The Lavender Dragon, Souhait (Arcturus Arc Part 17)

"I am." Souhait had a gentle voice that contradicts his mighty appearance. "You must be Arcturus. Welcome to the Contract Room." Souhait articulated his words profoundly, which Arcturus found charming.

An amalgamation of emotions stirred within him. He felt happy one moment and disbelief in another. Amidst his emotions, he knew one truth: Souhait was real. The sheer fact of this revelation caused Arcturus to shed some tears.

"Excuse me for my unsightliness." Arcturus muttered as he wiped his tears. "I am just overwhelmed."

Souhait just chuckled. "You are fine. I do not mind the tears."

Arcturus then sat down and gazed upon the grand creature above him. He tried to do his absolute best to revert his heartbeat back to normal. Once he maintained his composure, he then asked, "Are you truly alive?"

"Yes."

"Yet, you are written as dead."

"I am also dead."

The vagueness of his words confused Arcturus. "How can you be alive and dead simultaneously?"

"I am physically dead, but my soul lives bound to Nova's. It is because of Nova that I am alive. We need each other to function."

It all made sense to him. Souls weren't usually visible unless people were spiritually aware of the dead and the afterlife. If he had been raised in Lamina since birth, he wouldn't believe in Souhait's words; since he was raised in Plasma during childhood and was able to hear spirits, he believed Souhait was telling the truth.

"Souhait, I am here to get my wish granted." He wanted to get straight to the point of his visit.

"I know. I have seen your memories and everything that had happened in your consciousness through Nova's eyes. Your wish is to bring wishes back to the world. I find that admirable. It was because of the lack of wishes that I lost my purpose to be in the world and eventually died. To know that there is someone in this vast, cruel world with such a wish touches my heart."

So, wishes are like the source of life for him. He died because of the lack of wishes. It makes sense if I think deeply into this.

Souhait continued, "I will grant your wish on three conditions."

"Conditions? Why do I need conditions?"

"The power to grant wishes is very powerful. One false move and anyone can use it for their own selfishness—abuse it for their own gains. This is why I give out conditions as a means of restriction."

That means there were people in the past that had used it for selfish and abusive reasons. Arcturus wondered what sort of people they were in the past; he found them despicable for exploiting Souhait in such a way. "I find that understandable. So, what are the conditions?"

"The first condition is for us to only grant wishes to those you consider 'alive'."

Arcturus raised an eyebrow. "Grant wishes? Alive?"

"I grant wishes to those that want their wishes to come true. However, I do it because it is my mission. I cannot grant my own wish, but I can grant the wishes of others. The only way I can grant my own wish is for me to grant the wishes of all living beings in this world. However, what is considered to be living? There are humans who do not view animals as living. The same goes for humans. Some humans see others as inferior and not alive. Some view Shifties as tools. Since I will form a contract with you, I want to know what you consider as living."

His words intrigued Arcturus. He had never thought deeply about what is alive or not. All he thought was that anything that moved or had a mind of its own was alive—that was how he had viewed Shifties. He then thought about other entities in the world. Humans were obviously alive; the same goes for animals as well.

What about plants and other aspects of nature? Are they alive? Do I think they're alive? He then looked at Souhait. Are spirits like Souhait alive as well? Denying their lives means that I am hypocritical and prejudiced. I don't want that. Kori gave up his life for me. Souhait is in front of me. To me, are they alive?

After much thought, Arcturus came to a conclusion. "Everything in this world is alive, from humans to spirits like you. We're all alive since we exist physically or spiritually."

Souhait seemed rather intrigued by his answer. Arcturus wasn't sure what his true emotions were since his expression remained stagnant. Suddenly, Souhait's started chuckling.

"What a tall order you placed for us. Nova and I have to grant wishes for all living beings in this world, which means everything if we grant your wish. Very well. I will accept that. We do not mind the challenge."

Arcturus could feel his determination. Although he had given a lot of work to Souhait and Nova, he felt like they could accomplish their goals. "So, what's your second condition?"

"I want you to record an honest tome about us."

"Honest tome…? You want me to make a book?"

