Landed on a soft surface with a gentle impact, Lucious opened his eyes slowly and grimaced with frustration at the blinding light. Crying out in pain with his aching and strained body, Lucious narrowed his eyes and scanning his surroundings in a daze as the sound of an opening door was heard and footsteps rapidly approached him. “...Lu...Lucious...” “...Yes...Ruffi...a?” Responded to the familiar voice with a casual reply, Lucious was surprised to see his childhood friend who had grown estranged with him during the past month. “...Where...” “...Floki’s room...You had been sleeping for nearly a month...” Lucious blanked for a moment before heaving up urgently. “Ouch...ouch...how...” “Careful...You were hurt very badly...” Gently helping Lucious back to his bed, Ruffia stared at Lucious with watery eyes which filled with tumultuous feelings.
“...Lucious...I...” An awkward silence passed between both of them before Lucious spoke out. “...W...What happened? How...about...” “...Wait...First, water?” Struggling to work his drying throat and flailing breath, Lucious nodded eagerly at Ruffia’s offer and probed his upper body up with his shoulder as Ruffia supported his back and fed Lucious with a mug of water. “...Slowly...Lucious...” Watching Lucious as he gulped down water rapidly, Ruffia patted his back gently when Lucious choked on his reckless thirst and struggled to breathe. “Everyone is fine, although you were all battered and shaken. You and Sir Cassian, in particular...” Wiping his lips with a cloth, Ruffia answered Lucious’s dreadful concern. “...Although there were three of them actually shaking in fear...muttering something about not going to fight with another undead army ever...” Lucious laughed and ended up in violent coughs at the thought of the three poor souls who faced the undead all by themselves.
“Easy...Lucious...” Massaging lightly on Lucious’s back, Ruffia reprimanded the coughing boy lightly as she helped him lied down to the bed. With a discomforted groan, Lucious lied down and gazed at Ruffia. Lucious did not look at Ruffia closely even in his carefree days when Daelous and Grawyrad were still alive. With her long blond hair tied to a loose braid and mild freckles spotting on her slightly cherry cheeks, Ruffia was becoming pretty and more matured than the small and shy girl who followed behind the brothers in their endless journey during their childhood. “...Ruffia...How many years had passed since we met each other?” A brief silence followed before his childhood friend answered. “...Almost a decade...maybe nine, I suppose...” “...I...see...” The conversation halted awkwardly as Lucious dwelled in his nostalgic thought. How far the time had passed during the time he spent dilly-dallying while his brother was working on their dreams, on his own.
“...Lucious...get some rest...I will report to Floki...Everyone will be overjoyed...” “...I see...Wait, are they still here...the Principle’s...” Breathing heavily in tiredness, Lucious managed to squeeze his words to form an understandable question. “Yes, of course. Sir Cassian injured quite badly. They have to stay until he can travel.” Unable to muster his strength anymore, Lucious relaxed his body and breathed steadily as he fell slowly into sleep. “...Thank you, Ruffia...Always...” Lucious felt a hand brushing his head gently with sniffling nose as he descended to his slumber with a peaceful smile.
Sighed with self-derision, a tall and broadened man with short and tidy blond hair sat on his bed with self-resentment. Not only he made a reckless charge to rescue a Cursed One, but he also put the entire expedition in jeopardy. If not for Merridian and Lucious, the rest of the members including him would be buried and absorbed by the Abyss as nourishment. Even now, he could not move his body properly although the holes on his chest had almost healed. With his left arm bandaged, Cassian gripped his remaining fist in furious while his firm feature twisted glumly when the door opened.
“How’re you today, Clypeus lad?” With a loud hoarse voice, a shorter but broadened man in his fifties boomed cheerfully at the grimaced knight. “Can you keep your voice down? My head is throbbing...” On contrary to Cassian’s request, Floki laughed loudly as the old Maeist tapped on his shoulder lightly. “...Don’t be such a snot, you sore loser!” Biting his lips in mild pain on his shoulder and hurting sting to his heart, Cassian glared at Floki with open admonishment. “...What good that it does if I lose...” “It does. Rejoice the fact that you lost the bet and everything happened as you hoped.” Cassian darkened with rage as the old Maeist stuck on the sore spot.
“...You mean I wished this on myself!!” Lifting his bandaged left arm with pain, Cassian lashed at Floki. “...Maybe not...Or you have some masochist wish...Just joking.” Floki pulled back with his arms raised and his palms opened as Cassian almost fumed with his boiling anger and self-blaming. “Relax, you know you’re happy because Lucious and the team were intact.” “...Yes, I am. It just...I hate myself...” Withdrew his resentment from Floki, Cassian lowered his eyes to his bandaged arm as he reached for his chest with his right arm. “...Come on, I told you before, right?” The old Maeist grabbed his head with exasperation. “You can’t be the Paragon. No one can. It was a legend and it is still a legend...”
“It is not about whether I can or not. I want to...I must be...” Forming a tightening fist with his palm, Cassian looked at the fist with determined eyes. “...Or maybe you DO have a masochist’s trait...” Sighed with resignation, Floki shook his head at the stubbornness of his former trainee as the younger knight regained his firm composure. “...So, you’re here to claim your prize...Which means...” Floki smiled at the concern shone on Cassian’s face. “...Well, it is more like redeeming my lottery...” Floki assumed his business expression as Cassian had returned to his calm demeanour. “...What I want you to do is simple.” Floki licked his lips. “Report everything you saw, including the fact that Lucious is a Cursed One and his valiant effort in the mission to the Council.” “...You know that’ll not change anything...They’ll still...” “Relax, lad. I’m not finishing just yet.” Floki stopped Cassian’s concerned rebuke with a knowing smile. “But before your formal report to the council...” Taking out a letter sealed with a weird insignia from his breast pocket, Floki waved the letter in front of Cassian’s face. “This is the letter to one of our esteemed elders, Lady Noa.”
ns 15.158.61.54da2
