[The following transcript takes place on the second day of Mezil Thyme’s Lemurian Courtship.]

[Mezil stands in the middle of the arena, waiting for his next opponent. A ceremonial fencer named Latinoros enters with his Armament: the hilt of a fencing blade.]

LATINOROS
Are you the brazen human who threatens to rob Lemuria of its future?

MEZIL
Hmph. If my efforts are enough to destroy a nation’s future, then it is doomed to begin with.

LATINOROS
Tsk! The typical rhetoric of the ignorant. You should know that a union between a human and a monster is nothing but a dead end: a barren branch of perpetual winter.

Face the facts. You will never be able to sire progeny with the fair lady. You will single-handedly bring an end to an unbroken lineage of distinguished Purple Seers. Sage Corsivus would be rolling in his grave!

MEZIL
I know.
……………

No, it’s more accurate to say that ‘we’ know. Both Lucidia and I. Despite that, we’re committed to this relationship.

LATINOROS
Then, if you truly love her, you should have dissuaded her from pursuing you.

MEZIL
…And abandon her to a crowd of strangers that refuses to understand her? Denied!

Allow me to prove my conviction through action instead of words.

LATINOROS
You, an untrained human? You’d dare to brandish your blade against me? Your incompetent confidence must be cut down!

En Garde!

[A swordfight commences. Despite Latinoros being a ceremonial fencer, Mezil’s existing injuries placed him in a disadvantage. Soon their blades lock.]

LATINOROS
I heard that those in human lands no longer value their offspring. You’re propped up by all sorts of fancy nets of independence, and thus the next generation has become a burden instead of a blessing.

In your tainted eyes, selfishness is nothing but another norm. Yet, such is not the case for Lady Lucidia of House Berendin!

MEZIL
Look at it from another angle, Seer. There’s more to the next generation than the children she personally bears.

Have you not considered teachers and students? Mentors and mentees? The Grandmaster may not have an heir of his own, but he has raised thousands upon thousands of capable souls.

LATINOROS
What better teacher in a child’s life than their own parents? The Grandmaster simply doesn’t have a choice. He lacks the fortune to bear an heir in flesh and bone.

You’re robbing Lady Lucidia not only of the joy of motherhood, but also of her opportunity to raise her finest students!

MEZIL
All this talk about the future…

Have you ever thought about the present happiness of this hypothetical mother?

Can an unhappy mother raise happy children?
Can an unhappy teacher wisen students?

You claim to care about her, yet I hear not a single word about her person!!!

[Mezil breaks the lock and initiates a counter attack.]

LATINOROS
W-what? You’ve managed to cut my attire?!

MEZIL
Sir Latinoros, that was for mocking humanity’s sweat and blood. We’ve built those nets of independence for a reason. Freedom for our sisters. Freedom for our nieces. And freedom for daughters! So that they may choose to pursue paths beyond motherhood if that is their life’s calling!

Can you say the same for monsterkind?

LATINOROS
We’re not that backwards! It’s just--

[Before Latinoros can continue, an intruder jumps onto the arena grounds.]

LATINOROS
…YOU!

My god not only are you stark naked, you have those ghastly bone spikes poking out of your back!

Shoo! G-go away! You’re not welcomed here!!!

[The moment Latinoris strikes, Gaelic grabs him and throws him out of the ring. Safety netting saves the skeleton from being smashed to pieces against the reinforced walls.]

LATINOROS
Guards! Where are the guards??? Is there no one to throw this invader out???

MEZIL
He’s not an invader. Anyone who stands on this ring is Lucidia’s suitor, and that includes this man.

I’ll handle him from here on onwards.

LATINOROS
F-fine! If you humans are as strong as the legends claim, then you’ll surely have no issues.

I formally yield to you, Thyme!

[Latinoros hurries out of the ring and onto the spectator seat.]

MEZIL
Gaelic Blanc! I -- Supreme Judge Mezil Thyme -- shall be your challenger for our fair lady’s hand!

[Gaelic responds with a sharp hiss. Then, he rushes into battle.]

MEZIL
!!!
He’s fast-- Ngh!

[The speed and ferocity of the blows push Mezil to the defensive. Old wounds open, and new ones are inflicted. The crowd is abuzz with both fear and excitement.]

LUCIDIA
Mezzy!!!

[A protracted battle plays out. Stirred by the scent of blood and frustrated from his inability to kill Mezil, Gaelic’s instincts eventually push him into a deeper frenzy. Sounds of building bone are accompanied by a great howling. The arena quakes and rumbles.]

LATINOROS
W-w-w-w-what in the blue blazes--

[The man transforms into a massive bone wyrm, too large for the facility to contain. The magic safety netting breaks. The subsequent arena collapse kills Latinoros and every monster at his side of the stadium.]

