The Burning Flowers

Chapter XIV

“Hey, can we take a detour today and maybe go find somewhere to grab a snack or something?”

Abigail frowned as Scott asked that question, and when she glanced at the boy walking beside her, she instantly realized that something was on his mind. Earlier that morning, he had been rather cheerful despite his guilt over what happened with Mallicent, but upon meeting back up after he got out of school and starting their walk back to his house, there had been something off about him. He was distant, as if not fully there in the present, and now that she took a closer look at him, Abi could see that his skin was slightly paler than usual. Instantly, she was concerned, so she didn’t hesitate to accept his abrupt proposal.

“Yes, of course. You know the town better than me, so lead the way.”

“Mm. Thanks.”

Sensing that he would most likely confide in her once they had reached their destination, Abi held back from pressing him and simply stayed by his side, following him not towards his home but in the direction of Wilham's Main Street where they had gone shopping for clothes a few days prior. Unfortunately, she couldn’t prevent her mind from running wild with theories, and considering the situation, she wondered if perhaps his involvement with them was straining his relationship with his friends at school. She knew that Laura and Carmen seeing Ilirianna had been problematic, and her visit to his clubroom during lunch might have also been a poor decision. The only reason she had gone was because Mallicent seeing Scott at Murphy's had made her a bit paranoid that something might happen to him while at West Wilham High.

So maybe he wants to back out, after all? But…given what he said this morning, I just don’t think that’s it…

“This is my fight. I told you this the night you arrived and I’ll say it again: If Mallicent Malloway is a threat to my home and my friends, then it’s my fight. Simple as that.”

Yeah… That’s not it… But then, what…?

Asking herself that question, another terrifying possibility crossed her mind, and she recalled the fact that Mallicent’s mana signature had gone dark that morning, so she wondered if perhaps the boy had made contact with Scott. She remained near the school for a while after parting with him just to be sure, but nothing bad ever happened and eventually, Mallicent’s signature returned around ten o’clock back at his apartment.

But in those morning hours, could he have threatened Scott somehow…?

Abi took a few deep breaths to steady her anxiety as they turned onto Main Street, finding the sidewalks packed with students from a variety of schools, out with their friends to enjoy some free time. In fact, there were so many people hurrying around without regard to those around them that Scott suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, keeping her close so that they wouldn’t get separated. It was a bold move on his part, but she decided she was okay with it as she gripped his back, allowing him to lead her through the crowd before turning left towards a small hole-in-the-wall establishment that she probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.

The interior of the shop was hardly bigger than Scott’s living room, with a smattering of small tables around a black and white tile floor, as well as a long counter with barstools running along the windowed wall facing the street. On the other side of the shop was the cashier, as well as another counter-space that contained what she noticed were a variety of candies and fruits. On the left side of this area were three machines with three levers each beside a stack of small and wide paper cups, leaving Abi without any clue as to what kind of place she had been brought to. Scott, however, must have noticed the confusion on her face, as he turned back and asked,

“Do you have frozen yogurt in Ijiria?”

Abi furrowed her brow, trying to remember if she recognized the term, before shrugging. “Maybe. I lived out in the country my whole life and didn’t have much time to explore Erika before I was off to Hiriech, so…it’s possible, I guess.”

“Well I’m sure you’ll love it. Come on, let’s go.”

He guided her through the process of serving herself, describing the different flavors of yogurt that apparently came out of the machines. At first, she figured she would just copy him and get whatever he got, but then she recalled the revolting Crusno she had ordered at Morwhat’s Den the night her team had gone out for dinner and decided she would choose for herself this time. She wound up not getting anything too elaborate, opting with vanilla yogurt that she filled with some strawberries and blueberries, while Scott did the exact opposite, choosing a chocolate flavor that he tossed so many candies into that she could hardly see the yogurt by the time he was done. They brought them to the cashier for purchasing before taking their seats at the counter, giving them a nice view of the people walking on the other side of the window.

Since she had already decided to let Scott be the one to start the conversation, Abi ate her yogurt quietly for a bit, simply enjoying the wonderful taste and marveling at everything Omaruo had to offer. Wilham was a beautiful town, and though Erika and Hiriech might have been more elaborate and massive, the quaintness of Wilham reminded her more of the Ijirian countryside where she grew up, comforting her in a way she didn’t think would be possible in another realm, a place more foreign than anything else could be.

Everything feels so simple here, and I’m fascinated by the types of things the magicless have created despite not having magic. Cars, ovens, fridges, lightbulbs… Perhaps Scott would laugh at me if I said this aloud, but it's so cool!

