OoOoOoO
Part IX
2 years later.
Mary Sue scrutinized the opening within the mortar wall. The entrance to her next dungeon to explore. Her vision was limited as dusk was rapidly falling. Behind her was a thick forest of trees filled with creatures and Diamond Kingdom mages hunting her that she wasn't quite sure if she felt lucky enough to spend the night avoiding. The dungeon bordered the Diamond Kingdom and Clover Kingdom. It was too close to the Clover Kingdom for her liking, but she felt inclined to break away from her rules of getting too close for once.
Her options were: begin exploring the dark, creepy dungeon ahead or camp outside for the night and test her luck. Either way…she suspected it would be dark inside whether the sun was up or not in the sky. She shook her head before laughing at herself. In her previous life, turning 21 was a celebration that tested one's liver and possibly shattered one's self-respect. But here, in this life, she was spending her birthday exploring her twentieth-something dungeon since leaving the Crimson Lions. She wasn't even aware what day it was until her companion reminded her of the special occasion just a moment ago. Now how Gabriela knew when it was Mary Sue's birthday was the first question Mary Sue had until she saw the gift in Gabriela's hands. It was a new leather sheathe for her dagger. Mary Sue's hands glided over the smooth surface of the sheathe as she admired its dark purple color, ignoring how if it was three shades lighter it would have reminded her of his eyes.
The dagger strapped around her waist was a precious weapon that had not left her side since acquiring it a year ago in a dungeon she almost died in. It was the second magical item in her possession.
Two months ago, she had discovered when she held her dagger while using her inverse guard spell, it would allow her to attack and not just defend and nullify her opponent's weapon. Before that, the only thing the dagger was good for was depleting one's magic.
The backstory of the dagger was still a mystery to Mary Sue. The silver metal box with odd engravings had vanished as soon as she plucked out the weapon from its keep when she discovered it. After, her magic was being squeezed from her veins and the curved handle of the dagger glowed in response. As if it was absorbing it. Frozen, unsure what to do, Gabriela had responded for her. She took the weapon in her gloved hand and removed the glove to cover the dagger before returning it to Mary Sue.
Without Gabriela, Mary Sue may have been a goner on a handful of occasions.
Mary Sue had stumbled upon her dark-skinned friend in the Diamond Kingdom roughly three months after she had left the Crimson Lions. Gabriela's dark and striking features, shrouded beneath a black cloak, were what made her take notice at first. And Mary Sue would have left it at that…but luck pushed Gabriela into her life. Because when she wanted to be, Gabriela was persistent. And Gabriela's had set her sights on joining Mary Sue as her travel companion because she got the feeling it was meant to be. Reluctant at first, Mary Sue eventually caved in when Gabriela's ability for transportation with a magic item saved her from a scuffle with rogue magic knights looking for a fight. It would turn out that Gabriela would never be a constant companion, but during Mary Sue's most dangerous explorations she luckily seemed to appear beforehand. Gabriela was a limited magic user but was good company and she had a few badass magic items that helped her keep up. If it wasn't for her, Mary Sue would have gone mad on her mission a long time ago. Honestly, the few times Yami found her, he thought she was making up Gabriela because they never all three crossed paths at the same time.
Mary Sue itched the sensitive patch of skin on her chest, reeling herself back to the present. Her tattoo still only had one leaf remaining on the once four-leaf clover. The tattoo was itchy too often as of late, possibly encouraging her to make the last leaf drop already. As if she knew how she even lost the previous three.
"Is your tattoo still bothering you?" Gabriela asked, her dark brown eyes glinting with concern.
"More so today than usual," Mary Sue admitted. She peeled back the collar of her shirt as she assessed her tattoo for the zillionth time. "Thank you for the gift." She patted her new sheath strapped around her waist, opposite of where her grimoire was slung around her waist. "When did I tell you about my birthday?"
"Sometime awhile back," Gabriela brushed off Mary Sue casually. She didn't say you're welcome. But Mary Sue noticed how Gabriela became shy when she pressed her too much. On anything.
"What did you want to do?" Gabriela asked.
"Let's go in. I rather not run into those mages again. Sometimes I feel like I only have so much luck going for me." Mary Sue's lip curled up at the ridiculous things she spouted time to time. She was a luck magic user.
"If you could have anything for your birthday, what would it be?"
Mary Sue's mouth pinched to her side, caught off guard by the odd question from her friend. "Well…this may sound weird. But I have the same wish every year. There is someone I want to save." That was mostly true. Except to be more specific, it was her every day – no, every second wish.
