Chapter Eleven

Eden awakens to birds' singing in the morning; he rubs his eyes out of drowsiness and yawns. He looks around the room; the walls are made of cobblestone of different sizes and bright red wood paneling across the floor and the studs above the ceiling. A pot of different bright colored flowers sit on the window sill, bathing in the sun’s light that also fills the room with its warmth. Two wooden chairs line up against the wall, facing him and a night stand next to the bed with piled towels, a chart, and a quill.

Eden stares at the wooden ceiling and thinks back on the fight with the bandits. A smile stretches across his face as he remembers the feeling of beating down some bad guys. That was so cool! He waves his fists in their air like how he did to them and laughs. Ow! A sudden jolt of pain runs across his shoulder. Eden looks at the bandage that's wrapped around his shoulder and pats it. "This still hurts, though..."

The door to his room clicks open; a man in a long white coat walks in. "Morning, kid.”

"How are you today, doctor?" Eden asks.

"Oh, I'm doing great, thank you." The doctor grabs the clipboard and quill from the nightstand. "How are you feeling today, boy?"

Eden ponders for a bit, then sits up and smiles widely. "I'm feeling fired up today, and my shoulder still hurts."

"I can see your excitement," the doctor laughs and scribbles some notes down. “Where are you from?”

“I’m from Basintroll, I just started my journey to become a Legion, two days ago.”

“Ah, Basintroll, they require our little town to ship them supplies every month to fight in the war between other kingdoms.”

“The war…” Eden wonders about this. What are the kingdoms fighting for? Why are they fighting? What does war even look like? How does it impact his home? And why did it seem peaceful when he grew up inside the walls of Basintroll?

A nurse enters the room with a vial in hand then hands it to Eden.

"What's this?"

"It's herbal medicine; it'll soothe the pain in your shoulder."

"I see." Eden opens the vial and downs the medicine. A strong bitter and stiff taste hits him in the back of his throat, but he drinks it anyway. He pinches his expression, shaking his head and he returns the flask back to the nurse.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad," the nurse laughs.

"That was nasty."

"Sorry, but our healer won't be here until tomorrow, so just hang tight until then," the doctor chuckles.

Eden nods his head.

The nurse unwraps the blood-stained bandages on Eden's shoulder, revealing the bloody stitches; she carefully cleans the wound with a warm damp cloth then applies an ointment to the gash.

A burning sensation flares through Eden's wound; he clenches his fists and flinches but also tries not to move, so the nurse can finish. His thoughts become jumbled with pain blaring in his arm. Eden quickly comes up with a topic, hoping to get his mind off of it. "How's the girl doing?" he asks through gritted teeth.

"The girl?"

"Eleanor."

"Ah, her," the doctor nods his head as he continues writing on the chart. "She's fine; she'll be discharged later today."

"That's good.”

The nurse finishes up by wrapping clean bandages around the injury then softly pats it. "There, all done. You should get some rest for now."

Eden nods his head in agreement and lays back on the bed.

"All right, boy, what would you like for breakfast?"

"It's okay; I have my own food in my bag."

"Then, we'll see you in a few hours." The doctor waves at Eden as he and the nurse both leave the room and shut the door.”

Eden closes his eyes and allows his mind to drift off.

* * *

The ceiling is orange, so as the room Eden sleeps in, he looks out the window to see dusk. "Did I sleep that long?" he yawns as he wipes his eyes clear from drowsiness. He turns to the side where his Armaments and bag are sitting against the wall. Picking up the bag and unzipping it; he takes out a container full of grilled fish he caught during his travels and a canteen full of water. Then stuffs the food into his mouth, then another and another.

Eden's ears perk to a knock at the door; he turns and stares as the door swings open. Eleanor Celestine enters the room. He waves at her and grins with his mouth full.

Eleanor cringes and hesitantly waves back. She stands in front of the entryway and bows. "Th-thank you for saving me from the bandits." She stammers.

