A Beneficial Accident

Joining the rest of the adventurers, everyone walked through the forest to the battlefield. Kaito and Estelle were near the rear, chatting up a storm.

“Oh man, you've been on so many adventures, Kaito!” Estelle responded to Kaito’s stories. “I’ve always wanted to explore Taelesta, but I’ve been stuck in the elven forest my whole life.”

“Maybe if you meet that prophecy boy, you’ll get your chance,” Kaito reassured Estelle, despite knowing he was likely that boy.

“Yeah, hopefully…” Estelle’s face showed solace before she asked another question. “So, was there a specific reason you came to Elvasia? Other than helping repel the demons, I mean.”

In general, Kaito kept everything, other than his name, a secret to avoid disclosing his true identity. However, he found himself comfortable with Estelle and told her the reason for his venture: how he was cursed and was looking for an elven doctor to heal him.

“Oh, you must be talking about Serenity!” Estelle deduced. “I’m sure she’d be willing to help you after all this mess is resolved. She’s on the frontlines, so we’ll likely see her when we get to camp!”

Kaito stared at Estelle for a second. “Y’know, Estelle, you’re a breath of fresh air.”

Estelle giggled, “What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know, it’s just that you’re just easy to talk to,” Kaito responded.

“Well, thanks, Kaito,” Estelle replied gratefully. “I feel the same way about you! Everyone treats me specially because of my status, so I never got to get along with another girl my age.”

Kaito smiled the best he could, knowing he wasn’t exactly a girl. He knew what she meant just from Shale only agreeing to make his special weapon because she was present.

“Now that I think about it, if the elves have all these blessings, how have the demons not been repelled yet?”

“Oh, we think there’s some general in the demon forces as they keep reviving,” Estelle explained. “We needed more forces to apply more pressure. Once we defeat the general, we can—“

Estelle suddenly stopped mid-sentence and looked around. Kaito followed suit, and they both realized.

They were lost.

“Estelle, where did everyone go?” Kaito asked.

“Heheh, I was hoping you knew…” Estelle answered back.

The two wandered through the forest in hopes of finding the others. Needless to say, they were in a dangerous situation. They had no idea how far they walked or if they were closer to enemy or ally territory.

Leading the way discreetly, Kaito peered over a bush and stared at what he witnessed. Curious about what Kaito was looking at, Estelle peered over the bush with him.

“That gives me boss vibes…” Kaito whispered.

“I think it’s safe to make that assumption…” Estelle agreed.

The two stared at the figure in front of them. It was a large skeleton chanting a spell on a small plot of land surrounded by water. It had a thin gold crown, a spiraling staff, and a grandiose robe.

It was a lich.

“Let’s head back before it sees us,” Estelle suggested.

“I don’t think that’s an option,” Kaito announced.

Estelle turned around and witnessed the skeleton army Kaito was facing. They had to fight.

The lich looked at the two eerily and fired a large purple spell.

“Look out!” Estelle shouted, pushing Kaito out of the spell’s trajectory as he faced the other direction.

The two lay on the ground, but they had no time to relax. One of the skeletons walked up to slash at the two on the ground. Kaito swiftly took out his Arbor Dagger and stabbed the ground, creating a dome of roots around them.

The two sighed.

“How do you fight?” Kaito asked, immediately focusing on the problem at hand.

Estelle was partially surprised by Kaito’s resolve, but answered swiftly, “I mainly use air magic. I can also do a bit of support.”

Kaito, for once, formed a game plan. “Okay, I’ll lead the offensive, and you back me up. But first, let’s blast away these bone scraps,” Kaito smiled, and Estelle followed with a nod.

When Kaito released the root dome, Estelle launched a blast of wind, sending the surrounding skeletons flying.

Kaito proceeded to run towards the lich, both daggers in hand. He leapt over the surrounding water and towards the lich. As Kaito got close, the lich let out an egregious screech. Kaito was launched back the way he came and onto the ground.

“Kaito!” Estelle called out and ran to him as she began healing him. “Kaito!?” She repeated, but this time in a confused shock.

“What?” Kaito responded as he looked up to her from the ground, but upon hearing his voice, he knew immediately. He held up his hand, which contained a batch of hair that all but confirmed it.

He transformed back into a boy.

“I can explain,” said Kaito.

“You’d better,” Estelle said, confused, but the two were interrupted by another spell cast by the lich.

The two dodged in opposite directions to avoid the lich’s attack.

