We stood outside Ryo's room, looking through the window. Though his surgery was a success, it had also just concluded, so this was as close as we could get.
He was wrapped nearly head to toe. Healing magic was sealed into the bandages, used to kill every last bit of poison that was still in his body. His arms and lower half looked to have mechanical features now, but those were also wrapped in bandages inhibiting us from seeing them more clearly.
The only sounds, even from the hallway we stood, were of his heartbeat beeping on the heart monitor. It was a steady pace, but he would need to remain in the hospital for a length of time—especially with all that 'new tech' that replaced his limbs.
A week. Possibly two. That's how long it would be until I could finally speak with him again. I'm sure he's going to hate hearing me apologize the minute he wakes up.
I then felt a hand on my shoulder. "Glad you two made it back." Arcane King Daz said.
I didn't even look at him. I just saw him through the reflection of the window I kept watching Ryo through.
"This might not be the right time… but I understand what you're going through. I've been there myself. In the exact same way," he said solemnly.
To which I glanced at him, showing that he had gotten my attention.
"This isn't the best place, for that though. Shall we head back to your patient room?"
I gestured with my head, and Code rolled my wheelchair as we all—the crew, and Daz—made our way back.
***
I was positioned to the window so I could see the outside. From here, I could actually see the swarms of people out there, eagerly awaiting either me or Ryo to step out so they could question our failures.
Belle was against my wishes to sit here, but I had made Code put me here anyway. Better to face it as many times as I can, so I'm not hit with surprise later. Just like when the fake Black Wolves vandalized the southeast side of the Valley and people pointed and threw trash my way, I took it all. Because at the end of the day, no matter how I looked at it, it was still my fault.
"So, you wanted to talk about the past or you wanna discuss what wasn't done on this last mission?" I said coldly to Daz who stood meekly by the door.
Everyone else was silent as they hung around this crowded room.
"I know my presence here means I want a report, but let's put titles aside and just focus on what is—like how you're doing," he replied, trying to break the wall of tension I purposely put up.
"After what happened, how do you think I'm doing?" Again a cold response as I continued to stare outside.
Belle laughed nervously and gestured an apology on my behalf, but Daz waved a hand to her gesturing back that it was quite alright.
"When I was your age, I was ranked SS in the Valley as well," Daz spoke. A topic that I already didn't care for. "It was me and four other comrades."
Without realizing, I had pictured the five of us: Rex, Snow, Zeno, Ryo… all by the campfire outside of Lys Anima…
"We had all become S ranked, or SS ranked at the time," he rambled. "and it was at a time of great strife among the Kingdoms. The Ocean Kingdom wasn't yet an ally either. So everyone was fighting for territory, Zion Orbs, resources, so on and so forth… At the time, much like the five of you, they issued a mission for us to go and retrieve not just one Zion Orb, but three at three separate locations. The Mountain had gotten greedy and set up their own camps and retrieval systems in place so that they would constantly have a flow, regardless of if they needed them or not, and ignoring shared Kingdom protocols. It was almost like forever reserving yourself a seat at a play even though the show wasn't until ten years later." He was silent for a moment. "Get it? 'cause Zion Orbs only last for ten years?"
He lost me again, but he went on.
"Point is, their doing this caused a lot of problems for other Kingdoms who needed Zion Orbs at these mines. They were supposed to be open to all, but they didn't care. We decided to split up, but since we were an odd number, one of us had to be left without a partner."
Daz lowered his head as if remembering this part of the memory pained him more than I could understand in that moment. I wasn't particularly interested in his story until he paused like that, and a different aura began emitting from him. One familiar to me.
The feeling of failure… Of regret…
"My friend, Liam, who was like a brother to me, decided to go alone to one of the locations. I don't want to bore you with the grimy details, but long story short…"—I felt the air tense—"I was the only one that made it back. And the enemy had brought me the heads of all my comrades…"
I finally turned my head over to him, and Daz met me with those cold gray eyes of his. "I don't mean to put a band aid on the gaping wound but… be grateful both you AND Ryo made it out. And that you still have your team by your side. I was abandoned by mine after the incident and it took a very, very long time to earn the trust of the Valley once again after that. I was labeled as one who 'abandons his friends' and my moniker was 'the One Who Turned His Back on the Valley' even after returning with at least one Zion Orb. So, believe me when I say, I understand."
