Luna had woken up, gasping. When she did, she began looking around her. She seemed to be in the infirmary of the clan hall. Just then, she felt an ache across her body, and laid back down in pain.
“Luna, you’re awake!” A voice said. Luna sat back up, slowly, to see who was speaking to her. It was Nick.
“Nick…? Where’s Lucien?”
“Now before we get into that, we need to talk about how you got into this situation.” Nick took a seat in a chair. “Lucien told me that during your fight, you began recharging your magical energy, but went above what your body could handle.” Luna said nothing. “Well you should know that while that stunt of yours made you stronger, it’s very dangerous. Taking in more magic energy than your body usually carries can put a strain on you. I’m still surprised you were able to do what you were able to do. You see, our bodies have sort of ‘inhibitors’ that prevent us from charging up more magic than we can handle, so for you to have gone beyond that amount is astonishing. How exactly did you do it?”
“Well, I just remember fighting the man that attacked me and Lucien. I remember being enraged by his ignorance of the Grand Navy’s flaws, and then… things got more and more intense as I wanted to try and beat him…”
“Sounds like you were able to break through your own inhibitors through pure emotional power… but when you did, your body used up more energy to handle the surplus of magic inside of you… exhausting you quicker. If I’m right about this, you should still be feeling fatigued.”
“You’re right… I do feel rather exhausted.”
“Luna, I say that you should stay resting for a while. For the next few weeks, you will not be going on any missions, nor will you be fighting anyone. And also, no magic spells, ok? I don’t know how using magic energy in any way whilst in this condition will affect you, but I’d rather not take the risk.”
“Understood… now where’s Lucien?”
“Lucien’s the one that brought you here, along with some dark wizards. Ray and the Guild Master are with them now. And after Lucien came in, I checked his wounds, helped him recover, now he’s resting in bed.” Nick then turned to the entrance to the infirmary. “… is what I would say if I was talking about anyone other than Lucien, who is most likely outside…”
“Of course I’m outside!” Lucien shouted as he walked in. “I need to be sure she’s ok!”
“Lucien, I’m fine.” Luna said. “I just need to take the next few weeks to rest.”
“I had to make sure! I never saw anyone go as berserk as you did…” Lucien stopped yelling loudly and spoke quieter. “… I just needed to know you’d be safe…”
“Oh Lucien… you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not going to die easily if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I… I know that!” Lucien began rubbing his eyes, to try and wipe away any tears so neither Luna nor Nick would tell that he’s beginning to cry. “Well, I’m going back to my room now.” Nick and Luna chuckled a bit as Lucien left.
“Luna, you should be more careful. You got off lucky this time, but you shouldn’t be so reckless in the future… for his sake.” Nick said.
“I understand Nick.” Luna laid back down. “Thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious.”
“You’d do the same for me.” Nick got up from the chair. “Well, if there’s nothing else I need to do here, I’m getting rather hungry. And I can also use some sleep myself. Goodnight, Luna.” Nick yawned as he exited the infirmary.
“Goodnight…” Luna said quietly as she began to drift to sleep for the night.
The next day had come, and on Dawn Island, Magnus and Acelina had just gotten out of bed. After sorting themselves out, cleaning up in a bath, and getting a meal, the two left the inn and began their day.
“Alright Ace. We’ve rested up and gotten something to eat. Let’s get to business.” Magnus said cheerfully. “First thing we should do is look for Oskar and Lex. Where do you think they are?”
“I dunno… they weren’t in the inn…” Acelina said looking around, her mind still plagued by her past deed. Just then, Magnus spotted Lex and Oskar near the metalworker. Lex and Oskar were talking about something, but Magnus couldn’t make out what it was at the time.
“Seriously Oskar! It was incredible! I’m not sure how Luna was able to do it, but it was awesome! She was all superpowered!” Lex was still excited from watching Luna fight.
“Well, did Luna learn how to use a mode spell?”
“I don’t think it was! It didn’t feel like that! I think! I don’t think I’ve seen someone use a mode spell! Maybe!” Lex had kept a bright smile as he spoke. Just then, he saw Magnus and Acelina. “Mag! Ace! You guys are here!!” Lex sprinted to the two. Oskar shook his head and walked after him.
