For the first time in her life, Isuka felt free. Well, free-er.
Even still though, she now had a few feelings sinking in her stomach whenever she did things with Keita. To her, marriage became a sign of trust; an oath to comfort your other's invulnerability. She had been that for Ketia, who seemed to talk about his insecurities almost every week. He always offered to hear her out afterward, but she would always shrug it off. That was, until she was forced back into her memories of the town she hadn't seen in a lifetime.
If she was going to finish this, she needed to unwind a lot more than just her Lilim fears.
"I had another dream last night," Isuka admitted over dinner. Tonight, she had cooked by hand rather than just magic up something. It was her mother's carrot stew, minus a few ingredients she may or may not have remembered.
"Oh no," Keita remarked, putting his spoonful down immediately. "Are you alright?"
"Of course…but not entirely. This stew…it was my mother's."
"Ah…"
"I wanted to see if you liked it," Isuka said, starting to blush. "Not that it means anything, but…"
"You're just reliving your past I'm sure," Keita said. "No need to worry, I love the soup."
"Well, other than the soup, I have some other things I need to get out of my hair," Isuka said. She felt unusually flustered by his comment; it was easier to change script. "I am going on a business trip tomorrow. I wanted to break it to you over-"
"Childhood soup?" he asked, taking another spoonful. "I don't mind. I haven't seen you go out of the library in a while. It was starting to get…what is a nice word for concerning?"
"You can say it, I am a big mage," Isuka urged puffing out her chest. "I can take it."
"It's harrowing-"
"That was a stronger synonym!" Isuka said, clutching her heart. "Y-you think I'm a NEET don't you…"
"I-no not at all!"
"Too late, the pain…" She fell back in her chair, hitting the ground with a thud as she curled up in pain. "The rejection, the disappointment, the feeling of being vexed by the worries of my husband. It hurts!"
Luckily, she was able to bounce back from pain in her soul, brushing up on her spells before heading out on her trip. She reached under her hat, taking out a phone with a dial pad. She pulled out the antenna, floating up to the top of the library where a wide dish sat aimed at the sky. "Alright," she said, putting in the phone number. "Let us see how stupid Virto's 'cell phone' is. It doesn't even look like a cell…"
All the way at Vargas's home, Virto and Vargas were huddled up together while they watched Lao and Ganan spar. Lao wasn't exactly doing well, kicked to the ground every time Ganan parried one of his strikes. "God damnit…" Lao complained after being sent tumbling for the umpteenth time. "This is what happens when you cross seasons with obviously different power scaling! You need to power it down Ganan."
"You shouldn't have made that bet then, mortal," Ganan said, getting back into another stance. "We are quickly approaching 100, you only have two chances left."
"Oh, I'm getting that takedown," Lao said, getting back up and bouncing on his feet. "And I'm going to get it on video, right Virto?"
"GoPro is still recording," Virto said, giving a thumbs up to him. Vargas leaned over Virto's shoulder, looking at the small camera propped up on a stand beside them. "What is a GoPro honey?"
"Oh, it's just a camera," Virto explained, holding up Lao's phone. "See? It streams video to here so you can then share it with whoever."
"Ahhh…." Vargas nodded along, although still not understanding how that small, fang-sized thing is catching the entire room. It was then that Virto's watch vibrated. "Call from, Isuka," the small robotic voice said.
"There's an automaton in your watch!"
"Oh no, that's just the voice assistant. I paired my watch to my phone with Bluetooth so I can just use my watch," Virto answered, getting a static 'hello' from across the line. "Natsumi, are-STATIC-there?"
"Wrong number," they explained.
"You're a wrong number you-STATIC-knew your weird tech thing wouldn't-STATIC-might as well just walk-STATIC-"
"Isuka, you're breaking up, stand closer to the dish," Virto explained. However, the static was constant now, so there was even less of a point in trying. They hung up just in time to see Lao dart towards Ganan's legs. He took a glancing knee to the shoulder but managed to lock his arms around her legs and lift her up. "Hup!" He then tackled Ganan back down, but she managed to keep one foot planted the entire time. "You're not a firefighter, go down!" Lao urged, trying to pull and push her around, but she walked and hopped with him the entire time. Soon, he got impatient and went for a leg sweep, to which she leaped over and kicked him on the side. They both rolled back, Ganan being the fastest one to recover and pin Lao in his corner.
"I almost got you!" Lao said, trying to free his hand. "That one should have counted!"