A rough pressure gripped into Mary Sue's right forearm. She quirked an eyebrow before assessing Gabriela's hand. "What do you mean? Who?" Gabriela demanded, her voice rougher than normal. Perhaps more masculine. As if realizing she was overstepping, the concern on Gabriela's face twisted into a look of remorse. "Ah, sorry," she followed up, her voice softer- more like the Gabriela she knew. "I was just surprised. You had never mentioned this before."
"It never came up." Mary Sue removed Gabriela's grip from her arm, her friend forgetting she had not let go yet. A forceful side of her that was uncharacteristic. "I rather not talk about it, if you don't mind."
"You are a luck magic user; I am sure you will get your wish." The blind faith was generous, but Mary Sue knew some luck was out of her control. Perhaps when it came to fate. But that didn't mean she would give up.
"Correct. It is the only ending that is acceptable." Mary Sue wished her words were sincere, that she could believe in what she had said. She decided to embrace the humor side of it instead. "Because I am a Mary Sue," she admitted before bursting in an absurd fit of giggles. "I have luck magic. He fell for me. Things go my way."
Gabriela snarked a chuckle, a knowing look sparked in her eyes. "But do they?" She countered. "You are away from friends and family on some secret mission you won't even tell me about. You left the magic knights. You left someone you love. Doesn't seem like you have a life to brag about to me, Mary Sue."
Mary Sue bristled. "What makes you think I left someone I love?" She had mentioned Julius in passing before to Gabriela, briefly. Never by name. Never in much detail. Never risking calling what she felt, love, out loud.
"Am I wrong?"
"It doesn't matter." It didn't. "Not anymore. We were never meant to be."
"Oh…so he ended things with you? Bitter break up?" Gabriela's words were spiteful, catching Mary Sue off guard.
Feeling an odd sense to defend herself, Mary Sue explained, "Look, he thought he loved me. Maybe he does- did in some way. But it's not real. And even if it was, we cannot be together. We walk different paths."
"Why?" Gabriela's words were desperate, and Mary Sue suspected Gabriela was too invested because of her own love life failings she had mentioned before. So, she decided to indulge her friend.
"Do you believe in fate? With my luck magic, I was once blessed with a glimpse into the Clover Kingdom's future. He will do great things. Be a great person for my kingdom. But not with a woman by his side. I am not in his future, and I won't rewrite that for my own selfish reasons."
"What did he say when you told him why?"
"I told him an abbreviated version of what I told you. I think he was confused with my rejection. He saw through my lies about my feelings." Mary Sue looked up and offered the sun setting in the sky a bitter smile. "He has this blue six-pointed star on his forehead. For some reason, it reminds me of the sun."
"So, you plan to never see him again?"
Mary Sue huffed a laugh. "Oh no, we are destined to collide later on. Much later though."
Gabriela leaned over, forcing an uncomfortable level of strong eye contact for Mary Sue. "For love?"
"More like in the name of love," Mary Sue replied cryptically. "Can we talk about this after we explore? I want to focus on this dungeon. It is my birthday after all."
"Fine. But we will continue this later. Lead the way." Gabriela gestured her hand forward through the dungeon entrance.
OoOoOoO
"Well look at these goods!" Mary Sue exclaimed as her eyes devoured the riches covering the entire room they stumbled upon after falling through a trap door.
"I," Gabriela started, then closed her mouth and shook her head. "Mary Sue, I have to go."
"What? We are in the middle of a room covered in this," she waved her arms around the vicinity of the riches lining the floors and walls, "and you must leave?"
"I can be back within the hour." It was the last thing Gabriela said before she vanished thanks to her magic item.
"I hate when she does this. Well, her loss," Mary Sue muttered to herself. She discarded the hurt she was beginning to feel and instead focused on where to start. Her eyes scanned the room searching for any books or a magic item. She just needed to find that right spell or magical tool that would help her save Julius.
Silver glistening boots caught her eyes, tucked in the back corner behind two chests overflowing with priceless gems and jewels. As she navigated her way around various heaps of treasures that cluttered the floor, she couldn't help but notice the crimson book stacked on top of the boots. As she drew nearer, her eyes fixated on a tiny indent in the middle of the book's hard surface cover. The hole was perhaps small enough for her bead to fit. Curiosity got the better of her as she unhooked the chain wrapped around her neck and compared the size of the hole to her precious bead that hadn't left her body since she first learned Defense God. An unexpected force sucked the bead dangling in the air to fill the hole. The book began to glow before opening, pages flapping. After three heart beats the pages settled on an illustration of the boots she wanted to try on. Mary Sue carefully read the text next to the sketched image. Most of it was beyond her comprehension. Broken language mixed with foreign symbols that didn't match what she knew. What she understood was "blah blah blah…hero's boots…yada yada yada…something about the world's biggest threat and time".
