Kismet’s Tale

      Mavin weakly opened his eyes and found a white ceiling. He raised his arms and found an intravenous tube attached to the back of his hand. Holding on to the side of the bed, he squeezed the metal railing, leaving only his hand mark on it.

“Well...that’s interesting.”

 Mavin looked to his side. He narrowed his eyes, wondering why in the bloody hell was the Imperial Princess seated next to his bed.

“I didn’t expect you to wake up. I heard that you were in a coma when I was getting my treatment...what?” she laughed to herself. “Disappointed it wasn’t your wife who was here? Did your Hounds even tell her that you are hospitalized here?”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Three weeks.”

“What?”

Mavin felt a headache coming. He looked at the window, and the familiar cityscape of Sahus came to view. It looks like Ike and Martina did their best in hiding what happened to me, Mavin thought. His attention went back to the Princess who only stared at him.

He had nothing to say. She had nothing to say and the awkwardness grew. The door thankfully opened, revealing Ike who had switched to his ‘servant’ mask. He casually regarded the Princess, before calling out to someone.

“It looks like they'll be checking on you...meet me in the hospital’s garden. I need to talk with you since we have time.”

The Princess strode out of the room, passing by Martina who entered the room with her eyes on the door. “The Princess, well, we couldn’t hide anything when she’s around, Boss.”

“It’s fine,” Mavin pointed at the IV. “I need to check up on her.”

“Oh, an affair?” Martina said, then she realized that she was getting the stare. “Fine, fine, but let me check on you, Boss. You don't look exactly right.”

Mavin went silent. Although he had experienced quite a nightmare. He didn’t expect that the first thing he had to see was someone who withers his resolve.

***

Martina checked his condition. “Your condition is similar to a person who has a burst of energy before death,” her eyes pointed to the bed railing. “Your strength is even far greater than usual...this is strange.”

Mavin didn’t speak of his experience in that dream. He had tried to speak but the vow of silence does not allow him to speak of anything regarding his boons and that is related to it.

“Well, you should be fine until then,” Martin placed her stethoscope down. “Your beating is weaker than a whisper.”

Ike stood on the side, already wearing his researcher’s demeanor.  Mavin regarded him with disinterest. His eyes on the door and the IV, eager to follow the Lady into the garden.

“Are we done?” she looked at Mavin tiredly. “Boss, can you not be reckless? Who knows what will happen to you?”

Mavin stared at her before clenching the metal railing of the bed. To Martina it looked so easy that it made her raise a brow and have a frown on her face.

“Really, so eager when it comes to the Princess,” Martina comments. She began removing the IV on the back of Mavin’s hand. After removing the IV, she watched as the wound closed up.

“Your healing ability has exponentially become powerful. Do you mind if I cut you up?”

Mavin sighed. “Go ahead,” he offered his hand to Martina. Martina gracefully pulled out her scalper, and took a slice of his hand. Blood poured out of his wounds, but the wound closed immediately.

“A strange miracle.”

Martina regarded the ‘flesh’ that she took from Mavin. “It seems like your very flesh is not active when it is separated from your body.”

Mavin assessed the sample she took. “I don’t know what you are trying to do with that, but make sure that it's disposed of after you’re done with it. Ike, keep an eye on her, and make sure that it is disposed of.”

“You heard the Boss,” Ike said calmly, he crossed his arms and eyed the sample.

Martina snorted at him and placed the sample inside her bag. She checked the clipboard, and then proceeded to take the tag off his hand. “Shall I discharge you, Boss?”

“No, I’ll tell you. Just send word that there were problems after my trip.”

“Got it,” Martina signaled Ike with her chin. Although hesitant, like a whipped employee, Ike went out first, then Martina followed.

Mavin scanned the room. There was a drawer in the room that had clothing. He wore a shirt and black slacks and wore brown shoes. After dressing up, he left the room, walked down the hallway, turned left, then went straight before exiting to the right.

The garden faced the sea. There was a tree in the middle of the garden and this  ten meter tall tree was surrounded with various species of plants. He recognized one of them but was clueless with the rest. He was sound of mind despite spending time in that nightmare, he thought. Maybe he had started to understand what it was like for Natalya to spend time on said vision of nightmare. It felt real and brought forth such a terrible reminder of what had happened to him.

Next to the wooden railing with a white plaster finishing was the Princess dress in winter clothing. Her fur-lined clothing and the fur cap she wore barely moved against the cold wind. Not far from the beaches of the Sahus were giant blocks of ice the size of hills. 

“The year is ending.”

Mavin walked to her left. His bare hands on the railing. The Princess took a glance at him and returned her eyes to the iceberg floating on the sea.

“Why were you in a coma?”

“I don’t have time.”

“What happened?”

“You know what happened. I doubt the Emperor would hide anything from his dearest daughter.”

