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The current of Will's magla feels so violent as Eupha tries to steady it, but then at last the tide seems to break, the magla quieting as Will's body shrinks back to its normal form. The calm after a storm.
No, it's-- There's something more to it, but she can't place it. She can't take this temporary peace for granted, either. "I've managed to suppress the magic, but without rest he will surely succumb to the spell," she tells the others. "I don't know if he can withstand the same magic a second time..."
She realizes she's talking around Will, and feels terrible for it, but she's not completely sure he's in a state to understand what just happened. He responded to Hulkenberg, but still seems dazed, even as that ruthless Louis reveals the duel was just a pretense--his men are attacking the prince! And yet before they can even think about what to do for him, the crowd has turned against them, pelting stones as though Will could truly be a monster when it was so clear Louis had assaulted him with magic! But there is no time to reason or plead with these people, and so they must run. It's as they flee to the gauntlet runner that the strange feeling of Will's magla becomes clearer to Eupha.
More than calming, it's receding, like the ocean before a great tsunami, diminishing...dissipating? She's looking right at him, and yet--
And yet she can see one of the gauntlet runner's legs through his body, as if he were some spirit. She blinks quickly, because something must be wrong with her eyes, or there's some trick of the light--yet she still sees the steel leg clearly, Will's light coat and dark pants merely overlaid on top as if he were glass. "Will?" she calls out, his name becoming a chorus when Gallica and Basilio and Hulkenberg, flying beside him or bringing up the rear, notice the thinness of his entire being.
Will looks back at her, confusion still etched in his yellow eye, along with a very real fear as his outline grows indistinct. "He's calling me--but--?"
Before he can say more, he's disappeared completely. In her horror, Eupha stumbles and nearly falls, but Basilio catches her hand and hoists her up the gauntlet runner's ladder before following her.
"Where is the captain?" Heismay asks.
"Hell if I know! Neuras, get us out of here!" Basilio bellows into the pipe system.
Heismay puffs up, his wings spreading wide with outrage, and both he and Junah talk at once:
"You damned fool--"
"Basilio, no! They'll kill him--!"
"He's gone!" Eupha shouts.
"He's--what?" Strohl asks.
"Gone," Hulkenberg repeats. "He was with us, nearly at the runner, and then he suddenly faded as if he were some spirit, or--" She shakes her head. "He simply isn't there. They can't kill a ghost. Neuras! Basilio is right. We must head west, to the Sanctum."
Long seconds after the confirmation, the gauntlet runner rattles to a start, the legs shuddering as they jolt and accelerate faster than customary. Neuras may not know the exact situation yet, but he must know the urgency if he saw the mob following them. Heismay jerks at the start, then rushes toward the ladder, but Basilio takes a step to block it with his body.
"Listen, old man. We're not havin' you on. He's not there. All you'd be doing is riskin' your life for nothing."
"Heismay, please," Eupha pleads. "It's the truth."
When the eugief turns to her, his red eyes are piercing in their desperation. "But, then... what has become of him?"
She shakes her head, her thick braids swaying with the motion. She wishes she had an answer, but... "I don't know. It was so strange. Right before he vanished, he said someone was calling him. But even before that, his magla had been fading in a way I've never seen, except..."
Except in her summons, when the spell concluded and they disappeared. She'd never seen a living being's magla behave in such a way, but... it wasn't so strange if she compared it to the magla flow around archetypes and summons. But what did it mean?
"Eupha?" Hulkenberg prompts.
"He said someone was calling him," Eupha says. "And his magla disappeared in a way similar to my summons. Almost as if he were being summoned, but... I've never heard of such a thing. It took longer than a summoning normally would, as well. And he didn't... return."
He...didn't return, did he? Summons were short bursts of otherworldly power that were over in a matter of seconds. She'd fallen...Basilio had doubled back and pulled her up, pushed her toward the ladder and practically thrown her up the first couple rungs as if she weighed no more than a pillow... it'd been quick, Basilio rushing to get them both to safety, but--no, Neuras hadn't fired up the gauntlet runner until Hulkenberg confirmed the disappearance, so Will would have had time to follow them up the ladder if he'd returned.
He must have. A dreadful knot of anxiety lodges in her chest, thinking of the crowd's chaotic fury and fear. If Will were to have returned there, if they'd unintentionally left him behind... even if they turned around now, it would likely be too late.
"A summon?" Heismay shakes his head incredulously. "He's flesh and blood! Did you all forget that? Or did that change the second Louis made that outrageous claim--bah!" Too frustrated to say more, the eugief turns from the group, storming toward the back of the runner.
"Heismay!"
