Chapter Nineteen: Bond Between Two Friends (Part 2)
Hey there readers, before you read this chapter, I have some bad news to share, it was something I always feared when I made this story, and that is the fact that I have writer's block, I'm not too sure what to do for chapter 20 and beyond, I have the arcs planned out, but I'm having trouble writing the actual thing. So after this chapter, I'll be going on a hiatus to think of some new chapters.
I apologize for not staying on top of this during chapter production. So, with that out of the way, please enjoy the chapter. Happy Holidays, have a good new year, and thanks to every single person that helped make this my best story in less than 4 months. Cya.
"This isn't good, by the looks of things, it's going to get real ugly real fast, I need to do something," Kenos thought as he ran between the two. "Just wait a minute,"
Levi looked at him. "What do you want?" he asked impatiently.
"Look, I don't know what kind of man Nathan's father was, but nobody deserves to get their grave spit on," the solar mage replied. "Why don't we just talk, maybe there's a way we can work this out without fighting,"
The azure flame mage gave him a strange look. "What?"
"That won't work," Nathan spoke up. "Levi is known to have a very short temper,"
"The kid's right, I have a very short fuse, besides, I don't think I'm the one you should be talking to, your friend over there was the first one to strike," Levi said in defense before shifting his attention to Zuka. "What's your problem?!"
"My problem, it's you who spit on someone's grave!" the sparkle mage exclaimed back. "The thing is, I lost my dad too when I was around his age, I know what it's like, and because of that, I won't let you disrespect him like that for just doing what he could for his family!"
"Doing what he could for his family, you say? He had a debt to pay and he couldn't do it, I'm the one being wronged in this scenario. I don't suppose your father was in a similar situation, or was he just some scumbag who spouted empty promises," Levi responded quite calmly.
The blue and magenta-haired mage was fuming. "My father was NOT a scumbag! He was a kind and respectable man, he loved his family and was loved back, he loved the people around him and was loved back, it was because of him that I'm the person I am today!"
"Zuka," Kenos muttered.
The girl began to calm down. "I remember it, the first of the many fond memories I shared with him, one that I'll never ever forget,"
[Flashback]
Ten Years Ago. Hiroka Village.
"This is going to be so good," Leroy mumbled to himself as he stood in the kitchen of his home, humming, his tune softly echoed throughout the entire building.
Zuka happily skipped into the kitchen, seeing her magenta-haired father. "Hi dad, what're you doing?"
"Hello Zuka, I'm just working on dinner," Leroy replied.
"Ooh, what exactly are you making?" the girl asked again.
"I'm making rice and potatoes, with seasoned lamb, it's my favorite meal," he replied as he went back to doing prep work, but stopped before turning his head and seeing his daughter still standing next to him, a wide smile on her face. "Um, Zuka, what're you still doing here, I need my space, don't you have something else to do?"
The girl groaned. "Honestly, no, I'm really bored today, mom went out to meet with Mrs. Droms earlier and she hasn't come back yet, and all of my friends told me they were busy,"
"I see, so what are you going to do to relieve that boredom of yours?"
"I'm not sure, I'm trying to think of something, but nothing's coming to my head," Zuka replied before she stopped and started looking around her. "Wait, I know, what if I help you make dinner?"
"Help me make dinner? But Zuka, you've never cooked before, not to mention you're only 5 years old," Leroy said.
"I can still try, besides, the dinner you've made has always been super yummy, this could be my chance to learn how to make yummy food just like you, please," the girl childishly pleaded as she brought her hands together.
Leroy sighed with a small grin. "Okay, you can help," he said as he took a knife and a potato, handing it over to Zuka. "Why don't you start by peeling these for me?"
"Yes sir, you can count on me," Zuka answered as she went to her own spot in the kitchen, holding the two objects in her hand. "Peeling potatoes shouldn't be too hard,"
The blue and magenta-haired girl placed her knife alongside the bumpy vegetable, ready to peel it with no problem, but when she applied pressure to the knife, it slipped off, not even cutting off a sliver of potato skin. "Just one miss, I'll get this one," she mumbled as she tried again, but faced the same outcome.
"Having some trouble there?" Leroy asked.
"Um, well...yes," Zuka slowly admitted with a sad tone.
