Here's an early release to make up for all the time you had to wait between chapters 4 and 5. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 6
Contigo was a large town and it took the adepts half a day to obtain all the supplies they needed and gather information on Felix's Party. They were extremely close now. Tomorrow would be the day.
One way or another this is going to end tomorrow, Mia thought. Her delicate hands were busy separating the supplies they had just bought into piles for the three boys and herself. Let's see…each of us could use a Psy Crystal and a potion just in case…
Her thoughts were interrupted by Isaac who spoke to her. "I'm stepping out for a minute Mia."
Mia turned to regard him and watched him move towards the door, picking up his Gaia Blade as he stepped outside. "Don't stay out there too long! You need your rest before tomorrow too," Mia reminded him.
Isaac acknowledged her with a wave of his hand as he stepped outside their room in the inn. Mia stared at the doorway for a minute before turning back to her work. Something's definitely bothering him. I'll have to bring it up when he comes back in. She made a mental note to talk to Isaac when he returned.
Isaac walked down the hall of the inn and stepped outside into the cloudy night. A white speck landed on his hand as he gripped his sword. Isaac looked up. Snow? Is it…snowing? Sure enough, flecks of pure white snow were falling out of the sky and coating the ground in a fine powder. Isaac shrugged and began to walk in the direction of the trees, his footfalls making crunching sounds in the fresh snow.
Upon reaching his destination, Isaac finally allowed his emotions to surface. He dropped the Gaia Blade into the snow and lashed out at the nearest tree with his fist, drawing blood. "Why am I so weak!?" He yelled to the forest. Small drops of blood dripped from his clenched fist, staining the purity of the snow beneath him. Isaac seemed not to care as he sank to his knees and stared at the ground. Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why do I have to feel so torn? Isaac pressed his bleeding fist into the snow and stared as the white became red. I'm not allowed to have this happen. I have to be a leader…I need to be stronger than this. I cannot allow these thoughts to distract me from what we have to do. But I know how I feel.
I love Mia.
A single tear ran down his face and fell to the snow as his mind continued to whirl. This is the most painful experience of my life. To know how I feel, but be unable to tell her…I can't stand it.
He brought his hand from the snow up to his eyes to see it still bleeding
I can't tell her. As much as I want to, I have to sit by and watch silently for the sake of the group…for the sake of the quest…for the sake of the world. She cannot know.
Isaac lost his composure completely and let the tears run silently down his face as he agonized over his dilemma. I can't risk telling her and possibly screw something up, Isaac thought, letting out a perverse laugh.
With his uninjured hand, Isaac called upon his psynergy.
...
Back inside the inn Mia had finished organizing supplies for the next day and was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. "What's bothering you Isaac?" she asked the wood above her head. Mia sighed and rolled over to stare at the empty bed next to her. Isaac, you're such an enigma…I can never tell what you're thinking. It's been almost half an hour, what could you possibly still be doing outside? Mia wondered, standing up and walking to the window. She pulled open the shades to reveal a scene of brilliant white. It's snowing? Has Isaac been out there in the snow all this time…? This isn't right.. I'm going to find him.
Mia put on her heavy jacket and grabbed her mace before stepping into the hallway. She half paused outside the door of Garet and Ivan before coming to a decision. It's nothing serious, I can handle it. No need to make them worry for nothing. Stepping outside the inn, Mia took a moment to look around before spotting half covered footprints in the snow. They must be Isaac's tracks. Nobody else is even around here right now. She began to follow the footprints as they led her away from town and towards the woods. What could you possibly be doing out here? Mia wondered as her sense of unease about the situation grew.
Despite the snow coming down, Isaac's footprints were easy to follow. Mia's anxiety increased with each step she took towards Isaac's location. She finally came upon a clearing on the edge of the woods and saw a figure sitting in the snow with spots of red stained into the snow. Recognizing the yellow scarf and blonde hair of the boy she loved, she moved in his direction before stopping short as she recognized the color on the ground and dripping from one of his hands. Is that….blood? Isaac what-
Her thoughts were cut short as Isaac's hand let off a brilliant gold glow. Mia could feel the psynergy coming from Isaac as he called it into his good hand, oblivious to her presence. The psynergy took form in his hand and as Mia watched it changed into a beautiful flower with light blue petals.
