Chapter 4

When the Wizard arrived at the clinic, it was quite a bit more crowded than it had previously been. It seemed as though the entire town had come to find out what was going on; in fact, after a quick head count, only a few villagers were absent.

"Wizard! What happened?! Jin won't let us see Hikari!" Luna was in Gale's face within moments, Candace trailing behind her petite sister.

"Wizard, Hamilton told me she's in a coma. Is that true?" Colleen stepped next to the siblings.

"My father wouldn't say something like that without some form of proof." Gill moved beside Colleen, ignoring the Wizard.

Gale was practically backed against the door by an ever-growing line of questioners and conspirators.

"Hikari's tough, what coulda done her in like that?" Luke.

"Let's not jump to any conclusions. She could just be sick." Owen.

Gale's mind could not process this amount of information in the state it was in, and all he could really focus on was that his children and wife were somewhere in the loud mess in front of him. He did not have time for this.

"That's enough, all of you," Jin's voice carried over their questions and startled the crowd. "This is a place of healing, not gossiping. Everyone except the Wizard and Hamilton need to wait outside—NOW."

At first everyone was silent, followed by many walking outside without arguing, and then only a handful remained. Candace, Renee, Luna, Shelly and Ruth.

"Ladies, was there some part of my explanation that was lacking in clarity?" Jin hissed as he adjusted his glasses.

Shelly smiled meekly at the doctor. "Not at all, Jin. However, I sense that this situation is going to need a little more involvement from the community."

Jin went to open his mouth, but Gale uncharacteristically interrupted, "Yes, Miss Shelly, that's correct."

The group turned the look at the man, confused that he'd even spoken at all. Generally, Hikari was the one to politely converse with the townspeople, their children filling in gaps when she was unable, but the Wizard rarely addressed anyone.

He took a deep breath before continuing, trying to quell the pain for another moment. "As much as I don't wish to burden you... I'm going to need to request your assistance."

Jin stared at Gale for a moment, deciding on how to best continue the conversation for him. "That's true. The animals and farm will need tending to while you're away—"

"You're leaving while your wife is like this?" Luna snapped, moving towards the Wizard, but was quickly held back by Candace.

Shelly held a hand up towards Luna. "Enough, child. Let them speak." The usually gentle woman had a small fire in her that Gale had never noticed.

Jin cleared his throat and turned towards her mother-in-law. "Ruth, you know that's what needs to be done, correct? That's why you stayed behind, I presume."

Ruth nodded. "I wasn't sure, but it looks like my gut was right. I'll make sure Craig and I look after the crops."

"We'll look after the animals, Wizard. The farm won't have to cross your mind," Renee offered, smiling reassuringly at Gale. He greatly preferred Hikari's more muted friends.

However, all Gale wanted to do was get the trivial parts out of the way and rejoin his family. "Thank you Miss Ruth, Renee, I'm certain my wife will greatly appreciate—"

"How about an explanation as to why your wife is even in the state she is, huh?" The pigtailed young woman crossed her arms and continued to glare at Gale.

Her voice was grating, but Gale knew he needed the villagers with him, not against him in this. "We're not sure why Hikari has fallen ill this way, but I need to leave to find a way to cure her."

Luna looked unconvinced. "So, you have to leave and find some medicine? Something Jin here can't order? I don't buy it."

Gale made an effort to keep his voice calm, and found it had been much easier when the town was wary of him. "Jin doesn't have the equipment to perform the necessary tests, and the medicine he needs isn't something that can be obtained with a simple order." How much more information would Hikari's friends need to satiate their curiosity? Why were humans so nosey?

Candace finally spoke up before her sister could. "I see. Well, thank you, Wizard. We'll make sure that the children and farm are looked after." Her composed voice was welcomed by Gale's senses.

Luna looked like she had far more on her mind, but Candace nudged her out the door, Ruth and Renee following behind them.

