Private Tales The Lost Artifact

[Belmont Lacroze]

"An elixir that'll help you sleep and ease the aches,"

"Hmmm, wonderful." Belmont had teased in the most obvious sarcastic tone he could use. Throughout the entire process, the smell of the elixir blasted his nostrils with unknown smells that seemed to have swirled and juxtaposing other scents that he had tried to process in his mind. As Zafira was telling him of these ingredients, Belmont could not help but be dumbfounded. All of his life he had been taught that magic came from the ethereal planes and here she was, Zafira, holding these "plants" that could contain such things from those dimensions.

As she handed the glass to Belmont, he looked to the liquid and then to Zafira before swallowing the contents in one take, or trying to at least. The Wizard gave a heaving gag followed by a cough.

"Taste like orc sweat." His face was disfigured by the taste though it dissipated quickly given a few minute's time. He comforted himself on the bed, which looked a bit tight but nonetheless could hold another person right beside him. He looked to his right and still saw Zafira sitting down in the chair. He thought to himself:

Perhaps?

He gestured Zafira towards with a smile and wave of his hand. His tone was as smooth as he could make it but drowsiness had lingered.

"You look tired, lass. Come, lay down." Belmont went back to his resting posture on the bed and looked to the ceiling. Inside of himself in his mind's eye, he was scared to dream but had faith in Zafira's concoction and its job. He definitely started to feel better from drinking it though he only wished the taste could have been less insufferable.

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira rolled her eyes at Belmont's sarcastic tone, turning to him slightly. "Such a big baby," she grinned before she poured the thin mixture in. Seeing Belmont's face scrunch in disgust, Zafira put a hand on her mouth to stifle a laugh. He couldn't even finish the small amount, taking a deep breath, Belmont's face twisted into repulsion.

Zafira didn't even try to hide her laugh this time. "And how would you know how orc sweat tastes like, Sir?" Zafira grinned, her knee pressing into the board of the bed. She was about to get up to leave for her old room when she heard Belmont call for her. Automatically, Zafira felt the hairs on her arms stand. Zafira swallowed.

It would be so easy for her to say yes. To slide her body against his, and let sleep take her away. But she couldn't. The larger, more cautious part of her wouldn't let herself rely on Belmont the way she imagined she could. She offered him a soft smile and brushed a strand of his black hair away from his forehead.

"You need to sleep properly, Bel," Zafira said quietly, standing up. "I'll be in the room next door. Night," she said, making sure the fire was off, and everything was neat.

She headed to her room right after, holding back a laugh when he saw all the frilly, princess decorations around it. It was an inside joke between her and her professor. Tired, but not able to sleep, Zafira took down the decorations, wrote a long, detailed letter to her professor, and changed from the dark green dress she wore to a pair of trousers that fit against her leg and a loose cream tunic. She never wore her dress on the sea. It only got in the way.

Momentarily, she thought of Belmont's reaction if he were to see her like this. By the time Zafira was ready for bed, the sun was about to come up, and the candle by her side had almost completely melted off.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

"You need to sleep properly, Bel," Zafira said quietly, standing up. "I'll be in the room next door. Night,"

Belmont wore an indifferent expression on his face as she walked out of the room to her own private quarters. He held no feeling of envy nor disdain, but merely laid on the bed and tried his best to sleep. The only thing he took off was his cape and any extra and weightful equipment that would surely cause a sore neck or back in the morning.

He stared at the ceiling and thought back to his dream.

If it happens again. It happens again. He thought. To see Galin would be hard enough but if this were to be a repeating thing, Belmont would definitely not sleep but go into his deep meditation for the rest of his life. He liked to be in connection with his surroundings especially with his body "seemingly" sleeping and getting rest. The only drawback was, however, his mind was not rested. Sure, his body felt fine and fresh in the morning but he himself wouldn't and would instead cause something bigger than physical exhaustion: Temporal Sickness. He had only caught it once after going into his deep meditations for approximately five days. His body was perfect but his mind felt trapped and claustrophobic in his skin. Such an illness could only be cured by blood magic and something like that was very very hard to come by since it was merely only forbidden throughout all schools of magic.

As he thought about meditating more and more it was too late. Belmont's eyes slipped shut and soon he was taken away from the physical world into the dream world.

"I see you've tried your boyish charm on her, Bel." He was back. The same environment. White, all around and there he was: Galin in the same exact outfit and the same exact features. Nothing had changed.

"And you think that that little potion from that girl could possibly repel me? Belmont, please." Galin took on a sarcastic tone that soon transformed his lips into a smile. There was nothing sinister or deceptive of it. As far as Belmont knew, it was the good 'ol Galin. The Wizard was not fearful or afraid, but curious and deep down aggravated.

