Finweald Marsey Spring (Flashback - Post S2 Finale) The Tablet of Mir... How long was it? A couple of months? Yeah. Magi Heart had went on her first adventure into the crystaly place. What was it called? Crystallized... Z....Zalra? It was pretty weird but she had met some nice people there. Rare to meet nice people in this twisted and sick game. Was it even a game at this point? The people it must have emotionally hurt by now.. surely Magi wasn't the only one right? Eldhi... Magi never did see her again when they rescued the prisoners. Where was she? Was she alright? Maybe she quit... that was probably a good idea. Funny enough, Magi kept finding herself in that eerie silent crystal land over and over for some reason. Even the war had involved it somehow. The war... that was the last straw! What kind of hero let's this stuff happen and isn't able to stop it from happening... or even prevent that much death? Game or not. All those people experiencing that very real and very terrifying death the game meted out. Having to see friends and innocents being chopped into pieces! Seeing that large cat man that helped her in the tower. Going from a kind fatherly expression of worry to a battle crazed expression of murder right in front of her was the last clue she needed. This game was evil. So why then? Why when even her best effort in a battle was changing nothing? Was she just not... giving enough effort? That's what Raina would have scolded her about. Any true heroine has to be able to push through to the end! Yeah... Wendy was not so sure she could keep that going. Gee whiz... Even though it was chilly out. This spring was nice. Was this place magical somehow? Who knew... Magi kinda hoped she'd see a unicorn! That would be super cool beans, especially if he was a prince in disguise! Wowzers, that was wishful thinking. Magi ran a finger in the cold spring water as she stared at the tree. She sat with her legs bent to the side and her other white gloved hand gripping her skirt nervously in reaction to her thoughts. The Star Maiden. Was it true? Was there a person like that long ago? That saved so many people? The story was so vague. Oh... what Magi Heart would not give to ask someone who knew more about that. All she had though was a rumored statue. Somewhere in Astorea... maybe. "I need inspiration.. hope. This is it. I will do this as my last quest. Unless maybe..." She mumbled to herself softly.
Bradwynne buried his head onto his knees as he started crying. He was sad about what he had done to that allied soldier he had killed just because that person just wanted revenge for his family, but there was something more into his tears as he brooded over what he have done during the war. As he had presumed, this place within the environs of Astorea was quite a peaceful area, far from the war-torn areas where he had once fought. Here was his only respite from the harrowing memories of the past war, but even here he was haunted by the ghosts of it. For the first time in his life, he questioned himself whether what he had done was for the good of the humanity here as a whole, or was he slaughtering countless people just for the heck of it. Sure, the kingdom needed his help, but was the war truly necessary? He had killed an allied soldier that presumed to break the ordinance of the kingdom never to hurt prisoners, and as his superior had said, what he did was the right thing, but did he really have the moral ascendancy to determine who did right or who did wrong? He then cursed the former king of Falderen under his breath, as he remembered that he single-handedly controlled the minds of his soldiers who besieged Astorea. But as the curse went from his lips, he then thought about something, that of which about the paranoia of that king. Who gave him that paranoia? Is it some dark being, or was it the players themselves? Having nothing which which to blame on about how he was feeling right now, he just bumped his head on his knees as he cried. Had he really needed to kill one to save another? As he thought about it, another thought dawned upon him. It was a legend that was told by the resident dwellers within the country of Astorea. It was about a maiden that had saved countless lives while she still resided in the land. Somehow that thought pervaded in Bradwynne's mind. How did that maiden save countless lives? Did she do it without sacrificing a number of lives to do that incredible feat? Maybe knowing more about that maiden could help him decide what he needed to decide upon. But what was only known about the Star Maiden was a statue situated within Astorea, and no one had even stumbled upon it, neither residents or players. Maybe searching for the statue will answer all his doubts regarding his blood-stained hands. And so he sat there, with more erect posture, to corroborate in his mind the rumors that he had heard, and maybe, to search for another person who would accompany him to this extent. He had seen a pink-haired child also near the spring, but, as he thought she might not be interested, went back into corroborating his thoughts. It would be helpful if someone would accompany him, but at least he did not want to drag anybody into what should be his personal desire to know what he needed to know.
