"Advanced level magic, Deflagration!" I shouted with a confident smile on my face, enjoying for a second the confusion that crossed Zoe's face upon hearing me recite the spell out loud.
Waiting for the burst of fire to rise against her to block it, Zoe stood still for an instant, after observing with amazement how the flames empowered by the chant of my spell were compressed and absorbed instantly by my Atlas Rune, disappearing from the battlefield before even expanding.
"Haha, well thought out, Drake. Reciting the spell to maximize its power, to then store it and use it as an instant charge… I must admit it is a great strategy, at least for opponents who aren't me." She said with a smile, before activating her Rune Phantom Mirage.
In a blink, her rune started to shine so that, next, a freezing and lethal mana presence appeared on my left side, forcing me to move to avoid being the target of her mana shadow, which seemed to materialize on a plane different from the physical one.
Noticing my movement, Zoe began to approach swiftly alongside her copy, coordinating their movements in such a way that they ended up surrounding me, trapping me between the front and the rear in a perfect pincer.
Looking around and noticing that she was preparing for something, without many options, I moved Belarus with both hands, burying it against the ground with all my strength to channel a pulse of terrestrial mana, creating dozens of stone thorns that sprouted from the earth violently.
Thanks to my attack, the real Zoe's advance was hindered, but it did not stop her shadow, which passed through the solid obstacles as if they were nothing more than air.
Raising my sword quickly upon feeling the imminent danger at my back, I intercepted the physical attack of her shadow. The impact was dry and brutal, making Belarus vibrate violently in my hands, sinking me into the earth due to the heaviness of the blow.
Preferring not to stay stuck in a duel of strength, I raised a stone surface under my feet to propel myself into the air and thus seek a height advantage.
From below, Zoe saw me gain elevation and prepared to attack me with air blades, taking advantage of the fact that I was an easy target, but before she could execute her counterattack, I activated my Atlas rune again, releasing a compressed rock that I had stored for a few months.
Without measuring or controlling it perfectly, I aimed with my stretched left hand in her direction, firing the projectile that impacted almost instantly on the place where she was, generating a large and absurd cloud of dust and debris that covered a great part of the wasteland.
But what the hell? I didn't think that attack was so powerful. I confessed after falling in a safe place, worried about Zoe's condition after the strong explosion.
Catching my breath, I saw how the dust cleared quickly and showed a Zoe covered in dust, gripping the handle of her short sword while she looked at me with a light smile that didn't quite reach hostile, but rather defiant.
"That was a dangerous attack, Drake. Good thing you didn't hit me." She confessed, getting back up with an agility I envied.
"T-That's right… why do you think I missed on purpose? I wouldn't like to hurt you in our first training after so much time." I said lying shamelessly, trying to make her believe that I perfectly controlled the trajectory and the impact, when in reality I still didn't fully understand my attack.
Smiling even more, as if she knew I was bluffing, Zoe densified the mana that enveloped her after letting out a long sigh with closed eyes, changing the atmosphere to a heavier one.
"Good, now then... let's see how you do with the second part of this battle." She sentenced, starting to walk slowly in my direction while her shadow vanished into the air, becoming impossible to detect even with Perception.
But what the hell...? I thought, feeling a cold sweat upon realizing that now her mana trail was totally nonexistent. I don't like this at all… better I make my move as soon as possible before she corners me.
Determined not to give her the initiative, I started to scan the terrain to plan my next movements, looking for any irregularity in the terrain to take advantage of, but before I could move or even think, a large spear of light appeared out of nowhere about 10 meters from me, crossing the space with a terrifying speed that reminded me of one of the worst experiences I had in this world.
Damn it, this brings me very bad memories. I thought laughing inside me, remembering the fight I had against Kadian when I was a kid while I struggled to dodge the spear, barely managing it by a couple of millimeters. Putting myself on alert for her next attacks, my concentration vanished upon feeling a scorching heat on the skin of my right shoulder.
Hahaha, it can't be…
Touching the scratch, I sent a little mana to that area of my body, preventing the slight bleeding from continuing to stain my clothes.
Looking straight ahead, I saw several spears of light appear again, which began to approach me at an incredible speed, seeking to finish the combat from a distance.
Not this time. I thought, determined to change the pace.
