Tales of Xalthia
Chapter 17: Inner Release
Smoke filled the air around the non-commercial docks as the effects of Tsuki's attack were felt across town. There was a eerie stillness as silence took over. Allie felt just how much power Tsuki had exerted and it was far beyond what he was normally capable of. She didn't know how to react to what she just saw as she tried to tend to Alba's injury. After a while, her healing efforts started to bear fruit as he was heard groaning though remained unconscious. Despite losing a lot of blood, he was a true fighter. While he still needed proper medical attention, she was able to save his life so her main concern now was Tsuki and his injuries. Though, despite it all, he was still able to move at blinding speeds and unleash that powerful attack.
After a few minutes of nothing but the sounds of debris falling and the crashing of waves, the smoke started to disappear. Tsuki remained in the same spot, completely motionless. He bled from his arm and chest as drops fell and hit the ground. He didn't even look like he was in pain. Once the smoke cleared up, Caius soon emerged from the building he crashed into, holding onto the broken wall as he stumbled out. His armor was completely ripped to shreds as he bled all over after sustaining some serious injuries himself. He made his way out of the wreckage and stopped not too far from Tsuki as he tried to come to grips with what just happened.
Caius plunged his katana into the ground so that he could lean on it a bit. "What raw power...! Where...did it come from?" he said in a strained voice. He felt the pain all throughout his body. It was the first time someone had injured him to this extent in a long time. He then looked at Tsuki, who looked unfazed by his injuries. He couldn't even lift a finger before. He replayed that moment in his head multiple times but still couldn't find an answer for it. He soon started to chuckle a bit. "Looks like I'm not the only one with an 'unnatural' power. Do you feel it coursing through your veins? Magnificent, isn't it?" he asked, holding his hand out towards him, making a fist.
Tsuki looked at Caius with a slightly crazed look in his eyes as he chuckled. It wasn't the same kind of look that Alba had, however. It was a look of someone gone slightly mad. "Magnificent indeed. More than enough to bring you to your knees" he said in a strange, mixed tone of voice. It was almost as if three other voices were mixed with his own.
Caius chuckled even more as he cracked a wide smile as if he was starting to enjoy things. "Bring me to my knees, you say? Well then, let's see you try!" he shouted.
Caius lunged at Tsuki, swinging his katana in a vertical motion. Tsuki dodged the attack by jumping up into the air and then retaliated by swinging his sword down over his head. Caius ended up blocking the attack and swiped his sword to the side, breaking their clash. Tsuki landed back on the ground where the Caliburn started to glow red. Moments later, he swung his sword three times, releasing crescent-shaped waves of energy at him. Caius deflected the first two but got hit by the third though looked completely unfazed by it. Caius countered by firing off the Arte, Grand Spark that he used against him before in the mines. He released an arc-shaped blast of electricity at him. Tsuki didn't attempt to dodge the attack. Instead, he held out his left hand as he, quite literally, grabbed hold of it. Electricity sparked against his hand and was completely unfazed from the attack. After a few moments, Tsuki closed his hand tightly, breaking apart the attack.
Caius seemed to be enjoying every minute of this as he kept a constant look of anticipation and thrill. He also couldn't take his eyes off of Tsuki's as they were brimming with power. His eyes also had a strange symbol imbued into them as well that he couldn't identify though appeared to be familiar. "Good. Your eyes show great power and potential. With more time, I'm sure that you could be the one..." he said, trailing off at the end.
He then opened his hand up as he an incantation circle formed in front of him. He fired off three blast of energy at Tsuki where he ended up dodging all of them. However, after dodging the third blast, Caius had lunged towards him, swinging his katana at him. Tsuki blocked it and was sent sliding back towards the docks where he ended up near the axe he had put down on the ground earlier. Caius closed the distance once more, picking up his axe with his free hand and started to use both his axe and katana against him. Tsuki was on the defensive as he blocked and dodged his swings. As they both went in for another clash, Caius swung his axe down and his katana in a diagonal motion. Tsuki twirled his sword around so that he was holding it backhanded to block the attack from the katan as he grabbed onto the haft of the axe to stop the swing with their faces just inches away from one another. Tsuki soon broke the clash by taking his foot, kicking him in the stomach and knocking him back which forced him to release his axe. In one swift motion, Tsuki took the axe and threw it at him. Caius dodged the attack as the axe flew past him, hitting the ground a few times before sliding across the pavement and off the docks into the water where it sunk to the bottom of the bay.
As all of this was going on, Allie had been watching them fight like madmen off on the sidelines. This was a fight where she felt it was better not to intervene. She could feel some of her own energy was being mixed in to whatever is going on with Tsuki. She placed her hand up to her chest as she had a growing nervous look on her face. "Master..." she said. She tried her best to analyze what was going on with Tsuki. She definitely felt the presence of what could only be described as multiple people within Tsuki but wasn't sure how that was possible. Her feelings were supported by his mixed vocal tone. They were very subtle but she was able to make out the traces of three other voices underlying his own. Those weren't the only things that she was concerned about. She was starting to feel the intense strain on his body the longer the fight is dragged out. He may not be visibly showing it yet but his body was definitely having a negative effect from the pressure.