"You never answered the last time, Master. How are you here?"

"I've already told you--"

"No!" Belmont spat. "After all this time. My suffering! My exile! Why now? How are you able to come back?! I saw you die! Right in front of me!"

"Oh, you tired boy. It wasn't until now I could merely project myself in front of you. This:" Galin lifted his hands in the air and the white turned into the bustling city of Alliria. Belmont could feel the sun beat down on his face in the bright afternoon. Everywhere, children were playing and merchants about making deals with the commoners. A frail old woman was about to walk right into Galin until... he phased right through him.

"What. Is. This?" Belmont could only gasp and piece the words.

"I've come back, son. Not in my true form though. I've come back to teach you the same way. To expand our consciousness beyond this realm." Galin started to walk away and Belmont ran to catch up.

"You see," Alliria turned into the forbidden city. Distasteful memories started to rush in for Belmont. "When I died, my physical body left this world, though my soul left my body. Throughout my time in sorcery and dabbling in the dark arts, something only you knew of. I incorporated part of my soul," Galin turned and place his index finger on his head "into you, my child."

Belmont was speechless. There had never been such a thing told or knew of in any place in the universe! His eyes widened and Galin had amplified his heartbeat but in between bumps, another thump-thump was heard. Galin lived inside of him.

"I can't-" Belmont felt dizzy and fell on top of the brass-colored sand of the Forbidden City.

"You've exhausted your mind long enough, child." Galin's voice started to warp and soon Belmont's vision had blurred. He felt pain. Great pain in his chest, head, and mouth. The wizard opened his eyes and he was kneeling, his arms strapped by purple rope to two stone altars. His immediate surroundings were black. The floor was a black stone with ash sprawled everywhere. In front of him, footsteps. Then, a tall, lengthy thing covered in a very long hood and robe approached the Wizard. Their hands were grey, pale, and long with fingernails spanning at least half an inch.

The creature's eyes could be seen through the black of the hood as green flames. It placed its thumbs on Belmont's left and right forearm. A searing burn appeared followed by bellows of pain from Belmont. In the physical world, his body started to shake. More screaming, more burning! It wasn't until he felt as if he was going to lose his arms the creature stopped. A shriek could be heard from the sky above and the creature backed away.

"Soon, son."

Belmont awoke in a fit of despair and pain. His head was thumping and throbbing and as he looked at his arms, two circles with a dot inside had appeared seared like a cattle burn right onto his flesh. He wanted to cry or scream for help but nobody could know!

He put on his cape and made sure to cover his arms before heading out onto the main deck. He passed where Zafira had slept and did not bother to knock or have his presence known to her. He climbed out of the ship and looked to the sky near the sail's wooden and giant pole. He perhaps only slept for two, three hours. The sun was out, but not fully, signaling early morning. Nobody was out except for two sailors checking on the integrity of the deck and moving supplies. They paid no attention to Belmont as the Wizard sat down and tried to contemplate what the hell he saw.

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

Laying in her old bed, staring at the ceiling, Zafira willed sleep to come to her. She called for it, but as sleep did when one was completely exhausted, it didn't answer her. Zafira switched positions, pulling the thick sheet on her tightly, and shutting her eyes closed.

She should have been able to sleep. The sea was rocking beneath her the way a mother cradled her child yet still, the restlessness in Zafira only continued to grow. Her body was exhausted, mind mentally drained from the day, but sleep still wouldn't take her. Frustrated, Zafira let out a soft shout, throwing the blanket roughly off her body.

She thought back to her best friend, Marissa who was in their cottage alone, probably sleeping peacefully. Zafira leaned her head back against the headboard, imagining Marissa pull her close and play with the tips of her hair. She was the only family Zafira had, and Zafira had left her, so enthralled by adventure. Tonight was one of those rare moments where it felt like a mistake leaving in the first place. Zafira wasn't homesick because no place brought her true comfort except places with books. But Zafira missed Marissa and her constant nagging. Zafira grinned at the thought of her meeting Belmont.

'A man ensnaring my Zafira? The world must be ending,'

Even now, the image completely fabricated, Zafira rolled her eyes, pushing herself up to go to the kitchen.

Sleep was being a pain in the arse. Just because it wouldn't take her in his hold did not mean she couldn't be productive.

But first, she'd have to have a cup of coffee rushing through her system.

Just as Zafira was about to pull on a button-up jacket, she heard footsteps move past her door. On guard, Zafira opened her door lightly to see...Belmont?

He should have been asleep.

Zafira blinked, watching him go up the stairs. Her eyes momentarily resided on his foot. He was still limping, but he looked infinitely better than he did before he'd gone to bed. Still, there was no reason that the concoction she'd made him should have worn off so fast.