Sighing softly to herself. Magi Heart took her fingers out of the water and bent her head back some to stare at the sky. Okay... she was going to try. All of this death and misery. This confusion and futility. She was going to go look for some inspiration. It was just a game, a horrible game, but still a game. She did so well at candy storm rev... so why not give it another shot? Never give up right? Getting off the grass she saw someone else was here. Wowzers, she had not heard them come along! Luckily they weren't dangerous. Magi had become a bit unsure of someone's intentions lately. With so many people changing in a blink of an eye when it suited them. Who knew? She still saw the good in them but was not going to keep her guard down anymore. Not everyone was nice... that was a harsh truth. He seemed lonely and lost in thought. It felt... almost like looking at herself right now. Was this person killed? Did they go through some kind of trauma or become aware of the weird dark nature of this game? Of the world in general? Then.. Then they really needed someone like Magi Heart. Yep! She had a purpose here! "Hello." She said a bit softer than she probably should when saying hi to someone. Magi offered a small wave and walked over slowly. Looking at the young male she cocked her head to the side and smiled. Doing her best to hide her own stress. She had to help this person cheer up. Maybe... it would cheer her up as well. Her hands clasped together in front of her dress as she spoke. "I'm sorry mister. I just saw you alone and you looked so lost in thought and... well. I'm Magi Heart. I'm a magical girl working to protect people in Terrasphere. Could I help you somehow...?" Awkward silence followed and a slightly stressed look would eventually appear on Magi's face if the awkwardness went on for too long. @Bradwynne
Bradwynne raised his head as the pink-haired girl went to his direction. As he was thinking, it was a little awkward for a man overcome by his emotions to be seen by a girl, although technically he was just a boy. And so he tried to look quite a bit more stable in his emotions, but as he tried to build such a facade, it was crumbling as soon as he tried to erect it and his emotions were showing in front of the girl. Sighing that he could not hide anything in front of the girl, he just decided to hold a proper conversation. "The name is Bradwynne Lambert. Such an unassuming name for a Japanese-styled character like this, am I right?" He then smiled at the joke that emanated from his lips, but still it did not hide the lingering emotion from his face. "Disregarding the name, if your job was a magical girl helping others, my job was being a mysterious ronin that acts as the muscle of the villages I visit in order to serve justice for the populace. Driving out bandits, apprehending evildoers, and the like, with my ever-trusty katana." His left hand then held the sheathed katana for the girl to look at. It was a too lavishly-decorated katana that matched his kimono, but the blade was just a standard-issue one. "That time I am always confident that I am doing the right thing, as long as justice was on my side I was doing the right thing. Even killing evildoers then was a tolerable act for me, as I thought those people I kill had sealed their fate by doing their evil acts. I do not even mind the epithet that those evildoers affixed on my name, The Demon Ronin of Astorea, as long as I am on the side of justice I thought I could do no wrong. Until that day of the war." As he mentioned those words, he could not help but cry. "Before that time, I had never thought myself as dirty. But after I had killed that person who only wanted revenge for his kin, every blood of those people I killed before that day was splattered yet again on me. Never before had I thought about it, but now, I think of myself as too dirty, too bloodstained to stand before anybody." He then took the opportunity to ask the girl about her interest in the Star Maiden. "And now here I am thinking, is it possible to save anybody, serve the rightful justice that they need, without needing to kill another person? And then I heard some rumors about a certain maiden, which was currently called the Star Maiden, who had saved countless lives within her lifetime. I wanted to hear more about that person, I want answers to my own questions. My knowledge about the Star Maiden was relatively little, and I hope you would know something more about her."