Tsuki soon lunged at Caius with incredible speed and swung his sword, aiming for his waist. Caius blocked the attack as energy sparked from when their blades clashed. The impact had a lot of force behind it which sent out a slight shockwave. The two of them continued to go back and forth, clashing their blades together, throwing out Combat Artes and dodging attacks for the next few minutes. It looked like things were at a stalemate as they were fighting on even grounds. However, as the fighting started to drag on without end, the scales were starting to tip back into Caius' favor. Tsuki's power and speed started to rapidly decrease.
At one point, Tsuki managed to get behind Caius after dodging an attack. He grabbed onto his left shoulder with his free hand and swung his sword down with force and power, slicing through his armor and striking him in the back. However, despite the attack, he seemed mostly unfazed as Tsuki jumped back to put some distance between them. His breathing had started to become noticably heavier as he was losing strength rapidly.
Caius soon turned and looked at Tsuki, who has gotten visibly weaker. Not only that but his attack just now felt like it lost a significant amount of power to it. Actually, he has noticed over the last few minutes that his power and speed has been rapidly declining while his own was still going strong. "You're starting to slow down. Already hit your limits?" he asked.
Tsuki started to feel an intense weight was slowly being pressed down onto him as he felt his body becoming harder to move. The pain that he hasn't been feeling up to this point was starting to come back as he continued to bleed. His vision was getting a bit blurred and his balance becoming unstable. He tried to respond to him but for some reason, he was unable to get the words out.
Caius sighed, shaking his head. It seems that his assumption was correct. "For all of that power, it's a disappointment to see it run out so quickly. I suppose it's time we lower the curtains on this little show" he said.
He then lunged at Tsuki and swung his katana once more at him. Tsuki blocked it but due to his imbalance, he was knocked back off his feet and rolled against the ground for a good few feet.
Allie felt that his levels of Mana have dropped down to dangerously low levels. It was getting to the point where Tsuki wasn't going to be able to fight for much longer, let alone stand up. It became apparent to her when she saw Tsuki being thrown back, rolling against the ground like a ragdoll. "Master!" she shouted. She then got up and ran over to his side, placing her hand on his back. "Master, are you okay!?" she asked with distinct worry and slight panic in her voice.
Tsuki struggled to get up but could only get up on one knee. He coughed up more blood as he felt more of his strength leave his body. "A-Allie..." he said with a pained expression.
Caius casually walked up to him and despite the level of injuries he's sustained himself, he still looked like he could fight for a few more rounds. "That power of yours is certainly impressive. However, you have no control over it. That is why you have lost" he said. He then lifted his katana up with the tip of the blade just under his chin. "With time and mastery over it, power like that will surely be enough to put you on equal footing and it is for that reason that I can't allow you to live" he said.
Tsuki struggled to look up at him, blood running down the side of his face with one eye closed and with the same pained expression. "What are you planning...? Why...?" he asked.
Caius chuckled a bit to himself as he asked for the reason behind everything he has been doing. With a mad look in his eye accompanied by a sinister expression, he looked down at him like a true villain. "A Reckoning is coming and I've been appointed to usher this world into a new beginning" he said. He then raised his katana up his head, gripping it with both hands with intentions to slice through both Tsuki and Allie at once. "The world will soon know true fear" he said.
Just as Caius was about to bring his katana down, he was interrupted by something. An arc-shaped blast of violet energy came firing down from one of the nearby rooftops towards them. Caius quickly noticed it and jumped back as the blast of energy slammed into the ground where he was standing, kicking up dust and smoke.
Caius wasn't too thrilled about being interrupted as he looked off into the direction where the blast of energy came from. "Where did that come from?" he asked. As he looked up towards the rooftop, his eyes soon locked onto a figure he didn't recognize.
Standing on the rooftop of a nearby building was a figure mostly concealed up the rising smoke. As Caius was trying to get a better look at it, the figure seemed to disappear as the rising smoke cleared. He lost sight of the figure as he looked aorund for it and before he knew it, the figure suddenly appeared in front of him in a flash of light, swinging a broadsword at him. The attack caught him by surprised as it sliced through more of his armor but reacted fast enough to prevent being injured further as he jumped back once more. With the figure now standing in full view, they were able to see who it was that inserted themselves into their fight.
The figure wore silver-plated armor that looked like it wasn't even dented yet there were clear signs that the figure had been involved with some fights prior to this. It was none other than the Silver Knight herself. The only difference this time that makes her appearance stand out now was that she was no longer wearing her helmet which means her entire head was exposed for everyone. The Silver Knight was a young female with dark violet eyes paired with long pink hair that went a bit past her shoulders with antenna hair at the top of her head. What was most distinguishable about her, however, were her ears. They weren't rounded like a humans' were. Instead, they were small and pointed as they poked through her hair.
