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This Strange World Needs A Kicking! – Ch. 36
By Laura S. Fox
Copyright © 2021 Laura S. Fox
All Rights Reserved
Gay Romance
Intended for Mature Audiences Only
This story will contain graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, strong
language and it is not meant for readers who are less than 18 years of age.
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Chapter Thirty-Six – From
These Tales, We Are Born
"What a freaking bomb!" Tani was the first to interrupt the shocked silence that
followed Luna Celeste's confession about who Sebastian's parents were. "Does he
know?"
Luna shook her head. "No.
Reya," she began and shook her head for a moment,
"she's quite the willful kind. For many, she might seem cold and unfeeling--"
"Yeah, like who lets her
son without protection after fighting the bad guys, right?" Kai said and then
quickly put his palms up in apology. "Sorry, my big mouth got ahead of me."
"I believe I should tell
you a bit about myself and how I got to serve the ice goddess," Luna said and
offered a small forgiving smile.
"You're... her Lelian, right?" Kai asked, a bit cautiously.
"That explains a lot," Galien commented. "And she had us all believe that she's
powerful enough to conjure life from thin air. Icy thin air, but still."
"Don't act so spoiled, Galien," Luna shot him down with a well-aimed stare.
"Whereas Sebastian received nothing but a rigid education, you were left to
your own devices a bit too much. No wonder you have the reputation you enjoy
today."
Galien
scoffed, but under Luna's gaze, he eventually conceded. "My apologies, my
lady."
"Good. I know you to be a
well-mannered young man."
Tani
pulled at Kai's sleeve. "She can be a little scary," she whispered.
"I heard that," Luna
said, but right away chuckled with mirth. "I should start by telling you that I
was born in the far north, in a poor village of farmers and craftsmen."
"And how come we know you
to come from a well-established family of witches?" Galien
asked. "Please, ignore me," he added hastily, "we would very much like to hear
the truth."
"As I was saying, my
origins are humble. I was born a Lelian and my
talents for creating charms manifested at a young age. The people in the
village were frightened by me. I shouldn't have been born to a family of
farmers with fear of magic or anything beyond their comprehension. My parents
were good people, and once they realized that I was... different," she added
after a short moment of hesitation, "they decided to
protect me in the only way they knew how."
"Did they send you to Reya?" Tani asked, her eyes as
big as saucers.
"No, unfortunately. They
hid me, kept me away from the eyes of the other villagers, afraid that they
might hurt me due to their ignorance and superstitions. But, I wasn't the kind
to spend all my waking hours hidden in a barn. I quickly devised ways to get
out and enjoy the big world out there. And I always came back before my parents
would notice I was gone. However, one day, shortly after turning eighteen, I
went on a longer trip because I really wanted to see the fair organized by a
village located at a good distance from ours."
Luna Celeste stopped for
a bit, and her eyes flooded with memories. Her smile was fond, though, and that
gave Kai peace of mind. At least, Luna's story wasn't a sad one, not all the
way, and it was all that mattered. She offered him a tiny smile. "Yes, you are
right, young man," she said.
"You are kind of reading
minds, aren't you?" he asked, throwing her a suspicious glance.
"You're easy to read."
"Ah," Kai said as the
sudden realization struck him, "so, as long as there's a happy end..."
"Is there going to be a
happy end? I want to see it, now!" Tani jumped on her
seat, most probably high on sugar and meeting amazing people like a lady with
charms.
Luna's smile grew
all-knowing and a tiny bit strange. "Do you care to hear mine?"
"Totally," Kai said
eagerly. "Everyone, let's just keep silent so that Luna can tell us her story."
"Who put you in charge?" Tani mumbled. "But, yes, we want to hear Luna's story.
Sorry for interrupting."
"No need to apologize,"
Luna replied. "That day, at the fair, it was the first time in my life I had
mulled wine. And emboldened by the strength offered to me by the drink, I began
making charms and offering them to anyone who happened to walk by. Soon enough,
there was a long line, and people were even throwing coins at me."
"I would have totally
thrown all my coins, too, for cakes like these," Tani
said with conviction.
"However, people who had
stalls at the fair and had paid hefty sums for them got mad, and soon, I was
surrounded by guards. Needless to say, I found myself thrown in jail, on the
account that I was trying to fool people out of their money."
