Chapter 208 - To the Infirmary (Part 2)

Anakin and Ezekiel stared at each other, with no one deciding to break off eye contact. It was as if the one who shall avert his eyes first would just agree to the terms of another.

Both Ezekiel and Anakin knew this to be a silent fact rather than an assumption. There was this lingering and drifting certainty around the two. They were both firm to their words and none seemed to be capable of backing out.

"I'm only I'm offering you help," Ezekiel was the first to break off the silence. "I know it wouldn't be easy to climb upstairs while carrying Faustina, so I'll do it on your behalf."

"I'm the one Professor Ramsha assigned." Anakin retaliated. "My legs could hold up. Do I look that weak to you, Ezekiel Johann Unsterblich?"

"Of course not, Anakin."

Anakin only stared at Ezekiel with his usual smile. He had known Ezekiel way before he came to Magierstadt.

After all, he was friends with his sister, Lilianne.

They went to the capital a lot, the two of them. Lilianne, being the best candidate for the empress, was still building the expenditure of her social circle. Ezekiel Johann Unsterblich is certainly one of the people she has to befriend—Ezekiel, after all, had a title that is almost equal to that of a prince. He was the next heir, the next schoolmaster of an academy and a country. If that doesn't make one a king, then Anakin doesn't know what is.

Lilianne in all certainty has an infatuation over this guy. After all; when this guy went to the capital, she immediately visited him and toured him to the place herself in the pretense of being 'friends'.

"Faustina isn't looking too well. Maybe I could take her now," Ezekiel said; he had gentle features and a similarly gentle smile.

But Anakin, whose face was both handsome and cunning, didn't let himself be swept by Ezekiel's act.

"That's why I AM taking her to the infirmary," Anakin emphasized, still not breaking his cool.

"Nngh..."

Both Anakin and Ezekiel stared at Faustina whose brows slightly furrowed. She really was fast asleep—and perhaps have heard the two arguing.

"Uh..."

"Yeah... maybe... you know,"

"Yeah."

"We should just bring her to the infirmary."

**

'A goddess was said to have cried her heart out at the death of her precious mortal lover. That lover she had had his soul return to the natural flow; where he merges and became one with the universe again, thereby having his memories simply pass by the cosmos.

It was said that the goddess wept on his death and was unable to think of any other things but sorrow. And that sorrow she felt brought what we call natural disasters. It was said she brought catastrophe within the land as she bawled her eyes out.

She felt sorrow each they and so, the catastrophic incidents she brought from her agony did nothing good for the mortals below her.

'Why must I weep over our memories?' And 'why must I dwell in sadness?'

Those words were the ones that acted as a fuel. The goddess looked down on her creation and saw that they were suffering from her sadness. That is when the goddess realized she ought to stop.

But the sorrow she was harboring cannot be discarded so easily nor stopped. It would take time for her to recover.

And so, the goddess decided to crystallize her tears—her sorrow—and concealed it to the core of the earth.

'When {lacrymae} reappears on Earth,' the goddess said. 'So will the crystallized catastrophe it harbors.'

It was an unpopular tale from a religion that wasn't revered. The book Ezekiel gave Faustina was an odd one. It did have many other things that were about alchemy, yet most are just outdated, ancient studies. The lacrymae—a cyan gem—only grasped the tale of this certain goddess, but not staff nor elemental compatibility.

But Faustina had hope.

Now she knew her gem's name, she can easily search for it in other books.

Who knows what history it would hold? Faustina hoped that by the time she searches, she would find the answers she was seeking for.

Herself.

Eula.

The king.

**

Anakin and Ezekiel arrived at the unused room using a teleportation portal.

"Where's this?" Anakin asked, looking around.

"It's a room that's basically unused." He said. "It's originally a classroom but it's used for storage now."

Anakin looked around. Everything was tidy and neat even in a storeroom, "As expected of Magierstadt, huh," Anakin murmured as he looked around the place.

Ezekiel then summoned his staff and then thumped it into a floor, which then sent the windows gently opening.

The storeroom was neat and tidy and it wasn't much dark now, given Ezekiel opened the windows, which let the rays of the sun enter as the wind blew the almost transparent silk curtains.

Anakin wondered what is up with his gesture.

"Anakin," said Ezekiel, whose back was in front of Anakin. He had sauntered towards the window, welcoming the breeze.

"How's Lili?" Ezekiel asked.

"She's well," Anakin answered. He was still wondering why they were here, and why don't they just go back to the infirmary.

"I see," a lengthy pause.

