Chapter twenty-one
I'm exhausted! I've heard that overusing mana can cause necrosis in the parts of the body where the Mana was built up. Looking at my hands now I can almost imagine the Mana exhaustion making my veins and skin all shriveled up like an old lady would be. Not the prettiest mental image for sure.
I shook my head and, with a breath, looked around the room. The tent was mostly as it was before. The desk that I assume Grandma made for herself, our traveling bags, and now six new hammocks with fluffy people in them. I've never made a Hammock before so I'm a little worried about the boys. Especially Kagu since he is already Five foot five. Must be because he is a Demi-human, though the others aren't like him so maybe not. Makes me wonder about all my preconceived notions and whether or not I should keep 'em around. Regardless, everyone seems to be sleeping soundly so perhaps I ought to have a bit more faith in my Hammock-making ability.
The Adults had left out of the Tent earlier after we all came inside. Grandma was wearing this mischievous smile, practically ushering the two out. She is definitely up to no good. People say that she has this duality to her that always puts everyone around her on edge. For me, though I don't really see it that way. Like sure, she is the Grand Magus, but I don't think that precludes her from being her normal self. I think that Grandpa Oberon must've helped her with not always carrying that burden and that's why this 'duality' exists.
I laid back down and closed my eyes.
"I guess I should go to sleep," I said in a half-whisper to myself, pulling the sides of my own hammock over my body like a pseudo-blanket. Falling asleep like this was far preferable to yesterday's literal dirt nap I had by the pond, at least to me.
…
…
I can't sleep.
I rubbed the side of my nose with my thumbs knuckle and turned onto my side.
....
…
Why can't I go to sleep? Was it as a result of how thoroughly exhausted my body was? No way. Even if that was something that happened to humans I have no way that my physiology was the same so I should exclude that. Maybe my past self is doing something weird in our mental space again and that's what is stopping me from sleeping. That would really be concerning. I don't want to think about how I could possibly be at odds with my own self in my mind. That is just the recipe for a massive headache.
I tucked my knees to my chest and curled up into a ball figuring that it could be that I was just cold. We were up in a mountainous region in the middle of the night so that could easily be the case.
…
…
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The next morning:
"Suzuka!"
Just give me a few more minutes…
"Get up already!"
I don't wan- *Fweep*
"AH!"
*Thump*
No longer was I in the comfort of my Hammock. Instead, I found myself eating a dirt sandwich flat on the ground.
"Wh-What… Who just." I said as I looked up and saw Gydion looking down at me with agitation abound and evident.
"What's wrong…?" I asked him. "Why did you just do that to me?"
"I've been trying to wake you up for the past hour. Do you know that it's almost noon? You've slept the morning away! Blame yourself for not waking up when I was trying to be gentle with you."
I pushed myself off the ground and dusted myself off. I guess it made sense why he was so angry, but still, he didn't have to be so mean about it. Whatever I guess. I gathered my hair together and put it in a ponytail which took like two whole minutes given how much and how long it was. While doing so, I noticed that the tent was completely void of people. I guess it was already midday so it made sense that nobody would just be relaxing inside the tent. That's the kind of stuff shut-ins do. Still curious, I asked Gydion where everyone else was.
"Where is everyone?"
"They've all left with the Grand Magus back to the tower."
I'm sorry, did I just hear that right? They went to the tower? How? Why? If I recall correctly, the Abyss was a place people could not go. It couldn't be that… they're…
Frantically, I gathered my stuff in my bag, jetting out of the tent. I had infused mana into my muscles without even thinking about it thanks to all the dodging that I did yesterday, making the trip to the large arch that we had come here from in a little less than a minute. I could hear Gydion shouting something in the background as I ran, but his voice grew small quickly. My mind was far too occupied with worry.
Grandma wouldn't! Just because they followed Gydion…!
"Well, I'm here… But I don't know how to actually use this thing…"
Looking around for anything that I could use to open up the gate back home.
Minutes of searching pass like eons. In that time Gydion managed to make it up to the arch and was speaking somewhere behind me, but again, I couldn't hear him over my own thoughts. Intense fear like I've never felt before had completely clouded my ability to perceive anything beyond the object of said fear. Without realizing, my eyes had begun leaking furiously. I only snapped back to the present when Gydion grabbed my shoulder and forcefully turned me around. His face was distorted with chained frustration. At least he was trying.
"Snap out of it!" He shouted at me. His grip on my shoulders dug in. I tried to push him away but his grasp was too strong for me. Suddenly the portal opened. Both Gydion and I turned to look and saw Isaea walk out. Her face was the picture of serenity. She had a straw hat on with a white sundress and wedge heels. Her essence was far removed from the atmosphere that she had unknowingly entered. Though, that purity vanished the instant she looked over and saw the two of us. Her face grew cold. Gydions grip laxed as his attention was now completely affixed to Isaea who was now walking over to the both of us.