Leroy walked over to his daughter and ruffled her hair, Zuka looked up to see a smile on her father's face. "Don't feel bad, it's only your first time, let me show you what to do," he said as he gently placed his hands over his daughter's. "Use one hand to firmly hold onto the potato, then with your other hand, put your thumb in front of the knife to apply more force and ensure better control," he instructed as he guided the little girl's hands through the steps he stated in order for her muscles to remember the action.
Zuka's eyes brightened as the skin peeled away and the white vegetable within slowly became visible. "Wow, so cool, thanks dad,"
"No problem there, we still have more potatoes to peel, can you do it?"
Zuka gave a wide smile. "You bet I can," she replied as she grabbed another potato and held it the same way Leroy showed her, using her thumb to guide the knife, she began peeling off the skin, but it ended around midway through. "Well, almost,"
Leroy chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll learn how to do it in one try. That's what I love about cooking, it teaches you the results of practice, as well as that, it teaches you patience, creativity, and most of all…,"
"Most of all, what?" Zuka asked.
Her father walked over to her and patted her head. "And most of all, it teaches you to broaden your horizons, to learn a variety of different types of skills,"
"Uh, I don't know about that dad, that sounds like a lot to remember, I'd rather learn one set of skills and keep it at that," the girl politely retorted.
Leroy shrugged. "I suppose, so, what do you say we finish up this meal before your mother gets here,"
"Let's do it!" Zuka cheered as the two continued cooking, an hour passed before the tantalizing aroma of meat and potatoes filled the house.
"And we're all done," Leroy said with a sigh of relief as the two left the kitchen and entered the dining room, sitting down. "Thanks for your help, that wasn't too bad for your first try,"
"You're welcome, that was so much fun, but I have a question?" Zuka asked. "That was a lot of work, but you usually make all of our meals by yourself, why doesn't mom help you?"
"Croatia? Well, your mother can't really help me, after all, she can't cook," Leroy replied.
"She can't cook?" Zuka said.
The magenta-haired man nodded. "That's right, but it's okay, I've never seen anyone clean a house like she has, as for me, I usually just use my magic to help with cooking,"
"I see, well, I don't think you'll need your magic to help you anymore," Zuka said.
Leroy raised a brow. "And why is that,"
"Because…," the girl began, getting up from her seat and walking to her father, tightly embracing him. "...You have me here, I'll help you from now on,"
Leroy gave her daughter a warm smile as he returned the embrace. "I would like that,"
[End Flashback]
"So, what you're saying is that your first fondest memory with your father was him teaching you how to cook...whatever," Levi scoffed.
He noticed the silent rage on Zuka's face and opened his mouth again. "Don't get me wrong, from that story of yours, it's pretty easy to see your dad was a good man, teaching your kid how to cook is pretty touching, but I think we can all see that your dad isn't the one we're focusing on right now, it's Nathan's dad," Levi said as he took out his grimoire.
"W-What're you doing?" Nathan reluctantly asked.
"Well, since your dad over here is dead and unable to pay his debt, I'm going to pardon him by making him pay in a different way," Levi replied as blue flames floated above his hands. "I'm going to burn that grave of his along with his body to a crisp, to the point where not even his ashes will remain,"
"What!" the three exclaimed in total shock, the sparkle mage stepped forward. "My words still stand, I won't let you harm this man's grave in any way!"
"Fine then, if you want it that way, you're just going to have to beat me," Levi taunted, beckoning her over with his palm.
"It'll be my pleasure," Zuka replied as she took out her grimoire.
"Wait, so we're not just going to talk this out?" Kenos asked.
"No!" Levi and Zuka exclaimed back.
"Stand back, I'll take this guy down quickly, Sparkle Reinforcement Magic: Rampage Force!" Zuka exclaimed as she charged at Levi, the aura surrounding her.
"Bring it on, we'll see how lucky you are if you can get another shot on me," Levi said plainly.
The sparkle mage quickly arrived in front of her opponent and fired a quick barrage of punches, to her complete surprise however, Levi dodged them quite effortlessly.
"What did I tell ya," Levi smirked as Zuka launched a side kick, to which Levi ducked before shooting a basic blast of blue flames, the sparkle mage having to quickly make distance between them.
