Change of heart

With the last few dishes cleaned and stowed away in their respective spots, the pair of mother and son finished their cleanup. The flavors of breakfast still coursed through Orion's mouth, making him wish his stomach was bigger.

An eternity passed since his last meal, a moment longer, and he would have forgotten what that even was. A tragedy for someone who loved his mother's cooking.

As she wiped the table with a dark piece of fabric, leaving a glistening trail behind, turbulent emotions surged within Orion. His parents, two of the three people he adored most, acted as though nothing had happened. Because they didn't know.

Swallowing his choked-up words, Orion tended the flowers in the corner, a new leaf blooming from a stem. He stopped when a pillow-like warmth spread on his back and his mother's voice rang from behind.

"Although your dad may be a bit stuck on his own problems, we will always have time for yours, okay?" His mother's words tugged at his heartstrings, tempting him to rest the weight of his burden on her palm.

"Thank you, Mom," Orion said, none of the emotions storming in him present in his tone. His reinforced walls sheltered him from harm but kept those trying to reach him outside. He was a prisoner in his own castle.

Few words were spoken as the two enjoyed the peaceful morning together, basking beneath orange glory. Outside, merchants had long opened their stalls, chatterings echoing from every corner. A stark contrast to the serene compassion that filled the kitchen.

The church bells' ringing interrupted their moment, forcing the pink atmosphere to recede. Seeing the hour hand at nine, Orion remembered the appointment he scheduled with Lux, concerning his training.

If he didn't regain his magic soon, not just his enrollment, even the alchemy competition would be a lost cause. The latter may be possible with great effort, though a win would still be far out of reach.

"I'm heading out to the forest," Orion said, walking to the door with deliberation in his steps, latching onto the wall as gracefully as he could. His mother raised a finger, feeling the need to ask about his uncommon behavior, but stopped herself.

"Have a great day. Don't forget to take care of yourself," She said, her voice a sugar-coated symphony. Orion hesitated, her sweet temptation pulling him back, but stepped beyond the opened door.

Blinding rays of light bounced off Orion's eyelids as he stumbled through the hoards. Laughter flooded the lively streets, vendors delighted to sell their wares. If not for his goal, their infectious joy would have snatched the money out of his pockets.

When he reached the towering gate, guards patrolled its base, pulling all those seeking to stay to the side. The ones from yesterday weren't present, replaced by two other familiar faces.

"Oh, Orion," said a strongly built one, his muscles snug beneath the armor. "Managed to get the requests yesterday?"

"My dad received quite the haul, yes," Orion said, leaning his body against the massive castle walls. "Where were you two?"

It was the other guard's turn to speak, a woman with short, dark hair. "There was an occurrence in the city, turned out to be nothing big," she said, returning the medal she just inspected. "Some witch just felt like seeing mister dazzling over here."

Even without her pointing finger, Orion understood who she meant. Although he could have sworn that one letter in her sentence was changed.

"Come on, Luna. You know I only have you in my eyes," the supposed mister dazzling said, grabbing both of her hands and pulling her closer. With water-like grace, Luna fell into his arms, unable to rid herself of the loving grasp.

"Anyway, mister philanthropist. I think our friend here is headed to the forest, correct?" Luna said, refusing to look at the accused boyfriend.

"Yes, but is this assault?"

"I am sad to admit that it is love," Luna sighed, casting a strange look at the expressionless jokester.

Orion walked off, leaving the lovebirds to continue their tasks. A shiver went down his spine, the scenery in front of him the same as that day. Intending to rid himself of that gruesome pressure, Orion walked off the path and into the tall grass.

Confused looks came his way as other trekkers passed by, their functioning brains were not capable of understanding his ways of thinking.

Soon, the drowning sounds of civilization died down, replaced by a hymn of birds. The crisp, earthy air drew him further toward the woods, its intensity increasing when he crossed the first few trees. The light permeating the canopy above cast enchanting patterns onto the forest floor.

After finding a secluded opening, Orion sat himself down on weathered rock, its moss a soft cushion. The nearby waterfall gushed in anticipation as Lux began to explain their first set of actions.

"I will start by probing your root, just like that day," Lux said, its calm voice only existing in Orion's head. "It may hurt a little, so be prepared."

A wave of elemental particles coursed through Orion, no corner left untouched. Violent energy seeped out of his body, clashing with the intruding force. But to no avail, Lux's forceful methods breached every line of defense.

"That's new," Lux said, its tone laced with wonder. "It moved again."

"Moved again? Where to?" Orion couldn't help but ask, the revelation too out of this world.

A translucent string stretched from the tome hovering in front of him to his heart. "Right there," Lux said, retracting its pointer.

"To my heart?"

"More correctly, In your heart."

"So my core is in my heart now?" Orion asked, nothing making sense anymore. Every piece of news he got was part of some kind of puzzle, but none of them matched up.

"Well, once again. More correctly, it is your heart," Lux said, leaving Orion in a moment of confusion. The revelation just flipped all of his pieces on their head. "You would have died if you still had your old body."

"Newsflash, it wouldn't have happened in my old body," Orion said, still trying to wrap his head around the uncovered truth. "So, what does that mean for us?"

"No clue," Lux said, its words leaving Orion unfazed. "What's wrong? You used to react to my straightforward pieces of information."

"Used to."

Since their conversation bore no fruit, they decided to move on to the next step. Since probing the root surfaced interesting news, using it may have changed as well. Hence, Lux made Orion cast a simple spell, burst.

But without success. In the end, Orion laid on the ground, panting, unable to proceed. He spent every drop on his futile attempts at magic, leaving none left over for him to curse at the perpetrator.

"First day research log, it moved," Lux said, its words a clear mockery of Orion, who didn't have the strength to retort. "I can't wait for tomorrow."

His partner's words, akin to a devil, rang in his motionless head. He wasn't opposed to regaining his magic as fast as possible, but couldn't wait to slap Lux for its lack of compassion.

After a bit of rest, Orion managed to raise his body with the help of a nearby tree. "What's that?" Orion asked, spotting a flicker of light in the distance. Something basking in the sunset glow laid there.

As he approached it with tiptoe speed, he discovered the object in question to only be part of something more grand. An arrow impaled into the back of a boar. "A boar…" Orion mumbled, remembering what happened when he left the abyss.

A thick layer of solidified blood surrounded the shaft, leading him to believe that it was pierced some time ago. Since he paid great attention to Valeria's arrows, he knew that the one in front had to be hers.

"Lux? Could you?" Orion asked, pointing at the animal. Not even a moment later, it vanished, leaving only its indent behind. "Amazing. Thank you."

"If you don't express yourself soon, everyone may think you only talk in sarcasm," Lux said, receiving only a lackluster nod from Orion. "I think we should head back."

The answer to its question was the distancing figure of Orion, who couldn't wait to lie sleepless in bed for another night. He didn't intend to summon it upon himself, but nothing else bothered him at the moment.

Upon arriving at the gate, Orion couldn't help but wonder where mister philanthropist went, even going as far as to leave Luna behind. "Where's Claive?" he asked, but only received an annoyed shrug from Luna, urging him to go on.

After making it home, he only briefly wished his parents a good night before entering his room and laying himself on the bed. Although his paranoia wouldn't let him sleep, the thought of his life depending on an unknown object would have done that, too.