Chapter 95: Every Step Of The Way

Disclaimer:

Hi guys! I realise that it's been over a month since I last uploaded. Actually, it's been almost two months, huh?

Honestly, I was slightly burned out with writing and the holidays were here along with my birthday so I just wanted to do other things than just write. I didn't even think of this fic at all until a few weeks ago where I started to get the feeling to jump back in. I was updated with a few other fics but that was it.

Anyway, I'm back and writing. I'm enjoying writing this story and can't wait to show what I have planned.

This chapter is a heavy one and it's one that I've wanted to release since we delved deeper into Daisy's character. I rewrote parts of this chapter so many times and I'll explain my thinking behind some of it in the NOTES section.

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

Chapter 31, 35-36, 86-87, 93-94.

With that said, I hope you enjoy!

Weaving in and out of the heavy crowds of the Star Festival, Daisy managed to make some distance from the large group she was just with. Sweat fell from her face as the intent to leave filled her mind. Eventually, she wiped her forehead with her sleeve.

"Phew… I needed a bit of space from all of them. Besides… they don't need me there, right?" She thought to herself as she faked a smile.

Daisy carried on, not exactly having a plan in mind or a destination to reach. She just kept walking until she reached a quiet park bench right outside of a play area for little kids.

She sat down, trying to calm her overly-beating heart, and put her head in her hands. Her mind was racing but only thoughts of her sisters were apparent, along with one other person.

"You're the one responsible for the smiles on those twins' faces and that's the main thing".

"I invited all of you here, not just Daisy, and that means that little Alice should be involved with everything the festival has to offer".

Daisy sighed as she leaned back on the bench. Her blue and violet eyes stared up into the dark sky, taking in the bright lights of the shining stars that had started to appear.

"Lucas… you really are…".

Just as the Ice mage was about to smile, the sight of someone evil entered her mind. All of a sudden, the thoughts of someone she hated, despised, and loathed forced themselves to the forefront.

"Everything bad is because of you!"

A slap to the face.

"It's all because of you, stupid child!"

And another slap.

"You always act like you're the center of attention!"

And another.

"You don't deserve anything!"

Each insult was separated by the same, physical outburst and they were all directed by the man she hated - her father.

The voice that pierced into her mind was an evil one and one that she hadn't heard in years but had started to creep through recently. She cringed and shuddered as if a cold breeze swept the area and touched her skin.

"Hehe… I guess…".

Her mind switched to the sight of her angered father breathing heavily in front of her. With every blink, he got closer and closer, walking up to her with a red, stinging hand. The young Daisy felt her cheek as it was also stinging.

Another blink of her eyes later, and Daisy was back to reality.

"I guess… he was right…".

Again, interrupting Daisy's negative thoughts was the feeling of something else but, instead of her father's hot and violent hands, she felt a warm and gentle touch to her skin this time. Her eyes re-focused onto her surroundings and saw the familiar face of a very good friend right in front of her.

"Becks…?" Daisy said with no enthusiasm or any sense of positive feeling at all.

"Gosh, Daisy… I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes now! Where in your mind were you at?"

Rebecca Scarlet had her hands on her hips and was pouting with a soft glare towards Daisy who began to smile as she finally decided to change her demeanour.

"Hey, Becks, nice to see you here!" Daisy winked, moving slightly to the side to give the redhead space next to her on the bench.

The 16-year-old sighed and joined her friend. Behind the two, in the play area, were the teen's siblings were playing, safe for the youngest one around her shoulder as he was sleeping.

"Y-Yeah, nice to see you, too…", Rebecca replied uneasily. She sensed that something was wrong with Daisy.

"I'd have thought you'd have the restaurant to tend to tonight".

"Oh, nah, the Star Festival means that Nean is pretty empty with a lot of the residents going to visit the Capital. You… should really know this by now". Rebecca awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of her neck with her free hand.

"Hm, you're right… I think I'm just feeling under the weather tonight. Maybe… I'll go home", she sighed, stretching her arms forwards as if she was about to jump up to her feet.

Then, again with her free hand, Rebecca stretched it out to stop Daisy from doing just that. As Daisy saw the arm stopping her from moving anymore, she relaxed back down and slowly looked her friend in the eyes. Or at least she tried to.

"Daisy, look at me properly", she asked.

"No, it's okay…", she replied, looking away and feigning a smile.

"Do it", Rebecca demanded strictly.

With a sigh and a drop of her shoulders, she looked at her friend properly for what seemed like the first time since they saw each other tonight. At first, she had her eyes closed and kept her smile up but, after a few seconds, she couldn't put up the fake emotion anymore and opened them slowly, revealing her colourless and distant eyes.

Rebecca's own eyes widened as she saw Daisy's. They were shaking as she pictured a nine-year-old Daisy right next to the 16-year-old one. Her mind went straight to the little version of her and both had the same, defeated expression for some reason. She shook her head and eventually managed to compose herself before speaking.

"Now, tell me the truth, what's going on?"

Daisy, realising that she can't beat around the bush with Rebecca of all people, just pouted, sighed, and then shook her head.

