[87.2] The Timer is Ticking

As Cyrus and I stood in the center of the garden, staring deeply into each other's eyes, the sound of a voice came screaming from the distance.

"Cyrus!"

Cyrus's expression immediately dropped as if disappointed to be interrupted. I peered around him and saw a woman in a knight's uniform riding a golden sword. She was flying over so fast that her thick brown braids smacked around haphazardly. However, she didn't even blink and even seemed to have face paralysis.

She landed behind him and rushed over, "Why are you wasting time!? I thought you were dead!!! How would I have explained to-"

Cyrus turned around to face her, still holding me in his arms. I looked curiously at Hazel once I realized she was honestly anxious for his sake. Her expression changed from anxious, to confused, then paled in realization.

"It's… It's you?"

My grip on Cyrus tightened as I nodded, "I'm back."

Suddenly she dropped to her knees and slammed her forehead against the ground in a bow, "G-Great F-Fairy…"

My heart thumped wildly in a panic at this sight, so I quickly jumped down from Cyrus's arms. I went to pull her up but felt a hand holding mine. I swung around to see Cyrus smiling at me as if nothing happened.

Seriously!? You were serious about not letting me go!?!

He continued to smile back at me as if to show just how committed he was.

I let out an exasperated sigh but felt the corner of my lips tugging up in a smile. When I turned back to Hazel, I clutched his hand in mine.

Hazel's voice was already cracking, "I-I-I-I-"

My lips curved up, "When you were under Rose's influence, it seemed like you had something really important to say to me. What was it? Or have you lost your voice?"

Suddenly, Hazel burst into sobs and crawled toward me begging for forgiveness. She clung to my feet as she wailed, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to kill you! I didn't want that to happen! I-I-I lost control and couldn't stop! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I don't deserve this second life! I don't deserve your forgiveness!"

I could feel the fluctuations of mana in the air, alerting me to danger. If she continues to cry, there might be another explosion.

"Hazel-" I bent down and with my free hand, I reached out to turn up her chin so she had no choice but to look at my blurred face. My tone turned soft, "I'm sorry you had to carry this burden for all these years… But that day on the mountain wasn't you. The person who killed me was Vira, so there's nothing for you to apologize to me for."

I felt Cyrus's hand tighten in my grip.

Sure enough, he hadn't been able to process it fully. Hazel also stared at me, she was so shocked and confused her hiccups disappeared.

"But-But I c-clearly saw…"

"It seems Vira was waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. When you and Moni went out of control, the barrier was overwhelmed and broke. Vira was waiting in the shadows and sent a weapon to try to hurt you all… My time ability suddenly activated, but it only allowed me to stop the attack by being stabbed. I didn't have enough time to push it away."

"But… But I thought…"

Seeing her expression, I felt a bit guilty and averted my gaze. "I couldn't tell you and only had enough mana to send all of you off of the mountain. With the last bit of my energy, I managed to stop Moni's wounds from getting worse and pushed him into a different time to save him."

Her voice was so frail it was close to a whisper, "But how… How are you here?"

Cyrus glanced at me, curious about this as well.

I moved my dress to reveal the tattered opening. Flowers were clearly imprinted on my skin.

Hazel stared at it in confusion, "What… What does it mean?"

I forced on a smile despite the bitterness in my heart, "It seems I got a favor from a ghost… Even though I never treated her as kindly as I should have when she was alive."

A little girl who only wanted a friend.

Why did I never see that?

I let out a heavy sigh, "It seems I've made a lot of mistakes in the past… But there's no reason for you to apologize."

She shook her head, "That day still happened because of me. If I hadn't antagonized Moni… We wouldn't have ever fought… And the mountain wouldn't have been lost."

I forced on a smile, "Maybe not… My barriers aren't omnipotent as much as I wish they were. It was only a matter of time before Vira figured something out."

Cyrus forced her to stand up and spoke, "Which is why Vira needs to be stopped now more than ever."

Hazel jerked up her head, "Stop her!? How can we stop her! The old King ran off months ago and people are switching sides! Our troops are completely decimated and exhausted. Only the Swordmaster, Cyrus, and I can fend off Vira. But she's inexhaustible and we aren't…"

I looked between the two, "Is it really that bad?"

