Love is love

Once again, I didn't know what happened after that. All I felt before everything went black was an unsettling tightness in my chest, like something was trying to get out...

It sure feels cold. I wake up to see Jean carrying me on his back, grunting like a little girl as I almost slip from his hands. It's raining, and for some reason, I feel very weak. And hungry.

"... Foof."

"Food? Don't worry." Jean tells me in a caring tone. His tone is really soft for some reason. "I'll go and cook something once we get to the house. Can you walk?"

"I think I can. Can you let me go?"

"Okay."

...

"I'll just go carry you."

I close my eyes as Jean lifts me up on his back again. The coat feels dirty as the mix of rain and dirt stuck to it like sticky cheese. It smells rather disgusting. Well. I guess it's my fault anyway. I just plopped into the ground as soon as he released me.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"No... W-what happened?"

"You... Passed out. In the middle of the fight."

"D-Did I also do that when we were attacked back at the forest?"

"Y-Yeah! That's it!" Jean unconvincingly jests.

... Whatever. I'll just ask him later. I should focus on... Huh. The cold is starting to feel nice. I'm starting to feel sleepy...

"Can I... sleep?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because we're here already. Hold on. ESMERALDAAAAAAAAA!"

"Coming!"

The sound of footsteps can be heard from the inside of the shop as Esmeralda opens the wooden door. Jean quickly runs around the room and places me into a small cushion couch on the left side of the room.

"Eh... Why are you sweating so much? " Jean asks Esmeralda, but I didn't hear her reply. Is she blushing?

"More importantly, can you brew him a potion? Where's Nelen, by the way? "

"She's... sleeping. "

"Why are you blushing? Wait... Don't tell me... OHHH! I get it now. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm... not."

"You're so cute when you blush."

"S-stop it. I-I'll go brew the potion now. Bye!"

"Hey! Wait!"

Jean jokingly shouts, but Esmeralda was gone in a second. The yellow lights seem to go through my closed eyes, and my chest feels hot. What exactly happened when I passed out? Jean sighs and drops lazily on the other couch next to mine. I've never seen him looked so tired before.

"Jean."

I ask with a weak voice, but he didn't hear it.

"Jean. Hey."

... Is he ignoring me?

"HEY!"

"He's sleeping."

A cool voice of a woman coming from the counter. Nelen's long, flaxen ponytail follows along her as she majestically sits on a table while drinking something.

"What did you guys do?" she asks. "His essence capacity is very high, so for him to be restoring it seems rather unusual."

"I'm betting he used all of it to carry me all the way home. Anyways, how do you know that? Do you have a spell for that or something?" I chuckle.

"... Yes. Lucky guess?"

"... Yeah."

"... Want me to teach it to ya?" Nelen smiles, and I think I just found a new love. Bye, Esmeralda.

"Y-yeah."

"Got you!!"

A sweet but quiet voice interrupts us as she wraps her arms around Nelen. She then kisses her neck and... Wait. What... They're lesbians? THEY'RE. LESBIANS? WHAT... Oh, well. So much for my first two crushes. Good thing I didn't confess on the spot...

Who the hell confesses on the spot, anyways?

"You guys are lesbians?"

"Who said that?" Esmeralda looks around, while Nelen just looks at me wide-eyed for a second.

"What are you saying?" Nelen shows me that sweet smile again, but her tone seems sarcastic.

"Oh! Sol! I d-didn't know you were awake."

"Don't worry. I don't mind." I chuckle. "Love is love, I guess. Who am I to stop you guys?"

The both of them looks at me with questioning eyes. This lasted for two to three seconds before Esmeralda realizes that she hasn't given me any medicine yet, so she goes up to me and hands me a small glass of green juice mixed with berries. Is this the potion Jean ordered? The potion doesn't look appetizing.

"This potion doesn't look appetizing." I joked, but Esmeralda kept staring at me with squinted eyes. I look at Nelen, and I see her doing the same, but fiercer. They really look cute together.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Bullshit. You're lying." Nelen snaps. "You don't mean that."

"Okay. I lied. The potion does look a bit disgusting."

"I'm not talking about that."

"Wait. What exactly are we talking about here?"

"We're talking about you supporting my relationship with Esmeralda."

"Oh. That? Of course I do support you guys."

"Bullshit. We just met you and we're both girls. Even you must know that this type of love is sinful and forbidden."

"And?"

"We can't have kids."

"And?"

"One of the worst things I hate are people who lie just to get the favor of another person."

"Oh, don't worry. I wasn't lying when I said that."

"Sensom Mendaccio."

"Did you just cast a spell on me?"