"Weren't they aware that
you had magic?"
"The northern lands are
not that rich in magic. So no, they just thought I was playing tricks and
trying to sell confectionery at higher prices than allowed. It was not my fault
people thought it a good idea to pay me so much. Although I appreciated their
appreciation of my charms," Luna added with a small laugh.
"So you were in prison,"
Kai reminded her where her story stopped.
"Badass," Tani murmured.
"Yes, and it wasn't an
easy time for me. But I suppose that it was just my luck that one day, Reya stopped by in search of hard workers. She needed
laborers for making Ifigia into the magnificent place
you see today."
"And she just picked
criminals for that kind of job?" Milo asked, visibly distraught by that
revelation.
"The northern territories
are harsh, and people are harsh, too. Many farmers who end up stealing because
they cannot feed their families are thrown in jail. I didn't tell you something
you cannot know since you're from a different world. Those lands are not part
of Ifigia, but free of any ruler. They govern
themselves, and I cannot tell, hand on heart, that they are doing that great by
this choice. Reya was allowed to pick her laborers
against a generous amount of grains and other types of food she brought with
carriages by the dozens. You see, she can tell when someone has evil in their
heart, just by touching them. So she knew who to pick."
"What happened when she
saw you?" Tani asked excitedly.
"I was overlooked at
first, being a woman, and therefore useless for hard labor, but the guards were
mean enough to want to play a trick on Reya. They had
me dressed in men's clothes, cut my hair, and sent me in front of her. They
didn't care if I ended up dying of exhaustion in a work camp somewhere, just to
get more from Reya for the workforce they exchanged."
"But you're really
pretty," Tani intervened again. "Couldn't everyone
tell you weren't some farmer or laborer or something? Reya,
all the more, since she's a goddess and all that."
Luna smiled, clearly
flattered by the compliment. "Let me just tell you the story of how it
happened. I was sent to her, and she placed her hand on my forehead. Then, she
stared into my eyes, and I froze on the spot. Her eyes can be so intense, you
wish you're anywhere else but in front of her. She opened her mouth, and at
first, I couldn't make out what she was saying. I was afraid, I have to admit."
"And what did she say?" Tani asked. "Did she know you were a lady with charms?"
"She knew all right. But
what she said was that she had been looking everywhere for a handsome young man
to serve her tea in the morning."
"So you began making
tea?" Kai asked, just as curious as his sister.
"Yes, all the while not
believing that the ice goddess could have been fooled by the rough fabric of my
clothes. I lived in fear that night, fear that she might just decide to abandon
me by the side of the road, somewhere in those cold lands, or worse. Therefore,
imagine my surprise when, the next morning, while we were camped at a fair
distance from the prison where I had spent long months, filled with suffering
and deprivations, she asked me a question."
"What question? Just tell
us already," Galien demanded, in an exasperated tone,
as Luna stopped and looked at all of them like she was gauging whether she had
all their attention or not.
She appeared satisfied by
his impatience. "She asked, and these were her words to the letter, `And where
would my charm be?' as I served her tea."
"She knew! She totally
knew!" Tani cried out.
Luna Celeste grinned and
wiggled her eyebrows. "Yes, she knew. And so I was promptly raised from being a
tea boy to a lady with charms."
"Wait, this cannot be
all," Milo said this time when she fell silent. "How did she find out you were
a Lelian and could carry an heir to Ifigia?"
"That happened later. I
wasn't aware myself why it meant that I was one. When I was a child, a passing
witch had said that about me, but my parents and the
other villagers didn't know what that meant. They were more scared of my magic,
as benign as it was.
"I believe I've always
been in love with Reya," Luna continued. "But in
secret. One day, she told me that she had to search for a Lelian
and secure an heir for Ifigia, since, as a goddess,
she was bound to create a world for humans, but she couldn't be the one to rule
it, at the same time. When I understood what that meant, my heart was broken.
But the word Lelian stuck with me, and I knew I had
heard it before. At the time, I didn't remember that it had been a word thrown at
me as an insult as a small child. My parents made sure to shield me quickly of
the villagers' bad words."
