Chapter 18: Tag

“Bless us with speed, grant us quickness of foot. Let us sprint like the wind.”

Magus had begun to lag behind the two Wings. Though his muscles felt no ache, his top speed was nowhere close to the two soldiers, not without magic. Lyza fell back, pressing a palm to his back. Immediately, he felt as though his body had grown lighter, and he surged to the front of the group. Until Lyza cast that same spell upon herself and Theodore.

“Thank you,” Magus said.

“You can thank me by explaining what we’re doing.” Lyza coldly retorted.

“Might as well.” Theodore let out a sigh, shaking his head in disappointment. “She broke our promise after all. Now, don’t be too shocked, but we’re currently chasing down the missing princess herself!”

“What?” Lyza was so startled, her foot slipped on a branch. A somersault and she quickly righted herself. “Alright. Do you have her general direction?”

“Straight ahead.” Magus responded. Ever since their encounter at the cathedral, Magus had been able to see the golden thread of mana that connected the two, beyond just the general feeling of her mana nearby. It must have been thanks to Mother, he reasoned. Lyza nodded.

“Hold these.” In a swift movement, she kicked off her heels, tossing them to Theodore. With a quick tear, she tore off the unwieldy extra length of her dress. “You owe me a new dress!” With a burst of speed, she leapt off the ground, sending a shockwave of air pressure that left the two slightly gaping.

“C’mon, let’s hurry!” Theodore rallied.

As they ran, Magus felt the distance slowly shrink. The pressure of the black cloth began to assuage, but he couldn’t yet let out a sigh of relief, nor could he slow his pursuit.

Magus bit his lip as they ran. His eyes narrowed. Why would Wyn leave like this? If a dialogue with her sister truly was so uncomfortable, she could have told him. He wasn’t sure what he’d do, but surely there was something he could do to alleviate that discomfort. More importantly, if she truly had wished to run away, she should have told him. Even if he wasn’t tied to Wyn, he would have followed. They were going to travel the world together, after all.

But no. She had left. If he hadn’t realized and given chase, he’d returned to that unending dreamless slumber. It was that very same day that they had promised to travel the world together. An ache pounded through his chest, leaving his vision bleary and legs unsteady. He pushed through with gritted teeth. He needed an answer.

He glanced at Theodore, who was breathing rather heavily. So much for being some member of an elite military force.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah…” He gasped, breathless. “Just… haven’t ran this much in a long time…”

Without another word, he grabbed Theodore, slinging him over his back in a piggyback ride as he pushed harder.

“Hey—!”

“Can you cast a spell similar to the one Lyza cast?”

“Obiously, I can!”

Clutching his staff, he pressed it against Magus. Magus felt energy pour through his limbs.

“And that’s not all!” Numerous spells blended together, pushing Magus’s strength and speed even further, to the point where he could keep up with Wyn’s flying speed. Compounded with Lyza’s spell, his legs surged with strength, and he leapt forward with even greater ferocity. Theodore ducked as he barreled through vines, rocks and trees without regard.

“Hey, watch it! Be careful of those!”

“I don’t have the time nor the dexterity to change directions at these speeds. Apologies.”

“Right…” Theodore gasped.

They heard the battle before they saw it.

“What do you think you’re doing? Are you really that same princess?” They heard Lyza shout.

“None of your business! Leave me alone!” Was Wyn’s reply.

From the branches, Lyza was circling around Wyn, throwing tiny splinters of bark. Wyn was bleeding from dozens of tiny cuts, yet she didn’t falter. Numerous fire balls launched into the canopy. Even if they missed their target, each one destroyed a branch that Lyza could no longer leap to. Slowly but surely, Lyza was being forced to back away.

“Lyza, what are you doing?” Theodore called out. “The captain will kill you if you injure the princess like that!”

“She’s not leaving me much choice!” Lyza responded, leaping over another fireball. It was like trying to wrangle a rabid dog while trying not to harm either side. Midair, a pillar shot up towards her. With a twist of her body, she only barely grazed the pillar. She barely managed to grab hold of a branch, swinging herself back to her feet atop it. Theodore leapt off of Magus’ back, slamming his staff on the ground. The dirt soaked through, transforming into thick mud. With a blast of air, Wyn launched into the sky. As soon as she did, Lyza leapt forward, kicking Wyn into the ground.

Magus sprinted forward, kicking mud into the air. With the boosts from both Lyza and Theodore, neither could react before Magus had completely crossed the marsh. Wyn landed in Magus’ arms, and he sprinted away. Wyn struggled at first, before realizing whose arms she was in.

“Magus, what are you doing?!” Theodore called out.

He didn't respond. He felt as the strength drained from his body. Their boosts must have worn off. Not that it mattered, he just kept running, though without their spell boosts, he didn’t make it far until Lyza was standing in front of them.

“This is a serious crime, you know.” She warned. “Drop her, and your punishment may be lenient.”

“Unfortunately, I can not. Wyn has made her choice. Thus, I will see it through.” With a glare, Lyza leapt forward.

The ground lurched. Magus leapt into the air, and the ground below him disappeared. Dirt and stone rained into the sky.

“A skipped stone ripples across the world. Raptured screams erupt into an age of silence. Falling Asteroid.”

In the air, a cobbled mess of stone and dirt and shattered trees half the size of the guild fell from the sky.

“Hold on tight.” Magus clutched Wyn tightly, the pressure of the displaced air ripping them upwards. He watched as the boulder shrank into the distance. He watched as it crumbled into dust, a wave of dust and stone washing over the area. Magus raised his eyes in surprise. He didn’t see how, but the asteroid crumbled away, never hitting the ground. Theodore must have managed to destroy it. Magus let out a sigh of relief. They were still alive, at the very least.

They skid across the ground as they landed, gouging a small gash into the ground. Magus clutched Wyn as tight as he could, cushioning her just barely from the impact. Wyn heaved as she rolled from Magus’ arms, still reeling from the impromptu flight. Magus laid prone on his back, his chest rising and falling.

“Why are you here…?” Wyn muttered, crawling to her feet.

“No, why are you here?” Magus shot back. “Why did you run?”

“I—”

“You know what happens if we are too far. You know that. Yet you still left.”

“Magus… I—”

“I thought that we had gotten past this point…” Magus didn’t let Wyn get a single word. “You promised, did you not? That we would travel the world together? You promised to help me find Mother. Yet you tried to leave me, without a word. Were those just lies?”

“What about you? Fraternizing with the Wings, as though they were your best friends in the whole world. My sister was right there! You know—”

“I don’t know!” Magus shouted. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything, about them, about you. I need you to tell me these things, Wyn. Please.”

“Right…” Wyn let out a sigh. “Right. There’s no way you could’ve known.” She let out a small, deprecating laugh. “You’re always so serious, so strong, it’s just so easy to forget…”

She bowed her head. “I’m sorry!” She apologized. “I shouldn’t have ran like that!”

“If you want to know, I’ll tell you. No more secrets.”