Caius raised an eyebrow with extreme curiousity as his eyes locked on her face. He couldn't help but laugh loudly. "This day is just full of surprises, isn't it!? I would have never expected to run into one of your kind here, especially one of your status" he said. His frustration from being interrupted changed to intrigue as he laughed a bit more before glaring at the girl. "It's not everyday this happens. Isn't that right, High Elf?" he asked, pointing at her.
The Silver Knight continued to stare down Caius as she focused in on him. "You appear to be having fun. Unfortunately, it's about to come to an end" she said.
Caius chuckled as he had a wide grin on his face. "Oh? Is it your turn now? Throw as many people as you want at me until you're satisfied. It's all-" he said.
Before he could finish speaking, a spear of light suddenly pierced through his lower right side from behind and stayed within his body as another pierced through his left shoulder. He shouted out in pain as he coughed up blood and stumbled a bit from being pierced. Caius looked at the Silver Knight once more and saw her eyes glowing as he soon felt an intense shock from both spears of light that made him drop down to one knee. Not long after this, 5 swords of light formed around him and were ready to pierce.
The Silver Knight kept her cold, unflinching gaze on Caius as her magic had its effects on him. Even though he was still able enough to continue fighting, the toll of the battle as well as the injuries he's sustained have taken their toll on his body. His body was reaching his limits which made it easy for her to bring him down with some of her more simple Magical Artes. "Your body is almost at its limits. Knowing who I am, do you really think you can fight me in your condition?" she asked.
High Elves, in particular, have naturally high magic reserves than other races. Due to their average lifespan, their knowledge of all things magic runs very deep. No one really knows just how deep their knowledge goes since Elves don't typically leave their forest homes. Elves have isolated themselves, cutting them off from everything due to circumstances that plague the world. The ones that do show up outside of their homes have left their homes either by choice or because of illegal trafficking. In the case of High Elves, they rarely ever leave their forest homes under any circumstance which make them prime targets for trafficking.
Caius chuckled as he looked down at the ground, blood dripping from his multiple injuries. With his free hand, he reached forward and grabbed onto the spear of light that had pierced through his right side, gripping it tightly. "Elf magic...you're certainly right. In my condition, I probably wouldn't last" he said. He gripped the spear so tightly that he ended up breaking apart the spear of light as it shattered into particles of light. "However, this is a rare opportunity. It'd be a shame to waste it" he said. He did the same with the other spear of light, gripping and shattering it as he slowly stood up. As he did so, he started to feel his body start to buckle and give way a bit from the extent of his injuries.
The Silver Knight continued to stare down Caius as she could see him visibly struggle to stand up to his feet. "You must have a death wish if you're thinking about putting up another fight" she said.
Caius came to the realization that he was in no shape to fight. His body was on the verge of total collapse if it weren't for pure adrenaline. He tried to mvoe forward a bit but his body wouldn't listen to him. "What a true shame this is" he said. He then gazed down to Tsuki, who appeared to be struggling to stay conscious. He could see that his eyes have become devoid of strength.
As this was happening, Lynette, Ramza and Ruko arrived in the non-commercial docking area and were all completely shocked and stunned about what they saw. The entire docks looked like a total warzone. Buildings were severely damaged, some of the docks which were completely destoryed, extensive damage to the surrounding area and piles of wood and stone were strewn around. The damages around the area were the worst that they've seen since reuniting. They reunited not too far from the port and filled each other in on what happened on their respective ends.
Ramza couldn't believe the extensive damage done to the docks. "Good lord. What the hell happened here?" he asked.
Lynette looked around and soon locked her eyes onto Caius and the Silver Knight. It took her a moment longer before noticing Tsuki was down on one knee, seriously injured. "Oh my god! Tsuki!" she shouted. Without even thinking, she took off sprinting towards him.
Ramza tried to stop her before she could rush head-on into what appeared to be a very serious fight but she was gone before he had a chance. "Lyn, wait! Agh, reckless girl!" he said. He then took off running after her, drawing his weapon off his back in case he had to act fast.
Ruko chased after them but stopped when he looked off to the side and saw Alba on the ground where he had been lying unconscious. "Commander!" he shouted. Instead of running towards Caius, he headed towards Alba where he was able to see the full extent of his injuries. Thankfully, thanks to the first aid applied by Allie before, the bleeding had long since stopped.
Caius looked behind him as he heard Lynette and Ramza approached them. At this point, he wasn't surprised that more people showed up unannounced. "Boy, I'm quite popular today" he said.
Lynette stopped not too far from them and sensed the various fluctuations of Aer around them. It was something she has never felt before. Particularly, when it came to Tsuki. She definitely felt something was different about him. She wasn't able to get a very good look at him though. "What is this that I'm feeling? It's like I just stepped into the middle of a confluence" she said.
