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Part VIII

"Julius, you can't keep disappearing when you hear whispers of a luck magic user," the vice-captain lectured. "We need you here leading us."

Julius delivered a swift glare with cold, hardened purple eyes to Kent before his focus returned to the Map on his desk. He fingers caressed each marker on the map that identified a source hinting at a magic user passing through in the Heart Kingdom.

"It's been three months. This is just pure madness." Kent shook his head, still lacking in understanding why his Captain was so hellbent on finding Mary Sue. "She left our squad. She betrayed us to join the Crimson Lions. So what if she left the magic knights all together?" Kent spat out, letting his bitterness roll off his tongue. He too liked Mary Sue. Cherished her as a squad mate and friend. But Mary Sue obviously didn't feel that same kinship, abandoning them when she began to recognize her true potential. And yet…the Grey Deer were still the top magic knight squad so her finding the Crimson Lions better suited to improve her magic never made any sense to Kent.

"Don't speak ill of her, Kent. She had her reasons," Julius retorted, his words gruff as he tried to decipher the clues of where she would be. To escape him as she met an unhappy ending as she foretold.

"Why do you defend her?" Kent pressed, ignorant to the buttons he was pushing with his Captain.

The desk wobbled as Julius's fist slammed down onto the wood surface, an inch of the right edge of the map.

"Drop it, Kent," Yami interrupted as he joined the conversation in Julius's room. Kent's mouth pressed into a firm thin line of disapproval as he contemplated punishing Yami's rude behavior as his subordinate. His mind was made up when he gazed at Yami who appeared just as frustrated as him. Likely with Julius. Kent was well aware of how easily Yami got away with his brunt remarks with Julius and decided to leave to room to allow Yami to steer this conversation further with their Captain. He patted Yami's shoulder, silently wishing him good luck as he left the two alone.

When the door closed, Julius whirled to Yami and asked with desperation, "What did you find out?"

"Some leads were accurate, and some were utter madeup bullshit. Mary Sue is puttering around the Heart Kingdom." Julius's face almost broke into relief, but Yami's lips twisted like he was hesitating to detail more of what he knew. Julius wouldn't have that.

"Just tell me," he ordered Yami, feigning exasperation while hiding how eager yet nervous he was to know the long wait was almost over. To find her.

"She performs good deeds every now and then with her luck magic it seems. But mostly asks for intel on magic caves to explore in the Heart Kingdom. Rumor has it there are hidden magic items that dabble with the God of Luck, similar to the bead she wears around her neck. She is looking for something. Maybe her death in those unexplored caves, if she even stumbles upon one. But she isn't fighting from what I have heard."

"Where is she, Yami?" Julius demanded, his patience waning. Yami had skipped this part. It really was all Julius needed to know.

"I can't tell you that, Julius. Accept she is on her own path and let her be. Let what I told you be enough. Bury it and your feelings for her because you falling apart is of no help to anyone. She is gone. Get over it." Yami wavered if his blunt words were a hair too harsh for this pathetic side of Julius. "There will be others that make you feel again," Yami sympathized to cushion his harsher words, but Julius wouldn't have it.

"She is not replaceable. If you don't tell me, you know I will just keep looking. I will never stop."

Yami's eyes widened a small fraction. "You idiot. What about your dreams and goal of becoming the Wizard King of this shit hole? Does that mean nothing to you anymore because of one silly little girl?" Yami grunted while lowering his right hand dangerously close to the handle of his katana slung across his waist. He was dangerously considering physically knocking sense into Julius.

"You know can't beat me," Julius dismissed without a shred of arrogance. Just pure truth as they both knew it.

"But I sure as hell can try," Yami raged, needing for Julius to see reason. Just as Mary Sue had begged of him when he found her in the Diamond Kingdom – not the Heart. He was feeding false information to Julius in case he didn't listen. Some of what he said was true. Mary Sue was indeed looking for magic items supposedly created by the God of Luck. But their existence wouldn't be limited to just the Heart and Clover Kingdoms.

"The last thing she mentioned to me was that her future didn't have a happy ending and that ending was coming soon," Julius confessed, his voice soft and vulnerable. A side of his Captain that Yami loathed. Love was making Julius weak.

However, it took all of Yami's composure to keep a calm expression on his tan face as he processed this new piece of information. Mary Sue had never mentioned this to him…she just fervently insisted that Yami make sure Julius forgot about her and that Julius kept on his current path. Yami had promised her as a friend. But would she really die soon? What was supposed to happen? Is that why she was so desperate to find more magic items that had an affinity to her magic? Yami swallowed, steadfast in his belief that Mary Sue was correct that Julius needed to focus on his Captain duties and making the right moves to position him as the next Wizard King. But that was Julius's path. Yami would be having a few choice words with his friend soon enough about what exactly her future entailed. Because fuck fate or her self-proclaimed fortune. She could defy it. He would help her do so. And Julius could never know because he couldn't be the man he needed to be with Mary Sue on his brain. She infected his every thought and action like a virus. If anything, these last few months proved how bad he could get when it concerned her. Mary Sue in Julius's heart was not a good thing. And with time she would surely be erased from it.

It was simple to Yami.

Julius would forget Mary Sue. Mary Sue would overcome this supposed unhappy ending. Julius would succeed in becoming the Wizard King. Mary Sue could perhaps be an adequate magic knight serving another kingdom. Yami didn't give a shit about where she served. As long as she continued to practice her magic and become better. And remain his friend. That counted for something too. She was an alright kid. Better than most scum he encountered in the Clover Kingdom. Everything would all work out fine.

"I am sure that was a misunderstanding," Yami finally responded. "We all know how dramatic she can be."

"If you know where she is, I won't forgive you." Yes, it was clear to Yami. Julius was clearly unhinged over her.

"I used to. Not anymore. She has moved on. From where she last was in the Diamond Kingdom and from you and us all," Yami lied

Julius strode back to the map on his desk. He picked it up and crumpled it into his hands before shredding it into pieces that scattered on the floor by his boots.

"She told you I need to leave her alone, didn't she?" He asked quietly, knowing the answer before Yami nodded in response.

Julius cast his eyes to the destroyed map, making a split decision to put an act. The act of a Captain slowly accepting she was gone and throwing himself into his duties. Oh yes, he would do that. But he wasn't blessed with time magic for nothing. He would sacrifice sleep to keep up the hunt. Because what Yami didn't understand is aside from the fate that Julius feared for her, just a few weeks after she disappeared he had a lead on her mysterious tattoo that further tied their fates to one another.

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Note: I was stumped on what to write next or how to get closer to my envisioned ending. Then I thought of an idea of getting more into Julius's side and how he handled things after the last update. Anyways, I wanted to post something because it has been over two months I think and I felt guilty on still being stuck on this story's progress. This was short and probably needs another round or two of editing but oh well. It is an update. We are getting somewhere. Slowly but surely. Thanks for following this story. I am always surprised that 45 people follow it and feel honored you care to know where the heck this is going. Also, thanks to the annon readers who check in to this story too. I see you Hope all is well with you dear reader who made is this far in my Author's note! ~pixelephant