“Ugh, someone forgot to take his meds…” Acelina said under her breath.
“Hey guys! I didn’t get to see you when you came cuz I was on Redwake! That fight was amazing!”
“Haha… hey Lex. Energetic as ever huh?” Magnus said.
“YEP!” Lex began punching the air. “Watching Luna’s fight has me all juiced up! I feel like I can do anything now!” Magnus laughed nervously at the sight, while Acelina paid no mind to it. Oskar finally made it to them.
“I assume you all have had a good rest-” Oskar said to them.
Acelina groaned when she heard that. “Bold assumption.”
“Now, we best get to work. We’ll head off to explore the island.” Oskar began to walk away from the town. Acelina and Magnus followed him, but Lex was too busy reminiscing Luna’s burst of energy to immediately notice. After he saw them leaving him, he quickly ran after them.
“Alright Oskar, what do we do first?” Magnus asked.
“Well, first we’re going to look for any sign of a secret hideout. I don’t believe that the trafficking ring would be directly in this town.”
“What about under it?”
“It could be, but it’s not like we can just find a way to get underneath through where we are now. We’d have to try searching each building in here, and I doubt we’d be able to get away with that. So for now, we’ll search everywhere else.”
“Got it. We’re ready to act.” Magnus punched his palm. The group left the town and began searching around. They all went to the beach to start off. They all began investigating every part of it.
“Are you sure we’re gonna find something out in this part…?” Acelina asked, searching through the sand.
“Well duh! Who knows if there’s a secret hatch or something buried underneath here?” Lex said, digging through the sand with a shovel.
Magnus started digging, but then stopped and looked at Lex. “But wait, why would it be here…? It’d take way too much time to uncover it, then, how would someone re-bury it if they’re already underneath the hatch…?”
Lex stopped digging. “Uh… well…”
“Yeah, this is stupid.” Acelina got up and dusted her hands off on her robes. They carried on looking. Oskar looked through bushes to make sure there wasn’t anything hidden in them, whilst still keeping an eye on the other three. After a while, he called for Magnus.
“Yeah? What’s up?” Magnus answered back.
“Come with me. I kinda want to talk to you about something.” Oskar signalled Magnus to him. They walked together to the bushes, searching for any significant clue.
“So… how have things been since Gallan showed up.”
“They could be worse.” Magnus pushes aside some shrubs.
“Alright… has Acelina been acting strange lately?”
Magnus stopped what he was doing then turned to Oskar. “What do you mean?”
“Usually she’s a lot more of a… go-getter. But she’s been acting less energetic. Did something happen?”
Magnus tried to think of an excuse. “Oh well uh, it’s because of Gallan. THe whole situation’s starting to get to her…”
“Is that so…?”
Magnus turned back to the shrubs, searching each of them. “Yeah… why, what were you thinking?”
Oskar turned away from what they were doing and turned back to Acelina and Lex. Lex was telling Acelina something, and it seemed like Acelina was trying to zone him out. Then, the two decided to walk another way, presumably to investigate another part of the island. “I dunno… maybe she’s got some demons in her?”
“What? Nah.” Magnus quickly reassured Oskar. “She’s fine.”
Oskar looked back down on Magnus “… the way you said that is rubbing me off the wrong way.”
“Oh, well sorry about that.” Magnus scared his head, then started looking around at the trees. “You know, I’m starting to feel a little silly, looking around here for some sort of clue. How do we know we’ll find anything here? Wouldn’t it make more sense to question the people in the town?”
“If we did, I was worried people would think we were on to them if we ended up talking to the wrong person. You know how Lex and I found out about those rumors? I remember hearing about it while I patrolled the town from two people. I don’t believe I saw them after a while. I wanted to ask them where they heard it, but I just couldn’t find them.”
“Yeah, now it’s your turn to disappear.”
“Wait what-” Oskar and Magnus turned around after hearing that voice. They saw two people dressed in dark running towards them, dark red magic circles on their fists. They both threw their fists forward, and ashy projectiles were launched forward towards Magnus and Oskar.
