Reunions — Maribelle

My mother is holding me, but she is tense. I am not the same as when I left home. It has only been two weeks for her. Still, she comforts me, gently patting my back as I sob into her chest.

“Shh, everything will be okay.”

Hiding within her comforting tone is confusion and worry. She does not know what is happening, and I cannot bring myself to explain. I keep crying, soaking her clothes with my tears of blood. I hurt so much, physically, emotionally, and mentally, but Mom’s embrace just barely makes it bearable.

“He killed her, Mom. I couldn’t do anything.”

The sobs keep coming. I let everything out.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now,” she says.

“I couldn’t even fight him. I had to run away again. I hate running away.”

“Maribelle, tell me what happened.”

Eventually, I look into her eyes. She gasps as she sees my blood covered face, two years older than she expected. It is the last straw, and she loses her composure.

“Why are you here? Why are you so big? Why are you covered in blood?!”

I swallow, taking a deep breath before I attempt to update her on my situation.

“I fell into the bottomless rift and got trained by Bez and went to Salsvale and killed the king and became empress and killed the royal guards. But then… he tricked me and killed her!”

I start crying again. I just can’t control it.

“What?” She asks.

“Which part didn’t you understand?” I manage to choke out.

“I think all of that needs significant clarification, sweetie.”

For just a moment, the sobbing pauses and I let out an empty laugh. This really is such a ridiculous situation. How can I possibly explain it to her?

“Just start from the beginning,” she says.

I do as she asks. I tell her of running into the destructozonicus with Ferry, of Bezvillia visiting me in my dreams, of the drakeling attack and my subsequent defeat, of my two years of training, of saving Ferry, of going to Salsvale and meeting Adriana and Joseph. I only leave out the things that the gods might smite her for knowing.

Then, I try to tell her about Cynthia and I break down in tears again.

“I couldn’t save her. Mom, I’m still so weak.”

“Who, sweetie?”

It takes me a minute to collect myself.

“I made a friend. I really liked her. Her name was Cynthia. We met when I was taking a walk around the city. We started talking and we got along really well. I don’t think I ever had anyone quite like that before. There aren’t a lot of kids my age in the village, you know?”

Mom rubs my back. She is starting to tear up too now.

I keep telling my story. I tell her about the party, about killing the king, declaring war on Theonius and his guards. I tell her about Wilson and the Revolutionaries. I tell her about my fight with Parson and how I obliterated Vanessa. Then, I tell her about what happened with Zenithus, about Theonius’s trap for me, about how I was utterly defeated when Cynthia was murdered in front of my eyes. Somehow, I manage to hold myself together throughout it all.

Something about telling her what happened makes the pain go away just a little.

“That’s quite the tale. Is it really all true?”

“I told you, I can’t lie anymore.”

“Are you still planning to conquer the universe then?”

She asks the question with amusement in her voice, as if it is a silly thing.

I clench my fists. My spirit stirs.

“Yes. I am going back to Salsvale. As long as I am still alive, I am not giving up.”

The air shakes as I speak, the floorboards creak and dust falls from the old roof.

Mom holds her breath. The levity in her expression is gone. She finally realizes that all of this is real, that I truly intend to conquer the universe. It takes her a moment to comprehend the sheer scale of what has happened to me.

“You’ve never been one to give up when you want something,” she says.

“That’s right.”

“You can’t break your promises anymore, right?”

I nod.

“Then promise me that you will always be my daughter. Promise that you won’t lose yourself, and that this dream of yours won’t be your death.”

One more tear drips down to my chin, falling onto her lap.

“Mom, I’m still me. I will always be me, and if you’re worried about me dying, I can promise that it will never happen.”

She smiles, pulling me in for a hug.

“Gods, you’re such a troublesome girl. I love you so much. Also, next time you see Ferris, tell him that he is terrible. He forgot to send me a letter, and he said right before you left that he wouldn’t let you fall into the bottomless rift! This all happened because of him!”

I bite my lip, holding in my amusement.

“It’s not really his fault,” I say.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Okay, I’ll tell him.”

“Do you really have to go back?” She asks, fear and desperation leaking out.

“Absolutely,” I say.

She bites her lip and frowns. She closes her eyes, a couple tears rolling down her cheeks.

I look away.

I’m hurting her. I can’t stand it, but I don’t want to turn back upon my path.

“Maribelle.”

I cringe. I can’t handle what is coming. She will ask me to give up.

She grasps my hand, holding it tight. She takes a deep breath and looks into my eyes.

“I believe in you,” she says.

A spark is lit within me. I inhale the world.

I had been so afraid that she would beg me to throw away my dreams, that she would hate the ways that I have changed. Maybe she does. In the end, though, she still believes in me.

The floorboards start to crack and splinter. I just can’t hold it in.

I touch the life crystal that still hangs around my neck.

‘Cynthia, I will definitely win.'

Determination blooms within my heart. My voice surges and my spirit roars.