"I'll get Hamilton," Jin stated, walking into the private room behind the desk and leaving the elderly woman and even older Wizard alone.

His body was compelling him to sit and reign in his thoughts and feelings—maybe even allow his body a moment to cope with the agonizing pain still coursing through his every limb, but his more baser instincts were crying out for him to save Hikari. All Gale could do now was hope that the magic propelling his movements held out long enough for him to research how to stabilize the connection between the couple.

"Wizard, have you spoken with the Goddess?"

He hadn't expected her question, but it didn't surprise him that she was aware of Her existence. "She's recovering at the moment, but yes, She's aware of what's happening."

Shelly nodded. "I can only imagine how you must be feeling... I wish there was something more we could do to ease that worry."

Gale shook his head. "You're all taking an immense burden off my shoulders. Thank you. The children and Hikari are my first priorities, and leaving them will be... difficult, to say the least."

"Whoever is responsible for this won't be able to escape you, that I am sure of," Shelly encouraged, shuffling over to the disheartened man and taking one of his hands in her own.

The Wizard smiled down at her. "I truly hope so."

"There is no greater threat than a person wielding conviction, my dear," the older woman laughed softly and released his hand. "But you shouldn't take advice from someone who is your junior."

His eyes widened for a moment, but relaxed quickly. It seemed appropriate for her to have a better grasp than the younger generation, and maybe some small part of her still remembered his arrival. "No, thank you again, Miss Shelly. Those words mean a great deal."

As the two separated, Hamilton, Irene, Jin and Anissa rejoined them.

The mayor had a solemn look. "Wizard, Jin and Irene have explained what they could. We'll take care of everything here, just focus on your wife."

Jin kept his eyes on the Wizard. "We'll give you and your family some privacy. Meet us outside when you're ready."

The wielder nodded and started to head towards his family, not affording another second for the people around him. How had everyone found out so quickly? It was akin to a miracle that he was able to keep an even temperament during the fiasco.

He carefully turned the knob, not wanting to startle his no doubt on-edge children, and was met with Evelynn latching onto his leg.

"Papa! You weren't here when I woke up!" She was in tears again, trying to climb up his pants and into his arms.

"Evelynn, I'm sorry," he apologized, scooping her up and holding her close.

How was he going to be able to leave these two, tiny creations that Hikari and he had made together?

"Dad, are you leaving soon?" Orion asked, still in the same seat he'd been in earlier.

Gale nodded. "Yes... I'll be leaving in a few minutes."

Evelynn pulled back and gaped at him. "What!? Papa, why!?"

His son answered angrily, "Because he has to save Mom, Lynn! No one else can do it so it's gotta be Dad!"

"Orion, that's enough," Gale said sternly, not wanting to scold Orion, but knew that he couldn't have the siblings arguing right now. Orion looked back at his mother momentarily, clearly flustered that he'd lost his temper.

Gale was aware he needed to pacify both of them. "Evelynn, I have to go somewhere to wake Mama up."

The young girl's face was flushed with tears. "Will you leave us too?"

His heart was falling to pieces watching his children suffering like this. "That's what I need to speak with you about." Gale motioned for Orion to join him and Evelynn in the middle of the room.

The Wizard knelt down to Orion's level and situated Evelynn on his knee before opening his bag. Within moments he pulled out a thin, crystal necklace and held it in his palm.

"I do need to leave, but you'll still be able to speak with me. All you have to do"—he placed the necklace in Orion's hands—"is think of me and I'll be able to talk with the two of you. I may not always be able to answer immediately, but I'll do my best to respond as quickly as I can."

His son turned the piece of jewelry over and over in his hand, looking at it while doing so. "So, I just think about you and you can hear me?"

Gale nodded. "Try."

Evelynn watched intensely as Orion clutched the crystal and stared at their father wordlessly.

Suddenly, Gale's voice echoed through their minds. And this is how I will be able to talk with you.

