink. "El Gris accomplished his mission quite successfully, except for one little detail. He died before telling the people of Oto that their children might become hosts for the beast he tore apart. And here you are."

"What about the other fragments?"

"Think about it and I'm sure you'll find the answer," Verdigris replied.

Gakupo raised a hand to scratch his head, but then a detail long forgotten surfaced from the depths of his memories. Instead, he slowly touched his purple hair, mimicking Verdirrama's motions when he explained that he wanted to see the children of Oto. "Kaito and Luka, they are like me!"

"Are those the names of your friends?"

"I don't think you can call them that anymore," Gakupo said with a great weight on his heart. It was going to take a long while before he could think of the two without being overwhelmed by the loss of them.

Verdigris's manner seemed like one of a teacher engaged in a stimulating conversation with a student. If he felt any sympathy for Gakupo's distress, it was cold and shallow. "If they really carry fragments inside of them, perhaps all that drew them to you was the mindless need of the spirit to become whole again. It was never a true impulse of their hearts or minds."

Gakupo cringed. If that was true, it explained so much. He had always wondered why Luka and Kaito spent so much time and effort on him, with so little to show for it all. He was nothing, he had nothing to give. They were both kind and giving people, but even pity had its limits. He shouldn't be surprised that neither their compassion nor the atavistic pull of the beast's spirit had been enough to keep them by his side.

"They probably have no powers, though. You carry the biggest fragment inside of you," the warmage noted.

At that moment, the door to the dining room opened, and a guard announced loudly, "The Five Cloistered!"

Gakupo turned towards the group that confidently entered the room, his nervousness spiking yet again with the sight of so many unfamiliar men and women. Almost unconsciously, he grabbed one of Maika's hands. The girl leaned forward, and the pink tips of her hair lightly caressed the sides of Gakupo's head. With a soft whisper, she identified each member of the group as they saluted the warmage, escorted by their servants.

Arevalo was a woman in her mid-twenties, with jet black hair and blood red eyes. Her elaborate gown matched her eyes and her servant's uniform. He was a handsome man, perhaps a couple of years older than his master. Arevalo smoothly curtsied in front of Verdigris and gave Gakupo a small nod, before sitting to the left of the warmage.

Rossemara was a middle-aged woman, stocky and unremarkable, except for the shocking orange hair, abundant and piled on the top of her head with a complicated hairstyle. Her servant was a tiny girl in an orange dress, a few years younger than Gakupo and Maika. The mystic woman gave Gakupo an encouraging smile before taking her seat, a gesture that reminded him of his own mother.

Next was Invicto, a dignified gentleman with pure white hair, even older than Verdigris. He walked arm in arm with a woman around his age, probably his spouse. After bowing to Verdigris, he barely glanced at Gakupo before seating next to Arevalo. His servants were twin women, as stiff and polished as the elderly couple they followed.

Castelo and Blanca saluted Verdigris in unison, and Gakupo was surprised to see that they and their servant boys were at most a couple years older than him. The pair studied him with similar looks of interest and then glanced at each other, with a curious glint in their eyes. Instead of walking towards the many remaining seats, Castelo and Blanca stood right next to the youth's chair.

"Oh, I really wanted to be next to Master Verdigris today," Blanca announced, tossing her greenish curls with a jeweled hand. Her green dress was almost gaudy, an eye-catching design with many pearls and designs sewn with silver thread.

"Perhaps our new friend could move one seat to the right, then," Castelo replied, his piercing magenta eyes focused on Gakupo. His pupils were rectangular like the ones on a goat, making eye contact more than a little intimidating. His hair was coarse and wild and oddly similar to the brown fur lining of his long coat.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't even be here, Gakupo thought. He changed chairs in silence, and soon found himself sandwiched between the two. For whatever reason, Castelo and Blanca sat as close to him as possible, their arms almost touching.

"Now, now, you two, you have your toys," Verdigris said jovially.

"But he's so pretty!" Blanca purred and grabbed Gakupo's chin. Contrary to her tone and demeanor, her grip was strong as steel. Behind him, Gakupo heard Maika inhale abruptly as Blanca moved even closer, almost touching his face with hers.

"We just want to make him feel welcomed," Castelo added. His hand snaked around Gakupo's waist and downwards.

Out of sheer reflex, Gakupo grabbed and twisted the appendage, and then elbowed the mage in the face. Without pause, the purple-haired youth punched Blanca in the face, as flames began to spring around him, scorching the tablecloth, napkins and the nearest flower bouquet on the table. Maika yelped, moving out of the way, and thus was spared when Gakupo knocked both his chair and his two accosters' down and jumped into the air. He stayed floating near the ceiling, enveloped in purple flames and hyperventilating.

