Galahad leaned back against a piece of stone, one leg outstretched, the other bent up while his armor was nicked in numerous places by attacks he would have normally dropped in any one else to the floor from, although he did not seemed troubled by any it and looked calmer here than he had ever looked while standing at the edge.
Alfiindr settled comfortably on his chest back in his smaller Griffon form, wings folded at the sides. The three horns tilted a bit as he moved his head to sigh quietly before lifting a hand and tapping lightly on one of them.
"Oi," Galahad grunted. "You did good. Don't get cocky on me."
Alfiindr let out a soft protesting sound while wiggling closer anyway.
Idemay sat off to one side leaning back on her hands as her breathing slowly returned to normal after what she had just put herself through as the last traces of that stone-like surface continued to disappear and the red veins dim. She slowly unflexed her fingers as if expecting it to return at any minute as the memory still lingered in her mind.
"I could have killed you if I wanted to, oaf."
Galahad scoffed, not even bothering to glance at her.
"I could have too."
"Sure buddy. I've never lost to you, and that will never change."
Galahad let out a laugh, shifting on the stones below slightly while Alfiindr moved with him.
Then, Galahad thought, 'She went easy on me, she didn't wanna kill me. This damn woman. But she hit me hard enough to feel it. After all, she was one of the strongest Knight captains in Velkrund history..'
"Haha! But I will one day, once I figure out this magic of yours; you can turn to stone and block virtually anything then still unleash lightning made of pure red magic but still claim not to have a Divine Beast Contract."
Idemay exhaled from her nose as she sat up properly to lean back on her elbows while dropping her gaze to her hands and watching the last layer of hardened surface completely disappear.
"It's...complicated. I was born this way. I'm just like Brill, he was born with those veins on his face and I was born with this power, both of us crafted with things beyond our understanding since the womb. And I refuse to believe I was about to just leave my one and only son behind alone in this world. What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm the only one in this entire world that understands him… I was born the same way!"
Galahad looked down at Alfiindr before nodding his head at him. The Griffon looked up instantly then hopped off Galahad and ran forward, not caring how they went and jumped right onto Idemay's lap settling as if he owned that spot.
Idemay looked at him then immediately her hand shot out and she began to rub his back slowly while working it between the layers of feathers.
Galahad leaned his head back against the rock he was sitting against, watching the two.
"You can't leave Brill alone to deal with this world you silly woman! The mark could become a cataclysmic thing the world may not be able to handle. Who knows? Plus, we know the mark is not weakening him or making him sick."
"What are you getting at?"
"I'm just saying, if anything is involved with that mark, and something bad or crazy happens, you are his only anchor. He can't be by himself if anything bizarre happens to him."
"Yeah," Idemay muttered while keeping her eyes firmly locked on Alfiindr as she rubbed his back and neck.
Silence descended between them for a while but it wasn't heavy this time. Then a few seconds later, Alfiindr started to wriggle out of her grasp in her lap then instantly snapped back down as her hand quickly slammed onto him before he could move a fraction of an inch away.
"I'm not finished rubbing you yet! Stay here or I'll kill you!"
Alfiindr made an almost startled squawk before flailing a pair of wings as he tried to wriggle out from under her hand, Galahad sat up suddenly.
"You're going to smother the little guy!"
"I'm going to smother you." Idemay said without even looking at him while still dragging the escaping Griffon back into her lap as he wriggled violently again. After a moment of watching her and the terrified creature that seemed determined to go nowhere she breathed out. "So anyway the prince, has he been acting crazy again or is he all better now?" Idemay asked.
Galahad rubbed at his chin with a finger. "Prince Judess has been acting peculiar again and still nobody seems to know why, King Camelot and Queen Kleophan have hired countless wizards and mages for just about every kingdom in the entirety of Velkrund, Sylvarit, and even Drakmyr."
Idemay raised an eyebrow.
"Drakmyr? That kingdom with all those dragon-human people? Strange decision asking them for help when they eat only people, but whatever."
"Back when I and the rest of the Knight Captains were in the palace," Galahad continued, "Judess had begun acting quite erratic while mumbling about the Holy Land and singing 'here comes the holy land, and here comes the goddess,' while humming. And he hasn't stopped singing that one song daily."
Idemay snorted a puff of air through her nose.
"The Holy Land and that's just not weird?"
"Yeah. Not at all. But no one has any leads on it." He shrugged one shoulder slightly. "Anyways what are you going to do now since you won't return to being a Knight Captain again?"
Idemay didn't answer immediately, her fingers moving absent mindedly as all her thoughts seemed to click into place at once, "Take care of Brill, heal myself to get over all the torment I put myself through and most importantly I'm going to do whatever I can to heal my Brill, I'm going to try and discover why these marks have formed on his face and hopefully get rid of it. Whatever it takes. All in all, I mainly don't wanna lose myself like I did before, but I must put Brill first."
She looked at her hand, and thought, 'I wanna find out more about myself too, and my strange magic that doesn't follow the rules of this world at all or the gods. But Brill must come first. I'll be a good mother if I do that, right?'
