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Disclaimer: I only own Bonvis and Yohanna. I do not own any other STF character or the Mystic Isles.
A/N: I know I have a bad habit of killing off my own OCs sometimes, and I apologize for that (though their demise usually drives the plot forward in some way). However, I don't think I've ever had someone as upset for an affected OC because of another OC's death as I witnessed with MarionetteJ2X. She was genuinely concerned about Bonvis after Quilor (his brother) was killed in "Malum In Se," and she frequently inquired what would happen to him as a result. I finally sat down and plotted this story as a response to that. 😊 MJ2X, thank you so much for caring about my OCs. Thanks to ANY of you who care about my OCs: from Sir Finlay and his family, to Dante and his family, to Bonvis, to Master Elgraste, and any others. That truly means a lot to me, and any writer, that our characters are treated with the same level of respect as canon characters. With that said, Bonvis will get an opportunity to work through his grief in here, and maybe come out better in the end. 😉 Hope you all enjoy!
PS: For anyone curious about how to say Bonvis's name, it's pronounced Bone-vees. 😉 Oh, and fun fact… Vega's name has been the bane of my existence throughout this story. My autocorrect kept trying to change her name to "Vegan." Lol! Go figure. Enjoy!
Five months had passed since Quilor's demise, and during that time, Bonvis had hardly spoken to anyone, except for Vega and Orion on occasion, since he considered their warm and calm approach respectable. While the Protectors had invited him to stay in the Mystic Isles (and he'd accepted, especially since his own realm of Aeris Inanis felt so cold and devoid of happiness without his brother), he'd hardly tried to mingle with anyone. Bonvis was actually more of a loner by nature, which wasn't so surprising considering his past as "Malvis."
Vega and Orion had given Bonvis a cottage on the Isle of Protectors, which was settled in a more reclusive and quieter section of the isle. He was far enough away from the typical hustle and bustle of the Protectors but close enough to where he could visit Vega and Orion if need be. He hadn't quite made contact with anyone else, and he didn't really mind that.
Bonvis was currently sitting at his table near the window, a book in his left hand as he stirred a cup of mint tea with a small stir stick in his right hand. He set the stick aside and took a sip from the cup as his eyes scanned the words on the page he was reading. This one daily activity of reading with tea helped keep his mind clear and steady. The last thing he wanted to do was to let it wander.
He blinked and set the book and cup down when he heard a knock at the door. Very few people actually visited him, so he was curious as to who could have come by. He stood up and walked to the door, pulling it open, sighing upon recognizing his visitors. "Vega. Orion."
"Bonvis," Vega greeted in her usual calm manner, a smile on her face. "May we come in?"
"Certainly." He stepped aside and welcomed the other two inside, gesturing toward a green sofa. "Please, have a seat." He sat in his chair as the two Protectors settled in, and he immediately began wringing his hands—a nervous habit he'd picked up since Quilor's death. He'd never had it before then. "How…can I help you?"
"Actually, we have come with a proposition for you, Bonvis," Orion informed the younger man, smiling gently at his surprised reaction. "We won't venture to say that we know how you feel in terms of losing your brother."
Bonvis frowned but nodded in understanding. At least he was being realistic. One of the things he hated to hear was 'I know how you feel.' If that were the case, then that would mean that someone else had witnessed a brother stabbed through the heart by an evil entity and left to die. "U-Um… I actually respect that, Orion."
Orion nodded. "We do know that you've isolated yourself from everyone and everything since being here in the Mystic Isles. Granted, that's your prerogative, and we're not saying there's a right or a wrong way to grieve the loss of a family member; however…" He shifted a bit upon seeing Bonvis's perplexed expression. He looked as though he wanted to run and hide somewhere. "Vega and I were wondering if you would be at all interested in meeting one of our Undercover Specialist Protectors."
"What in the Aeris is that?" Bonvis had to admit to himself that he was mildly intrigued by the Protectors in general. What they did was noble. Their job was literally to protect others in any realm or variety, and after all the trauma he'd experienced with witnessing his brother's death, he found himself silently wishing these Protectors well. If others could be saved in any capacity, then he wanted to see that happen.
"Exactly what you think," Vega laughed. "Yohanna is her name. She works undercover on secret missions in plenty of different areas. We had another Undercover Protector named Dexter who used to do the same thing, but he is now the ruler of his own realm." She folded her hands into her lap. "Undercover Protectors—specialists or not—are rare here in the Mystic Isles. They have to pass a series of tests before they can qualify. One of the key elements is the ability to camouflage oneself and blend in well with others. It also helps to be flexible and detached from too many relationships, so to speak."