Ramza stepped in front of her, gripping his sword tightly and ready to strike or defend. "It looks like we've just missed the fun. I'm amazed that you're still able to move with those injuries" he said. He looked like he just went through a meat grinder. His armor was practically all destroyed, had injuries all over his body with two very serious across his chest and from his shoulder and side where he had been pierced. He soon glanced down towards Tsuki on the ground with Allie standing next to him. Tsuki was in no better shape himself with his own serious injury going down across his chest among various others. Allie was also pretty banged up as well but appeared to hold her own unlike Tsuki. "Tsuki, Allie...you guys okay over there?" he asked. It was obvious that they weren't but so long as he knew that they were still with reality, that's all he needed to know.
Allie had been trying to heal Tsuki's injuries as best as she could with what first aid she knew but combined with the fact that his injuries were pretty serious, she was running low on Mana herself since most of it had been shared with Tsuki. "Well, I could use a bath but I'm fine, all things considered. Master, however..." she said, looking down towards Tsuki.
Tsuki couldn't bring himself to respond to his question. He was quickly starting to lose consciousness from the loss of blood and having used up practically all of his Mana. He was only able to stay conscious through sheer willpower.
The Silver Knight kept her eyes locked onto Caius. "Give it up. You've lost this fight" she said. She was getting ready to deliver the finishing blow on him.
Caius couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head as her comment. "I'm afraid you misunderstand. This fight isn't over; it's only just begun" he said. He then jumped off to the side near the edge of the docks as an incantation circle formed under his feet. "In fact, I'd say this little experiment has been a resounding success" he said. Moments later, the incantation circle started to glow as it came to life. "A Reckoning is coming and when it does, I hope that you'll be ready" he said.
The Silver Knight attempted to stop him by directing the swords of light that she had locked onto him. Unfortunately, before the swords reached him, he disappeared in a flash of light so they ended up plunging into the water instead. There was an eerie stillness in the air after he disappeared. Almost like switch, the heaviness and tension they had been feeling in the air suddenly lifted to where they could breathe again. They knew just by those feelings alone that he was gone. As that happened, Tsuki ended up falling unconscious as he fell forward onto the ground. Lynette quickly ran up to him and immediately started to use her Healing Artes on him. With Tsuki in the care of Lynette, Allie went back over to Alba and helped Ruko. Meanwhile, all Ramza and the Silver Knight could do was stand there as they tried to come to grips with everything that's happened.
With the threat now gone from Basilwell, the aftermath began soon afterwards. Many people were displaced and lost from losing their homes, friends and loved ones from the conflict as the town guards and mercenaries did their best to help ease the people's pain. A lot of businesses were also in shambles due to the level of damage the town had sustained. However, nothing compared to the damages that the non-commercial docking area incurred. The entire area had to be completely sectioned off and non-commercial ships temporarily rerouted to the commercial docking area. Repairs to the non-commercial docking area would be extensive. With Alba out of commission, Ruko was the next one in charge of matters. In light of this, he had sent word out to Eresseas and informed them of everything that's happened.
The response from Eresseas was swift and aid and relief efforts soon arrived in Basilwell from all over the Northern Regions as news of what happened quickly spread. Volunteers from Eresseas, Crescentia, Briswater and even smaller settlements scattered around the Great Plains flooded into Basilwell. Several platoons of royal knights from Eresseas and squads of mages from Briswater were also dispatched to help provide further security and protection to the town as they worked to get Basilwell back in shape. Many of the town guards and mercenaries had been injured or killed so the arrival of royal knights and skilled mages was a comfort to many. There were, however, a small number of civilian casualties. Despite it all though, the townspeople showed remarkable strength and courage. Everyone helped each other out without a second thought. Those that suffered the most in the aftermath were given special attention to help suit their needs.
Thanks to all of the aid they have been receiving, the town was able to recovery fairly quickly. It would take some time to rebuild what was destroyed but the people were all in it together. Some buildings were able to be salvaged and repaired to some extent while others were far too damaged and had to be completely torn down due to unstable structural points. Thankfully, most of the main buildings of commerce were still able to operate and the Grand Sandpearl was used to house people who were displaced from the conflict until things were sorted out.
Before anyone knew it, three days had come and gone since Caius disappeared and the relief efforts began. Most of the injured were back up and moving around at this point. By stern objections from many, Alba was confined to his office. Thanks to the healing provided by Lynette, Allie and several other Healers, his injuries were all healed except for the injury to his left side where he had been pierced. He had bandages wrapped all over his body. It was hard to tell before because of the armor he was wearing but he had ended up taking a lot of injury from Caiuse, both small and big. His body was covered with wounds, scratches and bruises when they were working on him. Despite the injuries, however, he was awake and back up on his feet just after a full day's rest. He wanted to provide aid to the town himself but Ruko and several other people were very adamant that he should refrain from it so he has been stuck solely on office duty for the past two days since waking up.
Tsuki, however, was in worse condition. While he didn't have nearly as many injuries as Alba had, he did have some severe ones. Particularly, the injury he had been inflicted across his chest. While being pierced was a serious injury itself, it wasn't fatal. The slash injury across his chest, however, had all the potential of being fatal. If it wasn't for the barrier that he had put up in front of him prior to being slashed, he would have been most definitely killed. The injury was so bad that it left a pretty nasty scar on his chest from above his left breast down to his lower right side. He had lots of other smaller injuries all over his body but nothing that wouldn't leave a mark on him. By this point, those injuries had been healed. Despite having his injuries treated, however, he still hadn't regained consciousness yet. According to both Allie and Lynette, he had spent every drop of his Mana. Still not sure what to make of what she witnessed, Allie didn't tell anyone about what happened with Tsuki when he seemingly went mad.