Eden downs his food with water then jabs a thumb up in the air. "No problem!"

Eleanor smiles. "Well, you seem a bit more jolly than I expected.”

Eden shoves in another filet. "What do you mean?"

Eleanor crosses her arm and rests her head on her finger. "Well, you looked quite scary when you fought against the bandits, almost like a mad beast."

Eden bursts into laughter then takes another swig of water. "I got frustrated in that fight; none of my attacks landed on him until he grabbed me."

"Oh, I see. Well, thanks again for saving me."

Eden nods his head. "So anyway, I saw your grimoire!" He points at the book on her hip. Eleanor glances at it; her eyes seemingly cold for a second. Then back to him, her stare returns with warmth in them. "I think it's amazing how you're a Five Star!" Eden's eyes glow as he stares at the Armament. "What attribute do you have? What spells can you use?" With each question, Eden gradually sits taller and taller.

His barrage of questions sends Eleanor backing away with a nervous laughter. "I don't have any spells," she replies.

Eden raises his brows.

Silence fills the room for what feels like an hour.

Eleanor hangs her head. "I know it's-"

"So we're the same!"

Eleanor perks her head back up and stares at Eden, looking perplexed.

"You don't know your attribute or know any artes like me." Eden jabs his thumb to his chest and grins. "I too can't use any artes nor know what attributes my Armaments have."

"You too?"

"Yup! I'm a One Star, so I don't have any of that stuff, I think." Eden forces a laugh then sighs after, his head drooping. "It's a shame that I can't use cool artes like the other Legions."

"But, the way you fought the bandits was cool!"

Eden instantly lifts his head with his eyes wide then sparkles. "I know, right!"

"The way you kicked those bandits sent them flying!"

"Yes! And did you see how I beat up two bandits at the same time?"

"Of course I did! I got front roll seats!" Eleanor lifts her head high and crosses her arms, laughing. "You're really strong, Eden.” She leans back on a wall with a warm smile on her face. "You faced dangerous people, and yet you showed no fear. I really admire that."

"You're wrong," Eden replies.

Eleanor looks up to him as he stares at his palm then back at her.

"I wasn't fearless at all; I was afraid."

Eleanor stands back straight with her eyes widening. "You were actually scared? Then why did you come to help us if you were afraid?"

Eden chuckles and scratches his head. Then he smiles at Eleanor and looks straight into her eyes. "When I came into town, there were a lot of dead bodies, but I met a man on his last breath who told me where the bandits had taken everyone. And it’s because I'm a Legion, I knew that I needed to save everyone."

The eyes of Eleanor seem to soften with an inner glow. "That’s very brave of you, Eden. If it weren’t for you, who knows what would’ve happened to all of us." Eleanor stares at the grimoire attached to her hip and sighs. "I wish I was as strong as you."

This makes Eden’s ears perk up. "You want to become stronger?" He pounds his chest with his fist and grins. "I can help! Tomorrow, a mage will be coming to heal me, and I'll be discharged too. Then we should train together!" His voice booms, almost shaking the room.

Breaking away from Eden’s gaze, Eleanor stutters her words while waving her arms in front of her. "No, no, there's no need for that.”

"You said you wish to become strong like me, right?" Eden raises his fist toward her. "Let's become stronger together!"

Eleanor's face burns red. "Okay...fine," She extends her fist and bumps it with Eden's

"All right!" The sun outside his window has already set, darkening the sky. "It's getting late; you should go get some rest at the inn. I'll see you tomorrow at the flower fields."

"The meadow?"

"Yes."

Eleanor nods with a smile and waves Eden goodnight.

Eden waves back with the usual enormous grin across his face. He switches the lights off, the room now only lit by the dim light of the moon. His head sinks into the pillow and tries to rest but he twists and turns in the bed. The excitement to train Eleanor keeps him up, unable to stop smiling. He has never taught anyone anything before and now he’s sharing the techniques he created with someone, hoping to make her stronger just as it did for him. Slowly he dozes off without even noticing.

