This Strange World Needs A Kicking! – Ch. 37
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-Seven –
Heroes Never Die
"What the hell is going
on there?" Kai paced to and fro and tried in vain to climb the wall just like
Milo did. "I'm totally hearing that scary ice goddess, and she sounds pissed!"
It looked like none of
them could equal Milo in jumping abilities, and they were just as unsuccessful
as Kai was. Even Tani was kicking furiously at the
wall, frustrated about not being able to help in that kind of situation.
"I wish I paid more
attention to my mother's lessons now," Galien huffed
as he tried to make some of the ice melt, but with no visible results.
"Out of the way,
children," a voice announced.
"Luna!" Tani exclaimed. "How did you get here?"
"My son is in great
danger," she said, and without paying them no mind, she walked through the wall
of ice like it was nothing.
"Did you see that?" Tani said slowly.
"Yeah, totally cool," Kai
confirmed. "Wait, we're still trapped on this side!"
***
Sebastian could only hear
what was going on around him. Shivers shook his body, and his eyes were closed.
He tried to move, but he no longer controlled his body, not even his tongue, to
beg for his beloved's life. What had his powers ever served him if he couldn't
help Milo right now? By the sounds he could still hear, Reya
still had her hands around the boy's throat. He had to do something; he had to
move somehow.
"Put him down
immediately!"
He jolted at the sound of
that voice. What was Luna doing here?
"Do not dare to
intervene! Haven't you meddled enough?" Reya hissed.
A thump followed. "You hit me!"
Now, Sebastian could hear
Milo struggling to gain back his breath.
"And I will again. Let
the boy go. We must save Sebastian," Luna said hurriedly.
"But this boy is the
reason why the cavern cannot heal Sebastian anymore!" Reya
thundered. "Out of my way, Luna! Don't make me say it twice!"
"Reya,
stop!"
Sebastian groaned, hoping
that he could get through somehow. All that mattered was that Luna was helping
him and trying to save Milo from the goddess's wrath.
"Can't you see, Luna? I
need his blood!" Reya demanded.
"And I tell you that you
won't have it!"
Sebastian could hear Luna
speaking in a strange language and understood right away. She had found the
recipe for the curse. Of course, it was an incantation, not a thing one made.
His strength was leaving him, but it would be all right. Luna would send Milo
home, back to safety.
"Sebastian!" He heard
Milo calling loudly. "Will I ever--"
He didn't hear the rest.
***
"Oh, no, I think we're
traveling again!" Kai shouted as he felt his entire body bloating and squeezing
and doing all kinds of crazy stuff that he couldn't begin to understand. He
really hoped that Tani and Milo were with him because
it would be tricky to find an explanation for why they disappeared if he got
home only by himself.
The next moment he opened
his eyes, he was in his bedroom. And the next, Tani
landed right on top of him with a scream. "Are you all right?" he asked and
shook her.
Tani
was lolling her head right and left. "Stop shaking me! And I think my ears are
still ringing!"
"We're home!" Kai
shouted. "O. M. G. Somehow, we're home! Wait, where is Milo? Do you think he
got teleported to his home?"
"I'm here," someone
called groggily from under the desk.
Milo emerged from there,
walking on all fours, looking rightfully dazed.
"We're home!" Kai shouted
again but then deflated right away. "We're home," he said again, but this time
in a lot less cheerful voice. "And Pepin is there, in Ifigia.
And Sebastian. Oh, no, what the hell happened?" he asked Milo.
Only then, Kai noticed
his friend touching his neck gingerly. Milo leaned against the desk and groaned
again. "What the hell, man? Are those finger marks?" Kai moved closer to
examine the situation. "Did someone try to strangle you? Was it an Uxilan assassin?"
"More like an angry
potential mother-in-law," Milo said and winced as he rubbed his neck.
"What? She did this to
you?" Tani scooted over. "Wait, did you just call her
your mother-in-law?"
"Potential," Milo pointed
out defensively. "It's just that," he began quickly like he couldn't spare
another breath without sharing what was on his mind, "I knew Sebastian was
doing something stupid, like sacrificing himself. And Conrad told us as much,
that he was striking some kind of deal with that Uxilan
ninja jerk."