Deeply concerned, Zafira went up to follow him, still not able to see his face - read it for the nightmare he had. It wasn't hard for her to see Belmont's struggle though. His broad shoulders were hunched as if he were carrying the burden of a thousand men on them.

Now Zafira was seriously concerned, and despite her not wanting to pry, she couldn't just let him feel what he was feeling without wanting to help.

She cleared her throat lightly as to not scare him from his stupor and slid herself close to him, aware of the frigid air. Automatically, she wrapped the blanket she had in her hands around his shoulders. She didn't ask him why he was awake. He was troubled.

"Talk to me, Bel," she murmured, noting the way the man hugged her arms.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

Thoughts were racing through Belmont at lightning fast speeds. Galin. The Creature. The circles. He took quick breaths in and out, knowing himself that he could erupt in a mental panic any moment. He closed his arms inside his cape tightly and gripped his torso with them. He had felt the soreness of his forearms. Those circles. They shouldn't be there. None of this should have happened. It did now. There was nothing he could do about it.

His legs felt cold in the wind and still he stood them out like pikes in dirt. He needed a way to know he was in the real world and not that terrible realm he had awakened from. Throughout all of the scares and frights, he had realized that his foot started to comply with his body again.

The work of the damned, sniped, creature?! Or--

Zafira. He heard her clear her throat but he was alarmed either way by her presence.

Not here! Not now!

Mental rush started to consume him but he remained calm, but distant on his face. How was he going to explain this to Zafira? How was she going to react? How was this going to affect the quest? He eyes stopped low and his head bobbed with the rocking of the ship. He felt a blanket rub against his cape and his neck. He motioned his head back to rest his aching head.

"Talk to me, Bel,"

He gave a deep gulped swallow and breathed heavily. His memories still raced and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't erase the images of that foul creature. He looked to Zafira with scared and tired eyes. His words stumbled and tripped like a baby learning to walk.

"My, my mast-- the beast. The burns the shrieks. The lies!" His voice stood quiet but was profound upon Zafira. His lips quivered and his soul shook. His forearms were still aching and his head was still throbbing.

Should I show her? He thought. His mind raced back to those questions of consequences in showing his newfound burns.

To hell with it.

Belmont looked Zafira in the eyes and did not look away nor blinked as he unraveled his cape to show the incinerations. The circles with dots inside them still stood, red and scarred. Surrounding the wounds, his veins were showing in a dark, green color. His body shivered once more from the wind. How would Zafira respond to something like this? He would try to go for some form of embrace from her but instead stood still.

The beast. Galin. Shrieks of the ungodly!

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

At her statement, Belmont remained quiet and unmoving. Zafira felt herself start to grow anxious as the seconds ticked by. The sailors had waved at her quickly which he had responded with a distracted smile. She could her Augustus' voice in her head.

'You are showing weakness. Take it inside'

She ignored it, focusing on Belmont who seemed to be having a debate inside his own head. He looked pale, his skin blanched from fright, and it only made Zafira want to shake the answer out of him. She wanted to make him feel better, and the urge was so strong that for a moment it felt like dropping a bucket of ice-cold water onto her. The rush of it calmed her in enough time to see the determination on Belmont's face.

She held his intense stare, not moving her eyes away even as Belmont stripped the blanket off his shoulders and moved his cape away. Slowly, she looked down to see skin that was normally tan, pale against the light, dark green veins protruding all throughout his arm, leading like a maze to an angry, red mark.

Zafira flinched and moved back, horrified by the sight of it. She looked up at Belmont quickly, heart-pounding lightly in her chest.

"Who the hell did this?" her voice sounded rougher than it should have. She should have been more controlled, calm the way her father always taught her to be, but all her mentors and friends knew that Zafira's passion was her weakness. In this exact moment though, she couldn't particularly care about control. How had she never noticed the marks? Wouldn't she have seen them by now?

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

"Who the hell did this?"

Who would do this to the Wizard? Belmont remained silent before moving on with a response that would surely frighten Zafira as much as he. The Wizard looked to his forearms and moved close to Zafira, shoulders touching.

"Another, another dr-dream." He took in harsh breaths. "Galin and, and a creature. Its thumb on my arms. Burned them. Oh, the shrieks!" Belmont tried to remain stable but the dream had too much of an impact on him. He babbled on but no raw emotion, no tears jerked his face. To most, they would've assumed that he had been on some sort of hallucinatory drug. A magical cripple with drug addiction. Belmont still couldn't shake off his dream. He went to touch the scars but flinched at the mere sight of them. They looked so unnatural and draining on his body. For the first time in forever, the Wizard knew not how to respond to something like this. The magic that allowed these afflictions upon his body were well out of his teachings from Galin.