"I… don't deserve all the nice things that are happening to me", she finally started to explain. "I was with Lucas and the others…", she described further. The Blue Rose told her about meeting Asta, Mimosa, Noelle, and the others as well as Lucas's nice treatment of her sisters.

"I'm sure Lucas was just thinking about your sisters. Alice needs some fun and it sounded like he was helping her out. What's the problem, exactly?" The redhead asked, needing more details.

Daisy heard her father's abusive words repeating in her head. She forced her eyes shut to try and get rid of them and they eventually went away for the time being.

"I know… he's doing it for my sisters, and I know that's a good thing. I… appreciate him so much for that but… I hate the feeling it gives me. Usually, I'd feel happy about having someone think about my siblings like that but… it's extremely frustrating. It makes me think that I'm just… utterly useless".

Whilst Daisy was explaining her troubles, Rebecca put down her youngest brother who was sleeping and motioned towards Luca to look after him for the time being. With her now being free to move properly, she turned her body towards the Calor and grabbed her hands.

"If you're feeling helpless then it's okay to accept a helping hand. Lucas is one of the purest souls I've met and if he's thinking of your siblings, then that's a good thing, Daisy", she said softly, smiling at her with wide eyes.

However, Rebecca's advice didn't get through to Daisy as she slapped the redhead's hands away from her and stood up from the park bench. She turned to face Rebecca and now Daisy was standing, looking down at the teen.

"I'm telling you… I know it's good but there's something in me that just refuses to accept that kindness for some reason. There's something that makes me feel that I'm not supposed to be happy in this way…", she raised her voice, outstretching her arms. "Oh, and don't even get me started on what Kahono and I did!"

"Kahono?"

"She's a friend of Asta and Noelle. We planned to do some matchmaking since it's obvious that Mimosa likes him. Things went a bit south with the planning and ended up with me being paired with Lucas. Yeah, we're having fun, but… I shouldn't be! I have to make others happy and I can tell Mimosa isn't at all!"

"D-Daisy, this doesn't seem all too serious! Just take it as friends being, well, friendly…", she reached out to calm her clearly distraught friend out but she only took a step back to increase the distance between the two.

"It's…!" Daisy shook her head, realising she was about to be excessively rude. "I know… it's not serious when you put it like that but… I have to make other people happy or I'll…", she gulped.

She then turned her head away from Rebecca and whispered to herself as she looked down at the floor.

"... I took away my family's happiness… so I deserve absolutely none of it…".

Unfortunately for Daisy, Rebecca heard what she said even though she was whispering. What she said was enough for her to cast her mind back to what happened seven years ago.

FLASHBACK - SEVEN YEARS AGO:

After the incident, Sister Theresa had asked me to get Daisy from the hospital. Her stay was three weeks and it was coming to an end.

Cold skin and dead eyes.

Those two were the first things that everyone noticed about the nine-year-old that was sitting outside of one of the Royal Capital's hospital rooms. She was just still on the bench, not even kicking her feet.

"Hey, it's been almost three weeks since her mother's death, and Daisy… won't move from there. Should we do something?" One of the nurses whispered from down the hallway.

"It's tough. She's delicate right now and if we say something it could hurt her even more", another replied.

"She was such a bundle of joy when she used to come with her mother, but now…".

"You're right. She's in good hands now, though. Besides, you do know the person who's taking care of her right now, hm? We can trust them".

After this, both nurses walked away. A few minutes later, a different nine-year-old girl entered the long hallway from the stairs that were leading up from the entrance. She stopped as she saw Daisy at the end and rushed towards her.

I visited every other day. Maybe the signs were there from the start but I couldn't catch them as I was only a kid.

"D-Daisy… are you… okay?" The girl asked, sitting down next to her.

There was no response, not even a hint of movement from her to even check who the girl was that sat down next to her.

"After… Well, your sisters are doing okay but they seem to be missing you. Sister Theresa is looking after Chloe since she's barely a month old but I think all four of them need you now", she said, trying to get the depressed girl to react.

Eventually, she did react by lifting her sunken head. Daisy saw the girl who was next to her and it was none other than the redhead she had become friends with within the year that she moved to Nean.

"Rebecca… I… I can't go back there…", she sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Th-The house is wh-wh-where Mama d-d-d-di-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Rebecca put her hand on her shoulder. She smiled softly and then put her other hand on the free shoulder. "We know. The Wizard King came to Nean to help out with things. I'm not sure why but it's like… he really wants to help. Anyway, he had organised another house to be built elsewhere, closer to the church and, well, it's ready now".

"Another… house?" The child repeated. "For… me?"

"Yep, the whole town helped to build it after you were admitted here! You should've seen Sister Theresa lifting all the heavy stuff. The girls from the flower shop and bakers helped out with the decorating!" Rebecca smiled, shooting steam out of her nose as she was feeling excited.

Daisy was reacting but she didn't return the feeling though. As each second went by where Rebecca explained things, she gritted her teeth and scrunched up her fists.

With a set of whispers, Daisy replied.

"Why is everyone… trying to help me?"

