II.

Sometimes people don't want to let go of the things that make them sad, because they're the only thing that made them happy once upon a time.

The thought-shard splashed on the maid's garb as she moved, like water or a delicate piece of glass shattering upon her soul. The phrase felt like it hit her in places where she kept hidden, but pierced her like a ray of sunshine. It was the girl's own thoughts, intertwining with her servant's own. Now that is true magic. She sensed that the Princess held that particular shard in an oddly melancholic manner, even if she did not know its true meaning. Did she make the Princess sad? Or was she sad because she felt like she let Madoka down somehow? They were both true, yet here she was in the thick of foreign woods with her on her back.

Once again.

Madoka did not know where to go, or how Audrey knew where she was, but she simply followed the girl's instructions under the winding trees. That was, again, Her Highness's magic at work. She was strangely quiet and unusually cold to the touch. It was not unpleasant, but there she missed the heat the annoying girl gave her and she never thought she'd think that.

"You're cold," Madoka accidentally mused allowed.

"Mm?" Audrey's fingers were also cold. "Wouldn't know. Feel fine."

Her voice had a lot more energy in it compared to a few hours ago, at least. Madoka trudged in silence, wondering what the girl was thinking about that kept her so silent. The Knotting Strands short circuited in the rain, racing back into her as they crossed onto the Petal's ridgeway trail. She stopped with a sigh. The sun was beating down on them with its shine, despite the rain peppering her skin. Being up in the sky looking down upon the tall cliffsides made the distance between them and the Leyline seem short, but it's taken half the day to get back here.

"Limestone, gneisses, and weirdly pronounced schistosity. They're hexagonal shaped and full of silicate, plus there's probably some other rare metals inside its framework. Kind of reminds me of construction work of my own world, but... These types of sediments, rocks and gradients are typically found where faults are... And mesas. Weird that there's a forest here at all. The Petals I observed from above seemed indicative of something large impacting the surface of this world. What, with the central peaks, walls and split sections wrecking everything around there. Then again, I was never good at geography... Not that one... Uh, topology. Geology? Ehh..."

Perhaps the kind gods grew this forest here, the maid thought, though it did seem like the further away from the center Petals the more spacious they were from each other. She did not get a good look at the center Petal, but that was apparently the source of all the tremors and the shadow beast. Madoka pursed her lips, and instead noted the hexagonal rock formations forming under the piles of brown stone like white metal bones beneath stony flesh.

She chose not to speak on the kind gods's actions or anything at all, instead she absentmindedly kicked a loose rock at a particular spot instead of asking her what she meant. However, rather than harmlessly bouncing off the peak's tall cliffside the strange formation cracked apart. A thunderous crash tore into her ear as the rock punched through the hexagonal shell, shattering it to pieces. Rumbling shook her boots as big rocks slid down in a furious uproar, barely giving her enough time to space herself and her princess away from the new pile of destroyed rocks.

"Eh?! S-Sorry, Madoka, I was trying to sound smart — I didn't know you didn't like geology rants! Don't throw me in there!"

"It's not that," Madoka sighed, peering at the hole in the pile of devastated rubble she created. It was pitch black inside and too small for even the princess. "I didn't think it would do that... Besides, you wouldn't fit in there anyways."

"Wha—" Audrey squeaked, but settled down. "Maybe the Six Armed Goddess's strength buff is still affecting you."

"Audrey, I have no idea what you're talking about," Madoka adjusted her grip on the girl and took a step on the rocky path. "I merely kicked a rock, like your strange talks can do."

"So you DO hate geology!" Audrey whined. "Perhaps we can find metals or rare stuff to build you a bad ass weapon or something in this world. The possibilities are endless! If you have the strength of a goddess or a bunch of those gods' talismans in you, we might as well as find a godly weapon for you that can handle it. What were those tier thingies again? Whatever!"

A godlike weapon, huh? She as a servant would refuse, of course. Madoka thought of that dragon girl they briefly met before heading to the inn. Eena. She said come to the forge so she may take that offer.