“Magnus watch out!” Oskar shouted. He and Magnus separated from each other as they dodged it. Magnus cartwheeled away from them, and landed on his feet.
“Ash Magic huh? Don’t see that everyday.” Magnus formed a magic circle with his hands, aiming it at one of the attackers. “Charged Bullet!!” He fired 5 dark blasts. The attacker ran to the left, wall jumped off of a tree, and formed a magic circle on his foot. He threw a kick, and a small but very quick ash blast sped towards Magnus. It was too quick for him to dodge, so he blocked. The blast, while small, created a massive explosion, and Magnus slid back. The attacker rushed after him, drawing a dagger. He tried to stab Magnus, but Magnus caught his wrist, and twisted his arm, staring angrily at him.
“That hurt.” Magnus started punching the attacker in the face whilst gripping his wrist tightly. After four punches, the attacker caught Magnus’s fist, and headbutted him, causing Magnus’s nose to bleed. Magnus then swung the attacker away, sending him onto the beach.
Oskar drew his axe and swung at his attacker. However, she was very nimble, and evaded every swing. She jumped in the air and threw a spin kick at Oskar, but he was able to duck underneath it. The attacker landed and jumped back.
“Who the hell are you guys?!” Oskar asked.
The attacker formed a magic circle with her finger. “That information wouldn’t do much for you.” Once she formed the circle, it was a small beam towards oskar. Oskar was able to move out of the way in time, but the beam cut his shoulder, and made a hole in a boulter, before exploding after going a long distance. Disappointed that she missed, Oskar’s opponent jumped into the air while she thought he was distracted, but when she did, Oskar turned back to her, and threw a punch directly in her stomach. He waited for her to hit the ground, and then threw another punch. Oskar kept throwing punches, hitting the attacker, pushing her back bit by bit. Finally, Oskar hit her with a side kick to the face, and she fell back.
“I think I already know who you are…” Oskar walked up to the attacker, stepping on her stomach. “You must have heard us talk about the dark wizard trafficking ring in the town… I shouldn’t have been so careless… you want to get rid of us before people start hearing more and more about it, don’t you?” The attacker didn’t say a word. Oskar continued to speak as he looked down on her. “You should’ve known that just two people wouldn’t have been enough. We’re not easily disposable… especially if you announce your attack like the way you did… you must think of yourself very highly, don’t you?” Oskar knelt down and removed the mask of the attacker. “Well? Nothing to say?”
The attacker didn’t say anything. She kept looking at Oskar in the eyes. The look of anger satisfied Oskar a little, but then, the attacker slammed her hand onto the ground. Just then, she formed a magic circle on the ground. Oskar’s eyes widened, then he jumped away.
“Ash Vortex!!” The attacker shouted as she detonated it. A shockwave of ash formed from the spot she was in, and the shockwave struck Oskar. He was pushed back, and the attacker got up. The attacker then threw something towards Oskar. Oskar looked up to see it.
“A… container?” He thought. It fell down next to him, and then it made a small explosion, releasing a gas next to him. The gas blocked his vision, suffocating him a little bit as well. He kept coughing while he was under it, and growing dizzy. He could feel himself almost falling over, trying to stay balanced. He then jumped forward, putting all of his strength to his legs, and was able to get his head out of the gas cloud forming around him. When he jumped out, he took big, deep breaths while trying to find the attacker. He looked left, then right. He didn’t see her anywhere. He assumed she retreated. He was going to try and find her, then he remembered. Magnus.
Meanwhile, the fight between Magnus and his attacker had kept going. Magnus kept firing shadow blast after shadow blast, trying to hit his opponent. However, the attacker was able to evade each one just barely. However, the attacker wanted to try and close the gap between Magnus, but because Magnus kept throwing out shadow blasts, it was too difficult to get close without getting hit.