* * *

Again, The songs of birds in the morning wake Eden from his slumber. He scrunches his face as the sun dazzles its rays through the window and glaring onto him; he rubs his eyes and yawns as he gets out of bed to wash himself in the restroom. Eden stretches as he gets out and returns to the bed, waiting for the healer.

The door to his room clicks open, grabbing Eden’s attention; the doctor and a stranger in a blue robe enters

"How are you guys today?" Eden greets.

"Oh, we're doing great. Perfect day for a discharge, no?" The doctor replies with a smile.

As usual, the doctor grabs a chart and a quill, while the stranger in the blue robe grabs a chair and places it next to Eden.

"This here is the healer I told you about."

"Good morning," says the mage.

"Morning to you too," says Eden.

"I'll patch you up with some healing magic, then you should be ready to go."

Eden nods his head and relaxes his body, allowing the doctor to reveal his wound from under bandages. It doesn’t look as red and drenched in blood as yesterday but it’s still bleeding as the wraps are off.

"Let's get the stitches off first, shall we?" The doctor sits in a chair next to Eden then puts on a pair of gloves and a mask. He takes a pair of scissors and carefully snips the strings off.

The cold metal scissors touch the lips of the wound, making Eden flinch. He avoids looking and clenches his fist as the wires snap off like sudden sparks under his skin, and he can feel the strings slide out of his skin as the doctor pulls them out.

"There we go; he's all yours now." The doctor finishes with a warm damp towel, gently wiping away any dried blood around the wound then gives the chair to the healer.

"All right then, let's begin."

This time, Eden watches. He wants to see how the magic can repair his arm. The mage hovers his hands over the gash; a warm lime green light glows from his palms.

"Woah..." Eden widens his eyes and sparkles at the magic. "How’d you do that?"

"Well, I simply just draw mana from my Armament," The mage replies with an eyebrow raised.

"That's so cool!"

The light floods the opened cut with its warmth, like overflowing a cup with water. The heat of the magic softly travels through the shoulder, almost like it’s emitting ripples.

Eden locks his gaze on his shoulder; the two sides of the wound slowly close in on each other until it collides and attaches together. His mouth drops open as the injury disappears like it was never there before. "Woah!"

The light dissipates, and the mage pulls his arms back. "There you go, good as new."

Eden quickly sits up and starts jabbing the air; he throws a few straight punches then swings hooks. "Wow! There's no pain at all!"

The doctor and the mage both laugh at Eden.

"Hey, magician!"

"Magician?"

"Yeah! What attribute do you use? What does your Armament look like? Can you do more than just healing?"

"Huh? what? uh, I..."

"Come on, tell me, tell me!" Eden's face lights up like a puppy wagging its tail.

"Aren't you a Legion yourself?"

"Yes, I am, but I'm new at this."

"Now, now, mister Alistar, our mage here still needs to heal other patients. Once you gather your things, you can leave the hospital," the doctor interrupts him.

"Hold on, at least answer me, one quick question, mister magician." Eden sticks a finger up with droopy eyes now. "Just one."

The mage sighs and shakes his head at the doctor. "All right, just one question."

Eden's expression becomes serious, throwing a piercing gaze at the mage. "How do you draw mana from your Armament?"

The mage sighs. "Well..." He takes out his grimoire from his satchel. Three silver stars etched on the cover glistens; the tome opens and glows with the same lime green light. "Simply, you just draw the energy that is stored within the Armament into your body, then you release it out into an arte."

"I see, thank you."

The mage nods his head and leaves with the doctor.

The room grows silent; Eden just stares blankly at the wall. "I still don't get it."

Eden sighs and just shrugs." I better get ready and meet up with Eleanor too." Eden jumps out of bed and grabs his bag. He enters the bathroom and changes, putting on his usual navy blue dress shirt, black pants, shoes, then throws the brown leather jacket over him. He exits his room and searches for the lobby.