Another small pause
followed. "I knew Reya would soon become sworn to
this Lelian she was searching for, and I wanted her
to know how I felt, even though I was nothing but a servant to her. So I
gathered all my courage and wits and asked her, `What if I am a Lelian and you don't know?' What possessed me to say that
to her, I cannot tell, but I knew I had to do something to stop her from
belonging to someone else. She knew I loved her, so
she said that she would grant me my wish and see if I were one. To this day, I
believe she indulged me only because she was fond of me and loved my charms.
Otherwise, I could have been banished for daring to impose upon the ice goddess
in such a shameless manner."
"I bet she got the
surprise of her life!" Tani exclaimed.
"She had to take me to
the Shimmering Cavern and perform the ritual to see whether I was a Lelian or not. It wasn't an easy endeavor, and yet, she remained
patient through it all." Luna smiled at the memory playing in front of her eyes
for no one else to see. "And when she discovered I was, indeed, a Lelian, I could tell she was even happier than I was.
Well," she clapped her hands suddenly, "that is how I become Sebastian's
mother."
"But why does Reya keep it a secret?" Milo asked. "That you are her Lelian, and Sebastian's mother, too?"
Kai had to admit that he
admired his best friend for asking the most important questions.
"I told you, she can be
quite willful. And possessive, but also very clever," Luna replied. "Lelians are very rare. They are the only ones that can
offer heirs to kingdoms in this world. Goddesses can create kingdoms, but the
heirs are not something in their power to create. And goddesses aren't supposed
to pair with them, only mortals."
"She totally broke the
law for love," Tani decided. "So cool."
"Yes, she did. A Lelian considered unpaired can be claimed, hence her
decision to keep my secret."
"But wait... wasn't
everyone like really surprised to learn that Reya
suddenly made herself an heir to Ifigia, when other
goddesses cannot?" Kai asked.
"As I said, she's clever.
The Shimmering Cavern is her creation. It is capable of creating life, and that
is why Pepin brought you here, Kai. He knew you would be healed. Other Lelians create heirs, let's say, the old-fashioned way. So
no one could really contradict her when she appeared with Sebastian in her arms
and placed him on the throne of Ifigia. They just
thought she was that special."
"Gawd,
this is better than any reality TV," Tani decided.
"But why couldn't she say she got herself a Lelian?
Is that against the law?"
"You could say that. An
unwritten law, a law of witches," Luna explained. "But the witches didn't think
of ever condemning a goddess creating an heir by herself since they thought
that wasn't possible to begin with."
"Reya
really likes to live dangerously," Tani concluded.
That earned him a chuckle
from Luna. "I suppose you could say that. She didn't want to abandon the
kingdom she created to some stranger, hence her decision to have Sebastian. And
now, I believe you should go home and have some rest. Let my charms guide you
in your dreams."
"Are we going to leave
Sebastian all alone here?" Tani asked.
"He's not alone," Luna
replied. "I will watch over him as I've always done, while we untangle this
incredible tale of you, Kai, and he being made to travel to the other's world."
"Well, you're his mom,
you know better," Kai said and stood. He helped Tani
off her seat by offering his hand. Not that they would just sit idle, now that
they knew so much. "By the way, do you have any idea why we are here, I mean,
the three of us?" He pointed at Milo and his sister, then at himself.
"Milo is easy," Luna said
as she tapped her lips with her index finger. "Sebastian loves him. You are
explainable, because Pepin loves you. As for your adorable little sister," she
added and threw Tani a thoughtful look, "it must have
happened because she swore to protect you all her life."
Kai felt his
jaw-dropping. He looked at Tani, who also had her
mouth hanging open, and stared at Luna Celeste in disbelief.
"How do you know that?" Tani whispered.
"What? Is it for real?"
Kai asked. "I'm the older brother, I'm supposed to protect my sister!"
Luna shrugged. "We never
choose the way people love us. That's entirely up to them."
"Tani,
do you really think I'm incapable of fending for myself?" Kai asked his sister.
Tani
shifted in her place. "It's not like that. Just that, after dad... passed away,"
she said with difficulty, "you were just so sad all the time and not eating. So
I began sneaking food onto your plate when you weren't watching. And mom always
insisted that you eat everything, and at least, when she was there, you were
forced to clean the plate," she said quickly. "And I might have promised to
Lulu-chan that I'd protect my skinny brother all my
life. There, now you know."
