The Bridges We Build, the Bridges We Burn

Strauss and Agon stood across from each other in a grassy plain outside the walls of Caldivere. The wind blew strongly against Agon’s clothes, which made him stumble a bit. Contrarily, Strauss stood tall with his hands on his hips, flashing that same bright smile.

“Okay, Agon. You ready to show me what kinda magic you’re working with?”

“Yeah…I think so…”

“Alright, then! Let’s see it!”

Agon looked down at his right hand and balled it into a tight fist. He took in a deep breath and sent it flying right into his left chest with a loud thud. Strauss looked at him, bewildered. He held out his hands and started inching towards Agon.

“W-woah, man! What are you…huh…?” He paused and stopped in his tracks as he saw Agon’s cheeks glow and puff out. He started to chew and smack on brilliant flames in his mouth until he crunched them down into a decent shape. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply.

“HEARTBURN!!!” A vibrant flame flourished in the air, right over Strauss’s head.

“I see…So he has Natura magic…Fire…!!!” He watched with his mouth slightly open as the beautiful fire slowly dissolved. Agon huffed and began to cough while holding his chest.

“Ack…guh…that’s my ability…huff…Heartburn.” As he recovered his breath, Strauss hurried over to him and gave him a pat on the back.

“That’s amazing, Agon! Fire Natura magic! What did you call that move? Heartburn? Man, that is an awesome name. But sheesh, no wonder you have a medical condition! That looks like it hurts! Hahahaha!”

“Heh…y-yeah…just a little.” Agon stood up after collecting himself. He looked at Strauss’s kind features. He was a man of pure warmth and compassion; it would be hard not to gravitate towards him.

“You know, Agon…That power of yours might actually come in handy…” Strauss said, smirking at him.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Listen, the team and I were going to head out on a dungeon exploration mission today, but Carine forgot that she’s going to be performing one of her songs later tonight at the tavern.”

“Wait, Carine’s a singer?”

“WHAT?!? You really don’t know?!? She has the loveliest voice in all of Caldivere, no, VELICIMA!!! It’s so mesmerizing it could melt even the coldest heart! You’re telling me you haven’t heard her song, “Hold Me Tighter”? O-or what about “Gold Hair, Don’t Care”? Can you guess who she named that song after? Heheheheee!” Agon watched Strauss unapologetically gush about his lover. He couldn’t tell if he was her boyfriend or her fan.

“So supportive…”

“Uggggh…these sorta things don't really travel that far out into the country, huh? Anyway, because she’ll be busy rehearsing, we could use a fourth to help us out.”

Agon’s eyes grew wide. “M-me…?!? Why would you want me? I don’t even know how to fight!”

“Oh, don’t be modest! You took out the Mourning Star! She's no easy target, man. You definitely know what you’re doing! So, what do you say? Wanna tag along with team Verdict for a while?”

Agon looked at him in shock. This was all happening too fast. He felt his entire body tense up, and his lips go dry. Another minute was burned away, and he grabbed his chest, swallowing hard. He pulled up his personal quest board, and as he scrolled, he saw a particular mission that caught his attention.

MISSION: COMPLETE A DUNGEON EXPLORATION. REWARD: 45:00 BT.

Even though this all felt so soon, Agon couldn’t deny how conveniently things were lining up for him. He stopped and pondered for a moment, then looked at Strauss with a small smile.

“O-okay. If you really think I can help out.”

Strauss grabbed Agon’s hand and shook it vigorously. “All right! It’s settled! Agon is going on a mission with team Verdict!”

“A-ahahaha…s-so, when do we head out…?”

“Once we go and fetch the others and let them know what the game plan is. Oh! We also should get you some new clothes.”

Agon looked down at his tunic and trousers. “W-wait, what’s wrong with what I’m wearing right now?”

“Nothing! But if you’re gonna roll with team Verdict, you gotta up your style.”

The two of them went back to the tavern to see Carine and inform her about the plan. She was reluctant at first, but Strauss eventually talked her into it. She wished the boys luck and continued practicing before her performance. As they walked out, Agon caught a hint of Carine’s voice and quickly stopped to turn around. Her voice was dangerously smooth; he felt as though he was in a trance. Strauss chuckled and turned Agon back around before he got too mesmerized. The duo then traveled to a local clothing store, where Strauss burst through the front doors and immediately started picking out different outfits for Agon to try on; all exotic and expensive-looking. Once he had a good pile, he shoved Agon into a dressing room.

“Take your time in there!” He called out. “I gotta go back and get Kiche and Mars. I'll bring 'em back here, and once you find something you like, we’ll head out!” His footsteps grew quieter as he burst right out of the doors again.

“As much as I’d like to, I can’t take my time with any of this.” Agon concentrated and peered into the void of his mind, looking at the skill heart once again. “Okay, I have about one hour and forty-five minutes left. I’m not gonna be able to explore that dungeon with just my Heartburn ability. The last thing I wanna do is weigh the others down. Especially…” Agon thinks of Mars and how he helped him stay alive while fighting off the Mourning Star. Just as he started to get lost in his thoughts, another minute was depleted. Agon groaned and dug his nails into his sternum.