"So... are we going or not?" Anakin asserted. "Faustina need to be brought to the infirmary—"

Anakin's eyes widened as Faustina's body drifted away from him, and then—in just a matter of moments—she landed gently on Ezekiel's arms.

He tentatively held her. "What do you think y—"

"You tried to frame her, right?" Ezekiel exclaimed, cutting Anakin off mid-sentence.

"You did many horrible things to her at the exam. I wondered why that was the case. It was too unnatural. You could have easily passed the exam by simply abiding by the rules. Perhaps you would be in the second Ianua if you did so." Ezekiel said as he stares at the sleeping Faustina. "Yet you tried to harm this girl instead. The professors let it go, given the fact that my mother gave you pardon."

Anakin thinned his lips as he averted his gaze.

"I was with this girl, in the capital,"

Anakin's eyes widened.

"Lilianne met her, too," Ezekiel exclaimed. "I danced with her at the festival. She left her shoe as we danced. Truly an odd girl,"

Anakin felt his heart clench as he hears this. "So you've met before."

Ezekiel smiled. "Yes."

"So why did you bring us here? To talk about this?" Anakin asked, maintaining his composure.

"No," Ezekiel exclaimed. "I brought us here because I want you to back off," Ezekiel said with a smile.

Anakin's expression gradually became grim.

"And who are you to tell me what to do?"

Ezekiel smiled.

"The next schoolmaster."

**

Faustina slowly opened her eyes, only to see a ceiling and fireflies ahead. She slowly sat down, mind still up in the clouds.

"Oh, you're awake,"

Faustina blinked as she sees a young man walking towards her.

"It's already sunset. Classes have ended a while ago. Here,"

Ezekiel then handed her what seemed like a piece of a peeled apple. "Here. You're asleep for the whole day."

Faustina then bit on the apple.

"It's not good conjuring a spell while having no sleep at all."

Faustina stares at her forearm. The veins weren't protruding anymore.

"Healers came to let your mana flow more naturally," Ezekiel exclaimed. "Do you feel better now?"

Faustina nodded, but she was still in a haze.

"Faustina,"

She turned towards Ezekiel.

"Why did you hold your magic back earlier?"

Faustina blinked.

"You're not unleashing your full potential," Ezekiel said. "You held back your magic that's why you've had your mana being suppressed."

"That's not it," Faustina murmured as she clutches the blanket around her legs.

Ezekiel only stared at Faustina, who looked both troubled and anxious. He only smiled. "I see."

Faustina did hold her magic up. But it wasn't that she wasn't unleashing her 'full potential'... it's just that she can't.

Her control.

Faustina knew from the exam that when she tries to create large scale magic attacks, her mana would flow continuously and would be unable to stop. If she does that in the arena, then she might spur unnecessary attention.

However, given the fact that Ezekiel noticed such a thing, then it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume professor Ramsha noticed it too.

Faustina was still feeling hazy. It was the feeling she gets whenever she falls into a long sleep—and it has been a while ever since she took a night of sleep for so long. She felt refreshed, and ten times better than before. Perhaps, it was because of the sleep, or the healers as well. All fatigue in her body seemed to be gone.

"By the way..." Faustina exclaimed as she turns towards Ezekiel who gave her a gentle smile.

"Where's Anakin?"

Faustina doesn't know if it was her imagination, or Ezekiel's smile became different.

"Oh." Ezekiel only stared at the opened windows in the infirmary, which had a view of the sunset.

"He went on ahead earlier." He exclaims.

"I see..." I should thank him later, Faustina thought.

"By the way, Faustina," Ezekiel's amethyst eyes then met hers.

"Are you free tonight?"

Faustina tilted her head. "I think I am...?"

"Great." Ezekiel then sat beside her. "Do you want to go to town?"

"To town?"

"Yes," Ezekiel gently smiled again. "For dinner."

**

Sneak peek on next chapter:

"I want to see Ezekiel, brother..."

"You should stop whining and get it together. You're going to be Feuersturm's next empress. You shouldn't be too infatuated with him."

"Huh. The king's pretty much sickly, anyway. And I haven't seen his face since his ascension—plus it's not like I can remember it when I'm pretty much a child myself back then."

"So?"

"So he's probably not my type," Lilianne said. "So, what's the place in Magierstadt that is suitable for a noble lady, such as I?"

—

"I don't like her."

"I don't like you either."

"You presumptuous brat—! I am Feuersturm's next empress, watch your mouth!"

"Feuersturm's... next empress?" Faustina blinked.

"Yes," Lilianne Disfiegro smirked. "I am Alexander Octavius Ein Feuerkrieger's empress-to-be. So watch your mouth when you're talking to ME."