"I only… ruin things".

"I don't… deserve this kindness…".

Looking back at it now, there were clear signs regarding what was happening. However, at the time, I wasn't too sure. What I did know was that things would be very different judging by her tortured expression the night I saw her, which was also the night Freya died.

As Rebecca was about to react, the door next to her opened, revealing Doctor Owen. The top of his hair was just starting to grey as well as some of his facial hair.

"Good, you're still here, Daisy. Oh, and you have a friend here as well?"

"Hi, my name's Rebecca and I'm Daisy's neighbour", she greeted with a wave, quickly putting what Daisy said at the back of his mind.

"Nice to see you. I heard a bit of your conversation as I was getting ready and it would be fine to go back to Nean now. Just remember, your next appointments are on every subsequent weekend", he said as he waved and started to walk away.

"Okay, Doctor…", Daisy said with a downcast expression. She stood up, yawned, and started walking away to the stairs that lead to the entrance.

Rebecca was going to follow but she had a question for Owen. The redhead ran over to catch up to him.

"Doctor…", she said before he turned around. "Um, what exactly is Daisy visiting here for? When I came to visit a few days ago she said she hated the hospital so I'm not sure why she keeps coming".

Owen scratched his head. "Aha, it's not really something I should discuss with someone else, sorry", he apologised before carrying on.

Rebecca stayed still as she watched the doctor turn into a different hallway, away from her.

"Phew. Things like that… I can't just discuss with a child. Parents need to be informed or legal guardians but there are none for the Calors…".

As Owen debated in his head, he didn't even notice the person that he was about to run into. With a sudden thud, he was about to lose his balance but with this stranger's help, he was able to stay on his feet.

"Ah, thank you, and sorry…". Owen opened his eyes to see none other than Julius, the Wizard King waiting for him. He was leaning against the wall with one hand on the doctor's.

"I've been waiting for you and you decide to bump into me. What a coincidence, hm?" Julius laughed as he took his grip off his friend's shoulder.

"It truly is…", he said softly with a half-smile.

Noticing the lack of emotion, Julius asked the question;

"What did the results say?"

"I know you recommended that she be looked at but it's really not the best thing to disclose to a non-family member. You understand, right?" Owen protested, correcting his glasses.

"I played a part in this incident by not imprisoning that good-for-nothing idiot father of theirs as soon as I realised he was a problem. To send bandits looking for your family… all the way from the dungeon where he's locked up?! Something has to be done but, regarding Daisy… I moved her family to the Common Realm, and so, I'm responsible. Like it or not, I'm linked to the Calors and knowing the diagnosis that I asked you to do is important. Explain what it said".

Julius, unlike his usual, carefree and easy-going self, was dead serious at this moment. There was no smile, only authority being shown.

"R-Right. Well, because of the close proximity of her mother, Freya's, death and the traumatic way in which it happened, there's signs that Daisy has early-onset depression".

There was silence but the Wizard King's face spoke a thousand words. His eyes were closed but he was gritting his teeth as if he felt something sting. Then, he hit the wall next to him with the side of his closed fist.

Unknown to the two of them, right below the first floor hallway was the ground floor and that was where Rebecca was walking through, in pursuit of Daisy who was just a few metres in front of her.

The redhead slowed down to a stop as she heard the last few words of what Owen said. Her eyes widened with shock and sadness. The silhouette of Daisy that was in front of her was starting to blur because of the tears that were now welling up in her eyes.

"Early-onset depression…?!"

Of course, I didn't know what the term meant in its entirety as I was only nine. Depression was easy to understand but the full term was odd to me. The months after I heard the diagnosis, I studied and read everything I could from the Nean library about such disorders…

Through all of this, I started to help Daisy in any way I could. Sister Theresa and a lot of the other townspeople understood that they needed to help but I knew what was really wrong.

Although I really wanted to help, I made a mistake a year later.

It was a winter's day like no other in Nean. After studying at the church under Sister Theresa, all of the kids went to play in the street. The snow was falling and everyone was playing. Luca was playing with her friends, throwing snow at all of them.

"Come on, Daisy, throw some at me!" Rebecca shouted, throwing a ball of snow near Daisy.

The two were quite far away from the rest. Theresa was busy with the other kids whereas Daisy and Rebecca were on their own. The ginger was sitting under the shade of a tree next to the church. She reached for the snow below her to throw some back at Rebecca, but she let go of it a few seconds later.

"Sorry, Becks, I'm not really feeling it today, haha", Daisy apologised. She pouted and waved her hands.

"Is it because I beat you last week? I managed to land five hits on you whilst you only landed one! You can get your revenge on me!" Rebecca smiled, throwing another snowball at Daisy, only managing to hit her black boots.

"Seeing you play is enough for me, really! I'd rather see you enjoy yourself than me get in the way of it. I'm telling you, I'm not in the mood right now", she smiled, snuggling up to the trunk of the tree.

Then, without really thinking, Rebecca threw another ball of snow which hit Daisy on the chest, splattering bits of snow all around her puffy coat she was wearing.