The blue flames vanished almost immediately. "We're in a meadow, I gotta keep my flames under control or it can get out of hand fast," Levi thought as his grimoire flipped to a page. "Time for me to get on the offensive, Azure Flame Magic: Swirling Combustion!"
At his call, a large swirling orb of blue flame appeared beside him, with a swift hand motion, the orb raced towards Zuka.
"Zuka!" Kenos exclaimed as he ran in between the attack and his friend, his grimoire already out and ready for action. "Solar Creation Magic: Amaterasu's Guard!"
The goddess appeared and blocked the attack, the orb imploded on contact as flames bounced off and landed on the grass, quickly vanishing.
"Fine then, if you don't want to talk, we have no choice, we will subdue you!" Kenos exclaimed as he turned to Zuka. "You okay?"
"I'm just fine, but he won't be when I'm done with him," she replied as she ran towards Levi and jumped high into the air, positioning her legs for a dropkick.
"You think that you can subdue me and take me down, what a load of crap!" the azure flame mage exclaimed as he quickly backed up, dodging Zuka's kick, but as she landed, she wasted no time moving in and launching a quick barrage of punches. This time however, instead of dodging each of the attacks, Levi used his hands to deflect them sideways just as effortlessly.
"Damn it, just go down!" Zuka exclaimed, launching another punch.
"I don't think I will," Levi retorted as he grabbed the sparkle mage's wrist and twisted it behind her back before kicking her in the back, sending her a few inches away.
Kenos ran over to her and helped her up. "That didn't look too good,"
"Well that's because it wasn't," Zuka responded. "What's up with this guy, he's a lot better than I thought he was going to be, he sort of reminded me of the bandits we fought in Rielzu,"
"I already told you, I'm no pushover, I was a Magic Knight too ya know," Levi said.
The two mages looked at him in surprise. "You were a Magic Knight?"
"That's right," the azure flame mage replied before pointing at himself with his thumb. "You're looking at the former Vice Captain of the Green Praying Mantises,"
"A former vice captain, no way, you were a Magic Knight, what happened?!" Kenos asked.
"I left because I was getting tired of my captain's crazy attitude, he was super obsessed with cutting everything, he's strong, but strength isn't everything when it comes to being a likable captain," Levi replied. "After leaving that squad, I began my own business,"
The solar mage thought back to who was the captain of that squad. "Oh, isn't Jack the Ripper the Captain of the Green Praying Mantises? I heard that he is a bit on the crazy side,"
"You were the vice captain under a crazy captain, then here you are trying to burn someone's grave, it seems that you were influenced by him a lot more than you thought," Zuka taunted.
Now it was Levi's turn to be angry. "Don't compare me to that maniac!"
Kenos lightly chuckled before turning to his comrade. "Well, all that aside, we can't overlook the fact that he's a former vice captain, we're only 3rd class juniors, beating him will not be easy,"
"Yeah you're right, but we can't quit, rank isn't everything, remember when Asta fought those other Magic Knights from the Silver Eagles and the Golden Dawn who were of a higher rank," Zuka recalled.
Kenos nodded. "Of course, I could never forget that day," he replied, remembering how the day had him meet his siblings again before fighting a horde of zombies and a group of terrorist mages.
"Well, that means it's possible for us to beat a vice captain, especially since he's a former one, I'm guessing he could be rusty, we just need a chance to get a good hit in," the sparkle mage said.
"I suppose, but something's up, mostly...with you," Kenos began saying. "You seem so much more passionate and...angry during this fight, even the battle with the Eye of the Midnight Sun didn't make you feel this way, what's wrong?"
Zuka slightly frowned and took a deep breath. "I already told you how close I was to my dad, but...he's gone now, I guess that seeing the grave of Nathan's dad reminds me of him, and how I would protect his grave from someone who wished to harm it,"
The solar mage looked at his friend intently. "So, when she sees the grave of Nathan's dad, she thinks of her dead father and how she would want to protect his grave, it seems that her subconscious really hasn't gotten over his death and that's why she's acting like this, but regardless, we can't let this guy succeed,"
"Alright then," Kenos said as he gave Zuka a small smile. "Let's do this, but we'll attack together, that will add more pressure on him,"
"That's the spirit," the sparkle mage grinned, turning around to face Nathan. "Stay here Nathan, we're going to take care of this guy, you don't have to worry!"
