Chapter 87: Broken Relationships

Disclaimer:

It's now Day 2 of the 5-day update schedule. Day 1 was quite the deep one and I can't wait for you guys to read today's chapter.

There are references to events in past chapters to help with foreshadowing and whatnot. Here they are:

Chapter 44, 62-64, 86

With that said, I hope you enjoy.

In between the border of the Common Realm and Forsaken Realm lay a small place named Talon Village. Only a few of the afternoon sun's bright rays were able to shine through the row of grey clouds that were grouped underneath.

A lot of the damage from the battle against the rogue Magic Knights was still there but it was being rebuilt slowly. However, instead of seeing the efforts of a rebuild, there were sounds of a metal sword clashing against something soft that a lot of the village residents were focused on. Instead of a battle between sword and sword, it was a battle between sword and snow.

"Alchemy Creation Magic: Alchemist's Blade!"

"Snow Creation Magic: Snowman's Soft Strike!"

Two members of the Aqua Deer were sparring in the middle of the village and they were taking it quite seriously from what it looked like. Cyrus was on the left side of the battleground whereas Fragil was on the right. There were small poles which made a rectangle that acted as the border of where they fought. Small market stalls were scattered all around with queues of people wanting to spend their money.

The spells both came at each other with the snowman going to hit with its right arm whilst Cyrus charged in with his left hand holding the sword.

The sharp end of the blade hit the snowman's hand but, instead of piercing through, it was held there and was being resisted by the snow spell's strength.

"You know, you have been getting better with your magic in the past month but… what else would happen when you come up against a seasoned fighter like me?" Fragil smirked as she brushed the ends of her short, dark-blue hair away to the side.

"Oh, yeah?" Cyrus said with his own smirk. His light-green eyes darkened underneath his dark-orange glasses as he hid his expression from his squad mate. "Don't you think that I've learned from all my losses against you in that timeframe. Just like me, my blade learns from its past experiences, so take this".

Whilst Alchemist's Blade was in a stalemate against Snowman's Soft Strike, parts of the spell started to soften and loosen its original, hard shell. Now, it was more flexible and that meant it could move more easily.

The main part of the blade stayed as it was, but other parts moved along the snowman's arm, wrapping it in their metal tendrils. Now, Cyrus had Fragil's spell trapped in the loose tendrils of his own blade's. Then, he tightened his grip on the handle of the blade, hardening each separate part of the sword again.

"Damn it, he's got my snowman's arm in an inescapable lock!" Fragil said to herself, trying to think of a way out.

However, it was too late as Cyrus finally made his move. He twisted the sword's handle which completely destroyed the snow construct's arm, making a miniature snowfall on the hard floor. He jumped back with his enhanced blade in his left hand and it slowly merged back into one, solid weapon once again.

"You only destroyed one arm of my spell. You do know it can grow back, right?" Fragil said as her spell started to regenerate.

"Of course, I know that", Cyrus said with a smile. "Unfortunately, you won't have enough time to do so".

He lunged forwards and swiped downwards with the weapon in his hand. After that one strike, he moved his arm to the left and slashed horizontally, cutting the snowman into four total pieces which destroyed Fragil's spell.

"The match is over! Cyrus Sharandale has finally beaten Fragil Tormenta in a 1v1"

The referee on the side blew his whistle and both opponents closed their grimoires, getting rid of any lingering magic on the battlefield.

"You were great Cyrus!"

"Unlucky Fragil, you're still the best in my eyes!"

"I wish it went on for longer…".

The two teammates left the ground and made their way through the large crowd that had gathered around. Eventually, they saw one of the nearby market stalls and they sat down there on two, wooden chairs.

The man at the stall walked over with two mugs of water. He bent down and placed it on the small, round table in between both of the Magic Knights.

"That sure was quite the battle, ya two! Reminds me of what happened a month or so ago but more, uh… shall we say, peaceful?" He laughed.

"Thanks, Marvin", Cyrus said, wiping his sweat, as he took the water and started taking the first sip.

"Yeah, morale has been a bit of a problem for the residents after the whole rogue incident so we're glad we can help them out in any way. Showing them a fighting spectacle wouldn't be the first thing I'd have thought of so it looks like your ideas are what helped the community in the first place, Marvin!" Fragil smiled as she put up her two fingers to form a peace sign.

"While the area's being rebuilt, it's nice to have a form of entertainment, ya know?" Marvin nodded. "It didn't even take long to build that there battlefield either!"

"It's a shame that the eagle statue is gone but hopefully another will be built in its place. Right now, the temporary battlefield can take its place", Cyrus added as he quickly finished his drink.

The fuzzy, light-brown-haired man bowed to them to which the two vehemently protested again as seen with their erratic waving of both hands. He smiled as he lifted his head and went back to be behind his stall.

"We come back to Talon Village every week to help with the rebuild but everyone still acts the same with us", Cyrus said with a slight shake of his head.

"I mean, what can you expect? All they've known is to treat nobles with great respect and nothing else", Fragil said, shaking her mug of water.

"It is what it is, I guess", he sighed.

"Anyway, how long do you think it'll take for the village to be restored properly?" The Snow mage asked.

