Heo Caster Estellé's point of view?
Stella was off, she was never like this. Being left alone with her I was unsure what would make her hit me or yell at me. So I opened a lighter conversation with her once Rex left.
"Paukena gave us more of those pumpkins. Do you remember them?"
"The ones that had strange options?"
"Yes."
Getting her to grab my backpack I produced the four pumpkins, two for her and two for me. Her eyes turn orange as she touched them, making me realize her eyes were red instead of their natural orange.
I looked down and touched the pumpkins with a single finger. I assume my eyes also glowed orange as I saw a pumpkin spawn multiple ribbons from the stem. The ribbon was striped black and white and pointed at a list of words. There was one I passed over before in Fayha, the one about having good sleep no matter where I was. There was no question in my mind that I needed that knowing it was harder to avoid the nightmare than it was in Fayha.
I used one on that and the other I got was the one Stella originally got. Pumpkin themed magic would be greatly buffed. If it worked for me like it did for Stella then there is no way its an enhancement magic in some way. Though I can't exactly shape gravity magic physically too much, and I couldn't use fire.
After I picked mine Stella informed me what she picked. She pulled up a wad of cash. Taking the option of ten thousand dollars.
"It is honestly the best option out of all of those, truely."
"Probably is, especially for us." I laughed. "I got the magic themed one you did."
Her eyes went down for a second before looking back at me. An expression she nearly never made on her face. One like an animal expecting a punishment for their actions.
"Sorry, Heo. But I chose to have a good dream."
"N-no no, don't worry. I did too."
"You did?" Her eyes widened.
"Y-yeah. Marine was very attune to sleeping, enough to make me not wanna dream anymore." I lied.
"Well. Pretty much the same for me…"
"Stella…" I took her hand and squeezed it like those who did it to me.
"Thank you, Heo." Her eyes watered. "Y-you're the best sister." Tears streamed down her face.
Panicked, I wrapped my arms around her. Straining the IV cords. Her body was just as cold, her horns I dodged were sharp as all hell. Her coat was strangely warmer than her, and I sensed magic originating out of it.
"I actually got you something to keep you warm. Looks like you don't need it."
"I'll take it still."
I pulled back and reached for my backpack again. "I haven't washed it yet, in fact I was only able to defeat it so hopefully most of the cape is fine." I pulled out Calamid's cape
"Heo. This is…" Her hands tried to lift the cape, they struggled a little. "This is really heavy, and it's full of magic…"
"It's the cape of the first ever maríft. There is none like it. I'd like to also say hurting it was impossible for me so it might double as armor." She strung the cape over her shoulders forcefully. "Truely I just got it as a blanket for you, so I hope you like it."
"I do!" She squeezed her eyes shut, her red Xs looking at me and down at the cape.
She smiled, her teeth sharper than a normal dragon, her lips parting past their normal amount. Her face lost detail as well, falling in a shadow that didn't exist. Must be the horror presence. I don't know if I should tell her. I scratched my head and looked back at her.
"I know you are really good with magic so Heo you might be able to help me with something personal."
"Is it about being a full dragon?"
"Yeah…" She pulled off her pirate jacket.
"Is it your body?"
"I… I don't know. Just say hi."
Before I spoke, her jacket lifted up its sleeve and waved.
"What the…" I blinked and it flew off her hand and levitated in the air by itself.
"When I woke up it was like this. Do you know if this happens for full dragons or if it's a ghost or something?"
"Sorry but an object gaining sentience is only…" I grasped my mouth knowing how close to the war I was. "Its an egoweapon."
"What?" She looked at her jacket, then back at me. "How is that possible, its not a sword, let alone did it ever have magic. How can a normal piece of clothing ever become an egoweapon."
"I don't know. Keep it quiet though." I pointed outside. "We are close to Hiddid and the war."
"You think the King of Combat will take my jacket?"
"Well you've had it for a day at least right? We might be fine if no one else knows about it."
The jacket did a small spin and flew its way onto Stella's shoulders.
"Ok. That's a promise then. No one but you and me will know of the jacket's existence."
"Deal."
She petted it like an animal. Looking at her shoulder with a soft expression like she was caring for a lost pet.
"What are we gonna name it?"
"Stella, you wanna name it?"
"It's a creature, no? It deserves a name. I thought we both agreed egoswords deserved the same rights as humans."
"I… Then pirate?"
"That's a terrible name, Heo." She put a finger on her lip. "Hmmm… Respair."
"Alrighty, We'll call you Respair. Any issue with that jacket?" I asked,
The jacket raised its sleeves and formed a X.
"It warmed up inside, I'm going to start taking that as a yes."