"Yes. The original book is gone and the fake Loreseers have made inconsistencies in subsequent editions in order to make people divert their attention away from the truth. Because you are someone who likes to write, please write the absolute truth about our existence. Persuade people. Guide them. That is the job of an author, no?"

Arcturus felt confident about this condition. He was very confident in his writing skills for he had a habit. Without any hesitation, he accepted it.

"For the final condition…" Souhait paused, leaving Arcturus confused. "Before I can tell you about the final condition, there are some warnings I would like you to heed."

"Please tell me."

"Wishes are omnipotent. They have the power to bring about any type of happiness to anyone. Yet, there are severe consequences when doing so. One may have irreversible effects; the other might cause you to dirty your hands. Are you fine with such actions?"

Arcturus found his question intriguing. Was he fine with killing others? He already had a deep hatred for soldiers and anyone who wronged him. Would he go so far to kill them if he had a chance? He had never killed anyone, but he wasn't someone who was too uptight about morality. He knew that he couldn't harm soldiers due to the laws; however, when he had overheard his crewmates' plan on betraying him, he knew he had to survive. That was why he had ordered Kori to dispose of them; in a way, he was an accomplice of their murders. He did not feel regretful of his actions.

"You already looked into my memory, no?" Arcturus replied, "You should already know my answer. I am fine with dirtying my hands, if necessary. Though, I will only kill and harm if I need to. I won't do any other heinous crimes like sexual assault. That's not for me."

"Very well. The third condition is for you to be Nova's friend."

Arcturus's eyebrow furrowed. "Pardon? Could you repeat that?"

"The final condition is for you to be Nova's friend."

"That's an unusual condition. Aren't we already friends?"

"I am touched that you think that way. However, the friendship I ask of you is very unusual. Nova and I have been together for a very long time. We both have seen our fair share of hope and despair. However, the current status of the world has caused us to become disillusioned and jaded. We do not expect change. We do not trust others–in fact, it is hard for us to trust others. Even if you promise to be by our side forever, our trust will be hard to gain. We might run off on our own. We might do something deplorable in your eyes. Despite all that, all we want is for someone to stay by our side. Even if you come to hate us in the future, please stay with us…"

Arcturus sensed the desperation in Souhait's voice. He could tell they were so lonely. They reminded him of himself. Even though he had family and friends, there was loneliness within him that could not be conquered. Nova and Souhait both had that as well. While Nova seemed mischievous and enjoyed his solitude life in Castle Lavender, Arcturus could tell it was the opposite. Nova had barricaded himself from enemies in order to protect himself from the outside world. He had to make traps and distractions in order to throw off enemies. The fact that Nova allowed Arcturus to come all the way here even though Nova could have just left him in the trap room allowed Arcturus to realize that Nova really wanted someone to trust.

Arcturus wanted someone to rely on as well. Losing Kori was hard to move on from, but with Nova's help, he was able to take a step forward with his closure. He wondered what sort of relationship he would have with Nova and Souhait going forth; it could become bad or good. Overall, he was curious and excited. It felt nice to be relied upon.

"The three of us have something in common: we are all anomalies of the world. Nova told me that he killed someone; I am not afraid of that for I too allowed murder to happen. I am no saint; I do have a hot temper. However, I'll be Nova's friend. I'll do what it takes to protect him. Let's change this world together."

Remembering how Nova always reached his hand out, Arcturus did the same. He reached his right hand out, awaiting Souhait's answer.

Souhait started chuckling. "I like your answer." He then lifted his tail. He plucked a scale out and dropped it onto the empty teacup. When it made contact, the scale dissolved into a liquid state. "Drink it," Souhait insisted.

Arcturus lifted the cup to his nose; it had the scent of lavenders. He then noticed it was too thick to be tea; he wondered what exactly this strange lavender beverage was. Regardless, he lowered the cup to his lips and started drinking.

The liquid was warm. It slid through his throat easily. In a matter of seconds, Arcturus finished his drink and placed the cup down. He could sense a metallic taste as if he was drinking blood.