Mary Sue had enough sense to know that the boots were nothing to concern herself with. Anything involving the terminology 'hero' was hero shit that didn't concern her. These boots seemed like an Asta or Yuno worthy item or problem down the road.
She fought the compulsion within her driving her to pack each foot in those damn sleek looking boots. While her blood thrummed in excitement at the prospect of a new magical item for her, she shook her head forcing herself to resist. She was just going to take back her bead now that perfectly fit into the book and made it glow…
Mary Sue bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons of trying on the boots. Luck must have been pushing her to try them on. Why should she resist? Had her luck ever steered her wrong? The boots were calling to her. The bead showed her she was the one meant for the boots, obviously. Heck, it wasn't like they seemed to be Asta or Yuno's style per say…
Caving into her luck's whim and her own selfish desires, she gleefully kicked off the ugly black boots on her feet and slipped on the beautiful silver boots within seconds.
"Well don't I look snazzy-"
She didn't finish her sentence, but her mouth remained ajar like the words were dying to come out. Her green eyes glazed over, and her body went deathly still while the passage of time was blocked out from her body by an impenetrable, unseen force.
OoOoOoO
Mary Sue came to with a loud, overbearing voice invading her ears. Her head was pounding as her eyes fluttered open, trying to piece together what the hell was going on. She was just trying on her awesome, new magic boots. Had she passed out from their awesomeness?
A boy with wide green eyes and crazy spikey hair, a grayish color, was all she could see. He literally was in her face. Almost touching her nose to nose.
"You awake, lady?" He asked, surprised but…perhaps happy too? He backed away, giving her personal space and allowing her to finally notice he was with others in gold and black robes, like a magic knight's robe. None were colors or symbols of magic knight squads she was familiar with in the Clover Kingdom.
Well…no, they were familiar. But the Black Bulls and Golden Dawn should not have been formed yet. That was too far in the future. She had more time before then.
Mary Sue blinked and focused on the boy being too loud once again. He was rambling off on why Mary Sue would be here and if she really was okay. A young blonde girl, beautiful like a doll, approached her hesitantly and informed her she was a healer and that her name was Mimosa. Mary Sue vaguely nodded before looking behind the girl at a tall boy with dark hair who exuded blatant uninterest.
Asta? Black Bulls? Golden Dawn? That couldn't be right.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" She screamed before stumbling off the ground to stand, her body feeling off kilter. What the hell had happened? She looked down at the fucking boots and cursed her foolishness. "When am I?" She asked, panic rising in her voice. "How long have you been with the Black Bulls, Asta?" She demanded, forgoing concern about her cover being blown. Was Julius still alive? That's all she cared about.
"What the?" Asta bellowed. "Lady, you know who I am?"
"When?" She repeated, channeling a calmness to her voice as she locked gazes with that tall young man with dark hair and focused brown eyes. Obviously Yuno.
"It's his first mission for them. It's year XXXX. Now, who are you?" He replied, his words blunt.
"Oh, thank God!" Mary Sue steadied a hand on her chest, exhaling a huge sigh of relief. Her eyes quickly scanned her body, pausing on the boots zipped up to her mid-calf. The damn cursed boots that brought her into this shitty situation. She planned to take them off. But later. She tapped the grimoire strapped to her side still, thank the God of Luck she didn't lose it.
"I think I remember what should be going on. When you guys finish up, can I hitch a ride out with you back to the Clover Kingdom? I need to see Julius."
"Can she call the Wizard King that? AND, who IS she?" Asta asked possibly in the loudest voice he could muster. His questions unfortunately echoed around them as Mary Sue waited for their answer.
"I'll take her to him. Right now." All the eyes in the room were drawn to a figure emerging from the shadows.
"Gabriela?" Mary Sue croaked, confused and so relieved to see her friend. Despite the dark robe cloaking her figure, Mary Sue recognized the bronzed face and dark-brown hair.
"And WHO is that? What is going on?" Asta complained in a high pitched voice to no one in particular.
Mary Sue could hardly process the speed at which Gabriela approached her and whisked her away.
Mary Sue didn't bother to ask Gabriela why she was here or was able to carry her. Mary Sue had denied it to herself before, but she couldn't pretend not to know any longer as Gabriela held her tight as they appeared outside the dungeon entrance that they had seemed to enter only a hour ago – which had actually been years...
"Julius, I know it's you."
His disguised slipped away and her gaze softened as a Julius older than she remembered looked down at her with tears spilling from his purple eyes. She quickly looked away, not ready to face him just yet.