"My back never touched the floor," Ganan said. "I would like to learn that move though, what is that style you were using?"
Lao caught his breath while under the pin, idly wiggling his arm. "MMA, I saw a few fights."
Ganan nodded in approval, letting him go and standing up. "Of course it was terrible and frankly idiotic, but at least it's new." She turned to Virto and Vargas, seeing Vargas stare at Virto's watch while he fiddled with it. "So, who was that? Don't tell me we have another outsider…"
Natsumi lazily drew the rune into the dirt, staring at it like the eyes of a loved one. "Three stars keep you from getting lost…" he repeated from somewhere. His pants vibrated while he drew in a trance. He took out a shrunken conch shell and squeezed it. Like a loaded spring, it grew back to size, vibrating like a phone on silent. "Hello?" he said into it. "Mommy?"
"Honey, I said you didn't have to be so formal," Isuka's voice came out of the conch shell. "I'm going on a trip and I need an escort. Are you on any adventures right now?"
"No….." Natsumi said, erasing the rune he was drawing out of the dirt. "I am doing nothing right now."
"Good!" Isuka said pleased. "I need you to report to my old location for me. Alright?"
"Right, right." Natsumi scrambled to his feet, doing his best to seem like he was on alert the entire time. "Already on the way as always, ma'am!"
Isuka chuckled on the other end, wondering what the incubus was so worried about. "Alright Natsumi, we will meet up on the western outskirts." She hung up her connection and put her personal phonebook away, which right now, was not anywhere near Lilim-slapping thickness. "I would have to fix that later," she said, promising herself that she would get more acquaintance later to add more girth to the spine. She poofed the book out of view and checked on Keita. She found the bed empty and arranged with the blanket folded before it was abandoned. "He must have gone somewhere to eat," she thought out loud, setting off from the library.
As promised, she spotted Natsumi sitting on a tree just outside of the town limits. These days, the area was a fully realized demon realm. The vegetation seemed to change like game biomes a few yards (or meters) away from the two of them. The sky was a reddish-pink, with clouds of pink hue. It was a long time ago, yet Isuka still felt sick seeing with her own eyes what her mana could do to a town by herself.
"Are you alright with taking me here?" Natsumi asked, having known most of the backstory already. "I don't like seeing you upset, miss Isuka…"
She nodded once, taking a deep breath before stepping over into the realm. Her feet felt warm and fuzzy, as if a red carpet of daisies and sunflowers have been rolled out for her return. Almost immediately, she could feel the mana yearn for and gravitate to its true owner, having stayed dormant in the flora for its creator. It felt like a blanket from a youth found in the attic, happy to be reunited with its proper body.
She hated the feeling from the bottom of her heart, but the new Isuka would decide to not let it sway her.
"I'm fine," she said, starting to walk inward to the town. Natsumi followed suit; he noticed nothing Isuka did, but if she assured her wellness, he would continue on just like her.
They passed many bushels of couple's fruit on the way. It seemed to be the fruit of the realm now. "There are a lot more of this one fruit than I thought there would be," Natsumi said, plucking one off of the fruits by its joining stem. "One bite of these, a couple will be entwined, just like the fruit. But what person would need so many…"
"Not me, that's for sure," Isuka said. She tried to ignore it, but the amount they passed was getting absurd. Had someone planted these? She thought as they reached the entrance into the town. Her last memory of the post had been being carried past it shortly after the explosion, the blast having torn it off its roots and into a mess of wood. This one was made out of metal and painted in various shades of red, purple, blue, and pink. It spelled, "WELCOME TO DATSTOWN" in all caps.
"Why is it named Datstown again?" Natsumi asked.
"Because the mayor was an idiot," Isuka answered, holding his hand while she walked past the sign. "Really, it was the only thing I didn't like about this place. The school was nice, the library was swell, and I could always go about outside if I wanted to." Her mind rushed back to simpler times, running around the grounds with other kids while the teacher followed hopelessly to round them back inside. "Yes, before I had to go ruined it all I suppose…"
"You didn't know what would happen Miss Isuka," Natsumi said.
"I could have at least heeded the warnings," she said back. They were entering the town now, where everyone walked with at least one other person at their arms. She was seeing mostly new faces, but everyone's eyes seemed to turn on the mage, her presence spreading through the crowd like an infamous ruler. "I could have just married him, had children, and forget all the wants I held…"
"Him?" Natsumi asked.