While Lynette, Ramza and Ruko attended to matters across town, the Silver Knight elected herself to keep watch over Tsuki. They were staying in the room that he and Lynette stayed in at the Grand Sandpearl for the sake of privacy. By this point, many people have heard that the conflicted had been resolved by him and were just as concerned for him as his companions were. Allie refused to return to the Caliburn and stuck to his side like glue to the point where she wouldn't leave his bed. After standing up for Tsuki against Caius and witnessing him being gravely injured right in front of her, it sparked a change inside of her. She started to show emotion in her face, words and actions. She was no longer some emotionless spirit though she still had a long way to go before she was fully capable of expressing herself and her feelings like a human would. It was a change that she didn't quite understand herself and although she hated the circumstances of how it happened, she liked this new change she was feeling inside of her.
While he was unconscious, Tsuki found himself floating in a familiar space. He soon opened his eyes and saw an endless space of blue filled with a powerful energy. He couldn't tell if this was actually happening or if it was just a dream but then he recalled something like this happening before back in the Briswater mines. His body was slightly transparent as he wasn't wearing anything from above the waist. His scar was clearly visible and looked to be healed up. In this space, he felt light as a feather since this wasn't exactly a physical realm.
Moments later, a voice he recognized rang out from the void. It was the same deep male voice he heard from before. "So, you've finally awakened at last. Took you long enough, boy" the voice said.
As the voice said that, the form of a man in strange armor with an axe appeared floating in front of him. Last time he heard the voice, a formless apparition had appeared but this time, the apparition was clearly defined. He had long, spikey hair that went slightly down past his shoulders with crimson red eyes and had a scar going down his right eye. The armor he was wearing was unidentifiable due to having no resemblance to anything in the modern day with a demonic, double-bladed axe on his back. Based on his looks, it was clear that this man was somewhere in his forties and has seen his fair share of battle. He has the presence of an old war veteran.
The man could see the surprise and disbelief on his face as he patted his own chest. "You made your little reveal to be quite explosive. I was impressed although we weren't expecting you to take in all of our powers all at once. That was definitely a shock" he said, shrugging his shoulders.
Tsuki tilted his head a bit. He had no idea what he was talking about. As it turns out, he had trouble recalling what had happened to him. The last thing he remembered clearly was about to be struck down by Caius. Everything after that was hazy at best although he did remember feeling a great power taking hold of him at that time. "...What are you talking about?" he asked.
The man sighed, scratching the back of his head a bit. He knew something like this would happen. "You don't remember, do you? About your fight with Caius?" he asked. He could tell he didn't just by the confused look on his face. Given what happened, it was only natural that he wouldn't remember. He wasn't in control over his own power which allowed himself to basically go into berserk mode. "Let's just say, you two left quite a scene. As much as it interested us on how you were able to take in all of our power at once, we were concerned at the same time but our words didn't seem to reach you" he said.
Tsuki noted that he kept making references to others beside himself. Something told him that it wasn't any of his companions either. "What do you mean, 'us'?" he asked.
The man pointed to himself. "If you recall from our last encounter, I believe that I had mentioned there were others connected to you. Three, as a matter of fact, and I'm one of them" he said. He then pointed his finger out towards Tsuki. "You've got a special kind of power inside of you that's been passed down through the ages and it has been awakened. However, you still lack the means to harness it. With a bit more experience and growth, you should have no problems with it" he said.
Tsuki recalled what the man said during their last meeting and what Caius said about some great power inside of him. Normally, he wouldn't have put much thought behind it as it seemed too crazy but it was clear that something has changed within him. He couldn't deny that so he didn't discredit their claims this time around. "What is this power that I have?" he asked.
The man started to pace back and forth with his arms behind his back. "It's an ancient power that should no longer exist, originating centuries ago. A necessary power that was created to fight back against evil incarnate. Those who have wielded this power are all bound together" he said.
Tsuki still wasn't following what the man was saying. The more he talked about it, the more nonsensical it became. He wanted to believe that it all was just some crazy fantasy story but something inside of him otherwise. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to believe him. "Sounds a little far-fetched if you ask me" he said.
The man shook his head a bit. "Your skepticism is understandable. However, even you cannot deny that something has happened. Something you can't explain with a logical reasoning. You know, deep down, that there's credibility in what I'm saying. Those gut feelings you've been having, the sudden and short bursts of power over the years, all those times you felt protection when in mortal danger and even this latest event" he said. He knew that Tsuki understood what he was saying. He couldn't just simply brush it off anymore.
Tsuki wasn't sure what to think but he knew there had to be some truth behind it. "You said there were three people connected to me. Where are the other two?" he asked.