"It's been too long, Mary Sue." His voice warbled with emotion, and she could hear what he didn't say.
"How long?"
"Later. But you're back now thanks to Asta. His anti-magic broke the spell cast on you." His grip on her tightened, his anger finally revealing itself. "What happened while I was gone? Why were you frozen in time in a spell that Icouldn't even break?"
Mary Sue briefly glanced down at her boots, wavering on admitting yet what she was still figuring out herself. She patted the column of her neck, surprised to find the chain and bead returned to her. She suppressed a sob, grateful that the cherished item was still with her. Not because of what it could do, but who it was from.
She closed her eyes and cleared her throat. "Everything is a little fuzzy for me, Julius." That was somewhat true as she tried to wrap her head around her new timeline.
"We can discuss this later." She opened her eyes, still unable to look at him directly yet. She turned her head again, observing the forest. It was greener than she last remembered. Pink flowers lined the dungeon entrance that were not there before. Time had moved forward. Without her. And the sad realization of it was the time she had left with him was truly numbered. Perhaps she had only months at this point. She was supposed to have years to save him, more than a decade. So much wasted time that luck pushed her toward with that damn book and boots. She would hate herself more later though. There was a more pressing question at hand to ask herself. Did she give up on her quest and enjoy what time she had left with him, or waste the months she could spend with him in hopes she found a way to save him?
She didn't have that answer yet. But she needed to say something, anything. Where did she stand with him? Ice rushed into her veins. It didn't even matter. Because of who he was now. How could she forget? He was no longer just Julius.
She finally allowed herself to face him. "You're the Wizard King now." It wasn't a question. Asta was with the Black Bulls. She knew when she was, to a certain extent.
Julius huffed, irritation dominating the features on his face. Her heart ached at the years she missed out on display. She resisted from reaching out her hand to stroke her thumb along his cheek. Her eyes traced the laugh lines imprinted by the corners of his eyes, even when he wasn't smiling. Next her gaze wandered to the two faint wrinkles in the middle of his forehead. Was any portion of them caused because of her she couldn't help but wonder? Then she focused on the soft lines indented by the corners of his mouth. Julius was in his 40s she could only assume. Her soft, smooth hands that yearned to hold his face were a cruel taunt of the time that had been stolen from her. No, them.
Julius released a sigh but his grip on her body did not loosen. Yet. "Yes, just like you proclaimed I would be," he finally answered, his words solemn.
"You knew it before I did. It was your goal and you accomplished what you set out to do. I never had a shadow of a doubt you would assume the role." Mary Sue could not help the wistful smile she offered him. "You look good," she admitted, denying her fingers the pleasure of running through his blonde ruffled hair.
Julius choked a laugh. Mary Sue at least did allow herself to play with the white fluffy collar portion of Julius's red cloak. "Your attire is a little over the top. I miss the Gray Deer cloak on you." Humor was good for them despite the bleak situation. She would continue to make him laugh, if she could. She would process everything later when she was alone, and her current circumstances could settle into her mind properly.
Mary Sue bent her head up and peered into Julius's purple eyes. There were too many emotions to read off his over expressive gaze. But the only one she easily picked up on was sadness. Not for the years she was away. But she suspected it was for what this present held for them.
Nothing.
They could be nothing now as Mary Sue always told him, but Julius liked to ignore. The years without her must have subdued his feelings and increased his understanding that there was no path for love for the Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom.
"What happens now?" She asked, unable to bear waiting for him to confirm what she figured out for herself.
"Depends on you. If you can tell me your true feelings towards me, we'll make this work." Julius loosened his grip on Mary Sue after lowering her to the ground.
She swayed slightly without his support. What he told her did not make sense. He couldn't have feelings for her still. After all this time? And even more preposterous, a Wizard King cannot risk his role with love!
"A Wizard King cannot have a lover, Julius!" Mary Sue insisted despite her flustered state.
"A magic user shouldn't have time or luck magic, yet we both do." Julius looked away from Mary Sue. "I have acted well in my role as Wizard King. I would like to think I am everything you imagined I would be because I wanted to live up to your prediction. But Mary Sue…" He squeezed his eyes shut, like he was in pain. "A world without you isn't one I like living in. I held onto hope while your body remained in that suspended state with time. I have worked on this Kingdom so that when you woke up, it would be everything you told me it could be. It still has a ways to go. But, I did it for you."
Tears streamed down her face as her heart tensed and she stifled a whimper.
"If being frozen in time was the unhappy ending you predicted for yourself, it's over. You're okay. I am here." He opened his eyes and his face fell into a crestfallen expression. "Older. But you could also look at it as wiser," he reasoned, a light edge of teasing to his tone. Reminiscent of the Julius from her Grey Deer days.
