60

I want to rest a little longer.

It was four in the morning. Diantha was holding her. She woke up, panicking. She shook off her nightmares, yet they still clawed her mind. Her heart screamed in agony with each beat.

Slowly, her body stopped shaking, and her breathing returned to normal. She loosened her feeble hold on Diantha’s clothes.

“Have you calmed down?” Diantha asked, her hand gently rubbing her back. Iris found that calming. “I am,” she replied, her voice a pitch higher than usual. Tired. “T-thank you,” Iris muttered as she sat comfortably, picking Winny—still asleep, into her lap.

“I am tired,” Iris muttered and sighed. Even her thoughts were escaping.

“You should rest,” Diantha said, returning to her desk. A small blue light flickered on it. It was calming to the mind. Diantha used it to lessen her headache at night. Jasper, of course, was not allowed to play music at night.

Iris tried to sleep. She turned from one side to the other but found no sleep fairy calling her. Her thoughts were consumed by the approaching goodbye. It made her heart even heavier. Why? She felt tempted to stay one more day, and then one more day. What if she never returned? What if today was the last time she would see Diantha, Hecate, Ianthe, and Ilona? That thought made her heart ache in a way she never thought it would. It was all over Mayumi again. She wanted to stay a little longer with them. No, I must leave today. The longer I stay, the more the pain will grow.

“Iris?” She heard Diantha’s voice. Of course, Diantha noticed her. Iris calmed her breath and looked up. “There is another thing that I wish to talk to you about."

“I’m listening,” Iris replied as she flopped on the soft pillow.

Diantha returned to her side and sat on the edge, “I had a conversation with Hecate."

“She wishes to accompany me, I guess,” Iris mumbled, knowing Hecate that was something she would want to do. “I refuse,” Allowing Hecate to accompany her would be a terrible idea. She did not know what was in that place. Hecate would be better off with Diantha.

“Iantha wants to accompany you as well." Iris looked at Diantha.

“Iantha cannot leave Lady Ilona’s side."

“Lady Ilona said she would take care of Isolde,” Diantha replied in a hushed voice so as not to wake up Winny.

“Still… I want to go alone."Iris yawned and, with little effort, pulled up the blanket. “It’s cold.”

“Iris…” Diantha slid over the headrest to sit comfortably, using it for support. “You will return after finding Edeath?"

“I will.”

“Then, I do not see a reason to go alone. Hecate and Ianthe deserve a holiday away from this place. The shattered realm would allow them to let loose a little. And you will find their company enjoyable. It’s a win-win situation."

“I don’t know... They would slow me down,” Iris replied, lying. Having them with her meant she would grow more attached to them. “I want to be done with it as fast as possible."

“I see… Hecate was excited to go somewhere without Lady Ilona, and Ianthe could finally see the world freely without having to be tortured by her master." Diantha's hand crawled into her hand. She began to gently massage her. “They would be sad."

"That's... unfair,” Iris mumbled, turning away from Diantha. “When you say it like that..." She did not want to take them with her. “What if something bad happens?” Iris said—her only valid argument.

“They are adults. They can take care of themselves. You are not responsible for taking care of them,” Diantha coaxed gently.

“Ianthe has not lived life out of her own free will; Hecate is still not over the tournament. By what measure are you saying they are capable of taking care of themselves? They need to go outside, but I am not the one to look after them while they learn to live on their own.” She did not know anything about food or shelter, and she lacked an understanding of the social norms. The only thing their group would be was a disaster.

“It’ll be alright. The Shattered Realm is not bound to a common norm. As long as you’re strong, It wouldn’t matter,” Iris didn’t reply. Diantha stared at her back for another minute, then sighed, “It’s fine, I’ll tell them now, you’re not okay with it. You should rest, tomorrow will be stressful”

Diantha slipped off the bed. Now, she would probably worry about appeasing Ianthe and Diantha. “It’s fine…” She mumbled, barely above a whisper, “I’m okay with them coming with me."

“Really?” Diantha spun, a smile playing on her face, as she sat beside her.

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“Yeah,” Perhaps Hecate and Ianthe would learn something useful. She had no idea what the shattered realm was, but it would not be as bad as Labyrinth, or Diantha wouldn’t allow them to leave. Knowing that was reassuring.

“There’s another thing; it was Lady Ilona’s suggestion,” Diantha said, her eyes focused on Winny. “You should leave Winny here. She will be safer in Ilona’s hands, and you can focus on searching for the blade without worrying about her."

“NO!” Iris shot up, staring at her. “I will not leave Winny with anyone. Not even you."

“It was a suggestion. I will never ask you to leave Winny behind if you’re not fine with it,” Diantha appeased, her eyes a bit widened in panic. Iris flopped on the bed. The softness of the bed brought her a sense of ease.

“I won’t leave Winny... She is mine,” Iris mumbled to herself.

“It’s alright. She just wanted to ease your worries,” Diantha said, a little distant. Iris looked up, seeing her eyes staring out of the window. Lost in her own world.

“Are you mad?” Iris asked, barely a whisper.

“No… I just… Knowing—what you had to live in the labyrinth for years with nothing—it pains me. Why must you have to go through this?” Diantha’s fist clenched, her nails digging into her palm. She was mad at something else. Diantha was far too rational to be mad about the past.

“It’s the past," Iris mumbled, unsure how much of it truly was. Would she finally be able to reach the end of her journey? It looked so close. Five years, the time she had searched for death. Would she finally have it?

“It is. Now, you don’t have to worry about it. You can rest easy," Iris looked at Diantha, confused and unable to understand her words.

“I am in peace."

“Are you?” Diantha intoned.