"Let him go," Strohl says, stopping Eupha before she can follow. "We're all overwhelmed right now. What just happened... it's a lot to take in, all at once." He takes a deep breath himself before looking at Eupha. "If you think it was like a summon, do you have any idea where he's gone?"
"N-no. I'm sorry..."
"No, don't apologize. Figured it was worth asking, that's all."
Junah tugs on the finger of one of her white gloves. "Wherever he is, I hope he's safe."
"That'd be nice, but summons, they're always used for fightin', right?" Basilio scoffs. "What a load of shite, if someone dragged him from Grand Trad just to bring him into another scuffle."
That's-- a very, very unfortunately good point, and Eupha winces. She'd almost like to be wrong--she very well could be wrong. It's only a theory.
But what is the alternative? That Will simply disappeared?
That he hasn't gone some other place, but nowhere at all?
"...Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do for our captain unless we somehow learn more." Hulkenberg grips her arms as she says it, her eyes downcast. "We need to focus on the prince for now."
The trip is uneasy. Will's absence is keenly felt, and Heismay's silence rings louder than anything he could have said. Eupha can sense his magla, knotted with grief. Halfway through the flight, she approaches and tries to call out to him. He doesn't answer, and she accepts the rebuff and retreats. It doesn't feel right to force company on him when he may have just lost a second son.
Even Gallica is barely seen during the flight. For most of it, she stays curled up in the capsule bed she shares with Will. "My head hurts," she mutters when Junah asks. "Just let me rest until we reach the Sanctum, please?" She doesn't sound pained when she says it, but she does sound tired, and it's an understandable request. No doubt she's missing Will too. So everyone leaves her be.
The rest of them are trying to keep their minds occupied in one way or another, but only Junah really tries to make any conversation, and even her attempts are half-hearted and fade out quickly. It isn't until they're in sight of the forest surrounding the Sanctum that conversation picks up properly, and then it's purely focused on preparation. Heismay joins them at that last moment as they disembark and brings up the rear of the group, silent as a shadow. Hulkenberg leads.
They pass a field of what Hulkenberg says are the royal flowers. Eupha can sense the strong magla flow, almost like the altar of the Dragon God, but there is nothing to explain its role or significance. Strohl notices Gallica staring at it and asks her what the matter is, but she simply shakes her head and flies off ahead.
They reach a village burned years ago. This Gallica does explain--a fire set by the kingdom's soldiers, likely led by Forden. The survivors were forced to hide in caves within the forest and let everyone believe they'd been wiped out completely. It's... too cruel, what this man has done supposedly in Sanctism's name. Eupha may have different beliefs, but she knows there are Sanctist followers who are kind, who would not stand for this.
They find a body. Heismay at last draws ahead of the group to check on the clemar and speaks to tell them he likely died with the single stab to the back. Junah recognizes him as the first contact she made with the Resistance, and they rush ahead to the cave. Magla is thick in the air, telltale of a recent struggle.
They find an elderly eugief burying a body, and Gallica perks up for the first time since the duel. "Russell! You're safe!"
He turns to her, his wrinkled face crinkling as he peers at her. "My word! Is that you, Gallica!?" Hulkenberg and he recognize each other as well. "By the heavens... Then...?"
"Everyone here's a trusted ally," Gallica explains. "They've all fought to save the prince."
"You're certain?"
"Yes!"
"Russell, where is His Highness!?" Hulkenberg asks, her voice stressed with impatience. "What happened? Is His Highness safe!?"
"...No. He is not safe," Russell answers. "Only today did he regain consciousness from the curse's lifting, and as he was still recovering a lone stranger, a loathsome figure came striding in. He was a master of magic. None of the Resistance could match him. Only the prince managed to repel him, and even then it was partially by surprise, and took all of his strength. He is resting now. I came out here to bury the Resistance members who fell...and to watch the entrance, should the scoundrel return."
"By yourself?" Gallica asks, astounded. "Russell..."
"There are few of us left. The others are at the prince's side."
"We will help protect him," Hulkenberg promises.
"And some of us can help lay the dead to rest," Basilio says, picking up a shovel from a nearby wagon.
Junah and Strohl volunteer to help as well; Junah has sung at a number of funerals and knows the customary songs, a part of her repertoire new to Eupha, and Strohl is willing to stay behind as well. Hulkenberg and Gallica have both waited to see the prince for so long that it doesn't even come into question they'd go ahead, and Russell tells them where the prince is within the cave. Eupha goes with--something about the magla around the cave bothers her. Russell's explanation of events should suffice for the turmoil surrounding it, and it does, mostly, but...
...She can't place it. What is she sensing...?
Heismay accompanies them. Maybe he's eager to see the prince like Gallica and Hulkenberg. He does not have a personal connection to the prince himself, but... the prince was very important to Will.