She chuckled. "You didn't move on? From me?" Her voice seemed small, and she loathed the insecurities bombarding her head.
He grabbed her right hand and shoved it over his heart. "Never." He released a shaky breath. "You may be the only thing I have loved in this life above my Kingdom and the future I wanted for myself. And my assurance in that grew every year I had to go on without you. I tried everything to break that spell, Mary Sue. Magic Items. Other Kingdom's resources. Sending magic knights on pointless, dangerous missions. But I held onto hope because you weren't dead."
"What has been such a short time for me has been too long for you." Mary Sue cupped his cheeks between her hands. "I didn't know someone's love could be so sincere." She returned her hands to her lap, running them along the length of her thighs. "How could it even work? The politics would never let us happen, Julius, and I cannot impede your role."
"I know. It is likely we could never be married as long as I am Wizard King. We would have to keep our relationship a secret."
"Still a risk."
"One worth taking. If you wanted me, even as I am now." The uncertainty in his voice and the way his forehead wrinkled with concern crushed her.
"I find you even more attractive now, as weird as that may seem." She always had felt older on the inside thanks to remembering her past life.
"So what are you saying, Mary Sue? Please be direct because everything we have discussed so far is dependent on how you feel, which you have not made clear to me."
Mare Sue rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Why would I even ask about a future, if I didn't reciprocate?"
He squeezed her so tight to his chest that she could feel his heartbeat. It was thumping wildly with excitement. "You owe me a confession at this point. I gave you my heart a long time ago. Over and over. This is the least you can," Julius implored her, his eyes shining in bright earnest.
"I love you, Julius. Even though I feel undeserving of your feelings or that I don't add any value as your partner. I will work hard to deserve your heart. I will be a better magic knight," she declared to them both.
"How? When will you have time?" He asked, genuine confusion in his voice. Thus, eliciting Mary Sue's own confusion.
"For what?"
"To become a better magic knight."
"Well, I figured I would try to rejoin the Crimson Lions," she suggested, not really having thought anything through at this point. She was just making it up as she went along. Following her heart's desires was a lot easier than calculating her next moves and constantly disappointing Julius.
He shook his head. "You'll be too busy."
"With what?"
"With me. You'll be my assistant." Mary Sue balked. "Well actually, I doubt Marx will let that work. But we will need to study what happened to you as well. It will take a while. And I will need to perform private examinations too."
Her mouth curved into a smile. "If you insist, Wizard King."
"Don't call me that. Not from you. I just want to be me, Julius."
"Okay, Julius." She leaned in and pressed her lips to his, a soft touch before pulling back and saying, "I love you. And I don't deserve this or you, but you should know this first. I have suspected my luck magic may have swindled you into developing feelings for me. I have often found when growing up people were drawn to me when I spent enough time with them. It's like my luck magic creates this natural favorability."
"Of course it did in my case, you cast that spell for me to find love, and that ended up being you. Either way, I don't care. Even if it was devil magic that led me to you. You're the person I love most. I have never stopped loving you and you can't convince me to stop now. Stop trying. Accept it. I think you will be happier allowing yourself to be loved by me rather than fighting it."
Right there, right then, was the most tempted she had ever been in this world to revealing the secret she had been harboring her whole life here. However, she was finally ready to heed his advice. She would shed her past. Focus on him. Because she was on borrowed time now.
While a part of her wanted to sacrifice this time and his love to save him… she wasn't sure if it would be worth it. Luck forced her into the future. It stripped time away from her. Maybe it was teaching her a harsh lesson that his fate couldn't be changed.
OoOoOoO
Note: Yo, anyone see that time jump coming? Lol
So, I must say I am really grateful to the feedback I got with my previous author's note update. I really felt lost but now have committed to my story's direction. I won't say more in case some reader's skipped reading that note to avoid spoilers. I think I have one or two updates left on this story unless I am forgetting something with my original plot. Hopefully I remember to tie up loose ends too lol. Happy almost 1 year to this fanfic! Hehe ~pixelephant
p.s. if my background of Mary Sue's encounter with "Gabriela" was lacking…let me know. I am iffy on it. Whelp… I am always down to improve a chapter if y'all have critiques. Editing longer chapters is always a challenge for me with no beta, so I just try my best :D Also next installment is going to be action packed! Less mushy stuff and more back to the action! cooooool
Also I wrote year XXXX because I could not find a timeline to confirm what year/age/period they are in. Imagine if Yuno's response was:
"It's his first mission for them. We are in episode 19 in the anime. Now, who are you?" He replied, his words blunt.
lmao