To Break the Curse Part II

My eyes widen. How. More than they should. How?

“Are you surprised? There’s no use in denying it.”

“I…” I trail off. Flee? Useless. “Why do you even think such a thing?”

    Use magic? He’d be quicker.

“Ohh, so you didn’t even notice that you fell into my trap?”

“Which trap?” I whisper, unsettled.

    Xantas reaches out his hand, tapping his finger in the direction of the candle.

“The command spell you used to light this candle. It’s different from the one he uses.”

    How stupid I am… I was careless. But even so…

“When… when did you begin to doubt?”

“Do you think I don’t know my own apprentice? Your antics have nothing to do with his. I felt something was off from the beginning. Yet, I gave you a chance. It was clever to pretend being partly amnesic. But when I offered you to play cards, I turned off the lights first, remember?”

“So what?”

“Yaël is afraid of the dark. He would have begged me to turn them back on. Or done so himself.”

    Stunned by how quick-witted this man is, I realise I had no chance from the start. A knot settles in my stomach. Does he plan to kill me? Dread. What if he tortures me?

“Good, I see that you understand your situation.” Xantas sets the deck aside. I can’t focus on anything else but his fingers letting go of the cards, afraid of what they might do next. “Now, tell me who you are, what happened to Yaël, and what magic it is that you used. Ohh, and avoid telling me lies. You’re terribly pathetic at it.”

“…” I can’t think of any way out, damn it! “It isn’t the result of my magic. I could’ve never cast such a potent spell. The one who did was Peccelotte Di Amethyst.”

“Hoo?” Xantas leans his chin against the back of his hand, the candle’s glow flickering.

“All she wanted was to save me. I don’t even think that she was aware of the consequences her magic would have… but in the end, I was revived because of it, except that I incarnated in her body. And it kept occurring each time I died. I don’t even know what happens to these people… but they’re no longer here. Yaël is no longer here. I was that one crew member he killed on The Devourer,…” I pause to frown, “…and right after that, I incarnated into his body.”

    A pause.

“Are you telling me, per chance, that you are Razzel Od Mithril? The unfortunate prince I found dead in that crystal forest?”

    I can only nod.

    To this, Xantas lifts his chin upwards, leaning his head back. A faint laugh escapes his lips.

“Fantastic.” He mutters, then straightens up in his seat. “Magic is truly an incredible thing. You’re quite a lucky one, aren’t you? Well, until today…”

“Lucky?” I repeat, feeling the anger bubble inside. It can no longer be bottled up. It can’t be. It needs to escape. “Dare to say that to my face again…”

    It needs to explode.

“Is it lucky to be a murderer?!!” I stand up in a brisk move, slamming my hand down on the low table as, with my free one, I grab Xantas’s ruffle. Our faces close enough for me to detail the golden specks in his eyes. “Is it lucky to cause someone else’ death whenever I die?!! I would do anything for it to stop! So that no one else dies again by my fault. This is… This is the best I can do to become what Pecce saw in me.”

“It is quite uncanny to be snatched like this by my young apprentice.” Despite my acts, Xantas remains as calm as ever. “Were it him, he would never have dared.”

    My grip loosens ever so slightly.

“You say you want to undo this curse? But… there’s only one way to undo such a potent spell.”

“Which?” A glimmer of hope. “Which one?!”

    Not replying at first, he gestures at my hand holding him. It’s only when I release him, once I sit in my armchair, that Xantas resumes.

“Only the caster can break the spell.”

    I feel like he takes pleasure in giving me hope only to blow it away the next moment.

“But…” I tighten my fists. “She’s dead. And this is all your fault. This is all because of you… Because of the Militia!”

    But, instead of reacting, that white-haired man only stares at me as if I were just a source of entertainment.

“You’ll see.” I grit my teeth. “I’ll still keep the promise I made her. I’ll become a hero. And, to do so, I’ll make of this stupid kingdom a place where no one can discard a geman’s life so easily. Life is precious… people just need to realise it. But they will!! I swear it on my name. I, Razzel Od Mithril,” I have to pause, the fury making me almost falter, “I will become the king of Juweld.”

    At my words, Xantas’s smile widens, a fascinated sparkle flickering in his gaze.

“The king?” He lets out a laugh. “You speak of becoming the king with this face? You’re not even the prince any more.”

    As he leans back in his seat, Xantas leans his finger against his lips.

“Are you aware of the exact spell the young lady Di Amethyst cast that day? Did you hear it?”