"I-Isaea…! I was just about to come back with Suzuka! She had slept in and suddenly ran off so I was trying to stop her…"
"I know, but you've taken too long and it seems as though you were doing a little more than you should." She said whilst gesturing to my tears. She swatted away Gydions hands and took me into her embrace. It was at that time that I realized I had been crying. I reached up and wiped the tears from my eyes with my sleeve. Isaea looked down at me and smiled sweetly.
"What's wrong Su?"
"Do you know where the beastkin are?!?" I blurted out. Her face showed of confusion before turning into one of remembrance.
"You're talking about the cuties that had arrived in Masters study earlier today? She asked curiously."
They're in the study!
I slipped out from Isaea's embrace and ran through the portal, leaving her and Gydion behind. Wasting no time, I dashed through the halls of the Tower, scaling flights of stairs on the way up to Grandma's study which was located at the highest point in the tower. As I zoomed through the hallway many of the tower's denizens yelped in fright. I knew that I was creating a rather embarrassing scene, but that was the least of my concerns.
I had to blink more than a few times as what I saw gave me a burst of relief. Kannan and Kalinna were sitting at a table, diligently reading. Before they could notice me, I ran over to them and pulled them into a hug. Kannan noticed me just before I did and warmly embraced me in return while Kalinna who was completely absorbed in reading squealed in surprise. I cried more purposefully this time, holding the two in my arms. Kannan patted me on the back as my tears wet the side of her face.
She asked "H-Hey! What's wrong? Why're you crying like that?"
Something in the same family tree as words came out of my mouth. The exchanged glances of the Kannan and Kalinna that spelled out the word 'confusion' confirmed that the branch of the family tree that my 'words' were on was in fact one that died out long ago.
Hearing the crying, Karak came from elsewhere in the study with a closed book in his hand. Although I couldn't see his face since my own was buried in Kalinna's and Kannan's shoulders, I could hear him.
"What the heck is going on here?" He asked.
"We um… don't know. She just ran over to us and started crying as soon as she came in. I've been consoling her silently." Kannan replied.
"Could you get the Lady of the tower? She said she wanted to know when Suzuka came back."
Karak nodded and turned back around the corner.
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"So you thought I would kill them?" Grandma asked.
"Well… yes. I don't remember from where I may have seen or read this, but for some reason, I thought the punishment for trespassing onto the Land of the Abyss fairies carried the punishment of death." I replied whilst looking down into my lap, fiddling with my fingers. Grandma had sat me down in front of her desk on the elevated section of the study after Karak went to fetch her and we've been talking ever since.
"Hmm. You would normally not be wrong to assume that. The thing is though, I was just about to send Isaea out to find companions for you that were not of the Fairies. I figured since It would be nice to have some people like you around. That is the only reason why they're here."
I felt the tension in my body loosen entirely. I was terrified that the people I had just met and had a bonding experience with were going to die. The idea of that terrifies me down to the bone.
Death.
Dying.
These realities were only avoided by happenstance. I had simply forgotten about them since I've been surrounded by people who can't die, or at least not in the way that those of flesh and blood do.
"Su."
I Blinked as Grandma called my name out again.
"Sorry. I guess I spaced out."
"It's alright. I'm curious now though. Where about do you think that you heard that trespassers were disposed of? I know for certain that I've never talked about it as there has not been a scenario in which the conversation would be prompted. I'm also certain that there are no documents inside this study that talk about the rules of yore concerning trespassers."
…
I don't have an answer for that. I can't very well say that I got it from memories of a past version of me. I shrugged my shoulders and looked up at her without moving my head from its slouched position. Grandma looked at me for a few moments before leaning forward and picking up her ink pen on her desk. She twirled it around in her fingers as she pulled out a thick book from a drawer next to her. She opened it to a blank page and hovered the pen over the top left before looking up at me.
"Don't worry about it too much, okay? As I said, I was just curious. I'm going to work on some documents so do leave me be for a few days okay? Isaea will take care of you and the children's needs for the time being."
I nodded and pushed my seat in after getting up.
I walked to the edge of the personal section of the study and leaned on the railing, looking down at the rest of the area.
Everyone was here… Karak, Kannan, Kannaya, Kalina, Kajin and Kashin, Kagu, and even that strange one Kaxis. They were all alive.
Tears formed against my will again as I took in the sight with many thanks.
I don't know if this was the will of the Goddess that reincarnated my past self, but I'm grateful. I don't know what I'd do if… Yeah.
Heh… Though it's funny in a way. For me to feel so strongly for people I've not even known for more than two days. Maybe that just means that… I was feeling lonely. Or Tired. I can't be sure.
We didn't even do all that much. We just laughed and got to meet each other… Maybe it's because they didn't hate me as soon as they saw me because of my horns or eyes. Rather not a single one of them commented on them. Whatever the reason why I feel so strongly towards them, I'm glad that they're alive.