“Red fish! I’m surprised you’re still out and about. How goes the shopping spree?” Olagna’s voice rang out.

“Olagna…” Agon furrowed his brows. “Are you always gonna be here when I come here? Annoying ram…”

“I dunno, maybe! And don’t call me ram. I’ll wipe all that time you gained and leave you with two minutes.” Agon pretended to act irritated and shrug off the threat, but his body betrayed him as it violently quivered at the thought of dying again. He exhaled and quickly changed the subject.

“I picked up some new information, you know,” he started, trying his best to sound confident.

“Oh yeah? What kind of information?”

“About the Greater One.” The void fell silent. Agon continued

“I was confused when Louger mentioned the Greater One while I was in Ruchs. I know you’re the so-called deity of life, and that he’s your superior. I know that he took away half your power because you couldn’t do your job when it came to me. What I don’t know is why he’s also the God of Velicima. Any chance you could fill me in?”

Another minute was lost, but Agon bit his tongue and stood firm, waiting for a response. Olagna scoffed. “You must’ve really thought you did something by saying all of that. The Greater One is the creator of ALL. You really think his power just stopped at making your miserable little world?”

“So he’s the god of my home world, and Velicima…”

“Wow! You put it together! Way to go, red fish.” Olagna said in a patronizing tone.

“My name is Agon, not red fish!”

“Woooah, slow down, red fish. Do you really think you should be talking to me like that? You already got enough on your plate as is.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re acting all high and mighty for someone who left their friend to die…” Agon recalled seeing Dinorah tied to the post, begging for help, and how he left her.”

“Dinorah’s not dead.”

“Oh, sure. She’s just getting publicly shamed by her own people! That makes it so much better. Don’t be stupid! No matter how you choose to look at it, you betrayed her twice in ONE DAY.”

“S-she only knew me for half a day. She should know better than to get attached to someone like that.”

“HAHAHAHA! What are you saying, right now?!? You’re blaming HER?!? Since when did YOU, of ALL people, become the master of social skills? You can’t decide when someone can consider another person a friend! YOU NEVER HAD ANY!!! You left this girl to fend for herself, and now you're about to run around with some more people and do the exact same thing. Ohhhh, I really hope she gets buried by someone who actually cares about her.”

Agon gripped his chest and pinched the skin. He tried to distract himself from the guilt of lying to Dinorah and leaving her behind. The possibility that she could be dead caused him to hyperventilate. A vision of her rotting corpse appeared in front of the skill tree, reaching out to him. He backed away, shivering from head to toe.

“O-Olagna, stop this…” he muttered, but there was no answer. The sensation felt all too familiar, as if he was back in his home world, trying to survive the horrific illusions that plagued his mind. He felt helpless. Every time he stepped back, the vision of Dinorah stepped closer. “Olagna. I-I know…I know you can hear me…you…you made your point.” He pleaded a little bit louder, but there was still no answer. The phantasmal image began to run at Agon. He fell on his behind and scooted back as far as he could. “OLAGNA, PLEASE. I’M SAYING PLEASE!!! SHE’S NOT DEAD. SHE’S NOT DEAD…!!!” Tears began to fall from his eyes, and his heart rattled in his chest. The hallucination lunged at him. He rolled out of the way and scrambled to his feet as he ran back towards the skill heart. He was in too much of a panic that he tripped and pressed his hand to a random ability icon on the tree. He turned around to see the illusion of Dinorah screeching inches from his face. It placed its decrepit hands on Agon’s shoulders. He could feel her bony limbs; he could smell her rotting flesh. It was all real. The vision knocked Agon’s body against the skill heart several times, causing several sounds to play in Agon’s ear; something was selected, but he couldn’t tell what. He soon saw the mark on his center glow white, and soon everything around him faded into the glow. Amongst the blinding light, he finally heard Olagna’s voice.

“Never…EVER…forget your place again, do you hear me…? You stay under me. Always. Now go play hero.”

Agon gasped deeply as he looked to see that he was back in the dressing room. He tripped over a pile of clothes and saw his disheveled reflection in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, and his throat felt dry. He looked at his branding; one hour and five minutes remained. A knock was heard on the opposite side of the wall.

“Hey Agon! We’re back! We heard a noise. You alright in there?” Strauss called out. At those words, Agon pulled back the curtain, holding a high collar, faded purple-colored zip-up vest that was decorated with side pockets, along with black baggy trousers that had a triangular cut on each leg. In his other hand, he held up a pair of faded purple ankle boots to match the vest. Strauss, Kiche, and Mars looked at his trembling body and blotchy face with worry.

“...Agon…?” Strauss muttered, softening his voice.”

“I-I’ll take this…p-please…” Agon squeaked, trying to find the strength to speak. He was worried that if he raised his voice any louder, he would be overwhelmed by the thought of what happened in the void of his mind.

“What happened to you?” Strauss continued. At that question, Agon closed his eyes and smiled weakly. He whimpered as he tried to find the will to speak again.

“I-I’m just…S…S-so excited to be going on this mission with you guys...!”