The siblings gasped and looked around them, then back at their father.

"D-Dad?" Orion asked, still stunned.

The Wizard nodded once more and took the necklace out of the boy's hands, slipping it over Orion's neck and tucking it in his shirt. "The connection can only be maintained for short periods of time. I will do my best to speak with you both every day, but there may be times when I'm unable. Please don't worry, I will come back to the two of you and your mother safely."

With one arm he pulled Evelynn against him and the other locked around his son. They felt so fragile in his hold, and he wondered how much of his mind he was going to lose being away from them. Before, when it had only been Hikari in his life it had been hard enough; now, his son and daughter were about to be entrusted to people he barely knew while Gale was thousands of miles away from them. He'd only have his faith that the Goddess would protect them.

As if sensing his weakness, Evelynn rubbed her cheek to his. "We'll be good, I promise. Papa, I believe in you," his daughter whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek. "You'll save Mama."

Gale had only been moved to tears a handful of times in his life, but hearing his daughter's brave words broke through the stoic façade he was trying to maintain and the Wizard felt his eyes begin to burn and the world go blurry. Gale grit his teeth and wrapped them up in a tighter embrace, now wondering if it was his children he was depending on and not the other way around. He was careful not to let them see his silent tears, but a sob that was stuck in his throat was threatening to escape.

"Dad... come home soon," Orion pleaded, his tiny fingers grasping Gale's shirt. "I'll take care of Lynn and Mom. I'll make sure we don't trouble anyone and I'll... I'll..." he trailed off, but the wielder understood his son's point.

"I will," Gale replied with the words he was able to safely say, and composed himself. "I'm very proud of the two of you, and... I love you very much." He rarely vocalized his love, but hearing his words seemed to relieve some of the tension his children felt.

They relaxed in his arms and both replied, "I love you too."

The Wizard released his children and looked between them, having used the brief second of separation to discreetly wipe a sleeve against his cheeks. "I'll meet you outside, I'd like a moment with your mother."

Orion took Evelynn's hand and nodded. "Okay, we'll be in the waiting room." He knew that Gale needed his final moment, and once again, the Wizard was thankful for his son's insight.

He watched as the children left the room and close the door behind themselves.

He was finally alone with his wife.

"Hikari..." His words were as quiet as they had been when he'd first met the woman in front of him, now with tubes and wires sprouting from every angle. Jin had added even more.

Gale wanted to hold her, kiss her or even touch her at all, but he knew the repercussions for those actions. More pain on his part was bearable, but inflicting that on Hikari was out of the question. He simply settled for standing beside her and allowing his eyes to drift over her deathly pale form. How was he going to leave her here? His children? His entire life was in Castanet and he was about to sail in the opposite direction of it.

"I'm not certain if you can hear my voice, or sense my presence, but I promise I will find you and return you to us," he whispered through fresh tears, the empty room finally allowing the situation to hit him full force. There was no need to censor himself in the company of his wife. "Hikari, please just remain as strong as I know you are capable of being... You are certainly stronger than I." He leaned over and hovered his lips above her forehead, close but never meeting. "Me paenitet, mea carissima. I'll be with you soon."

This was the conclusive moment, the only time that he'd have with her, and he tried to tune out the world and focus on the weak beat of her heart. He closed his eyes and felt the synch of their connection, knowing that the distance wouldn't hinder the feeling, just the security that he'd been graced with. The security that she was always within arm's reach for him to protect.

...

But then again... he'd been the one to fail her.

"I won't allow that to happen again," Gale swore, fury blooming in his chest at the thought of the man who could have done this.

He pulled back and took one final look at his wife, eyes scanning over every inch in an attempt to commit to memory the woman he'd already memorized, whose soul was as familiar to him as though he'd known her all of the centuries he'd experienced since his creation. This separation was only physical, the bond they shared was invulnerable.

Gale repeated his old promise in a low voice, "I shall be by your side, always. Faithfully."