"Haha, yes, got you!" The redhead praised herself, jumping up and down.

Daisy didn't see the fun in it and stood up. She looked down at the floor and then up at Rebecca.

"I told you… I don't want to play!" She shouted, tears falling down her face. "You don't listen to me, you never listen to me! You ask me to play when I don't want to, you ask me to come over to your house when I don't want to, you ask me to do things I don't want to! I'm tired… please, I'm so tired…! I… don't want to be like this… I don't deserve you… trying to make me happy! Just please… leave me alone!"

After her outburst, she ran away towards her house. Rebecca chased after her, arms stretched out but she couldn't catch up.

As a kid, I didn't think I did anything wrong but what seemed like a little thing like that was enough to push Daisy out of her very fragile comfort zone. Her troubled expression made me realise I did something bad.

Now that I think about it, Daisy also showed signs of something else other than depression. Back then, I put everything she was doing under the umbrella of one term but she was suffering from something else as well.

She felt like she didn't belong, or didn't deserve to belong.

She felt as if happiness was wasted on her, or that she was a waste.

She felt that others deserved more than her, or that she didn't deserve.

It was almost like guilt but a different form of it. Now I know what it was;

Impostor Syndrome.

"Daisy… Daisy, where are you?!" Rebecca shouted again and again.

A long time passed as the 10-year-old tried to find her friend but it was no use. The sun had started to set and the redhead begrudgingly set back home.

"I went to her house as well but no one was in. Where could she have gone…? I'm going to have to tell Sister Theresa about this…", she sighed with a heavy frown.

As she reached the path to her house, she stopped. Sitting on the steps with a blanket of snowflakes all along her ginger hair was none other than Daisy.

"Yo, Becks", she waved with a toothy smile.

"Wh-Where were you? I've been looking all over!" Rebecca ran over, bringing her friend into a warm hug. She almost picked her up with how tightly she grabbed her.

"Ooh, you're strong, aren't ya?" Daisy giggled, putting her hands on her friend's shoulders. "I was just out and about, you know?"

Rebecca put her down. "I was really worried. I- I'm sorry that I pushed you too much…", she apologised, repeatedly bowing to the girl.

Dasy waved her hands in refusal. "Haha, no need to bow like that! I… took it too far but I'm fine, really. Say, let's have a sleepover tonight!"

When she came back, it was like she was a different person. Maybe we both took what we did to the extreme, but it was like nothing happened. I'm not sure what exactly it was but she was absolutely fine after that.

She came back with a new sense of self and that was the last time I ever saw her upset like that.

It looked like she was genuinely smiling. I put the argument to the back of my head and was just happy to see her happy.

After that, it wasn't too long before she was laughing and joking, teasing and poking, just like she used to. I thought… she recovered, and she even opened up about her mother's death and exactly how it happened. Her disorders never resurfaced.

FLASHBACK - END

Rebecca stayed sitting, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Was I… wrong? Did she just hide it? Did she never recover?! Throughout the years, she went back to the hospital for tests and… eventually, there was nothing of concern. Did they… resurface? Thinking about it, the first time I saw her upset in years was a few months ago when she had a panic attack. Did it start there? Did I miss something that happened? What… could I have missed?!"

"Helloooo?" Daisy waved multiple times, finally getting through to the extremely concerned Rebecca who slowly raised her head to meet the Ice mage's eyes. "You weren't even listening, great… I just need space, right now…", she said with a hurry, running off into the thick crowds of the Star Festival.

Rebecca was left on her own. Her siblings were all behind her, a bit far away to hear what was happening but close enough to see the distraught look on her face. The teen put her hands to her head, feeling the hot skin of her temple.

"What… should I do?"

"What was up with Becks? It was like she was in her own little world for a while there. Well, anyway, I just want to be away from everyone. My sisters were having fun with Lucas and the others, so I won't be missed".

Daisy slowly walked through the streets of the Royal Capital. She passed many stalls that called out to her, asking for participation in their games but she just ignored them.

"But… I can't exactly leave without my sisters though. Maybe I'll just find a place to relax on my own before I make my way back. I'm sure they'll understand me not being there".

It seemed like the Ice mage was going around in circles until she ended up outside a cafe of all places. It was on a slightly raised area of the street and it towered above quite a few of the other places around it. She looked up at the building and saw that there was a portion that was upstairs that led to an attached balcony. Daisy went up the spiral stone stairs that were on the side.

After reaching the top, her dull eyes widened with what seemed like glee for the first time in a while. In front of her was an empty balcony with a set of candles lined across the top of the iron railings that adorned the edge of the area. On the sides, there were flower ornaments hanging from the ceiling and a few chairs and tables that were on both sides, empty.

The balcony also overlooked most of the Star Festival with how high up it was. Down below, you could see glowing magic and lights, families and friends all enjoying themselves, and the vast amount of activities on display. There were also millions of shining stars shining across the night sky that illuminated Daisy's eyes as she looked up.

She only had one more step to walk up before she could relax in the empty space. She moved forward and walked towards the railings to lean over but, as soon as she was almost there, she caught something in the corner of her eye.

