The sun brightly shined upon the land below it. Enveloping everything that was within its burning stare. Its touch welcome to the hearts of all, even those that forever dwell in the dark. Because its light is retribution, in its purest and simplest form. Inside it, no shadow can exist, as all gets cleansed. All the pain, all the bitterness, washed away by the surging light.
Or so they say at least, all those who gaze upon the stars looking for salvation. She had heard priests talk about it so many times before, that she couldn't just ignore it. They were people of faith, all those men, and women that had decided to follow her, and deep in their hearts, they had accepted the fact that they will one day perish, as all living things are meant to. They knew it all too well, but feared not, because they had her to lead them and to bury them when that time came. As the old saying goes, man came from dirt and that's where he will return. The dead have to be buried, so as the sun can meet with them at dawn and allow their souls entrance to the Heavens.
Mira had stayed up all night, resting not for even a second, in fear of not finishing their graves in time. She may have no bodies to put inside, but that mattered not to the eyes of those that judge from above. She never was the person to follow tradition, neither one to bow her head in the presence of a priest. However, today was different. She couldn't help but feel obliged to obey the rules on which her companions had lived their lives. She had failed to protect them, she wanted not to tarnish their memory also.
After everything was taken cared of, she goes to wake up Anna and the rest. Her heart still heavy, both from the guilt for those she had lost as well as those she had dragged against their consent. She didn't want any more blood on her hands, but that was no longer her decision to make. Revenge... was something she had to take. Everything else came at a second fate. Besides, these guys from another world; she must take care of them since she brought them here, but they don't have to follow her. She has already made up her mind and cares not for who will accompany her.
However, as her stare drifts off to the still asleep Anna, she can but doubt her words. There is no way, under no circumstances, in which she would be willing to put the only true family she has left in danger. So... what about avenging everyone else? How far was she willing to go, in order to fulfill that selfish wish of hers.
After all, the dead can not come back, it is of most idiocy to try and sacrifice what is true right now for something that was in the past. If the moment ever comes, where she must make the decision, she must make sure to live up to those words and not let them be forgotten.
Her train of thought is stopped by the sound of everyone slowly waking up. The sun's rays already falling upon them, they had not much time left, before an Empire's emissary arrived to take them back to the city.
A loud groan of pain echoes through the small tent, catching her attention. She turns to see Andrew struggling in his made of cloth bed, acting as if something was trying to burst off his chest. He writhes in agony, desperately searching for a way to make the pain go away, but no such thing was to be done.
Mira rushes to his side, tearing his shirt open and allowing for skin to breath. Brushes begin to appear, randomly across his body, in black and purple colours, far worse than the ones which all kids shared. His heart beats fast, so much in fact that the lungs can no longer keep up. He gasps for air, but it is not enough. His veins clearly visible as they spread underneath soft flesh.
He wants to shout, he wants to scream, but there is no strength left inside that body of his. No breath to create words, neither calmness to put them in order. He can but watch, as the girl he had just met, is doing her best to help him out. He had a feeling that something was off with her, about the fact that no matter how weird all of this was, it all came to him so natural when she was the one speaking. As if he was meant to have a strong connection to her, from the moment he stepped foot upon this unworldly land.
Ivan sits patiently beside them, debating about whether he should help or not. He knows not what has happened, and his interference might just make things worse. After all, it isn't every day that you get to see a man suffering from something that isn't there.
“ What is happening to him?” He hesitantly asks, not wanting to interrupt his treatment.
“ It's the side effects of his overuse of magic the other day. We all have a certain amount we can use as we see fit, which replenishes itself after resting for a day or so. However, if you run out and still try to use more, then you will burn body tissue and use that as a source of magic. I don't think I need to explain why that is dangerous.” Anna answers in Mira's place.
“ True, although, that doesn't seem to be the case here.” She corrects her friend, not taking her eyes off Andrew for even a second. “ He didn't burn any muscle tissue, but his flow of energy is seriously messed up. It probably has to do with that beam of concrete magic he used to deliver the final blow. It seems to have driven his heart insane, sending enormous amounts of blood through his veins and to his muscles. His lungs are trying their best to keep up, but there is only so much oxygen a man can inhale at a time.” She says, before noticing the panic in his eyes.
