"She got me." He muttered. "I couldn't find any other people around so I had to fight on my own. It was the first battle where I didn't know her powers yet. I fought her tooth and nail but every weapon I used turned into ash." Upon hearing his earnest words and her reaction I chuckled.
"You could have-"
"I had to retreat but in the heat of the moment, my hand accidentally touched her. I got back and chopped it off but the curse remained. It took me the entirety of a year to first kill her minions and then steal her shield, which I found was the only thing that her skill didn't work on. And then I bashed her head in with it."
"This can't be happening now." Upon hearing this out of shock Lithia started crying and hitting his chest. "We haven't even... haven't even started our journey yet. What happens now? Do you stay back? It's too dangerous to drag you to the field. But I don't want to go on a journey with Miss Apostle alone."
"Why-"
"Calm down, it'll be alright." He patted the back of her head and wiped her tears… at the same time. "I'm still here with you~"
"Eh?" It took her a moment to register. She looked up in shock with her eyebrow raised, only to find Javes with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Hehe, as if there'd be a wound I couldn't heal." He flexed his healed arm.
"You piece of fucking dogshit." She pushed him back.
"Waiiittt."
"I fucking hate you!!" She started swinging the needle at him as he ran away. "You liarrrr." She chased.
"I didn't lieee. Hah, after the first fight, I figured out how her thing worked so I chopped, fuf, off my arm and healed it. Think about it. Hah. Fighting her was a lot easier than fighting off Miss Apostle. After a couple of fights, I did manage to, fuf, bash her skull in and then took out the gem and implanted it. It gave me the power against curses, huh, but more importantly gave me the power to corrode like she did. I spend the last year perfecting that and using it to corrode my limbs over and over again to practice healing." He said while dodging and running. "Hah, I can't run anymore, I ran all the way here too."
He turned around grabbed and picked her up. She kept on punching his shoulder with perfect form. "Point is, in fights I don't have to dodge anymore. The second someone touches me I can turn them into ash."
"I hate youuu." And then they kissed? What was I watching?
"It seems like the two of you just want to show off today. First about how she got the wand in six months and now you saying you beat the ruin lady in a couple tries."
"That's how you raised us."
"You do know you're both older than me, ye-"
"It seems that you are all here." The door opened behind me. "Sorry for the delay we were slightly swamped with preparations." It was a small bald man inviting us in. "Please take a seat."
The building was all white and the chairs were made of straw. There was an exquisite carpet spread across the floor.
"I am sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard everyone here had a productive year behind them. I would like to congratulate all of you for gaining such proficiency in your lonesome. With this, I truly believe that the dream of ending the war is not a dream anymore." He opened a box of nuts and offered us to have some. "I have personally followed Miss Apostle's journey from her time getting taken in by the church. You see I was there on business when that whole fiasco with the pirates had happened."
"That was unexpected. What fate."
"Indeed. It makes me so proud to see you reach a position. Seeing a common man reach a place of reverence solidifies your belief in divinity."
"I heard someone say that divinity follows content individuals."
"Indeed. That made it even more sad when I heard about the attack on your town." And with his words, things had gone wrong again. But this time was different. I didn't sense a hint of a lie in his words. My senses started getting jumbled up and my reality started to get misaligned. A constant beep infected my ear.
"Excuse me?" I tried to contain myself.
"Have you not heard?" The man sat back up and pulled up a piece of paper just to confirm before folding it. "Indeed, under the charge of treason, conspiracy, and heresy, the church, guild, and all of its members were punished by the King of your capital last night." By the end of his words, it already felt like my head was underwater.
I was surrounded by visions of death.
Covering my ears, trying to rob myself of all my senses. I stood up. It wasn't working. I could hear screams and cries.
"Miss Apostle." Lithia placed a hand on my shoulders.
Not again.
Pause.