    Unsettled by his antics, it takes me a while before figuring out if I should answer.

“I didn’t hear it, but I saw her memories. I know which words she used, and I even know which exact will she placed in it.”

“Which is…?” Xantas urges.

“May death no longer force you into solitude, may your journey continue without a body’s cage. May your memories remain etched in the eyes of the one who watches with their heart!”

    For a while, the militiaman doesn’t seem to react. He doesn’t even make a move.

“Is he thinking of the spell he’ll use to kill me?” I think. “I can’t let him win.”

“I understand, now… I think I know why Yaël decided to kill you.”

“Is sarcasm all you’re abl-”

“He wanted to give you a chance.”

“Huhh?”

    Confused, my anger hits a wall.

“You think he killed you because he wanted you dead? That he wanted to punish you for something?”

“…”

“If Yaël saw your memories, then he would’ve understood that killing you wouldn’t solve anything. I know him well. Or… should I say knew? Either way, he must have gotten far enough to learn about the spell that young woman used on you.”

   A possibility, horrific, begins to take shape in my mind.

“No… No, don’t say it…”

“Are you so afraid of the truth?” Xantas leans forward, taking the cards he left aside, beginning to distribute them. “So be it. You said you saw her memories? I guess she wasn’t the only one.”

“Indeed…”

“Then you will end up seeing it anyway, with your own eyes. We already have enough things to discuss.”

“What do you mean?”

    He finishes distributing cards and gathers his own in his hands.

“You first need to know better the spell you’re a victim of. What did you understand so far?”

“What game are you playing?” I frown, suspicious.

    I can’t figure out what he’s thinking about. His thoughts are a mystery to me.

“Trabbela.”

“I wasn’t talking about the cards!” I grab my own cards, still cautious. “Why would I reveal such a thing to you?”

    He may use it against me.

    And yet, it doesn’t take him long before doing something which confuses me even more. Among his cards, he chooses one and shows it to me.

“Because I can be your joker.” He utters. “And I will prove my good faith to you by revealing a secret you would die over and over to uncover.”

    Wait. Wait, wait. Is he suggesting he’d turn his back on the Militia? No… This is a trap. This definitely is. But… I can still hear him out first.

“Tell me.”

“You want to break your curse, am I right? The only thing stopping you is that the caster, Peccelotte Di Amethyst, is dead. In that case, all you need to do is to bring her back to life.”

“…”

“A geman’s heart is at the origin of their existence. As long as this gem remains intact, it’s in theory possible to bring them back with potent magic. Though!” Xantas raises his index finger, waving it before me. “This can only work in the improbable case when the spellcaster knows the memories of the deceased. Otherwise, the spell will bring back but an empty shell.”

“This… Is this a lie?” I mutter, not knowing what to believe any more. “I will kill you if this is a lie…”

“I already told you, Razzel. I only tell you the truth. You’re quite the distrustful fellow.”

    A beat.

“Each time I died, I always ended up incarnated in the body of someone close. Someone I locked gazes with, someone who stood near me, someone who was on the same airship as I.”

    If there is hope. If there is the slightest hope to save her…

“In their memories, there’s always a thought for me the moment I die.” I try to put on the table every piece I have. “Concern, a doubt…”

    Then I have to seize it.

“I see. The emotional link you need to have with the person you incarnate in seems obvious. It’s also coherent with the command spell.” Xantas pauses for a while. “Difficult to say, on the other hand, how much distance plays a role. But be cautious. Magic isn’t infallible. The conditions were reunited until now, which doesn’t mean that you’re immune to death. If nobody is around who cares about you, if they’re not close enough… Does it have to be someone who has a connection with the one they see as you during your current incarnation? Keep it in mind, knowledge is key to many things.”

“If I bring her back, I won’t have to worry about it any more.”

“Still.”

“Why do you even bother about it? You have no reason to help me.”

    Xantas chuckles, as if the answer was obvious.

“Life is for the Militia but an instrument. They are but delighted to give death if it means amassing treasures. And you? You pretend that life has value? That you’re ready to do anything to stop sweeping such lives away on your little path? I want to see it. I want to see if you’re capable of changing this world.”

“Where is her heart? Where can I find it? Here?”

    This nightmare can end. There’s a way to end it.

“No, not at our headquarters.” Xantas’s smile widens. “Her heart has been gifted in compensation to the King Od Mithril. And you should hurry up, for I heard they planned to make an artifact out of it.”