She was, at least now, “Why did Lady Ilona say she wants Winny to stay here?”

“If I have to guess, she thinks there are dangers in that place, and if anything, you cannot find a better haven for Winny than Lady Ilona. She is quite literally the strongest mage of the current era.”

“I am afraid of leaving Winny behind—she’s been with me since I have found her.”

“I know, and I will not ask you to leave Winny here if you’re not okay with it.”

Iris did not say anything. If Ilona asked her, then there should be a reason. She sighed, clutching Winny tightly, “I’ll leave her in your and Lady Ilona’s care. I wonder if this is an exchange for Hecate,” Iris chuckled at that absurd thought.

“Only I can ask for such exchange—Lady Ilona is far too kind.”

….

Iris sat on the terrace, and in front of her was Ilona. She was sipping her coffee. On the table lay a weird orb. It was a bracelet thing, with clock hands pointing weirdly from one direction to the other in a vast starry void.

“This is a map..." Iris poked it with her bony finger and felt silly. Of course, it was hard. She expected it to melt under her touch.

“Yes, the shattered realm has only two fixed places: the very centre, where you will find Edeath and the entrance to the realm. The inside is always in motion. Settlements have their ways of navigating in and out, but an outsider like you doesn’t. The shattered realm has expanded to be a world on its own, a mage paradise solely lived by people level 2 or higher. It’s a neutral territory, so you do not need to worry about politics or holding back. As long as you can win, never let anyone speak before you."

Iris nodded as she took the ball containing the bracelet. “How do I use it?"

“I have taught Ianthe how to use Ton." Ilona placed the cup on the table and stared at her, frowning. “The shattered realm is always raging in the death storm, and there is no fixed land, so travelling straight is impossible. The realm is split into four parts. You’ll enter one of any four. To reach the centre, you must find the three runes, namely, Tiq, Yuim, and Frue. Once you carve all three runes in any one of the temples constructed in four cities, each situated in a different part of the Shattered Realm, The entrance to the centre will reveal itself—which is a barren space lacking life. Remember, life, but not the threat. There’s a reason it’s sealed off. You will have to search for Edeath in that place; you may even find other things in there—monstrosities.”

“I see, the runes—are they held by monsters? Or simply lost?” Iris asked, trying to make sense of the bracelet device.

“Scattered. You’ll have to find out yourself if they are lost or picked up by someone; I have not looked into it. I am sure you would want to complete the last part of this journey by your own efforts.”

“I do; after years, I finally see the end of my journey." Iris slid off her seat. “Thank you, Lady Ilona; you have my eternal gratitude for everything you did for me,” Iris said, as she bowed.

Ilona stared at her bent form, her eyes filled with untellable emotions. She stood from her seat “Even if I continue to make amends for my sin, I can never wash it off." Ilona placed her hand on Iris’s head. “I’m sorry." She whispered and strutted away from her.

“Lady Ilona,” Iris straightened, “what is your sin? I have no memory of you."

Ilona paused. "I... am to blame for every suffering you have ever suffered. I could’ve prevented everything, yet I didn’t."

“You’re not responsible for preventing anything for me. I have lived in this world; every suffering is mine alone to bear—be it in the past, now, or the future. If this is all you feel guilty about, please don’t be. I’ll never blame you for something so pitiful. Neither should you. We are all humans, not an omniscient deity. You should not blame yourself when you have no responsibility towards me," Iris said. She wanted to Ilona to turn back and agree with her words.

Ilona didn’t look back. Her jaws were clenched as she walked out; Iris never saw the tears that spilt over from Elder Lord Ilona’s eyes.

Iris never saw. She stood dumbly staring at Ilona’s descending figure.

….

Iris found Jasper as he walked out of his room. She had yet to have a conversation with him. "Jasper," Iris called out.

The man stopped, frowned, but bowed nonetheless. “Greetings, Miss Iris.”

“I’ll be leaving today... I wanted to say goodbye."

“I see… Farewell, Miss Iris,” Jasper said, not attempting to further the conversation.

Iris sighed and walked past him, hoping she didn’t ruin his day.

“Will you return?"

“I will,” Iris replied, her steps coming to a halt.

“I am glad,” Jasper said, pacing away. His shoulders were slumped, and his steps were heavy, yet there was no sound in the hall.

Iris turned outside. Now it was time to leave.

Ianthe and Hecate were already in the garden, without any luggage. Iris noted the small bag strapped to Ianthe’s hips. A magical device to keep stuff, similar to her storage box. The storage box was a special facility for those who had entered the labyrinth.

“Iris! Shall we go?” Hecate asked.

“We shall… Did you bid Diantha goodbye?” Iris questioned her as she conjured the weaver’s orb. All eight—Leaving one with Diantha would bear no fruit if she was half a continent away. She would still arrive here relatively fast, but the amount of destruction left in her wake would be disastrous. It would be like a death storm that razed everything to the dust.

“Yeah,” Hecate replied. “It’s the first time, I’ll be away from Lady Diantha."

“You’ll be back here, safely,” Iris assured herself, more than Hecate.

“HEY! I am not a child—no! You’re the child, small and fragile." Hecate folded her hand over her chest proudly, smirking.

“I am not." Iris defended herself, but even she didn’t believe herself.

“Are we going directly to the shattered realm?” Iantha interjected, hoping to defer the topic.

“No, we will first go to the abandoned part of the town…”

The flying craft took to the air, Iris gazed at Diantha’s office and caught her looking through the window. Hecate waved, “Bye Lady Diantha!!”

Diantha waved back with a warm smile on her face.

So the journey begins. This time, the journey would end with the gathering of every member of the Roundtable Rival at the same place after decades.