"Ha! I knew those guys
looked like ninja jerks!" Kai intervened. "Sorry, tell us everything." Both he
and Tani sat on their knees, all eyes and ears,
leaning toward Milo.
Milo fell quiet and
looked down. "I'm not totally sure, but Sebastian looked like he was... very
sick."
Tani
surprised Kai when she grabbed Milo by one arm. "What do you mean, very sick?
Was he dying? But he cannot die! He's the hero, right? Kai, tell him. Tell him
that heroes never die."
Kai didn't have the heart
to explain to his sister the true meaning behind that phrase. Heroes never died
because they remained in the minds and hearts of people, even after they passed
away. And Milo just didn't dare to say it out loud. Or maybe he just didn't
know, and they had to settle for that.
"Stop it, butthead," he
said and pulled his sister back. "If Milo says he only looked sick, he must
have been. An Uxilan dagger diet might not be easy on
anyone's belly," he added. "But Luna was there, and I bet that she can make him
better."
"I think she saved us,
that lady," Milo said. "She smacked the ice goddess so hard over her arm that
she dropped me." He looked away. "Just that Sebastian, he was no longer
moving," he whispered. "I called for him, but he just lay there. And then, we
were all back."
They all hung their heads
low in sorrow. Kai could contradict Tani for hours,
but that didn't change anything. And the worst part was that they couldn't find
out what had happened. Maybe never. Or was that something that could give them
hope?
"Come on, guys," he said,
trying to sound a lot more cheerful than he felt. "We don't know anything. And
that's a good thing," he added quickly. "As long as we don't know for sure,
let's not cry like stupid people."
He was about to offer
more encouragements when the bedroom door flung open, and a very
disheveled mother walked through it. "There you are! Where have you been?" she
shouted.
"Um, we played video
games at Milo's," Kai said quickly. Oh, shit, shit, shit, just how long had
they been gone? A day? Maybe two? It didn't feel that long...
"Kai Martin, don't you
dare lie to me! Milo's parents are worried sick! Milo, call them right now or I
will!"
Milo froze for a moment,
but then he jumped to his feet. "I will, I will, but--"
"No `buts', young man,"
Kai's mom said sternly. She had dark circles around her eyes, and her hair was
unkempt. "And no, there's no time for you left to come up with some crazy lie
that you can share while trying to fool us!"
"We got isekai'd!" Tani shouted.
"You got what?!" Their
mother shouted so loudly that Kai worried she might burst something, like an
eye or a vein, all very frightening possibilities.
He grabbed his sister and
covered her mouth. "Mom, we're very, but really, truly, very sorry," he said
cautiously. "We just went on a little adventure," he tried to smooth things
over.
"For four days? Without
your phones? Without telling me? The police got involved, they're questioning
everyone--" She stopped and took one deep breath while running her hands
through her hair as if she was trying to steady herself. "We're going to talk
about your little adventure later. Now, I have to put some very worried
people's minds to ease. Milo, go. Your parents are out of their minds."
Milo moved quickly and
gestured a hastened goodbye at them. Their mother walked out and slammed the
door shut. A moment later, she opened it again. "I hope I don't have to say it
loud and clear. You're both grounded!"
They were both startled
when the door slammed again behind her.
"We are in deep shit," Tani said slowly.
"Yeah, sis, you can
totally say that," Kai agreed.
***
"So," their mother sat at
the kitchen table with a notepad open in front of her, "we need to establish
some ground rules."
The questioning was
starting. Kai held Tani's hand, clammy and cold as it
was, and exchanged one look with her in a last attempt to convince her not to
say the word `isekai' again.
"From today until you
graduate, you'll only know school and home, Kai. You're allowed to have your
phone with you, but not when I'm at home. And I'm taking your computer, too."
It wasn't that bad, Kai
tried to be philosophical about it. He didn't think he would be able to get
back to his life as usual and start playing video games again, not while
knowing Sebastian could have sacrificed for them to be able to get back to
their world, and Pepin was waiting for a baby.
