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I swore to myself I wouldn't come, but there I was.
It was the night the Magicians Guild had organized its annual ball to take place. Such an event had become tradition ever since Yu was appointed leader, to celebrate peace being returned to the land, and to foster togetherness within the guild. In fact, it was her first order after returning to the throne.
Initially, I stayed far, far away from it. Feigning illness, keeping myself busy with responsibilities and chores. I attempted all manner of methods to avoid it. This time, however, attendance was mandatory, and I could avoid it no longer.
Grand sorcerers and rookies alike waltzed in the grand hall to music—the same music I had once banished. Their faces weren't ones filled with fear, but smiling faces.
I didn't belong there. Even after all the time spent reintegrating myself into the guild's community, it wasn't proper for me to take part in what I had previously taken away. Not until I had fully atoned for what I let that wretched beast do with my mind. It was only fair.
And as if she sensed my thoughts, Yu appeared beside me.
"Care to dance?" She offered her hand out to me. "It'll be fun, I promise."
I looked at Yu's hand tentatively. She knew I had been barring myself from taking part in any festivities, but was persistent in trying again to get me to join. I held firm in my resolve.
"Just one," she said, lifting a finger. "Then you can go, if you want."
I considered her offer.
Maybe one dance couldn't hurt…
Smiling, Yu unclasped her cape, casting it aside. She held my hand in hers and led us to the floor.
As the orchestra began playing, Yu took position as the lead. We started with a simple box step—part of a routine we were taught during training to assist with our technique. We had only done it together once. Only last time I had led, as Yu considered it "too much work".
My heart wasn't in it, at first. Not fully. While my grasp of rhythm was nothing to scoff at, Yu was always better when it came to matters of full-body physicality. My skills laid more in the traditional baton-wielding that was customary for practicing magicians. Even though the process of conjuring spells had much to do with rhythm, it was different than the skillset that was required to dance. On top of that, being out of practice didn't help matters.
I kept with the melody of the violin as best I could as we spun across the floor, carefully mirroring Yu step by step. Yu, on the other hand, carried herself with assured elegance, as she always did. Effortlessly. Like she had done this routine thousands of times before.
Our sequence increased in complexity as Yu gently lowered me into a dip. The ease with which she did so almost seemed to taunt me. When she pulled me back up, I met her gaze. Her eyes flashed a kind of fierceness, as though she had something to prove.
Though there were no monsters to be fought, I still felt I was losing this battle.
Her mannerisms caused me to feel something I thought I had buried deep within. It was the same feeling I used to feel when we were out training together—the overwhelming urge to beat her at her own game and prove myself superior.
Was this all just Yu's cruel way of getting back at me for what I had done?
The music intensified, and in that moment the emotion in the music combined with the emotion in my heart. My chest began to burn inside, and my body worked quicker than my mind. In my haste, I started to take the lead instead, forcefully pulling us in another direction entirely.
No… It couldn't be… I was meant to suppress such thoughts from ever returning. They were what led me to commit those heinous acts and put countless lives at risk.
Guilt washed over me. I feared for a moment that I had ruined everything all over again.
But Yu wasn't taken aback by my sudden initiative. Rather, it appeared to be what she wanted all along.
Her movements followed mine without resistance, responding to every push and pull. Something clicked. Finally, it felt like we had met on a level playing field.
Our pace increased, our feet working in tandem gliding across the length of the sprawling dance hall, our surroundings a blur. I held utter contact with her body, not daring to break the connection, or to give space for further doubt to seep in. Yu returned the gesture, clutching my back fervently.
As both of us became one with the rhythm, I couldn't tell which of us was leading this dance anymore.
Through it all, my focus was only on Yu.
And before I knew it, it was over.
As my breathing returned to normal, a round of applause broke out from the spectators watching us. Yu took a bow.
I felt my face turn beet red.
"Told you it'd be fun," Yu said, grinning.