There was someone standing to the side, leaning against one of the stone walls that the railings were attached from. His arms were folded and his right leg was balancing against the side of the wall. He raised his head and smiled.

"Hi, Daisy".

"... Lucas?"

FLASHBACK - A FEW MINUTES AGO:

"It's about Big Sis. C-Can I talk to you in private…?"

Alice was tugging on Lucas's sleeve with her right hand whilst her left was rolled up into a fist by her side. Grace, Sonia, and Chloe were all next to her but it didn't look like they knew what was going on with the confused looks on their faces.

Lucas kneeled down to be level with Alice. "Yeah, of course, you can", he replied.

Asta and the others, just like the three younger siblings, didn't understand what was happening. All of them, safe for Lucas and Alice, gathered in a small circle and started talking, theorising what was happening.

"She just up and left without saying anything. You can't just leave your siblings like that. What's up with her?" Noelle said with folded arms. She couldn't express it but she was quite worried about her friend. "During our time in the Witches' Forest, she was having a tough time mentally. Is it something to do with that again?"

"It's probably not nice to talk about things we have no idea about. Maybe something happened?" Mimosa replied, offering a form of defence for the absent Daisy. "She's usually quite bubbly and happy. I've noticed that she's been a bit… off lately".

"Things were going well, too. Did she really not like my plan that much?" Kahono tilted her head, thinking about Daisy.

"Instead of us all wondering, why don't we wait for Alice to tell us?" Asta asked, looking at her.

Lucas stood up and turned to face the rest of the group. "Sorry, but Alice wanted to talk in private. Is it alright if I hear her out on my own? I'm not sure what's going on but it seems like it's serious".

Asta and the others all exchanged looks and eventually nodded in agreement.

"That's fine. Alice seems to really trust you so it only makes sense. Just… help her out, yeah?" Mimosa said with a hint of worry. She put her hands together and then turned to the others. "Okay, let's head over there!"

The teens all walked away, leaving just the Calor siblings with Lucas. Grace, Sonia, and Chloe all headed over to the side to play whilst Lucas and Alice sat down on a grass verge.

"Is everything alright?" Lucas asked, causing the nine-year-old to flinch.

Alice put her hands together tightly and rested them in the middle of her legs. She was kicking her feet up and down as well as fidgeting with her body.

"It's clear that she's worried about something", Lucas realised. He raised his right hand and rested it on the kid's ginger hair, rustling it ever so slightly. "Just relax. I know that you don't know me too well but you wanted to tell me something, right? If you trusted me enough to say that then trust me enough to listen well", he smiled.

Alice looked into his gentle, blue eyes and nodded. "Something's wrong with Big Sis…", she started to explain and paused to sigh heavily. "Um, I don't know what it is exactly but she's been acting a bit different lately…".

Lucas took his hand off the girl's head, allowing her some space. "You can take your time, Alice, I'm here to listen".

Alice smiled at the Golden Dawn mage. "Th-Thanks. Um, I think it started around a month ago when she came back from the Witches' Forest. Since then… she's been a bit sad", she explained.

After this, Alice explained what happened with the cure and how it didn't work on her at all. She described how desperate her big sister looked and how emotionally distant she became afterwards.

"At the time, I thought she made the thing about the cure up to make me strong or something but I realised that it must've been real with how disappointed she looked. I mean… I didn't want to show that I was upset so I had to be strong for her but, right now, I'm more upset that my sister isn't how she used to be anymore…!" The girl started to tear up but she quickly wiped her eyes and shook her head.

Lucas was thinking about what she said, slowly getting even more worried in his head. "The cure was definitely real - It fixed Asta's arms. The whole reason Daisy even went was to learn how to fix injuries. If it didn't work, then…", he thought back to the first night he was in Nean, right after gathering the Calor siblings from their game of Hide and Seek.

"It's getting harder… and harder for me to keep up this façade where I make it seem everything is okay".

"I have to take care of them since I'm the only proper parental figure they have. That's why I send most of my Magic Knight's pay back here, so they can get a good education, clothes… just a good life… but, but…".

Alice started to speak again, breaking Lucas's train of thought.

"She's been home more than with the Blue Roses. It was nice to see her more but she spends her time in the little park near the house more than with us. She's… also been eating less. I… I don't know if it's because she's upset but I don't know what to say to make her better…", she frowned, now fully crying.

Lucas looked at the small girl. Her red eyes were blurred with how many tears were falling. She kept trying to use her fingers to wipe them away but more only replaced them. The Dual mage let her cry for a bit before pulling her in close, giving her a long hug.

"To be honest, I've noticed a change in her as well. Perhaps I didn't want to focus on it, or that I was thinking too deeply into it, but I guess my intuition was right. I'm not sure what I can do to make it better, or if I even can, but…", he looked at his right arm where Alice was within its embrace. "I have to do something. If not for Alice, then for my good friend!"

He put his hand on her head once more. "Well then, Alice, we need to go find your sister, then", he smiled.

Alice started to calm down. She moved her hands from her puffy eyes and they widened at the mage's calm expression.