Galin.

His own teacher, master, and father. Was he the orchestrator of this? How could he? Why would he?! Belmont sat silent and let the wind speak between he and Zafira. He wanted to apologize for all of this but held it in. He wished that this was all a nightmare that he had not awakened from but alas, this was real. He had to face the consequences of it and to the most extreme, at least to Belmont, could be death.

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

Belmont looked terrified. He was lightly shaking and despite him trying to tell her what he saw, his words came out in fragments as if he couldn't form a coherent explanation of what he saw. Maybe he couldn't. Whatever it was that he saw in his dream had been bad enough to wake him from the elixir she'd created, a powerful one that was created by her father and Augustus together.

Zafira swallowed the lump in her throat, going back to examine the mark on his arm. The reason she had never noticed it before because it wasn't present before this exact moment. Zafira pressed her infinitely cool fingertips on his arm, eyes morphing into a golden color while she looked at Belmont's life force. Everything was light, the color it should have been. Slowly, she traced the path until she reached his arm where red pulsed deeply, surrounded by a dark purplish hue. Zafira frowned, trying to discern it.

There was a disturbance, so strong that it singed Zafira's fingertips, forcing her to let go of her hold. Zafira pushed back with a soft yelp of pain, staring at her hands in surprise. They were shaking, the tips almost burned.

That had never happened before. Zafira was almost always able to identify what the problem was even if she couldn't solve it. This....she had never come across something like this. it was almost as if Belmont had another part of him - another life force that wasn't completely alive. Except that didn't make any sense. It went against the realm of magic.

Zafira pursed her lips, trying to think. Maybe her books had something. Augustus may know something as well. She'd have to contact him the minute the set foot on land.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

Belmont closed his eyes as Zafira neared her fingers on his afflictions. Immediately, he winced at the touching. It was a focused pain as if a needle had pierced the dot inside the circle on his right arm.

"Zafira." He would say through gritted teeth. After, he saw Zafira flinch back away. He heard her pain and instinctively went for her hands. He held them close together on his own, cupped. Her hands were warm and on the tips of her fingers, he felt something more than warm. Burning. Belmont let go of her hands and cupped his arms back in. He was fearful, paranoid. He didn't want anything worse happening to her than a surface burn. He wouldn't even stand a pinch coming to Zafira's skin!

He sat back and huffed in frustration and self-anger. He muttered over and over again in his head:


Galin.

Belmont's mind was tired. He wanted to sleep but knew he couldn't. He would not want to bare what would happen consequentially. The dreams seemed to jump in intensity like it was nothing. Belmont wanted to get to the bottom of this, but not here. Not now. He needed to devise a plan and he and Zafira would not suffice. They needed someone wiser in magic. Someone with years of experience over theirs combined. But who?

The Wizard stood and tried to walk back to his room, limping. He beckoned Zafira to follow with a nod. His arms still hurt but it would be better to sit somewhere inside and away from prying eyes.

"Lass." Belmont softly said before descending back to where he slept the previous night.

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

She couldn't remember the last time Belmont had called Zafira by her name. Looking up at his face, she was the clear pain in his gaze from her touching him there. Her fingers were still burning though, and before she could say anything, Belmont's hands were encompassing her own, looking at it with a mixture of pain and horror.

She was about to tell him that it was alright. She'd burned herself countless times before and that it did not matter, but before she could, Belmont had pushed away from her roughly. For a moment, Zafira was hurt. Was this because she had unintentionally hurt him? Then she realized it was quite the opposite.

"It's not your fault, Bel," Zafira said quietly, peeking up at him. All she'd have to do is put some of her ointment on the skin and she would be alright. Zafira wouldn't though. She didn't want to waste the precious cream until it was absolutely necessary for her to use it.

He looked disturbed though as if the words didn't really reach his ears. She felt helpless, having no idea what to do to help Belmont feel better.

Noting Belmont start to limp back, she was about to tell him to sit back down until she saw the curious gazes of the sailors by her. Dawn was breaking at this point, and the sailors were starting to get up. Zafira followed Belmont to the Captain's room, flopping on the bed lightly as he closed the door behind them.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

As he closed the door behind them, Belmont felt claustrophobic immediately inside of the room. He didn't feel safe but he knew he had to just man up and become comfortable with it. He didn't really know how long it would be until they reached the mainland so until then he had to make do with what he currently had. Fear still rolled inside of him but now anger ensued. He wanted to just wish this all away and kill that creature and never have to be apart of this horrid situation ever again. He sat on a velvet chair and began to look at his arms more closely. Already, his panicking started to subside now that his mind fully realized he was awake and only the dreams that haunted him could do anything at least to his knowledge.

