Chapter 28: The World is Beginning to Move

~ Fia ~

Now that the Dragons had achieved what they wanted, the man who called himself Simon, releases me. But my eyes never left the crystal ball, it never the left the snake woman who’s still smiling at me. I have this bad premonition the moment I saw that twisted smile. What is that thing? Can it even be called a thing? The history of us Demi-Humans is vast, but not for once have I heard of a combination like that. Perhaps she’s a full blooded demon? It seems attached to my Master as if they were one and the same. In the beginning I only felt fear, but now that anxiety inside of me has grown into something more sinister; like a tragedy would soon occur.

“Laura?” Simon says at the crystal ball with a tone as if he’s confused.

I turn to Simon to ask him what’s wrong, but his dilating eyes make me turn back to the crystal ball once more. After acquiring the sword, the snake woman has now wrapped herself around the witch’s body. She’s looking at us through the crystal, giving us both a mocking smile.

“Step back!” Simon shouts as he shields me from something. Then I hear several thuds lancing on his back. With a little bit of strength, he pushes me away.

I lift my eyes. “Eh?”

Simon’s blood stains the wooden deck. Coughing, he looks at his hand before saying, “First time I bled in decades.” Though he’s bleeding badly, he seems well enough to release a laugh.

“Your wounds are bad,” I say. The crystal ball is emitting a strong light enough to brighten the entire room, but my attention shifts to this wounded man.

“Just need… a little bit of rest…” With his face twisting in pain, Simon forces himself to take a few steps before he collapsed with his back against the wooden walls.

I crouch down to check on his wounds. “I can never understand how you Dragons think. First you abducted me here and now you save my life — are you an idiot?”

Simon moans. “We never meant harm to begin with.”

“Then what is it that you’re after?”

“You have seen it yourself no? That sword your Master’s carrying is cursed. It is not meant to repel disaster. It is disaster itself. Our duty as Dragons is to keep peace and stability in this world. Your master's an irregular. He’s a human, but he’s strong enough to rival us Dragons in combat. Why do you think that is?”

I never once thought about that. But what he’s saying is the truth. “Why is that?”

“Because he’s possessed. His strength is not his. Whoever it is that gave him that strength would soon consume him. And it won’t be long until he’s become a puppet ever dancing for patrons unseen.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand…”

“I don’t expect you to. This is our duty after all.”

Simon wipes the blood of his mouth and pushes himself back up. He waves his hand at me when I try to help. But as what you would expect from a dragon, his wounds have healed.

Suddenly, he rushes out of the door. I follow him outside to sate my curiosity. Over there we look at the unusual color of the sky. Something is wrong or different about it. Not the usual calming tint that I’ve always looked up to whenever I felt lonely. This sky is dark and menacing.

“Dragons… But how?”

* * *

~ Rosalia ~

It’s yet another bright and sunny day: the perfect weather for me to get on the road and return back to Freyrun. I survey my room for the last time. It’s as if everything else that occurred here in the last few days was an imitation, fabricated by my mind in its loneliest.

“Rosalia my dear, won’t you stay some more? Your siblings haven’t seen you in a full year.”

Hearing my mother’s soothing voice, I turn around and shake my head as a reply. “Mum, how many times have we discussed this? I don’t want to give up. I know, somewhere in my heart, that Dad’s still waiting for our help down there.”

“Rosalia, you don’t have to burden yourself about this. Your father’s been missing for eleven years now. As a labyrinth explorer yourself, you should know what that means.”

“Still, what proof do we have to state the other way?” I say, tightly gripping the handle of my staff.

Mother walks closer and takes my free hand. “Rosalia, eleven years is a long time. It’s about time you face the truth. I do not want to lose you the same way I lost your father; it will slay me. The labyrinth is a dangerous place. To begin with, you weren’t even built to be an explorer.” Mother inhales deeply before continuing. “Look, I’m not asking you to return just so you could help us out here in the fields, but maybe you could find something else to do? Dear, you’re still young and full of potential. It’s not too late to try something else.”

Her hands move up to my shoulders and taps me twice. Then she begins to stroke my cheek, my hair, and my brow. For a brief moment, I let my mother continue without retorting. We’ve argued about this topic more than I could count it in my hands. This is all Dood’s fault! If it weren’t for him planting this seed of confusion in my heart, I wouldn’t have returned here for advice. Not when I haven’t accomplished my own set of goals.

“Rosalia, it’s not fitting to think about a boy when mother’s talking to you.”

I flush at the words that left her mouth in a mocking tone. “Seriously Mum, how could you even start this nonsense in the middle of a serious conversation?”

She places a hand on her waist and shakes her index finger at me. “What’s there to deny? Mother can read you like a book after all. And for your information, Mother was watching when you were hugging that staff like a pillow. You. Were. All. Sweaty—”

“Mum!” That’s it! Shooting her a cold piercing look, I mercilessly stab her with the thin end of my staff. But with a hair’s breadth, Mother dodges by twisting her body.

She gracefully steps in and hugs me tight. “Oh how you’ve grown.”

“Stop this, Mum. You’re embarrassing me!” Yet as I struggle to release myself, a concentrated piece of light asking for attention flashes outside. It’s almost blinding. Too blinding to see.

My mother releases me in her bewilderment. I rush and open the single window in my room to check. A beam of light shoots from the ground that shatters the clouds and soon pierces the heavens. It’s far away, very far away from me, as if it came from the other side of the continent. Feeling a sense of familiarity, I watch this glorious sight unfold.

Then my heart begins to pound in its own rhythm. “It can’t be… Could it be Dood?”

Nah. Not in the slightest.

* * *

Small-san’s Notes!

Now, before you all start hurling spears at me, I think I should explain why this chapter is so short. College classes has been taking most of my time lately, not to mention I have to work extra because someone wrecked my car two weeks ago. So yeah, no fast updates in a little bit. I will post the complete version of this chapter — which includes a POV of Sasha, Minerva, and Fia in the end — once I'm done with the next one. Until then, feel free to vote on the poll that I have made, and don’t forget to post your opinion down there.