Chapter Zero - A Mere Flicker

/// Arthur Leywin ///

Activating realmheart, I focused on the vast barren expanse in front of me. My tongue clicked on its own- a premonition that I so dearly wished to never happen came true.

A strained sigh escaped my mouth, realmheart dissipating on its own- the intricate runes slowly fading away.

This war was nothing short of constant struggles and breaches. We had been compromised so many times. Our leaders had betrayed us, our own kind betrayed us. Lacking the necessary conviction needed to fight this war.

My heavy, tired eyes trailed off as I re-focused on the mana signatures left behind that I had memorized when my realmheart was active. The trepidation of another betrayal was what ravaged my insides, gnawing at them- and now all of it was proven right.

The dwarves had betrayed us... again!

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, my hand travelling unconsciously towards my ribs, a searing pain running through it.

Nothing was ever easy. Be it this life or the previous one. Could anyone be ever trusted? The constant betrayals had left me battered and mentally exhausted. Was abandoning my old ways a mistake? Was trusting people wrong? Was hoping for a normal life a crime?

My gaze lingered lazily to the remnants of mana signatures that all ventured at the same vantage point. My feet lifted from the ground, the ambient mana being bent and twisted to my will as I took flight. 

"Arthur! We should go back." My bond spoke, her voice drugged with worry about my well-being. 

"I utilized realmheart for too long, that's all." I replied almost instantly, trying to veil the exhaustion- both physical and mental from my bond, my surrogate daughter. 

A complicated expression crept up her face- An inundation of emotions hidden behind a forced smile on her innocent face. A macabre series of thoughts of self-harm slipped from her mind into mine through our bond. I gritted my teeth inwards, ashamed and guilty for making her worry so much.  

"I'll be fine, Sylv... don't worry." I added, a pathetic continuation at the hollow assurity I had given her before.

"Our definitions of 'Fine' are really different, so I think I will pass on believing that statement." She replied, her eyes rolling sideways. 

A dubious feeling rose up in my chest, my brows twitching as I staggered mid-flight. Letting out a slight cough I raised a brow at Sylvie,

"I'm hurt, Sylv. Do you really see me like that?" I asked her, an attempt to make her forget any thoughts about me devastating my own self. It took me a good one hour to finally arrive at the place where all the dwarves gathered. Battalions upon battalions of dwarves entered the cave adjacent to the underground tunnel one by one. A part of me wanted to disintegrate them right now- burn them down to the very ashes, making a frenzy of spells downpour on them. 

"Control yourself, Arthur... your intent will alert them." Sylvie spoke inside my mind, her voice echoing like a scream among a range of mountains- granting me my sanity back. 

I breathed in some air. The stench of blood, sweat and grime polluted the brisk air. I still took in the air, filling my lungs to the brim. My body ached from the previous fights, a ripple of discomfort originating from my almost exhausted core extended and then spread towards my entire body. 

"Arthur... your breathing... it's not normal." Sylvie spoke, her soothing voice somehow reduced the exhaustion. She was the only one after all who was always there for me, demanding nothing in return- ever.

"I am fine, Sylv. The backlash is hitting, but I can continue." I lied, a hollow lie with nothing as an anchor to support it. A baseless lie. She was my bond- someone who knew all of my feelings, my inner conflicts, my emotions... even my memories. I looked at Sylvie, a bitter smile over her face.  She let out a small sigh,

"If you say so." She replied, faint traces of denial in her statement. But I couldn't just put my own health or condition above the continent's survival. I had people to protect. My parents, Ellie... Tess. A series of thoughts invaded my mind as I made way towards the rogue dwarves' base. 

The tunnel was like any other tunnel- So basic yet effective. My hand ran slowly along the dirt laden stony walls of the tunnel, my footsteps muffled after years of practice. Mana danced around my figure, coruscating as I heard multiple stomps, dissatisfied grunts from the direction I was heading in.

Mirage walk activated- the output and input of mana corresponding with each other, camouflaging my mana signature. My back hit one of the walls as I plastered my body over the rough surface of the wall- the stony spikes that protruded from the wall stabbing in my back. 

"Hold your breath", I advised Sylvie mentally, masking her in the same veil as mine. After a few minutes the guards passed by, thankfully, noticing nothing. Once I made sure they were gone I dispelled Mirage Walk. My steps faltered as I buckled forward. The almost shattered pieces of bones in my legs rattled, the few fragments of bones stabbing and piercing the tissues, making them subtly bleed internally.

Biting my lower lip in frustration, I imbued more mana in my legs. A prickling pain like a thousand needles mutilating the bare flesh flashed throughout my whole body, with my battered legs as its source. 

Taking quick, mana augmented steps followed by the nimble movement of Sylvie we made our way outside. A bright golden light engulfed Sylvie, her human form morphing as scales as dark as the night sky grew over her whole body. The cute little girl soon changed into a terrifying dragon, its piercing gaze boring holes in anyone's soul it peered into. 

Sylvie's topaz eyes darted towards me, a myriad of emotions with worry and concern the most evident in them flashed in it for a fraction of a second but it soon disappeared. The emotions that leaked in small trickles through our bond severed as I felt an immovable wall form around her thoughts.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, a genuine apology. 