"After graduation, you
will find work," his mother continued. "And you'll continue to be grounded even
then."
"Until when?" Tani asked.
Kai squeezed his sister's
hand. She was supposed to remain the free agent, not to bring the wrath of a
worried mother upon her head.
"Until I say he's no
longer grounded," their mom said promptly. "As for you, young lady--"
"It wasn't Tani's fault," Kai intervened. "Milo and I got this crazy
idea that we should live without technology for a few days, and then I thought
of getting Tani weaned a little off her phone and
basically kidnapped her."
"Couldn't you have done
that without leaving home and skipping school?" Their mom questioned.
"It was a more complex
experiment." Kai gestured wildly to emphasize his explanation. "We needed to
reconnect with nature."
Their mom pinched the
bridge of her nose, mumbled something to herself, and let out a long deep
breath. "I don't buy it, Kai, not for one moment. But now, come here, the two
of you." She gestured for them to get off their seats and come closer.
As soon as they were
close enough, she caught them in her arms and hugged them tightly. "Don't you
ever scare me again like this. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, mom," he and Tani said at the same time.
"But you're still
grounded," she warned them. "And you still owe me the truth."
"Yes, mom."
"Now, go. I'll have
dinner ready soon. Ah, both of you, bring me your phones. I'll not have you
chat about your adventures with your friends, when you don't want to say
anything about them to your mom."
Kai breathed out in
relief. Well, for the moment, it had been easy. But his mom would surely
question them more later when she caught them alone. She was that kind of
investigator, trying to catch them tangled in their own lies.
***
"How was it, with your
parents?" Kai asked Milo the soonest they met in school the next day. As he had
expected, his mom had tried to approach him and Tani
separately so that she could discover the truth. The only problem was that the
truth was unfathomable, and they couldn't just say what had happened to them
over the last days and to him, Kai, even longer than that.
"Ugh, don't ask. They
took my phone," Milo said. "Actually, you don't have to ask because I'm going
to tell you everything. They don't buy it that we went on a little paragliding
adventure."
"Paragliding? I told my
mom we went to the hot springs," Kai moaned.
"And I told mom and dad
we wanted something exciting. Doesn't paragliding mean exciting? I thought you
said that one time," Milo said and shook his head.
"Ugh, my mom now thinks
we wanted to reconnect with nature. Well, she doesn't really buy it."
They both sighed at the
same time.
"It's not like we can tell
them the truth," Milo pointed out. "They'll never believe such a crazy thing.
I'm not even sure I believe it. Are you sure I didn't dream getting dragged to
a fantasy land where I rode on the back of a dragon and kissed an ice prince?"
"You kissed an ice
prince?" Kai was suddenly all eyes and ears and forgetting about his own
predicament.
The bell announcing the
start of their classes interrupted him. Milo was suddenly very eager to get
back to the classroom.
"Saved by the bell," Milo
offered with a strained smile.
"Not over, dude, not
over," Kai warned him.
He plopped down on his
seat and took a look around. It was so weird to be back after living in that
land of adventures for what felt like a lifetime. He somehow felt bigger than
his high school uniform. His eyes fell on Chet, and the guy stared at him for
one moment for a deer caught in headlights and then hurriedly looked down. Kai
frowned for a moment, and then he remembered. He was, supposedly, a badass who
had smacked Chet in the face with a pole or something. That was a good reason
to grin.
"Mr. Martin, we're surely
glad to have you among us again. Tired of fighting dragons?" Mrs. Marwin asked and grinned.
What the hell was that?
Did she sound almost... friendly? Math was one of Kai's biggest known enemies,
and it wasn't like... Oh, wait, Milo had told him about Sebastian doing great in
school in his stead.
"Actually, I'm done
fighting dragons. Now I'm riding them," he replied promptly.
He expected the class to
burst into laughter, as usual when he was talking about video games, completely
unrelated to what teachers wanted to hear from him. Yet, instead of that,
everyone turned in their seats, and a collective gasp of surprise came out.
What on earth had Sebastian done to these people?
"Just joking," he said
and made a small placating move with one hand.