She recalled a discussion she and Nigreos had at the ball before everything went down. They had talked about the song “The Gardens of Omaruo” and how it was in reference to the need to protect the purity and happiness of the realms surrounding Ijiria, and at the time, she had expressed to him how much she loved that sentiment. Now, having seen Omaruo with her own eyes, those feelings only strengthened, as did her drive to stop Mallicent.

I’m lucky… I’m lucky that I got to see this place, because most of our population goes their entire lives without ever once stepping foot in another realm. I guess…I just wish I could have been here under less tragic circumstances.

What happened in the ballroom still weighed heavily on her, but regardless of how much she agreed with the methods, Scott and Ryokumo reclaimed the realm dagger, and the scales had tilted back in their direction.

“Abi…” Scott muttered, setting his spoon down into his empty cup, so she prepared herself for the conversation to come. “Mallicent approached me this morning at school.”

Despite having already prepared for that possibility, she found it hard not to let her terror show on her face, forcing herself to stay calm as she turned to him and asked, “And are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

The boy shook his head “No, he didn’t hurt me. As I’m sure you’re aware, he didn’t have much power. He just wanted to talk about what Caeli and I did. Unsurprisingly, he figured out our trick without much effort.”

“So he threatened you then,” she stated.

“He did. On top of that, Laura walked over in the middle of it, and Mallicent jumped at the chance to get her name.” He grimaced, seemingly with self-disgust at the fact that he was unable to prevent that from happening. “He knows who she is and he knows she’s a friend, so he pretty much told me to bring the dagger to the Halloween festival or else he’s gonna… Well, you know…”

Abi didn’t hesitate to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder, wanting to comfort him and assure him that everything was going to be fine. “Then we’ll protect her. We can send Ryokumo to keep an eye on her house and we can all attend this festival with you and make sure he doesn’t do anything. Mallicent doesn’t have enough power to fight us, and right now, the only thing keeping him in one piece is Princess Ilirianna’s desire to protect this town from magic. If he does anything, that will all be gone and the princess will have no choice. He does that then he’s dead, and he knows it.”

“Yeah, don’t think I’m not aware,” Scott replied. “But listen… I like the idea of Ryokumo keeping watch over Laura, but I’m telling you this for the sake of protecting the town and I could have said it to the others. That’s not why we’re here and it’s not what I want to discuss with you.” Folding his hands together on the countertop, Scott took a deep breath. “I want to trust you, and you three have so far done very little to make me think I shouldn’t. I really do like and respect you, Abi. I feel like if anybody’s going to tell me the truth, it’s you. So please be honest with me.” Taking another pause, Scott turned a rather intense look her way. “Are you guys planning to erase me when this is over?”

Having been wholly unprepared for that to be his question, Abi took a second to take it in and come up with a way of answering. It was clear that Mallicent had revealed erasure to Scott in an attempt to drive a wedge between them. If Scott lost faith in them, he might steal back the realm dagger and turn it over, but the fact that he was talking to Abi at that moment meant that Mallicent’s plan had already failed. She was grateful he decided to talk to her, so she knew that there was no reason not to tell the truth.

“We are not,” she said confidently. “The reason we didn’t tell you about erasure is because we thought it might scare you. It’s a terrifying power, and that is what your fate would be should we tell the government you know about magic. I imagine he explained how it works?”

“He did, yes,” Scott confirmed. “Though he was pretty vague. He just told me that it would wipe me from everybody’s memories.”

Abi sighed. “Well, I wish I could explain it to you, but I don’t know much about it either. My friend, Album, is from the family that mostly controls the power, but she’s only touched on it once.”

Scott shook his head. “But you’re saying that ability is real? You guys actually have the power to alter the very fabric of reality?”

“We do,” she confirmed. “But there’s only two erasers in the entire continent. Nobody wants that ability in the wrong hands, so it’s heavily regulated by the Iijis and the High Council.”

“Fucking hell.” Chuckling to himself, Scott showed the first sign of amusement since they met back up, and she took that as a good sign. “You Ijirians are just damn insane, aren’t you? The things you can do are mind blowing.”

Abi laughed as well, having experienced a similar feeling upon arriving in Erika for the first time. “Yeah, tell me about it. I hope this eases your concerns though. Obviously, you kinda have to take our word for it, but Princess Ilirianna has been firm in her decision to not let you regret helping us. She might be the princess, but she doesn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with the government. If she says she won’t tell her parents, then I’m prone to believe she won’t.”

Scott let out a breath of what seemed like relief, silently telling Abi that she had, in fact, eased his fears. “Well good then. I can kick Mallicent’s ass without having to doubt you guys.”

“So you believe me?”

“Course I do,” he answered instantly. “I like to think I’m a good judge of character, you know, and nothing about you indicates you would be the type to lie or deceive. If you say you aren’t gonna have me erased, then I believe you.”