A few doctors sit at desks, strolling through the halls, and chatting with other patients in their rooms. Eden finds a flight of stairs that leads down and follows it down to the first floor.

The lobby has many families waiting to receive more info on their loved ones or visiting them. Lines form in front of the reception desks creating loud inaudible conversation in the room.

Eden makes his way toward the doors and leaves to the outside. The streets are bustling with chatter and bargains. He passes through a crowd of people and through markets to the east of town where the flower fields are.

The sun pours its light on the meadow, dazzling the many colorful flowers like a rainbow. A gentle breeze sweeps the fields, making the flowers wave their bodies as if to greet Eden and petals ride the wind toward the sky like it’s raining upside down.

Eden hovers a hand above his eyes and scans the area for Eleanor. Children running and playing in the fields, gardeners watering the plants, and animals scurrying through the flowers all over the meadow. Eden squints his eyes; he recognizes the bright yellow robe and brown hair in the distance and sprints down the dirt path. "Hey, Eleanor!" The wind carries his voice, delivering it across the meadow as he rushes toward her.

Eleanor turns around and waves back with a gentle smile on her face.

Eden stops in front of her, feeling a rush of energy. "Let's get started!"

"Right now?" Eleanor asks.

"Yes, now!"

"How exactly are you going to help me become stronger?"

"I'm going to help you use your Armament!"

"What? No!"

"Why not?" Eden tilts his head to the side.

"Because..." Eleanor pauses and averts her eyes to the flowers. "Because the grimoire is empty."

"I know. That's why I'm going to help you develop new spells."

Eleanor sighs; she bites her lip and looks straight into his eyes. "I lied."

Eden's smile disappears; he narrows his eyes at her. "What?"

"I already know what my attribute is, and I've already..." Eleanor pauses and averts her eyes. She takes a deep breath and sighs again. "I don't like using my magic."

"Is it okay if I ask why?"

Eleanor bites her lip in silence, thinking.

Eden shrugs his shoulders. "Well, you don't have to tell if you don-"

"No, no, it's just..." She shakes her hands in denial then speaks in a hushed voice, "it's just that I can't control my magic."

"Oh." Eden's eyes travel to Eleanor's hands; they're slightly shaking as she hides them by fidgeting. Seeing her tremble ignites a flame in him and a desire to help her. An image of Sanders flashes within his mind, then he crosses his arms and curtly nods. "You said you wanted to become stronger, and I am here to get you there even if it's a little bit." Eden extends his fist toward Eleanor while wearing his best grin and shines it like the sun. "Let's overcome your obstacles together."

Eleanor lowers her head and slightly nods. She nervously returns the fist, bumping her own with Eden's.

Eden rapidly nods his head. "Since you said you can't control your magic, it must be troubling, right?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let's go! Eden quickly turns around, stomps, and points his finger toward north.

"Where are we going?"

"Away from people."

"Yes, that would be best.”

Eden takes Eleanor toward the north of Greenbourge, entering a thicket and passing through trees and bushes. There is no path to tread through, so Eden unsheathes his sword and cuts away branches until they arrive at an open field. Here, there are no flowers except a few dandelions sprouting along tall grass. The sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing noises surround the trees. Above, the sky is cloudless, letting the sun shine brightly as ever, feeding the greenery with light.

"This place will do," says Eden. He stops at a certain distance and sheaths his sword back into the shield. "Okay, let's do this. Ready when you are, Eleanor!"

"Okay..." Eleanor unbuckles the grimoire from her belt and holds it in her hands. Then slowly opens the tome; the book starts to float, and a bright yellow light glows from it.

Sweat trickles down on the side of Eden's face. He tightly grips his shield and holds it close to his chest. The sounds of the surrounding noises become inaudible and the beating of his heart overcomes all the turbulence around him.

Suddenly, Eleanor's entire body is engulfed in yellow light, dazzling like an out-of-control fire, making Eden flinch behind his shield.