“Did that affect you?”

“More than you think.”

She nodded casually. She continued staring at the sea without looking at Mavin. Mavin didn’t move his gaze either. The sudden gust of wind made the Princess flinch hard enough.

“Sahus in this season could be rather windy.”

“Oh.”

Mavin exhaled silently and slowly. “You wanted to talk about something?”

“I’m stopping my medication.”

“Ah, is it because of the spark?”

“Of course you knew...huh. Still, why did you do it?”

“I had to.  The Imperator’s Crest must not exist in any form. I know that you are in control of your own sect of Magi. You are their mother superior, and I doubt you would have lasted this long without the spark.”

Her face grew somber. “Ah, so you knew all along.”

“If you were not you, I would have taken your head. But because it is you that I didn’t.”

“That’s nice to hear, “ she scoffed at him. “What made you spare me?”

“Because it’s you. That’s all. Didn’t think too much other than that.”

“Oh. Too bad then since you were using your resources towards someone who has this side.”

“I don’t mind. This is what I can do for you at least.”

“You are a terrible man.”

“Without your medication you wouldn’t last till next year..”

“I know. But what does it matter? Without the spark to keep me alive, then I would weaken overtime and even your medication wouldn’t be able to help. You are only prolonging the worst outcome and I am sick of it. At least when the spark was present, I could still function by strengthening myself. You should have expected this to happen when you did what you did. I would have been far happier about this if you had slayed her...but instead you married her and took her as your wife. I am jealous.”

“Saying all this wouldn’t change anything now. Not to mention you tried your best back then.”

Princess Cecilia shrugged helplessly. “I thought I had time. I am not pathetic enough to beg for your affection.”

“Of course you aren’t. That’s why I could do this. You always had the pride to do what you want. Unconcerned about anything. Which one would expect from a member of the Imperial Family.”

“You say that as if you want to spit in our name.”

“I respect the Emperor, and I liked your young brothers and sisters more than the first two princes. They can go to hell for all I care.”

“You’re saying that in front of their sister?”

“It’s because you are their dear sister. You should know why I treat your other siblings better than them.”

Mavin knew it himself that he hated the way they frolic with the 108th nobles. Had they cared even for a single tiny bit of their sister’s well-being. He would have done them many favors.

Princess Cecilia chucked. Her carefree voice stung Mavin more than her insult. He had heard that voice. The voice that she could remember in those ‘memories’ and even those memories wouldn’t change how he looked at her. Drowning his eyes with that regal look and demeanor as if he couldn’t have enough.

No.

Mavin felt his will wither and weakened. That resolve that kept him strong and single-minded were being chipped away. He made her weak. He doubted anyone could understand why, and he rather not bare his soul to anyone to see.

Mavin poured cold water over his heart. His mind cleared, and he felt his resolve strengthened again. But as he looked at the melancholic face. That resolve shattered like glass. He barely held  on to that resolve.

“I don’t have time.”

“Huh?”

“What I did during the Great Silence...it made my body...fragile. I am in the middle of that last surge of energy before my time slows down to a still.”

She stared at him incredibly. “Is that why you were stuck in that bed?”

“Yeah...I’m simply out of time. And my people are doing their best to keep me functional until I fulfill my purpose.”

“Then we coul--”

“No. That’s impossible. I doubt I could try to think that. I mustn't think that, Princess. Truthfully,” he gave a sorrowful smile, “I didn’t expect to see you when I woke up.  I had half-expected that I’d still be in the Capital, but to think that the first thing that  I see from a nightmare is you. I’m glad and yet find it frustrating.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I had visions,” Mavin said slowly. “Visions that told me of certain things in the future,”  Mavin tried to skirt around the vow of silence, but the overwhelming pain made him say “It is my vow of silence” as if he had a synthesized voice.

Princess Cecilia regarded the pain in his voice and expression. She seemed to understand something as she nodded her head. Mavin forced himself to continue his words.

“In this time...I didn’t choose to run away and spend your last days,” he was choking. “However, from the very start, from within all the paths, it was only during this one time that this one had chosen this path instead of spending it in your care.”

His left eye simply popped like someone had stabbed it with a needle. His regeneration took effect and the wounds that were opened returned. “Your presence withers me...and you are...simply...my bane--”

She went in and pressed her lips on him. She then moved her mouth next to his ears and whispered.

  “Goodbye, Mavin Tomas.”

The Princess walked away. Mavin felt the ache that had plagued her leave him. He watched that departing back and thought to himself that this was probably the last time he would see the Princess.

In every path, he would run away with the Princess until her passing.  To stay by her side and watch her become cold from her illness. Alone in the hospital’s garden, the one who had survived a nightmarish dream for ten years had been broken for a moment.

But those broken parts became his fuel. 

He had started this.

Mavin Tomas would see this through to the very end.