Arthur's Point of View

Temple

Another chuckle. “Indeed. Although, I am still confused as to how you arrived there.”

“Wish I could tell you, but I’d rather you’d leave.”

“For someone who is terrified, your mouth is certainly not doing you any favors.”

“I’d like to say it’s a defense mechanism to get out of uncomfortable situations.” I explained. “Although, given the situation, I have a feeling I’ll be fine even without taking your deal.”

Indecipherable whispers started to increase around the room as there was no immediate response. It made me even more nervous. I was regaining my nerve, but the unknown was what ground me. A creature that moved statues in a library that was able to ignore my strength even back then is unnerving.

Everything was worse when I wasn’t even sure who it was affiliated with. However, the voice was right. Being in a weakened state slowed my mind. It was in a haze, much like the room I stood in. My thoughts were sporadic as I tried to make sense of the situation over and over again.

Finally, it replied. “There will come a time when we meet.” He chuckled. “Look forward to it.”

The mist gathered in front of me and singled me out. With my back against the wall, part of my arm started to transform as I swung at the mist. Little good it did besides amuse the one behind this. However, that amusement soon turned to screaming insanity. A woman’s screams rang in my ears as a large bulky appearance formed in front of me. It shot out in every direction violently.

A singular blink was all it took for everything to be back to normal. “We are High Elves, Arth-“ Arceana’s voice cut in but stopped when everyone realized I had moved.

With my sword drawn, my appearance likely a mess, and no longer in the spot I was before, many were obviously confused. “Arthur?” Lucia’s voice called out. “Are you okay?” She was the main reason I didn’t try to flee.

Slowly putting away my sword didn’t help. A dry mouth left me longing for water as I felt my body covered in sweat, which was no easy feat. My excessive panting probably made things worse. Arceana stood as many looked on in concern.

“I’ll be fine.” My eyes flickered to Typhon and focused on him, but only for a moment.

“Sir-“ Greigh began, but I held up my hand.

“I’m sorry. I lied.” My admittance seemed to surprise everyone. “I’m not fine. I need a moment to try and process what just happened.” Putting my back on the wall, everyone watched as I slid down to a sitting position. “It has not been a good week for me.”

Bringing my hands up to my face, I rubbed my forehead from how lost I was. My eyes closed in fear. This was never something I should’ve been dealing with. There was no one with this kind of expertise. The Star Creature sending me here was just some form of sick torture. Part of me wondered if I wasn’t really still in the void, and I was just hallucinating or imaging all of this as some form of coping mechanism.

Lucia's Point of View

Temple

Ignoring everyone else, my feet were moving before I even realized I was standing before Arthur. Lowering myself to my knees made Arthur shift. He knew I was there. However, he didn’t do anything. Even when I put my hands on him with my magic activated. Taking a deep breath, we teleported to a more private location. Namely, Arthur’s home.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he rested his head on the kitchen wall. “I see you learned how to teleport.”

I smiled. “Someone strongly recommended I do so.” Moving beside him, he watched me for a moment as I sat beside him.

“Sitting on the floor? How beneath you.”

Rolling my eyes, I replied. “Considering how the floor is literally beneath me, yes.” He scoffed in an amused manner. “Arthur, what happened back there?” Placing my hand on his, he looked at it. “You can talk to me.”

His body deflated as he closed his eyes and sighed. “I don’t mean this as an insult, but you wouldn’t understand.” A finger scratched his eyebrow as he still kept his eyes closed. “It happened to me, and I don’t even understand it.”

“’It.’” Arthur peaked out of one of his eyes at me. “What do mean ‘it?’”

With a groan, his head hung, and he shrugged. “That’s just it! I don’t know!”

Arthur had continually helped me time and time again. This time, I wanted to return the favor. Scooting closer to him caught his attention. He didn’t make any moves to stop me or shy away. Once my side was connected to his, I could feel the small trembling his body was giving off. Not knowing what else to do, my head rested on his shoulder as I placed my hand in his. No words were exchanged as he held my hand in return, and the side of his head rested on the top of mine. We sat there in silence as I tried my best to comfort the distraught man.