Darius did his best to avoid overhearing what the two girls were saying, but even with his hearing only recently coming back, it was hard to do so considering how loud there were being. From what he could gleam, Kristina hunting the griffin was not something Amelia agreed with, and it sounded like Kristina was in hot water for doing so.
Darius couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous. It had been years since he had friends good enough to call him out during times where he was being an idiot. Instead, these last few years, he had only been stuck with people trying to arrest, or more likely kill him, for any little mistake he made. Not nearly as rewarding.
“Hey, Darius, sorry to keep you waiting!” said Kristina now changed from her, without a better way to say it, ugly brown cloak into something that suited her much better.
She wore leather armor, much like Darius, except hers was much thicker, meant to do more than just take glancing blows. Her armor was also specially made. Looking like a weapon vault, her entire body was filled to the brim with weaponry. Daggers, swords, a lance, her crossbow, among several other armaments.
“Do you always carry that much weight? How were you keeping up with the griffin?” Darius wanted to ask before he stopped himself to address the elephant, or rather other person in the room, “No problem, who is that girl with you? She related to Mistress Heart?”
Behind Kristina walked a short, young girl with long curly blonde hair wearing a bright green dress. She carried the same piercings as Mistress Heart, possibly some sort of family tradition, and seemed to have the same nervousness around strangers. That fact was made apparent by the way she continued to hide behind Kristina, shielding herself from Darius’s vision.
“You-your name is Darius, correct? Would just take a seat on that table? I’d like to make sure you’re completely healthy.”
“Sure, I don’t mind, but no shots.”
“I don’t know how to fire a bow. Plus, why would I shoot you?”
“Sorry, it was just a bit of humor, or you know a… forget it.”
“Oh! How… humorous?” she responded giving Darius a pity smile.
Kristina took it upon herself to quell this awkward moment, “You know who he is, but you haven’t introduced yourself yet Amelia.”
“Why does that name sound very familiar?” Darius thought.
“I apologize! I forgot that I look different to you. I’m Mistress Heart, but you can go right ahead and call me Amelia. I’m nowhere near as talented as my mother, but I should be able to handle light injuries.”
Kristina almost burst out laughing when she saw Darius’s horribly confused face, just barely covering her mouth before she did.
“Amelia, how old are you?” Darius asked. “If you don’t mind me asking?”
“Not at all, I’m 17. Krista could you be a dear and hand me my staff please? Tell me have you been feeling any stiffness or pain in your shoulder?”
Her response only served to further confuse Darius, especially considering how nonchalant Amelia was about the whole situation.
“Ye-Yeah, it hurts a bit. In fact, it hurts a bit more now than it did a while ago. I’m thinking maybe a fracture. I wouldn’t mind it if you could heal it. You power is fascinating; how does it work?”
“R-Really? No, no, no, my synthesis is nothing to write about. Its only good point is that it’s so efficient on my vase, but all it can do is change my appearance. I only developed it because it makes dealing with older clients a lot easier.”
“But the way you moved was not like an elderly woman,” Darius remarked, “Being able to change your appearance while not affecting your physical abilities would have many uses, no? In my humble opinion, I think it’s amazing.”
“Well… thank you,” she responded finally showing a small smile.
“More importantly, I couldn’t get a good look at your eyes while you were using this magic or rather wattiez? Your eyes are orange so Life Wattiez, but can you also use Augmentation Wattiez?”
“No, it’s not just a fracture… Oh, sorry, no I can’t use three wattiez.”
“Okay, but I’m just asking if you can use Life and Augmentation Wattiez, only those two.”
Excited to learn more, Darius was surprised when he was met with Amelia’s inquisitive glare. “Where do you come from? Who are you?” She said before harshly forcing his dislocated shoulder back into place.
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
Darius roared in pain, and Kristina was quick to speak out, “Amelia! Hey, what did I say about prying into his past? We have an agreement; we mind our business and he’ll mind his.”
“I feel like she’s angry over the wrong thing,” Darius was sweating profusely from the pain, but his shoulder did feel less stiff.
“I-I know, but haven’t you noticed that he seems so, I’m sorry for the word, strange. The way he speaks, the way he acts, it’s familiar and I can’t explain it, but it’s also extremely different. I don’t want you putting yourself in any more unnecessary danger! I won’t ask who he is, just where did he come from, because he’s definitely not from Horizon. Also, what is he doing here?”
Faced with her friend’s reasonable argument and aggressive behavior, Kristina fumbled over her words. “He…He… Well, I, you know?”
“No, I don’t think she knows, so let me try to explain,” Darius interrupted. “Also, remind me to never let you speak under pressure again.” Kristina nodded violently. “All you need to know is that I’m not like other people. What you know as common sense, will seem new to me. Now I just need to think of a reason why that’s true.”