Taking a breath and densifying the mana in my legs, I looked directly at Zoe before launching myself towards her at full speed, ignoring her magic attack that, upon being centimeters from impacting me, I absorbed it with Atlas, making it disappear into the void of my rune without leaving any trace.
"Better let's stop playing games and fight head-on!" I shouted, already being a few meters from her, with adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Zoe, surprised by my last movement and seeing my determination to close the distance, responded with a happy and genuine smile, one that encouraged me to continue with the change of plans I had at the last minute. I hope this is better than my initial strategy…
"Haha, sounds good to me!" She answered, deactivating her rune to grab her short sword and launch herself towards me equally.
The sound of metal against metal resonated throughout the wasteland, initiating an exchange of clean thrusts and cuts where only our skill with the sword and our reflexes mattered. Between pants and the sweat that began to run down our foreheads, we both smiled, feeling comfortable and alive doing this, recovering through combat that connection we had lost.
However, my physical endurance had a limit compared to hers.
In the end, with the sun starting to hide behind the immense canyons in the background where she had cornered me, I ended up lying on the ground, at the edge of a large rock, with my chest rising and falling violently from the effort.
"I-I give up… I-I can't take it anymore…" I said between pants, dropping Belarus to the side with a smile of satisfaction on my face, feeling my muscles burn with my mind at peace.
Zoe, sighing while looking at me from above, put her weapon away before approaching me with a soft expression. Without saying anything, she sat beside me, and delicately lifted my head to place it on her lap, beginning to apply healing magic on some superficial cuts I had gotten during the frenzy.
"Thank you…" I whispered, feeling how my breathing was slowly calming down thanks to the freshness of her magic and the comfort of being like this with her.
Looking up, I saw her face illuminated by the last rays of sun slipping between the mountains, while my eyes got lost in the orange horizon. We stayed like that for a while until she finished healing my wounds, and even though there was no longer a need to be like that, we stayed resting in a silence that was no longer heavy, but comforting, happy to simply be there with each other without the need for masks, or distances…
With a low voice, Zoe broke the peace, charged with a low and worried tone that made me look at her.
"Sorry…" She said, looking me straight in the eyes, with a sad smile that contrasted with the moment. "Forgive me, Drake, forgive me for lying to you."
"Eh?" I answered a bit confused by the suddenness of her words, before pulling myself together and sitting next to her to be able to see her directly.
Processing her words and the weight of her gaze, I quickly understood what she was referring to. Sighing heavily, I shook my head, wanting to downplay the matter that tormented her so much.
"Zoe... it wasn't your fault." I said with a soft but firm voice, seeking to transmit reassurance to her. "Lying to me about our kinship was Kadian and Irisha's decision, not yours. You were just a little girl following their orders, so you don't have to bear that."
"But even so…" She replied, lowering her gaze while her hands trembled slightly on her lap. "I continued with the lie all these years. I... took advantage of you, of that closeness by pretending to be your blood sister, and… and of that warmth of yours when I felt alone…"
I stayed in silence while I listened to how her voice broke, creating a knot in my throat. Swallowing hard, I tried to organize my thoughts and carefully choose my next words so as not to break all the progress we had achieved in these last hours, knowing that if I made a mistake, she would probably lock herself up again.
"Zoe, listen to me clearly, please…" I said, moving a little closer and gently forcing her to lift her face to look me in the eyes, making her respond to my gesture with a crystalline gaze.
"You, Zoe Rainhard, or Helkar, a-re the mo-st im-por-tant per-son to me." I said, making her surprised by the frankness and way in which I said it.
"Do you understand now? You are the one who, literally, has been by my side the longest in this life, because for as long as I can remember, I remember seeing you there. I remember that you were there for me, protecting me and guiding me when I was just a baby, a child, and even now." I continued, releasing everything I understood recently.
"You are my family, my teacher and tutor, my guide and my greatest comfort… So, don't you dare feel bad for having been by my side, because if you hadn't accompanied me and cared for me in my hardest moments, I probably wouldn't have gotten as far as I am now, and in fact, maybe I wouldn't even be alive today.