"Mr. Lambert... Hmmm... Lambert-san... Bradwynn-san. Maybe? *giggle*" She held a finger to her chin as she thought about using honorifics to honor his Japanese character but wasn't sure he'd like it. If so she would stop of course. When he spoke of being a ronin that traveled around and fought bad guys. Magi's face lit up for moment before she realized that indeed he was likely having similar problems she was facing. This game and the world in general were not as easy to play hero in as just sitting on a couch watching a anime. "Cool beans Mr. Lambert-san...." She continued to listen to him as she sat next to the blond. Wendy always did her best to lend a ear to other's needs. Even if her own feelings were often in disarray lately. He said he... killed enemies. Yeah, samurai anime was pretty nasty. Wendy hated those. But if even someone who had the drive to kill for justice was lost. Then... what was the answer? Magi kept her eyes on him as he spoke and bit her lip nervously. She was afraid... afraid she did not know how to help. Again. Then he mentioned the Star Maiden from the tablet she read in Zalra! What? Wowzers was the rumor actually real and not just some old writing? She brightened up again and placed a her hand over his hand. "Gee whiz... you heard of the Star Maiden? Yeah!" She nodded her eyes sparkled for a moment before her somber look returned. "i-I don't want to assume but... I think I know what you're going through... w-war is terrible. For everyone involved. I-I think it's just best to... avoid a war at all costs. Um... but if that means killing someone... taking them away from their family and friends..." What was she doing? Magi Heart needed to give a Magi says very badly but.. she just couldn't anymore. She did not know how to answer this. So she didn't. She ran away. All that mattered was the Star Maiden. That 's what she needed right now. Maybe this person too. "The story I read was about a Star Maiden that defended a land from evil. The evil was corrupting and destroying the world... I guess like now? I don't know that much either. It was on a old tablet and the words melted away after I read them. I think that if we find the Star Maiden's statue I've heard about. It will have like... um.. a inscription that will help us. Or maybe some clue or treasure that will make being a true hero in this world possible!" She nodded and jumped up turned in to face him with a determined look. "Want to come with me? Astorea's a big and dangerous place, so we might get separated. A hero, whether a Ronin Warrior or Mahou Shoujo doesn't mean anything without friends to help them. This world is lacking that. Everyone... everyone is just fighting for selfish reasons. The war... never had to happen you know. I don't even understand why it did. Let's be friends and work together. For something inspiring and good. Not selfish... okay?" Her face grew red and she looked away shyly. Did she just say all that? She may have given a Magi says after all. For better or worse. @Bradwynne Lambert
Here Bradwynne was again, he could not control his emotions and he had cried again. In front of the girl. But maybe it should be for his good that he always vented his emotions, he thought. For maybe if he tried to contain it, someday it would explode in front of him, and suicidal or murderous thoughts would fill his mind. Maybe he should just cry it all out to remove the load off his heart. And so he just let his tears flow as he listened to Magi's words until they dry naturally. He would let the girl know that he was a sensitive man, a man who knew when to vent his emotions to remove his load. Therefore the girl would know that he was a true person, a person that could always be depended upon for any help that she would need. And such trust should be needed when they would finally tackle this mission of looking for the traces of the legend of the Star Maiden, which should be important on their quests to be better heroes, may it be being a Mahou Shoujo for Magi, or being a Ronin Warrior for Bradwynne. As Magi mentioned about the ill effects of war on everyone and her desire to avoid it, Bradwynne thought that it was a good assessment, and he wondered why Magi blushed all of a sudden, as if insinuating that it was a bad idea. Of course war should not happen, and they should strive to bring peace between rival kingdoms and territories. But he knew that it was just a pipe dream, as he then said, "Why are you being flustered all of a sudden? Of course you are right, war should not happen. But sometimes it would just stare at our faces. Maybe we should just make sure that when it comes to it, we should not kill any person and just focus our energies on healing other people that would be affected. Since a war is always just a battle of ideologies and who's better, that could be better settled with a serious talk." As he said those words, a thought dawned upon him. Maybe he should take up some healing mastery and train himself to become a physician in this world. That way he could focus more into acts that would heal than those situations where he had to kill. Yeah, he will definitely do that, once they had finished looking into the legend of the Star Maiden, which Magi had explained in better detail than what he had heard from the rumors within Astorea. As Magi had offered to go with her in search for that elusive statue that was mentioned by the rumors, he then stood up and dusted off his trousers with his hands, and then he moved towards the spring to wash his hands, and then splattered his face with some water from the spring. Materializing a long cloth, he then wiped his face and hair with it, and as he returned the cloth to his inventory, he then faced Magi, and then said, "Yeah, I agree that no one could do everything alone. And maybe I would need your help in this as you might need mine, so we should stick together. Maybe after this, even we do not succeed in finding that statue, we will be better heroes with what we should experience on the way! So..." He then extended his hand towards Magi. "I look forward on working with you to know more about the legend of the Star Maiden!"