"A strong weapon would be cool! Maybe we can go on quests for one! Well," Audrey's voice trailed off. Madoka felt her leg try to kick, but it went limp after slightly lifting instead. "After I recover. If I do."

"If?" Madoka's heart sank, but she chuckled. "You'd be easier to handle if you couldn't walk again."

"I still could fly, Madoka," the princess retorted. "What then?"

"So can I," Madoka felt her crystal's golden Strands wrap around her back beneath Audrey. She evidently felt the jolt too, because her tongue clicked.

"Dammit," she moaned. "You really did fly up to get me, didn't you? You're an angel..."

Madoka said nothing and continued her way. She could not summon those wings without meditating a lot anyway. Those golden strands used to scratch at her vision, but as long as she breathed in and performed Audrey's ritual she could hide them from her sight. They were a big help for her during her ascent and within the storm, begrudgingly so. Madoka simply knew that magic was becoming a part of her reality whether she liked it or not.

"That storm," the princess mused. "It was gone when I woke up. Wonder what happened to it. Or if the locals will notice it missing. You didn't detect any thoughts in or around that place, did you?"

"No, I did not," Madoka replied, omitting the fact that she fell in it. It just dawned upon her that she did not even have the time to check while dodging Audrey's magic. "I was busy."

"Eep!" Audrey squeaked when Madoka squeezed her leg. "There were clouds a whole lot of nothing else down the giant hole. Two holes, two parallelisms in sky and earth. Interesting. I didn't really know how this planet operated at first, what with the extremely long seasons, the two moons above our heads and how that should have a big impact on this world. I detected other celestial bodies right in line with the moons, but they weren't like anything I've seen from my own world. We might be on some kind of magical Alderson Disk. Hell directly below, heaven directly above... Too many enemies, not enough time..."

"You're worrying me, Audrey," Madoka scolded her. "Stop that."

"Oops, sorry," Audrey's voice faltered. It was not like her to back down so easily, but the silence was welcome. She remained quiet as soon as they entered the Petal zone Gladeban was in. Madoka lost track of which Petal was which. She could hear the busy thoughts of horses and chaos of the distant bustling city streets so she could get there on her own. A tug on her sleeve slowed her advance down, but she could smell a familiar scent creeping inside her nose. "Something's ahead. Lots of movement."

It was the burning smell of Domineering magic, detonated in a large radius. Madoka knew it all along, because it pervaded the air when she fought to save Audrey from the sphere. Freedom does not come at a fair price, she supposed. The bleakness in the air and the rain did not put out the flame when they came by it. A gasp came from Audrey's mouth. Did she truly not know she caused this?

"No way," Audrey whispered. The two were observing a mess of adventurers and various members of different Guilds with emblems and uniforms she did not recognize frantically move about a massive crater. Molten rock and erratic Knotting Strands laced with Thought Needles flowed around from its floor. "You're saying I created this hole?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"What part of castle sized magical blasts did you not get?" Madoka snapped. "We've walked by several messes you made already!"

"Nae waah..."

"You two," someone called out to them. The person was a Narm like her, possessing a deep voice and wore a surcoat that bore an emblem that Madoka recognized, a Sword Hawk with blades for feet and on its beak, but it made her uncomfortable. Despite his soldier-like appearance, a silver Adventurer Guild tag hung from his neck. "New bloods, eh? Caught up in the sweeping blasts the Leyline was spittin' up? Looking worse for wear."

He eyed the pair. Madoka resisted shrugging and nodded instead. There was no hostile intent. There was more Knotting stone formations blocking off the stray Domineering magic with a humming, pale golden aura similar to the shimmering barrier her crystal created. She remembered that the emblem represented the mysterious country, Warring, east of Fiara. The Narm nodded back and saluted in a swift movement of his right hand to his forehead. Audrey saluted that way before, but she assumed the girl picked the odd habit from a book or something.

"Seek a Substance healer for your Noble," He released his salute. "It's best you two hurry back to town."

"T-Thank you, sir," Madoka mumbled, but the Narm had already marched back to his group. They were a Gold Ranked Adventurer Party of sorts, two ranks above her own. She snorted. "I wonder if a Healer would be expensive to hire."