The man shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. "They're a bit...shy. They haven't quite opened themselves up to you yet but don't worry. When the time comes, they will. Just be patient. For the time being, you're stuck with me" he said.
Tsuki tilted his head a bit. Since he didn't understand everything that he was being told at face value, he decided to just go with the flow. "So...who are you?" he asked.
The man put his hands on his hips, slightly puffing his chest out. "I guess I never introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Cliff Steele. It's a pleasure to work with you" he said. He then pointed at Tsuki after he gave his introduction. "Now then, Tsuki Himura, isn't it about time you wake up? After all, there are many things that need to be done still" he said.
Back into reality, Tsuki slowly started to open his eyes. It took him a minute or so for his eyesight to focus and saw that he was staring up at a familiar ceiling. As he started to wake up, he looked around the room he was in and noticed that he was in the room where he and Lynette stayed in. He could slowly start to hear the sounds of waves from the ocean and seagulls coming through the opened balcony doors. He was still in much of a daze as he tried to regain his bearings. It wasn't long before he heard the voice of the Silver Knight speak out towards him.
The Silver Knight had came into the room from the balcony and noticed that Tsuki had finally awakened. It was very brief and subtle but there was a moment of great relief on her face when she saw that he was awake. "So, you're finally awake" she said.
Tsuki turned his head over to where he heard her voice and saw her standing not too far from the bed he was lying in. "The Silver Knight...? Where am I?" he asked, wanting to make sure that his vision was alright.
The Silver Knight sighed with a slight drop of her head. "Still mostly asleep, I guess. Can't blame you for being out of it though. You're in the Grand Sandpearl" she said.
Tsuki nodded to himself slowly and tried to get up but felt sharp pains shoot through his whole body. He could only manage to sit up a little bit when he noticed that he was completely stripped from the waist up with bandages wrapped around his chest and arms. "Ouch...!" he said. His memory was very fuzzy when he tried to recall what had happened.
The Silver Knight walked over to the bed and leaned up against one of the bed posts. "Don't push yourself. You're quite lucky to be alive considering how wounded you were" she said. She then pointed down towards the bed next to him. "Besides, you wouldn't want her to worry even more, do you?" she asked.
Tsuki looked down to where she was pointing, moving the sheets and saw that Allie was sleeping right up next to him and completely naked to boot. He then quickly covered her back up as more pain shot through him "Ow...! Allie, what in the world...?!" he asked.
Allie groaned in her sleep as she remained curled up next to him. "Mmm...Master..."she mumbled in her sleep.
The Silver Knight shook her head. "Relax. Don't wake her up. She's been quite worried about you" she said.
Tsuki looked at Allie for a bit before turning his head back at the Silver Knight. "What...happened to me?" he asked. Since he couldn't remember much of anything that happened, he was almost afraid to ask.
The Silver Knight simply stared at Tsuki for a minute before scratching the back of her head. "You really don't remember, huh? You fought against Caius and nearly got you, and Allie, killed in the process. You both fought hard but unfortunately, he was the victor. If I hadn't shown up when I did, you wouldn't be here right now" she said. Rather than telling him what really happened, she decided to be vague about it. Something told her that he wouldn't believe her anyway even if it was true nor would he remember.
Tsuki was able to faintly recall something like that happening though not much else. "I see. Well then, thanks for you help, Silver Knight" he said.
The Silver Knight shook her head once more and put her hand up to her chest. "Please, call me by name. My name is Elle Solize. I apologize for the very late introduction" she said.
Tsuki nodded at her. "Thank you, Elle" he said. Since she wasn't wearing her helmet anymore, he was able to get a good look at her face this time around. He was most interested in her ears, however. "A High Elf, huh? Man, that takes me back" he said.
Elle tilted her head a bit as she stared at him, holding her arms behind her. "I'm impressed you're able to recognize what I am from just a glance" she said.
Tsuki laughed a bit though not too much as to not wake Allie up or feel pain. "It was easy to tell. You see, I have a sister. We aren't blood related but she is still family. When I was still a kid, my parents ended up adopting a young Elf girl who we later found out was a High Elf that had no memories. Things ended up happening and she became family" he said, closing his eyes. He had flashbacks to his childhood of him playing around in a large field of colorful flowers with his sister. "We were together for three years. It took a while to get her to open up but once she did, we were almost inseparable. I loved her like a real sister" he said.
Elle held onto her left wrist with a bit of a tight grip behind her back as she leaned against the pole, staring at Tsuki. "It's not often that a High Elf wanders outside of their forest homes especially if she was that young. What happened to her?" she asked.
Tsuki looked down towards the sheets with a grim look on his face as his fun, happy memories turned into a blazing inferno. "There was...an incident that happened to my hometown. We ended up getting separated in the chaos and since then, she's been missing" he said. It was a terrible memory he wished that he could let go. Unfortunately, his memories were there to stay.
Elle fell silent for a moment as she listened to his story, still gripping onto her wrist. "Do you think she's...?" she hesitated to ask.
