THE FUTURE TO BEHOLD

Lynne remembered an old story his father used to tell him when he was younger, a story about a young hero who went to defeat an evil King only to learn that the King wasn’t evil, but rather desperate. Gods had cursed his Kingdom, enemies had kidnapped his daughter and killed his wife, no one was willing to trade with his Kingdom, and his people were starving. He was forced to engage in mad, bloody wars just to keep everything afloat, his name echoing throughout the world, becoming a part of the stories you tell to misbehaving children.

Current scene somewhat reminded Lynne of the story; balance was completely broken. Ancient Clans Alliance was like a thick wall standing tall in the sky, while the other side seemed like a group of rabid, mad dogs. However, Lynne knew that the reason was much more primal, much more humane: they were desperate. Their ranks were crumbling, their brothers and sisters dying left and right, and the last ounce of hope had perished alongside the thunder and lightning in the sky. Neither of the Dragons engaged any further, as it was meaningless. The battle was over.

A moment later, a crimson-haired child appeared next to Lynne, his complexion much paler than what it used to be. Space momentarily tore open next to Lynne as Y’se stepped through, her brows knit into a frown. The Spirit followed right after her, but, to Lynne’s surprise, there were two newcomers in the bunch; a black-haired, black-eyed handsome youth with aura of darkness completely enveloping him, and a woman with fiery, crimson hair and eyes, elegant as though sculptured. Lynne quickly recognized their auras; Ryuuk and Ely could shapeshift into humans, but their prowess decreases considerably because of it. Everyone who was currently here was aware of Lynne’s findings, so he didn’t bother hiding anything.

“You don’t seem convinced, Y’se.” Lynne said, smiling lightly.

“… I am,” Y’se said, sighing, as she flicked her silver hair behind her ears. “It’s just a deep blow. Lady Ella is in command of a lot of forces, and is practically one of the leading figures on our side. Her betrayal will cost us… a lot.”

“I can imagine,” Lynne said. “There’s a high chance there are more traitors in high ranks. Limit the information flow to only select few.”

“Hello kid,” Ryuuk said as he stepped next to Lynne, throwing his arm around the latter’s shoulder. “Long time no see. To think you’d be the only one to uphold the promise… aah, this world is truly headed toward a ruin.”

“… ah, you’re the annoying type.” Lynne said casually. “Well, promise is a promise. I wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t fulfill it.”

“You still hardly are.” Ryuuk said.

“There will be time for reunion,” Y’se interrupted. “Do you have any plans now, Lynne?”

“… I’ll probably leave for one of the Divine Realms,” Lynne said after a short thought, looking up the sky. “Not much I can do about the general situation from here.”

“… so, in other words, you’re abandoning your – your – Kingdom yet again?” Y’se asked, sighing.

“Abandoning is a strong word, is it not?” Lynne said, chuckling. “Besides, it should be smooth sailing for the time being. Did you receive any updates on their other actions?”

“Hm,” Y’se nodded. “They had stealthily moved most of their forces toward three realms. I imagine there’s more to it, but we weren’t able to figure out anything else.”

“I just realized something!” Lynne exclaimed in wonder. “I’m currently surrounded by two Dragons, a God, an immortal Spirit and a Divine Magus. Holy shit, somebody ought to write a song about this moment.”

“Ah, right, where’s the wife?” Y’se asked.

“She’s probably attending Parsia,” Lynne said, glancing sideways, narrowing his eyes slightly. “He’s been beaten pretty badly. Did that Thunder dude say anything?” Lynne asked Ely and the child.

“Nothing,” the Sanguine God said. “He was pretty angry with me, though.”

“Something about a God serving a human, right?” Lynne mumbled, chuckling.

“Exactly that,” Ely said, her voice strangely smooth and low. “But, nonetheless, he was pretty strong. Until the end, I was unable to break through his defenses completely.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryuuk said. “If Gods were that easy to kill – especially old ones – they wouldn’t be Gods. I’m more interested in the one that was with our lovely lady here.” Ryuuk turned toward Y’se and asked with a strange grin on his face, his body bent slightly forward.