It looked like his
classmates were pretty disappointed to hear that. Everyone turned back to their
notebooks, and for the first time in a long while, Kai actually paid attention
to class. If he were to provide for Pepin and a baby, he needed to get better
grades and land a better job than scanning items in a supermarket. Just in case
they ever tumbled to this world, he had to be prepared, even if that meant
learning math.
***
The first thing he
experienced before opening his eyes was a pleasant smell. It reminded him of
something from his childhood, but he couldn't pinpoint it and tie it to a
particular memory. Then, as his senses came to him slowly, he realized that it
smelled like freshly baked cookies. Which could only mean one thing...
"Luna?" he called weakly,
hating his voice and the eagerness in it right away. Eagerness for what? To
reach out for someone? When had the ice prince of Ifigia
ever needed someone's help?
"You're awake!" A
rustling of clothes, and someone was rushing by his side. "How are you feeling,
Sebastian?"
"Milo," he whispered. "Is
he... gone?"
Luna placed a cool hand
on his forehead and then felt his cheek, too. "I found the incantation you left
for me. I examined it for traces of anything foul. Milo and his friends are
gone, so they must be back to their world."
"Reya...
didn't hurt him a lot, I hope?" His voice continued to be unsure and reedy,
belonging to a weak and sick man.
"I couldn't let that
happen. He was fine."
"You could just ask me
that directly," another voice intervened with a huff.
Sebastian's eyes snapped
open at the sound of Reya's words. He looked confused
at the two women, side by side, both staring worriedly at him. He groaned as he
tried to sit up and refused the helping hands that jutted at him right away
from Luna and Reya. "How long have I been asleep?" he
asked, trying to hang on to unimportant things just so that he could postpone a
little all the explanations Reya was probably waiting
for.
"A few days," Luna replied.
"You shouldn't strain yourself, Sebastian."
"Don't coddle me. You're
not my real mom," Sebastian retorted, falling back on memes from the other
world as a measure of postponing the inevitable for the time being.
A look was exchanged
between Luna and Reya that he didn't miss. The fog in
his mind began to dissipate. "What?" he asked, using a rougher tone than he
intended. "What are you two conspiring together again? Wait," he said, suddenly
aware that the short glance between the women was loaded with a hard-to-miss
significance. "You two..."
Luna put a hand on his
shoulder and forced him on his back. He was that weak that he couldn't oppose a
woman. "Yes, we two want you to get better."
Sebastian caught Luna's
wrist. "You were the one to have me? She didn't just..." his words trailed off as
his eyes moved between them.
Reya
stepped closer. "We had you together. Yes, Sebastian, I did have a Lelian, I do still, and it's Luna." She didn't sound
entirely comfortable saying that, but Sebastian couldn't care less about her
feelings at the moment. "There, now you know."
It hit Sebastian, the
smell of those freshly baked cookies, with all the memories he hadn't been able
to recall. Throughout his childhood, on the rare occasions he fell sick, that
smell had been part of getting better, along with a gentle hand on his forehead
and a tender smile. "A bit too late for me to celebrate having two mothers," he
mumbled.
Luna must have cared for
him during those times. She must have been that person he didn't recall well at
the moment.
"It's never too late,"
Luna retorted.
Sebastian winced as he
tried to laugh. "I'm not a child anymore, and it would have served to know I had
someone to run to with a scraped knee." He felt the need to be slightly
vindictive, and it didn't suit him. As usual, what suited him was to get out of
that sick bed and see about the kingdom and its needs.
"You did exactly that,"
Luna said promptly. "I just had to make sure you didn't remember."
Sebastian let his gaze
travel to Reya. "Why?" he asked her directly.
The ice goddess granted
him the majesty of her profile as she stood erect and set her chin high. "It
was not a secret for you to know."
"Bullshit."
Both women gasped at the
rudeness of his reply.
"Well, I did pick a few
things while away," he commented.
"Yes, about that," Reya started. "Imagine my astonishment when I discovered
that your chosen is some boy--" she spat the word with
obvious disgust.