Abi eyed him for a moment before rolling her eyes and laughing. “A good judge of character, huh? Well, good. I’m glad you trust me, cause I trust you, too.” As she was laughing, she suddenly felt like telling him something despite the fact that every time she had ever revealed this information before, she had been nervous about it. But with Scott, she simply wanted to, and so she did so without thinking. “You know, I have this innate ability I call my sixth sense. When I look at somebody, I just know whether they can be trusted or not. It’s like getting a subconscious feeling of someone’s purity, assuring me I can rely on them.”

Scott cocked an intrigued eyebrow, and his next question was quite predictable. “That so? And what does your sense say about me?”

“Would I have revealed magic to save somebody I thought was untrustworthy?” she inquired wryly, and Scott grinned.

“I wouldn’t think so, no.”

“Exactly.”

There was an undeniable charm to Scott Reiner that Abi found herself drawn to. Perhaps she just saw a bit of herself in him, for he seemed truly intent on risking his life to protect his hometown. He wasn’t scared of magic and was instead eager to learn more about it. From the moment she had been old enough to understand the world around her, Abi had felt the same way, so she had a strong camaraderie with him. He was funny and backed up his words with action, regardless of how much she agreed with those actions. He held his ground against Mallicent, and he trusted them enough to ask about erasure despite not knowing them well enough to say with certainty that they wouldn’t lie to his face after they had already chosen to hide it from him. Abi really was going to miss him, for she felt a bond forming between them that, if given enough time, could easily evolve into a friendship she could treasure. Had she been born in Omaruo, or he in Ijiria, then she truly believed they could have been very close.

So at the very least, I want to protect him. I want him and his friends to be able to live happy lives, safe from the threat of Ijiria.

“So are you being serious about this sense or are we just screwing around?” Scott asked after a moment, clearly wanting confirmation that she wasn’t just making things up.

“No really, I mean it,” she said softly. “For all of my life, I’ve been able to just look at somebody and know that they’re a person I can rely on—that it’s worth getting to know them and earning their trust. My friend Album said it’s likely the ability came from one of my parents, but since I never really knew them, I can’t say for sure. All I know is that it’s probably saved my life more than once.”

“You mean when you lived out in the country?”

“Yup. I can vividly remember this one time when I was at the bar of an inn in a village I’d been staying at, and I noticed this group of rough-looking guys watching me,” Abi recounted. “My sense made it very clear that they were not to be approached under any circumstances, and so I was alert enough to take extra precautions on my way to my room. That sort of stuff happened all the time before I came to Erika, and even in Erika, I was constantly watching those around me, trying to make sure I didn’t go near anybody my sense didn’t like.”

Scott raised his eyebrows, clearly in awe of what she was telling him. “That’s insane. Convenient, too. Life out in the country sounds dangerous.”

“It is,” she agreed. “The government doesn’t put a lot of its resources into the poorer areas, so they have a ton of issues with bandits and pirates. They don’t know a lot of magic either, and not long ago, there was this very lethal disease spreading around that I was trying to fix myself. It was a hard life, but I can’t say I regret it. I didn’t have much money, and I traveled without many belongings, but I made a difference, and that meant the world to me. That made up for all the hardships I ever faced out there.”

“You’re incredible,” he murmured, to which she chuckled and shook her head.

“No, I was nothing special. You could honestly say I was just doing it for myself—to give myself a purpose and to try and find a meaning for my existence.”

“But still!” Scott pressed. “There were plenty of purposes you could have gone with, and hell, with the talent for magic that Caeli and the princess have told me you have, you could have easily become one of the bandits or pirates you mentioned. I’m sure you could have lived more comfortably with a life like that, but you chose to define yourself as someone who preserves life, and that’s something you should take pride in, not talk down on!” The boy fixed her with an exasperated smile, adding, “Caeli mentioned you weren’t one to give yourself credit for anything. You’re saying you aren’t special, but you’re a poor girl without a last name who, one way or another, wound up in the company of the future queen, who clearly respects you. Not to mention, you also managed to impress one of your scary Masters! How the hell is that not special, Abi?”

“I, er… I…”

Failing to come up with a response, Abi turned and stared down at her empty yogurt cup, having already heard such a lecture from Nigreos the night of the ball. In fact, Grunly, Ryokumo, and Album had also expressed similar sentiments at one point or another, and even Faye had touched on the subject once. But regardless of how many times she had her accomplishments thrown in her face, she hesitated to accept them. In her mind, she had only been doing what felt right during her time in the north, and she felt as if she didn’t deserve the life in Erika that she had pretty much stumbled into by accident. Grunly giving her that letter of recommendation and Ilirianna selecting her team both felt wrong, as if they were seeing something in her that she couldn’t, and no matter how much it may seem deserved to others, she struggled to accept any credit for it.