He wasn't lying.
I could feel it in his words and the type of aura he radiated.
I only stared at him and said nothing. Even after he had shared an extremely tough memory just to prove a point to me.
It was then that he made his way over to me and place his firm hand on my shoulder once again.
I felt the weight of it like someone who saw right through me. Who was me. And an instant rush of relief, even if it was only for a moment, coursed through my body.
"Nullifying magic, when honed to the skill I have it, can not only cancel one's flow of mana and the magic itself, but it can also reinforce physical properties like your bones and the healing conducted to restructure them. You may have no mana to work with, but the traces of healing magic on you from the doctors and nurses who patched you up will do. And besides…" he gave a serene smile that reminded me of Ryo. "It doesn't appear that you're rejecting me now, are you?"
After that talk with Daz, I felt a little better. He had aided the healing magic lingering on my body with his Nullifying magic, speeding up the process. So much so that, two days later, I was allowed to finish my recovery at home.
Alice, with the help of Daz as influence, convinced the doctors that I could resume my healing there after he had performed his spells and she maintained them. I had almost forgotten she had signed up to our Guild as our designated 'Healer', and quite frankly, I had forgotten she was one to begin with.
Ryo had still not woken up, but his heart rate remained stable. I had to take the word of the doctors there that he'd be okay.
When we left the hospital, Code offered to teleport us out of there in secret so as to avoid the hordes of people that wanted to see me, question me, blame me… but I refused.
I wanted to look them all in the eyes as they did.
Their insults stung and their blame ran through. Even questions that sounded more like insinuations rather than curiosity, stung just as badly. But this had to be done. I would not run away from the blame. After all… I was the lead of that mission.
When we succeed, we succeed together. And when we fail, we fail together. Isn't that right, Rex?
When we had finally trudged past the crowd and past the East Gate, there were still more of them there. I even let a piece of garbage fly in my direction, letting it hit my face as the drink splattered on me.
Belle and the others hated that, but I told them not to make a move. I ordered it. And they listened reluctantly.
People even followed us to the grove. Some had even visited days before and vandalized our home since they weren't getting answers. Ulrich and Milo were busy cleaning it by the time we got there. So, we booted the Den up to move further away so as to lessen the 'visitors'.
And we were now about ten miles out, southeast from the Valley.
***
Over a day passed. I had hardly spoken since we returned, but was slowly opening up.
Everyone had seemed to leave me be. Only being there for support, or to let me know they were there if I needed anything.
And with the help of Alice and her Room magic and Belle's constant presence, all of that had aided in my swift recovery.
To be frank, if it hadn't been for them, all of this would have been harder to get over. Not that I was, as of yet, but I felt myself becoming more approachable as the days passed.
Though I had skipped training the past day and this morning, I had helped Arabella Housekeeping with chores and maintenance even when Belle told me not to.
Things were starting to lighten off, from what it seemed.
Late at night I had even caught someone sneaking choco bars by my nightstand. I had thought it was Star, but she would never. There was even a note by it that only said, Forgive me… written on it. No one would fess up to who had done it though…
"All right, who the fuck is drinking all the milk!? I've asked before and I'll ask again, 'cause it's pissing me the fuck off!" Code yelled as he was fixing us some breakfast. "I even put it in an iron cage for Keeper's sake! How the hell??" He paused to flip a pancake, grounding his teeth as the motion was elegantly executed with one hand. "Star! Havoc! Jo!"
"Okay dude you gotta stop roundin' up the usual suspects. It wasn't us, for the last time." Havoc groaned.
"Aye. For the last time, I do not drink milk of that consistency unless it comes from Teddy's—"
"Star, please shut up before I freeze your obnoxious mouth shut," Jo interrupted. "Also, why are you lumping me in along with these animals?"
Havoc chuckled. "Says 'Dragontails' over here."
