Having dealt with the immediate threat, the two moved Alex’s comatose body to a bed. Isil had dismissed herself as soon as they put him down, saying she was going to take a look around. Elaine opted to stay by her master’s side, still worried for his safety. She pulled over a beanbag chair that rested in the corner and sat down in it. For a while, she simply gazed absentmindedly at her master. She wasn’t quite sure what to think at the moment.
Elaine gazed around the room, taking in the sights. It was a cold concrete room, with little in the means of decoration. As if to counteract this dreariness, the furniture was mostly bean bag chairs and modern cube cabinets. There were a total of eight beds in the room, four against each wall, one of which held Alex. The two fan lights were dim, and the fans strained due to disuse. It was like a nuclear bunker without the sense of impending doom that came from nuclear war.
However, when her mind came across that thought, a sudden heaviness pressed down on her heart. A nuclear war was already knocking on the door. The Second American Civil War had only been a precursor to the untold destruction a budding World War III would cause. America was in ruins, and with Russia having finally begun its march into Western Europe. It was shocking nuclear war hadn’t already erupted. Elaine brought her knees up to her chest, a sense of helplessness rising in her.
Unable to be contained any longer, tears flowed from her eyes. She sobbed, the fear of apocalypse, the shock of nearly losing her master, the stress that came from keeping magic secret to the rest of the world, and the added bonus the futility of life driving her to the breaking point. She cried because there was nothing else she could do. She wanted to grasp hold of her composure, to prevent it from slipping away, but every tear weakened her resolve.
Elaine did not no how long she cried, but her tears had finally dried up. She sniffled, the lack of tissues forcing her to wipe her snot on her sleeves. She wanted to die, to release herself from the worries she had in the world. She couldn’t take it. What was she supposed to do? What purpose did she have in this life? She hid her magic on her master’s orders, falling in line with the rest of the magic sects. She practiced magic to teach to her future disciples and children, copying the actions of every previous magician. She was just another stepping stone for future generations. She wasn’t anyone…
“By the Saints, child, must you cry so much?” Isil’s voice startled Elaine, who quickly wiped away her tears.
“Gr-grandmaster, when did you-” Elaine started to rise.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“I haven’t the faintest what you’re crying about, but you should know better than to hide it from either me or your master. It is unwise to suffer alone when there are those willing to help you.” Isil’s voice turned soft in the latter parts of her speech.
“I-I’m sorry...”
“You have committed wrong, but do not apologize for it. You hide your suffering so as to prevent its spread, yes?” Isil put a hand on Elaine’s shoulder.
“...Yes...” Elaine muttered.
“You are a good person, but you are also foolish,” Isil lifted Elaine’s face with her hands. “You merely delay the inevitable with this method. Your suffering shall only build up inside you until it pops. Either literally, or spiritually. Then, in the flood of suffering, everyone you know is caught up in it. It will wash over them as well, and drown them in pain and sorrow. And then those, who hid their suffering as well, shall pop like an overripe melon, and the chain continues. Do you understand?”
“Yes...” Elaine muttered, tear rising up in her eyes again.
“There, there…” Isil comforted, pulling Elaine into an embrace. “Do not fear, let it all loose. I am here for you to lean on.”
Like a burst dam, all of Elaine’s pent-up emotions were freed. She cried loudly in Isil’s gentle embrace. She let herself go, losing the power in her legs and fell to the ground, held up only by Isil’s surprising strength. As her tears began to subside, she was nestled into a bed next to Alex. Isil tucked her in, handing her a tissue to blow her nose with.
“I can sense you are tired. Events are catching up to you, and you must rest. Breathe easy, I will be watching over both of you.” Isil tussled Elaine’s hair a bit, then got up from the bed.
A silver glow filled Elaine’s vision. Silver mana, thrumming with a purity and power she had never seen before. She could tell that it was her grandmaster’s magic. The simple, but complex way in which it molded itself to depict a crescent moon, complete with craters, was astonishing. The moonlight had some property that slowly made her drowsy. As she wavered on the border of sleep and wakefulness, a jarring crack came from the moon sculpture. Pieces of the glowing moon began to crumble away from the bottom, loosing their luster and falling into an abyss. The cracks in the moon spread upwards until finally, the crack reached the stop, and split what was left of the moon in two.
At that exact moment, Elaine fell asleep. She did not get to see the fragments of the moon rush over her body, cleaning the dirt and blood from her clothes and body as if purifying her. The fragments then melted into her skin, allowing themselves to dissolve within her body’s mana pool. The residue mana left a silver glow lingering around her, as if adding special effects for a Sleeping Beauty movie.
As the mana subsided, a person walked into the room. The lights were shut off, preventing anyone from seeing exactly who it was. The vague outline of the person walked past Elaine’s bed and stood at Alex’s bed. A hand stretched out, reaching for Alex’s unguarded body. But as the palm was mere inches away from the chest, a sudden silver light burst from his body, covering him with a protective glow. The figure screeched an unnatural screech that sounded like a person screaming underwater, and vanished with the darkness.
The light faded, and the room was left quiet again.