Title: Insights {A Guardians Guild x Mythica Guild crossover)
Summary: Lynus receives a surprise visit from a fellow medic and her brother, who of which happens to be suffering from a curse. A curse they would like information on. Information only Lynus could provide for them. But will he have good news? Or bad news?
AN: This is a oneshot with my Lynus interacting with treeofsalvation characters Althea and Jonah. We've been finessing this one for a couple of days and probably would have been done sooner if it weren't for migraines and stress. Please be sure to check out treeofsalvation's lovely characters and fanfics to truly know/appreciate what is going on in this fic. It's doesn't impact too much on the CtS universe, so it's not necessarily AU, and it's a lovely fic that has the potential to occur in the CtS world. This was incredibly cute to write (also turned out longer than expected lol) as Jonah and Althea fit in well with Lynus' personality, and I am somewhat fairly confident that Jonah and Althea are true to their characters.
Lynus was at his desk in his room flipping through one of his many encyclopaedias of magical and medical herbs when he heard a soft knock at his door. He instinctively lifted his head up and glanced in the door's direction, a little surprised. The knock was timid, almost hesitant.
Setting his book aside, Lynus focused his senses on who could be on the other side. One he recognised immediately, the other was new to him. The first aura belonged to a young, up-and-coming medic, one he had taken under his wing to train himself. The other he did not know, and yet there was a sense of...familiarity. Perhaps not towards him, exactly, but toward his companion. He could feel his protectiveness. And it was...reassuring.
And yet...there was something else. Something far darker hidden in his aura. Part of him, but not of him. If that made any sense.
Lynus shook his head as he pushed himself to his feet and made his way over to open the door. He smiled warmly at his fellow orange-haired medic, Althea, and couldn't help but feel a mild sense of amusement at her redheaded companion.
Althea looked much like him in appearance, though she was shorter and her hair was a slightly lighter shade of orange. But she held the same violet eyes. And others, especially when they see the two of them together, would comment that they look so alike they had to be twins. Or at least siblings.
But, in all honestly, they weren't related. And, though somewhat sadly, there was no possibility that they were long lost siblings.
Still, it did not matter. Lynus saw Althea as a little sister anyway. And he was fairly certain that all those who knew her well saw her the same way. She was...precious, after all.
Althea often volunteered at the hospital, but under supervision. Not because she was reckless or anything to that degree. Not at all. She was gentle and timid, and greatly afraid of conflict and other women. Though Lynus did not know the reason for her fears, he knew that they were very troubling for her. She didn't want to be afraid. She didn't want to be timid. But her fears were so strong that they were holding her back.
And they were also holding back her voice.
The poor thing was unable to talk. And it was due entirely from trauma. Though Lynus did not know to specifics, he knew that she had suffered greatly when she was young. He could see the scars - mental, physical, and spiritual - in her aura.
So, whenever she wanted to volunteer, she did so when either Dr Stiles was doing rounds for that day, or Lynus himself was. And her grandfather was the one to walk her to and from each shift. She was too meek and nervous around other medics.
It honestly made him feel humbled and honoured that she was comfortable around him. That he was the first person she would scurry to whenever she was at the hospital. And that he was the one person she would hide behind should he ever get anxious or afraid.
She had great potential to be an extraordinary healer. But, once more, her fears were holding her back. It...couldn't really be helped. And getting frustrated or angry with her (not that Lynus would or could) wouldn't help in the slightest. She would overcome her fears in her own time, with the reassurance and protection of her family and guild.
Althea's companion, however, was someone new to him. And, to be completely honest, he looked like a miniature version of Axel. Messy red hair, bluish-green eyes, and tanned skin. He was a fraction taller than Lynus was, but definitely shorter than Axel. And not as muscular.
However, it wasn't his height or similar appearance to Axel that had caught Lynus' attention. It was his left eye. He had it pinched shut, something that felt was due to habit and yet the habit was formed for a certain reason. And it was his eye, right behind it, where the nerves sent pulses of information to his brain, was the dark spot. Small, but potent. Very potent.
It was a curse. A powerful one at that.
