39 Leon, One More Time
As usual, Leon goes through his days deluding himself in every way. If he isn't stuck in incomplete memories, he is drawing in his beautiful café. If he isn't in his beautiful café, then he is sleeping. And if he isn't sleeping, then he's trying to delude himself again.
It is an endless cycle.
And he is willing to do it over and over again.
Lately though, he's been hearing voices.
Voices that he isn't familiar with.
There is one, specifically, that is always there talking to him.
And for some reason, he welcomes that voice.
He doesn't know why, but he does.
"What if you put a flower here?" the voice will suggest as an unfamiliar hand enters his world and points at his sketchbook.
Leon shakes his head, he doesn't want to put it there.
"It'll be funny, though,"
Leon pauses.
He guesses it will.
The protagonist with a flower on his ear.
It doesn't match him at all.
Leon draws it in.
SMACK!
Leon hears the voice give a little cry, but he can tell it isn't anything serious. So, he continues to draw.
Every day, the voice keeps him company. It talks to him about everything, but also nothing at the same time. It never forces him to speak, and it likes to comment and complain about the smallest things.
It serves as an anomaly in Leon's cycle.
And Leon doesn't know how to feel about that.
But one thing for sure, he refuses to admit that he enjoys listening to the voice.
Recently though, Leon hasn't heard the voice at all.
These days, he finds that his café is quieter than usual. His loneliness is more apparent. The emptiness inside feels more hallowed than before.
But he doesn't dare leave his chair.
Because leaving means waking up.
And waking up means seeing the protagonist.
And seeing the protagonist means he's still not home.
So, he doesn't dare leave his chair.
He just continues doing what he does.
Draw.
Draw.
Draw.
But some days, Leon doesn't want to draw.
So he will instead sit in his chair for hours, staring out the window.
There is a green open field. The sun is high in the sky. The weather is perfect—not too cold nor too hot. It's a beautiful day.
Leon will reach out his hand to touch the window, only to be met with nothing there. His hand always passes right through, never actually touching, always telling him that this isn't real.
Then, he'll pull back his hand and tell himself to try again later.
Maybe it'll work next time.
Next time, that window might be real.
Next time, this might not all be a dream.
Next time, he might be able to go to the other side.
So Leon sits and stares into nothingness, just waiting for the next time to come.
He sits for a long time.
Waiting.
Drawing.
Dreaming.
Waiting.
Drawing.
Dreaming.
Over and over again.
---Rey---
"I don't think so," Penny suggests, "Bringing Leon is a bad idea,"
"I'm not leaving without him," Rey glowers.
"This is a dragon we're going up against. And not just any dragon, but the Monarch of Death. There's no way we can protect Leon and fight that dragon at the same time-"
"-Are you scared?"
Penny stutters, "W-what? No, of course not! I just- I don't want-"
"I will protect all of you-"
"-REY!" Valora yelled, "You say that, but look at Seven! You couldn't even protect Seven. How are you going to protect us, much less Leon?!"
Tears began to fall from Valora's eyes, "Seven hasn't woken up for a week now. My healing and purifying abilities are inferior to that dragon's breath. So, yeah, I'm scared. But to save Seven, I'm going to fight that thing. But we have to leave Leon behind to do that. We can't bring him,"
"I'm not leaving him,"
Valora and Penny stared at Rey with incredulous eyes.
"This isn't like our past battles!" Valora spat, "We don't know if we're going to make it out alive this time! At least without Leon there, we can fight with everything we have! You, specifically!"
"Please, Rey," Penny added, "Leon has a higher chance of living if he's here anyway. And it's not like he's gonna go anywhere. We just have to shield the area-"
"-No, I'm not leaving without him. If I have to, I'd rather not kill that dragon," Rey retorted.
"Are you serious?!" Valora huffed, "There are lives at stake here! Seven's life is at stake here! You can't possibly-"
Rey stared at Valora dead in the eyes, his decision in this discussion was clear.
CRASH!
Valora kicked a chair across the room, "It's not our fault if Leon dies then!"
She then grabbed Penny by the arm and left the room with a slam.
Rey sighed in frustration and sat in a chair by the small coffee table.
He looked at Leon, who was currently drawing his thousandth picture, unaware of everything around him. Then he looked at Seven, who lay unconscious in a bed, wrapped in bandages from his head to his toes.
74 Hours. 25 minutes. 8 seconds.
That's how much time Seven has left to live.
If they don't kill the dragon in that time, Seven will die.
The dragon had not only injured Seven, but it even put a curse on him. Seven had a death clock floating above his head, telling everyone how much longer he had left to live before death fully took him and made him part of the dragon's undead army. The only way to save him was if the dragon died.
And it wasn't only Seven's life that was in danger, but also many more.
Rey sighed again.
For the past week, he has been healing from his injuries and has been unable to get out of bed. He wasted a week. Now, they only had a little over three days to kill the dragon. He doesn't even think three days is enough. And even if it is, he can already feel that it will be a losing battle.
There were only three of them. Valora, Penny, and himself. Valora works best as a support. To heal, defend, and enhance others. And Penny works best if she attacks from afar using her elemental powers. The two of them would have to take care of the undead army by themselves, but it should be fine as long as they keep them at a distance. However, the moment the undead army breaks in close, Valora and Penny will be done for.
Rey, on the other hand, would have to stand up against the Monarch of Death by himself. He is the only one who is strong enough to. The only one who even has a chance of defeating that dragon.
But he also can't just watch as Valora and Penny dies.
Rey stares at Leon for a long time.
His mind turns and turns, coming up with every possible plan. He sits there for hours, racking his brain until he starts getting a migraine. But even so, he can't come up with a plan where everyone comes out alive.