"I'm not sure… wh-where she went, though", Alice pouted.

Lucas put his hands to his chin. "Hm, have you ever seen your big sister upset before? Whenever my sister was upset, she liked to sit by the lake near my house", he said as he thought back to his true home village, Missbrauch. "To be fair, she liked going there anyway since it was one of our favourite places, haha".

"Well, Big Sis's favourite place is the old park outside our house", Alice pointed up with an imaginary light bulb forming at her index finger.

"True, I remember her saying that, but I doubt she went all the way back home. You four are still here and she wouldn't leave you like that. There are a few parks around here we could check out, though", he replied.

"Well, then, let's go!" Alice jumped up from the grass verge and started to run off only to run back as quickly as she left. "... Where do I go…?" She sighed, defeated.

Lucas giggled a bit. "Let's drop your siblings with the others and then we'll go search by ourselves, okay?"

"Right. We can't just leave Grace, Sonia, and Chloe", she nodded, slamming the side of her right fist on the open palm of her left hand.

"You're up for finding Daisy, huh?" Lucas smiled.

Lucas left the other three siblings with Mimosa and the others, only offering them a minimal explanation on what happened with Daisy. All he said was that she needed to go somewhere urgently and that was it.

The two then went searching in the nearby area. First, they looked at the one beside them where a lot of kids were playing but it was obvious that Daisy wasn't there from a quick glance.

"It's just a bunch of silly kids!" Alice shouted, bringing some glares from the parents towards her and Lucas.

"Let's not say whatever we have on our mind, okay…?" Lucas sweat-dropped, pulling the child away with a hand across her mouth.

After that, they visited three more but the results were all the same.

"Not here either, huh?" Lucas blew air out of his mouth.

"No good".

"Can't see her".

"Definitely not".

The duo were getting nowhere but there would be a bit of guiding light offered from someone in a few minutes.

"It's Big Becks!"

Lucas turned around to see Alice running towards someone who was walking towards them. She had long, wavy red hair and navy-blue eyes.

"Alice, I told you NOT to call me that…", she sighed, face-palming. "It makes me sound like I'm a… uh, large lady…", she coughed to mask what she was trying to say. "Just Rebecca or Becks is fine!"

"Sorry…", she frowned.

"Hi there, Rebecca", Lucas waved.

"Hey, Lucas. I can't really stop and talk but I did want to ask you something. It's about Daisy", she said.

"We're actually looking for her. Did you see where she went?"

"Oh, you are? She was with me just a few minutes ago. I saw the general direction she went and it was somewhere nearby…". Rebecca tried looking around only to see a few stalls, buildings, and a cafe around.

"Did she say anything? She kind of just left without telling us", Lucas asked.

In response, Rebecca was silent but that was enough for the Dual mage. He saw the troubled look on the redhead's face and decided not to ask anything else regarding that. Instead, he just looked around the area a few more times until he caught a glimpse of something... orange.

"I think… I know where she could be".

With eyes wide, Alice held Lucas's hand. "Let's go, th-!" She paused before letting go.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure if I'm the right person to help her out of this. She's been… distant and, well, I don't want to risk anything", she looked down to the floor.

"You're sisters, though. I'm sure it'll be f-", he said but stopped himself from continuing. "I can't just assume things like this, right now. Daisy sounds like she's quite fragile so I'm not sure if she'd react like she ideally would. I'll respect what Alice is saying and try to help".

"I'll go and see what I can do", he smiled. "Rebecca, would you mind looking after Alice?"

She nodded and put her thumbs up. "I've got her. I hope… things go well", she smiled.

Lucas nodded and ran off in the direction of the cafe.

"Instead of the stairs, I'll…", he looked up at the balcony of the cafe from outside and bent his knees.

FLASHBACK - END

"How did you know I'd be here?" Daisy asked. As she took the final step forward, she stopped in her tracks as she saw Lucas to the side. She remained by herself but turned to speak to the only other person around.

"Educated guess. You know me, I'm smart". Lucas pointed to himself with his thumb, earning a chuckle from Daisy.

A weak smile from the Ice mage returned but then everything fell to silence. There was so much to say, yet no one could say anything. Daisy turned to face the railing and walked over, leaning against it with her elbows resting on top.

Lucas, without saying anything, followed her. It was as if he had to join her because, if he didn't, the two would have remained silent the whole time.

"I see why you chose this place, Daisy", Lucas said as he looked over.

"And why's that?"

He looked towards all the glowing lights, groups of people, as well as the decorations that were everywhere. The first place that came to his mind was Nean.

"The park outside your house offers a similar view. Honestly, I miss it so I should visit more often!" He clapped his hands together.

"Oh, you smooth talker. Is that your way of saying you want to see me more often?" She grinned from ear to ear, winking.

"Yeah".

Silence. However, it wasn't the same as just a few seconds ago as Daisy's heart skipped a beat upon hearing what Lucas just said.

"N-Nonsense, Lucas… You don't have to go along with my teases. It… ruins the fun of it, you know?" She replied, starting to get worked up.