Everything I have, everything I live and everything I am capable of doing is thanks to you. And… I know I never told you directly, but… thank you. Thank you for all of it. For being by my side and being my pillar in this crazy storm that is life. Thank you for holding me and helping me, for keeping me aware of who I am. Thank you for your affection, your fidelity and unconditional loyalty, and especially… for your love."
I finally let out, making Zoe open her mouth wanting to say something, maybe refute me or apologize again, but she ended up keeping it to herself. Instead, she let out a trembling sigh and gave me a sincere smile that illuminated her features, sweetening the atmosphere with her face enveloped in the orange tones of the sunset and full of genuine happiness. Seeing her like this helped me to instantly kill the few nerves that still remained in my mind, filling me with absolute confidence to face whatever came.
We stayed in a comforting silence for a good while, letting the wind blow around us, until she finally spoke.
"I understand, Drake…" She whispered, slowly raising her hand towards me, leaving it suspended in the space that separated us. "So, now that… now that we know what each other thinks and feels… what are we supposed to be? Siblings? Travelers? Comrades... or just friends?"
I looked at her trembling hand in the air and then her expectant eyes. It was the million-dollar question, the same one I had asked myself last night when closing the book.
"Haha… the truth is I don't know. Seriously… I have no idea." I answered sincerely, making Zoe's hand lose strength in the air.
"But I do know this: I never want you to drift away. And I will do the impossible so that you stay with me, changing the damn destiny I saw reflected in that vision months ago if necessary." I continued with determination, taking her fallen hand in the air and making our fingers intertwine in a rather intimate way, feeling the perfect fit of her skin against mine.
Zoe looked at me with wide eyes, with a furious blush taking over her cheeks upon feeling our grip.
"And… all this is, b-because… I long for you… I long for you to wait a little longer for an answer to the confession you made me, because honestly all this still seems a bit bizarre to me!"
I finished off, with a big mocking smile, making Zoe go in a moment from maximum illusion to looking at me with pure indignation while she puffed her cheeks to calm down and not hit me.
"Idiot."
…
Zoe Rainhard's point of view
Drake… Drake… Drake… Drake… Drake…
Since that half-hearted answer Drake gave me, several days passed. Days full of talks every other night where I understood that I had been a fool, after hearing what truly happened in Barton from Drake's mouth.
Being a few hours away from reaching the border, I felt with absolute calm and happiness, remembering what Drake truly felt for me, since the simple fact of replaying his words in my mind made my heart beat strongly, unable to control the silly smile on my face while I rode Ness through the air.
We continued flying calmly until we finally reached the natural border of the country, stopping for a while in the air while we looked at the immense river that divided the lands.
"We will finally leave the kingdom after so many decades!" Shouted Drake in the distance, competing against the sound of the wind with a voice full of relief and freedom.
Smiling upon hearing his words, I nodded my head, giving him the signal to keep advancing towards our new destination.
Feeling incredibly happy about the future that awaited us, I took my hand to the small pouch on my belt, secretly taking out the golden necklaces that Irisha gave me a couple of years ago, around the time of Drake's Omen.
Ahhh… there's little left. I thought with illusion, caressing the cold metal with my thumb. Little to be able to use them both, allowing me to join Drake... forever.
Storing them again with great care, I looked up, sighing while I looked at the beautiful and clear day it was, feeling that finally our luck was changing... until a flash of reddish light shot out from a cave in the lower mountains, making me stay in shock due to the contrast of the situation.
Completely paralyzed and with a blank mind from how sudden everything was, my body blocked at once, preventing me from reacting, moving or even shouting his name. I could only stay there, observing with pure terror how that lethal light crossed the air at a breakneck speed, hitting Mork and Drake dead-on before they could realize it.
A deafening explosion tore the sky, enveloping both of them in furious red flames that cut their flight instantly, making them plummet towards the deep canyon like a meteor wrapped in fire.
The sound of the crash arrived a couple of seconds after the impact, shaking the environment and creating an immense cloud of dust and pulverized rock at the impact site.
My hands began to tremble on Ness's reins, feeling how the air left my lungs and panic destroyed my chest, erasing any trace of happiness.
What is happening? Why? I thought, with my mind fractured by desperation and unable to look away from the smoke cloud. Why now…?
Feeling several mana signatures in the distance, I completely understood the situation upon remembering Drake's words about what happened in Barton.
BORIS.