I'm super duper sorry that this took so long, but I finally found new inspiration that has helped me finish this chapter. I'm sorry that its short but I PROMISE that next chapter is when the plot finally moves forward. No more healing. No more exorcism. Back into the plot, or rather more on the romantic plot and then we'll get to the EPIC PLOT TWIST (i hope its epic anyway) So, please stick around. The romantic plot will continue next chapter, the lemon is soon (still need to figure out how i'm writing that) and then the plot plot will return full force. So I hope you're all still around when that happens.
For now please enjoy this short chapter. Remember to review if you can, they're very helpful for my motivation.
Whispers in the Dark
Chapter 27
A Race Against Time
A scroll, freshly written and ready to be delivered, lies in the hands of Gisela, her fingers wrapped tightly around it, anxious for the mission to commence as preparations were made. The carriage was hooked up to the horses, and guards were doing their best to find Gunter, who was chosen to carry about this simple order. With each passing second, Gisela tapped her foot, her authoritative voice just inches away from escaping her throat, ready to make demands on Gunter's whereabouts, when the man in question made his way out of the castle doors and rushes down the stairs towards his daughter. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he was a bit out of breath when he reached her side. He was filled with questions, but was silenced when the scroll was shoved into his hands and he was rushed towards the carriages.
"I'll try and brief," Gisela starts, her pace picking up speed. "Lord Von Wincott is needed here, urgently! You are to retrieve him, no matter what he is doing, you bring him here! If he does not come quickly, His Majesty will be at great risk. Please, retrieve him quickly! We are all counting on you!"
Gunter was going to ask more questions, like what was happening with His Majesty, and where exactly the carriage was going to take him, but he was pushed inside and the doors shut behind him. Gisela quickly gave the signal and the carriage began to move, sending Gunter off quickly towards his destination. She watches longingly as her father drifts further and further away, and she begins to pray to Shinou, a habit that has never faded, that he will return in time so that the exorcism can begin without any complications or problems.
For now, however, Gisela returned inside and began to make the last minute preparations for the exorcism. There was still much to be taken care of before it could commence.
It's been hours and yet Jennifer has not moved from the bathroom floor once, her body stuck in the stiff kneeling position in front of the small tub, waiting anxiously for her sons to return from the other world safe and sound. Negative thoughts plague at her mind, the itching and needy pain that bites at her that something was wrong, that her sons were in grave danger and there was nothing that she could do, that she would never see them again.
She even filled the small kiddy pool in the front yard, and left towels and clothes ready on the front porch in case they were to show up there instead.
She just wanted her children to return. It's been almost two days since they left home and went to the other world. Her dreams have been nothing but nightmares, all of her precious Yu-chan, of him hurt, scared, or worse. She would wake up in tears or shaking from the fear, and Shouma would be there to comfort her, rubbing her back and wiping away her tears, giving her tea and telling her small comforting things.
But none of that mattered. She loved Shouma, she really did, but without her sons, his words meant nothing, his actions did little to soothe the ache in her heart. Nothing would satisfy her, comfort her, soothe her more in this time of distress than to see her sons once again.
"Where are you, Yu-chan, Shou-chan?" She says to herself, a sad smile evident across her lips. She lays a gentle hand on the sides of the tub, the water having run cold hours ago, yet she chose not to change it, in fear that if she did, her sons would have no way of returning home. She smiles into the waters, dried tears stained her face. "Come home soon, okay. Momma's getting worried."
She lays her fingers in the cold waters, gliding her fingers back and forth, watching as the water pooled around her, as the surface created rings.
Shouma watches as she does this from the living room, his eyes showered in a downcast of emotions, of sadness and depression, at the sight of his wife, hunched over the family tub, waiting desperately, pleading to every god possible, even the ones out of their world. He wants, more than anything, to help her, to somehow magically bring their sons home, but he knew no real way to do so. He may be a mazoku at heart, but his home was here now, and he had no real way of transporting there without Bob's guidance.
He wasn't like Yuri and the others. He couldn't transport on whim.
So he had to wait in agony, just as his wife does, for their sons to return. He could do nothing.
The palace walls were silent, the only sound came from his shoes clicking down the halls. He keeps his head low, long strands of golden blonde hair block his view of the floor, yet he does not let that stop him, for his mind is racing with possibilities and frustrating questions that the answers seem to never come to. Questions such as the safety for his friend, and the safety of his kingdom, and whether or not he will be ready to face Belar when the time comes, or if he will abandon his friend, once again, for the sake of himself.
Berius could sense the unease of his king, and held out an arm. Saralegui took no notice and walked into him, and was inevitably pushed back a bit. He finally looked up at his uncle, a look of unease on his face, but also a look of apology.
"I'm sorry, Berius. I didn't mean to-" He started but was interrupted by Berius shaking his head.
"There's no reason to apologize, your highness." He turns to face Saralegui completely. "But rather, you should not be so hard on yourself, and the concerns over the Maou of the demon tribes."