After the Wizard had stepped out into the adjacent room and taken both children by their hands, he walked outside to see what looked like a festival judging by the amount of people present at the docks.

Orion tugged on his father's hand. "I don't like this."

Gale shook his head. "They're trying to be hospitable. Your mother is very important to the people of this town... As are the two of you." However, the Wizard had to agree with his son to some degree, it felt more like the villagers were treating it as a spectacle.

His daughter had another viewpoint. "I think they're scared, Papa."

"Perhaps that's also true," the father agreed.

It made sense that they'd feel fear. Besides the bells, which most still didn't understand, Castanet had been void of troubles. Now, their star inhabitant was laid up in a bed, immobile and Gale was without answers. Humans were finicky and only seemed to focus on the now, not the what-if. Then again, Gale had also grown too comfortable, but that might have been due to how deeply he'd rooted himself in their society.

His son put a hand up to shield his eyes from the setting sun. "Are they looking at something, Dad?"

"Hmm, it seems to be that way." Gale picked Evelynn up and continued to hold Orion's hand as they approached the crowd.

The Wizard cautiously maneuvered through the mass of villagers, not wanting anyone to panic and trample his children. The townspeople seemed riled up.

Yolanda's scratchy voice was easy to distinguish amongst the whispers. "What's that thing doing out here?"

'Thing'?

As he finally broke free from the swarm, he saw the cause of the commotion.

"It's about time, idiot. An hour, remember?"

It was his mostly willing, to-be travel companion. The very sight of her made him want to take everything back and do it himself.

Evelynn perked up at the sound of her voice. "Witch Princess!"

Gale didn't even try to fight this battle and carefully set his daughter on the ground. There was something about the abhorrent Witch that Evelynn was enamored with.

The normally sarcastic Vivi was, as usual, unable to hide her own adoration for Hikari and Gale's children. "Lynn!" The Witch scooped up the young girl as she ran into her arms. "My darling, little Lynn, are you going to let me steal you away from your mean, old Papa, finally? You'd have waaay more fun with me!

Evelynn laughed melodically and shook her head. "Nooo, I love Mama and Papa! But you can live with us!"

Gale grimaced, an expression Orion seemed to match.

Vivi stuck her tongue out at the girl. "Nah, your Papa and I would fight every day. You know, I'm glad you two are so much more like your Mama. Your Papa is a big dummy." She kissed Evelynn on the forehead and snickered.

The young girl puffed up her cheeks and pouted. "Papa isn't a dummy. He's gonna save Mama."

"Only because I'm tagging along," Vivi added, winking at her biggest fan. Evelynn instantly melted back into the hug.

Orion turned to his father. "I don't like that woman."

He should have scolded his son, but he never seemed to be able when it came to Vivi. "Trust your instincts."

As if the interaction between the Witch and Evelynn had soothed the townspeople's doubts, Gale began to be approached by several of them, many offering up food and well wishes. He knew he should have felt grateful, but it all seemed too surreal.

Jin interrupted the barrage of gifts (that Gale was continuing to politely refuse), and cleared his throat. "The Wizard needs to be off before it grows too dark." It was a feigned attempt to give a reason for their immediate departure; after all, Pascal could sail through any weather or condition... with the exception of an absent lighthouse.

Vivi squeezed Evelynn tighter. "Nooo, I don't want to let this adorable angel go." Gale's daughter giggled in response and returned the embrace.

Orion's tolerance had run its course. "Evelynn, Dad and Witch need to leave. Come on."

The Witch's lips curled up deviously. "Orion, have you thought about my proposal? I don't mind waiting." She finished with another wink.

The boy ducked behind his father's legs, courage leaving him. "No, I'm not marrying you."

She cackled and set Evelynn down. "Fine. I'll ask again later."

Gale frowned. "Witch, we need to be off. Stop antagonizing my children." His centuries' worth of patience never seemed to apply to her.