"Shut up, furry!"
"There it is again with the furry insults… who the fuck is spreading all these goddamn rumors about me being a fucking furry!? I don't sleep with fucking animals!!"
Nash's laughter echoed somewhere in the Den, sight unseen.
"Anyway, Code, it wasn't me. So, quit interrogating and give me some pancakes already, geez…" Jo demanded lazily.
"You mean to tell me you're not sleepwalking in the Den late at night and eating from the fridge, Jo? I caught you red-handed a week ago!" Code yelled.
"Keeper, that was one time… I don't do that often. And wasn't the last time the milk went missing was when I hadn't arrived back from my mission yet? Yeah, that's what I thought, Mr. Two-hundred IQ."
Code gritted his teeth again and continuously contorted his body as she spoke, retaliating, "SAYS THE ONE WHO BARGED IN ABOUT TO FULL ON FIGHT WITH KIKI AT THE HOSPITAL AT SIX IN THE FUCKING MORNING!—"
He went off as he gracefully put together her breakfast plate of grilled sausage, creamy polenta, and nicely shaped poached eggs on a yeast-leavened, grilled-cooked bread with a side of salsa fresca, and of course… a stack of pancakes.
"Kay. Whatever," Jo disregarded, she didn't care once she had her plate.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING!? I'M STILL TALKING TO YOU!"
I closed my eyes and snickered to myself as I left the scene, heading to my quarters to eat my breakfast on the balcony.
The floor to ceiling windows opened up to the fresh breeze of the morning. The view was of the vast tectonic fields with groves of trees, and the Valley Kingdom still looked like it was so close, even though it was quite a ways away.
Belle had gone back to the Desert to handle some business, and would be back by nightfall. And Alice was with her, naturally.
As I sat over the railings holding my plate and enjoying the view, Ophelia permeated from the floor and joined me there, eating her breakfast as well.
She was in a purple cropped tank, blue thongs, bare legged and barefoot as usual.
We didn't say anything to each other surprisingly. I didn't even acknowledge her, she just joined me in silence.
It wasn't until after a few long minutes that I finally said something, still just chewing and looking out in the distance. "I know you thought Snow was a creep, Rex too for that matter, but… Snow really liked you."
Silence. The only sound was the cool breeze and the chirping of the birds, along with the chatter from downstairs in the dining room where everyone else was.
"I know." Was all she said.
I didn't say anything more.
"I… I liked someone else." She said, almost quietly.
"No way… you liked Zeno, didn't you?"
She chuckled at that, then replied, "No, the guy I liked unfortunately doesn't feel the same way…" She changed the topic seamlessly. "I see someone's feeling a lot better than a few days ago. Glad to see it, Greedy." She gave me her infamous flirting smile.
I took a bite of my polenta and glanced over to her, giving her a raised and approving brow.
"It's all thanks to you all," I said. "Losing them, then seeing—feeling the retaliation of the Valley's people, and the forgiveness and acceptance I was so effortlessly given by all of you, brought me back to perspective."
I paused for a moment.
"I'm still sad. But I still have all of you. And that's all I care about right now. Snow, Rex, Zeno… they wouldn't want me spending my days sulking about them. They'd come back from the dead to haunt me if I did that. Besides…" I said, the glint of light hitting my face. "We made a promise that day. A promise to shoulder all the burdens and remember our friendship as one that never dies, even after all of us do. Recovering from this. This is what they would want."
I didn't know it then, but Ophelia was staring intently at me as I looked off into the distance. I could feel her eye, but I had just thought she was just listening closely. I could have sworn, when I faced back, that her black hair had shined silver and her purple eye had become yellow…
"Whoops. Did I say something uncool?" I said, oblivious.
She giggled, "Yeah, never heard you sound so corny before. What happened to that cool Greed that could get me out of my clothes in less than a second?"
"You're not already?"
She chuckled at that, then said, "Glad we can be here for you when you need it the most. After all, you were there for us when we needed you. It only makes sense that we return the favor."
I raised my brow again and asked, "I was?"