"Why else would I come here?" Isuka said, poofing up a piece of paper. "I have some old mates I need to talk to, properly." She scanned the list and looked around, seeing someone of interest through the class of a water store. She walked up to the door, but stopped just short of opening it up. "Once we go in, do not say a word," Isuka reminded Natsumi. Once he nodded, she opened the door to the shop. At the counter, a Nereid aimlessly played with the water in a cup. Her pointed ears flicked up as she heard the door open, going into her store clerk posture. "Welcome to Watertopia!" she said, quickly moving the water back into her cup. "Hi, how may I help you?"
"Well, we would like normal water I suppose," Isuka said. "Although, I'm really here to meet the owner."
"The owner?" She asked, going back to leaning on the table. "What business do you have with my husband?"
"Oh, well him and I just go back quite a lot…" she took off her pointed hat and pressed her hair back, smiling at the Nereid. "Notice now?"
"Not really," she said back, narrowing her eyes. "Are you supposed to be a former love interest?"
"No, just strictly a friend," Isuka said. The door to the back of the store opened, with the owner coming out. Natsumi was taken aback, realizing who it was after seeing the green hair and smelling the scent of sesame seed bread on him. Isuka rubbed the back of her neck, getting nervous now that she was actually in the same room as…
"Hi Ren," she said. "Long time, no see!"
The two of them went to Ren's bedroom. A teapot had already been boiled and prepped, and Ren showed Isuka to the back balcony of the building. Here, she saw two chairs and a small table, perfect for a tea set and a small book while looking out the view of the town. "Remember back when we would do this after school?" Isuka said as she sat down in the chair close to the railing.
"I remember quite a bit from those years…" Ren responded, going and coming back with the tea pot and some bags. He put one in each cup and poured the water, the downpour flowing through the bag to rush the flavor out. Soon, each up was filed with red-tinted tea, steaming up into the generally horny air. "So, I have to ask. Have you been getting anyone's postcards?" Ren asked, picking up the platter for his cup? Isuka chuckled nervously, not answering immediately.
"I only ask because last anyone heard, you had been taken to a dark elven kingdom. We weren't sure if we were sending it to the right place, or that you were always moving around too fast for us to reach you."
"The latter," Isuka answered quietly. "I was moving around a lot…"
"You did always want to explore the world," Ren said. "You would talk nonstop about creating your own personal library, with papers from all over the world…" He gestured out towards the landscape they could see.
"Well, you know me, if I wanted something, I would probably chase it."
"Just like that butterfly you almost chased off a cliff?"
"I only fell down a few stories!" Isuka said, getting a snicker out of Ren. "If I fell down all the way, then it would be embarrassing." Ren shrugged and tried reaching for Isuka's forehead, to which she quickly batted his patting away. "Stop that, it's sensitive there!"
"Oh?" Ren asked, feinting ignorance. "I thought you said it was only a few stories. Your head would have definitely healed back to normal now, right?" He said with a smug grin, taking another sip of his tea.
"Oh, that's idiotic," Isuka said, leaning back in her chair. "Say, do you know anything about all the couple's fruit in the area?"
"Oh, that?" Ren said. "That has always been around, although we don't know why specifically couple's fruit…"
"So it did form right after I turned the realm…" Isuka noted.
"The townspeople all had their own theories about why, although we mostly just accepted that nature wanted it like this," Ren explained. "Although, I do think my theory is probably the right one." Isuka grew interested, taking a sip of her tea while listening closely.
"Remember our last day of our schooling, Isuka?" Ren started. "When we walked back from the schoolhouse for the last time?"
"Oh, that was a nice day," Isuka remembered, giggling fondly. "It was the first time I…let you touch that spot right?"
"Yep, I've been trying to get you to show me your head scar for the longest. I don't think I've seen it again ever since," Ren said. "And I think you did it…because you liked me."
"I will admit, you're easy to have a crush on, but what does that have to do with the realm transformation?"
"Well it does make sense doesn't it? We shared a moment, but we never got together," Ren said, connecting his hands as if he were putting dots together. "And you're not exactly the smoothest talker…"
"Hey."
"...so I figured you probably didn't have any other people you cared about when the thing happened."
Isuka arched an eyebrow. "...you're valuing yourself pretty high in this little theory of yours."
"But am I wrong though?"
"Something as dull as you wouldn't be the sole reason-"
"But am I wrong though?"
"How do we even know if certain fruit-"
"But-"
"You-"
"-am-"
"Stop that!"