Tsuki soon shook his head, looking back up with a soft smile on his face. "No. I know she's alive. She has to be" he said.
Elle saw the look in his eyes. He had no proof that she was alive yet he was so confident that he knew she was. "How can you be so sure?" she asked.
Tsuki placed his hand up over where his heart was. "Because she's my beloved sister. I may not have solid proof but I can feel it and I will find her" he said.
Elle looked down a bit as if to hide a slight smile. "I see..." she said.
Moments later, Allie was heard groaning more in her sleep as she started to wake up from hearing voices next to her. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she looked up to see that Tsuki was awake. "Master...?" she asked, still half-asleep.
Tsuki looked down towards her and gave her a soft smile and a pat on the head. "Hey sleepyhead" he said.
Allie felt his hand on top of her head and knew she was awake. She then sat up and wrapped her arms around him. She still had her usual expressions but only this time, there was more emotion behind it. "Welcome back, Master. I'm relieved to see you're okay" she said. She may not have been able to express it properly but she was genuinely happy to see that he had woken up.
Tsuki stroked her head a few times as she held onto him. Thankfully, she didn't appear to have any lasting injuries herself. "I heard that you were at my side the whole time. I'm sorry for worrying you. I do have to ask though..." he said, trailing off at the end. She may have the appearance of a child but she still had some developed features to her. As such, he could feel her body press up against him. "...Is there any reason that you're naked?" he asked.
Elle shook her head with a shrug and sigh. "Your Mana levels were extremely low. Apparently, skin contact allows her to transfer Mana more effectively. At least, that's what she said" she said, looking away.
Tsuki thought that sounded strange. "What, like when transferring body heat to another person? I...don't think Mana transfer works like that. Where did you hear that from...?" he asked, looking down at her once more with a concerned look. He tried his best not to stare at her too much.
Elle tilted her head up and to the side, giving him her classic innocent expressions. "From my former master...?" she said, slightly unsure herself. It was the only explanation as she had been sealed away in the Caliburn for, possibly, centuries.
Tsuki started to feel concerned about her upbringing all of a sudden. He recalled her saying something similar back in the mines when she first appeared. "Just who was your former master anyway...?" he asked, slightly worried.
Elle had similar thoughts herself. With her being a close resemblence to a Great Spirit, it makes her curious on who her old master was. Based on what she's seen so far, she could only assume that the person was a total pervert. "That's what I'd like to know as well..." she said.
Tsuki sighed, closing his eyes and giving her another pat on the head. "I appreciate your concern, nonetheless but please try to keep your clothes on. I'm afraid that-" he said.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and moments later, it opened as Ramza and Lynette walked in.
Ramza had heard Tsuki's voice from the other side of the door so they both knew that he was awake. "Hey, you're finally awake. How are you...feeling?" he asked, trailing off near the end. What he didn't expect, however, was the scene of a completely naked spirit girl holding onto a half-dressed man in bed. He knew that Allie had been staying by his side the whole time while he was unconscious but didn't think it was anything like this. It was a scene where he had to look away. "Well, it appears that we were interrupting something" he said.
Lynette was understandably flustered and red-faced as she saw what was happening. "A-Allie!? Why are you naked and clinging onto Tsuki!?" she asked.
Allie looked over towards Lynette, giving her the same look she just gave Tsuki. "I can't comfort Master?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head. Naturally, she had absolutely no shame which was on par with her personality.
Tsuki sighed heavily as things turned out exactly as he thought they would. It was pretty much destined that this would happen. After all, he's hit just about every single cliché in the book on this entire mission."...misunderstandings will arise if we're seen like this" he said as he finished off what he was trying to say before.
They took a few minutes to settle down and collect themselves. Allie had formed clothes over herself before climbing down off the bed as Tsuki moved over to sit on the edge of the bed. Now that Tsuki was awake, Lynette took the time to apply some additional healing on his chest injury and reapply his bandages. Pretty much all of his injuries aside the one on his chest have fully healed though no matter how much healing she could do, she wasn't going to fully heal the one on his chest. It was going to leave a permenant scar. Elle also took the time to properly introduce herself to Lynette and Ramza so that everyone was acquainted with each other.
After performing her healing and reapplying his bandages, Lynette whipped her brow a bit and stepped back. There was essentially not much else she could do for him in terms of healing. "You're about as good as you're going to get with my healing, unfortunately. I'm sorry that I can't do anything about that scar of yours, though..." she said. Perhaps if she was a little more skilled with her healing abilities, she could get rid of it entirely.
Tsuki shook his head at her. "Don't worry about it. I appreciate what you've done for me" he said. It was unfortunate that his scar couldn't be healed but in hindsight, he didn't see anything wrong with it. No one would see it and it would make an interesting story to tell in the future. Despite his injuries mostly all healed up, however, he still felt pain to move around.
Lynette shook her head, waving her finger at him. "You might be healed up but you still shouldn't move around too much. Not only will that chest injury slow you down for a bit longer, you still need to recover your Mana" she said. She didn't want him pushing himself to the point where his injury might open up again like what happened with Ruko several times plus she didn't want him hurting himself either.