"Cool." I raised my hand out. "I'm Heo then, your buddy's cousin."
A sleeve reached out and shook my hand by wrapping itself around my hand.
…
Me and Stella talked and hung out in the hospital. It was looking like I was gonna be here for a long time given my state. My right arm had a scar wrapping around the circumference of my forearm. The whole arm was shifted just off enough to not work during that fight.
I also had a ton of internal bleeding that was being stopped by healing magic. It would take at least a week for the healing magic to get to a point where the body could handle itself without it. I was looking at a long time of needing constant healing magic though, not the best outcome to Marine.
Not even a good outcome to Marine. Rex was going to report to the local police about Marine and the cult would be dealt with. I don't know if those kids were killed or if they lived till a few days later. The first group of kids did survive, the years of kids before didn't.
While I slept I did have much better dreams. During one dream I watched my horns return to my normal rectangular antlers I shared with Helio. When I woke, the horns were gone. Stella stayed by my side. She had what I could only describe as moodswings. Small things could send her into a rage, but it would end just as quickly. She could be set off but it was more like a defensive position she took, less wanting to hit me but stop me.
I wasn't not used to being in the hospital for a long time. But I had never been that injured since I was cut in half and crushed all the bones in my body. I barely even felt the pain this time. It was odd feeling my hand the way it did, but that was it.
I had even gotten the money from the quest and crap more for Calamid. Calamid's death gave me as much as some of the strongest monsters would get you. Around twenty thirty thousand. There's stronger monsters that would give you hundred of thousands of dollars, millions if you counted
The days passed on and on in the hospital. My body healed fast, and I never stopped training my magic in the meantime. It did provoke a few attacks from Stella as I spun a bit of water, but she shortly joined me. I gave her the water ring I had gotten. It helped her use the water magic that made up her body now.
After nine days I was capable of getting out of bed, which meant I could bargain for my release. The nurses had heard it for days but gave up on the ninth. I was getting ready, wrapping my chest the same way I did in Marine but with wrapping I got from the nurses.
Stella and I checked each other over before heading out the room.
"I got everything. You?"
"Yeah!" I swung my backpack around my back. "Lets go."
I opened the door to the hospital room and bumped into someone. They were a bit shorter than me, blonde hair in a red cap. Four red eyes squinted then she smiled with dragon teeth. She stepped back and pulled two people into her.
"I brought you these two as gifts." Ezree spoke.
"Yo." Angel threw up a peace sign.
"Been a minute, Heo." Herika said.
"Yo… How'd you get here?"
"With my extensive bank account of course." Ezree had on her normal pajamas. "They informed me you were on a death bed and I was able to just get away from my brother to come.
"You should have seen him, Heo, he was trying so hard to not let her leave Fayha. Came to the airport and watched us fly off."
Herika also had on her normal turtle neck and blanket. She was looking more Fayhain than Milain. She also had bunting around her waist and two layers of baggy pants, the top layer cut along the side.
"I came for you and of course Stella." Angel spoke.
He wore the visor of a knight helmet on his head. His scar racing across his face. He wore a white jacket over a white shirt with some strange black extra piece of cloth down the middle.
"Thank you." Stella spoke quietly from behind me.
She popped her face out from behind my back. It was definitely not her normal face. The three in front of me jumped back at the sight in fact.
I moved out of the way, revealing Stella. She was my height, long wavy sandy blonde hair—she altered her look to make her hair reach down to her legs and wide like Paukena's wavy hait—red eyes with Xs floating out of her eyelids. She wore sharp black horns framed out of her head and wrapped around like a crown. Her under shirt was black, she even changed her jacket to a darker shade. The inside of her jacket was bright red, layered with Xs and a pattern scarily similar to hero syndrome wrinkles but I didn't mention anything about it to her.
She chose to look the way she did given she could now so I wasn't going to say anything about it. She's a girl and I'm not exactly, if she wants to look pretty then how can I stop her.
"Wow, your eyes look like mine." Ezree was the first to speak.
"I-I am a full dragon now so obviously I look similar to you now."
"I don't think you look like her exactly." Herika spoke.
"Is this-" I cut Angel off.
"She's so pretty right?" I tried to signal him to not mention the presence.
"Yeah…" They all spoke in unison.
…
Sliding my body to the back of a booth, Stella followed, accompanied by Ezree. Angel and Herika sat across from us three on the other side of the booth. We were in a popular fastfood restaurant, originating from Fayah for the longest time.
"I guess it's good to say, we're glad you two are alright." Angel spoke, his eyes bouncing to all the girls around him and landing on me. He gave a soft laugh that came out strangely.
"Angel was the most scared out of all of us for you two." Herika pointed at him.