The two looked around the town square at all the different Magic Knights that were scattered about. A lot of them came from the Aqua Deer as well as the Green Praying Mantises. They were using their magic to repair and rebuild certain houses, shops, parks, and much more.

"I'm not sure. I doubt it'll be the same as it used to be but we'll all try our best. It's a good thing that Captain Rill let some of the squad go to come here and help. I can't imagine most of the other captains doing so", the alchemist said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yeah", Fragil chuckled. "It's weird but I never would've expected Captain Jack to let his squad come over either. I guess you never really know someone until you see their actions. Who knows, maybe he's a good guy underneath that tough and crazy exterior", Fragil shrugged. "Anyway, I do hope we can find more of those rogue mages soon. We only fought three of them but there were many more as their leader, Evan, told us", she added.

The Alchemical Wizard was in deep thought after he heard what Fragil was saying. Although he heard her in full, the first part of what she said grabbed him. "Yeah, Captain Jack could be a good guy underneath all of that. Maybe… I wonder if Daisy is still the good person that I knew all those years ago, after everything that happened?"

Then, he heard the words that Evan, the leader of the Rogue Knights, and Aiden Sitrol, the Purple Orca, said in his head from the last time they were altogether in Talon Village.

"If you have any regrets… tell me you'll sort them out…".

"If you have any grudges or things that are a bit toxic right now, then you should probably seek to change that, you know?"

Cyrus looked up after hearing the two voices and addressed Fragil who was busy relaxing on her wooden chair. "Say, Fragil, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, you can".

"It's about the person that I told you about when we were flying to Talon Village the first time".

"The last friend I had left me alone for seven years… Though, I think I can trust you".

"Ah, right. I asked you about this mystery person a few times but you never wanted to speak about them. Are you able to now?" Fragil leaned forwards, both knuckles on her cheeks as she looked deeply at the noble.

"Y-Yeah", he said as he leaned back even further to keep the same distance between himself and her. "W-Well… I told you that she ghosted me for seven years but I never told you the reason. Then again, it's not my place to tell you but… what I'm trying to say is that she had quite a big reason for changing her lifestyle but, what I don't understand is… the fact that she completely stopped talking to me".

Fragil put her hands on her knees and thought about the rather odd situation. "It's kind of confusing, you know? Hm, well, you say that she had a good reason so maybe you just have to believe that. I… can't exactly say that I know what you're feeling since I did say that I struggle to make friends so I've never had such a close friend like you seemed to have. But, I will say that I do know how it feels to have no one there where you're just completely lonely", she said with a smile that was clearly fake.

"I know the reason for why she left but I don't know the reason for why she cut contact with me. That's the main thing I'm confused about and it's been eating away at me for a very long time".

"If it's that troubling then just… go and talk to her. It's been seven years, right? You're old enough to stand up for yourself and demand and answer but… she's also old enough to give you one. The last thing I'll say is that, since she stopped contact with you, as well as the fact that you were close friends, there might be a reason that she deems worth it. Then again… you do have the right to know".

After that, the light-blue-eyed mage stood up and scratched her head. "It sounds like a very tough situation but, I mean, what else can I say? Just remember that if things don't work out, I'm always here, okay?"

Cyrus followed his Senior mage and stood up as well. He stretched his limbs and jumped up and down on the spot for a few seconds, seemingly to psyche himself up. "You're right. Thanks for the advice, Fragil". He turned away and started to walk towards his broomstick that he had left leaning against one of the walls to the side of the market stall. "I think… I'm going to sort things out now".

"Oh, okay, yeah", Fragil said with a slight surprise, not thinking that he was going to act on it right now.

"By the way", he suddenly turned around and fidgeted with his hands. "You're the first friend I made in the Magic Knights, so you don't have to feel lonely anymore. I guess… what I'm saying is that I'm here for you as well, Fragil", he awkwardly smiled and put his thumbs up.

Fragil's eyes widened but slowly eased up again. "Thanks, Cyrus, but that was… very corny", she poker-faced.

"Corny?" He repeated, scratching the side of his face. "I guess it was, yeah. Um, I didn't really know what to say since I've never been in this situation so I just said what came to my head. Sorry about that", he apologised whilst taking out his notebook to write in.

Fragil realised that her joke was taken the wrong way. "N-No, I didn't really mean that, Cyrus! I was just joking about calling it corny".

He looked up, pausing his note-taking. "Huh, you were joking?"

"Of course, I was! What were you scribbling down so furiously there anyway?"

"Like I said, you're the first friend so I write down the do's and dont's of a friendship. I was writing down; 'Don't be corny' but I'll scribble it out now", he said as he put a few lines through his words.

Fragil face-palmed. "Maybe I should choose my words more carefully with him?" Then, she got his attention with a wave of her hand. "Sometimes, corny is fine and honestly… maybe it's what I needed. Thanks, really", she giggled.

"You and your inability to accept compliments and then the fact you make things confusing. You're acting like that Purple Orca, Daimon… is that his name?" Cyrus asked, looking into the air.