Like a snake shedding its skin, like a newborn bird hatching from its egg, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, I break through the doubts that had been holding me back.

I can feel the power throughout my whole being. Mom gasps.

“Maribelle, what just happened? You suddenly look different, like something out of a dream.”

I laugh, Bez did say that the eternal spirit stage was when the cultivation of one’s voice begins to have a visible effect. I won’t be mistaken for an ordinary human anymore.

“It’s no big deal, I just became fully immortal.”

“Well, that’s quite something. Are you ever going to teach me how to do it too?”

“Maybe someday,” I giggle.

Her smile fades.

“You aren’t staying long, are you?”

I stand up.

“Yeah, I want to go back as soon as possible.”

“At least let me get you cleaned up first. You’re covered in blood.”

“Okay.”

I let her clean my combat dress while I take a bath. Fortunately, the aura suppressing bracelet was still in my pocket. It will be necessary for my new plan.

When I am all cleaned up, I say my goodbyes once more.

Mom is sad. She won’t admit it, but I can see it plain as day. I understand. She does not want me to live a violent life. However, she also wants me to be free.

“I love you,” I tell her.

She hugs me.

“Please be safe.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll see you later. I promise.”

I turn away and I don’t look back. I run north, along the same path Ferry and I took last time.

I am so much faster now.

When I reach the place where Ferry fought the destructozonicus, everything is still covered in a thin layer of volcanic ash, the fallout from his manifestation.

Suddenly, I feel a weak aura approaching me from the side.

I raise my arm, easily blocking the giant feathery yellow paw that comes down towards me. When I see a crippled tail, missing the sword at the end, I smile.

“Oh, it’s you again. Remember this?”

I summon my blade, showing the destructozonicus the enchanted piece of its own tail.

The monster hisses in rage.

“Sit.”

The beast stumbles backwards, dropping onto its butt.

“Good boy. Wanna give me a ride?”

After a moment of hesitation, the monster submissively lowers its head. I giggle.

Riding on the destructozonicus’s back is not quite as fast as running, but it is much more fun. My pet takes me through the mountains, carrying me all the way to the bottomless rift by nightfall. The grassland is already starting to recover from the giant fire that was lit by Ferry’s magic. Grass grows fast, it seems.

I fall asleep on the canyon’s edge, underneath a clear starry sky.

As expected, leathery red vines wrap around me, pulling me through a narrow tunnel of darkness. I emerge in a violet haze, surrounded by crimson stars.

“Hi Bez, I missed you.”

“Congratulations on your breakthrough.”

“Thanks.”

“You have been too far away for me to watch through scrying. Will you tell me your tales?”

I give her a sad smile.

“Yeah.”

I tell her my story, bringing her up to date on what happened in Salsvale.

“I am sorry that you lost your friend. A broken heart is always the hardest wound to mend.”

“You know, I only knew her for a week. It felt so much longer, though. Even so, there are so many things I never learned about her. She never told me the story of her parents. She never told me why she was a revolutionary.”

“Such things are not as important as what you meant to each other.”

I can’t help myself. I start sobbing again.

“Bez, I miss her. I want her back so bad. Is there really no way to bring back the dead?”

“Only necromancy, but those brought back through such means are not the same. Besides, you are not a kraken.”

I nod. She explained this to me before. I don’t like it, though.

“Maybe, if you obtain absolute omnipotence, it could be possible. One cannot know for sure, of course. The tenth stage of the divine voice is only a theoretical thing, and it will always remain so, until someone obtains it.”

“I will do it.”

“Maribelle, I must caution you. Do not use the prospect of bringing back the dead as justification for the damage you cause on your path to omnipotence. The intent to fix something does not negate the harm caused by breaking it. Do not forget this.”

“Cynthia said that whether I will be good or evil depends on how much I value human life.”

“It is sad that she is lost.”

“Yeah.”

We sit quietly for some time, simply taking in each other’s company.

“Do you think Theonius will think I am dead?”

“That will depend on if Zenath noticed your escape. Although the gods can see anywhere, they cannot see everywhere at once. From what you have told me, it is quite possible that Zenath did not notice your escape. At the very least, you should operate under the assumption that you are believed dead. The element of surprise is a valuable thing.”

“Yeah. I learned that the hard way.”

“It is good you are learning.”

I frown. If this is learning, I hate it.

“You must prepare yourself for the future, Maribelle. If the white pantheon already sees you as a serious threat, they may begin to make major moves against you when you defeat Theonius.”

“I understand.”

I lost Cynthia because I underestimated the gods. It was utterly foolish of me.

I will not make the same mistake again.

As I stew in my thoughts, I stare at Bezvillia’s billowing grey robes. It reminds me of something that I said to Adriana.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I promised someone that I would ask you about the robes you gave me.”

“Ah, yes. I made them with my magic, of course. I crafted them with oneiromancy. They are an aspect of my dreams made manifest.”