A cackle this time as she let out her carefree nature. "Man, you really are dense…"
I snickered at her, unknowing of the hidden meaning behind what she had just said, and went on, "So anyway, who was this guy that didn't like you back? He sounds like a fuckin' ass."
"You'd be right, but I still liked him anyway. I thought you didn't like to pry into people's business?"
"So, the woman who likes to pry into others, doesn't like her business being pried into? Sounds one-sided."
We continued to banter. It was nice talking to her like this, rather than just getting naked and fucking like we used to. Perhaps back then it was just a way of escape for the both of us. A way to fill the void that was in our hearts.
I still didn't know what she meant by 'I was there for them'… I truly was a horrible captain if I didn't know the answer to that.
Later that day I had gotten a call from Daz that Ryo had awoken.
I was surprised. They told us it would take a week—possibly two—until he would have been ready, but it was Ryo after all. Even after Havoc hit him that one time I had told him and Ophelia to take him away from the Blue Phoenixes, he had come to in less than an hour.
The guy might as well been a machine, and well, that would be one of the first jokes I'd say to him when I saw his new arms and legs.
I got ready as soon as I could and was about to head over to the Valley to see him.
"Need a lift? We can walk the Den over there close enough for you." Code asked as I appeared on the stair landing and he was reading a book leaned up against a wall, full of recipes he liked to familiarize himself with from time to time.
"Nah. I can walk just fine. That extra healing from Daz and Alice did wonders. I feel brand new," I said, stretching. "Besides, I need to get some exercise in. I've been skipping out on training so ten miles isn't that bad."
"Up to you," he replied, not even looking up from his recipe book. "You want company at least?"
I scoffed. "Even if I say no, I know a few who might follow me. I looked at the entrance of the dining room and saw Star's horns and Havoc at the bar pretending he wasn't listening. They weren't obvious at all.
"You guys can come, it's fine." I said.
Star and Havoc both eagerly made their way over to me afterward; Havoc pretended to be aloof all the while.
"I'm only coming with 'cause I need a new charger for my comm. Can't message my girlfriend if my comms dead," Havoc lazily said.
"By girlfriend, he means the Zonrogue I beat up on my last mission," Star effortlessly jabbed.
"Getting real sick of the furry jokes…" Havoc replied as he tapped away at his comm.
"In any case, I am coming for Teddy—"
"You always come for—"
"Fret not!" She went on as she flaunted the oversized shirt she wore of what looked like my face mid-ejac— "I will be your guard! No lowly peasant will dare throw garbage at you again! I won't allow it!" She shouted to no one in particular.
Code rolled his eyes and said, "You may run into Jo on the way. We're in a heavily Graded beast location so she decided to clear the area. And Brand is already in the Kingdom running some errands for me."
"Cool," I said, heading for the double door entrance. "We have ingredients for hot pot later?"
"HOT POT!" Star shouted excitedly.
"We need enoki mushrooms and cabbage." Code said. "Pick those up before you come back."
"BLEH! Must we put veggies?" Star complained.
"Don't you like mushrooms? After all, you used to eat Cap's all the ti—"
"Wait, if Brand's there, why do you need me to get them?" I said, interrupting Havoc casually.
"Because… I hate to say this, but he's—"
"An idiot." Star finished as she had called Brand just so he could hear the conversation.
You unbelievable, sadistic, hair-ripping bitc— Brand said before she hung up on him just as quick as she had called.
"Okay, I'll get 'em," I said as I continued facing Code's way, opening the door simultaneously.
Little to my surprise, there was someone standing there as it creaked wide.
He had long gray hair, golden tan skin, and eyes that were a deep maroon. Wearing only a black crop top and stirrup tights, he leaned on the second door and placed a hand on the one I opened as I slowly turned my head to face him.
As emotions were light, I felt a boiling hatred that bubbled up from deep within. It was so sudden, and it felt like an ancient kind of loathing. One that you get when you see someone you wouldn't mind throwing your morals out the window for just so you can smash their fucking face in.
His voice slithered in my ears as he said,
"Why hello, my shitty littlebrother!"