Love Burns

The warrior's heart sank, lightning and thunder flashing as rain turned to torrent.

It couldn't be true. It couldn't. There was no way—

"What do you mean by that?!" Ferris said frantically, her hand gripping tight to Citrine. "How could it possibly be my fault?!"

"It isn't your fault directly, lass, don't misunderstand." Durma's hands raised as if to both ward off a blow and steady her. "Please, calm down, and allow me to explain."

"Calm down?!" The warrior's chest burned, angry, confused, and worried. "How am I supposed to do that after hearing you say something like that? How?!"

Heat radiated from her core, the gem unraveling her nerves and self. Concern for Citrine aside, the dwarf's words had cut her to the bone, and a part of her was afraid of how much the man had seen or understood. Had he realized what was wrong with her? Was her gem somehow hurting her partner—doing this?

"Hey, come on now, dears. Let's all relax, shall we?" Larkspur's hands were on her now, gentle and soothing. "Getting worked up will help no one, alright~?"

She looked to the others, all with concern in their eyes, even Clunk with his shimmering gems.

The fire within her flickered, and she swallowed back the emotions that were threatening to spill forth, not just to keep her composure, but to literally keep herself from falling apart.

"Fine. Explain."

"Aye, thank you. Please know I mean no disrespect." The dwarf gave a curt nod. "Now, I'm not an expert on leystone curses, but I feel only simple knowledge is necessary to explain this."

The wind outside howled against the stone shelter as they all settled back down, the storm raging on. Durma took a moment to compose himself, his hands weaving through the air in preparation for whatever explanation was to come, before finally speaking again.

"Do you know how mana flow works, Ferris?"

The warrior blinked, her mind lost at the apparent change of topic. "I-I know the basics, I guess." She paused. "Why does that matter?"

"Just answer our dear druid, please," Larkspur coaxed. "It'll help knowing him."

"Alright," she sighed, trying to find an answer. "It… has to do with the type of being you are. How your body reacts to the natural flow of the world, your own mana pool, and how it uses both to power your magic, right?"

"Mmm," the dwarf nodded, surprised. "You're more learned than I thought. Guess you really did listen to Citrine's teachings from back then. Good lass."

Ferris blushed at the sudden comment.

"Anyways," he continued. "While that's the main gist of what it is, what I'm trying to get at is the method mages use to control their mana. In particular, how they direct it. Do you know how?"

The woman grimaced as she searched her head again. "…Willpower, technique, and visualization?"

"Close," he affirmed. "Visualization is for casting spells though. Directing mana has to do with the essence of the being. The last aspect is emotion."

His fist tapped his heart in emphasis, nodding at the still-unconscious half-elf.

"A mage's feelings, their desires, these are what allow us to channel mana. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

"…Are you saying her emotions are causing this?"

"Unfortunately," The dwarf said, his gaze saturated. "Elves feel the world's energies more than most, so much so that they're trained from birth to control it. But that attunement isn't the only thing heightened. Their empathy, emotions, and desires are more intense as well. It's why they're so strict on their laws, their customs, their duty."

"…" Ferris looked down, her grip tightening around Citrine as tears and understanding built. She shook her head though, refusing to hear it, refusing to believe it.

"Durma, what does that have to do with anything?!"

"Lass, you know exactly why." Durma's voice was heavy now, as if it was being dragged by blunt weight. "It's not the leystone curse that's accelerating, it's her emotions for you. Citrine's an astonishing mage—likely one of the reasons why she's kept ahold of herself for so long—but no matter the technique or the will, no one can control their heart for years. Especially not a half-elf."

The woman in question murmured something, her face scrunched as if to protest despite obviously remaining asleep.

"Does… does she know?" The warrior's voice was thick as she spoke, her gaze unable to leave her partner. "Does she know that her feelings for me are going to kill her?"

"…I don't think so. She's still young for her kind, so her experiences are limited, especially given the circumstances she was raised under," Durma responded, grimacing at his own answer. "The only reason why I'm drawing this conclusion myself now is due to process of elimination and past experience."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!" Ferris asked, trying to hold back her tears. "We can't just do nothing—can't just sit here and watch her die because of her feelings! How do we fix it?!"

Durma winced at the words, and the druid's hands moved to comfort her, but the woman brushed it off, her breath coming fast and heavy.

"Ferris." Larkspur's voice held a weight not common to himself, even back when they were still fighting the Trueflame. "If what he's saying is right, there really is only one thing we can do."