The prince is in the back of the caves, a place they use as a bunk room. It's obvious there's been an incident here, smashed bed frames and torn bedding set to one side while a clemar and rhoag stand protectively in front of one of the few intact beds. They tense at the group entering, raising weapons on instinct and Gallica immediately yelps, "Hey, easy! It's just me. These three can all be trusted, I swear. We've been fighting for the prince."
Eupha stays where she is, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible, because it's clear both women have had their nerves frayed by the earlier attack; they, like Russell, seem initially skeptical that they have new allies, even with Gallica's assurance. They've been living in fear for a long time, haven't they? The magla is most tumultuous here.
Behind them, a voice says: "It's really alright. They're... allies I fought alongside."
And the tone is strange, but Eupha knows that voice. She can see the others recognize it too, in how Gallica and Hulkenberg startle, and Heismay takes a step forward before he halts, disbelieving.
The rhoag looks over her shoulder, her dark eyes questioning, but her clemar companion draws aside and after a second, so does she.
There are two people on the bed. They look startlingly alike, as if they could be brothers; the same skin tone, similar to Eupha's, and the same face. The prince lies on the bed, his chest rising and falling slowly in a deep sleep. On one side of the bed sits Will.
"Captain!" Hulkenberg is both shocked and relieved. "You vanished... and came here? But how? I don't understand... though I am overjoyed to see both you and the prince safe."
"Will! I was so worried!"
"Aye. It's a relief to see you unharmed, lad."
Will smiles.
He does not look at them even for a second, looking to the side as if he still needs to watch for threats, and Eupha feels a strange disquiet. The magla around Will isn't violent like when he was a human, and it's not the sole source of the anxiety she feels, but it's... knotted around the prince's, as if ensnaring it, or... "Will? Are you alright?" she asks.
"Of course," he lies. There's a brittleness in his voice she's never heard before. "I'm sorry if I scared you, disappearing like that. My true self required me."
"Your true self?" Heismay echoes, baffled. "By which you mean..."
Will is often thoughtful about his responses. He selects his words with care.
He does not take this long to speak. "Will?" Gallica flutters past the guards to him in concern, and he turns his face further away from her to the wall. "What's wrong? I..." She glances back at the others before trying to coax him again. "I... remembered something strange, after you vanished. About how we met... I think? How did we meet?"
"Sorry, Gallica. I'm tired. Let's reminisce later, okay?"
"Gallica." The fairy's name is a warning on Eupha's tongue, because as soon as Will says he's tired, that rings true, even if it may also be an excuse. "You've not been able to rest yet since the duel, have you, Will? Everyone, let's let him rest."
Because summons are always used for fighting. The prince was attacked and managed to somehow pull Will from Grand Trad to be his protector, and Will managed to defend him because he is very capable, and Eupha cannot blame the prince for calling help when he was in mortal peril but it, on top of being transformed into a human, has pulled Will threadbare; part of the strain in his magla is almost certainly just him trying to keep his composure. If he does not want to talk, they cannot push him, for his and everyone's safety.
Heismay seems to catch the urgency in her voice and nods in support. "Let him have some peace, Gallica."
"All of us are here," Hulkenberg reassures Will. "Strohl, Basilio and Junah are helping Russell. We will help them finish burying the dead and watch over the Sanctum. You can sleep."
"...Sleep sounds amazing."
Eupha smiles a bit when Will says that; it's the most he's sounded like himself. He's being honest about what he needs, and rest will do him good. His thin, fragile smile turns a little easier, and he starts to turn to her--but then Gallica jolts in surprise, and he buries his face in one hand.
"Yeah. I'll just..." His free hand gestures vaguely at one of the other beds in the room.
"You do that!" Gallica tells him, zipping back over to the rest of them, and they file out to let him sleep. Eupha prays it will help his magla calm.
On the way back to the entrance, a little distance put between them and in the bunk room, Heismay turns to Gallica. "Why did you startle at him so?"
"...His eyes. It's nothing bad, but--they're both yellow now. I wasn't expecting to see that," Gallica admits. She folds her arms, casting her eyes down to the ground. "I think he didn't want us to see. Try not to react when you do? I didn't mean to make him feel bad..."
"Both yellow?" Hulkenberg says, her brow furrowed. "Tis an odd change, but as you said, not one that sounds harmful. I am relieved they are both alive. A strange miracle, but one we desperately needed."
It is strange. Will's words about his 'true self'... Eupha would think he meant the prince, but they're two separate people. Aren't they? And yet, the flow of magla tangled around them does indicate some connection... and it worries her, about how miraculous this truly was.