“Is there a Mental Wattiez affecting you?” Amelia asked.
Darius, never one to miss an opportunity, quickly spoke up, “Is it that obvious? I woke up on the beach behind the forest Kristina found me in with many of my memories repressed. I see bits and pieces of my past life but never the full puzzle. Makes it hard to remember anything regarding wattiez. All that was left to me was a message written in the sand, a name that I’m using as my own, and a mission. Reach New Dawn.”
“Then there might be a mistletoe on your body!” Amelia exclaimed. “Go ahead and strip, I’ll check.”
Darius did not have much time before the small girl jumped to remove his shirt. “To you this may seem like a normal thing, but a little explanation goes a long way.”
“I’d also like to know what’s going on,” Kristina responded, more confused about Darius’s gibberish story than anything else.
Prying the shirt from the boy’s body, Amelia quickly explained, “I’m looking for a mistletoe, some type of marking on his body that allows an ability to affect something even when the wattiez user isn’t around. Since the effect on him seems large, it’s likely that it will still… be… visible…” Her voice trailing off as she saw the gash in his chest and the large puncture wound in his left shoulder.
Stitches reaching from the top of his left shoulder and traveling down to his right side, a wound of this size probably should have killed him. Not to mention the arrow wound above it. “T-These scars… where did you get them?” Kristina asked gingerly.
The scars still hurt sometimes, he’d only been carrying them for less than two years and they brought much more than just physical pain. Darius clutched his chest tightly, the only other person who knew about these injuries was Jerimiah; he didn’t like sharing about it but saying nothing would probably be far more suspicious.
“Bits and pieces, it’s hard to recollect, but I can faintly remember an enemy. Friends and family lost to this enemy. Probably has something to do with my mission, but-”
“I wasn’t talking about the one on your chest, but all of these on your back,” Kristina interrupted.
“What?” Darius had forgotten about those, a bunch of little scars he’d gotten when he was a child after getting dizzy and falling down a tall tree Jerimiah planted when he was younger. He was left in a critical condition for a whole month and also gained his fear of heights. “Those? I fell from a high place or something, can’t remember."
Kristina grabbed Darius’s hands with a worried gaze asked, “Do you know a girl named Kristhalla or a woman named Cassandra?”
“Something seems off with the way she asked that question, is she mistaking me for somebody?” Darius thought. “I may have heard the name here or there, but I don’t think they’re the same people you’re thinking off.”
Kristina looked dejected at first but quickly laughed it off, “Yeah you’re right, even though you’re not from around here doesn’t mean-”
Darius was quick to clap both of her face between his hands so she would stop talking, “What was that for… oh right.” Luckily for them, Amelia seemed none the wiser.
“Your shoulder was the main problem, and I’ve already healed your minor injuries like your ears.” Amelia commented, her eyes going back to their normal sea blue. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a mistletoe. Also, I’m sorry for setting your shoulder so suddenly, but it doesn’t hurt anymore, right?”
Hands still on Kristina, Darius took a moment to move his shoulder around, realizing that he could finally move it normally again. “Wow, that’s pretty impressive! My body feels good as new, just a bit exhausted. Thanks doc!”
An embarrassed smile reached Amelia’s lips, “Of… of course! I am Mistress Heart! It’s only natural that I do so much.”
“Cool it little lady, don’t want you to get a big head now.” Kristina interjected. “Darius, come on, we still have work to do.”
Without any hesitation, Kristina moved to leave the house as I sluggishly followed. Before they could leave, Amelia rushed in front of the door. “I still have my doubts about this Darius fellow, and I don’t like the idea about you going back out there, but I know I can’t stop you so stay safe out there.”
She grabbed onto Kristina and hugged her tightly, a gesture she returned. “You don’t need to worry about me. At least, that what I’d usually say, but I’m glad you do.”
She let Kristina pass but stopped Darius one more time. “Just know if anything happens to her, I’m blaming you, so do your best to keep her safe, or I will end you.”
Darius was surprised to feel such bloodlust coming from the small girl who nearly stumbled on her own feet. “Noted, but I think she’ll be protecting me far more than I could protect her, but you have my word. As long as I’m around, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure no harm comes to her.”
Satisfied with his answer, she let him pass. “Don’t forget to make sure you have all your supplies! I don’t want a repeat of last month!”
“Last month?” Darius asked.
“Some things happened, I forgot my crossbow, a lot of injuries. I’m just glad she never asked me about her envy staff. Remember, the one I broke. I hid it behind the door in her room so it shouldn’t be long before-”
“Kriiiiisssssstaaaaa!”
“Before that.”
“This girl is wild, maybe I will enjoy this.”