"The airship to Farandale is departing! All aboard!" A luxurious airship hovered, attached to the sky dock by tightly bound ropes. People streamed onto the bridge and entered past the rows of guards in bright-white armor, some hunching nervously underneath the intensity of the soldiers's stares.
Walking quietly with the crowd, Avril, covered in a hood and cloak, arrived at the entrance and showed her pass to the two guards flanking her sides. They moved aside for her to enter, and she stepped onto the airship, greeted by the kissing of the two suns on her exposed face. The airship certainly lived up to its reputation as one of the luxury series. A large garden of flowery pathways, wonderfully sculpted fountains, and flat stretches of green grass welcomed her in.
She tugged on her hood to better cover her head and trod down the paved pathway, slowing down as she neared the palace in the center of the garden. Inside, many lines of people waited patiently, not disturbing one another, all heading for the receptionists' desks. After some waiting, her turn finally came, and Avril showed her pass to the receptionist.
"Welcome, esteemed alchemist. You will find our accommodations proper for someone of your status." The receptionist bowed deeply and waved someone over to guide Avril through the airship. She listened to the guide talk about the airship but soon grew uninterested since she had no intention of wandering around until her desired stop.
The guide smiled amicably and opened the door to her room. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, light dotting the tips of its crystals, over a large oak table. A large bed, enough for ten people, was placed near the large window, a closed archway led directly to a balcony, and a plethora of snacks and appetizers rested on the nightstand, though it was large enough to be called a table. The guide bowed and said, "Thank you for being our guest. Everything is accounted for."
"I would like to dine in my room every day. Can that be done?" Avril asked the guide, to which he answered in affirmation. Soon after, he left the room. Stretching her arms out, she plopped onto her bed, her indigo hair spreading around messily on the clean white sheets as she was hit by the rays of light from the chandelier and the window. From lying on a wide bed alone, her heart itched. She brought her left hand close, gazing longingly at the gold-diamond ring on her finger. The itching in her heart soon turned to an aching pain, and she hugged the ring to her chest, hoping it might lessen the pain.
Instead, cold whispers gnawed on her ears, and dark shadows shifted around the edges of her eyes. Breaking out into a cold sweat, she heaved a heavy sigh, then gasped, struggling for air. A few minutes later, the shadows went away, and the whispers quieted into nothing. It was over. Avril coughed and bit her lower lip, nearly tearing up.
She slept on cold beds for half a year without a hint of warmth, no matter how fierce she fanned the flames or how many sheets she piled on. Even when she woke up drenched in sweat from the heat, the iciness in her heart never left, continually stabbing into her. In her dreams, only the nightmare of a burning town replayed itself again and again.
She missed him. Only one person could provide her with the warmth she desperately needed. She knocked her palm into her forehead, deep regret quivering on her lips. Her mother and sister were nowhere to be found in her old home, and the only clue led her to go farther and farther away from him. Frustrated, distraught, and above all, lonely, Avril pulled her disheveled bangs back, her face pale and wrinkled from exhaustion, and murmured, "Sorry, Oscar. I thought it might take a short time, but I might not return soon enough."
His smiling and teasing face appeared in her mind, and she weakly smiled while fiddling around with her ring. "How are you doing, my dear husband? I hope you're doing well." Slowly, sleep claimed her, and she began to furrow her brows and groaned while clutching her chest, suffering from the burning nightmare.
…….
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Oscar zipped and appeared before an enemy. His Eliren Breaker glinted in a purple ring inside his irises. The man was a tricky foe, using fog and water mirrors to duplicate himself, but they were no match for the illusion-piercing Eliren Breaker. Without mercy, Oscar drove a Golden Drill into the enemy's chest, expecting the man to roll over and die.
"DIE!!!" A blood-choked roar resounded from the person Oscar impaled. Underneath the black armor, blood sprayed out from the visor and gaps between the armor, but strands of dangerous Ein flickered and burst as well. The man hugged him in a deadly grasp, gurgling in laughter. Before the man's sacrificial explosion could occur, Oscar resonated his Indestructible Gold with his diamond shield, clad himself in Edureisclad, and released a burst of force using Ripple Shroud.