Belmont closed his eyes and tried to feel... something around his arms, those wounds. He remembered the second heart beat. Panic began to flush back once more. Belmont stooped away from the chair and sat cross-legged on the floor, placing a hand over his heart. He began to chant in an ancient tongue, something Galin had taught him at Lumbert. Like a similar pyromancy spell, it would detect the inner being, but deeper than before. Belmont went into a deep meditation and soon heard with a loud boom his own heartbeat. It sounded healthy as it could ever be, especially with him being out of the Forbidden City.

He looked back at the dream once more in his mind. That heartbeat he heard. He could hear its faint thump thump in his mind. He tried to hear it within himself and it was not long before it made itself known.

Thump thump. It faintly echoed in between his own heart. He came back to reality but only to whisper to Zafira.

"Lay your hand on my chest. Concentrate on it. I found it."

What he exactly found he is certainly not sure off. What Belmont did know, however, was there was some trace to it in this world. He had to dig deeper but Belmont knew that was too risky now. They had to wait.


ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira was tempted to tell Belmont to calm down, his panic causing something frantic in Zafira to rise. The statement would help no one though so she kept her silence as Belmont focused on doing some.... a ritual? Zafira didn't know. She'd seen him do something like this a few times but it usually never lasted longer than a quarter of an hour.

This meditation of his took longer. Zafira bit back the hundreds of swarming questions in her brain, forcing herself to sit and calm down while Belmont's eyes drifted slowly. His look wasn't of peace, but a deep concentration that had Zafira worrying about his mental health. He hadn't slept right, had gone through a panic attack, fully loss of a leg function that miraculously had healed itself, and now this insanity burning at him. When the meditation reached 3 quarters of an hour, Zafira was about to tell him to stop. She would wait til the end of the earth for him, but this was just unhealthy. Finally, though, Belmont's eyes opened, revealing those red orbs that brought her so much comfort. She let out a breath of relief until she heard his voice.

It was deep, raspy. It concerned her because of the solemn look on his face. He had found something. The only thing was, Belmont had never clarified what the something was. Zafira nodded and stepped close to him, pressing her thin fingers against his chest, right where his heart should be. She felt it clearly, the heavy thump thump noise of his heart. She turned to Belmont perplexed until she moved her hand slightly farther. That's when she heard it. Another thump thump. Fainter than Belmont's heartbeat and dancing to a completely different tune, but still evident.

"Galin?" Zafira guessed. It was the only theory she could come up with considering that she doubted a creature lived inside of him. His name had escaped Belmont's lips when he'd awoken. Maybe this was his heartbeat?

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

"Galin?"

"I do not know. But it's something." The thought of something within Belmont made him feel uneasy. Insanity was at the doorstep of his mind, about to barge into his consciousness. He needed rest but he would only repeat his torment. He couldn't meditate, because of the mind exhaustion it would cause, and now there was something rolling on the wheels on inevitability for him. What the point b looked like, he did not know.

His mind was frightened and losing its sense of true reality once more. Belmont had gone through a lot in a only a short amount of time. He didn't want to expose Zafira to it anymore and deep down he wish he was back in exile in the Forbidden City. If it was him alone, he would just die and the world would forget about his existence. But Zafira, she gave purpose to himself but at what cost? She would have to witness horrible atrocities of his past and always be on the front lines of his inner and outer pain. He slammed he hands on the ground in utter frustration, his eyes closed tightly shut.

Belmont ran through his hair with his hands and started to breathe quickly again.

"What am I going to do? What can I do? Lass. I don't know how much more I can take from this."

He tried to go back to his training, something must help him in dire situations like these. Belmont thought back to Lumbert and Galin with his old Master quoting old books again as he had always done. Times were simpler back then to Belmont. He had no worries or troubles as long as Galin was around. Now, he felt alone in the world, only with Zafira being the closest thing to Belmont as a trusted individual and someone he had affection for. He wanted to tackle this problem head on, just to be rid of it. Belmont wanted sleep and to be affixed from his past. He wanted to become someone new.

The Wizard leaped from the ground and onto the bed. He had an idea.

"I know this might not seem like the smartest thing to do, lass. I got to charge at this head on. I don't care what happens to me. I want to get this done. I don't want to feel this pain anymore."

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira blinked. So much was happening at the same time. Belmont's mind seemed to be going a hundred miles per minute and she couldn't decipher what the hell was conjuring itself up in that mind of his. Zafira thought back to a spell that renders one unconscious. When a person was usually unconscious, they didn't dream, and Belmont seemed to want to step away from them.

At the same time though........