"My brother did snatch me from the hospital but he was scared for you guys."
"Were you not? Haha." Herika laughed.
"No, no, I was, I was. You should know me though. I love my brother, friends too, but money…. Heh, I love it the most."
"I vividly remember you crying about what you'd do-" Ezree cut me off.
"ANYWAYS!"
"She cried for you Stella." I continued,
"Really! Thank you." Stella smiled turning to her but it was anything but warming.
"Heo cried the most."
"She's aware."
"I never worried." Herika lifted her nose up. "Ok, I did." She spoke after a moment of silence.
"Ezree you mean it when you say you love us?"
"Its like an older sibling thing for me. I took care of my brother by myself since I was born."
"Wow. Heos the same way."
"I'm not joking. I actually mean from the womb I was taking care of him."
"Makes me think you'd be Kalmic." Angel said.
"I am."
"..."
The whole table didn't speak. We exchanged the same glance to one another. A waiter placed down our food and took our number.
"I could have sworn you were Fayhian. You act so much like a Fayhian." Herika broke the silence.
"Been there for twenty-two years."
"You can't be much older than us? Me and Stella are eighteen."
"Me and Angel are nineteen." Herika added.
"Wow, I'm twenty-four."
"Gods, no wonder you act like a Fayhian." Stella said.
"Ouch." She squirmed back and bit a nail. "I don't look it though…" She giggled.
"Are you religiously Kalmic?" Stella asked.
"A bit… Never really went back to really know for sure. I do still follow the divine laws except for, well, you know, that night."
"Mhhh." We all said and took a bite out of food at the same time.
"So, we also would like to know Heo. How'd you get that way?" Ezree finally asked, sending me into a long discussion.
…
"Not to say it again but when I was in Kalmic for those two years of my life I heard of something similar to that golden light."
"You have?"
"Mhhm. It was called The Blade of Victory. It is believed to be crafted by a future steel granting it immunity to all damage. It is believed to always hit the target, there's a few more things about it I think but it boiled down to no one could remove it from a stone."
"Steriotypically." Angel said.
"Sure, but what makes the legend better is that it's hidden within a never ending storm in a small town in Kalmic. Everyone in that town has never left since the storm came centuries ago."
"Have people gone in?" Stella asked.
"Yes they have, in fact. Many do."
"What's inside?" Herika leaned in and asked.
"When you enter the storm you forget what happens within it. Leaving seconds later, minutes, hours to years and decades."
"What!" we all said.
"Yep." She shook her head. "Oh, now I do feel Kalmic telling myths." She laughed.
"Crazy." I said.
Blade of Victory, the Victor title. Could be similar powers. I shrugged.
"So are we a team?" Herika asks.
"Yeah." Angel replied.
"I know you are. I was asking those three."
"Are you staying in Mila?" I asked.
"We technically can. Might as well since Ezree bought the flight tickets."
"I'm down. Stella?"
"Y-yes…"
"I don't know me personally." Ezree spoke. "I don't feel too good taking the lives of creatures."
"I see." Herika spoke.
"As long as it's strictly monsters causing problems then sure." She added. "I'm in Mila, I guess I could act Milain as well."
"You just don't want us getting hurt, do you?" Herika spoke.
"I'm leaving you here in Mila."
"Wait no!"
We laughed, finishing up talking and heading to a guild in the city we were in. The city was called Soul, it functioned as another capital for the United Regions of Mila. There was the West Mila—North America—and the East—top parts of Africa to Afghanistan— Right next to East Mila was Noxstave over where China was. Above that is Hiddid. Below Noxstave is Kalmic. The other parts of Africa are owned by Fayha. Early settlers to camp Fayha walked across the frozen ocean to Africa.
We didn't get far to the guild before I was stopped.
"Heo, Primé must come with me." Rex appeared pulling me back.
"What?" The group turned around to see the Hero of Teleportation asking for someone from me.
"Is that who I think it is?" Angel's eyes went wide.
"Hey, you're not gonna kill him if I give him to you right? That's a lot outta me."
"Can't promise it."
"Really here?"
"Yes, here."
"Gods." I stepped back. "What do you say, Primé?"
A hand shot out of my chest, throwing the group into defensive stances. "I'm not coming out in front of those two." His hand pointed at Rex and Angel.
"I'm afraid, 'Planet Eater,' you don't get that luxury." Rex's tone went low.
"What's happening?" Stella pleaded.
"The King of Time is requesting him."
"Him? Heo?" Ezree said jokingly, not aware of how close she was to the truth.
"Then, Heo, you must come as well then, if Primé doesn't want to come out in front of me." Rex gave a glance at Angel before returning to me.
"Fine."