The man exploded in a tremendous and horrifying power, the result of imploding a core. Violent white, red, and then grey swelled around Oscar's vision, the smell of burning flesh wafting and filling his nostrils. The might of a Greater Knight Exalt's sacrifice was great, but he had experienced it before. When the smoke and flames settled down, Oscar used another Ripple Shroud to shake off the ashes and charred bits of flesh. Gently, he traced his fingers along the fresh burns on his skin, wincing slightly at the sharp, aching pain. All in all, his body remained fine.
"Os! Are you ok?" Fred rushed over, sounding panicked.
"Don't mind me. We have to finish the fight." Oscar brushed off more ashes and swept his gaze across the battle. The enemy was on full retreat. Their remnants bolted back to their side of the Bellariach Mountains to the safety of their airships. On the ground, Erden's gigantic figure, clad in flaming sapphire steel armor, around fifty feet tall, stampeded and crushed the enemy's ground troops.
With him fighting in the sky and Erden on the ground, he kept his promise to Celestina, bringing the losses down as much as possible. Oscar wanted to move but wobbled and clutched his arm, the burns far more severe than he saw. His legs were shaky, shrapnel sticking out. When did he suffer all of these injuries? He scanned his body earlier and didn't find them.
'Too reckless. You're so driven you can't even properly assess your condition. You're a fool for splitting from the beast and fighting by yourself.' Demon chastised him.
'Thanks for the encouragement as always.' Oscar spat out some blood and drank an elixir for his burns and wounds. 'These wounds are nothing.'
'Do what you want, but remember it's also my body. If I feel you are going too far, I will forcibly take control.' Demon retreated away after warning him.
Suddenly, he felt a punch land on his face, and after staggering for a moment, he found it was Fred's fist. Rubbing his cheek, he complained, "What was that for? That came out of nowhere."
"You're too reckless. Look! My punch actually hurt you." Fred frowned, rubbing his reddened knuckles. "You're always doing this. Why can't you ever calm down? Consider your own life for once."
"I am. These injuries aren't too bad." Oscar pointed to the lightest burn on his forearm. "Any moment spent idling around in battle may be a life lost. I have the strength to keep fighting."
Fred took a swing at him, but this time, Oscar dodged. His leg screamed out in pain, and he realized Fred had kicked him in the knee. "Where's the strength? There's nothing." His friend drove a fist into his chest, and he reeled from the pain. Still, not to be outdone, he slammed his own fist into Fred's head, but for some reason, his power couldn't move him even a single inch.
"I'm not sure what it was like in the Burning Valley, but you're our captain. For the past month, you've been running yourself ragged, fighting every reckless fight and then immediately searching mountains afterward. Cherish your life more. I'm asking you as your friend." Fred stared dead into Oscar's eyes, a strong resolve carrying forward.
Retracting his fist, Oscar was silent for a few seconds before nodding, Fred's shoulders relaxing at ease. Out of nowhere, a staff hit his head and Fred's. Confused, Oscar saw Emily scowling at them, raising her weapons again.
"In twenty years, how have the two of you dunces not grown up at all? Fighting like you're all teenagers again. How utterly idiotic." Emily scolded.
"Os and I were having a good talk…" Fred raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Are you talking to me now? Have you forgiven me, Emily?"
"As if." She rejected him, but Emily still answered him, a strange, polarizing action. A smile curled from her lips. "By the way, I think I finally figured out how the enemy is creating all of his nonsensical show."
"You did?!" Oscar and Fred exclaimed together.
Still playfully smiling, Emily hid her laughter behind her hand while staring with a taunt, "I'll let everyone know my idea later tonight. So, Oscar, let's rest up for now, okay?" The last parts of her sentence didn't sound like a question but rather a command. "If I'm right, we can save the north."