“Damn it all! This wizard won’t give me even a second to breathe!” The attacker thought as he kept moving away from the blasts. “Very well then… I’ll just gamble here!” The attacker jumped over another blast, then he started sprinting towards Magnus. Magnus created another magic circle, and was about to use Charged Bullet once more, but then he noticed the attacker holding something. However, he paid no mind to it as he fired away. But then, the attacker was able to leap over the first blast, and throw the container down onto Magnus, creating the same gas. Magnus fired the next four shots and missed all of them as he became blinded and dizzy, and he started coughing. The attacker saw this, and he began charging up a large ash magic circle, aiming it at Magnus. He grew a huge grin, preparing to hit Magnus with everything he had. But then, he felt a painful, stinging strike on his waist, causing him to fall over to the side. He looked towards where the blast came from, and saw Oskar walking towards him.
Magnus fell out of the gas, gasping for air. “What-gasp-the hell-gasp-was that?!-gasp.”
“I’m not sure. When I got hit with it it made me feel lightheaded and I couldn’t see a thing. It was also suffocating…” Oskar said, still walking towards the attacker. The attacker quickly got up, ready to face Oskar. His surprise attempt had failed, and seeing as how Oskar was here, the other attacker had failed. He reached behind his back, grabbing another container.
“Damnit, down to my last one… I;m desperate here, this has to work!” The attacker thought. Then, he threw the last container at him.
“Still up to that trick?” Oskar said, smugly. He reached his hand out, and caught the container easily. But the moment he touched it, the container exploded again, creating more of the gas, closer to his face this time.
“… he actually tried to catch it… he actually tried to… ha… Haha… HAHAHAHA!!” The attacker was in disbelief that Oskar caught it. He couldn’t believe his luck at that moment. Then he realized that this was his chance to escape. Even with this one caught in the gas, he couldn’t finish Magnus off before he fully recovered. He started running away while Magnus was still on the ground.
Oskar had fallen down, coughing up from being exposed to the gas.
“Why did you try to catch it…?” Magnus said, getting up.
“I didn’t think that it would-cough-explode unless it hit a hard surface… like the ground…” Oskar said, kneeling down. “I got too overconfident-cough cough- in that fight…”
“Well, what’s the plan now?” Magnus lended Oskar a hand. He pulled him up.
“Well, first we gotta find Acelina and Lex. We need to let them know about the two attackers-” Just then, they heard an explosion nearby. Oskar and Magnus turned to where they heard it from, and saw crystals flying. They tried running away, but they were still weakened by the gas, so it was more of a jog. When they arrived, they saw both of the attackers, passed out on the beach, and Acelina and Lex standing above them. Acelina turned to them.
“Oh hey guys. Just finished wrapping this up.” Acelina said, dusting her hands off.
Magnus and Oskar stared at the bodies, then at Acelina.
“We saw you guys fighting them and figured that if they tried to escape, we’d finish them off for you.”
“Oh… thanks…”
“Yeah, they weren’t that much of a pain though. You guys must’ve weakened them a lot…”
“Wait! Before we forget…” Lex grabbed Oskar’s arm and pulled him to the shore. “We found something important! Come over here!”
“Woah slow down Lex!” Oskar said, being pulled. The two of them eventually made it to some grass near the shore, with bushes growing there.
“Look here. We moved the bushes aside, and…” Lex pushed the bushes aside, revealing to Oskar what he had found. It was some kind of door, with a hole in it. Oskar looked closely at the hole: it was wide enough for him to look through with one eye. However, there seemed to be a piece of wood blocking it on the other side. He couldn’t see a thing.
“Huh… this could be an entrance of some kind…”
“Me and Ace were thinking of busting it down with magic, but then we heard the fighting going on so we decided to check that out first! But now that you’re here, wanna break it down?”
“Hmm, try to.”
“Ok!” Lex jumped back, and formed a magic circle, aiming it at the door. “Lightning Blaster!!” Lex fired the lightning blast at the door. When the blast hit the door, the door lit up a bit. It became a little blue, and then returned to its original marble color. “What the heck?!”
Oskar walked up closer to the door, inspecting it. “I… I think it’s made of arcanium…” Oskar knocked the door a bit, making a banging noise.
“Arcanium? You mean that stuff magic weapons are made of?”