"Don't you dare mention that guys' name to me! He just… frustrates me so much!" She shouted, slamming her right foot down on the ground repeatedly.

"See? Still acting like him!"

"Why you…!" She reached out and went to chase him. However, the Alchemy mage was already in the sky and soared off towards the direction of the Noble Realm, waving at the Snow mage who was on the ground with her hands on her hips, shaking her head.

Before he got too far out of reach, he cupped his mouth and shouted. "That was a joke of my own, did I do it right?!"

Fragil stood in shock but she raised her fist and shook it. "Next time, I'm definitely beating you in our spars!"

On the way to the Noble Realm, the weather turned from a slight overcast to one that was filled with a heavy downpour of rain, thunderstorms, and lightning.

Cyrus was flying on his broomstick but he was already prepared for such bad weather through his creation spell.

"Alchemist's Blade…", Cyrus sighed a breath of relief as he saw it above him, spinning around, making a barrier over his head. "I thought a sword could only be used for fighting but this spell certainly has its uses outside of that".

Eventually, the Aqua Deer reached the base of his house where it was covered in darkness from the lack of sunlight coming from above. He looked up and saw the white stone bricks that made up the structure of the house shine through the consistent lightning strikes from above. He also saw that the chimney on the black-bricked roof was active, smoke coming out from within.

"Brenda must be inside. I haven't seen her in a while so it'll be nice to talk with her", he smiled as he opened the double doors.

"Master Sharandale".

The two rows of guards bowed either side of the approaching alchemist. They were in full, metal armour with weapons like swords, maces, and even bows by their sides. Anyone walking inside would feel safe or even proud of the protection they had but as Cyrus saw all of this, he knew what it meant immediately and it left a very sour taste in his mouth.

"There's way more than usual which only means one thing...".

He hurried across the green velvet carpet that was across the mahogany-wood flooring. Within a few seconds, he found himself outside of the house's dinner room and he breathed in heavily before opening the door and exhaling.

"Please, let me be wrong…".

He found himself in a well-lit room with a large dining table right in the middle. There was a long, white cloth on top of it with a set of silver candle holders which held lit-up candles on. Cyrus immediately spotted Brenda but she was too busy focused on her task.

"Ah, there you are, my son", a deep voice called out from near Brenda.

"I feel like it's been months since we've seen you, Cyrus", another voice called out from right next to the first.

Cyrus walked over, standing next to the originator of the first voice. He bowed his head to the two who greeted him.

"Greetings, Father. Greetings, Mother".

The man who was at the end of the dining table was one of a tall stature. He had a pale face with a grey-brown goatee. His left dark-green eye was hiding behind a gold-chained monocle whilst the other eye was shut with a deep scar running through the entirety of it. He had short, dark-brown hair that was slicked back as if he had plastered tons of hair gel across it.

"Son, where have you been for the last few weeks?" He asked, not turning to face the one he was talking to.

"I was at the Aqua Deer. I've decided to return to my Magic Knight duties, Father", he said plainly.

"You're just wasting your time, love. There's no need to join that violence-loving organisation when you can have all you want in the comfort of your home", his mother said as she took a sip of her red wine.

She had long, blonde hair that was mainly tied in a large bun at the back, held up by a pair of long, red hairpins. Her orange eyes looked at her son with contempt as every time they looked at each other, she just rolled them along with a large sigh in combination. Her face was also caked in makeup with bright, red lipstick covering her small lips.

"I wanted to join the Magic Knights because I find that I can really excel in what I'm good at with real-life experience. I want to help others because I'm able to", Cyrus replied quickly.

"You can help others by taking up the family business. Helping others, usually the ones beneath you, is not rewarding in the slightest", she argued.

"Now, now, Margara, let us see where our son is coming from. What have you done so far that's worthy of being a Magic Knight?" The father asked, turning to his son for the first time.

"I've helped save a patient's life back at the hospital. He was having trouble with his magic control since he was an… odd case. I created an elixir that stopped his pain and helped with his mana in the long run. I've also worked to help Talon Village near the Common Realm against some criminals".

The two parents stopped eating their afternoon meal, setting down their utensils to the side. Both of them turned to their child and chuckled.

"You call that something worthy of being a Magic Knight?" Margara laughed. "Are you hearing this, Isa?"

"Saving someone's life - was he a peasant? And Talon Village… you mean the one near the Forsaken Realm, right?" Isa questioned, staring deeply at the silver knife by his plate.

"To be honest with you, I don't care what you think", Cyrus said with a thunderous conviction. He stood tall and looked down at his parents. "I am a Magic Knight and nothing you do or say will deter me at all".

Suddenly, an object went flying by his eye, cutting a strand of his dirty-blonde hair. His light-green eyes widened with shock as he was inches away from losing the sight in his right eye. He looked back and saw exactly what it was.

"He threw a knife at me?!" Cyrus thought in disgust as he saw the silver knife lodged in one of the dark-red pillars in the room.

"Huh", Isa chuckled again. "A Magic Knight couldn't dodge something like that? Pathetic".

"Master Sharandale, that's en-!" Brenda began to say but a vicious look from the abusive man sent shivers down her spine.