The little boy nodded with relief. "Alright, but be careful,"
"We will," they said back.
Levi chuckled. "There you go underestimating me again, fine, bring it on, I'll make you regret it!"
The solar mage stuck his hand into his pocket, ready to take out his ring, but he internally gasped as he realized it wasn't there. "Damn it, I left the ring in my room, I didn't think we were going to fight today, well that's okay, I still have an alternative," he muttered before his grimoire flipped to a page. "Solar Reinforcement Magic: Sunshine Aura!" he exclaimed as the aura surrounded him before he and Zuka rapidly charged towards Levi.
The azure flame mage backed up a few yards to make distance between himself and the two mages. "Take this, Azure Flame Magic: Brilliant Volley!" he exclaimed an array of smaller blue orbs appeared beside him before racing to the two.
"Don't worry Kenos, I got this one, Sparkle Creation Magic: Glittering Barrier!" Zuka exclaimed as the barrier formed, protecting the two from the attack. The spell then disappeared, the two standing ready to attack
"It's our turn, Solar Magic: Sunbeam Ray!" Kenos exclaimed, firing the magic blast.
"Sparkle Creation Magic: Shimmering Bow!" Zuka joined in as she fired an arrow as well.
"Is that all you got, if you think weak attacks like those will beat me, you're wrong, Azure Flame Creation Magic: Inferno Column!" Levi scoffed as a spinning cylindrical tube of blue flames raised from the ground, defending the mage.
"Seems we're going to have to get closer, Sparkle Creation Magic: Glittering Lance!" Zuka exclaimed as she equipped her signature weapon.
"Solar Creation Magic: Solar Construct - Twin Gauntlets!" Kenos joined in, equipping a pair of his own weapons. "Let's just hope that he isn't like that Benjo guy and has a strong melee spell,"
Levi heard his statement and raised a brow. "I don't know who the hell's Benjo, but I do have a spell for close range, I was a vice captain after all, Azure Flame Creation Magic: Twin Severing Blades of Ignition!"
At his call, gauntlets formed around his hands, but unlike Kenos, at the side of Levi's gauntlets were curved blades of solid blue flames that were connected to it, as if the gauntlets were the handles.
"Cool looking weapon, but I'm pretty sure that looks very similar to the blades Jack makes with his Severing Magic," Kenos noted aloud.
"They are not!" Levi exclaimed back.
Zuka laughed at the azure flame mage's expense. "You really don't like your former captain, do you?" she asked as the two launched an attack at the same time.
Levi used the side of his left blade to stop Zuka's attack, and the gauntlet of his right hand to stop Kenos. "What gave it away?" he asked sarcastically.
The solar mage ended his struggle with Levi and backed up, ready to attack the green-haired man's side while he was busy with Zuka.
However, Levi picked up on his plan and used his new available hand to fire blue flames, keeping the black-haired teen back, he then ended his struggle with Zuka and backed up.
Unfortunately for him, the sparkle mage was going to let him get away. "Oh no you don't, Sparkle Magic: Glittering Star Shower!" she exclaimed as the silver stars fell down.
"Shit," Levi cursed under his breath as he increased his stride in order to evade the new attack.
"Now's my chance," Kenos mumbled, ready to take full advantage of the opportunity Zuka gave him. "Solar Magic: Sunbeam Ray!" he exclaimed, firing the blast once more, but this time, Levi was unable to block it as the attack made contact, sending him back a good number of feet.
"Nice work Kenos, let's get him before he can get up!" the sparkle mage exclaimed as the two quickly advanced on their opponent.
The azure flame mage grit his teeth in frustration. "Stay back, Azure Flame Creation Magic: Inferno Column!" he exclaimed as the tube from before appeared again, this time keeping him safe in order to get back up.
"Damn it," the two mages mumbled from the outside.
From inside the column, Levi slowly got up. "Azure Flame Recovery Magic: Hestia's Healing Fire," he said as a transparent blue flame enveloped him. "Not a bad shot Black Bull, I told you not to underestimate me, well, it appears that I was the one who was underestimating, but not anymore, that man's grave shall burn, and the two of you won't stop me!"