“Don’t be,” Lynne interjected, slapping Ryuuk’s head lightly. “Where are those two that were fighting you?”

“Alive and captured.” Ryuuk said, dropping the topic of Y’se’s opponent.

“Good,” Lynne said. “They should be of some use. Throw the man into isolation for now. He’ll take awhile.”

“What about the woman?” Y’se asked.

“Three of her friends died,” Lynne said, smiling toward Y’se. “She’s going to need a shoulder to weep on.”

“…”

“Look around, who else except for you?” Lynne pushed. “You have that gentle and tender side that the rest of us lack.”

“He’s right.” Ely confirmed casually.

“For a change, he speaks the truth.” the Sanguine God added.

“Couldn’t agree more.” the Spirit spoke for the first time, stroking his beard.

“Aah, I’m a gentleman,” Ryuuk exclaimed flamboyantly. “I’ll side with the lady.”

“Ah Y’se…” Lynne sighed, casting a knowing glance toward her.

“A word and I’m chopping your head off.” Y’se said calmly.

“… looks like none of us have that gentle and tender side after all,” Lynne said, chuckling lowly. “I suppose I’ll ask Thalia. Hey,” he turned to Y’se yet again. “Can you arrange a meeting with the Patriarch – or whoever’s the strongest – of our Clan?”

“I can, but I’d rather not.” Y’se said.

“Do it,” Lynne said. “If I’m gonna plan how to exploit the knowledge I have, I better consult with the big guy first.”

“When do you ever consult with people before acting?” the Spirit asked.

“Yes, when do you?” the Sanguine God added.

“Good question.” Ely said.

“Okay, okay, it’s the same routine as before, let’s just drop it,” Lynne waved his arm for a moment, interrupting them. “For the time being, we should head back. I have some business down south first, so you guys go first. Y’se, you should probably help Thalia with Parsia. The rest of you--”

“I’m coming with.” Ryuuk said calmly.

“Likewise.” Ely joined in.

“Well, I have to come with you.” the Spirit said.

“Likewise.” the Sanguine God added.

“… yup, still a magnet for weird.” Lynne said, sighing as he turned south. “I’m off.”

Y’se watched him disappear into the distance, carrying the limp body on his shoulder, as the rest followed him. The sight made her chuckle; two Dragons, a God and an immortal Spirit were following a young boy of their own accord. If she were to tell a stranger that, would anyone actually believe her?

As the group disappeared from her sight, she located Thalia and Parsia and headed toward their direction immediately. Nearing them, she spotted a broken and torn land, with Thalia currently sitting next to a suspended Parsia who was wrapped in a bubble of water shimmering green. A few dozen steps away was a corpse of a short, plump man, resting head-first on the ground. Noticing Y’se, Thalia smiled weakly as she got up.

“You’re weak,” Y’se immediately pushed her back down onto the ground as she took a closer look at Parsia. “Wow, Lynne was kidding when he said Parsia was beaten pretty badly.”

“It’s an understatement,” Thalia said, sighing. “He’s barely alive.”

“… most of the damage is self-inflicted, though.” Y’se said, knitting her brows.

“Self-inflicted?” Thalia arched her eyebrow as she asked.

“Arm, leg, a few cracked ribs and some internal bleeding… that’s the result of a battle. However, his brain has been shocked, and a lot of his nerves have been severed completely. I imagine he probably failed the Thunder Invocation, leading to a massive backlash. Luckily, you did the emergency treatment on spot, otherwise he would have probably died by now.”

“… will he be okay?” Thalia asked with a weak voice.

“Yeah, after some time,” Y’se said, reassuring her with a smile. “However, sadly, he’ll never advance much further during his life.”

“… how’s the rest? Where is Lynne?” Thalia asked, changing the subject.

“We’ve won… for what it’s worth,” Y’se said. “Lynne’s headed off south to do something.”

“He’s fine?”