Isa slammed his hands against the white cloth of the table, making the several hanging ornaments on the wall and the large, glass panes shake. He stood up from his seat and walked outside of the room, quickly followed by his wife. However, just before he left, he said something to Cyrus.

"We will talk about this again".

The room was silent for a few seconds before Brenda walked over to Cyrus, hugging him. The mage felt her tears run down his squad robe and greenish-yellow collared shirt.

"I'm sorry, Master Cyrus, that I couldn't d-do anything to help", she sobbed.

"It's not your fault, Brenda", he said as he slowly had her get off from his shoulder. "I'm used to those two acting like that. It doesn't upset me anymore", he sighed, shaking his head.

"But I…", Brenda began to say but a smile from Cyrus made her stop.

"It's fine. I don't want you losing your job or anything like that. We just have to deal with it as it comes, yeah?" He said before walking away to the double doors that his parents walked through.

"It's not right that you're used to it, Master Cyrus! You once told me to call you by your name instead of 'Master Sharandale' since you want no connection with your family name which means… it does bother you. I… have to do something!"

Cyrus made his way towards his bedroom that was right opposite his laboratory which was locked. He opened the door and closed it, quickly locking it behind him. He fell down with his knees giving way and he sat at the base of his door, looking at the mirror opposite him, near his desk.

"What did I do to deserve such terrible parents…?" He whispered as he covered his face with his hands. He shook his head quickly after and propped himself up.

He thought back to seven years ago when he used to be friends with Daisy. Her warm smile back then would never leave her face and Cyrus also enjoyed her company. That memory of the two together gave the alchemist a boost.

"I came here to prepare to go and meet Daisy. That's exactly what I'll do except… I have no idea where she lives, of course!" He face-palmed, cursing himself as he forgot something so key. "Maybe I'll visit the Blue Rose Knights' HQ but… don't they hate men?" He slammed his desk but not with anger, but more with frustration at himself.

However, after a few minutes of being annoyed, it seemed like his day was going to finally get better as a knock to his door from the outside grabbed his attention.

"Yes?" He called out, still pouting.

"Um, Master Cyrus, you have a visitor outside and I think you might want to see them", Brenda said from outside.

"Who is it?"

"I had her wait just inside because of the weather but it's… It's Miss Daisy!"

"What?!" Cyrus questioned but he didn't wait for an answer. He just unlocked his door and went straight towards the front door.

Not even ten seconds went by since Cyrus rushed out and reached the entranceway but there was no sight of the Blue Rose Knight. He looked at the green velvet carpet and saw that there were some muddy footprints around that didn't belong to him.

He turned to one of the guards. "Was there someone here?"

"Yes, she is waiting outside, Sir".

Just as Cyrus opened the door, another loud bang of thunder rumbled around the skies. Lightning was paired up with it, giving a brief yellow and blue flash of colour to Daisy who was standing by herself underneath the cover of a large tree right by the steps to his house. She was shivering with the cold rain constantly managing to splash on her. Her arms were folded over her waist as she tried to keep her body heat the same but it was proving difficult.

However, even before he noticed what she looked like or even what she was wearing, he saw the lack of the green ribbon atop her orange hair. Still, the Alchemical Wizard rushed out, grabbing a black umbrella from near the door and he opened it as soon as he stepped outside. He ran towards the Magic Knight and put the umbrella above her head.

"You're green ribbon - you're without it", he said as he looked at the top of her head again. "I don't even remember a time you left your house without it".

Daisy felt her head. "Yeah, I kinda just forgot to wear it today", she said coldly.

"Hm, really?" He asked but didn't get a response. "Anyway, you might have heard that there was a fire here during the whole zombie invasion a few months ago. Everything here from the trees to the leaves were all burned down but a few people came by to restore the area. That's why the trees here are all fine even though they weren't, aha", he said. At this point, he had exhausted all of his conversation starters and these two were the best he could manage since he was quite nervous.

"You…", the less-than-lively teen started to say. "... I'm surprised you're all up to talk with me considering our last encounter wasn't the best".

"Yeah, well… I thought about a few things and… I wanted to talk about that. To be honest with you, I was going to go to your house but then I remembered that I didn't know where you lived anymore. Your last house was in the Noble Real-!"

"Did you…?" Daisy interrupted before Cyrus was able to finish what he was saying.

"Did I what?" He asked, not knowing where she was going with this.

Her dead eyes looked at him and he didn't know if they were tears or because of the rain spraying about everywhere. She opened her mouth again and finished what she was going to say but this only made Cyrus's heart drop.

"Did you… spread the word about… me?" She gulped before continuing. "Did you tell anyone about… me being a Haines, and the title of the Fallen Noble?"

Cyrus took a step back with how shocked he was that he heard such an accusation from the girl in front of him. He shook his head, refusing it. "How… could you even think that of me?"

"It must've been you! You were the only one there when… everything happened!" She shouted, flailing her arms about, pointing at the Alchemy mage.

"You dare to pin that on me?!" Cyrus shouted back but the 16-year-old opposite him didn't even flinch. "I made you a promise that I'd never speak a word about what happened! Even my parents don't know about that day and you think I went telling the world?!"

