Chapter Seventeen

  To Chase About a Girl– Part Three.

  It was the end of the line for Aelius. He was drowned in slowing processes of his own sub-consciousness.

  Until, one moment onward, brief snippets of awareness would penetrate the heavy darkness, broodingly hanging over him.

  “Aelius!” his name, from a familiar voice.

  The slightly prickling sensation on his sensitive skin, in the absence of anything else. Slightly salty as it trailed down to his lips.

  A sniffle.

  A desperate cry.

  “You can’t die, Aelius! You can’t do this to me!”

  It fades back to black.

  Time passes. But how long?

  She’s crying. She’s crying again– she cries everyday.

  Don’t die! Move. Move, move!

  He wanted to wake up and tell her everything is okay, so badly.

  Make it through this. I will make it through this. I’m still in the game. I’ve got some more kick in me left.

  Beat the poison. Come on, don’t let this thing hold you down. Wake UP, damn it!

  The cackling of fire gently caressed the ears. Outside, the same howling wind as always could be heard.

  The sound of something grinding– like stone on stone. A pestle and mortar.

  “Huuuuu-” a deep breath flowed out from Aelius’ parted lips as his heavy eyelids weakly opened. Above, a familiar ceiling looked back down at him. “V-Violet?” he croaked.

  A series of clings and clangs immediately followed– the pestle was dropped to the ground. Then, Aelius heard the rapidly approaching soft patter of bare feet on stone.

  A dash of violet.

  Violet appeared over him, her face twisted in pain and anguish. “Aelius? You’re awake,” she cried. “H-hold on, I’ll fetch you something to drink. Just h-hold on, okay?” she dashed away and quickly returned with a herbal concoction.

  Aelius was fed the soupy, thick and bitter green medicine from a wooden bowl, by the tender Violet using one arm to support him.

  “Violet,” Aelius mustered as he exhaustedly laid back down, reaching up to gently stroke her wet cheek. “Sorry. You’ve worked hard.”

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  At his words, the cries she was holding back finally breached through. She began to sob and whimper, her tears landing on Aelius’ cheeks.

  “It was so hard. I didn’t know if you’d ever wake up again– I really thought you would’ve just died in your sleep. I don’t know what I would’ve done.” She looked down his body and back up it again. “Just what in the world did you get yourself into!? You big dummy!”

  Aelius tried to chuckle but it immediately flared into a coughing fit. “Ah shit,” he groaned as it subsided, feeling the burn in his throat and lungs.

  “S-sorry,” Violet whispered, patting him on the chest.

  But, her hands were immediately seized and grasped by Aelius. Their eyes met and Aelius smiled weakly.

  There she was. The first girl– no, person, to ever bring him so much happiness in all of his life. The time they spend together, more precious than diamonds and gems. Her smile, to him, precious and sacred.

  He had been hunting Skals for so long, he forgot what happiness tasted like. But Violet brought the colour back to his world. She was his guiding light.

  His home to come home to. His only companion in the entire world. She was his reminder that… he is human too. Not a senseless killing machine.

  “Y’know, Violet, when I was out there, in the snow. I really thought I wasn’t gonna make it.”

  Violet’s lip trembled as she nodded.

  “And when I thought it was all over, I was only thinking about one thing– I mean, one person. One girl.” Aelius put forth a bright smile. “All the regrets came gushing out. I realised I never want to feel that type of regret again.”

  He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his head now level with her’s. “So, I want to say these words before the day comes when it’s too late to say them.”

  She gulped in anticipation.

  “Will you let me stay by your side forever? You hold the keys to my heart.”

  The words hung in the air for just a moment, before Violet’s eyes began to water again. “That’s so not fair, dummy. How could you say that when I’m upset with you…”

  Aelius returned a wry smile as Violet laid her head down gently to his chest.

  She closed her eyes, her shoulders relaxing. “You better stick to that promise, because you hold the keys to mine as well.”

  They laid back down together, cuddling beside the fire. In each other’s embrace, in the howling wind, they let a deep slumber take them both– two lovers, stranded in the snow together.

  *

  Pain. It was an all-too familiar pain, Aelius thought as his eyes opened a slit. He flinched at the sunlight hitting him.

  A burning, croaky throat? Check. Every muscle in his body feeling like it’s been snipped? Check. Like someone’s hand was fiddling around in his brain? Check.

  How did Aelius forget? He can’t cast magic yet, let alone a Fifth Star spell. As a result, the Magic stimulated the poison in his Core, making it run rampant through out his body.

  He weakly raised his arm and observed it– the small, teenage arm devoid of all scars and calluses. In this second life of his, he’s yet to meet Violet and she hasn’t cured his poison yet.

  They all insulted him for being unable to use Magic– the people of this Nation, and of this Academy. None of them knew that he actually had an incredible talent and affinity for Elemental Magic– it’s just that someone poisoned his Core when he was still a child.

  “Violet…” her name fell from Aelius’ lips. She’s alive… right, she’s still alive in this life. I need to go see her right now. My Violet, my lovely Violet.

  Aelius summoned some feeble strength but as he tried to swing his legs, he realised something heavy was weighing them down. With a raised brow, Aelius turned to look at what it might be.

  To his surprise, a peaceful and young Aria was sleeping over his legs, entirely passed out and blissfully unaware of her surroundings.

  Aelius raised a brow. “Aria…?”

  Why is she, the ice cold princess who always ignored him, laying over his legs like this, right now?