One thing for sure though, he can't bring Leon.
He doesn't want to admit it, but he knows he can't bring Leon.
Leon will die.
He will die, for sure.
Rey can't protect all of them.
He wonders how he did it in the past.
Did his enemies get stronger?
Or did he get weaker?
Either way, he doesn't feel certain this time.
Rey reaches out his hand to hold Leon's free hand. He gently caresses each finger, searing every scar and burning it into his mind. He gazes into Leon's dull eyes, trying to imagine how they'd look with life in them. Then he goes to hug him. He hugs him tightly, not wanting to let go.
"I will miss you," Rey whispers solemnly.
And he leaves with downcast eyes and a heavy heart.
Once again, he doesn't choose Leon.
But it's been five years since the City of Tevalon. He's sure that going away at least once should be okay now. And maybe Leon will get better without him. He does get along with Seven after all. And he knows Seven will take good care of Leon.
And Rey.
He doesn't know how much longer he has to wait.
He doesn't know how much longer he can wait.
How did Leon pretend for ten years when he could barely wait for five?
But, he guesses he won't have to wait any longer.
"Let's go," Rey commands.
Valora and Penny get up and prepare to leave immediately.
63 hours. 7 minutes. 12 seconds.
That's how much time Seven has left.
---Leon---
Leon draws and draws.
The hours will tick by. His stomach will grumble for food. And he even feels tired, but for some reason, he doesn't want to stop drawing. He doesn't want to stop. He feels like . . . another thing was going to be taken from him.
So, as he draws, he makes sure every line is as important as the next.
Every stroke as careful and steady.
The led as sharp as-
Crack!
The tip of the pencil breaks, smearing his beautiful drawing.
His hand freezes for a second.
Then, he softly sets the pencil down on the table and waits.
He waits for a new pencil.
. . .
Usually, a new pencil will show up in his hand.
. . .
Eventually.
. . .
He keeps on waiting.
. . .
And waiting.
. . .
And waiting.
. . .
When he realizes that he won't be getting a pencil anytime soon, he stares out the window.
And there at the window, in the far distance, he sees a familiar figure. One that he's seen for ten years. One that he'll recognize at a glance. It stands alone under the glare of the sunset.
Blink.
And the figure is gone.
It must've been his imagination.
Leon goes back to staring at his sketchbook.
At his unfinished drawing of the protagonist.
Of the smeared dot on the page.
He hopes he gets that pencil soon.
"Leon,"
Leon jumps at the voice.
It's that one voice again.
The one he hasn't heard in a while.
The voice sounds raspy, like it hasn't spoken in a long time.
"You need a pencil?" it questions him.
Leon doesn't say anything, but he does move his hand.
He needs a pencil.
"Where's Rey?"
Leon doesn't know why, but he looks out the window.
That figure.
It really resembles Rey.
But there's no way that Rey would appear here.
Not in his delusions.
Absolutely no way.
He then hears a thump and another thump. Then many heavy steps came closer to him. The voice huffs like it's tired as it stops right beside him.
"Where is he?"
Leon is confused.
The voice never once wanted to hear an answer before. Why does it sound like it wants one now?
"Why're you still here?" the voice criticizes.
Leon is shocked now.
The voice had never yelled before.
There are a couple mumbled sentences that Leon can't make out, but he could feel the frustration and anxiety that come from it.
Drip.
Leon looks at his sketchbook.
It's red.
There's a red drop on his sketchbook.
Leon touches it.
It's blood.
The voice is bleeding.
A hand touches his shoulder. The smell of blood and burned skin fills his nose.
Leon wants to shove the arm away. It's ruining his beautiful image of his cafe.
But the hand disappeared before he could do anything, if he did anything at all.
The voice travels to sit across from him.
"Rey once told me a story about a Swordsmaster," The voice, seemingly calm now, speaks, "He was someone who used to fight right beside him. Someone he could trust with his life. But all of that seemed to have fallen to dust,"
Leon turns to look out the window. He's not interested.
"But Rey still thinks of him as a friend. Because that Swordsmaster is the only person alive who stood by his side when the world was against him,"
Leon doesn't care.
A hand grabs his collar and forces him to look away from the window.
"Aren't you that Swordsmaster?! The one who has been with Rey all those years! Don't you know him the best?!"
Leon doesn't show an inch of emotion.
"How can you sit by and let him die?! The only person he has is you, isn't that the same for you too?! Isn't he the closest person to you?!"
Leon doesn't budge.
"You gave him ten years of your life! I know that has to mean something to you! Somewhere in your heart, I know you care!"
Leon wants to laugh.
How can he care when he himself hasn't reached happiness?
How can he care when all the protagonist has done is stop him from reaching peace?
Even now, Leon knows that he's not allowed to die.
The protagonist will come out alive and victorious.
Just as always.
Just as intended.
The protagonist will always win.
"I know you're hurting. I know you want nothing more than death to set you free. But Leon, please, just this once. Please save Rey,"
Seven stares at Leon with hopeful and teary eyes, but Leon doesn't budge. He does absolutely nothing but sit there in his own little world.
Seven sighs. He lets go of Leon's collar and plops back onto the chair.
"As I thought, it's useless," Seven sighs heavily and then stares out the window, just like Leon had done before, "Y'know, every day, Rey's will to live diminishes. Sometimes, during battle, I have to call out to him just so he can come back to his senses. If one day there is a fight where Rey loses, I already know that it's because he gave up. Leon, I hope that day won't ever come,"
Leon still doesn't move a single inch.
"But I guess you don't really care all that much,"
48 hours. 12 minutes. 28 seconds.
