Chapter Three - Unbreak part 2

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/// Varay Aurae POV ///

The clamours of metal gnashing and crackles of electricity brought me out of my lassitude as I turned my head upwards, my gaze shifting from the cracked charred mossy ground in tandem with my head to the figures in front of me.

Arthur fought with one of the best mages, each adept at their own individual element. Despite having the elemental disadvantage placed on him, I could feel it- his overwhelming superiority, his indomitable strength looming over them like a void ready to draw everything in and decimate it.

Multiple explosions detonated, the electrifying and ear-splitting noise was enough to make me feel dizzy for a split-second. My senses heightened as mana trickled from my core, travelling through my mana veins, augmenting my vision and hearing. The thick veil of smoke and debris rose and remained stagnant as it was, mana holding it firm in the air. After a few seconds the dust started to settle down, revealing 4 figures on the ground, their hands behind their back, supporting their weight, their breathing erratic.

The four elders that had agreed to help Arthur with his training in elemental magic laid sprawled on the ground, totally exhausted. I saw the dust settle in, revealing the one responsible for exhausting 4 silver core mages. Arthur stood in the middle of a huge crater, his back straight and a playful smile smothered over his face. Bhund, the earth mage let out an audible grumble as he punched and kicked the ground like a little child throwing a temper tantrum,

"Damn it all! I almost had you. Damn." He barked out and started muttering a string of incoherent curses. Arthur chuckled, his sharp features softening. His lips quivered and his eyes wrinkled as a bright smile graced his charming face. I could feel the stinging feeling- like a needle had been stabbed in my heart, sending a tingle that started from the left side of my chest, travelling slowly and spreading all across my body sending a slight shiver across it.

The memories of a few days ago flashed in my mind as I raised my hands up, using my palms to cover my mouth. My face flushed and an unrestrained smile crept up my face. This was strange, almost bizarre. This wasn't me. I wasn't being myself. Or maybe... I was being what I actually was. But does that mean everything that I've uptil now was a lie? Have I been lying to myself all this time? Have I been betraying myself and my feelings, my own heart?

<<< FLASHBACK >>>

Arthur and Varay flew over the beast glades, side by side after decimating the Alacryan camp that had made its way a bit too close to the living population. Arthur sat on his dragon bond, Sylvie while Varay flew on her own. Their speeds slowed and started descending, little by little. They soon reached the ground, their feet touching the soft soil of the forest.

Arthur jumped from Sylvie's back and landed deftly beside Varay. His shoulder touched her and without a second thought she stammered and took a few steps away from him. Arthur eyed her for a brief moment and a slight but noticeable sneer formed on his face. Without saying anything he stifled a smile and walked away, making Varay embarrassed.

Arthur picked some stray twigs from the ground and gathered them in one place, in a pile and used fire magic to ignite them. The flames flickered, the twigs producing a crackling sound. With a twist of his hand two make-shift seats appeared around it. Arthur sat on one and then looked up at his fellow Lance. She still stood at the same place, deep in thought, her stoic face not letting a single emotion seep out. She seemed to be contemplating something.

A smirk formed on Arthur's face as a small spark of lightning appeared on his fingers. It danced between his index and middle finger. Stretching his middle finger with his thumb he threw the spark at her, like a catapult. The small harmless, tendril dissipated just in front of her face as a small yeep of surprise escaped her mouth. Arthur laughed heartily, both surprised and amused by the ice lance's sudden display of emotions.

Her emotionless facade faltered.....AGAIN, as anger became visible on her face. Mana rippled around her, the temperature dropping. Arthur raised his hands in a placating manner,

"It was a joke! It was a joke, Varay. Calm down" Arthur managed to speak between stiffened laughter as he got up from his seat and started to create some distance between them. "You seemed to be occupied with something. Since we are in the middle of the beast glades, I thought it might be right to bring you out of your dreams." Arthur spoke, now genuinely scared of the fellow lance.

Varay stopped in her tracks, her stomping steps coming to a standstill as she took in a deep breath.