“Yeah… arcanium in magic weapons can be imbued by a person’s magical energy to become powered up, and then the users of said magic weapons can use their magic through the arcanium… it seems someone made this door using arcanium, but made it so that it could absorb magical attacks and disperse it… what an architect…”
“So… no busting it down?”
“Not likely, no.”
“Aww…” Lex grew disappointed. “Well… we may as well go back to Magnus and Ace…” Lex walked back to where they came from, all his energy leaving his body. Once they got back, Lex turned back to the unconscious attackers.
“So uh, what do we do with the unconscious bodies?” Lex asked, poking the girl.
Acelina slapped Lex’s arm. “Stop poking her.”
Oskar began to think. “We’ll have to keep them here. Anyone have anything to tie them with?”
“Nope.” Acelina said. Lex shook his head to say no. Oskar then turned to Magnus.
“What about you Magnus?”
“Nope. But maybe there’s some more on the pirate ship we brought with us.”
“Wait, pirate ship?”
“Oh yeah. Me and Ace fought some pirates on our way to Dawn Island.”
“Wait, you DID?!” Lex’s eyes lit up as he ran to Magnus. “What happened?! What was it like?! Were they strong?! Come on come on give me the details!”
Acelina groaned at the sight of it. “Forget about that part, Magnus take Lex and go get the rope.”
“Wait, why do I gotta bring Lex-”
“Just take him dammit!”
“Alright, alright. Come on Lex.” Magnus began walking over to the town, which was near where he docked the boat. Lex followed him, excited to see the pirate ship, leaving Acelina and Oskar together.
After standing around silently, Oskar decided to break the silence. “So, Acelina.”
“Hm?”
“Has everything been… alright?”
“What do you mean…?”
“Well… you seem to be a bit different is all… I don’t know how much this Gallan situation is affecting you, but if something is wrong, you should talk about it…”
Acelina said nothing. She walked over to a rock she saw and sat on it, waiting for Magnus and Lex to return with the rope or for the attackers to wake up; whichever came first.
“… so you’re not gonna talk?”
“It’s just… there isn’t really much to talk about…”
“Well I can tell something’s been on your mind. And I don’t want it to just eat you up inside.”
“Too late for that…” Acelina murmured under her breath.
“What was that?”
“I said I’m fine, Oskar. Now stop it. You aren’t my dad or anything.”
Oskar kept looking at Acelina, who was growing more frustrated. Then he remembered his talk with Magnus. “… Magnus probably knows what’s really bothering you, doesn’t he?”
“Hm? What are you talking about, I’m fine.”
“I asked him too, but he said that it was related to Gallan. I didn’t believe him completely though…”
“Look, you don’t have to worry about it Oskar, just drop it!”
“Does it have something to do with your past maybe?”
“I said, DROP IT!” Acelina jumped up, drew her sword, and aimed it at Oskar. Oskar didn’t flinch. But the moment Acelina did that, she was reminded of her old bandit gang, each of them killed by her hand. She could visualize their bodies bleeding in the rain, their body parts scattered. She stepped back as she saw it, then she shook her head, trying to snap out of it. Then, she saw Oskar again, and the sword in her hand. She quickly put it away. “… sorry about that…”
Oskar sighed. “Well… I’m glad you trusted Magnus enough to tell him about it at least… but you need to trust me too. We’re friends too, aren’t we?”
“Yeah… it’s just… it’s just hard to explain…” Acelina sat back down, wiping her tears. Tears she didn’t feel she deserved to shed. She chose to kill them. She wasn’t possessed or being forced to. She could’ve just walked away peacefully… she should’ve walked away peacefully. Instead, their blood is on her hands. And she didn’t know how to get over that thought. Oskar walked over to Acelina and sat down next to her.
“Well… whatever is bothering you… whether it be losing someone close to you, or maybe you can’t stop thinking about some other horrific event… the clan is here for you… never forget that. Master Zachary accepted you for a reason… no matter what you’re saying to yourself… you’re a good person.”
Acelina took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, as she listened to Oskar’s words. “… am I though…?” she thought to herself.