"…" Her head snapped over to the man, body unraveling as fire swelled in her chest. "Don't say it—don't you dare."

Both men took several steps back at the outburst, a wave of barely restrained heat rolling from her. It took every ounce of willpower to not betray her form to her friends, to keep the magic secret.

"C-calm down, dear, please!" Larkspur responded, hands up. "I'm not talking about separating you and her, I just mean that we need to solve the curse! The thing you two set out to do in the first place."

"…" Intensity dissipated as quickly as it'd come, the warrior's aura reverting back as her breathing slowed. "Right, that's what you meant… Sorry."

The dwarf took a tentative step forward, momentarily more focused on her than the half-elf in her arms. "Ferris, are you okay?"

"…" A sigh escaped her, her body slumping as the adrenaline faded. Thankfully, it seemed they hadn't picked up on the magic.

"Yeah, I think so… Just tell me, what do we do if there isn't a solution to her curse? What happens then?"

Ferris's gaze trailed back down to the woman below, and the image of her smiling, warm face flashed within her mind, causing her own to twist.

Neither Durma nor Larkspur answered, the silence and the storm all too capable of giving one.

"Erm, for now, let's just focus on one thing at a time. We'll get to Nexuspoint first, then we can discuss what comes after," Larkspur said, trying to divert the mood.

"…" It was mostly lost on Ferris though, her eyes unable to look away from Citrine as the half-elf slept.

They'd only just been reunited, only just gotten the chance to embrace each other and call the other their own.

Did this mean…?

"Hey." A rough hand tentatively tapped her shoulder as the thought trailed off. "There's no use losing oneself to thoughts like that, Ferris. Not when there's still so much to be done."

She glanced up at Durma, the dwarf's eyes full of emotion. There was no judgment in the look, no accusation, just an odd understanding, as if the man knew exactly what was going through her head.

"Right, listen to him please, Ferris." A hint of the alchemist's daintiness returned as he pulled out a few potions and vials. "Given how our ruckus didn't wake her up, I'd say our gem is in need of some rest. We should too."

The woman in her arms abruptly stirred, a shudder racking her form as she curled into herself. A soft whimper barely audible beneath the storm followed, her face burying once again into the woman's abdomen.

"…" The ogrelyn's arms wrapped tighter around Citrine, wishing that there was something she could do to quell her partner's pain. Instead, all she could do was slowly rub her back, and hope that the small gesture was enough.

"I don't know if a normal pain reliever will work on her, but we might as well try," Larkspur said, uncorking a stopper. "Afterwards though, it's straight to bed with us, and no buts about it."

Ferris didn't argue at first, her mind too preoccupied to do much else than focus on the present. She cautiously pulled Citrine's head back just enough to administer the potion, the liquid slipping between her lips and hopefully dulling whatever ache was running through her. The woman didn't stir much, her expression remaining tight even after the whole bottle had entered.

"Um, I know you said no buts, but…"

Larkspur frowned as a tincture was quickly administered to the half-elf's forehead. "Ferris, get your rest. A lady like yourself needs it~."

She sighed, the alchemist's simultaneous return to normalcy and affirmation easing her slightly.

"Good. In any case, this is about all we can do for now. We'll tell her all together once morning comes, and we'll go from there." His voice trailed off as he moved back towards his sleeping roll. "Sleep well."

The storm seemed to die down alongside the words, leaving the room with the sound of pattering rain and the occasional distant thunder as both men retired. Clunk's gaze lingered over her and Citrine for a moment longer, before he too returned to his post, watching over the entrance with a wave.

"Night," Ferris murmured, her hand still absently rubbing circles into the half-elf's back.

Despite the desire to follow through with her friends' wishes though, sleep didn't quite find her quickly. So for the next half an hour, the warrior just lay there, simply holding Citrine and listening to the rain.

Many thoughts were running through her mind. Like how long did Citrine actually have left? Were there any other possibilities outside Nexuspoint? Should she still follow through on telling the half-elf of the relic despite the possibility of it worsening things with her emotions?

It was only once her partner's breath had steadied fully, and her expression had softened to silk that she'd truly allowed herself to drift off, heartbeats in tandem, and her mind filled with a strange warmth somehow more intense than the flame in her own chest.

She didn't know how to precede, only that there needed to be a way to save her.

They just had to reach Nexuspoint first, and then everything would turn out fine.