"Hell no," Audrey groaned. "I'd rather heal naturally. And totally, most definitely, NOT because I just want a lot of sick days off."

Sick days, huh? That concept was brought up by her during their time at the Estate. The idea of not working because one felt sick was foreign to her, but she could not recall the last time she spent a good clean-up time on a hallway. It was Madoka's turn to sigh, but it was Her Highness's decision. She knew Audrey well enough by now to know she wanted rest anyways. She was still a princess and working menial tasks were tough for her, despite her pretending they were not.

"That guy was a Warring fellow," Audrey muttered. "Probably one of the Company A lackeys we ran into when we got here. As the country's name suggests, they're all about their military. Father had some stressful meetings with their officials back in the day. A nation of warriors, AKA our neighbors. Lucky for us, they were too busy fighting Tabruula and Crosstella to worry about us."

"A nation of Narms at war, huh," Madoka strode off.

"Well there's Esmeralda who invaded us from the West, backed by this country," Audrey chirped along, as if what she said was insignificant. Madoka did not feel attached to that country, she realized. It seemed that she cared for only the Palace. "And Chelise where all the animal people live was south of Fiara. We were going to wipe those people out, but I sort of stopped Father from doing that..."

"We're going to have to work in Esmeralda soon, Audrey," Madoka felt her iron tag clink against her cloak. "If you want to, that is."

"Well, I don't really know what to do, so," Audrey trailed off. "I don't like the idea of living here, though."

The only place she belonged to was the Palace's throne in Fiara. Madoka stopped herself from being bitter. The bone jaws of the gates were upon her some time later and Madoka noted that despite walking for more than half the day with a girl on her back, the only thing worn out were her boots. The city of Gladeban was quite busy, she observed multiple crowds flocking to certain areas around the various Guild Halls. Skirting by a few adventurer parties and ignoring their looks at Audrey on her back, Madoka felt a tap on her arm.

"Wha- Where are we going?" Audrey asked.

"To the inn, of course," Madoka snapped. She was getting stressed by all of the people traveling around her. Crowds of Commoners was not good for a Princess, she thought. She herself was not used to many poorly dressed folk speaking casually with each other about the Leyline's eruption.

"M-Makes sense," Audrey guessed.

Getting Her Highness to a safe place, or at least one she could easily remember was her highest priority. Therefore, she huffed her way towards the familiar building, biting her tongue from expressing her regret over leaving it in the first place. Audrey tapped her sleeve again, moments before she pulled the door's handle.

"Where will you go, then?" She asked.

Madoka paused since she thought the answer was obvious.

"I'll be right by your side until you recover, milady," she sighed, refraining from addressing her as a Royal.

"T-That's like, not necessary," Audrey stammered, but her weak voice only made Madoka's resolve stronger. "You can go—"

Suddenly, the door swung open and a familiar hand waved them in. It was Eraziror, whose eyes looked to Madoka and then to Audrey. He must have seen them through the window, so she eased her guard for a moment.

"Yo," he greeted them. "Get inside, what are you standing about in the rain for?"

Madoka hardly noticed it was raining and entered. The Inn was quiet, save for several Sovos adventurers gathered around. Did they not have work to do outside? She wondered, but noticed some of them were injured. Eraziror sighed.

"Ceghinort's blood and all that," he slumped down on a seat. Madoka felt Audrey's hand tug her waist, so she reluctantly set her down on a stool. "World's gone mad. Did the crazy storm get Milady and you too?"

"N-No," Audrey muttered, but squeaked when Madoka glared at her.

"We were training," Madoka explained with a blank tone, but she decided to lie instead. "Then the sky went dark."

"Aye," the Sovos looked outside, but paused. "Wait a moment, if the magical storm didn't do that to your Lady then that must mean..."

Madoka had forgotten that Audrey was covered in bruises. The princess laughed sheepishly, while she scoffed. Eraziror's eyes flicked between the pair in confusion.

"She deserved it," Madoka growled. Eraziror straightened his posture at the change of her tone.