"I'm gonna ask you again. Did you really mean what you said?"

"Of course!" I protest.

Nelen scans my face. Probably looking for hints of my insincerity. Too bad for her, though. I'm only telling the truth. Or at least, how I really feel. Esmeralda looks at me with her doe eyes, and I turn my gaze back to Nelen, still scanning my face. She sighs in relief.

"Wow. You... really aren't lying. Thank you so much."

"You're... seriously okay with this?" Esmeralda softly says.

"Yeah. I'm just a little bit surprised. That's all. I don't really mind. Why are you th--"

"You heard that, Nelen? Sol supports us."

Esmeralda gives me a huge hug, strong enough for me to almost fall back into the couch. She buries her face onto my chest.

"You're really strong, Esmeralda."

"Thank you."

The sound of her voice cracking signaled me to shut up. I just let her have her time with me, and I didn't move an inch. I don't want her to start feeling uncomfortable. She stays in my arms for a good eight seconds before letting go. The yellow, flaxen fluorescent light flickers, and Nelen takes a hearty sip from her glass.

...

"So when are you going to teach me that magic? " I ask Nelen as she was about to head upstairs. Esmeralda looks at Jean before going somewhere.

"What magic? "

"I think it was a spell to see someone's essence capacity. How did you know Jean expended a lot of it? "

"Oh... Did I say that? "

"Yep. You just said it twenty minutes ago. "

"Oh... Really? "

"Yes. "

"Hmm. Try chanting 'Sensom Essencia'."

"Sensom Essencia. Oh. I think it's working."

"What do you see?"

"The bangle on your waist is getting surrounded by blue lights for some reason. Three, to be exact. "

"Oh... I guess that's the wrong one. That spell is for seeing how much magic an item or a weapon still has."

"Wait. Magic from items and weapons aren't permanent?"

"For the most part, yes." Nelen sits on the couch, next to me. "There are some who offer permanent usage, but those consume your Essence and are very expensive."

"What's this Essence for, anyways? I've been hearing a lot about it from Jean, but I still don't know what it is. "

"It's the energy in your body that allows you to cast spells on a whim. You can only fuel it by eating, sleeping, and drinking. You will never be able to live without it. "

"What happens if it gets low? "

"It's very dangerous. You won't be able to cast magic, and you will lose your energy really quickly. The maximum days you'll live would... Probably be a week. I don't recommend it. "

"What are you guys talking about? "

We turn our heads to see Jean still laying on the wooden-colored couch. Esmeralda returns from the kitchen with another serving of that same potion I drank, so I'm guessing that one's for Jean. I think she just realized that Jean was sick, so she made another one. Jean smiles his smug grin at her and lightly coughs.

"I think I'm gonna die." He laughs.

"Haha. Thanks for carrying me back there."

"No problem. So? What are you guys talking about?"

"I was teaching Sol about a spell that can see a person's Essence. What was it called again?"

"You got the first word right. It's 'Sensom Anima'." Jean coughs again.

"Are you really okay?" Esmeralda worriedly asks.

"Don't worry. It's only the rain. I'll be good as soon as I drink this." He quickly chugs the potion and sighs a few times. "See?"

"You should try the spell on Jean. See what his Essence looks like."

"Alright. Sensom Anima!"

I felt the need to close my eyes, so I did. A different scene opened before me as I open it. Everything was colored in black and white, except for everyone standing in the room right now. Each had a different color. So these must be their Essence. This is very interesting. Esmeralda, who was sitting on the couch just next to Jean, bore a purple light that shines fairly. It also had glitters in it for some reason. Like the one in the furnace. I look at Nelen. She's staring at Jean, her body having a crimson shade. As for Jean...

Nothing. Maybe it's because of the armor he's wearing.

"I told you. I'm not sick. Nelen! Please go and tell her I'm not sick."

"Nope. Deal with her yourself. This is boring. I'll go and have a look at your Essence as well."

"No."

"Sensom Anima."

"Ah, shit. Oh, well. You won't be able to see anything, anyway." He then looks at me. "Right, Sol?"

"Yeah. What's the deal with that?"

"I'm not telling. Bye, guys! I'll go sleep some more now!"

"Jean!"

Esmeralda shouts at him, but Jean runs like a child and goes to the door leading to the rooms. Nelen laughs with me as we watch their comedy unfold, and everything seemed joyful for a minute. We all followed him soon after that, wishing everyone a good night as we returned to our respective places. This feeling; A sense of belonging... How amazing. Why do I feel like forgetting something, though?... Oh. That's right.

Jean forgot to cook.