“I lost them. Well, maybe. They’re probably still sitting in that closet in the Valbeck mansion.”

“I do not intend to brag, but nothing crafted by mortal hands could compare to those robes, not in durability nor comfort. I suggest that you retrieve them.”

“Yeah, I will.”

In a way, she was like a mother to me for the two years that I spent with her. I will definitely set her free, the gods and their bullshit rules be damned.

Even if I have lost Cynthia, I am not alone. I have Mom, I have Bez, and I have Ferry.

I refuse to lose anyone ever again.

“You have places to go, and it is almost daytime,” Bez says.

“I guess it’s time for me to leave, then. I’ll talk to you later,” I say.

“Goodbye, my child.”

The dream fades. The sun is rising over the distant hills of the grasslands. The destructozonicus is still sleeping, its huge body curled around me.

“Sorry buddy, but I’m going to run on my own for the rest of the way. You’re too slow.”

The monster lets out a sad grumble.

With a big leap, I jump over the bottomless rift, landing gracefully on the other side.

I continue running north, into fields where I have never treaded. I move fast.

I sprint through the grasslands for hours, repeatedly teleporting forward to increase my speed. Occasional herds of red buffalo can be seen grazing. This area has fewer monsters than the mountains, and the earth makes for good farmland.

After a full day of running, the farms that support the population of Salsvale can be seen in the distance. At the very edge of the horizon, the tall walls of the city can be seen.

It is midnight by the time I reach the city walls. I sneak around the side, avoiding the gates.

I can feel the pull of the new teleportation trap that Theonius installed. It pisses me off.

“If I did it once, I can do it again.”

I try to teleport through the walls of the city. I feel the teleportation trap take hold of my magic.

‘No. I will teleport where I please!’

Like before, I slip through the web that tries to ensnare me. It is almost easy.

My voice is so much stronger now.

I appear on the other side of the wall, smiling with satisfaction.

I repeatedly teleport through the city, appearing and disappearing in dark alleyways and underground cellars. I make my way towards the Valbeck mansion.

On the way, I notice something. It is the Dawnsmith mansion. Someone is sitting underneath the cherry tree where I met Cynthia.

Irrational hope sparks in my heart for just a moment. I teleport to her.

The woman gasps, looking up at me. She is not Cynthia, but her maid Vera. The old woman stares at me in shock.

“You’re alive. Theonius announced that he killed you,” she says.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone.”

“Cynthia, is she also alive? Is she with you?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

I sit down beside her. The old woman clenches her teeth and starts to cry.

“This is where I met her,” I say.

“She did like this place. I wish that she had never met you.”

I bite my lip. Cynthia wouldn’t be dead if she had never met me. That is simply a fact.

“I can understand. I’m sorry, Vera. I failed to save her.”

“You survived, though.”

“I did.”

“Will you avenge her?”

“I will.”

“Good, whether you kill Theonius, or die trying, it will bring me some measure of satisfaction.”

“You really hate me, huh.”

“Yes. What do you care? Are you going to kill me?”

“Of course not. You made me tea.”

She lets out a hoarse laugh.

“It was good tea,” I say.

“Good sugar, you mean.”

“Same thing.”

She shakes her head.

I look back at Cynthia’s mansion.

“What will happen to this place?” I ask.

“Cynthia did not name a next of kin, and moreover she died a criminal. All of her property now belongs to the emperor.”

“That would be me, then,” I say.

She lets out an unamused snort.

“If you say so,” she says.

“Do you want this place?” I ask.

“No. I already found another job.”

“I’ll have to make good use of it, then.”

“If Theonius doesn’t kill you.”

“He won’t.”

Vera looks away from me.

“We’ll see,” she says.

“Cynthia asked me to win. Those were her last words.”

“Then you better win,” Vera says.

I lean back against the cherry tree, letting out one or two more quiet tears. After a few minutes, it becomes clear that there is nothing more to say.

I teleport away, continuing on my way towards the Valbeck mansion.

Sneaking through the cover of darkness, I make my way through the elaborate flower gardens. With my spatial sense, I can see the rooms inside. The bedroom where I had stayed is empty.

I teleport inside, and I check the closet.

“Good, it’s still here.”

I change out of my battle dress, putting on Bezvillia’s robes. The battle dress is nice, but it is too bulky for what I have in mind. I fold it up and stow it away in the closet.

I sneak through the hallways, teleporting into Kevin’s bedroom. He is sound asleep.

Sitting down beside him on his bed, I poke his cheek.

“Kevin, wake up.”

His eyes go wide and he tries to scream. I cover his mouth.

“Shh! I’m not going to hurt you.”

He nods once. I remove my hand.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” he whispers loudly.

“Well, I’m not.”

“Why are you here?”

“I need your help with something.”

He furrows his brow.

“Why?”

I grin.

“Well, for the first time ever, I have a sneaky plan.”