The healing flame and the column disappeared simultaneously as Levi lunged at the two mages with both blades, his sudden action taking his two opponents by surprise, making their attempts to defend themselves sloppy.
"Wow, this guy just got a lot stronger," Kenos quickly stated.
"That's right, I'm not underestimating you two anymore, I'm going to defeat you as quickly as possible!" Levi responded.
"You won't defeat us, we will defeat you!" Zuka exclaimed as her defense bettered and she began attacking aggressively. "We won't let you do this to Nathan, that's his father, it means a lot to him!"
"And it seems to mean a lot to you too, Zuka," Kenos thought as he too went on the offensive, quickly forcing Levi on the defensive.
"I don't care, this is how he will pay!" Levi said, backing up as he quickly cast another spell, making sure not to repeat the same mistake that he forced him to the ground earlier. "Azure Flame Magic: Vivid Spiral!" he exclaimed as his blades ignited brightly before he jumped into the air, spinning violently as he prepared to crash into the two.
"What the?" was all the two got to say before Levi crashed into them, sending them to the ground with a powerful thud.
The azure flame mage stopped spinning immediately. "I finally got you two down, and similar to what happened to me, I won't give you a chance to get back up, Azure Flame Magic: Swirling Combustion!" he exclaimed as he quickly fired the large orb.
"Shit," Kenos and Zuka muttered, unable to cast a defense spell fast enough, instead they quickly got up and crossed their weapons, while that did succeed in blocking the attack, it was only a small amount as their weapons and auras vanished and they fell to the ground again.
"Oh no," Nathan said, from afar, he watched the two mages fight Levi, and while they were doing good during the beginning, the little boy gasped as he saw them drop to the ground twice.
"I have to do something," he said as he started running to the site of the battle.
"Ow, that really hurt, how are you holding up, Kenos?" Zuka asked with a groan.
"I've been better, you?" he asked back.
"I can get back up, this fight isn't over," she replied with a smile.
"That's where you're wrong girl, this fight is over, all I have to do is get past you to the grave, beating you isn't the objective but merely an obstruction," Levi said as he began walking towards the two.
"Levi, no!" a voice exclaimed, the three mages looked in shock as Nathan quickly ran in between Kenos and Zuka along with the azure flame mage, his arms extended.
"Nathan, what are you doing, get out of here!" Kenos exclaimed.
"Yeah Nathan, what are you doing here?" Levi asked.
"Please Levi, don't hurt Kenos and Zuka anymore, and please don't burn my dad's grave!" the little boy pleaded.
"And why would I do that, your father can no longer pay me back with money, so he shall pay through my blue flames," Levi retorted. "As for those two, they're getting in my way,"
"Don't make him pay like that, I-I...I will do it, I'll pay his debt for him, I'll become your servant and work for you until his debt to you has been paid in full, so please, don't burn his grave, and don't hurt these two anymore for just trying to protect him!" Nathan screamed with tears in his eyes.
"Nathan," Zuka muttered.
Levi's face showed nonchalance as his blades vanished and he walked to Nathan until he was just inches from him, the man looked down at the boy. "A nice attempt...but no, your father's debt was his to pay, and his alone, I won't let someone else take on that burden for him, especially his own kid, doing that would exempt his from all responsibility,"
Levi walked by the boy and passed the two mages on his way to the tombstone, Kenos slowly got up. "He can't see me, I can get him, this is our last hope," he said, his grimoire flipping to the page of his strongest spell. "Solar Magic: Solar Cross Destroyer," he mentally thought as he summoned the two Xs, dividing one into lines as they moved along the sides, ready to entrap their target.
"That was a lot harder than I thought, but at least it's over…," Levi began thinking as he detected mana quickly closing in on him, he turned and saw the two lines ready to get him, he grinned. "Not a bad try, but that won't stop me,"
What the azure flame mage then did made the solar mage's eyes widen beyond belief. As the lines quickly got close to him, Levi ran over to one and quickly jumped into the air, bouncing on one of the solar lines and doing a backflip, letting the lines meet, but without a target to detain.
"Holy shit, no one has ever evaded my Solar Cross Destroyer before," Kenos said in disbelief, but quickly composed himself as he fired the magic blast at Levi mid-air.
"The first half of your attack couldn't get me, and the second one won't either!" Levi exclaimed as he used basic blue flames to thrust himself downwards, the blast completely missing.