Lucas leaned forwards, keeping his focus on the sights in front of him. "I'm serious. If you're having a hard time, then I'll be there to help you out. After all, you're there for me".

Daisy let go of the railings, turning to face Lucas for the first time. "So, this is why you're here. Look, if you're worried about me, don't be. I don't need you to waste your energy", she said plainly.

"Well, it seems like what you need me to do and what I want to do directly oppose each other. So, how should we move on from here?"

"Are you trying to annoy me on purpose? You're never like this", Daisy replied sternly. She was now looking angry as opposed to defeated and tired.

"Like what? Am I never here for you, or is it that you don't want me to be?" Lucas kept his sights towards the distance, not looking at the mage next to him.

Daisy didn't reply. Instead, she was looking down towards the floor with a shadow over her eyes. A few seconds later, she looked back up with a broken smile.

"I… need to go, Lucas…", she said as she turned around.

Just as she was about to take the first step, Lucas finally turned around to face her. He grabbed her arm with his hand which made her stop.

He felt as if there was a chasm growing between them. Daisy wasn't responding to what Lucas was truly saying and this made it impossible to find out the true problem. Sensing this, Lucas finally asked;

"Daisy, what happened?"

"Nothing serious I promise yo-!"

"Daisy!"

The Ice mage flinched. Not because of Lucas's shouting but because she couldn't seem to move from her spot anymore. She was frozen in place, and it was because she was scared.

Daisy brought her hands up and rubbed her face. She closed her eyes and slightly tilted her head to the side. "It was…", she breathed in and out, slowly. "... An argument with Cyrus, that's all. I, uh… tried to fix things between us and it didn't end up well. It was my fault to begin with anyway. I guess it was stuck on my mind, ahaha…", she explained.

"It's different to what Alice told me, but is this something else that's happened with her? Cyrus used to be her best friend so it seems like this weighs heavily on her", Lucas thought.

Daisy let out a huge sigh and dropped her shoulders. She turned back to the railings and rested her arms once more. "I went to his house a month ago. We spoke about some… things but it didn't work out. It's been gnawing at me this whole time and it was getting too much to handle".

Lucas didn't want to respond initially. He was focusing on her every word and the way she was saying it, but there was something that irked him.

"I know she's not lying, but that's not all that's wrong. I may not be able to use Ki anymore to see if she's hiding something, but I know her well enough to know that she is. It's no use to carry on pushing her since I might cause an argument".

"To tell you the truth, I wanted to see what he thought. We didn't see eye to eye, so, thinking about it, it's nothing to cry about", Daisy smiled.

"I could try and offer plenty of advice but I'm not in her shoes so I don't know the context. Their relationship seems to have a lot behind it and I can't just act as if I know the answer", Lucas told himself.

He then let go of the railing and lifted his right hand up. Slowly, he put it down on the top of her head, rubbing it very softly and lightly. Although it was similar to what he did with Alice, it was still different as he finally felt that the chasm between them just shifted closer together.

Daisy moved her eyes up and then locked with Lucas's. At the start, her face was of genuine surprise but then she started to smirk.

"What's this about? Are you trying to make me cry, Lucas?"

"It's the opposite".

"Huh?"

"To me, it seems like you've been crying by yourself... all this time".

The lights around them grew in intensity. There were faint spheres of magic rising up from the ground from a few of the activities that were going on. They were harmless, but they still filled the area. Among them, even brighter than the colour of the magic, Daisy's eyes widened slowly, but then went back to normal after a second or two.

"Heh, that was a cool line. Did you get it from a book or something?"

"Idiot", she said.

"I know".

"Cringe", she said.

"I know".

"Stupid", she said.

Despite the transition into insults, Lucas remained still with his hand on her head. He just agreed with her as he knew what she was saying had no harm behind it. With every word she said, she lightly tapped his chest with either fist, eventually placing both of them flat. Not even a second later, the first tear fell from her blue and violet eyes.

"I…hate… f-feeling like this…! I'm so… sad!"

The first tear turned into a second, and then the third, and then a flood of them dripped all over her clothes and the wooden floorboards beneath. She leaned closer to Lucas and grabbed his clothes, tightening her grip around them.

"Because of what… I did, I've r-r-ruined so much for my family. I c-can't keep feeling like this if I want to keep g-going. I'm not sure… what I have t-to do to stop this horrible feeling inside m-me. I feel like… I'm stuck in place. I can't move forward… and if I move backwards, then I'll lose everything I hold cl-close…!"

Lucas was sure that Daisy wasn't just speaking about what happened with Cyrus, but about a lot of other things that were troubling her. The question was; was it only the two things he knew were on her mind, or a lot more?

Regardless, he stayed silent and let Daisy cry as much as she needed. He didn't need to say anything as everything he said before was enough to show his support.

A long while later, after Daisy stopped crying, the two were both leaning against the iron railings, looking out towards the rest of the festival.

"Say, is your reasoning for wanting to become the Wizard King still the same as the first time you told me?" Daisy asked, her eyes lit up with the reflection of the lights down below.