"Then who…?!" Daisy grabbed onto Cyrus's shoulders, crying. "Then, who…?!"

FLASHBACK - SEVEN YEARS AGO:

"Daisy and Cyrus, grab Alice, Grace, and Sonia, and leave this house, right now!"

"But Mama…! I c-c-can't leave you here with h-h-him…!"

"No, you'll leave me with him while I make time for you to escape! You do as you're told, baby girl!"

Two young, nine-year-old children were cowering behind an older woman. She had long, rosy-red hair with bangs that almost covered her sea-blue eyes. Usually, she looked perfect but today was not the day to be worrying about looks in the slightest.

Her body was covered in bruises and open wounds that were still bleeding. Her face was full of sweat that was falling down onto the hardwood floor beneath her. Her clothes were ripped at random places but she was still trying her best to hold the door shut to protect the children.

Muffled noises came out from behind the very same door along with continuous banging that shook the entire room.

"Mama, no, I'm not leaving you with him!" Daisy shouted and cried, grabbing onto her mother's leg, refusing to let go. She was wearing a small, light-green frock with tiny patterns of flowers going from top to bottom. Her orange hair was neatly kept with a hairpin shaped like a small animal, though it wasn't fully visible as her signature green ribbon was covering most of it with its two ends flipped towards the back. She also wore some light-brown boots which she dug into the floor's carpet as she held onto her mother with everything she had.

The group of people were upstairs in a small bedroom in their house. There was another room that was attached where Freya, Daisy's mother, was preventing being opened. To the side, perpendicular to the first door, was another that led to a landing which the stairs to the floor below were connected to.

This room in particular had two baby cots that were next to each other. One had Alice, the two-year-old toddler and the other had the twins, Grace and Sonia, who were barely even a year old. All three were crying as loudly as possible.

"Daisy, love, please… I'll join up with you as soon as I can. Just… be a good big sister and protect the other three, okay?" Freya insisted, trying her best to not shout at her daughter.

"What about you?! You're pregnant as well!" Daisy screamed. She was pointing at her mother's stomach.

"The baby… will be fine!" Freya gulped. She then turned to Cyrus who was silent the whole time.

He was shaking in the corner, huddled with his arms around his knees. His dirty-blonde side bang was resting on his arm as his head was buried in the gap between his legs. He was wearing a green shirt with a yellow tie going down the middle. His khaki shorts were being crumpled as he sat on the floor.

"Honey, I'm so sorry about this but you're going to have to be strong for us! You're… part of our family so please… protect them! Cyrus, please save my daughters!"

Cyrus looked in horror at what was happening. He was crying and his dark-orange glasses were steaming and blurring with his tears bouncing off the inside. He slowly got up and wiped his face with his sleeve.

"I… I'll do it for you, Mrs Haines… I'll help save Daisy and the… others…!" Cyrus shouted.

"Don't call me… by that horrid name anymore. My maiden name is… Calor. Ms Calor is fine", she smiled before fully focusing on the door. She was using her back to stop the door from opening but now she had turned around and was using her full, frontal force.

"Daisy, we h-have to go…", Cyrus said as he forcibly pulled the little girl off her mother's leg.

"I… I'll be back in no time, Mama!" Daisy shouted and turned around quickly.

The two children worked together to take the younger girls out of the room. First, it was the twins' turn and both Daisy and Cyrus held each twin in their arms since that was all that they could manage. They ran down the stairs and out of the front door, as far as they could so that they'd be safe.

It was the dead of night but House Haines had no other buildings nearby. There weren't even other people around when all the noise and commotion was occurring from inside. The wind was blowing quite hard as well which obscured a lot of the loud noises coming from inside the house.

The two put the twins down underneath a tree. Grace and Sonia were crying but they were safe for now as they were tucked into their warm blankets. Daisy, after setting down and making sure the two were okay, stood up again and turned to head back into her home.

"Cyrus… I've got to help Alice and Mama back there. Can you… stay here with the twins?" She asked with a clear shake in her voice.

"O-Okay, Daisy… I'll make sure these two are… safe", he said.

Daisy ran back and looked up at the small, noble house that had every single candle lit up on the inside. She heard screaming coming from the very same room that she was just in with Cyrus a few minutes ago and it was coming from her mother. Leaving the door open and practically jumping up the stairs, she reached where she needed to.

"Mama, I'm here t-!"

Her blue and violet-tinted eyes saw a large, yellow-haired man over her mother. He was beating her with his left fist as hard as he could. His purple eyes were flaring up as if he was putting his all into this attack.

"Mama!" Daisy screamed but the screams from Freya were too loud to hear her daughter's.

The man's mouth was frozen and it looked like there were patterns of snowflakes across his lips. Looking closely, they were almost stitched inside the mouth which meant that his mouth was forcibly shut.

However, with how violent this man was acting, he was also pulling the snowflake stitches away which finally caused his mouth to open wide. Blood pooled down from his mouth all over the floor as well as Freya herself.

