I took in the surroundings. A few carts and crates were upturned on the street side, some of the goods scattered all over the ground. The wall of the building opposite us had large chips and cracks on its surface, probably from when one of them had been thrown outside earlier. I could hear the fading screams and shouts of people who had fled the scene, along with that of mine coming from inside me.
A strong gust of wind knocked me back, and I nearly fell to the ground if it weren't for Lira pinning my shoulders down. The sudden force was due to the impact that was caused by Galen's sword hitting Ras' own sword. Their faces were very close to each other, both taut with challenge and focus. Sparks flew from the place upon which their blades met, and it was already obvious that neither of them had any plans of losing this fight.
"I've always wanted to wipe that smug look off your face, Captain," Galen snarled, teeth bared.
"Why, I'm honored that you even think of me, my lord." Ras' smirk was there, his arms barely trembling from Galen's sheer strength.
The two of them pulled apart, and not a moment too soon they were onto one another again. My eyes could barely keep up as Galen and Ras exchanged blow after blow, each of them seemingly more powerful than the previous ones.
It was like watching two dancers performing something out of a choreographed dance—for every strike there was a parry and for every feint there was a quick block. I was knowledgeable enough about fighting to realize that none of the two were wasting any moves, every attack calculated and precise. None of them made any mistakes.
And then Galen started to use his magic.
Fire ignited from his blade, streaks of flames curling from the hilt up to the very tip. It cast a golden glow on his tan skin, complementing his eyes of glimmering gold—wait, I should not be commenting on appearances. That is not the main focus here.
Amusement bloomed on Ras' face when he saw that Galen had begun to use his magic. "That's interesting. They say the Grand General of Orion only summons his flames when faced with a great threat."
"Don't push your luck, Cygnusian. I merely want this little squabble to end quickly, you are not worth my time." Galen spat on the ground. It was red. A bruise was forming on his cheek. Since when? I had not even seen Ras land a punch on him. As much as I hated how much of an asshole Galen was being right now, I could not help but feel a pang on my chest upon seeing him get hurt.
But there was a kind of concern I was feeling for Ras as well, and it was different from what I felt for Galen.
This emotion stemmed more from worry of how he was feeling. Of what he was thinking as of the moment. Galen had mentioned something about an incident from three years ago, and that must have affected him badly. I wasn't sure what it was, but I was worried for him. Right, I was beginning to care for my savior that I've also started to care for what he was thinking and feeling. And for what I could do to ease his pain.
The battle continued. Galen charged at Ras with his fire-licked sword, and his movements had become sharper and faster. Ras did well in evading the attacks, but I could tell that he was lagging behind. The fire singed his sleeves, and I caught the slight twitch of his eye. He got burnt.
Lira fell into place beside me. "You still have plans to stop them?"
"Yes," I answered, but even I could hear the uncertainty in my voice.
"Good luck on doing that without being caught in the crossfire," Lira said, sounding exhausted. I heard the shifting of rubble, and I didn't have to guess that she'd finally decided to sit on the ground. Not giving a damn care was her specialty, unlike me who perhaps cared too much.
Ras grunted, making me turn to them once more. It didn't take me long to realize that he was losing. There were burn marks on his arms, angry lines of red that peaked from the torn wraps of bandages. A gash lined his cheek in a clean cut, blood dripping down his jaw. Galen kept swinging and swinging his blade at him, and Ras was losing his foothold. All he could do was move backward as he blocked Galen's every attack.
A memory from earlier entered my mind. Shadows forming in his hands, his face distorted in agony. My hand immediately flew to my mouth as I snapped back to the present with the realization. Whatever power Ras had used earlier, it had cost him greatly. And I might have healed him, which basically meant that all I did was make his disrupted energy flow return to normal. But he had not fully recovered yet.
He was hiding his weakness with that stubborn clenching of his jaw.
What was I going to do? Was I really this helpless that I had to stand here for nearly twenty minutes trying to think of a way to stop these two from cutting each other's throats?
I yelp escaped my lips as I saw Galen cornering Ras against a wall, the flames on the Grand General's sword kissing the Captain's neck.
"At last, I get to make you shut up," Galen hissed, his fires flaring brighter.
Ras chuckled. "What, do you expect me to congratulate you?"
"Pathetic," Galen tilted his head, "those are your last words? Very well."
Galen's flames roared, growing ten times bigger as he raised his sword.
At the very last minute, amidst the panic and chaos in my mind, Lira's words echoed repeatedly.
"Good luck on doing that without being caught in the crossfire."
"Good luck on doing that without being caught in the crossfire."
"Good luck on doing that without being caught in the crossfire."
A dazed laugh climbed up my throat. "I am going to do the exact opposite of that."
"The exact opposite of what?" Lira blurted out.
But I was already gone, running toward my savior and hoping I could save him too.