Wowzers... Magi Heart was told she was right. That was rare. It had become to the point where even she was doubting. Not like Eldhi was anywhere to be seen after she was captured in the Hylands. Everyone was busy with their own stuff. It was nice to talk to someone with similar problems and to actually know she helped them, even if a little bit. He said something pretty agreeable to her too. Sticking to healing others. To just cure those in need and not fight the evils of the world straight on anymore. Since... it seemed impossible to win that fight. There was no single evil here. It was like fighting life itself. Maybe... Magi was not understanding something still but this at least was a clear answer for the moment. She nodded. "...Yeah. Gee whiz that is what I will do Mr. Lambert-san. Maybe the power of showing only love through healing could change things. Or maybe that is really all we can do. It's better than doing nothing and I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. Not for these horrible wars." The next time she faced danger. Love would be her answer. Not a shot of her arrow. She swore to herself. No more fighting... Magi Heart took Bradwynne's hand.she offered a hopeful smile to the older male. "From here on we are friends! Let's do our best and try to find an answer." Sadly... their journey would not last long before becoming separated just as Magi had worried about earlier. This quest would never be completed by them together and when they meet again... [Possible Fin] @Bradwynne
Bradwynne felt that it was a good day. He would be adventuring with another person seeking to be a better hero like him, to find one of the most legendary heroes in Astorea. He felt that with the two of the helping each other, their thoughts being corroborated with each other, they could finish the quest and learn more about the true essence of being a hero. And so they set out from that beautiful spring, to what Magi had described from the tablet that she had read once. They asked the people about the small details that had been described in the tablet, they worked together to find another clue, they slept in one inn. But as Bradwynne woke up one day, Magi was not in the inn. He tried to search for her in places he knew she had frequented, but she was nowhere to be found. And so, picking up the pieces from what had been corroborated, Bradwynne continued the search in earnest for the statue, but as everything had led to a dead end, Bradwynne, with more questions in his head than before, started to wander around the world of Terrasphere, looking for that direction in being a better hero than he was before. He then remembered what he and Magi had talked about in the spring. And so he had entered a library, and he crammed his mind with the medical knowledge of the time. -0- "Where are you now, Magi Heart? Have you fulfilled your end of our promise?" Bradwynne softly muttered to himself as he remembered again the quest for the Star Maiden, then his only hope to become a true hero, as well as another person. It had clearly been a failure and Bradwynne was left with more questions that he had before. But now he had learned the essence of being a true hero. It was ironic though that he learned it from a person who would not seem to be a hero in any way, more of a prize fighter that only seeked glory in his battles. "You might have heard of a warrior named Vartock, right? He's quite a headache, and he was never a hero like us. But ironically this pain in the ass made me realize the true path of being a hero." He then looked at his katana, now decorated with white fittings which could be considered more sophisticated than showy as he had shown it to Magi before. "You know, it is just fine to kill other people if it should not be avoidable. But we should remember that we should not celebrate for the loss of a life, and we should not be eaten by murderous intent. We should remember that there are many sides to a situation, and we should understand every side in order for us to save the most people that we can, and to lessen the chances that we should sacrifice a few for the sake of the whole. This, my friend, is the essence of a true hero." He then glanced at the set of clothes that was on a wooden mannequin. A half worn kimono over the left body, with the right left bare except for gloves that reached to the shoulder so that a katana could be maneuvered easily the left body mostly used to restrain the movement of the enemy with the very tough kimono. White tight fitting trousers with two belts so that a lot of weaponry could be mounted, which includes the main weapon, a katana with very ornate fittings fit for a glorious samurai. Black knee-high boots with white belts and soles, supple enough for a lot of maneuvers that a ronin should require in order to evade a lot of attacks. In those times that he wore that, he was the Demon Ronin of Astorea. Now he was not averse to wearing again those clothes when he would meet Magi again, since he had known how to maintain to be a hero even if he would return to his old ways. But maybe in these clothes, as the Sword Priest of Astorea, she would notice his change in paradigm. He was a physician now. Moreover he has White Magic to heal someone in case of extreme emergency. Magi would be pleased if she would see him now. He had kept his part of the deal, and he was a better hero now than before. "I hope we see each other again. I had fought the good fight, I had finished the race, I have kept the faith. I am now a better hero than before, and I hope you are, too." [Thread End]