Lynus managed to maintain his smile when his two guests turned away from each other to look at him. Althea smiled bashfully and waved her hand in greeting, while her companion furrowed his brow as though slightly stunned.
"You really do look alike," he mumbled in such a manner it gave the indication that he didn't actually mean to say those words aloud.
"Hm, we get that a lot, don't we, Althea?" Lynus said, which earned him a smile from Althea and a slight squeak from Jonah, signalling that he indeed did not mean to talk aloud.
"Sorry," the redheaded landsknecht said with a light dusting of red to his cheeks. "I talk aloud sometimes."
"It's fine," Lynus immediately replied. "You must be Althea's guildmate, yes? What's your name and how can I help the two of you today?"
The young man glanced over at Althea almost nervously as the younger medic nodded reassuringly at him as she made a 'go on' motion with her hand. He then nodded back at her before squaring his shoulders slightly.
"My name is Jonah," he introduced as he fidgeted with the hem of his untuck shirt. "And I, we, want to, um ask for your advice on something…"
Lynus had the gut feeling he knew what they wanted to ask him. Thought he wasn't a hundred percent certain, he had the strong intuition that they wanted to ask him for advice for the dark spot behind Jonah's right eye. It wouldn't be surprising, honestly; Lynus was becoming (unfortunately) popular for his innate ability to find and remove painful dark spots from his patients.
"Of course," Lynus said gently as he motioned for the two to walk into his room as they really shouldn't and couldn't converse comfortably out in the hallway. Though, out of habit, he left the door slightly ajar after they stepped through.
"Axel isn't here at the moment, so we can talk freely if you like," Lynus said as he sat down at his chair while the two chose to stand a foot or so in front of him.
Jonah, however, perked his head up. "Wait, Axel? The Axel?" he asked with a sense of awe in his voice. "He stays here?"
Lynus smiled from both amusement and friendliness as he tilted his head to the side. "Hmm? Oh, you know Axel?"
Once more a dusting of red appeared on the bridge of his nose and he nodded his head while Althea giggled ever so softly next to him. "Y-yeah, everyone knows of him. T-they say he's the strongest landsknecht in High Lagaard."
"He's also a skilled and valued member of the Guardians," Lynus said before he smiled warmly with a glint of mirth in his eyes. "He's also quite adept at settling bar fights."
That seemed to both amuse and impress Jonah.
"I'll be happy to introduce you," Lynus added, which Jonah promptly nodded his head to. "But until he returns, why don't we talk about what brings you here to me today."
Jonah instantly looked nervous again and glanced over at Althea before he sighed rather shakily and turned back toward Lynus. "It's…my left eye. There's something…cursing it," he admitted before quickly clamping his mouth shut, seemingly waiting for a reaction.
Lynus, however, probably didn't react in the way he was expecting. "Ah, I see," he said simply, calmly, as he took to his feet once more in front of an obviously startled Jonah. "I will need to have a look at your eye. Do you mind?"
But Jonah took a slight step back. He proceeded to fidgeted as he shuffled nervously on his feet. "I...know things," he said as he refused to look Lynus in the eyes. "I mean, factual information. About objects. And people. P-probably things they don't want me to know."
Oh? That was something similar to Lynus' own ability to read auras. Fascinating.
Lynus tilted his head out of curiosity. "You mean information like weight, height, and ailments?"
"Yes to the first two," Jonah replied with a jerky shrug of his shoulder. "But not statuses. I mean, not completely. I know if someone or something is poisoned, but not how or why, or where. Just...facts."
There was a pause in Jonah's words, but Lynus felt it wasn't from reluctance to admit anything more to him. He just couldn't find the right words. He was unsure of how to describe it. He didn't know what to describe. He didn't know what was wrong with his eye. He accepted that something was indeed cursing his eye; he just didn't know anything more than that.
And from the slow, unfairly guilty nod from Althea, he wasn't the only one who was left without answers.
"I see," Lynus said in understanding, though did not move to take a step back. Instead he reached out to place a gentle and reassuring hand on Jonah's shoulder. "Well, Jonah, I just want you to know that I understand your reluctance to open your eye. I have the ability to read auras, and I, too, often learn information and facts about others that they either wanted to keep hidden or don't necessarily know about themselves."