"No damn way," the black-haired teen said this time, his best spell had been effortlessly dodged. "So this is the power of a vice captain, even if he is a former one, it's so painfully obvious to see the difference in our skills,"
"Okay then, I think it's time to end this once and for all, based on the mana I felt from that attack of yours, I'm pretty sure that was your strongest spell, so I'll show you mine, can't have either of you pulling something like that again," Levi said as he jumped into the air, a massive shapeless flame forming above him, much larger than any of his prior spells.
"Nathan, run, now!" Kenos instructed, the little boy wasting no time as he ran far away from the group as fast as he could towards his father's tombstone. The solar mage then turned to Zuka. "I'm running low on mana and it's an attack from above, so Amaterasu's Guard won't be able to protect us, it's up to you,"
"This is...the end, Azure Flame Magic: Bonfire Conflagration!" the former vice captain violently exclaimed as he released the attack on the two Magic Knight.
"This is everything I got left, Sparkle Creation Magic: Glittering Barrier!" Zuka exclaimed just as loud as her barrier formed and the explosive attack made contact with it. "Damn...it, this spell is...really powerful,"
"You can do it Zuka," Kenos said. "I believe in you, you can win,"
Zuka heard her friend's encouraging words and smiled. "Yes, I can, as long as I can smile, there isn't a challenge I can't overcome, you will not defeat us, and you will not defeat me!"
"As long as you can smile? Bullshit, that kind of philosophy can't top raw POWER!" Levi screamed as the strength of his spell increased.
Zuka quickly dropped to her knees from the overwhelming force, she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out. "No, I can't...fail, if I do," she began, but wasn't able to finish as her spell gave out and broke, exposing her and Kenos to whatever force was left, which was quite much, the two dropped to the ground as parts of the meadow around burned violently.
Levi landed on his feet next to the two as he waved his hand, extinguishing the flames around them. "I'll admit, that was a very tough battle you two gave me, even making me use my strongest spell, but victory is mine, you lose,"
As the azure flame mage turned to walk away, he felt something, turning around, he saw Zuka, on the ground, weakly grabbing onto his ankle, as he looked down at her, he saw a small smile on her face.
"You're wrong, this...isn't over...you haven't won," she managed to say.
It didn't take much effort for Levi to free his ankle from the sparkle mage's grip. "I have," was his only response as he continued on his way.
"I have to...stop him," Zuka muttered as she dragged herself closer. "I can't let him succeed, I just can't,"
Levi took a step.
"For Nathan!" Zuka thought.
He took another step.
"For his happiness!"
Another step.
"For his closure!"
One more step.
"For...you...dad," she thought last as an image of Leroy appeared in her head, the man was smiling.
Flames ignited above Levi's right hand. "Time to end this,"
"No, don't!" Nathan exclaimed as he ran in front of the mage. "I won't let you,"
The boy's pleas were ignored as Levi merely pushed him aside, not letting anything get between him and his objective. Only a few seconds passed before he was standing in front of the tombstone.
"To think I'd have such a problem getting this done, well, not anymore," he said as he placed his two hands on top of the grass close to the grave, then suddenly, a bright wave of blue flame arose, engulfing a wide area around the tombstone.
"No!" Zuka exclaimed, rising to her feet from adrenaline, however, that boost didn't last long as she dropped to her knees immediately after.
"There we go, the heat of my flames should do away with his body before extinguishing, I'm no longer needed here," Levi said as he began walking away, but stopped and turned to face Nathan. "Consider your father's debt from now on, paid,"
Those were his last words as he walked away and was soon out of view, leaving Nathan with a face of sadness and horror at the massive flame before him.
"No...we have to put out that flame, there's still a chance to save the body!" Kenos exclaimed, gathering the energy he had left as he got up and ran to the flame, but as he passed by Zuka, he saw her on her knees, motionless, a shadow over her eyes.
"I hope she's okay," the solar mage thought as he kept running, soon making it to the grave spot, he watched as the flames burned brightly and thought of a way to stop them.
"Kenos!" Nathan cried as he ran to the teen. "What are we going to do?!"