Kai didn't know what to
say and just leaned in and kissed Tani on the top of
her head. "Thank you, butthead, for making promises to some random magical girl
for my sake," he whispered, too overwhelmed to find better words to say. Then
he knelt and gestured at his back. "I bet you don't want to mess up those
pretty slippers on your way back."
Tani
happily climbed on his back again. "Bye, Luna. You are the most awesome lady
with charms I've ever met."
***
Sebastian watched as Metust placed the black symbols carved in iron inside a
glass bowl and handed it to him.
"Even a witch with lesser
magic will be able to conjure this curse," the head of Uxilan
said. "I fail to understand what you need it for, but seeing how this trade is
in my favor, I won't dwell on it."
Sebastian turned his back
on the assassin to scribble something on a small piece of paper. Luna Celeste
would understand once she learned of it. Now, there was only one thing left to
do. He faced his archenemy and looked him in his dark malicious eyes. "I
believe that it is up to me to keep my end of the bargain now."
He grabbed the assassin
by his right shoulder and squeezed hard, making him squirm. "Are you trying to
kill me? If you have no honor --" Metust reached for
his dagger.
Sebastian continued to
stare into Metust's eyes in search of the truth. As
expected, something was amiss. "You're keeping something from me." Being able
to stare into the minds of others was an ability he rarely used, but now, no
matter how immoral he thought it was, it was much needed.
"Do you blame me? You're
powerful enough to destroy me, even with that wound opening inside your chest."
Sebastian had felt it,
growing like a chunk of nothingness, the more he spent time close to the Uxilan assassin. That was their power, and Metust didn't hesitate to use it on him.
"The final symbol. Give
it," Sebastian ordered. "And I will not go back on my word. The Shimmering
Cavern will be no more."
Metust's
eyes were shifting, a sign of how the Uxilan was
trying to find ways to fool Sebastian into not giving him the complete recipe
of the curse.
"You're right, I'm still
strong enough to destroy you. Do you want your life to be in vain? After I
destroyed your kind?"
His words were poisoned
and aimed true. Metust set his jaw hard and then let
out a long exhalation that materialized into the last symbol necessary for
identifying the recipe for the curse. Sebastian picked it from mid-air and
placed it into the bowl, next to the rest.
"Now we can go," he said
simply after covering the bowl with a lid.
Just one moment of lack
of awareness was enough. Metust sank his hand quickly
inside Sebastian's chest, grabbing the tendrils of black now rising from the
wound. "Now that you have everything you asked of me, I believe I also need to
make sure that you'll keep your end of the bargain," he said with dark
satisfaction.
Sebastian grunted, and it
took him all his willpower not to cry out in pain. The assassin now had a hold
on his heart. "I am a man of my word," he said through his teeth.
He seized Metust's arm and said the words. For a moment, just before
they disappeared, he heard the doors to his quarters blasting open, allowing
someone inside, but he couldn't see anymore. It didn't matter now. It was done.
***
They were about to get
inside the tunnel that reached Galien's estate at the
other end when someone cried out for them from afar. They turned to witness
Conrad rushing toward them, running as fast as his feet could take him.
"Sebastian!" he said in
one ragged breath. "He's gone! I don't know where." Conrad stopped so that he
could breathe for a moment. "But I have it on good authority that an Uxilan assassin is with him."
"Where could Seb have gone?" Tani asked,
visibly worried.
"There's just one place
where he can go in such fashion," Galien said through
his teeth. "You say that there was an Uxilan assassin
with him?"
Conrad nodded. "I
eavesdropped but caught only a few words exchanged between them. That's how I
know. When I barged in, they were gone. I should have just walked in on them."
"Don't worry about that
now," Kai said. "Seb's at the Shimmering Cavern,
right?" he asked Galien. "Then that means that we
need to call Adhe for another trip," he added after
receiving the confirmation.
"Another dragon ride?"
Milo asked. "I supposed I'll keep my eyes open this time."
"Glad to see you on
board, my dude," Kai said and slapped Milo's shoulder. "Oh, no, Pepin has the
dragon scale. We need to..."
Pepin was already running
toward them. He didn't even stop and took the dragon scale from his pocket.
"How did he--" Kai
started.