"But Berius," Saralegui starts. But something stops him. Deep inside of him, in his chest, he feels a tightening, a strong ache.
"The Maou of Shin Makoku is strong; very strong. And despite your alliance and levels of trust, battles of these stakes are something you should avoid."
"But Berius," Saralegui starts again, but Berius cuts him off once more.
"For the sake of this kingdom and for yourself, as well as your mother, I believe that you should forfeit your place in this conflict. If you become too deeply involved, no doubt Belar will once again set his eyes on you; and perhaps finish the job that he started all those months ago."
Saralegui bites his lip, and by doing so he refuses to respond. Berius' words sunk deep into his heart. The guilt and frustration began to cloud at his mind.
"Yuri." Saralegui whispers, his voice so soft and mellow that it was barely audible, yet Berius heard him loud and clear, and the sound was tragic, as if all hope had been lost in that boy's very soul. "Yuri needs me. It's at this time, especially now, that I cannot abandon him. Not like before, not like last time."
"But, Your Majesty," Berius argues. "If things escalate any further, your life will be at even greater risk."
"So be it then." Saralegui concludes. He continues walking, brushing past Berius, not looking back to see his Uncle's hurt expression. "If it means that Yuri will be safe and Belar is taken down," Saralegui stops and adjusts his spectacles so that they rest comfortably on the bridge of his nose. "I will gladly risk my life. Yuri is important to me, understand that. Please, don't worry so much, Berius."
Saralegui continues to walk on ahead, while Berius stands on his own, contemplating his nephew's words. His own words didn't phase the young king at all. He was still content on working with the Demon King until the very end.
Berius feared that the end would be upon them soon, and not in a way that they were hoping for.
Waiting patiently for Gisela to return, both Wolfram and Yuri sat in silence, the tension heavy in the air as they wait for what feels like days. Both were contemplating what was to happen next; for the moment that Gisela and Lord von Wincott were to enter through those double doors a whole new form of anxiety and stress would find shelter on their shoulders.
Despite being hopeful of Gisela's power, Yuri's shoulders remained stiff. He couldn't help but think of everything that could go wrong.
Not being able to find Lord von Wincott.
The exorcism being a failure and causing even worse complications.
The poison completely takes control of him before it even starts and he does something he would not doubt regret.
So many "what ifs" and "if onlys" but not enough "I believe in them" flowing through his mind. Fear was beginning to overwhelm him, so much so that he feared closing his eyes. He didn't want to open them again and see the madness, the darkness and the chaos that was about to unfold around him.
"You need to calm down." Wolfram speaks up. His voice hinting a bit of worry, but he did his best to hide it. Looking over at his fiance from the corner of his eye, he could see all of the emotion running through his black eyes. He could see his fear in his clenched fists. His worry in the way he bit his lip. Everything. "You're always so optimistic about everything. We look to you for strength. But now, something like this, you've completely shut down."
"What do you want me to do, Wolfram? Do you want me to stand up and shout to the heavens that I don't need this exorcism and that I can go on living without it, that I can just magically heal myself and not have to worry about any of the side effects or consequences that Gisela mentioned? This is serious! If this fails, we could get worse, or we could die." Yuri cautioned him. "Even with Gisela, the best healer in this kingdom, there's no guarantee we'll be fine in the end."
"Life isn't full of guarantees and definite solutions. You of all people should know this after everything you've learned from us. No one is guaranteed to live. And no one is set to die on a certain day. But we all walk and wake with that risk. We leave our homes and towns and families and friends with that risk that something could happen. But that's why we keep going.
After the war, everyone just wants to live their lives as they can. We don't want the constant reminder that the humans could come in and kill us all. We don't to have to send out more warriors to die or come close to it. This isn't like Earth, Yuri; where you can get hurt and get treated quickly. Where you don't have to wake up every morning questioning whether or not today is the day you'll die in battle. Earth is so much different compared to this place. You have to remember that. And here, we have different risks and difficulties. But this, this is one of those things that isn't all that bad. An exorcism can be very simple if done by someone with experience. But it is still a timed matter. So you can't fret on it forever. You're very strong Yuri,the healing magic in you will keep you alive. Mine will do the same. That is why you need to have faith in Gisela and the rest of them."
Yuri listened to Wolfram's words and felt a twinge of guilt rest on his shoulders and a squeeze at his heart.
"I trust you, Wolfram. And I trust Gisela to perform this exorcism to the best of her abilities. However, the stress of the consequences that could come from it weighs heavy on me. I mean, you have to admit that it freaks you out to, the possibility of never waking up, to wake up and find out they couldn't save your Maryoku. Something? Anything!"