"-Wrong though~" Ren asked one last time. Isuka rolled her eyes, leaning back in her seat no longer interested in the conversation. "So who's the Nereid then?" she asked indifferently. She closed her eyes while waiting for an answer, feeling the breeze blow through her hair…and tingle her skin.
"Oh, remember Keal?" Ren said. Isuka opened one eye back, coming back forward in her seat. "That's Keal?" She asked shocked. "But she looks so different!"
"Yep! Turns out, she also had a thing for me," Ren said. "And honestly, I found out I had a thing for her. Yes the explosion was bad, but turns out without the DE going through us, we never would have confessed to each other…"
"All the citizens of this realm and many others will no longer deny the love they have…" Druella's line seemed to echo through Isuka's head. She nodded, her mood appearing to turn sour from nothing. "I mean, it doesn't take anything away from our relationship. I didn't mean to make you upset."
"It's not you," Isuka said, getting up from her chair. "Even if it made more couples, I still uprooted all the lives in the entire realm. I swear Ren, I'll find a spell that will be able to turn everyone back to normal. You, and Keal." Ren nodded and finished his cup, smiling at the determination in Isuka's eyes. "Careful, don't let this Humanification spell blind you too much, heh."
"Humanification…that's a good start for a name. I'm making progress already!" Isuka said, hitting her hand in her palm. "Thank you Ren."
"No problem," he said, getting up to hug her. He wrapped his arms around hers, hearing her squeal when he tightened the hug to a snug hold. "Still as touch-starved as ever."
"Hugs are just weird…" Isuka claimed, blushing. "I always hated this part of you."
"I think you actually liked it all this time," Ren said. "Especially when I do this…"
"If you pat the scar on my head Ren, I swear to the Wandering Scholar that-" before she could finish her threat, he grabbed Isuka's hand, interlocking their fingers together.
"Oh no, this is worse!" She exclaimed. "I take it back!"
"Glad that still works," Ren said, snickering some more until Isuka managed to slink out of the hug. Embarrassed, she did a gravity spell on her feet and climbed over the railing, resigning herself to hiding on the underside of the balcony floor. "Aww come on, you can't drink tea from there!" he said. "I know you did a spell to hide yourself out of my view."
"Screw you!"
"Fine then," Ren said smirking. "I'll lock you out and tell your kid about that spot on your head." He was sure he had her until he heard a poof rattle the balcony. "Oh shit, she teleported inside."
With Natsumi deciding to check out the many different types of water, Ren and Isuka went around town. He helped to scratch off names on Isuka's list until the sun started going down. The last place to check was her parents, but no matter how much they looked, they couldn't find a trace of the two in the town.
After being unable to find them, they took one last walk along one of the walking trails. The sky was orange now, with the tree's shadows stretching far across both of their bodies. Ren held Isuka's arm as they walked, holding a bag of borgers with him. "I'm sure they are fine somewhere," Ren said. "Maybe they moved out of town."
"Maybe, but that would mean my only lead of them was gone," Isuka said. She kicked a rock down the path they walked on, looking up occasionally to see the surrounding trees. "I really hoped I would get to meet them the most…"
"Sometimes things just don't work out," Ren said. "Although, you can bet if they do ever stop by, I'll make sure that they stick around long enough for you to teleport here."
"I would appreciate that," Isuka said smiling with relief. "It would be nice to have eyes here."
"Say, do you remember this place?" Ren asked, emerging out on a rising hill of grass. He kept them walking while Isuka looked around, seeing them leave the forestry as they went up. It didn't come to her until they reached the top, discovering the cliff-like drop-off at the top just a few feet away. "It's smoother than I remember…"
"The incident kind of blew over some terrain, so it turned more into a steep-sided hill. It's still as high as ever though," Ren said, sitting down with his legs dangling over the face. He took out one borger and started eating, patting the grassy spot beside him.
"When did you start eating those?" Isuka asked. Ren shrugged and took out another for her. "I don't know, but I know when I found them, it changed my entire life."
"Interesting…" Isuka said, taking a bite into her own. "It is nostalgic. We would come up here and just watch the sun go down…"
"Exactly why I took you up here," Ren said with a full mouth. "I didn't want you to leave on a sour note." It was then that they saw a butterfly fly past, seemingly hovering just out of reach from their arms. Even all these years later, Isuka still considered reaching for it. Although, she didn't feel as much of a need to try this time. She looked to her side, seeing Ren staring at the butterfly, and decided that right now, her friend with her was all she needed.