Once he swallowed, his heart started pounding erratically as if it was going to burst out of his chest. He found breathing to be difficult;  the pain was agonizing. Sweat formed at his nape and droplets trickled down his neck. The pain was short-lived but it had felt as if he had suffered for hours. Arcturus was gasping for breath and doing his best to regain his composure. Once he did, he peeked underneath his clothes to check his chest; there was a strange mark on it—he never had one previously. From what he could see from the shadows of his black shirt, it was shaped like an apple; it was rather small too.

He looked up at Souhait. "Is this…?"

"That is the proof of our contract. It will activate once you awaken."

"Awaken…"

"If you want to wake up, the door behind you will lead you back into reality."

Arcturus turned to see a red door like the one he saw when he had entered the world of his memories. He then turned back to look at Souhait. He still couldn't believe Souhait was real. Every folktale scholar had dreamt of finding the truth; he was the first. He needed to go back, but the overwhelming presence in front of him prevented him from doing so; he'd rather stay and bask in the majesty of Souhait than to awaken.

"Do you not want to leave?"

"I want to, but I feel like I won't see you again if I go."

Souhait chuckled. "You can see me again at any time as long as you like now that we are companions."

Just hearing the word 'companions' left a warm feeling in Arcturus's heart. It left him reassured; Souhait was truly real. There wasn't any reason to feel so worried. He stood up. He wanted to awaken; he wanted to see the after-effects of his wish.

He bid Souhait farewell as he approached the door. As his hand touched the handle, Souhait spoke up.

"Arcturus."

Arcturus turned to stare at him. "Yes?"

"I anticipate the results. I want to see what sort of world Terrenter will become with you by our side."

Arcturus smiled. "Me too." He then turned around and pulled the door open. He rushed into the meadow of his realm. He ran towards the tree and sat down underneath the shade. He took in the breeze.

"Come to think of it, how do I awaken?" Arcturus wondered. He realized that he came here through sleep, so the same had to occur if he wanted to leave. He readjusted his position so that his backside was on the grass and the shade was covering his view of the sky.

There was a slight problem: he wasn't sure how to fall asleep. He had developed insomnia due to his rough journey, so it had been a while since he had tried to attempt the process of sleep. Closing his eyes and staying still did not help. He decided to tire his mind out by thinking profusely until drowsiness came to him.

I can't believe Souhait is real. I feel like I did the impossible by catching lightning in a jar. His excitement still lingered as he placed a hand to his chest—where his mark was. A surge of worry came to him, making his excitement temporary; he gulped.

Recalling Souhait's words, Arcturus could tell Souhait and Nova were going to play a game of turning impossibilities into possibilities. It was them against the world. He understood what they needed most was allies–companionship–but he could tell their true intent was needing an accomplice, a partner in crime, and someone who was eager to drown in the same sinking ship.

He wanted to be that person; he wanted to see how the world would change once he woke up. Living on Terrenter for twenty years made him understand the world wasn't going to change. Its current state was going to drive itself into extinction; nothing would change if no one would step forth. The thought of being able to change it with Nova excited him.

A sad realization came to him. Having these thoughts got him understanding he wasn't a good person. Desiring the world into the way he wanted it wasn't something a good person would do. Perhaps, he was never one to begin with.

His head started filling itself with thoughts. What's next? What's going to happen when I wake up? Will I just stay at Castle Lavender with Nova? How can we leave the castle and traverse through the blizzard? Am I strong enough to protect him from the snow?

His head started feeling light. His blinking became heavy. I guess I can ask Nova all of these questions when I wake up.

He wondered why it seemed much easier to become drowsy in his consciousness rather than in reality. Regardless, he started thinking about Nova to tire out his mind even more.

I wonder what I should do with Nova. We're going to be together from now on, so maybe I should teach him things he doesn't know about. He can teach me things I don't know about in return. Just thinking about the future makes…me…happy…

His eyelids become heavy and his head becomes lighter. Thoughts were no longer produced; instead, a strong urge to sleep overpowered the thoughts. The tree branches were shaded due to the lighting, but they were getting darker and blurrier. The sky soon became black but he couldn't feel anything at all.