Jonah snapped his head up to look at Lynus in surprise, though his kept his left eye pinched shut. He opened his mouth but nothing came out at first. He appeared both stunned and yet…relieved. Lynus was certain that he had kept his insecurities about his abilities granted to him by his curse, but it was fairly obvious that he thought himself to be alone in his plight. That no one else truly understood what he was going through.
So to find someone else with a similar trait was reassuring.
"And I know finding information about someone can be daunting," Lynus continued as gave Jonah's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "But if you focus in on me, the factual information you'll learn about me at present is information I'm already aware of. No hidden little secrets here."
To lighten the mood somewhat, Lynus gave him a playfully stern, motherly look. "Mention my weight to anyone, though, and I will be incredibly disappointed."
The corner of Jonah's mouth twitched in a half smile and he gave a slight nod of his head. The smile soon slipped from his lips, though, and he glanced down at the floor before tilting his head to peek at Althea. They seemed to share a silent conversation with their eyes before, finally, Jonah turned his attention back to Lynus and nodded his head firmly.
He was willing to give this a try.
Lynus gave him a warm smile and gave Jonah's shoulder another squeeze before he dropped his arm to his side.
"Open your eye when you're ready and comfortable," Lynus instructed. "I won't do anything at first. I'll just stand here. If you think it would help, I can give you something to hold. A medicine bottle, perhaps. Maybe you could list off the ingredients?"
Jonah pressed his lips together in thought. "I've honestly never tried to read a medicine bottle before," he admitted. "It…sounds plausible, though. And…useful?"
"Hm, very useful," Lynus quickly agreed. "But don't push yourself. But let's try without the medicine bottle for the start. Let's see how much my aura and presence may affect you."
Jonah nodded his head again before drawing in a deep breath through his nose. He held his breath for a moment before slowly, somewhat shakily releasing it. And then…
He slowly peeled open his left eye.
And as his did so, his eye immediately flickered toward Lynus, slowly focusing in on him. And unexpectedly, Jonah drew in a sharp intake of air. He didn't snap his eye shut, though, and though Lynus could sense nervousness in Jonah's aura, he didn't sense any pain or discomfort.
Jonah furrowed his brow as he stared unblinkingly at Lynus. Almost as if he couldn't quite comprehend what he was seeing. Or perhaps learning.
It was a little unnerving, but at least Lynus now understood how his patients felt when he gave them the once over!
"You're…different," Jonah mumbled as he kept both eyes trained on Lynus. He didn't appear to be in any distress, but he did feel confused. Or perhaps puzzled was a better word. "Your presence is far stronger than any I've encountered before, but…not overwhelming."
"It's most likely due to the fact that I'm a healer," Lynus answered with a smile. "My aura is meant to sooth and comfort. Not overwhelm. Will it be alright for me to inspect your eye now?"
"Yeah," Jonah surprisingly replied without hesitation.
In fact, now that Jonah had peeled open his left eye; he was far more comfortable and relaxed with the situation. Had he found Lynus' aura soothing in some what?
Deciding to push that thought aside, Lynus lifted his hand and placed his fingertips on Jonah's left temple.
It took all he had in him not to immediately pull his hand back in shock the second his fingertips brushed against the skin.
His left eye was curse. Cursed by someone else. Someone who wanted the skills and abilities that the dark spell offered, but did not want to deal with the side effects. So they forced it upon someone else. Someone they thought they could control and manipulate. Someone they were fine with suffering in their place.
It was…the intention of the curse upon Jonah was that of sheer selfishness and violence. They did not care for Jonah, nor where they concerned that he was suffering. They certainly didn't care that he didn't want anything to do with the curse, or the one who had placed it upon him.
And…he got all that information with a single touch.
That was…disturbing.
Lynus nibbled on his bottom lip thoughtfully as he pulled his hand back. There was...a possibility that he could remove the curse. Despite not knowing who cast the curse or where the sentential being was that created it, there could be a way to remove it without causing too much of a backlash. And yet...that curse was also holding something back. A memory. A dark one. A painful one. Perhaps many painful memories.