"Freya, you stupid, utter, bitch!" The man screamed as he continuously beat her. "How dare you sew my mouth together with your insignificant Snowflake Magic. I can't even use my own magic anymore since you sealed my grimoire with your spell…!"

In the other room, the man's three-leaf grimoire was forcibly shut with a pattern of snowflakes all across the front and back cover. It was laying on the floor but not melting. The man kept trying to force the grimoire back to him but it would only budge slightly.

"Shut up!" Freya shouted back at her abuser. "You say you're my husband but you act like something else! Ever since… I found out the horrid things you did to my daughters to get more power for your own, selfish goals… I knew you were the spawn of a devil! I took what you did to me... but hurting my daughters?! You'll never get near any of us… ever again!"

"It was all to be stronger in this world! Look at this!" He lifted his right side to show that he had no right arm. "I lost my arm in battle defending this kingdom. I found a way to return it but I needed more… power!" He shouted and started to drool with his saliva dripping everywhere.

Daisy then quickly ran over with a glass vase in her hands that she grabbed from the side. She smashed it against her father's face which caused him to fall backwards, holding his head which was now full of bleeding cuts. "Shut up and leave Mama alone!"

Daisy tried to pull Freya away as best as she could, managing to do so in a quick amount of time with the adrenaline pushing through her body.

"Mama, everyone is safe outside. You have to grab Alice and run!"

"What are you saying? You grab your sister and I'll work to protect you from this man!"

In the few seconds that they couldn't agree on a course of plan, the man who was on the floor grabbed Freya's legs and dragged her down to the floor again. He used his left hand to dig his nails in her feet and tried to throw her across the room but she was ready to fight back.

"Snowflake Magic: Powder Frost!" Freya generated a large snowflake in her hand and threw it so it would be above the man opposite her. Quickly, it exploded and small, but sharp, snowflakes rained down, cutting into his skin and almost slicing bits of his other arm off.

"That magic… will never hurt me!" He shouted as he charged forwards with his head behind his left arm, protecting himself.

Freya, since she was already heavily injured, couldn't avoid his attack and was hit with the full force of his charge. It sent her across the room where her back smashed against the wall, making her fall unconscious.

"Now, Daisy, it's just you and me, daughter…!" The man said, breathing heavily.

tried to throw her across the room but she was ready to fight back.

Back with Cyrus, he was protecting the twins whilst biting on his nails as he was waiting impatiently for Daisy, Freya, and Alice to turn up so that they could really escape.

"This… is taking way too long!" He thought to himself as he stood up and started to make his way to the house. However, one look back at the twins made him stop in his tracks and return to the tree. "I can't just leave these two on their own…!"

Suddenly, some rustling from the nearby bushes started to happen which alerted the young Sharandale. He stood near the two girls with his arms out, protecting them both from anything that might come.

However, once the rustling stopped and the figure came into view, Cyrus dropped his guard. An overwhelming feeling of hope had just shown up and his small, light-green eyes lit up.

In House Haines, Daisy's father had grabbed onto her little body, dragging her down just as he did with Freya.

"Get away from me!" Daisy screamed, kicking out as hard as she could which she managed to do well since her father's grasp loosened.

"Oh, come on, Daisy. Why don't you help your father out? Just… run away with me so I can be strong again!"

"That doesn't even make sense! You're not my father when you're doing all of th-this mean stuff!"

"That's not very nice of you! Who helped you when things were looking bad? Who gave you all of these riches? Who fed you, clothed you, and gave you education?!"

"None of that matters when y-you act like a monster!"

Daisy, instead of running away, lunged at the man and scratched him on his face repeatedly. She was scraping at his eyes, his open wounds on his lips, as well as anything she could visibly see. Her attacks were lacerating parts of his skin and he was screaming out in pain.

The man then stood up for the first time, towering over his daughter with a shadow that covered her entire body. He used his only arm to smack the girl which sent her flying back to where Freya was. Thankfully, this force woke up the woman and she got up quickly.

During these few seconds, the man ran back and grabbed his grimoire, trying to open it up by pushing his fingertips in the cracks and pulling the frozen snow away. Eventually, he did so but by that time, Freya had already gotten up and, instead of opting to fight, she knew she had to run no matter what.

"If he brings that magic out, then…!"

Freya grabbed Alice and tried to grab the unconscious Daisy in her other arm. She almost made it out of the room until she felt the alarming pressure of her husband behind her.

She looked around and saw his purple eyes flare up even more in tandem with the eerie aura that was coming out of his grimoire. He was about to use his magic when a blue flash suddenly entered the room.

Freya looked back as she realised what happened and saw the tall figure of a messy, blond-haired man she had only seen a handful of times in her life. He wore a long, red robe which covered his white shirt and brown pants. Different symbols and medals were pinned on the outside of his robe for all to see with the most noticeable accessory being a gold necklace which was slightly further down than what it would be on your average person. His eyes were purple but they were softer with no signs of hostility compared to the one he was looking at. There was also a six-pointed star on the left side of his forehead.

"Julius", the man said with a snarky undertone.

"That's quite enough now", Julius said plainly. He raised his hand and was about to summon his magic.