"Whatever, only because I'm ready to have Hikari back. You're intolerable without her," she scoffed, and ruffled Evelynn's hair. "While your Papa and I are gone, you can be as mischievous as you want!"

The Wizard glared and answered in a threatening voice, "Witch, enough."

He was usually reserved—and that was putting it mildly—in front of the villagers, but Vivi always seemed to find a way to press all of his buttons. It also didn't help that Hikari's connection was still consistently torturing his every sense and draining his already limited tolerance of the woman.

Jin had witnessed their quarreling a handful of times and appeared unfazed as he, once again, tried to disband the crowd. "Everyone, please go back to what you were doing. The Wizard will return soon enough with answers."

Most finally agreed to the request, and only a few remained once again.

Renee. "Please be safe. We'll tend to everything here."

Candace. "Be safe, Wizard."

Shelly. "The children will be fine with us and the Goddess, you needn't worry over them. Return safely."

And finally, Luna. "You better fix her—and quick, buddy... and you can't do that unless you take care of yourself... so don't mess this up."

Gale smiled weakly. "Thank you—all of you. We'll return as quickly as we are capable."

Jin pulled a small bag from his pocket and gave it to the Wizard. "Here are a few medicinal items. I don't know how they'd help you specifically, but you might find some use for them in your travels."

The Wizard nodded and accepted. "Thank you, Jin. I'll take care not to waste them." The next part was genuine, but somehow hurt the most. "And... thank you, for keeping Hikari well while I'm away. There's no one else I'd trust her with but you."

There was an unreadable expression on the doctor's face, one that Gale had only seen a few times. "Of course, I do what I can for all of my patients."

Gale met Jin's eyes. They betrayed the doctor's professional words.

"Of course, Doctor."

There was little time left before they needed to board and Gale used the remainder for his children.

Evelynn threw her arms around his neck the moment Gale knelt down. "Papa, we'll be good and you won't have to worry! I'll listen to Miss Anissa and do all my school work!"

The innocence of her words made it even harder to believe that the father really was leaving his children behind. "I know you will, Evelynn. Remember, you can always call for me," he whispered to his daughter and kissed the top of head, lingering for an extra second to remember this moment.

Orion stepped shyly to Gale's side, anxious with being affectionate in the presence of so many. "I'll do the same, and... I'll try to keep calm. I won't let 'it' get out of control, promise."

"I trust you, Orion. All you need to do is focus... Just like we practiced." Gale smiled proudly at Orion, but also felt guilty that he'd placed such a large burden on his all too young son. "Remember the necklace. I'm never too far."

The boy nodded and looked around nervously before quickly hugging his father. He started to pull back, but paused and held Gale even tighter. The Wizard couldn't recall a time when he'd held his children this much.

"I'll be home as soon as I am able."

Evelynn and Orion both hid their faces in Gale's neck, nodding as they did so.

After another few minutes of silence, Pascal finally walked up to the group. "Wizard, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we really should get going."

Gale released his children, a hand on one shoulder each and stared at them one final time.

"Idiot. We gotta go," the Witch growled.

He simply nodded and stood up slowly, eyes following Orion's and Evelynn's as he did so. He could tell they were putting up the most courage they could muster. Anissa stepped forward from the group and stood behind the children.

"Wizard, we'll tend to everything here. Be safe," she reassured one final time.

All the wielder could do was give a slight nod of appreciation and acknowledgment before turning back to his children. The father never broke his line of sight from the two even when he moved to Pascal's boat, or when the ramp was withdrawn and the object that would take him from his wife and children began to move. As the Witch and Wizard moved away from port, Orion and Evelynn scrambled to the end of dock and waved with the energy only a child could muster. Gale gave a reserved wave and instead opted to speak through the gifted crystal.

Be strong. I love you both.

Author notes:

Latin - Me paenitet, mea carissima – I'm sorry, my dear.