"I see…" The light-haired sorcerer appeared to be somewhat confused. "And…you would like me to meet this special Protector because…"
"I'm almost certain the two of you would get along swimmingly," Orion responded, smiling mischievously and even snickering a bit as Vega elbowed him.
Bonvis, missing whatever joke seemed to have transpired between the two Protectors, merely shrugged. "Very well. Though I can't say I'm much of a people person."
Vega laughed softly. "That's all right. There's much more to Yohanna than meets the eye."
He nodded as he looked down at his book longingly. He'd just gotten to chapter twelve, and it was starting to get really good. However, he knew the book was merely a distraction from reality. He'd become so removed from the real world that he hardly recognized life outside his stories and beverage of choice. Sighing, he smiled lightly toward the other two. "Very well. I'll meet her. I can't promise anything good will come out of it, but…"
"Nonsense," Orion insisted, standing up and helping Vega to her feet. "I think you may change your mind once you meet her. She's at our headquarters right now, gathering necessary information for her upcoming undercover mission. It's actually rather exciting, especially when you see her in action and what she must do in order to blend in."
"I'm actually intrigued now," Bonvis admitted sheepishly, causing the other two to exchange knowing glances. "This is a first for me."
"Trust us, Bonvis," Vega urged him with a gentle smile. "You won't be disappointed."
Bonvis was nervous walking into the Protectors' headquarters. There were several others present whom he did not recognize. Granted, he hadn't necessarily made any efforts to meet that many people and therefore had no reason to recognize anyone. However, he did recall Chrysta, whose somewhat loud and brash personality was a bit much to him, even for a former 'bad guy' himself. (He'd prefer the label of 'misguided' any day, but that was neither here nor there.) The younger Protector was chatting with a few others and paid him no mind.
He stopped when he felt Orion's hand on his shoulder, signaling him to remain where he was. He watched as the revered Windwalker approached a young woman and began to speak with her. Since her back was turned to him, all Bonvis could tell was that she wore all black and had somewhat messy jet-black hair that fell to her mid back. Was this Yohanna?
A few moments later, Orion turned back toward Bonvis, as did the young woman, and they both headed in his direction.
"Relax," he mumbled to himself. "Don't make a fool out of yourself. They're just people…" He forced a smile on his face as the other two paused before him. "You!" He blushed in embarrassment as the girl blinked at him, a bit startled by his random outburst. He had to say something—anything—to make this less awkward. He dumbly pointed at her outfit and said, "Nice pants!"
She took in his words before laughing. "Well, thank you. I think." She then smiled disarmingly to calm his nerves. "Orion told me a bit about you, and I'm glad to meet you, Bonvis. I'm Yohanna."
Yohanna possessed a tanned complexion and interesting aquamarine eyes that practically looked like the ocean water itself: almost like the stunning ebb and flow of an early morning tide. Around her neck was a silver necklace with a rose charm hanging from the chain. Her pants and top were matching black fabrics, and her top was long-sleeved, even in the summer for some reason. Her black boots had a bit of a heel on them, which Bonvis had to wonder about, given the impracticality during potential missions (or so he assumed anyway). On her fingers were numerous rings of different varieties with different colored stones in each one. Her fingernails were also unusually long for a Protector and painted deep red. Her jet-black hair was indeed mid-back length, though it seemed to have a mind of its own: some pieces hanging longer than others with others being spikey. Edgy. That was the word.
"Yohanna," Vega began, getting the other Protector's attention, "Bonvis has been here with us for a few months but has never really gotten a chance to explore much of the Mystic Isles or to see what we as Protectors do. And what better way to introduce him to our occupation than to let him learn more about one of our Undercover Specialists?"
"Hmm, I see." She shrugged as she folded her arms. "Well, I've got a mission coming up in a few days, so I could probably show you a bit of what I do to prepare. The tricks of the trade, so to speak."
"Um, sure," Bonvis responded, shrugging. What else was he going to do? Return to his book and tea? His empty and quiet cottage? Well, not that he minded that nice solitude, but maybe some time away from his now normal routine would give him some sort of new perspective. What he would gain from that, he wasn't sure, but he wouldn't ever know if he didn't try. Right? "Lead the way, Yohanna."
She smiled before grabbing his hand, startling him a bit, and tugging him along.
"You think this was a good idea?" Orion wondered as he stood next to Vega, watching the other two leave.