Ramza nodded at him as he was in full agreement with her assessment. "I agree with her. You looked like you were half-dead, if I'm going to be honest with you. I'm not sure what exactly happened but you practically had no Mana left after your fight with Caius. It's best to take it easy for a while longer" he said. He knows full-well on the adverse effects that could happen to one's own body if their Mana levels run dangerously low. Mana was the source of all life, after all. If there's not enough Mana in a person's body to support them, they could potentially die due to Mana loss just like how someone could die from excessive blood loss. These, however, were extremely rare cases. Not very many people die because of excessive Mana loss but it does happen especially on a chaotic battlefield. "If I may be blunt, I'm surprised you're even alive. Most people in the same condition would have fallen into a coma like you did and never come out of it" he said.
Lynette didn't want to admit it herself but he was right. "He's right, you know. After Caius left and I started to work on healing your injuries, you practically had no Mana left. I was so scared that you might die right then and there. Your injuries were all healed up but you weren't regaining consciousness at all. I didn't know what to do..." she said. She then glanced over at Allie who was standing next to Tsuki. "Allie's...method of Mana transfer sounds completely unorthodox but if it wasn't for that, I'm afraid to think of what could have happened" she said.
It was a lot for Tsuki to take in all at once. He may not really remember much of what happened but the condition his body was in was proof enough for him that something significant had happened. Combined with what they've all been telling him and their body language, he had no reason to deny it. "I see..."he said.
Elle sighed a bit and sat down in a nearby chair. "And, unfortuntately, because of his memory issue, we won't be finding out what exactly happened down at the port anytime soon. By the time I arrived there, the fighting was already near its conclusion" she said.
Ramza looked over at Elle for a moment then back at Tsuki. "Wait, you can't remember anything at all?" he asked.
Tsuki shook his head. No matter how many times he tries or how hard he wants to remember, nothing but a big blur comes up in his head. "No. The last thing I remember clearly was putting myself in front of Allie to shield her from his attack which resulted in this injury. The next thing I knew, I was awake in this bed. There are blurred images of, what I would assume, me and Caius during an intense fight but nothing much else" he said.
Ramza scratched the back of his head a bit as he thought about the reason for his memory loss. You don't just have a lapse in memory like that without a reason for it especially if there wasn't anything medically wrong with him. "Maybe you hit your head on the pavement a little hard when you blacked out" he said.
Lynette shook her head. Since she was the one that administered his treatment, she would have noticed if he had taken a good hit to the head. "I would have seen evidence of that prior to any healing but there wasn't any" she said. She didn't know what could possibly be causing his memory loss.
Elle shrugged a bit in her chair. "If you ask me, don't fret about it. I'm sure that his memory will come back to him in time. For now, all we can do now is focus on what's going on now" she said. She then stood up and started to make her way over to the door. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going out to get some fresh air. If you need anything, I'll be at the inn later" she said. She then opened the door and left the room.
Ramza was next to head towards the door. "Since you're doing better, I need to go pay a visit to the Mercenary Guild. One of them got pretty badly hurt so I want to go and see how they're doing" he said. Before leaving the room, he stopped in the doorway and looked back towards Lynette. "Mind coming with, Lyn? Any additional healing you could provide would be great" he said.
Lynette looked back at Ramza and nodded. She had heard that a mercenary had been bedridden ever since things calmed down. "Of course!" she said. She then walked over to Ramza but stopped to look back at Tsuki for a moment. "You're still recovering so make sure you get some more rest. Leave everything to us" she said. From her perspective as a Healer, she didn't want him out of his bed.
Tsuki didn't like having to be confined to a bed but seeing as how it was still difficult for him to move around, he had no other choice but to listen to the good doctor. "Yes ma'am" he said.
With that, Ramza and Lynette left the room themselves and closed the door behind him. Tsuki soon sighed, dropping his head a bit as he stared down at the floor. He took a few deep breaths and then tried to stand up off the bed. With the help of Allie, he was able to do so and managed to walk out onto the balcony to look out at the town below. Many buildings were still in ruins and there were several vacant lots where other buildings used to stand. Even from as high up as he was, he could see that people were hard at work trying to get their lives back in order. He could even see the damaged non-commercial docking area from the balcony though couldn't make much out. It was clear though that the damage was quite severe. He felt the breeze come off the ocean as he took in a deep breath, smelling the salty sea breeze as it blew past him.
Although things seemed to have gone back to being peaceful, he couldn't help but have lingering doubts. Something was telling him that this was just the calm before the storm. He recalled the last things he heard Caius say to him before blacking out. They were along the lines of some Reckoning that was coming and he was the one in charge of leading it. They were ominous words with clear intention behind them. He didn't know the meaning behind what he said but he did know one thing. This wasn't over yet. He knew that this was a precursor for something terrible and whatever it is, he knows that they aren't prepared for what is soon about to happen. A great danger still looms over the horizon for them. They haven't seen anything yet. This was just the beginning.
To be continued...