“Yeah,” Y’se nodded. “He didn’t even look tired.”

“… I noticed, when we reunited with him, that he’s grown much stronger,” Thalia said. “A lot happened in five months, huh?”

“He’s probably bordering the Creator realm,” Y’se said, smiling weakly. “Makes you mad, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Thalia said, chuckling as she leaned back onto her arms. “And what’s worse, he probably isn’t even self-aware.”

“I imagine, at this point, he is,” Y’se said as she sat down next to her. “Which is why he’s running off immediately after the battle ended to do something else. They won’t be able to ignore him anymore.”

“… hah, they were ignoring him previously?” Thalia sneered.

“…” Y’se looked at her with odd expression before sighing. “It’s probably not my place to say, but you most-likely won’t be seeing him for a while.”

“Huh?”

“I imagine that he’ll ask you to stay here and tend to the Kingdom,” Y’se continued. “I… need you to accept it.”

“… what do you mean?” Thalia asked, frowning.

“Exactly that,” Y’se said, smiling weakly. “You’re a strong person, Thalia. You can take in a lot and endure beyond measure. However, your heart isn’t steeled,” Y’se continued, looking forward. “What’s to come won’t be a simple measure of strength, of Spell Arts and wit. Did you know? While the Great War had billions of casualties, its outcome was determined completely by only eight people. Everyone else – including Ryuuk, a True Dragon – could have either lived or died, and it wouldn’t have changed the outcome at all. At this point, we’re approaching a wall that only a select few can climb over… and neither you nor I are among them.”

“… and Lynne is?” Thalia’s frown deepened as her voice grew angrier. “If anything, his heart is the weakest. Both you and I know that.”

“… there’s a fundamental difference in how he sees things and how you and I see them,” Y’se said calmly. “Just like you, I also need to dehumanize everyone who’s not on my side. They’re numbers, featureless faces, vacant eyes… they’re the nameless. However, he doesn’t.” she paused for a moment, glancing at the still frowning Thalia. “Rather than escaping reality by painting over it, he simply acknowledges it. Tell me, Thalia, can a weak heart accomplish that? Can a weak heart carry a mountain of faces, names and lifelike eyes? A mountain of crying voices? I don’t imagine it can.”

“However, there’s some truth in your words,” Y’se continued after taking a deep breath. “His heart does grow weak… around you.”

“… hah, so I’m a hindrance? You know, you’re really starting to piss me off.”

“Ha ha, I can see that.” Y’se laughed for a moment before continuing. “But, nonetheless, it’s the truth, Thalia. He loves you to the point he’d probably abandon everything and everyone just for your sake. And as touching as that may be, that’s something he can’t afford to do from now on. And, if I’m to be even more blunt, you simply aren’t strong enough anymore.”

“…” Thalia remained silent, her frown deepening as she bit her lower lip.

“Even as he is now, he can probably battle One or Two Cycles Divine Mages, to say nothing of after he ascends himself. He knows this, you know this, but I’m the only one willing to say it out loud. You can hate me, if you want, I don’t mind. But, I ask of you with my whole heart: wait for him, because he will return.”

“… did he ask you to talk to me?” Thalia asked.

“No. Do you really take him to be that weak?” Y’se said, smiling lightly. “If it helps, I’m doing this for my sake as well. If you were to join, I’d most-likely be relegated to the role of your guardian in the end.”

“You really don’t hold back, do you?” Thalia said, sighing as she lowered her head, her frown finally disappearing. “I suppose it runs in the family. Keep him safe, will you?”

“… I have a feeling it will be the other way around,” Y’se said, chuckling. “But, at the very least, I promise to bring him back alive.”

“… yeah…”

A deep silence fell between the two as the gentle wind blew by, scattering dust and small pebbles. Y’se entered deep thought as Thalia occasionally glanced at her, sighing each time afterward. A knot of uncertainty wrapped around her heart, and she was clueless when it came to untying it. It arose all the way up to her throat, blocking whatever words her heart wanted to say from its depths. In the end, only silence remained.