“ Don't worry, you are going to be fine. The worst part is already over, now all you have to do is simply rest, and allow for your body to put everything back in order.” She says, a hint of playfulness dressing her voice, in an attempt to comfort him.
Andrew can only nod, as his voice is still drowned by the enormous amounts of air entering his lungs over and again. He wants to thank her, but for now, all that he can give her is a look of gratitude. Mira returns with a nod of her own, before standing up and walking outside. No words were exchanged but they both had heard the other quite clearly.
She looks at the moon still visible up in the sky, there where the sun's light shined brightly, but not enough to envelope it whole. Her mind races to her thoughts from before. The question she had asked herself seemed so trivial now, as if it never held any meaning, to begin with. Would she sacrifice those that are with her now, for those that were in the past? Of course not, she can't bring herself to imagine that. It seems ridiculous, that she would get so attached to these people, only hours after meeting them. But it is the truth, after all...
“ I hope I am not interrupting, but I needed to ask you something that has been on my mind for quite some time.” The voice of a man reaches her ears, catching her attention and forcing her to drop the answer she was giving herself.
“ Of course, anything you need, Ivan.” She says, turning around to meet him eye to eye.
“ I do not want to sound rude or anything, I find it truly admirable, what you did back there for Andrew, I really do. However, I can't overlook this one detail, which I am sure the others must have noticed by now. No matter how much I think about it, I can not bring myself to doubt what is happening around me. This is not my country, it isn't even my world, and yet it doesn't even startle me. There were small green monster with axes and swords trying to kill me, and yet I was fully prepared for them as if it was an everyday phenomenon. I suddenly appeared in a forest, remembering not what I was doing before, surrounded by monsters, fighting to protect a girl I had never seen before, and yet the thought of giving up and running away, the logical thing to do, never crossed my mind. Why does all this, which should come as an absolute surprise and make an ordinary man freak out, seem so natural to me?” He asks the question he was sure the others shared. He doesn't know what answer to expect, he isn't even sure if he is going to get one. But this sense of restriction, of not being able to feel what his brain knows for a fact he should, is something he can not overlook.
“ This spell was designed to summon animals, beasts and all kinds of soulless creatures. For that purpose a narcotic was necessary. A way to make the beast feel at ease with its master and not freak out, attacking everything in sight. You can imagine how troublesome it would be, had we not had a mean of restricting it. For that reason, the spell puts the summoned creature under a dream-like state, in which it is partially robbed of its true nature. When you are inside a dream, where the laws of physics and the rules of society no longer have any meaning, you do not question it. It seems natural as if this is the way things should be. So, feelings of compassion, care or even love were implemented to further strengthen the bond between master and summon.” She says, trying her best to explain how things are.
“ So, to sum up, we were dragged in a foreign land in order to do someone's bidding, manipulated in a way where we now can't question the reason behind our actions. Am I the only one who is really bothered by this?”
“ You make me sound like the bad guy. I had no intention of forcing you people into this, but I had no choice. It was either putting all of my trust into that one spell or facing the cold embrace of death. I didn't know I could summon humans, never before have I heard of such a thing occurring. And even if the same rules as with the beasts apply to you, which I am not sure they do, you are still able to think for yourself. The fact that we are having this conversation right now is enough proof you can question the reason behind your actions. The only thing the narcotic seems to have done is preventing you from freaking out due to all this new information suddenly being presented to you. And I ask you, is this truly a bad thing? Were it not for that aspect of the spell, none of you would have been in a condition to fight. Scared, confused, unable to do anything but drop to the ground and cry out of fear, as green monster surged over you, reaping limbs and devouring flesh. Had you not been under its effect, do you honestly believe you would have survived our earlier encounter with those beasts?” Mira says, her voice carrying the certainty that was only hinted at in her words.
And of course, he is not an idiot. He understands the need for something like this to exist and is thankful that it does. However, that doesn't change the feelings of restriction that had found ground in his heart. Because, even if he is able to question his actions, even if his thoughts are free of any bounds, the mind is but a slave to the heart. No matter what the brain decides, if the heart does not agree, then it will take control and do as it sees fit.
“ Thank you, for being honest with me.” He says, before turning around to leave. After all, it holds no meaning, conversing about things which he has no control over. If he begins to questions his own thoughts, then he will drive himself mad. It is better to act along for now and not fight the urges that come to him by nature. Because, he is unsure which are true and which are not.
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