"I told him as I hurried
here, and he just went to grab the dragon scale," Conrad explained.
The sound of flapping
wings above them announced to them that Adhe was
already there.
"So much better than
Uber," Tani declared.
"Just hold on tight," Kai
told her while everyone began climbing on the dragon's back.
***
Sebastian lay down on the
altar, with Metust's hand still hooked inside his
chest. The assassin thought himself clever, but he was, actually, where
Sebastian needed him to be. Indeed, the Shimmering Cavern was a magical place,
and he had always known where its power came from. Death was not allowed there,
only life. But now, for the sake of saving Milo and his friends, he would turn
against it, against the very nature of the place, and taint it.
He calmly placed his hand
over Metust's wrist. "You will have to hold on
tightly," he said, "if you truly want to kill me. Your desire for me and this
place to be destroyed, I must hear it."
Metust's
eyes crinkled at the corners. Then, he began speaking in the ancient language
of his people. Sebastian felt coldness rising beyond what he was usually
accustomed to. His hold on the assassin's wrist increased. What Metust didn't know was that they would go together, caught
in the entanglement of fate, for which both were responsible, each one in his
own way.
So that was how it felt
when life was truly leaving one's body, Sebastian mused. He had been in mortal
danger before. Reya had been clear about him not
being immortal; powerful, yes, beyond any mortal's wildest dreams, but nothing
more than that. And yet, all those situations from before didn't compare to
what he was feeling right now.
A single tear formed
inside his eye and rolled down on his temple as he looked at the icicles
adorning the ceiling. Their tiny lights flickered, burning bright for one
moment, then fading for a while.
Sebastian felt at peace.
He hadn't planned ever on sacrificing his life for nothing, and now it felt
like he was doing it for the only thing worth sacrificing for. With the last of
his strength, he held on to Metust's wrist, sending
tendrils of ice up the assassin's arm, even as he was pinned there, to the
altar, and his archenemy thought that he was winning.
"Have you ever imagined
that, Your Majesty?" Metust's eyes glinted with
malice. "That I'd be the last thing you'll ever see before closing your eyes
forever?"
"What about you?"
Sebastian asked, and his breath rose like icy fog from his lips. "You'll die
with me here."
Metust
laughed at first. "You're wrong. I can see it. Your goddess's beloved
Shimmering Cavern, dying around us. What a magnificent sight! Here, I will
establish my new house, and my brethren will rise once more!"
Sebastian felt his cheeks
hurting as he smiled. "This is the end of the road for you, just as it is for
me."
"You jest, most surely," Metust said and twisted his grip inside Sebastian's chest,
making him gasp in pain.
Sebastian responded by
clamping down hard on Metust's wrist and sending more
of his ice power through the assassin's veins.
Metust
howled and knelt by the altar. He tried to break his hand free, but Sebastian
was holding him there.
"Sebastian!"
He turned his head with
difficulty only to see an entire group marching into the cave. "No," he
whispered when his eyes fell on Milo. "You shouldn't be here," he added, his
lips now shaking.
"Like hell," Milo said
through his teeth and walked toward him.
Galien
and the others made a move to get close, but, with his last remnants of
strength, Sebastian used his free hand to cast a wall of ice between them.
***
"You gotta
be kidding me," Tani moaned. "What is going on? Is
Sebastian..." she choked, "is he dying?"
Galien
ground his teeth so hard that Kai thought he heard it or was it just his
imagination?
"Children, stand aside."
They all took a step
back, forced mainly by Conrad, who appeared to know what would happen next. Galien took one deep, loud breath. Kai jumped up and down
to see above Conrad's shoulder, but all he gleaned was how a sudden ball of
fire smashed against the wall of ice raised by Sebastian.
"Cool!" Kai exclaimed.
"Go, go, Galien! You're one hell of a fire mage!"
"I'm not called that," Galien protested and grunted as he launched another
fireball. However, the flames seemed to be no match for Sebastian's magic.
"I'm not going to just
sit and watch," Milo declared and surprised everyone by breaking away from them
and rushing to the ice wall.
They all gasped as Milo
jumped high and caught the edge of the wall. For a moment, he hung from it, but
then he swung his body and managed to catch the edge with one foot, too. Before
one could count to three, he hiked himself over the wall and disappeared from
view.
