I bit my bottom lip, preparing myself to put on another act to hide how anxious I was. “Guess who’s back!” I cheered, hoping for a positive response, rather than her calling me a liar for saying I’d rescue her.
She didn’t do either though… She didn’t even look up. She had a heavy anti-magic shackle around her right ankle, was wearing prisoners' sackcloth rags, and all she had for a bathroom was a bucket. I turned to look behind me, thankfully the cell across from her was empty at least… But still.
“Mochi… That is you right?”
She slowly raised her head to look at me before lowering it again. “Yeah, it’s me, sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“I-I messed up, and you almost died… I hit you with my magic, instead of helping you, and then you had to keep fighting, and all I could do was watch, then, there was blood everywhere, and her swords… And…” Her voice was cold and almost lifeless, more so than usuall, as if she was talking to herself, and didn’t believe I was really there at all.
I turned to the guard. “Open the cell.”
“I can’t do that It’s against–”
“I said open the cell!”
“No… Don’t get yourself into more trouble… Not even you can fight everyone… That’s why we ran that time, isn’t it?” Her voice raised but only slightly, as if she was still afraid something bad would happen if anyone heard her speak.
I could hear her starting to sniffle and was about to tear the cell apart with my magic to get inside. I saw so much of myself in her that it felt like I was the one inside the cell crying… It made me feel a pit in my stomach as heavy as lead.
The guard sighed, stepping back. “Listen… My brother was in the great forest during the outbreak recently, he was on his deathbed for three days. But somehow he got the antidote he needed just in time… Now, I can’t open the cell for you… But if you’re everything they say, you don’t need me to…”
I turned back to Mochi. ‘The cage may be enchanted iron, but the walls are stone…’
“Mochi, I need you to listen very carefully. There wasn’t a single spell you cast that didn’t save my life, INCLUDING the one that hit me in the back. That wind lance disrupted her magic enough for me to break through it… Now… I… You might not even understand what I’m saying right now but… I asked you if you wanted to leave that place, and you said you were going to follow me… So I’ll ask you again…”
I stomped the ground, feeling the familiarity of the earth under my feet and the mana coursing through it. With a burst of power, I cracked the earth and opened up a wide tunnel through the wall and around the bars to the outside. “Do you want to come with me or not.”
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“I’ll go!” She yelled again, just like before. No hesitation as tears ran down her dirt-covered face without me even having to count.
Walking into the cell, I quickly picked the lock around her ankles. “Then we better get going.”
She was filthy, but considering the cell was just a dusty dirt floor and a bucket I didn’t have to wonder why. “You’re not hurt anywhere are you?”
She shook her head. “No, but… If we’re running away I should change my clothes.”
I tried my best to force a smile, in hopes of giving her some comfort. “This is actually perfect, we were about the same size before so my clothes should fit you.” ‘Well, I was a bit taller and bulkier, but close enough.’
She stared at me, her eyes drifting between my chest and my face. “Is this was people call optimism?”
I felt a chill, suddenly feeling embarrassed again. ‘She never saw how I used to look did she…’ “I mean before… You know what never mind, just, here. For now, this shirt, and these pants should work.” I quickly grabbed them from storage.
She gladly took them, wiping her tears and starting to change without a second thought.
“Ah! Here.” I pulled my great blade from storage and stuck it in the ground, providing a wide enough shield that the guard couldn’t see. Although taking a second look outside, he had his back turned entirely already. ‘Plausible deniability? Well… Considering… I should be thankful… But I’m starting to lose faith in our prison system…’
“You did sign the paperwork stating you wouldn’t press charges right? Or that she didn’t actually attack you?” He asked over his shoulder without so much as turning his neck.
“Yeah, I did,” I said back, reassuring him with a grin. ‘These oldtimers… They really are soft, aren’t they? Well. I made sure we were really only skipping formalities anyway, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.
As I saw Mochi take her shirt off though my smile quickly vanished. Her whole back was covered with purple and red gashes from being whipped, not only that but she had old scars from the same treatment, clearly done in a much more brutal way in the past. My blood ran cold and I wasn’t sure which one was worse.
I was glad she was looking away, because in that moment my act crumbled, and it was all I could do not to cry as a sudden wave of emotion hit me all at once.
She finished changing and looked back at me as if nothing had happened, and I guess nothing did from her perspective. I couldn’t just leave it alone though… Some of those marks were new… They weren't even all closed wounds yet.
“Mochi… What happened to you back?”
Her eyes shifted from my face to the floor. “Even if I didn't try to kill you I was still working with the dark guild… I got the lightest punishment, so it’s not a big deal.”
Another wave of chills ran down my arms. I didn’t know what to do or what to say, and I was angry at everything and everyone, including myself… But… I also realized that the anger was meaningless because it had come too late… ‘This is why I can’t lose… Ever…’ “Let’s get out here…”
I sent my blade back to storage and grabbed her hand, leading her behind me. To vent my frustration I didn’t so much bother with the front door, I just blew out the wall shifting the earth and leading her back to the carriage slamming the door shut after we climbed inside.
“Chika… just breath…” Posy said coldly.
‘Is it that obvious?’ I covered my face with my hands, shutting out all light and trying to let my mind go completely blank, but it didn’t work. “Just stop the carriage…” My foot was tapping repeatedly on the ground, but I couldn’t stop it. At some point, it became less about me breaking down, and more like an itch I had to scratch.
Luckily we were already outside of town again by the time I cracked. I stepped out, created a giant ball of water, and sent it high into the sky overhead. Finally, I took a deep breath in and let it all out as fire. The water all turned to steam and vapor, covering the whole area in a wet mist that helped me finally release some of the tension I was holding.
‘That’s… Better At least… I must just be a bit sensitive right now because of everything that’s been happening. It’s like I can’t hold it all in anymore…’