[Rewind counter: 1]

[The next round, Mezil takes out his gun and starts firing. Using a mixture of Red and Cyan-Yellow magic, he maintains distance as much as he can.]

MEZIL
That skeletal frame of his is zipping around too much. It’s messing with my sight.

What if I turn the tables against him?

I impose my will to blind you!

[The light of Determination shines. Mezil manages to plant a Mark with a glance of his bullet, but he still gets injured in the process. Unbeknownst to him, venom seeps into his bloodstream.]

MEZIL
Argh! He’s working on more than sight alone…
I’ll have to close all of his senses off, somehow.

[Mezil falls to the ground.]

MEZIL
…I’m… going numb…

…This timeline… can’t be kept…

[Rewind counter: 15]

[At the start of the next renewed battle, Mezil hears the spectators grow concerned.]

LATINOROS
Someone get medical aid! Our lady is suffering from a strange headache!

MEZIL
A strange headache…?

[When he looks up to the stands, Mezil finds Lucidia curling up in her seat. She clutches her head in pain.]

MEZIL
Gaelic, cease the fight! Lucidia is ill!

[Somehow understanding those words, Gaelic’s attention shifts towards her. He jumps toward the spectator stands, trying to reach Lucidia, except the safety netting repels him.]

MEZIL
At this rate, he’s going to hurt himself…

I impose my will for you to lie still!

[A bullet flies. With Gaelic disabled, Mezil can safely reach Lucidia.]

MEZIL
Lucidia, are you alright?

LUCIDIA
I… I think so… The pain is fading.

MEZIL
Thank goodness.

[Mezil aims his gun at the helpless Gaelic to finish him off, but he hesitates to pull the trigger.]

LUCIDIA
What are you doing?!

MEZIL
He may be disabled now, but the threat of transformation remains. Once that happens, none of us may make it out alive. But… I don’t want to break my promise to you either.

LUCIDIA
Use the headaches!

MEZIL
Excuse me?

LUCIDIA
There… there is a hypothesis that I’m still testing. It’s specifically about Purple Seers. I noticed it due to my own low reset threshold…

Suggestion: rapidly use the Keys of Fate in the span of a minute. Do it as many times as you need to.

MEZIL
Will this inflict any long-term injury?

LUCIDIA
I have not found anything beyond a temporary crippling of the Seer's Eye.

MEZIL
Will a proxy Mark help you avoid being affected?

LUCIDIA
Yes. Whenever Uncle James made me his proxy, I no longer felt the effects of Perseverance.

MEZIL
I see. Then…

[Mezil plants a Mark on Lucidia. Regrettably, he couldn’t protect the rest of the attending Purple Seers with his unaugmented Determination levels.]

[Rewind counter: 16. Mezil’s eyes glows crimson.]

MEZIL
Gaelic Blanc! Gaze into the glare of my conviction!

[WARNING: Audio corruption detected. Possible error from excessive number of rewinds.]

[Resuming recording from latest clear data.]

[Rewind counter: 431]

[The afflicted Gaelic drops to the floor and rolls around from the pain.]

GAELIC
Pa-a-a-i-n-n-n… so much… pain…

LATINOROS
By the heavens. You… you actually did it! Your strange tricks toppled over every Purple Seer within the vicinity, but you have felled the beast!

Now finish him off. Dust him, capture him, I don’t care. Just do what you must do.

MEZIL
…Address him as a man. A person.

LATINOROS
What do you mean? A man behaves like a man. This… creature does not. He’s long abandoned his personhood.

MEZIL
Wrong.

The Fire of Humanity burns in his right eye, does it not? As long as that flame persists, Gaelic Blanc deserves the dignity bestowed upon a sentient being.

Yes. That also makes him a child of your society. Alas, he was forsaken merely because he was different.

LATINOROS
High sounding words. But remember, vipers bite the hand that feeds them. They do not know the concept of gratitude.

MEZIL
We shall see.

[A few days later, Lucidia and Mezil had to stop their preparations for the wedding due to an unexpected interruption.]

MEZIL
…‘Vipers bite the hand that feeds them’, huh?

I truly hope that Latinoros’ saying doesn’t come true.

LUCIDIA
Odd. He shouldn’t be stalking me anymore. I thought… Grandpa already had a chat with him.

MEZIL
Father did?

LUCIDIA
Yes. Grandpa warned Gaelic that if he continued the habit, I would grow to detest him. My future husband, whoever it may be, would consider him an enemy as well. Since that day, he stopped following me.

MEZIL
So, I became his new target?

LUCIDIA
Well, you are quite the surprise. By the way, that proverb is born from nothing but ignorance. Snakes just happen to have very poor eyesight. That’s why it’s always advisable to feed them with tools instead of your fingers.