His dreams were where his professor was at, and with how Belmont spoke to her, he made it seem like he were still alive rather than dead. At least alive in his mind. Zafira eyed him carefully. Her plan was borderline dangerous and she doubted Belmont would agree to it.

The emotional part of her cried out in pain, reminding her that this was going to hurt him a ton. The logical part told her that in the long run this would be better for him. It was kind of like popping a patient's bone back in place. They would have to go through the same excruciating pain to get better. She was about to suggest this to him in a gentle manner when all of a sudden, Belmont hopped onto the bed.

"I know this might not seem like the smartest thing to do, lass. I got to charge at this head on. I don't care what happens to me. I want to get this done. I don't want to feel this pain anymore."

"What exactly are you planning to do?" she asked slowly, almost scared to hear the answer.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

"What exactly are you planning to do?"

Belmont gave no hesitation. He knew what must be done in order to just get rid of the situation entirely. He didn't want to wait for anything. Not anymore. If he did he felt the consequences would be more than severe on him. He knew there had to be some way, in any way, to rid himself of these dreams or the second heartbeat within him.

"I'm going to sleep. I'm going to dream. While I do, I want you to protect me in any way I can. I do not care what kind of magic you have to do, just keep me alive. Then after," He gave a smirk to Zafira. "We'll find that artifact and come back in one piece."

Belmont flipped over onto his side and began to close his eyes. Sleep would not come immediately, but eventually, it will hold its grasp on him. How Zafira would react, he did not know. The only thing he wants now is to find the bottom of this. To gain more knowledge and to stay alive.

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

She didn't disagree with him. She thought it was the right thing to do, but nonetheless, she could care less about the artifact at the moment. There would always be something to chase after, some hidden gem, trinket, or piece of gold, but there was one Belmont and she'd rather not have him break in front of her. Or in this case, at all.

She was about to tell him all this when he turned around and closed his eyes, preparing to fall asleep. Zafira let out an exasperated sigh before sitting on the velvet chair and grabbing a few of her books. She may as well do some research while Belmont fought at whatever beast remained in his sleep.

Despite her saying she was going to study, Zafira's eyes kept wandering over to Belmont who was as still as night. His breaths were even and sure, but Zafira didn't know if he was sleeping yet. His face was turned away from her, but he wasn't making any sound so maybe he was going to be fine.

Still, Zafira got up and pulled out her healing kit, some elixirs, and drank a few potions that would revive her strength temporarily. She didn't know how extensive the damage would be, and she wanted to be prepared for any case.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

As sleep overtook him, Belmont could feel the sudden drifting from reality to his mind. In the span of perhaps half an hour, he had fallen into a slumber. He breathed steadily and all was well on the outside. No alterations of his body, no burning, and no shaking. All seemed normal. Belmont was back in his inner mind world, his senses were amplified and he stood before Galin. However, half of his face was severely burned, scarred and scabbed. The eye on on the burned half was colored crimson, exactly as Belmont's.

"So, you've come again." His voice was calm and concealing, using the same smooth tone as he had always when he spoke when he was alive. It seemed unnatural to Belmont. Even having half of his face burned off, he seemed to feel fine. Belmont never spoke and stood idly, studying "Galin".

His old master walked slowly towards Belmont, his boots making a loud click that boomed like lightning every time they hit the ground. Belmont flinched and closed his eyes. His body was still and the footsteps came in louder than before, signaling Galin's closeness. Belmont felt a cold but stinging finger on his right cheek.

"Soon, it will be complete." Galin's voice changed into a dark, raspy, heavy voice whose breath stunk like a rotten corpse in the ocean. Belmont opened his eyes and was horrified by what he saw. Galin's face was burned, eyes now fully crimson with his pupils white. His teeth were pointed and his grimace stretched almost to his ears. Belmont let out a scream of fright both in the dream and in the real world. The monster grew in height, close to ten feet, and hunched down to meet Belmont's eye level.

"You cannot hide, Belmont Lacroze. You will be me as I will be you. I have been with you ever since your bastard birth. Now, I shall reveal my form and take your very existence."

Belmont could not move and was frozen in place. His eyes darted around the white but only the hideous creature filled his sight. He pleaded to Zafira. Screaming her name. In the physical world, his body was shaking once more and tossed itself on the bed. The creature stuck one of its index fingers onto Belmont's chest and and another burn, similar to the first two, came to be. Instead of a circle, diamond now showed in the middle of his sternum and instead of veins of green, veins of black plagues Belmont's chest like a virus.

"I shall see you soon, my boy. Grieve your last time in the mortal realm for ye shall lose all hope soon!"

The creature turned into a hideous version of Galin with the head bigger which held the faces of known student that were acquainted with Belmont, their skin tied together tightly, eyes consuming one another. Belmont let out another shriek before awakening in a fit of total terror. He checked his chest and sure enough, another burn was there. The same one as in his dream.