"I was merely planning for what to do next." Varay lied. Her mind was still occupied by the fight they just had against the Alacryans. She couldn't shake Arthur's imposing figure off of her mind, followed by the insignificant bump on her shoulder. Normally it would've been a normal thing, but somehow she became more sensitive to every little thing Arthur did.

Arthur shook his head in understanding and walked back to the seat he had conjured before. He waved his hand towards Varay and motioned for her to sit on the other one he had conjured before. Varay shot a wary look at Arthur but walked over to the seat anyways and sat down on it. She sat down on the soft chair, her gaze set at the glinting light that laid between her and Arthur. Both of them sat in silence, staring blankly at the fire. The silence continued to linger, making Varay uncomfortable with every passing second. For the first time in a long while, the icy cold lance's composed behaviour faltered. She started fidgeting with her fingers and started tapping her heel on the soft ground below.

Arthur noticing her discomfort decided to speak up,

"Since we are here for the night, why don't we get along eh?" He asked with a gentle smile, his back relaxed as he sat by resting his elbows over his thighs and arms dangling down. Varay looked at him, his features being lightly illuminated by the light that faded in and out in irregular intervals. Her heart thrummed as she kept looking at him. Realising she had been staring at him for too long she coughed, clearing her throat.

"Why don't we start with you." She replied. Arthur raised a brow at her,

"I was expecting a Yes or No, but to think you'd speak a full sentence." He said with a small smirk. Varay looked at him, totally surprised, bewildered at his statement.

"Do you actually view me as someone like that?" She asked, raising her voice a little. Her heart started beating rapidly again.

'Why?' She thought. 'It shouldn't matter what any person's evaluation of me is. Then why? Why? Why do I feel so bad and disappointed in myself? It's not even necessarily a bad thing. Then why do I care so much about what he thinks about me.'

She was brought out of her trance as she heard Arthur hum, his eyes looking at him gently. Her gray eyes locked with the ocean, that was his eyes as he parted his lips,

"Not at all. I've never even once thought about you like that. In fact," Arthur paused, taking a bo''le of wa'er out of his dimensional ring. He removed the cork from it and placed the opening to his mouth. He continued chugging the water down, his uvula going up and down as he continued to drink it. Varay kept looking at him with a straight face, but her insides churned in anticipation and curiosity at what Arthur wanted to say. Arthur removed the bottle from his lips and placed it down.

(A/n Don't mind the joke. Most of my mates are Brits- really good lads. We even eat CRISPS together. I have no beef with them. Just a random thought. 🙂)

"In fact?" Varay reminded him, not wanting to wait any further, her patience running thin.

"In fact I think you must've had a really troubled or harsh childhood to make you look so.... Neutral?" Arthur continued where he left off. Varay looked at him for a second and then continued,

"And how would a boy your age know that?" She asked, deliberately bringing the topic of age. Arthur looked down at his feet, his features softening, almost as if he was about to cry. He sniffed, pushing his emotions to the back of his head as his features and expression returned to normal.

"I once had a friend." Arthur started to speak, reminiscing over his past life.

"Aren't you just 17. Why are you talking like you're an old man who has lost all his friends." Varay spoke up almost immediately, supposedly too excited since Arthur was telling her something.

"Let me speak first." Arthur replied, deadpanned.

Get a hold of yourself Varay! She cursed herself mentally and then spoke out loud, "Sorry for that. Continue."

Arthur regarded her for a brief moment, looking her straight in her eyes. Somehow, he felt it too. A sudden tug at his heart. Was it her alluring grey eyes or the silky smooth white hair that flowed in tandem with the wind. He blinked his eyes a few times and the feeling dissipated as soon as it had appeared.

"So." Arthur continued, ignoring the slight prickle in his heart, "There was this boy who was my friend, who loved a friend of his. But gave up on her because his best friend had a crush on her. Later on, someone who was a mother figure for the boy was killed. He vowed on that day that he will kill anyone who was involved in the murder of his mother-like figure."