"We'll see," she replied. "They're a lot more alike than they realize, and they might find that they're kindred spirits of sorts. It could be the start of a great friendship—something that neither of them seems to have."
"Hmm. And…do you think we should have told him about her secret?"
"No." She smiled up at him. "He'll find out soon enough. Just leave that to Yohanna."
...
"What's this?" Bonvis asked curiously as Yohanna paused before a strangely glowing tree, with what looked to be magical dust pouring off the leaves.
"This would be a tree," she responded playfully, smirking as he scoffed.
"Well, I can see that, but… Why is it glowing and sparkling like that?"
"Do you believe in magic, Bonvis?" She winked as she rolled back her sleeves, revealing her own Enchantlet on her right wrist. It was teal with a few seashells lined along the surface.
"I am a sorcerer, so…" He shrugged before yelping as she grabbed his hand again. "What is with you and the hand thing?"
She smiled mischievously as she yanked him toward her, causing him to gulp. "Just trying to make sure you're able to keep up with me." She waved her free hand in front of the tree, her rings glowing a bit as she muttered something in an unknown language (which sounded rather musical and mysterious to Bonvis). The tree glowed more intensely, and she grinned back at the startled sorcerer. "Hold on."
Within seconds, they'd vanished.
The sound of waterfalls crashing into other bodies of water, birds twittering, the wind rustling through the trees, and the general outdoor ambiance soothed Bonvis as he inhaled slowly, his eyes still closed. In that instance, he could smell the sweet foliage, the seawater, the pollen on individual blooms, and so much more. He could feel the sun warming him pleasantly, and he could feel that Yohanna was still holding tightly to his hand, her rings likely leaving a few indentions in his skin (not that he cared).
"Open your eyes," she whispered directly into his ear, startling him a bit.
Bonvis finally (slowly) opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw. It looked like he was on an actual island of sorts. It was so colorful and majestic, with those massive waterfalls in the distance and the incredible sight of the plush light pink clouds hanging just above the area. It was unlike anything he'd seen before. "Where are we?"
"This is the Isle of Mermaids."
"Uh-huh…" He blinked as she let go of his hand and began walking toward the water. Curious, he followed her. "And…what exactly are we doing here? Oh, is your undercover mission something about rescuing mermaids or something? Or…" He laughed at the apparently absurd thought that passed through his mind. "Or saving someone from mermaids?"
Yohanna smirked as she paused at the water's edge, her hand on her hip as she looked at him. "Find that funny, do you?"
"Well, sure. Mermaids don't hurt people, do they?" He then frowned thoughtfully. "Oh, wait… I've heard that they like to sing songs to lure in sailors or something. Or to…" He noticed that she was still smirking and had even begun slowly walking toward him. "Th-They, um… They sing songs to…pull in their…prey…"
She stopped before him, trailing the back of her hand across his cheek. "So tell me, Bonvis…" Her aquamarine eyes danced in mirth as she asked her question in the most melodic sing-song voice he'd ever heard, "Are you going to be my prey?"
Before he could even process what was happening, Yohanna laughed and turned, running straight toward the water and diving in. The moment her body touched the water, everything changed. Her jewelry still remained, but that was about it. Her long-sleeved black top morphed into a more cropped version with thinner straps resting against her shoulders. Her midriff was now visible, and around her waist he could now see a black chain with an onyx heart holding it in place. Her legs hand been exchanged for an elegant ebony tail and fin. And her edgy black hair was now much wavier and longer (probably even longer than she was) and a turquoise blue color that he'd never seen before. It even seemed to have strands that glittered under the light, giving her an even more ethereal and mysterious aura.
Bonvis couldn't believe it. This whole time, he'd been talking to a… He slowly shuffled forward toward the bank and sat down, watching Yohanna splash around a bit, laughing at his baffled expression. When he finally came to his senses, he managed to stutter, "Y-You've been a mermaid all this time?"
"Of course, silly." She smiled. "Kind of been one since birth." She yawned as she floated on her back, her hair trailing out along the water as she rested her hands on her waist. "Weird story, right? So, my dad was full mer-guy. My mom was half mermaid, because her parents had an…interesting love story." She giggled. "So I've got some human in me, which allows me to switch from mermaid to human. And it also goes so well with being an Undercover Specialist Protector." Seeing that she had his attention, she turned and swam over, resting her arms on the bank as she turned to look at him, noticing his perplexed expression. "What is it?"