A dark look cast over Cyrus's eyes, "It seems I inherited a dying Kingdom…"

Hazel looked to the ground, "It's probably better… To run and hide."

Without hearing a denial from Cyrus, I carefully stared at his face.

It…

It must really be that bad.

They both look exhausted and ready to fall over from the slightest breeze.

Yet…

For everyone's sake, they are still holding on.

I took a deep breath, "So it's an issue of having an army?"

They both nodded grimly.

"I know where we could get one."

They both looked at me uncertain of what I was saying. After all their struggles, they were too worried to put blind faith in my words.

After all, who would want to join a losing side?

"Do you both know who has more to lose than anyone if Vira succeeds?"

Cyrus offered, "...Us?"

I gave him a smirk, "Well, yes. But more specifically, half of you."

Hazel caught on and answered immediately, "Demons."

I nodded and looked towards the snowy mountains barely covered by clouds. "I can get us into the barrier of the Macrabre forest and we can try to convince them."

"But Holy Light is their weakness." Hazel added firmly, "They'll never join us. It's basically suicide for them."

Cyrus tapped his chin deep in thought, "They might join us if they can be convinced Vira will eventually come for them."

I nodded my head firmly, "Yes! If my barrier on the mountain fell, who is to say theirs won't? I made both of them."

Hazel pursed her lips, "Even if we can convince them, it's not enough. We need more people."

"What about the other Kingdoms? Are they participating?"

Cyrus shook his head, "They are remaining neutral for now. Vira isn't targeting them nor does she have any desire to have them join her side since they don't believe she's a god. Although they probably hold grudges against our kingdom and are just waiting until we lose to try fighting Vira for our land."

"Can't we get the political prisoners to ask their parents to help us?" My gaze swept over to Hazel, "They were treated less like prisoners and more like ambassadors."

Hazel flinched, "That's not wrong… But who would listen to us? We are just children used as peace treaties."

I gave her a pointed look, "Have you tried to ask your parents?"

Her eyes lowered to the floor submissively, "I… I barely keep in touch with them… How would they feel if I suddenly came and asked them to participate in the war?"

I rested my hand on her shoulder, "Hazel. It is a parent's job to help their children. If my children never talked to me, I would still want them to come to me if they were having trouble. I wouldn't want them to suffer in silence."

Her lips lifted but her eyes remained detached, "Not everyone can be as kind as you, Great Fairy."

I snickered, "Are you sure I'm the Great Fairy from your memories? I'm hardly kind."

Cyrus offered a peaceful smile, "What do you say, Hazel? Is it worth a try?"

Hazel slowly lifted her eyes and peered between Cyrus and me. She pondered in silence for a bit before letting out a sigh, "Fine. I will gather the fellow 'ambassadors' and see who is willing to convince their kingdom."

Cyrus gave a righteous nod, "Anyone who helps will be rewarded for their efforts."

Hazel gave him a look, "But who will watch over things when you and I are gone? The three of us can take on Vira together, but the Swordmaster can't hold her off on her own. The Headmaster can only stop advancing troops. But alone, neither of them could last."

"Hopefully we can be quick enough before Vira will launch her next attack."

Hazel scoffed, "By how fervent she was on attacking and how silent she is now… I bet she's preparing for one last powerful attack to wipe us out once and for all."

I tapped my chin before glancing at Hazel, "Is Vira impervious to demonic magic?"

"Definitely." Hazel hesitated, "Well… Maybe not. I always thought I was immune, but Moni was able to fight me easily and even curse me."

Cyrus anxiously looked at me and saw my body turned to stone. His hand squeezed mine to show he was with me.

Her expression suddenly dimmed, "But I'm afraid he might be…"

"He is."

"H-He really… He really went through with it?"

I closed my eyes and steeled my heart, "There was nothing I could have done. By the time I was able to meet him again…"

Hazel looked as if her entire world had broken apart. No matter how heartless she tried to be, the devastation in her heart showed clearly on her face. She muttered under her breath, "I didn't think… He would actually be gone…"

Deafening silence hung in the air, seemingly strangling us.

I took a deep breath, "...What about two twins? Are they strong enough to make an illusion?"

Hazel shrugged as she still tried to recover from the news, "It might be the only option."

Cyrus suddenly picked me up, "Then we should return to give orders and hurry to get more troops before they are forced to see."