"The day went sideways for a lot of us here," he sighed. "Luckily none of the comets hit the city, but they'll be a lot of Stone Proclamations posted everywhere soon enough. Don't go that way, don't go here, blah blah blah. Still. Should've known you two would be alright. Well, one of you."

"I'm fine," Audrey pouted, but both the dragon man and the maid stared at her. "What?"

"No offense to your Lady, but it doesn't even look like she can walk!" He exclaimed.

"She can't. I carried her all the way here," Madoka confirmed.

"I'm right here!"

"Ah, can't say I enjoy sitting around here, but uh, I got something for you, Madoka," Eraziror stuck his hand in a small bag that he had next to his lyre and withdrew a little rolled up scroll. "A letter, since Kanys and you couldn't speak with each other that other night."

A... letter? Madoka accepted it with a blank stare. She could not read! She knew letters were supposed to be private, but the only one she knew that could already had her prying eyes on the letter. Would that girl be angry if she made Audrey read it for her? Madoka shook that thought out her head. Of course, she would be angry. That dragon girl did not trust Audrey at all.

"What happened to her?" Audrey asked.

"She's, well," a hint of sadness tinged the dragon man's eyes. Eraziror blinked and ran his hand through his hair, then slumped in defeat. "She departed back to Esmeralda, her home mountain, to deepen her link to the Mansion of Shadow's. Ul'Linia's blessings, yada yada, it's a whole thing that I didn't understand. The point is, she headed out some time before the storm hit. Ul'Linia's a hard name to pronounce, you know? Then there's me, alone and far behind her again."

Your name is hard to pronounce, Madoka suppressed a sigh.

"Hey there," Audrey's weak voice still sounded serious enough for the dragon man to straighten back up again. "I know I don't come from the same place you've always been in, hell, being a Noble and all of that. I could never feel the same way you do. But I know that feeling of chasing infinity, the light so tall ahead that your shadow swallows you. I don't really know where I'm going with all of that, but I know you can do it! Work hard and be strong enough to catch up. For her. For you."

Eraziror shook, as if he had a thousand things to say. Anger? Denial? Troubles? Madoka did not truly know where his head and heart were at after hearing her words. She recognized the state of incognizance she left him in, but knew eventually he would understand that Audrey meant well. Perhaps that's what Her Highness means? They were supposed to share company in confusion until they found meaning together? Did Audrey and her find meaning yet? Instead, he glanced out the window where rain pounded against it like insects and held his tongue, much to Madoka's delight. She did not want to beat him for insulting her Lady. Eventually, his shoulders relaxed.

"Thanks, milady," he said after a lingering moment, but then realized he had more to say. "Speaking of getting stronger, the party might be over but I've got some more work to do. Care to join, Madoka? I would invite your Master, but, uh, you know better than I the state she's in isn't quite up to Adventurer standards if you know what I mean."

"I— I intend on—" Madoka was about to say she wanted to stay by her side, but Audrey cut her off.

"You can go with him!" Audrey chirped. Where did she get her energy from? Why was she so happy all of a sudden. "Yes, it will be boring being holed up with me in my room for sure!"

"I—"

"Well, that's settled then," Eraziror picked up on Audrey's not-so-subtle hint and rose a hand to Madoka. "What do you say, Madoka? We'll work on a commission soon, eh? I'll show you the ropes and we'll go chase the light together for a spell. Shake on it."

Madoka glared at Audrey, who responded with a kick to her boot and a smirk.

"We'll be back home by nightfall each day, don't you worry!" Eraziror's hand twiddled and twirled, as if he was trying to coax her into shaking it. "Come on."

"Yeah, come on," Audrey said. Madoka knew that tone. It was an order that she had to take and an assurance that the Princess was indeed strong enough to be left alone for a few days. Madoka still rolled her eyes before turning her attention to the smirking Eraziror. Kind gods, she thought angrily.

"Very well," Madoka rose to her full height, casting her own shadow over the dragon man. He could not help but gawk all the way up at her frame as she grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. "Shake on it."