"His name is Milo,"
Sebastian interrupted her. "And yes, he is from a world completely different
from ours. Therefore, no need for you to fret. I will never see him again." As
he said that, a sudden pain squeezed his chest. He felt it and found the ragged
edges of a strange wound. Of course, the last revenge of Uxilan;
he appeared to still carry it with him. "I gave you the heir you wanted," he
added quickly. Reya couldn't know that Pepin actually
carried a baby that belonged by half to a different world.
"Oh, that," Reya commented in a vexed tone and began tapping her foot.
"I'm still mad at Luna for taking part in this charade. I'm well aware now that
your servant, a mere Lelian, thought himself clever
enough to fool a goddess."
Sebastian strained against
the growing pain in his chest. "What did Luna have to do with anything? And
what have you done with Pepin?"
The goddess scoffed.
"What we do with traitors in these lands. He's under lock and key."
Sebastian felt anger
rising. "Did you destroy the shard?"
"Well, that's the thing.
He hid it, the scoundrel," Reya said. "And I cannot
rid Ifigia of him until I learn where that rogue
child is."
"Release Pepin
immediately," he demanded, trying to make his voice sound as it used to.
"He tried to fool you
into accepting his bastard," Reya said. "With Luna's
help," she added pointedly.
Sebastian ignored Reya and looked at Luna. "How can you allow this
injustice?" he asked through his teeth.
"She's lucky I care for
her so much," Reya replied instead. "And you, as
well. Were you anyone else, I would have sent you both to the lands up north,
just to see what it means not to have my protection any longer."
"Protection?" Sebastian
ignored the hollowness in his chest. "Maybe I don't need it."
"Oh, is that so?" Reya turned on her heels. "Should we see how that works
out?"
Luna stopped her by
holding her arm. "He's very weak still. Do not get him upset more than he
already is."
Reya
pulled her arm free. She and Luna no longer seemed thick as thieves as he had
always known them to be. "Enough, Luna. I believe it's time for you to learn
your place. I need to be alone with my son. Be gone."
Much to his dismay, Luna
looked down. She offered him a last apologetic smile as she walked out of the
room.
"What would you have me do,
Sebastian?" Reya started.
"Stop this nonsense," he
said. "Release Pepin or I will. And accept the child. His soul is part of the
Shimmering Cavern. You know what that means. His birth right is to sit on the
throne of Ifigia once I'm gone." He felt his chest
again as that almost unbearable pain blossomed once more. That might happen too
soon. An unborn child would inherit the kingdom.
"He is a bastard!" Reya shouted, turning on her heels and making her long
dress swish over the polished floor. "I would not have you made into a
mockery--"
"A mockery?" Sebastian
mustered all his strength, and it wasn't enough to confront his mother. "Who
would have the courage to say that the heir is not my child? I suppose you and
Luna can at least keep your mouths shut about it."
Reya
stared at him like he was growing another head. Never before had he gone
against her in such a fashion. "How dare you?" she hissed. "I've gone through
so much to make Ifigia into what it is today. To make
you into a ruler deserving of its beauty."
Sebastian sighed and
dropped against the pillows. It looked like he had to take it, all of it, lying
down, as much as he disliked the notion. "Did you ever ask me if I wanted this
honor?"
"We are born into duty," Reya replied. Her voice had the weight of ice covered by
frost. "We do not question it."
"You are a goddess. I'm
nothing but a mortal, as you cared to remind me so many times before. You made
a choice for me, and I don't want it anymore."
"And what do you want?
That boy?"
Sebastian closed his
eyes, too exhausted to argue with his mother. He needed to save his strength if
he were to save Pepin and the child. "Yes, I want that boy," he murmured
petulantly as his eyelids grew heavy. "Not that he's a choice I could make."
"Sebastian!"
His mother's alarmed
voice forced him to make an effort to open his eyes and offer her a meek smile.
"Now, I need to sleep, whether you like it or not. Don't make any rash decision
concerning Pepin. I'll never forgive you," he warned in a whisper.
Reya's
hand was cool on his forehead, and it felt good. He didn't say anything as she
sat by his side and pulled his head into her lap. The world of dreams beckoned
again.
TBC
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