It might...do more damage to Jonah's psyche if he removed it without first ensuring a more...controlled method of revealing the memories. To have them all rush out at once might destroy him mentally.
And Lynus just couldn't allow himself to be responsible for someone else's pain.
He just couldn't.
But...what should he tell them? He couldn't hide it from them, though. He was and has never been a good liar. Even in the best interest of others.
"I did find out some information," Lynus admitted, which caused Jonah and Althea to perk up in interest. However, they deflated slightly when Lynus shook his head slowly. "But I'm not sure it's what you want or need."
With a sigh, Lynus told them of the information he had learnt. About how he could potentially remove the curse from Jonah, freeing him of it, but to do so now or in the near future without further study might result in Jonah regaining his memories while simultaneously losing his mind.
After he was finished, Althea looked nervously over at Jonah while Jonah stared at the floor in front of him silently. His left eye was pinched shut again as his hands curled into fists by his sides.
"I want to keep it," Jonah unexpectedly said as he lifted his head up. "I mean, it's like useful, you know? If I can get the smallest bit of information, if I can give my guild the slightest advantage, I want to."
A part of Lynus wasn't thrilled with this. The curse was laid upon him by the greed of another. The intention of the curse bearer just wanted to use Jonah as a tool. The spell, the curse, wasn't in Jonah's best interests. So there could be future complications. It could start to affect his health, his mental state. His very spirit.
Still, for the time being, that was their best course of action. He would continue to research this curse, though. For Jonah and Althea's peace of mind. For the peace of mind for his guild and family.
"You're conducting consultations in our room now?" Came Axel's voice with a hint of amusement.
Both Althea and Jonah jumped slightly, startled by Axel's appearance and spun around to find him lounging casually in the doorway. He, however, soon arched an eyebrow when he gaze fell upon Jonah. And, somewhat unexpectedly, Jonah flushed lightly and dropped his gaze to the floor.
"Axel, don't startle our guests," Lynus chided but with not bite to his words. "Anyway, this is Althea and Jonah. They are members of the Mythica Guild. Althea volunteers with me at the hospital and Jonah is her brother. He is also training to be a landsknecht."
"Oh yeah?" Axel said as he pushed away from the door frame and stepped into the room. He stepped in front of Jonah and leaned forward to try to catch his gaze, but Jonah kept his head down as he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.
A little confused by Jonah's reaction, Axel glanced over at Lynus and gave him a questioning look. Lynus folded his arms lightly over his torso as he mouthed the words 'a fan' to him. And that caused Axel to look bemused and amused.
"I see," Axel said as he placed his hand atop of Jonah's head and tilted his head back so that Jonah had to look up at him. "Which is your preferred weapon? Sword or axe?"
"S-sword," Jonah stuttered in response as he stared wide-eyed up at Axel who had to be a good foot taller than him.
"Ah, I know a few swords skills," Axel said with a half-smile as he peered back at him through one eye. "I could give you a tip or two, if you want."
"R-really?!" Jonah responded, his expression and posture cutely excited.
The grin on Axel's grew more sincere as he looped an arm around Jonah's neck and pulled the shorter man toward him, earning himself an even deeper blush from the other landsknecht. "But are you looking for battle experience or bar fighting experience?" he asked with a teasing tone.
"Axel, be good," Lynus chided with a click of his tongue.
Axel shot him a cheeky grin as he ruffled Jonah's hair, the other redheaded landsknecht all but beaming under his, well, idol's touch.
Lynus rolled his eyes before he glanced over at Althea, find the orange-haired medic watching Axel and Jonah carefully. She had a small smile on her lips, and yet there was a small sense of trepidation in her eyes. She was worried. Not about Axel. No, she was worried for Jonah.
It was no surprise, really. The information Lynus had discovered was unsettling, to say the least.
"Don't worry," he said to her softly as she looked up at him. "He will be fine. We'll work something out for him. We'll do whatever we can to help him."
Relieved, Althea nodded her head.