“Though let’s deal with this first,” Kaito suggested.

“Agreed,” Estelle responded.

Estelle continued the battle by launching a barrage of air slashes at the lich, but it defended itself with a magic barrier.

Kaito was running invisibly from the other side of the lich under the effects of Phasel. He turned to attack the lich, but the magic barrier turned into a blade and rotated around the lich, and struck Kaito.

“How?” Kaito thought, but then he saw it.

A large eye hovered above the lich, fixated on Kaito alone. It knew where Kaito was, even if he was invisible.

“Hey Estelle, you think you can get rid of that eye?” Kaito yelled a question to Estelle.

“I’m already having trouble with its anti-magic skills!” she yelled back.

Even though it was a two-on-one in their favor, Kaito and Estelle felt outnumbered.

In frustration, Kaito started running towards the lich. The eye above the lich glowed, then fired off a laser. Kaito responded by jumping directly over the eye that watched him as he landed beside Estelle.

“Give me a strand of your hair,” Kaito demanded directly.

“What!?” Estelle responded in shock, but upon seeing Kaito’s expression, she was moved again by his resolve.

Estelle plucked out a strand of her hair and gave it to Kaito.

“This plan better be good,” said Estelle.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Kaito responded by using a smoke bomb to cover their presence.

After the smoke dispersed, there were multiple Estelles. Kaito aimed to confuse the lich by utilizing Disguise and Clone, and it seemed to be working, as the eye above the lich darted its vision to find the real one.

“So duplication isn’t your forte, huh?” Kaito joked.

In confusion, the large eye fired another laser. Kaito, the clones, and Estelle dodged it, scattering across the battlefield.

A bunch of Estelles jumped towards the lich, making it let out another screech to repel them. The ones that were clones were dispersed, but the real Estelle was among them.

Estelle used her air magic to block the incoming sound waves. From up close, she created a narrow stream of air that blasted away the eye hovering above the lich, which was looking elsewhere.

The lich retaliated and fired off another purple spell at the airborne Estelle. She tried her best to use a spell to defend herself, but it didn’t come out in time. She was hit and sent flying into shrubbery.

“Defeat it, Kaito!” Estelle yelled out as he flew off.

“Naturally!” Kaito announced as he charged up an attack right behind the lich.

Swirling winds encapsulated Kaito’s blade. Estelle’s spell wasn’t to protect herself. It was to empower Kaito.

The lich swiftly turned around, swinging its staff to hit Kaito, but upon contact, Kaito disappeared as it was another clone.

Before the lich knew it, it was bound by roots from Kaito’s Arbor Dagger. Kaito was in the distance, crouched on a large tree branch with his bow drawn. This time, his arrow was encapsulated by Estelle’s wind magic.

“Return to the earth, demon,” Kaito demanded as he fired his arrow.

The arrow flew like a ballista turret, completely shattering the lich’s skull and killing it.

Upon the lich dying, Kaito dropped down from the tree to check on Estelle. He found her stretched out on the floor.

“Good shot, Kaito,” she sighed in relaxation. “And I guess the boy you is the real one,” she continued contemptuously.

“Wait, that’s it!?” Katito questioned. “I thought you’d be more upset about me lying to you.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Estelle explained. “I was more confused than anything, but I got a satisfactory answer after seeing you transform.”

“Dang, you really are a chill girl,” Kaito concluded as he gave Estelle a hand off the ground.

Estelle simply made a large smile on the ground before she grabbed Kaito’s hand.

“KAITO, ESTELLE, WHERE ARE YOU!!!”

It was Gurkin’s voice.

Kaito immediately dropped Estelle despite not finishing helping her up, and disguised himself back into his female form.

“OW!!” shouted Estelle as she dropped to the ground.

“This way!” Gurkin announced upon hearing Estelle yell.

Gurkin pushed back a bush and witnessed the two. He immediately ran to Kaito and gave him a firm hug.

“Kaito! You don’t need to worry anymore! I’m here for you!” Gurkin proclaimed.

“Gurkin, I’m fine,” Kaito explained, trying to squirm out of the hug. “We already defeated the lich general.”

“You did what!?” Gurkin responded, holding Kaito out to face him. “But I didn’t get to show off…” he muttered.

Before Kaito could even react to Gurkin’s comment, Henry and a bunch of other elves and adventurers appeared to retrieve Kaito and Estelle.

“All's well that ends well, I guess,” Kaito thought.