Cyrus slowly walked up the stairs from outside and made his way just outside of the bedroom's door. He had both Grace and Sonia on his back and he looked like he was going to topple over as he couldn't carry them properly.

"I know… I should've stayed outside but… seeing the Wizard King in action… I couldn't pass that up. Besides, I have to be there for Daisy and them all since… Ms Calor told me that I'm… part of their family!"

The eldest Haines daughter suddenly woke up and quickly jerked about as she remembered everything that was happening. Freya let go of her and she turned around, seeing everything that was happening.

"You just had to bring the Wizard King here, huh?" The man laughed sarcastically.

Julius raised his hand. "These ones didn't request for me. It was a brave young child outside that I met that directed me here". Then, he turned around as he heard a pair of heavy footsteps and it was the kid he was talking about. "I thought you'd be outside…".

"The abuse towards your family. It will stop… tonight", Julius ordered.

"Or what?" The man said.

With a shake of his head, he sighed. "You know, I was offering you an opportunity to apologise but it doesn't seem like you'll take it. And, even if you did, I highly doubt those you've hurt will accept it either. You're the worst of the worst and you'll be judged just like that. I hope you're prepared for life in the Magic Prison".

"I know I can't defeat you, Julius. I know that from our time together in the days of the Grey Deer", he smirked. Then, he turned to Freya and Daisy who flinched just by his gaze. "I hope you'll enjoy life… knowing that I'm still in the very same kingdom as you. Though I'll be imprisoned, never take that as a guarantee. I will get what I want just as I have done all my life! I wonder how it'll feel… being known as the family of a fallen noble. House Haines is officially no more!"

"All of you, leave the house and wait for me outside in the courtyard. I'll be done quickly", Julius ordered the rest of the ones who were upstairs and they followed.

Freya took the twins from Cyrus and the young alchemist picked up Alice, which made it easier for him to help. Daisy followed from behind but she turned around to listen in on the conversation between the adults.

"Cyrus brought you, the Wizard King, here which was smart of him but I can't waste my precious time in enacting revenge upon him. My duty is to my family which means that… whenever you slip up, Julius, or if you ever take your sight off me, I will come back to what's mine! My wife, my daughters… I will definitely have them in my palms again", he smiled eerily. "But, if Cyrus is around them... If he so happens to be involved in their lives… If I ever see that blasted kid again… I'll make sure I cut up all of his insides and string him up across the skies. I assure you all… that I will kill that kid, along with anyone who gets in my way again!"

Daisy's eyes widened as she heard that declaration. Her history with her father was mared with abuse and nothing good ever came from his inclusion in her life. But, the one thing that she really knew about him was that…

"He… sticks to his word…", she gulped. The young noble looked downstairs at her best friend who was walking down the stairs, holding the hand rail to not trip from Alice's weight on his shoulder. "I… don't want you to die if you're near me, Cyrus… I… have to protect you as well. You're not involved in all of this mess…", she teared up.

"Time Binding Magic: Chrono Stasis", Julius said as he trapped the abuser in a large, blue orb of his Time Magic. Around the circumference of the spell, thin banners that had different numbers written on them were revolving.

Soon after, Julius left the room with the head of House Haines in his time orb. He saw that Daisy had hurried down the stairs to join the rest of the ones outside.

The man in the robe bowed down and apologised. "I'm terribly sorry for everything that's happened with your family. I knew this man during his time as a Magic Knight and I… should've seen the signs instead of letting him roam free", he said with a great sadness in his voice.

"No, it's fine. I'm just glad… my family is safe…", Freya said as she fell to the floor on her knees. She put her hand to her stomach and felt the baby kick. "The baby… is safe as well", she teared up.

"You tell me not to worry but I do. He had some… moments in the past that were less than favourable but I declined to imprison him. As an apology, do you want me to have you reinstated somewhere else? Of course, I can always help restore this house but…",

"No, anywhere but this house, Mr. Wizard King, Sir…", Alice said as she tugged on the Time mage's brown pants.

"Right. I wouldn't want to live here any longer than you would. All of the areas in the Noble Realm are full right now so…",

"What about the Common Realm?" Freya asked.

"Sure, I can do that for you. In fact, there's a house that's recently finished being made. I… find myself in and around Nean, so will that be to your liking?"

"Nean is good", Freya replied.

"It's not quite the Noble Realm, I'll warn you".

"It's fine. I have… a friend there, Theresa".

"As an additional form of apology, I'll wipe knowledge of House Haines from the kingdom's records. Some of the elder nobles who were involved in business dealings may still know the name but it won't be linked to you anymore. This house was quite insignificant in the general make-up of nobles… no offence", he said with a slight scratch of his chin.

"No offence taken. None… at all", Freya said smiling. Suddenly, she felt lightheaded after everything hit her all at once since her adrenaline rush was ending. She was about to fall to the floor but Julius held her up with his arms.

"Okay, Freya, let's get you some help".

As the group walked away, Daisy turned around to look at her house. Every door was open and every window was open. She looked at all of it but focused on the house crest that was just above the door. It had a large crack going through it from the top but it was the same crest as the one on her hairpin at the back. She took the hair accessory out and tossed it towards the crest on the building.