"I noticed you said 'was' with both of your parents…" He saw the frown that appeared on her face, and he nodded. "Mine too… When I was nine. Actually, my brother Quilor and I—" He sighed, shaking his head and looking down. It was too soon, and he knew it. Why was he even telling her all this anyway? They'd just met that day.
"I know about your brother, Bonvis…" She smiled gently as he turned back toward her. "Orion filled me in, and I was there when they had his honorary service a few months back. I didn't meet you that day though. I think you were more focused on the service, and I don't blame you." She gently grasped his hand. "You lost your parents when you were nine. I lost mine when I was fourteen. There was an attack in our original realm, and my parents were guards in the king's court." She sighed. "They fell protecting our kingdom. I was orphaned and swam away, because I didn't want to be a charity case. I met another Protector named Nerissa, who is the most famous mermaid Protector from the Mystic Isles. She brought me here, trained me, and after years of working hard…" She shrugged. "Undercover Specialist Yohanna, at your service."
"Wow…" He noticed that his thumb had unconsciously begun tracing her hand, and he paused when she also noticed. He blushed a bit before clearing his throat. "So, um… The undercover thing… Does that work for both on land and in the water?"
"Yeah. My next mission is an underwater mission, actually." She released his hand and pushed herself out of the water, sitting next to him as she activated her Enchantlet, producing a holographic image of…Reimagia. "The word is that there's some type of tyrant lurking in the ocean surrounding the Kingdom of Reimagia, and it seems to be causing the kingdom a lot of trouble: flooding, deadly weather changes, and so on. My job is to figure out the disturbance and put an end to it. It's the least I can do, really. These people already lost their ruler due to the likes of Kinoroh."
"Ugh."
She looked toward him. "You've heard of Kinoroh?"
"Just one of the many underlings of the former Never Realm, right? And what amazes me is that even if you destroy the wickedest of realms, evil still exists."
"As long as good exists, so will evil," Yohanna prophesized, retracting her hand and deactivating her Enchantlet. "It's a natural balance, I guess. We all have a little good and bad in us. We just have to hope the good outweighs the bad in the end." She studied him for a few moments. "And what about you, Bonvis? Which way does your scale tip?"
A wry smile appeared on his lips as he shook his head. "Had you asked me ten years ago, I would have told you that I was all bad. Unsavable. Evil to the core. I even had two aliases… Malvis and The Enigma."
Her eyes widened. "You were The Enigma?"
He sighed, lowering his head. "It's not something I'm proud of…"
"I wouldn't be either. I'd heard about The Enigma and the Scepter of Darkness. That's some dangerous magic you were playing with, Bonvis…" She shrugged. "Though, since you're here now and in the good graces of the Protectors, I can see that you've clearly changed."
"Princess Sofia had a hand in that."
She giggled. "I've heard all about her. Maybe one day I'll actually get to meet her."
"You won't be disappointed." He nodded to himself. "She's a good person. She saw more good in me than anyone else ever did… Except maybe my brother, after our reconciliation."
"Yeah…" She patted his hand once. "Whatever hardships you've gone through to lead you here—even under those terrible circumstances—I'm glad you're here now. And I'm really sorry for everything you've lost." She smiled as he nodded slowly. "Maybe here, you'll find something new. Something that will make you happy."
"I think I have." He returned her smile before frowning as she snorted and laughed. "What's so funny?!"
"You are so corny," she cackled, her hands flying to her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter.
"Ugh, you try to be the nice guy for a change, and you get laughed at. Fine. Good thing you can swim."
"Wait, wha-?!" Yohanna yelled in surprise as he pushed her into the water, causing her to swallow a mouthful of the salty seawater. She glared up at the snickering sorcerer. "Not funny, Bonvis!"
"Beg to differ, Yohannaaaaaaa!" He yelled the last syllable of her name after she'd pulled him into the water behind her, soaking his clothing and his hair. He coughed and sputtered, wiping the water from his eyes as he treaded along. He smiled sheepishly as she smirked at him. "Is this your form of payback?"
"You could say that." She reached up and pulled a few strands of seaweed out of his hair before grinning. "I think this is the beginning to an interesting friendship."
"I don't really have friends, so I'm not sure what that's like…"
Yohanna grabbed his hands as she pulled him over to the bank, letting him exit and sit on the grass while she smiled up at him. "Don't worry. I'll teach you."
The end
Ending A/N: We may see more with Bonvis and Yohanna at some point, and there may be more to that Reimagia thing too. 😉 We'll see.