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

It had been an hour.

Zafira paced painfully around the room, aware of the light shining through the window. The crew might be wondering where she was, and Zafira had half the mind to go to them quickly. Zafira stayed rooted in her spot with Belmont though, biting at the side of her otherwise pretty nails before realizing what she was doing. It had always been a terrible habit of hers, one where her grandma would prick her finger with a needle to remind her to stop. With an aggravated sigh, she pushed her hand away from her mouth.

She was known for many things - patience not being one of them.

She turned to examine Belmont again. He didn't look too troubled save for the small frown on his face. She wondered what was happening in his dreamland as she waited. Had he met his professor yet? Was he coming to some sort of conclusion now?

Zafira got her answer when she all of a sudden saw Belmont start to shake as if he were having a seizure running through his body. Unintelligible words broke out of his lips, and Zafira's eyes widened at the sudden change, It had been about 30 seconds when she'd seen only the smallest inkling of displeasure. What the hell was happening.

Zafira all of a sudden heard him call out her name, pleading to help him. Zafira's eyes widened and she tapped at Belmont's face. "Bel, Belmont, get up, come on," she tried first. Seeing it not work and his body go into another state of epilepsy like behavior, Zafira heaved to turn his strong body to the side, pretty much straddling him to force him on his side. She didn't want him to accidentally bite his tongue or choke on any of the spit foaming at the sides of his mouth.

Zafira pressed his chest roughly. Once. Twice, Three times when she heard a resonating crack that woke Belmont up. Zafira let out a relieved sigh, heart racing erratically in her chest. "You're fine," Zafira breathed out, looking paler than usual from fear and adrenaline.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

Belmont's chest was beating rapidly, his heart pumping huge amount of blood with each beat but now the hidden second beat between each thump now resonated clearly as if it were normal to his body. His eyes darted to Zafira and he gave out a relieving sigh. Sweat was beading down his face as if he were in the desert. He wiped his face with a sleeve and took what remained of his blankets off of him.

"You're fine," Zafira breathed out, looking paler than usual from fear and adrenaline.

"Ya, ya. I'm fine." Belmont groaned as he clutched his chest. tore open his shirt with his hands to reveal the newly formed burn on his chest. It looked worse than on his arms. On his arms it only seemed to be as if he were in a freak accident as a child and got those burns on his arms. But this, this is worse. Those veins were bulging and filled with the blackest black. Belmont tried to get his breathing down to a more calming level but he was still trying to recover from the dream.

The Wizard dared not to even sit up. He stayed laying and poked at the center of the burn very gently. It stung worse than a blade, as if lava was just laying on top of his body and did not want to burn a hole and just kill him. The creature wants him to suffer.

"It revealed itself to me, lass." Belmont rasped through a dry throat. That creature. It has said it had been there with him all of his life. Why now reveal itself? Bastard birth? There was more exposition than Belmont could digest but he decided to shift it away from his mind and focus on the now and what is currently happening to him. He still breathed heavily. The center burn stung more and more and Belmont let out a painful groan and tried to grab at Zafira's arm for support.

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira's eyes dropped down to the burn on his chest aware of the way it swirled and expanded over his pale stomach. It resided where his heart would be, the area scorched black. Zafira memorized its patterns, recognizing it from somewhere. From where, she could not pinpoint. "We need to go to Augustus," Zafira said before realizing the words had left her mouth.

She didn't regret it though. Despite how aloof people believed the man to be, he was the wises man Zafira had met, and that said something. She'd met a lot of people, plenty of intelligent ones as well, but non were like Augustus. If she believed herself to be deeply invested in books, Augustus would resemble a sponge, devouring every bit of information that he learned. His library was impressive and a cause of envy for Zafira.

"He'll know what to do," Zafira said, confirming her words. She saw Belmont touch at the burn and soflty, she slapped his hand away.

"Stop touching it, and let me take care of you," she said softly, grabbing the lemon spray by her side. She sprayed it onto the burn, wining lightly when she realized it would burn. It was meant to disinfect the area though. Zafira was careful not to use any magic on the wound. She didn't know what it would do to the mark, so she resorted to more mundane solutions, despite them being less effective than what her magic could do.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

"Augustus?" Belmont's eyes wavered and felt heavy. Sleep wandered to him but he resisted the temptation of rest.

This Augustus fellow better is quick with it. Belmont felt impatient to get this nightmare business all taken care of. It seemed, at least to Belmont, that the odds were stacked against him. If he slept, there would be no other way. He would surely die. The thought of it made his soul shiver. If he didn't sleep, the tired feeling will surely catch up to him. It's only inevitable. That creature said something of his "bastard birth". Does it know of his origins? Before Lumbert?