“Abi,” Scott went on after a moment, his voice turning firm, and when she glanced up to gaze into his blue eyes, she found the most genuine expression on his face that she had ever seen from him. “It’s okay to accept praise, you know? I’m not going to pretend to understand you and your past, but even a magicless boy like me who knows jack all about Ijiria can tell that even among the magical, you’re one of a kind.” He smiled warmly. “What do you think is gonna happen if you let people compliment you?”

She slowly shook her head, having never tried to phrase her feelings before, but in that moment, she found that she wanted to at least try. “It’s not that I think anything’s gonna happen, Scott, but…I guess praise like that just seems wrong to me, though I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s just because of who I am. All my life, I’ve just been Abigail, a wanderer without a home or a family to call my own. I wasn’t close to anybody because I never stayed in one place for long, and I rarely returned anywhere a second time. I would visit a small village or town, provide my services, then once I was no longer needed, I bid them goodbye and marched on. People expressed their gratitude, sure, but I was just doing what felt right. I found meaning in my actions, so I continued them.” She smiled sadly. “I honestly think I imagined I’d run out of luck eventually and die out in the cold, forgotten and meaningless, without anybody ever knowing I was gone. I guess…” Abi paused for a second, feeling as if she still wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. “I guess a part of me still thinks that’s my fate—that even as I am now, I’ll disappear into nothingness…”

She wasn’t really sure what she was expecting out of Scott, if anything at all, but she hadn’t been prepared for him to respond almost instantly, and not with the response he gave.

“Well, I can promise you, from the very bottom of my heart, that a fate like that is utterly impossible for you, because there isn’t a chance in hell that I ever forget about you.”

Abi’s eyes went wide, and she didn’t sense even a fragment of exaggeration in his grinning features.

“From the very second I turned back and saw the person that saved my ass from Dylan Anderson, I knew she was special, even setting the damn magic aside!” he went on passionately. “Without even thinking about it, you strode forward and exposed magic to a magicless to save him. That decision means even more to me now that I understand this isolation act thing! You saved me, Abi! And ever since then, you’ve been watching out for me. You checked on me at school the other day even though you didn’t have to, and you were concerned for my safety after learning I snuck into Mallicent’s apartment with Caeli! Most people would have just been worried about the dagger, but you also worried for me even though you hardly know me! Most people would not do that!”

“M-maybe, but… I mean, it’s not like you’re much different!” she pointed out, desperate to turn the conversation back on him. “You don’t know us much either, and you just found out today that we’ve been hiding erasure from you, yet you’re still willing to help us!”

“Sure, but there’s some psycho magic user running amok! I don’t have a choice or else this place might get burnt to the ground! And besides,” Scott went on, “Just the simple fact that I’ve only met you a week ago and I already know I’m going to miss you when you go home says that you’re someone special. Most people don’t leave that strong of an impact that quickly, you know?”

Feeling her cheeks burning with embarrassment, Abi forced herself to turn away and stare back at the table, feeling the powerful desire to just cover her face and hide. She was once again left without a response, for she couldn’t deny that she had done all of the things that he said she did, so Abi forced herself to at least say,

“Er, I’ll…keep that in mind. Thank you, Scott…”

The boy laughed, though she got the feeling he was laughing at her and. “No, thank you, Abi. For everything. I truly mean it. I will never forget you, so long as I live.”

Despite her desire to reject what Scott had said as exaggerated in the heat of the moment, Abi couldn’t get his words out of her head, for nothing about the way he spoke indicated that he was saying anything but the truth.

Not long after that conversation ended and the sun was setting, the two of them made their way back to Scott’s house to meet up with Ryokumo and Ilirianna, both of which gave them very curious looks once they revealed they had gone to get some frozen yogurt together. Around dinner, Scott filled them in on Mallicent’s threats, so they spent some time coming up with countermeasures. With Laura Harrison’s address, Ryokumo took off to make sure she was still safe.

For the next couple of days, if Mallicent’s signature ever went dark, either he or Ilirianna would race to Laura’s to keep watch, and Scott kept close contact with her to make sure they knew where she was at all times. On top of that, with West Wilham’s Halloween festival being the date Mallicent set, the three of them planned to attend. Luckily, for the days leading to Saturday, Mallicent didn’t do anything, and Wilham was left in peace. The realm dagger would soon be charged, so their time in Omaruo was drawing to an end, leaving Abi hoping that in that short time, the peace wouldn’t be broken. However, with each day that passed, a part of her grew sad to know that she would most likely never see Scott again, so she made it a point to enjoy the time they had left.

“I can promise you, from the very bottom of my heart, that a fate like that is utterly impossible for you, because there isn’t a chance in hell that I ever forget about you.”

Abigail smiled to herself, and there was no denying the comfort that memory brought her.