Varay kept on listening, a slight frown formed on her face, her fingers interlocked with each other, clutching them so firmly that her already pale skin turned even paler.

"He succeeded, but every success comes at a cost. You admit that right?" Arthur asked, his gaze not leaving the small fire as he added a few more twigs into it. Varay nodded her head in confirmation.

"Everything in this world comes at a price. Nothing is for free. Not even the bad things, let alone good, happy things. And the boy was no exception." Arthur's face hung, as he let out a deep sigh. Gulping a lump of saliva he started speaking again,

"He paid the price of his emotions. In exchange for the garrott and annihilation of everyone who did that to him. But his emotions weren't the only thing he lost. He lost the remaining family he had. He lost the only ones that cared for him just because he was too focused on a single thing. SO, that's why I'll recommend- get rid of your tunnel vision and enjoy your time now. You won't get a second life."

Arthur let out a small, barely audible scoff at the irony of his own words. It left a bitter taste in his mouth since he used to contemplate his reincarnation a lot. Does everyone reincarnate? Does everyone gets a second chance? Was it really his second life or was it the first time he had retained his memories? And if reincarnation wasn't a normal phenomenon, then why? Why him? Was he really worthy? There were many others in his opinion who deserved this chance more than him.

Nico, Cecil–

Arthur felt a piercing gaze directed at him. Focus returned to his eyes, but his vision remained stained, blurry.

"Huh?"

Unbeknownst to him tears fell down his face in an endless stream. Each tear produced a small sound as it kissed the dried and withered leaves of trees that littered the whole place. Varay's eyes widened as she saw her fellow lance, the strongest among them break down. She stood up, her heart pounding against her chest, its beating audible in her ears like a gong. The world seemed to have slowed down as she neared him, the distance between them decreasing with every heavy step she took. Before she knew it she sat just beside him and held him firmly in a hug. Arthur's sobs decreased but his body quivered- almost as if he was suppressing it.

She let her fingers run through his auburn hair, stroking them gently, Arthur's grip tightened on Varay's sleeve as he kept gripping it, refusing to let go as he buried his face in her shoulder. There were no more tears but his sorrow was palpable. So much that she could feel it affecting her surroundings and even the dragon bond. Her topaz eyes- the only thing visible in the shadows of the night shone glistening with tears as she saw her bond break down.

Varay kept silent, not uttering a single word. She didn't know what made the dicathen's strongest lance like this, nor did she know how this story was related to him. He had to be an adult because his friend actually did all that took many years- but he was still a teenager. There were many things that didn't make sense to her.

But one thing was for sure. He wasn't lying. She could tell. She saw him shedding tears in the same way she did- lonely, without a shoulder to cry on. Without anyone to go to seek comfort. Memories of her long nights she spent crying into her pillow or crying herself to sleep, hours spent under the shower just so her focus won't be on her tears- so she could deny that she wasn't crying. Remembering all that and looking at Arthur sobering up whole holding on her made her come to a conclusion. So she decided,

"I don't know what will become of us, but I'll always be there for him."

She thought with enthusiasm and a stoic face. Arthur's grip loosened on her and his head slowly started to hang down. She cupped his face in her cheeks and slowly placed his head on her lap. His bond looked at Varay, its piercing gaze which seemed to be punching a hole her very soul, kept looking at her but then averted its gaze. Sylvie came closer and wrapped around the two lances, covering them both with her wings.

Varay felt the warmth from Sylvie permeate into her as her eyelids started getting heavy. The fatigue from endless missions from the last few days finally caught up to her as she drifted away to sleep.

*******************

(A/n I can clearly see it not ending in 3 chaps. Nm all that, my brain has finally started to cease working. I'm flabbergasted by my own resilience to everything's that's happening lmao. Anyways, here is part two Art x Varay. Maybe I'll make the max limit for short story which is around 7-8 chaps. See ya all next time.

Until then stay blessed and happy reading.

Sayonara)