Belmont shoved those questions in the back of his mind. Only anxiety took its place and now the Wizard was left wondering about the mainland. Will they ever reach it soon? Belmont tried to sit up but instead, his body's soreness forced him back down onto the pillow. Fear flooded through him.

"Lass, I really don't know how much longer this is going to last. I don't even know if this can be overturned. I want to know more, but I can't risk another trip into that hell."

Belmont closed his eyes and whispered.

"It's been with me since my birth, it knows everything about me."

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

To that, Zafira had no response. She was good at healing physical ailments - scratches, cuts, broken bones. She'd even brought a few backs from the cradles of death, snatching them up before their final seal was stamped on them. Anything that had to do with the physical body, Zafira was a master at dealing with. The soul and emotional aspects of things....

Well, Zafira didn't even know where to start. Her gentle touch belonged on a forehead or to check of a heart was beating right. Her touch was never meant to aid in anyone's sorrow, heal a person's soul or the like. Mostly because she felt she was too damaged to be able to take care of it. Augustus, on the other hand, had the soul of a hundred strong persons,and she knew no one better equipped to help him.

"You stay here. I need to talk to the crew," she'd spent a lot of time with Belmont in this room, and at this point, she was convinced that the men believed that Belmont was dying. She supposed in a manner he was, but what was she to do with that bit of knowledge? She buried it deep in her chest, not letting her dwell on it. If she did, she would break, and that would accomplish nothing.

Zafira rose onto the deck, seeing the crew whisper among themselves. "I want to head to Alliria. I need to see August McCallam, the rightful owner of this ship," Zafira said clearly. Already, she could see the protests of her crew laying thick on their tongue.

 

[Belmont Lacroze]

Belmont laid on the bed as Zafira climbed onto the deck, his limbs felt tired as if he climbed onto the highest mountain on the planet. His sides ached, his calved burned and his head was swelling. His eyes were half shut, wanting to close so bad from exhaustion and rest. The creature. Belmont burst his eyes open before they half shut once more, trying to delay himself from rest. This Augustus fellow Zafira had mentioned sounded curious to Belmont. If this man is who she claims he is, then he'll have no problem with the afflictions though he only hoped they would hurry to mainland soon before the door of death was sealed for the poor wizard.

Everything was silent in the room aside from the occasional crashing of water against the ship. Belmont had stayed quiet though he wanted to shout of anger and frustration. Alas, he stayed still and kept himself to his inner thoughts. That's when he heard it. It was impossible.

"Hail, bastard."

The creature sounded itself as if it was next Belmont's right ear. The wizard jumped and gave a painful groan at the sudden movement.

How in the nine hells?!

"Quiet, now, child. You'll alert her." Thoughts and images flooded through Belmont's mind of Zafira. Her smiles and bright hair with her gleaming skin.

How are you doing this?

"Need not worry yourself with so much, dear little man." A loud, cackling laugh boomed in Belmont's cranium. He could feel spit fly against his cheek, the creature was "leaking" into the real world.

Belmont tried to call out for Zafira, but was cut short from a painful grab of his burns. All three burns glowed and the veins were spreading, the unnatural liquid spread through his body.

All Belmont could let out was a whimper.

ZafiraJade

 

[ZafiraJade]

"We just sailed an entire night, Captain. Turning around seems like a waste er time," growled one of the more reluctant ones. Two more people protested as well, and Zafira bit back a sigh. She was exhausted. Of fighting. Of worrying. Of thinking about Belmont dying underneath the deck. She wanted him to be okay. She wanted to not be in charge and go back to being a slightly reckless, flirtatious self. For whatever reason, she couldn't do that anymore. She felt guilty, Belmont's face always popping up even though she knew she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"I understand where you are coming from, but think of it like this. You get to go to your families and get paid twice the amount you were promised, all while not having to go through the expense of unloading trading goods. I'd say its a fair share," Zafira said compromisingly. Despite the soft displeased mutters, she knew that they knew it was a good deal. They nodded, going back to perform their duties as they went to turn the entire ship around again.

Thomas came up to her, putting a hand on her shoulders. "Everything alright, lurv?" he asked, thick brows furrowed. He looked genuinely concerned which relaxed Zafira a bit. "Yer stressed,"

"Just a bit," Zafira grinned, hiding her feelings.

"Iz the boy, innit?" Thomas said knowingly.

"Darling please, when have I ever been known to chase a man" her words rang false even to her own ears, but she ignored it, focusing on the sea in front of her. The wind tangled her raven hair, skin rising with goosebumps at the cold air, deftly unaware to Belmont's state.