"I'm not that selfish to worry about simply my magic or my life. If I lose my magic then I'll adapt. It will hurt to no longer feel that fire but I will adapt. If it means I get to live on with you and Greta then that's fine. If I lose my life, then I will surely watch over you and the rest of my family from the afterlife. Nothing changes. That doesn't mean I want to die though. These are all just things to shield the worry and fear. Of course I want to live and fight with you for many more years, get married and see many more things with you. But I'm also not going to sit around and fear for death that may or may not come."
"But how do you do it? How do you not think about it?" Yuri asks.
"You think I don't think about it? Of course I do! I think about it all the time. I have to! It's what keeps me strong and alive. I think about dying to stay alive, to survive so that I can come home to Greta, to keep you safe. I'm always thinking about the end, but it doesn't mean that I'm prepared or ready for it to happen. I just have learned to accept that it will happen one day. You learn to accept death for what it is, especially when you've died once before."
"Shinou." Yuri mutters. "That's right. He stole your heart once. You died." Yuri looks to Wolfram, a small sad smile on his lips. "But we saved you. We got you back. We didn't rest until we did."
Wolfram smiles. "I'm not surprised. You love me far too much to let me die in such a pathetic way."
Yuri smiles more, his cheeks pink. The word love didn't phase him as it had before, but instead it made him laugh, a small round of chuckles left his lips. "I guess you're right. I couldn't stand the fact that you had died protecting me. I couldn't stand it at all. So I had to do everything I could to get you back."
Wolfram was the one to blush this time, and he lowered his head. A smile spread across his lips. "I'm still grateful that you did that. I will always be in your debt for that, Yuri. Without you, I would have surely been kept and used for Shinou's plans."
Yuri shakes his head. "I saved you because I wanted to. Because you're important to me, Wolfram. So you don't have to think that way."
Wolfram shakes his head in understanding. 'You have no idea how much you mean to me, Yuri.' He thought to himself, only because he couldn't get himself to say it aloud.
The door to their bedchamber was slammed open and Greta came running in, the same white flower in her small little hands. She ran over to the bed, out of breath, but news on the tip of her tongue. She lays her hands on her knees and takes a few deep breathes, while her fathers lay hands on her shoulders to try and calm her.
"Papa Wolfram. Papa Yuri." She starts. She lifts her head and smiles. "He's finally arrived. Gunter has returned with Lord von Wincott."
It was finally time to begin the exorcism. There was no turning back now. With only minutes to go before it was to start, Yuri felt his heart beginning to race.
"Thank you Greta. We appreciate all of your hard work." Yuri says.
But Greta shakes her head. "I haven't really done anything. It's Miss Gisela who is doing all of the real work."
Wolfram nods. "Thank you anyway Greta. Your part matters just as much."
Greta smiles. "Thank you, Papa." She hugs her papas tight, knowing that before long, it would be a while before she could do it again.
Gisela soon arrives at the front doors of the bedchamber and knocks before entering.
"Good. You're all still here. We can beginning much quicker this way." Gisela says. She looks to Greta. "Lady Greta, if you may." She says, referring to the bed.
Greta nods her head and she takes the flower in her hand and begins to pluck the petals from the sepal and began to lay the petals across the bed sheets. Yuri and Wolfram watched in confusion as she did this, while Gisela spoke with Lord von Wincott who had just been guided to the room.
Once Gisela was finished, she thanked Greta for her hard work and asked for both Yuri and Wolfram to lie down. They complied and they laid side by side.
"Now, this procedure should go rather smoothly since we have managed to get things together in a timely matter. So, please try not to be so nervous. We will all be here for you when you wake up." Gisela says as she prepares a small vile of liquid a few feet away.
Yuri looks to Wolfram, who was watching Gisela's movements. "What's she doing? Do you know?"
"It's anesthetic. Similar to the ones on Earth, only ours is used through smell rather than through injection. It can be injected but rarely ever is. However," Wolfram makes a face of disgust. "They often smell putrid, thus why it works so well."
"Is it difficult to make?" Yuri asks.
Wolfram shakes his head. "No. I myself know how to make it, as I have had to help make hundreds of vials throughout the war when I would be asked to help in the medical tents. It's a very simple medical technique, one of the very first you learn as a professional healer."
Yuri turns to watch as Gisela stirs the liquids together and a small line of smoke begins to form. A look of awe on his face.
"There are so many things I don't know about you, Wolfram. So many things I continue to learn about you." Yuri says.
"What do you mean?" Wolfram asks.
But before he could respond, Gisela comes over to them, vial ready to begin. "I will see you both again very soon." She says before moving the vial in front of their faces, back and forth. Both make faces of disgust, a smell similar to the paint that Wolfram uses, but just a bit worse reaches their noses. Not long after that, they are both put to sleep.
Gisela turns to Greta who was sitting off to the side, not wanting to get in the way. "Lady Greta, would you mind helping us?"
Greta shot up with a smile and raced over to Gisela's side. "Anything for you, Miss Gisela."
Lord von Wincott looked to Gisela, who looked to him in return. He readied his magic, as did she. The procedure began from there, no one was to enter, no one was to leave.