"I don't know, I don't have a spell for this, and those flames are really hot, we have to work fast," Kenos replied before a thought came to his head. "Wait, there is something I can try, but I've never done it before,"
"You have to try," the boy told him with a tone of panic.
"Alright, here we go," the solar mage said as his grimoire floated in front of him, flipping to a page. "This will be my last spell for some time, Solar Creation Magic: Solar Construct - Shovel," he said as sunlight gathered and formed into a shovel.
"A shovel?" Nathan was confused.
"Yes, I can use dirt to extinguish the flames!" Kenos replied as he quickly moved in, shoveling the seemingly endless supplies of dirt around him and pouring it over the flames as fast as he could.
With only one shovel, Nathan was forced to watch from the side as Kenos raced to save his father's body. "Please, let him be okay,"
"I'm running on full adrenaline here, I need to hurry," Kenos mumbled to himself as he increased his speed as much as he could, and that speed came in handy as he extinguished the last of the flames, smoke flew into the sky.
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Nice, I was able to do it in time, we didn't...uh, what's that horrible odor, it smells like-," Kenos began saying before his eyes widened, realizing what the smell was. "Burnt flesh, it doesn't even smell burnt, it smells like it's been...incinerated,"
"Incinerated," Nathan muttered.
"Yeah, we...couldn't save him," Kenos stated with a somber tone.
The little boy dropped to his knees. "No, dad," tears began falling.
"I'm really sorry Nathan, we just weren't strong enough," Kenos said.
"It's alright, it hurts a lot, but I know you tried your best," Nathan said, getting up and wiping his tears away. "My sister and I are already struggling now both our parents are gone, and coming here to see my dad made me feel better, but that's gone now,"
"I see, say, Nathan, where do you live?" the solar mage asked.
"In the capital, but a very poor part of it," the boy replied.
"The capital aye, you must've walked a long way, but I'll help you, do you know where the Rossiu Household is?"
Nathan nodded. "Yeah, I've heard of that place from people who pass by my home,"
"Good, I want you to go there with your sister, if anyone in the household stops you, tell them Kenos sent you, and if they ask for proof, say From Kens to Ves, they'll let you in," the solar mage explained.
"Okay then, thank you very much Kenos, for what you did, you may have not succeeded, but I really appreciate your effort, and tell Zuka I said thanks too," Nathan said as he walked away, eventually, the little boy was out of view.
"Zuka aye," Kenos said in a more concerned tone as he slowly walked back to where the sparkle mage was, he saw her there, still on her knees, a shadow still over her face.
The solar mage kneeled down to her level. "I...wasn't able to save him in time, but Nathan will be alright," he said, but he heard no response, as he turned an eye to look at her, he noticed something.
She was smiling.
"What, she's smiling?" Kenos said, fully turning his head to get a look at her face, but as he did, he saw a sight that genuinely shocked him.
Despite the smile on her face, Zuka's eyes were on the verge of tears, they were struggling to fall, as if she was holding them back.
The black-haired mage was concerned for his friend. "Zuka," he muttered.
"I have...to smile," he finally heard her say. "I made a promise to him that I would smile to overcome challenges, so why, why do these tears want to fall?"
Without a second thought, Kenos embraced the blue and magenta-haired mage. "They want to fall because inside, you still miss him, and seeing this must remind you of his death all over again,"
"I do still miss him, not a day goes by when I don't miss him, but still...I have to smile, it was his last wish for me," she said back.
"Zuka," Kenos said as he held her tighter. "As long as you can smile, there isn't a thing you can't overcome...while that is a good mentality, we have to realize, there are just some things that are too much for us to bear, at least, by ourselves. Look at me, just earlier today I was in a total slump, I didn't think the sad feeling in my heart would ever go away, but it did, and it's all because of you,"
Zuka's eyes widened. "All because of...me?"
"Yes, you came and cheered me up, thanks to you, I know there's someone who understands how I feel," the solar mage replied. "So I want the same to be true for you, when you're sad, you can lean on me, I'll share your pain so that you don't have to go through it alone, remember that I'll always be here for you, and that you can always count on me, no matter what,"
"No matter...what, I...I," Zuka muttered, but stopped speaking as the smile she wore faded away and she broke into tears, crying loudly, letting out the pain and sadness she had bottled up.
All the while, Kenos gently caressed her head as he tightly held her, not letting go.