"I want to become the Wizard King because I want every child in the kingdom to have a good life, free from abuse and the heavy expectations of those around them. I… I hate unnecessary violence and I want to change all that to make the world more peaceful. I'd like to face these problems and fix them… and save these people".

Lucas nodded, smiling. "Yeah, my reasoning hasn't changed in the slightest. In fact, after everything that I've been through, it's only made me even more determined".

"With the way you are with my sisters, you're already a step there…", she whispered under her breath.

"What was that?" Lucas asked.

"Ah, nothing. I just…", she reached into her grimoire satchel and pulled out something shiny.

Lucas's blue eyes widened and sparkled with surprise as he saw what it was. In her hand was a silver-chained bracelet with a crystal-clear gemstone on the top. The candles around the area reflected a red, flame-like colour on the circular links which made it glisten in the dark.

"I bought this before you came to Nean for the first time. I was meaning to give it you back then but there was so much going on that I couldn't. Then, every time we met afterwards was completely random or I just forgot. Um, uh, would you accept this, please?" Daisy smiled, moving the piece of jewellery in between her fingers.

Instead of saying yes, Lucas started to laugh. A single tear escaped from his eye with how funny he found it. Daisy pouted, thinking he was insulting her choice of gift.

"If you didn't want it, you could've just said", she mumbled, turning her head away.

"No, no, it's not that!" Lucas apologised, calming down. He put his hand in his own grimoire satchel and pulled out a piece of jewellery as well.

Brandishing it along his fingertips, he brought it closer to Daisy's eyes. It was the exact same silver-chained bracelet with the exact same gemstone on the top.

"This gemstone has a tiny scratch in the middle of it. I, uh… bought it on the same day I came to Nean but, after everything that happened, I never had the chance to give it. Like you said, everytime we met after that was random so I could never know!" He giggled.

The two took a step closer to each other and exchanged gifts.

"Wow, I've never seen this kind of gift before! Wow, so rare…", Lucas joked.

"I know, right? We definitely didn't get this at the same place either!" Daisy chuckled. "Domina, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Lucas put the bracelet on his right wrist whilst Daisy put it on her left. They both raised the specified hands and fist-bumped. The two gemstones shone as the two made contact.

"Thank you for the gift, really", Lucas smiled, looking and fiddling with it.

"Thank you for mine!" Daisy raised her hand, giving the 'peace' sign to him.

From outside, a few people started shouting all of a sudden and then there was an uproar not even five seconds after.

"The band, 'Shooting Star', is playing in two hours or so, everyone!"

"What, what?!

"We have to go, quickly!"

Daisy started jumping up and down upon hearing the news. "Oh, my… We have to go see them. Even though it's two hours, places get filled up fast when it comes to them. Let's hurry up!" She grabbed Lucas's hand and pulled him along. A few seconds later, she stopped, however.

"I never said it before but… thank you for being here for me. I was being such a pain in the ass and I caused a lot of trouble for you all, especially you and my sisters", she said, bowing her head to apologise.

Lucas waved away the gesture. "No need for that. I told you - I'm here for you. Always remember that", he nodded.

"I know. I know I have to accept help at times… even though it'll be hard. You heard my problem with Cyrus out and it was more than enough for me. Still, as a thank you, and even though you already know this, but…", she put her hands behind her and held onto her hand with the other. She bent and leaned forwards, smiling toothily at Lucas with her eyes wide, showing colour and life in them.

"I'm with you till the end… every step of the way!"

Lucas gulped. Seeing such a sight in front of him was enough for his heart to skip a beat this time. Daisy then ran off, hopping down the spiral stairs.

"Ooh, scratch that! I have to talk to my sisters, first... Oh, and to Becks, ah, gosh, I'm causing so much delay!"

The moment of pure shock, yet fulfilling happiness, wore off very quickly later as Lucas thought about the reason why Daisy was in such a dark headspace. Whether it was because of her argument with Cyrus, or because of her feeling of failure with Alice, or something else entirely, Lucas only had one thing on his mind.

"If you're with me, then please accept that I'll be with you… every step of the way".

NOTES:

Quite the heavy chapter when it comes to what's happening with Daisy. We see that she has depression and suffers from Impostor Syndrome. I researched quite a lot on this and it happens when someone feels like they've taken someone's place, or that they just don't deserve to be somewhere. I slightly altered it to mean that not deserving of happiness etc. (I hope that's alright).

I kept rewriting a lot of the Rebecca flashback as I had different ways of conveying Daisy's diagnosis. First, I had Owen simply tell Rebecca about Daisy but then I thought 'hang on, doctor's wouldn't just disclose that info to a kid'. After that, I had Rebecca with Daisy whilst Owen told his diagnosis which, again, odd when I thought about it. After that was when Daisy shouted and ran away and I had the Wizard King appear and let Rebecca know which, you know it, an adult shouldn't say to a child… So, a lot of rewrites, hehe.

Honestly, the title is one of my favourites as it's quite simple when you look at it but when you read the chapter there's quite a lot of meaning behind it.

I also quite like the bonding between Lucas-Alice and Lucas-Daisy.