"No!" It was the only word that came from me as I got between Ras and Galen.
The realization in my friend's golden eyes flashed too late. He could not do anything to stop his sword from swinging down.
And in me was nothing but the urge to raise my hand, as if it alone could block the blow and save Ras. Even I was doomed.
Until I wasn't. A blinding light flickered before my palms, exploding and spreading like a tiny sun. The light swallowed Galen's mighty flames, releasing a whoosh of wind that blew the dust and leaves on the street. The strangest thing most of all was that I did not look away from this brilliance when it was supposed to be searing and stinging my eyes. Right, this was my magic. It was beautiful, warm and embracing—like coming home after years of journey.
Except that this home had entirely changed. It was both familiar and new. I was a Light Mage. My magic was not meant to be like this. Light Mages like me were only for performances and display, for entertainment. How had I managed to achieve this?
I did not know. As these thoughts ran inside my head, the strong explosion of light had begun to ebb. Slowly, the luminescence started to fade into a mere glimmer, into nothing but empty air in front of me.
I lifted my gaze, seeing Galen lying on the ground and his sword already distances away from his hand. My breathing hitched as I panicked, thinking that I had hurt him whilst prioritizing my desire to help Ras. But it was either he killed him, or I would stop him. It wasn't about choosing between the two, I told myself. I did not mean to cause pain to either of them.
I shook my head, setting aside the curiosity on how I had done such a feat and proceeded to go and check on my friend instead.
I took a step, but paused. Ras, I had to see how he was doing first!
I looked behind me, and I saw that his eyes were wide. He blinked, as if he'd snapped from a daze.
"Are you all right?" I asked him, my chest heaving due to the anxiety.
He blinked for the last time, nodding vigorously and swallowing. "Yeah, I'm good. You saved me, Rosie. H-how—"
I raised a hand. "Don't ask me how. I don't know either. Stay there a moment, I'm going to check on Galen."
"O-okay…" he muttered.
My gaze caught Lira standing on the side, equally stricken as I was. Her mouth was open in a blatant 'What in the goddess' great aunt?' kind of way. The weirdness of the moment had finally and completely settled into me. As I took stock of their reactions, I understood. Performers were not capable of magic like that!
Everyone in the continent regarded mages who belonged to the stage as "Performers", those who were useless in the battlefield and with magics that weren't fit for fighting. Like me. A Light Mage. So how…?
I mentally smacked myself. As I said earlier, now was not the time to be thinking that!
"Lira," I told her, "attend to Ras' wounds."
She was still in a state of shock. "H-huh?"
"Attend to Ras' wounds," I repeated. "I'm going to check if Galen's all right or not."
She straightened, her focus returning. "Ah, yes. Got it."
As she picked up her feet, I rushed toward Galen, dropping on my knees and gently putting his head onto my lap.
The tightness in my chest eased as soon as I saw that he was breathing, evenly in fact. There was not a scratch on him, as well. It was as though he was sleeping so peacefully, and seeing his face now without the cunning eyes, complacent expression and passive-aggressive tones, I was reminded of when we were young. Galen had been simple and direct, gentle and caring. Times within the military had changed him, and I could not blame him for that.
Galen's eyes opened, and he immediately sat up when he saw that it was me. He grabbed my shoulders, searching me up for any injuries. "Rosie! Are you okay?! Let me see. Thank the goddess, you seem to be fine. All body parts are present, it seems. What the hell got into your head, suddenly appearing like that? That was dangerous, Rosie, I could have killed you!"
It was the first time today that he had called me by my name, and it sounded genuine and sweet. Like the way he used to call me in the past. But I kept that thought to myself.
I showed him a smile, but I couldn't prevent it from looking sad. "But you didn't."
I saw how his eyes shifted as he took in a deep breath. His hands loosened on my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Rosie. It wasn't my intention to treat you in that manner. I was just worried for your sake."
He was probably also worried what my father would think when he came back to the palace empty-handed, but I kept that thought to myself again. "I know, I know. I understand where you're coming from."
His gaze lit up. "You do?"
"Yes," I replied, "and I hope you'd also understand when I tell you that despite all this I still won't be going back home."
For a brief moment, his golden pupils darkened. I knew what kind of a crisis I was putting him in. I was ready to make a run for it, should Galen have insisted, and I didn't care if Ras wasn't in a condition to walk—Lira and I could just carry him. But it took me by surprise when Galen sighed, his features softening.
He stared at me fondly, giving me an exhausted smile. "Fine."
I stifled a gasp. "Really?"
He shrugged, his arms dropping. "You win, Rosie. You know I can't get through you at times where you're being insanely hardheaded."
I couldn't suppress a grin from forming. I hugged him right there and then, thinking that I hadn't actually lost my best friend after all. "Oh, Galen, thank you. I'm glad."
But then he said, "But Rosie, I have a few conditions to lay out first."
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