"We will talk about it when we return." She replied, frustration evident in her voice. I gulped a dry lump of saliva at her harsh tone. Shaking my head, I got rid of the thought, after all I was the cause of this harsh tone of hers.  

Her back lowered and her wings laid on the ground like a carpet. She jerked her head back, looking at me with a baffled look, expecting me to do something I was clearly oblivious to. A sudden realization hit me,

"I can fly on my own, Sylv." I tried to refute, an attempt to tone her ever increasing worry about me.

"Shut up and get on my back", she snapped as I staggered. 

"O-Ok", I replied, too tired to either refute or argue with her. I just wanted to go back and rest now. However, A feeling bubbled deep in my heart. Like another premonition, a harbinger of something that will change my life. I rarely felt something like this. Even having two lifetimes, this feeling was a rare occurrence. Infact so sporadic that despite the mind-numbing pain that made my consciousness barely balance on the thin string of sanity.

Panic invaded my mind, the wall around Sylvie's emotions breaking as they hit me like thunderous waves on a full moon night. I activated Realmheart, the runes burning themself on my flesh as they flashed to life. The divine golden light radiated from the runes on my body as well as the beast will mark on my core- the runes stretched and extended like branches of an ancient tree. 

The world around me lost its color, becoming nothing more than an expanse of black and white. The motes of red, blue, green and brown flared to life representing fire, water, wind and earth mana. A few motes of purple remained rigid, stagnant in the vast pool of mana. I refocused my attention towards the place where we just came from. I looked around everywhere but couldn't find the source of my uneasiness. 

Deactivating Realmheart, I made my way back to Sylvie, one pained step at a time. I merely took a glance back at the domed cavern where most of the Alacryans who had collaborated with dwarves were. The first moment they all were standing, however down to the very last one of them kneeled down abruptly. 

Despite being so far away I could see some of the weaker one's tremble in fear, beads of sweat rolling down their lowered heads as it plopped on the ground, trickling one by one from the tip of their nose over the muddy ground. I looked to their right; a teleportation gate produced a vibrant light indicating an arrival- an arrival of someone crucial. The same feeling bubbled in my guts. This was it- the source of my discomfort.

I had hopes for Dicathen- despite the constant betrayals and breeches I had hoped somehow, we will be able to win the war. However as soon as the whole body of a figure clad in an obsidian robe appeared from the other side, I felt it; The feeling of me being a mere flicker against the wind. 

She was a scythe!

I had faced retainers before and already killed one, however despite the near-death experiences I was confident I could face a Scythe now. However, that figure made me feel something I thought I won't feel. I felt despair. 

The figure let out a horrifying pressure that crashed throughout the cavern, her footsteps being the only rumble in the otherwise deathly silent dome. Even Sylvie, who was so eager to go back stopped in her tracks, her neck bending back to see the sight enfolding in front of us.

The figure came out completely and my eyes fixated on her horns. Unlike the other Vritra, whose horns were more bestial, this figure's horns which grew upwards from her temples and bent backwards were nothing less than the most precious jewels. An aura of regality oozed out of her, her horns looking like a crown placed over the head of a worthy person. The obsidian horns of the figure contrasted well with the pearl-colored mane that swayed side-ways, so silky that it bumped with every step she took.

My heart thrummed against my chest; every beat seemed like a hammer on my heart itself, smashing and swinging it. My feet took a step on its own revealing a bit more than half of my body. Sylvie screamed in mind to back off. But I myself was not able to do anything.

I was mesmerized.

I saw the Vritra, looking no older than Tess, her lean frame that looked small even among the dwarves, stride nonchalantly. I felt Sylvie's mouth grab me from the back of my shirt, trying to bring me out of the bewitching trance. I saw her stride come to a sudden halt, her eyes shifting lazily in my direction.

Her obsidian eyes met mine; A wave of... relief? washing over me as I found myself staring at her. I should've been scared and prepared to attack. She was a scythe. An enemy. However, I couldn't help but just sigh in relief for the mere glance she gave me. My shirt tightened around my chest as Sylvie pulled me. 

The corner of her lips twitched, a small mystical smile gracing her face as she turned around, ignoring me. 

"L-lady Nezara..." The last words of one of the soldiers reached my ears. I felt my lips move in anticipation, repeating the same words I had just heard.

"Nezara", What a glacé name. I muttered under my breath, savoring the ring of the name all the while being totally oblivious to what I was doing or why I was doing it. I just embraced the saccharine taste both on my tongue and in my mind. 

How short these moments were,

And yet their effect will last a lifetime.

How few those moments were,

And yet, I'll relive them again in my mind.

I'll make those moments last

Until my memories disappear

I'll make those moments a home

Where we spend our life together

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(A/n Heya... I am back with more short-stories. I am kinda trying to catch up to DudeInTheShadows fic count so yeah I am doing all of them separately... Also, I think I am in the right mindset to write emotional stuff again *wink wink*...  This might be longer than Art x Varay, cause.. IDK, just feel like extending it and making them suffer. (^^)'

The quality will come back slowly of-course since I have been writing other fics half-heartedly, just for my own amusement, so yeah I (kind of) promise to make every chapter better than the last one!

Anyways hope you like it... As for the schedule, it will be- Whenever, I am not feeling ok, lol. 

Welp, that's all. See ya all next time.)