Eleanor lets out an ear-piercing scream. Her body is inflamed, almost as if the light is burning her. Suddenly, she floats off the ground and frantically squirms in the air. Then her figure just stops flailing, and her cry bursts.

Bladed chains emerge from Eleanor's body; they zoom through the air in all directions. A chain targets the woods and impales through the trunk of a tree and straight into others. A few burrows underground, completely changing the field into hills of dirt and rocks.

The chains move as if they have a mind of their own. They don't just fly straight at anything; they also slither like snakes.

Eden's eyes widen as bladed chains come flying at him in a flash. His leg twitches; he immediately jumps. The chains completely destroy the ground where he stood, sending piles of dirt flying.

Two more incoming. Eden lands then quickly shifts his body to allow the chains to pass him. Another one rushes straight at aim. There's no time for him to move or unsheathe his sword; Eden holds his shield up with both arms and braces for impact.

Bang!

The bladed chain clashes with Eden's shield, making him grunt loudly still pushing him back. The force of the blow almost crushes his face against his Armament, then it carries him into the air.

The chain diverts its course and drops Eden in the process then rolls on the ground groaning loudly and covering himself in dirt. He stops and immediately regains his footing. Three more bladed chains rush at him.

The pounding of his heart quickens as Eden quickly pulls his sword out of the shield. He yells out loud and clashes with the chain, diverts the other one, then swings his fist and smashes the incoming blade onto the ground.

The chains lay on the ground as if they’re dead, but more of them keep coming out of the space around Eleanor. They swarm like hornets and destroy everything around them.

"Eleanor!" Eden shouts. She has stopped screaming for some time now; her body floating lifelessly in the center of the light. He circles around the terrain, looking for an opening.

Trees have fallen, dandelions crushed by debris, and the field of grass now plowed.

A swarm of bladed chains targets Eden. They strike the ground in front of him, forming a barricade. Eden instantly shifts his footing and twists his body to smoothly slip through the open cracks to the other side.

More chains charge at him. He groans and slides on the ground; the blades fly over him then blow nearby trees away. Eden rolls, then rapidly gets back on his feet. They just keep coming! He leaps off the ground and twists in the air to evade as more rush past below. Eden lands and exhales; he draws in a quick breath then dashes, closing in on Eleanor, but the more he gets nearer, the sheer number of bladed chains increase. A flock descends upon him like rain; Eden ducks his head down and gradually circles his way in. The chains are on his tail; they strike the very same place as his foot leaves the ground as he runs.

There! An opening that's not covered with metal shows the grimoire, radiating with ample light.

Eden remembers what the mage had said about Armaments, "Simply, you just draw the energy that is stored within the Armament into your body, then you release it out into an arte."

If I could just knock that book down, maybe all of this will stop!

Eden pushes his legs harder off the ground to speed up. His legs burn, and his muscles scream, but he refuses to stop now and gives it everything he's got to run. But the chains seem to notice his plan. He gasps.

The chains begin to root themselves around Eleanor and form a criss-cross-like cage. Eden glances above to see more dropping towards him. I won't make it! He tightens his grip on the shield, then he hurls it across the air aiming at the book.

A bladed chain crashes just behind Eden; the ground beneath him rises and explodes, sending him flying.

Eden screams.

The shield hums as it spins like a boomerang; it slips through a crack in the cage and hits the book. The grimoire's light instantly dissipates as it falls to the ground.

Eden rolls on the dirt. His head throbs like a heartbeat, but he forces himself to get up.

The chains have stopped moving; everything stands still and silent. Then the metal cage fades into a million lights like a swarm of fireflies.

Eden darts. "Eleanor!"

Eleanor slowly falls like a leaf from a tree and gently settles onto the grass, unmoving.

"Eleanor!" Eden approaches her and hangs his Armaments on his back; his heart pounds like it will burst out of his chest. "Eleanor, Eleanor!" He shakes her to wake up, but she shows no sign of opening her eyes. "Got to get her to the doctor again."