Both Isaac and Mia stared at it for a moment before Isaac picked it up in his bleeding hand and crushed it. Mia watched as the broken blue petals fell as if in slow motion from Isaac's hand and dropped onto patch of red snow. She stared at the spot where the broken flower landed as a drop of blood fell onto it and merged with the snow below. She stood shocked, rooted to the spot because her legs seemingly forgot how to function, trying to comprehend what she had just seen.
An audible sob coming from Isaac snapped her out of her trance as she dropped her mace and approached Isaac slowly from behind. Isaac finally heard her footfalls and called out, "How long have you been here Mia?"
Mia stopped a few steps from him. "How did you k-"
"I didn't," Isaac interrupted. "I guessed."
Mia took the last few steps to his side and knelt in the snow next to him. She took his injured hand in her own and watched as the skin repaired itself under her psynergy. "Isaac. How did this happen? What are you doing out here?" She asked him worriedly. Isaac did not answer her questions. A drop of water landed on the back of Mia's hand and she looked at it for a moment before looking at Isaac's face. "Isaac…are you crying?"
Another droplet of water landed on her hand and Isaac looked up slightly, revealing the tear tracks down his face. "It's nothing," he told her.
"Isaac…" Mia began.
"Please don't make this harder than it has to be Mia," Isaac said.
What!? Mia thought, thoroughly confused. Since when has Isaac pushed me away like this? "Isaac…I'm worried about you. You know you can tell me anything that's bothering you."
Isaac smiled despite himself. I can't tell you this… "I'm sorry Mia. Maybe someday…but not now."
Mia sat there for a moment and let her gaze fall back to the crushed flower petals resting in snow stained by Isaac's blood. The sight brought a tear to her eye, but she wiped it away, determined not to cry. Mia stood up and offered a hand to Isaac. "Come on Isaac, you need to come back with me. You can't stay out here in the cold." Isaac met her gaze as he gave her his hand and she helped him to his feet.
"I don't know what you were thinking coming out here all alone like this in this weather Isaac," Mia said. "I was really worried about you…"
"Sorry Mia. I didn't mean to worry you," was Isaac's automatic response.
Mia led him over to where his sword lay in the snow and picked it up for him, before grabbing her mace lying next to it. With her hand still firmly attached to Isaac's she headed back to town and the inn. "You could have gotten sick you know," she told him as they walked.
"I know," Isaac replied.
"You need your energy for tomorrow. I can't believe you'd go running off like that, not to mention what happened to your hand…" Mia said as they reached the door of the inn.
"I punched a tree," Isaac said as Mia helped him inside the inn.
Mia just gave him an incredulous look and sighed. "Seriously?"
Isaac nodded and Mia shook her head. "I was frustrated," he explained. Mia sighed.
They entered their room and Mia put their weapons against the wall before leading Isaac over to his bed. As he lay down, Mia spoke again. "Frustrated or not, don't do anything stupid like punching trees again. All I saw when I arrived was your blood on the snow and it scared me…" Another tear escaped Mia's eye and started down her cheek.
Isaac reached up and wiped it away. "Thanks for coming after me Mia," Isaac said.
Mia allowed a sad smile to surface. "Just don't make me worry like that again…please."
"I won't," Isaac told her.
"I know you said you weren't going to tell me what's wrong, but remember I'm here if you ever need to talk," Mia reminded him.
Isaac returned her smile with one of his own and said, "I know. I promise I'll tell you one day Mia. I don't know when, but I promise I will."
Mia made her way over to her bed and lay down to go to sleep, replaying the scene and Isaac's words in her mind. 'I promise I'll tell you one day…'
When will that day be Isaac?
Footnote: At the time of posting this chapter, I still have no idea how I'm going to end this fanfic. I never plan out my writing, preferring it to instead come straight from my heart and emotions. With that said, I've been playing around with a few different ideas and I think I'm just going to have to let the story evolve as I write it and determine if it'll end in tragedy or happiness. Sorry to be so vague but I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out =)