MEZIL
Does that also apply to our venomous stalker? The eyesight thing, I mean.

LUCIDIA
No. His association with snakes is superficial at best.

[The Grandmaster appears with Gaelic beside him. The younger skeleton was given a bathrobe to cover himself.]

GRANDMASTER
Look who I found wandering the halls.

MEZIL
…Father? Is it wise to bring him to us?

GRANDMASTER
Worry not, Winston. This situation was born from misunderstanding. In truth, Gaelic wanted to thank you in person.

MEZIL
Me…?

GRANDMASTER
Yes. Go on, young one. Speak your heart.

GAELIC
Mmm… It… It be true. Ah wanted to thank ye, fer everything.

MEZIL
………………………

Wait, have you always been this eloquent? And what happened to your back spines?

GAELIC
Um, aye. When me mind be clear, words flow better.

LUCIDIA
This is how he should be speaking, dear. As for the spines… they’re not part of his actual physical makeup. Think of them as makeshift armour, created from his magic. The back is a very vulnerable part of the body, after all.

MEZIL
I see. Forgive me for the blunt questions. I hope they’re not too offensive.

GAELIC
‘Tis fine, Sir Mezil. Nothing be held against ye.

Um…

‘Twas true? Yer speech? About me Eye, and me humanity? That I… I not be a mindless beast? A person? Despite me actions?

MEZIL
I meant every word I’ve said.

GAELIC
But… why? Have ye not heard the rumours? The accusations? Truth be told, ah not even be sure what happened that day.

MEZIL
I’ve had a friend in similar circumstances, so it’s not the first time I’ve dealt with that absurd circus of hearsay.

The world is full of deceptions and misconceptions. If word of mouth is your only reference to go by, then countless innocents would be falsely accused all the time.

I’m appalled by the sheer lack of willpower behind the investigation. Once I’m done with the wedding, I promise that I will look into your case.

GAELIC
Ya dinnae need to do so. Ah mean… the damage be already done. To meself, especially. Hope for resolution that may ne’er come… it stings more than the blame.

LUCIDIA
Mezil wants to do it for my sake too. I’ve always been troubled by that incident. Even… even if his efforts end in failure, it suffices to try.

GAELIC
…Ah, what gleam and glow! Ye two truly be a match made in heaven.

Sir Mezil, me unquenching passion fer Lady Lucidia ne’er waned. The ferocity o’ our duel, the battle fer her hand, aye, it still rings true.

But now… ah be madly in love with ye too. Beautiful in face and sublime in soul.

MEZIL
B-beautiful…?

GAELIC
Why the surprise? Had ye never had a man’s adoration and praise?

MEZIL
No. Quite the opposite. In my former line of work, I would sometimes get unsolicited attention from both men and women.

I just didn’t expect you to call me beautiful.

GAELIC
Hahaha! But it be the truth! Me heart flutters when ya roasted that haughty lawyer! Ye dress darkly, yet ye shine the harsh light o’ justice. It exposes what others wish to hide.

…Lord and Lady, ah want nothing more than be in both thy presence. But ah know we not walk on the same path. Me stalkings be fret with want and worry, not knowing what to do.

MEZIL
As long as you don’t try to kidnap either of us, we can be friends.

GAELIC
Truly?

MEZIL
Yes. Truly.

GAELIC
Me heart gladdens with joy! Worry not. Yer marriage be holy matrimony, and yer happiness be me greatest wish. Me blessing ah bestow upon ye.

MEZIL
Thank you.

LUCIDIA
Thank you too, Gaelic.

GAELIC
Ah best be going now. Good day to ye. I be watching the ceremony from afar.

LUCIDIA
I’ll be sure to leave some food out for you.

GRANDMASTER
All’s well that ends well. I’m delighted to see that the three of you have come to an understanding. Follow me, young Gaelic. Let us get you a place to stay and rest.

[Gaelic leaves with the Grandmaster’s guidance. Once alone, the couple talks again.]

MEZIL
Hmm. I can see why you call him ‘sweet’. When he’s not trying to rip anyone apart, that is.

LUCIDIA
Isn’t that right, Mezzy?

…I’m glad that side of him hasn’t changed since we were children. Oh, I was so worried.

MEZIL
If I didn’t come into your life… would you have eloped with Gaelic instead?

LUCIDIA
…Knowing myself, I might have. Despite the Overburn, I know that he sincerely loves me. The same can’t be said for any of my other suitors.

MEZIL
Perhaps it’s a little strange coming from me, but I believe that the other suitors could have learned to love you. A chance may be all they need. I have done so, haven’t I? We were worlds apart just a mere month ago.

LUCIDIA
Well, I wouldn’t call our origins to be an ideal starting point.

MEZIL
Undeniably so. But it’s the end result that counts.

[END TRANSCRIPT]