"Don't burn down my palace, if you please," Verdigris requested, more amused than concerned. He put out the flames on the table with a flick of his fingers.

Rossemara and her little servant were outright laughing at Castelo and Blanca, currently prone on the floor patting their scorched clothes. "You deserved that, depraved little piglets," the woman said in a deep voice.

"What a disgraceful spectacle," Invicto sneered. "Although hardly unexpected, coming from them."

"I think I like him already," Arevalo stated regarding Gakupo with the barest hint of a smile in her face.

"We were joking!" Castelo protested from the floor.

Blanca leaped to her feet dexterously, despite her heavy gown. She growled, staring at Gakupo with pure loathing. "How dare you, you dirty peasant! I'll kill you!" Vines began to form in midair around her hands, and she whipped them upwards towards Gakupo. Before they could touch him, they were burnt by his flames.

"Enough!" Verdigris' voice boomed, supernaturally deep and resonating. Gakupo felt its echoes resonating inside of his chest and suddenly his body began moving on its own. His hand moved in a wide arc and the flames around him disappeared. Then, he drifted down towards the ground, until he landed next to Blanca. Castelo stood up with jerky movements, reminding Gakupo of a wind-up doll.

He's controlling us like puppets, Gakupo realized. It felt like invisible hands clutching his limbs and squeezing his throat so hard he couldn't speak. He fought to no avail to move, feeling so tense that his head began throbbing.

"Castelo, Blanca, you will apologize right now."

Biting on the words as if they were sour, Castelo and Blanca begged Gakupo and Verdigris for forgiveness.

"That's better," the warmage said. Immediately, the force controlling the bodies of the younger mages disappeared. Gakupo dropped to his knees, completely drained.

"Master, please let Gakupo retire to his room!" Maika kneeled by his side and hugged him. "He's not recovered yet."

For a moment, Verdigris gave the girl an inexpressive look; then he examined Gakupo's face and hummed lightly. "Thank you for the remainder, Maika. You're right, of course. Take your master to his room, we can do this some other time."

Gakupo stood up shakily, helped by the girl. She took his hand and they walked out as soon as the doors opened.

"As for you two-" Verdigris' voice was suddenly silenced when the doors closed behind Gakupo and Maika.

"That-that wasn't that bad, was it?" Maika commented, trying to smile.

"I feel dizzy…" Gakupo mumbled, walking like a drunkard.

Maika turned to the guards. "Help me carry the lord mage to his room!" At once, the nearest pair of guards stepped forward and supported Gakupo.

The walk back seemed twice as long, even with their help. But at long last they arrived, and Gakupo dropped on the bed, face first. He heard the guards salute him and Maika shooing them away, without paying any attention. He decided to stay in that same position, no matter what happened around him. Despite of his previous resolution to leave the past behind, he thought repeatedly: Enough of this demented place! Please wake me up, Kaito! Please!

Maika pulled off his boots dutifully and sat by his side. "The night air is very mild, isn't it?"

There was no response.

"Should I bring you some supper?"

Gakupo stayed silent.

"…Is there anything I can do to help?"

Gakupo turned his head slightly, seeing with his orange eye. It shimmered slightly in the darkened room. "Do you really think those two are better than you?"

Her eyes widened. "Why…Th-they have to be! Mages are allowed to be eccentric!"

"So I could do anything I wanted to you and that would be fine?" His tone was surly.

"Yes!" Maika hurried to say.

Gakupo pulled himself into a sitting position and grabbed her forearms. "Why, because I have unusual powers?! So what?!"

To his surprise, Maika's eyes filled with tears. Gakupo immediately released her, ashamed of his outburst. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't take it out on you," he apologized.

Maika just shook her head. "I'm not doing a good job. Milena was right, I should've known it was better for you to stay here and rest."

"I doubt I would've reacted any differently to two strangers touching me, rested or not."

The worst part was how casual they had been about it, like it was natural for them to take whatever they wanted from him.

"But you were already on edge."

"I hardly know how it feels to be at ease anymore," Gakupo confessed. "Every day I wake up with a knot in my stomach, and my jaw hurts because I grind my teeth so much. I'm a mess, Maika."

"No, you're not," she said resolutely and hugged him. "You'll feel better in no time."

It still felt odd for Maika to show so much devotion for someone she barely knew. But it was getting easier and easier to just accept her touch, so Gakupo laid his head on her shoulder with a sigh. He took in the smell of flowers emanating from her hair and closed his eyes. I wish I could believe you, I really do.