Eden grabs Eleanor and the tome, then he carries her back to Greenbourge as fast as he can.

* * *

Flowers, tables, chairs, rugs, and a faceless woman lying on the floor lost their color but are covered in red. There's inaudible screaming in the distance; it’s warm, almost hot. Everything is hazy; beyond the shattered windows is void.

"It's okay... It's not your fault..." A man drenched in the same color as the others spoke. Spears stick out of this stranger's back and chains from the front. The man reaches his hand out to a young girl in front of him and smiles.

Eleanor suddenly shoots her eyes open. Soaking in sweat, her heart pounds as fast as a humming bird's wings and her breathing quickens. The familiar wooden ceiling greets her; she sits up and looks around her surroundings to see herself in a bed. A hospital bed.

In the corner of the room, Eden nods himself asleep in a nearby chair. His head bangs on the wall and awakens him. He yawns and stretches his arms out then rubs the water off his eyes. Eden jumps out of his seat as he sees Eleanor up.

"Eleanor, are you alright? nothing hurt?" Eden frantically blurts out.

Eleanor hangs her head and stares blankly at her open hands. "What did I do?" She stutters.

Eden doesn’t reply right away and lets out a long shaky sigh.

Eleanor steels herself for what's about to come out of his mouth.

"You... you almost destroyed the entire forest."

Eleanor's heart sinks. "I knew it; I can't control my magic." Her vision clouds with tears; they drip on the blanket then rain.

"Eleanor..."

"Please just... leave me be."

"No."

Eleanor shoots a glare at Eden, but she gasps. The One Star’s expression is darker than hers. He jabs a finger making her jolt back. "Now is not the time for you to sulk in fear!"

"I can't control my magic, I almost destroyed a forest, and I probably almost killed you too!"

"You almost did," Eden nods. "But I'm still here."

Words build up in her throat to counter but instead, Eleanor bites her tongue. Tears continue to fall as she tries to hide them with her hands. "I don't want to hurt people with my magic anymore, but I don't know what to do."

Eden lets out a soft sigh and grabs a nearby chair to sit in. "If a chef were to become fearful of a knife because he cut his fingers, there wouldn't be any food in a restaurant."

Eleanor perks her ears and slowly lifts her head to look at him. "What?"

"If a chef were to be scared of a knife, he wouldn't be able to cook anything, right?"

Eleanor tilts her head. "Well, yes..."

Eden straightens his back, waves his finger back and forth like he's giving a lesson. "And a chef uses their knife to cook just like a Legion such as yourself, use an Armament to fight."

"Yes...?"

"And why do you carry an Armament when you know you can't use it?"

Eleanor drops her gaze; she ponders in silence for a while. Words pop up in her head, then she looks back up at Eden. "I'm hoping that I could use it to help me accomplish my goal."

Eden smiles, "Just as a chef uses their knife to cook for his guests, you hope to use your Armament to protect yourself." Eden jabs a finger at Eleanor's face making her jolt back. "So whenever a chef accidentally cuts themselves, just clean off the cutting board, patch the cut, and cook again!"

Rays of light seep through the windows lighting the room with luminescent blue colors.

"The chef must continue to cook to stop cutting their fingers." Eden's grin sparkles in the light. "You must continue to use your magic if you want to conquer it; otherwise, you won't get to your goal. He extends his fist out to Eleanor. "Let's try again and again and again until you can wield your magic, and don't worry, I'll be there next to you."

Tears well up in Eleanor's eyes again; treasuring Eden’s encouragement releases a fraction of tension off of her. However, the fear of losing control still crawls within her heart like a monster groping it from beating. The fear of Eden's death on her hands or worse, the town's blood on her hands. A chill runs down Eleanor's spine, worrying about the outcomes. It’s too much for her to think about, but something inside her nag like it’s pulling her heart. A small part of Eleanor believes.

Eleanor hesitantly reaches out to Eden's fist then bumps with his; she wipes her tears and returns a smile back.