"I never want to see that wolf ever again".

FLASHBACK - END

Cyrus pushed Daisy off from him with a strong but controlled force. She had been grabbing onto both of his shoulders and he couldn't talk properly with her so close like that.

"I told you that it wasn't me. If I'm honest with you, I'm horrified that you'd think I'd go telling strangers about that day", he said sternly.

"It had to be…", she said as she slammed her fist weakly against his chest.

Daisy wasn't thinking straight at all. Everything that had happened in the last few days, and the pain that came with it, merged together with her painful memories of the past. The light in her eyes had gone and she looked like a shadow of who she used to be.

"That's enough", Cyrus said as he took another step back from her.

Thunder and lightning, just as they had been the whole day, struck again. One could liken the noise and force from both of the powerful sounds to an earthquake's with how violent it was now.

"Then who was it?!" She screamed again.

Cyrus gritted his teeth and his anger was now boiling over. "I… wanted to talk to you to see… if we could be friends again. I missed the days we were together and I thought that we could overcome our differences but… this? This was not the way it was supposed to go… at all!"

Daisy's eyes widened, some colour coming back as she heard what he said. She lifted her head and her gaze that was constantly staring at the floor to meet his eyes. However, instead of the warm and happy feeling that she got from looking at Cyrus previously, it was replaced by a terrible hurt as she saw what she had reduced her best friend to.

Tears were falling down his face. His glasses were hiding most of them but they were clearly falling down his face and onto the floor. The brief return of colour in Daisy's eyes disappeared once again.

"If you really… want to rehash memories, rip the band-aid off, and question my character, then I'll do the exact same thing. Why did you leave me for all those years?! I helped you that day as best as I could. If I wasn't there to tell the Wizard King to go to your house, then only God knows what would've happened… Why did you ghost me for all of those years?!"

"I… I can't tell you that!"

"Why not? I deserve to know!"

"I… It's for your own good, Cyrus!"

Cyrus turned away and paced from side-to-side. He was shaking his head and put on a smile as he did as he just found this whole situation silly. At this point, he had already thrown the umbrella on the ground.

"You're kidding me, right? F-For my own good?" He repeated as he pointed to himself, eyes wide with anger but also misty from sadness.

"My father, he…", she breathed in as she prepared to reveal it but his words were banging around in her head and her want to tell the truth faltered.

"If Cyrus is around them. If he so happens to be involved in their lives… if I ever see that blasted kid again… I'll make sure I cut up all of his insides and string him up across the skies. I assure you all… that I will kill that kid, along with anyone who gets in my way again!"

"I don't… want to put you in danger, Cyrus…", she cried.

The face of her father then popped up in her head once again. His bloodied mouth and his flared-up, purple eyes were gazing right down at her. A dark, eerie aura that formed around him every time he'd use his magic.

Daisy fell to the floor, holding her body and shuddering though it wasn't from the cold weather and the downpour of rain. It was because of the fright her father instilled in her from the day she lay eyes on him.

"Cyrus, please… I know I made… a mistake in judging you like this, but-!"

"If you say that it was for my own good… then why did you bother to contact me when you needed my help with Lucas? Your insistence on ghosting me didn't influence your mind at that point, did it? So, why can't you tell me?!"

"I…", Daisy thought back to when she needed his help with Lucas's mana problem. "I…".

"You have no answer, do you? I think… you only befriended me do distract yourself from whatever horrid life your father gave you. I don't need your pity anymore".

"No, I don't care what you have to say to me anymore. You characterise me as this person who would air out your trauma and you refuse to tell me why you stopped being my friend…".

"Cyrus…", she reached out but her hand was slapped away by the one she was looking at.

"Just go".

"N-No…".

"Your secret will still be safe with me even if you don't believe it. But… just go. I don't want to…", he teared up again but made sure his words came across this time.

"You disgust me. I never want to speak with you. I never want to interact with you, I never want to look at you… ever again".

He turned around and walked towards his house, reaching for the door handle.

Daisy didn't move for a few seconds as he took everything he said in.

"It's all my fault… I'm just a horrible person…".

The door slammed on Daisy with a great force which even made her flinch. She stood up and walked away, drowning in the terrible weather.

"I guess… I'll go back home for now…". She thought as she disappeared down the street.

Inside the house, the drenched Cyrus fell to his knees as well with his back resting against the door that he shut behind him. He put his head in his hands, gritting his teeth once again. He took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"I don't need her friendship… anymore".

NOTES:

Here comes Part Two of Daisy's pain… Sorry :P.

This chapter's perspective comes from Cyrus who doesn't have the best home life himself as you can see with his abusive parents.

His history with Daisy has started to come to light and the part in this chapter is quite the horrid one. I hope you guys understand why Daisy had to leave but there will be more about it in the future.

Both parties needed answers but I feel like Daisy was more in the wrong when she accused Cyrus. Not everyone is perfect and knows the right things to say in tense and stressful situations and, well, Daisy's not perfect.

Originally, this whole chapter was planned to be part of the last but when I finished Chapter 86, I realised that it would be close to 20k words and I am not doing that ;O.

What did you think?