Galahad nodded once. "Good on you, I'll stop by now and then to check in on you two, I also want to spar your son someday if that little rugrat managed to fight a Crowbear!"
"He'll fuck you up and I hope he does." Idemay stated without even a flicker of thought while a small smirk touched the corner of her lips. "But thank you, Galahad. I'll remember your kindness when Brill lops your big head off."
Galahad walked away chuckling with his middle finger out at Idemay, "Go to hell."
It was about this point that Alfiindr saw his chance. He twisted just enough to get free of her hand, sprung from her lap and took off in one swift movement. Idemay blinked once then immediately lunged to grab him again.
"I DIDN'T SAY FUCKING LEAVE!"
Alfiindr yelped once again as he sprang away, wings half spread and scrambling over the rugged terrain. Galahad pushed himself to his feet and took a step, already after them.
"Stop chasing my Divine Beast!!" Everything collapsed into chaos at the base of the cliff, a mixture of feathers and pure spite in a situation that had nothing at all to do with fighting.
…
Brill's eyes sprang open; the world crashed in, it didn't ease him into it, and before his sight could even shake out the dryness, a piercing womanly scream shattered the house and ricocheted off the walls as if it had a destination.
He jolted upright in bed as every bandage in his body remembered its purpose, the cloth chafing against still not-healed flesh. His arms moved before he even had the thought to process it all, pushing himself upright as his ribs screeched and protested that made him press his teeth together.
"Ma?!" He exclaimed.
The word came out hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in days (which he didn't). The room was the same; his room, his bed, the same familiar ceiling he had stared at hundreds of times, yet somehow everything felt wrong and out of place.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand but his knees gave out, forcing him to slump back onto the floor. One hand caught his weight, the dull impact through his arm sending and alarming and aching wave through his entire being.
'So that was real then....'
The Crowbear….the fight.
The way its head split and it still had enough in it to send him flying through the air like he weighed nothing at all.
A smile twitched on his mouth, an ironic one, a small one that made him almost giggle even as he stayed there on one knee.
He really lived through it, to him, that much was a very important thing. But the most important part of it all was that he could explain it. Every hit, every part of it. They would listen…they had to, all of them!
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
Footsteps approached erratically like one not thinking of their stride, and Idemay burst through the door with tousled hair and a half laced boot, her voice already strained before she even realized he was awake.
"Brill...there's a cute monster in here! That little fucker won't die either! And it talks!"
Brill stared at her, still on his knees, "A monster?!" his mind skipped ahead yet again, bypassing the part where he should probably not be trying to stand up.
'I'm not strong right now! But I can still beat it, can't I? Maybe Idemay's testing me? Training me already?'
Idemay didn't wait for him to figure that out. She grabbed him by the arm, pulling him to his feet in an unsteady embrace more like he was the one supporting her than vice versa, "Stay with me, don't run off again I swear-"
She pulled him towards the door anyway, leaning against the frame long enough for Brill to take it in.
There it was, almost too small to notice, standing right in the middle of the room, fur red and black in patterns, ears twitching at any sound, dark red eyes trained directly on him as soon as he stepped into view. It was that same puppy who Brill saw in the Ephilm Divinity Gate.
"Yip!"
Its tail was wagging so fast that it seemed like the rest of it might come off. Idemay shrieked and stepped behind Brill as quickly as possible, clinging onto his arm, using his wavering body as some sort of shield between her and the creature, "Kill it! Fucking kill it!"
Brill remained unmoving, and didn't reach out. His shocked eyes were locked on the puppy, "It's you...f-from the gate...the puppy.."
"Yip! Yip!"
It trotted towards them, paws making light taps on the wooden floor, utterly unconcerned with their reaction as if it was all completely expected.
"How...? How did you get out of the gate?" Brill asked.
Idemay cautiously peeked around his shoulder again, before quickly ducking back. "THIS rat was in the Ephilm Divinity Gate?! How did it get out? The Caretakers or the Keymaster would have never let a Divine Beast out of the gate without a contract!"
Brill let out a small laugh under his breath, more at her, then with the tension ebbing slightly from his shoulders. "Are you seriously scared?"
"The cuter and smaller they are, the more dangerous they are. Stay behind me my son, I'll protect you!" She said that while her hands were clamped on his arms from behind him.
The puppy stopped a few paces away, tilting its head as if it had heard everything, and decided it had had enough. "Sheesh, I'm trying to be intimidating here and all of you are screaming!" It spoke.
Idemay leaned out from behind him again, "You're not doing a great job!"
Brill's eyes widened, and he focused back on the puppy. "You talked...! I knew some Divine Beasts could talk! Though it's extremely rare! What's your name?"
The puppy raised its head again, its tail continuing to wag. "Hellfrit."
Idemay and Brill both looked at the small thing at the same time, and then each other and then back again in case it made sense in the other direction.
It did not.
Idemay crossed her arms and, one eyebrow higher than the other, scrutinized the puppy. She took her time, examining the creature like someone had left this beast on her kitchen table.