"Is he totally mad?" Galien exclaimed.
"Madly in love," Tani concluded in a whisper.
Kai couldn't agree more.
***
Sebastian could hear what
they were talking about on the other side and saw the flames licking the ice
wall, but to no avail. Galien had never been destined
to wield magic, and that showed in his clumsy attempts to tear down the
obstacle Sebastian had raised for their own good. He focused back on holding on
to Metust so that he could get the world rid of that
pest forever. He thought he heard something like a thump not far from him.
"How about you let go of
him, asshole?"
Sebastian's eyes shot up
and took in with absolute horror how Milo stood there, hands curled into fists,
ready for battle.
"Milo, stay out of this,"
he ordered.
"You're not my boss,"
Milo shot back. "You, yeah you, ninja asshole, step the fuck aside."
Metust
grunted and tried to speak, but Sebastian's ice must have already invaded his
lungs by now, choking him.
"Oh, shit!" Milo
exclaimed. "You're actually the one holding him! Sebastian, just let go, for
fuck's sake!"
"I cannot," Sebastian
barely managed. "I must kill him, even if it kills me, too."
"I'd rather you not die."
Milo hurried to them and began to try pulling Metust's
hand away from Sebastian's chest.
"Milo!" Sebastian
shouted. "Don't touch him!"
"That's not exactly a
choice," Milo replied and pulled at Metust from all
possible angles just to separate him from Sebastian.
As the assassin's hand
began to disentangle itself from the marsh of tar that Sebastian's chest was
now, something changed. Sebastian felt a slight relief but immediately noticed
how Metust tensed, a sign that he was gaining his
power back. It felt as if time stopped as the assassin's eyes glinted with
malice once more, and his free hand flexed on the dagger he kept at his waist.
He shot a shard of ice
that hit Milo in the shoulder, making him lose his balance and grip on the
assassin. Then, Sebastian grabbed Metust's hand again
and forced it back where it had been before, forcing the assassin to drop his
dagger.
"No!" Milo shouted. "What
are you doing? He's killing you!"
"Go away, Milo!"
Sebastian ordered. "Don't fight battles that are not yours to fight!"
"Tough luck, dude. It is
my fight!"
Sebastian could feel his
power waning, and by how Metust began to steel
himself against the hold, he feared the consequences. "Why would you fight for
someone who doesn't give a damn about you?"
"That's rich," Milo said
and rushed against Metust, managing to make him lose
his balance and soften the grip he had on Sebastian's chest. "I'm like your
chosen or something."
"Step away from my son!"
The resonant voice came
from above, and Sebastian witnessed powerlessly as Reya's
face materialized inside the ceiling, larger than life.
She breathed ice, and
Milo was pushed away like a doll. Metust cried out, a
high-pitched inhuman sound, and turned into ice that kept his shape only for a
moment before turning into a brittle heap that fell to the ground, followed by
the sound of tiny pieces rolling down in all directions.
Reya
descended and materialized by his side. "Sebastian," she called desperately,
"my son!" She touched his chest, but her white hands soon turned black like
tar.
"It's all right," he
whispered to her, wanting for the first time in his life to soothe her worries.
Reya never worried. She was made of ice.
"Who did this to you?"
She straightened up and looked around. "Who is this?" she bellowed as her eyes
must have landed on Milo. "Who is this stranger?" she spat the word like it was
poison.
"Mother, no!" Sebastian
clutched at her dress just as she raised her hand. An ice goddess should have
been forbidden to have such a quick temper. "He's the one I chose!"
"He's... what?" Reya stared at him in disbelief. "Sebastian, what are you
saying?"
"Yes, you heard right,"
Sebastian said and breathed deeply. From the wound in his chest, blood black
like tar was gushing out.
"Did you taint the
holiness of the Shimmering Cavern by bringing him here?" Reya
shouted. She knelt by his side and pressed her hands again against his wound.
"I came by myself," Milo
intervened. "And can't you see he's dying? Are you really going to be mad at
him for choosing someone you didn't already choose for him?"
Without a care for his
own safety, Milo jumped to his feet and walked closer. He choked when Reya suddenly grabbed his throat.
Sebastian tried to push
himself up, but his vision was fading. "No, Milo," he whispered.
TBC
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