"With an intimidating name like Hellfrit, you try to be adorable...? How fake. I mean that's ironic, is it not? Naming a big dog Princess for example."
Hellfrit ears straightened.
"HUUHH?! I AM THE GRAND HELLFRIT, YOU MINOTAUR!! I AM A MONSTROSITY, DAMN IT!"
The tiny beast inflated its chest as though to mimic the grandeur of his words, an action it failed miserably at with its tail betraying its confidence by waggling about halfway through the sentence.
It then darted its eyes towards Brill, and all pretensions evaporated immediately. "I'm so sorry! I was being rude!" His little voice softened and he even bowed his head slightly as if he had only just been reminded on how to act around people.
Immediately, Idemay aimed a finger at the small thing like she was pointing out a criminal.
"You fake! Damn you!"
Brill watched the show go on until his breath caught her in his throat. He let out a quiet sigh from his nose as his expression became stone-like.
"I do not like adorable little things, which is why I did not wish to have you choose me in the Gate."
Hellfrit stopped moving, and he just stared. He didn't look with the mischievous glare from before but rather with still eyes and concentration like he was trying to measure what he could not see.
"You do not?" He stopped for a second and exhaled; his shoulders drooped. "Good. Adorable things are exhausting to portray."
Idemay's eyes focused again, narrowed with intent. "But the bigger concern remains, how did you get out of the Divinity Gate? If the Caretakers realize your disappearance..."
Hellfrit scampered onto the closest stool and pranced once before settling down with his tail wrapped somewhat loosely around his hind feet.
"I followed that kid out." He gestured at Brill as though he were quite obvious. "I also noticed he had the mark and then chose him to be my host."
Brill's hand moved without his permission; his fingers caressed his cheek and traced the black veins that snaked beneath his skin.
"My mark...?"
His thoughts were all over the place. The little dog had never once spoken within the Gate, it only barked and ran like any other Divine Beast within the grounds of the Divinity Gate.
And the Divinity Gate... Creatures don't come out of it without a host, not ever. That was one fact that everybody knew and one aspect the Caretakers never allowed anyone to forget. And then there were the words that had come out of Hellfrit's mouth.
He saw the mark, and he chose him. This had to mean something.
'It has to!' Brill thought.
Brill applied more pressure on his cheek as if his touch could change something, like his mark was something that might reveal secrets beneath the surface, but he was still only touching skin.
But the way things were looking, might lead to Brilly making a contract with this puppy, something he still didn't really want.
So Brill said, "I…I didn't fight the Crowbear for nothing! I wanted a powerful and cool looking Divine Beast! That's why I had gone into the woods alone!"
Typical wants and desires from an 8 year old; Idemay's eyes shot to Brill the moment he said it, and the sudden transformation of her expression had little to do with the preceding events, so her hand shot out and clasped Brill's hand.
"Since you brought that up, I've been meaning to tell you..That I am so glad you are alive, Brill. However, next time... Allow me to come with you. I don't want you to be stuck in the house any longer as it is impossible to hide you from the public, but do not be afraid to speak to me about things. If you want to conquer anything, if you want to explore, take me with you until you're old enough to go about it alone."
She didn't flinch as she spoke those words, nor did she attempt to lighten the tension in her words.
Brill only stared up at her as if trying to determine whether her words were sufficient or overbearing, or whether they had even made any sense at all.
Idemay stood there with anticipation etched upon her face, probably thinking she had failed again somehow.
Brill tightened his hand on her hand with a light smile. "Okay, ma."
The word was simple but he held on tighter. Idemay blinked, and then shattered the emotional moment. She hooked her arm over the back of his head, pulling his ear to her mouth and giving him a hard headlock.
"Good, because I will FUCK you up myself next time!"
"OW! Okay! Ow! I'm still sore! You're crazy!"
He wriggled beneath the rough embrace as he tried to get out, Idemay giggling in his ear; Hellfrit watched them for a while and then raised his ear as if to make sure it was not appropriate to interrupt.
Brill managed to break free enough to look up at Hellfrit.
"So about you, do you know anything about my mark?"
Hellfrit became a statue, still once more, and his eyes had the same distant look.
"I don't remember everything and apparently there was a reason for that. I was told to find the boy with the mark of veins on his face, make a contract with him, and devour the Holy Land."
Brill asked, "The Holy Land?"
Idemay instantly reacted to the second part, her expression becoming a terrifying picture. "Devour the Holy Land?" She leaped forward, grasping Hellfrit by the scruff of the neck, her grip yanking him into the air before he could retort, forcing eye contact.
"Who gave you that order? Do you remember that?" She added.
Her grasp was anything but gentle; whatever the words reminded her of something, something that resonated deep within, something Galahad had told her in his brutish tone regarding Prince Judess and repetitive ramblings concerning the Holy Land and some goddess.
Hellfrit struggled and kicked his little legs; his ears flopped from the immense force.
"ACK! Let go of my neck, you minotaur!"
Idemay blinked and loosened her grip, dropping him onto the stool.
"Oh. Whoops."
Hellfrit stumbled, shook himself, and lifted his head again, an intent look on his face more serious than any before.