[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: Fifteen Going on Sixty (Going on Fifteen) Part 3
Title: Fifteen Going on Sixty (Going on Fifteen) Part 3
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1821
Summary: The secret behind the Pope's youth is no small secret. Even the Pope himself has tried to forget, but when Grisia comes too close, the Pope is forced to confront his past.
Notes: In which I abuse ellipses.
Previous part
Part 3: Stalemate
Over and over, I saw gold seep back into Grisia's hair, traveling down to the very tips, as he covered his white hair with holy element.
Then came his smile, his reassurance that he was completely fine, but what did he know? Nothing.
It was all a lie. He thought he had snatched the life of his friend back with only a small price. He didn't know...
What have you done, Grisia, what have I done, how could I have let this happen, Sun please forgive me, I couldn't protect them, not Lesus, not Grisia, not anyone-
"Watch over them, won't you?"
"F-fine! I will!"
Sun, this promise is really too hard to keep.
Watching Neo walk over with Aldrizzt by his side was always another blast from the past. This time, I almost cried out, "Br-" before I remembered where I was.
How silly of me. They were all long gone, even my brother who had tried to hang on as long as possible. This was Neo who was in front of me, along with a dark elf. He may have pointy ears, but that didn't mean a thing.
But Aldrizzt's kindness...
It was really nostalgic.
I pulled my composure together, but when Neo went off drinking and crossing swords with each of the current Twelve Holy Knights, I couldn't help stealing Aldrizzt away to my study, luring him with tea and books. It was true that he was well versed in magic and I itched to pick his brain, but a large part of me just wanted to bask in his presence as well as the assurance that I would not have to watch him age before my eyes, at least not for a good long while.
He was safe to be around. For now. Of course, the negative side was that he would definitely discover my secret one day, but it wasn't like he would have anyone to tell it to by then.
Except maybe Grisia.
Grisia...
I'd really failed Sun this time.
I watched Aldrizzt study the magic tomes. If my brother had met a dark elf, how would he have reacted? Dark elves were said to be malicious, the epitome of evilness, but Aldrizzt didn't fit the mold at all. If my brother had met Aldrizzt, he too would surely have liked him.
In the middle of our discussion, I asked out of the blue, "How old are you, Aldrizzt?"
He paused and glanced up from the magic tome he had been deciphering. One strand of white hair slipped in front of him. He casually tucked it behind his ear and said, "One hundred and thirty-six."
"Really young then," I said while tapping the table.
He chuckled and lifted an eyebrow. He must have gotten that from Neo, but on him, the look was much less mocking. "You call that young? It's true that I'm young among dark elves, but one hundred years is definitely a lot for humans, right?"
Indeed, one hundred years was a lot. Let alone...
"You'd be surprised," I murmured.
Aldrizzt smiled easily as we continued rambling on about theories so complicated that Grisia's mind would surely fry itself if he were to listen in. As we compared notes, I even attempted several spells like a giddy little kid trying to show off.
Brother, look! Look what I just learned!
In Aldrizzt's presence, I half wanted to pretend to be an actual fifteen year old.
But that was silly.
That time was long gone.
My eyes slid downward to my untouched tea, the reflection there taunting me.
Mocking me.
Baby-face.
"Baby-face! Toss us a Light Shield!"
I wrinkle my nose at getting called that. "I'll grow out of this soon, just you wait!"
A hand comes down to ruffle my hair. I pout.
"Sure, sure, and I'm gonna be rich, right?" he quips. It's as likely as my growing taller. In other words, unlikely.
With two knives in his hand, he leaps right into danger, like always. I hurriedly cast Light Shield to protect him.
Another hand pats me on the shoulder. "You've gotten really good at casting that."
I crane my head. My brother smiles at me. I smile back, basking in the praise. Still, my neck really hurts from having to crane my neck like this.
"Will I grow taller one day?" I blurt out, worried. What if I always stayed looking like this?
My brother doesn't answer "of course" like many others would. He's honest to a fault, but his honesty isn't ever cutting. It's because he only ever thinks the best of everyone.
"You're fine as you are!" he says and smiles.
I smile hesitantly. He's right. I'm fine as I am. One day, I'll grow up! There's no rush!
Meanwhile, I'll continue protecting everyone! I can do it! If I can even bring Sun back to life, there's nothing I can't do!
Hah. I seriously thought I would grow out of my baby face. I'd always been teased about it, and I'd always replied that I'd grow out of it. Metal, having never been rich, always joked that when I lost my baby face would be when he became rich.
He never did become rich.
They hadn't known anything was wrong until much later. I hadn't either. We all thought that it was only just that my hair had lost its color.
Nothing big, right?
Yeah right.
I'd always been teased about being baby-faced, but when even the densest among us, the loud and brash Blaze, noticed that something wasn't quite adding up, it was already too late.
I'm scared, Brother.
What's happening to me?
Why do I still look like this?
They're gone... There's no one left...
Don't worry, I'll always be with you.
You'll be fine!
...
Brother, you liar.
Brother...
Brother, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. You never lie, right?
You'll be with me, always... right?
Please...
Please don't leave me.
Rescuing Grisia from Charlotte was dead exhausting. It had been ages since I was such an integral part of the fighting. My hands twitched as I watched undead creatures flood the streets. I half felt like I should have a weapon in my hands instead of a staff, but that wasn't my job here.
Eleven of the Twelve Holy Knights stood in battle formation around me, facing outwards with my presence in the center. Their backs were so familiar, so comforting, so similar to the figures in my memory. There stood Blaze with fiery red hair, Cloud with his light-footed steps, Metal with his throwing knives, Moon with his chin lifted high, Stone with his broad shoulders, Ice with his cold demeanor, Hell with his seriousness, Storm with his powerful kicks, Judgment with justice about to be served...
Except, my brother was no longer around... my spot was filled by another... and I stood in the position of their missing leader.
Grisia... you really are too much.
Never had a Sun Knight, not since that first time -- that was warning enough -- died under my watch. I'd even nursed that one guy who got stabbed through the heart back to life... but Grisia was even harder to deal with than him! At least Mr. I-Got-Stabbed-Through-the-Heart never went and got himself kidnapped so soon after going missing (with amnesia even), and neither did he ever play with fire like Grisia always did.
You shouldn't have ever touched Resurrection, Grisia.
Countless undead creatures closed in around us. I cast minor healing spells when necessary, but I saved my reserve. I eyed Charlotte and Stephen. They were too close to the ice crystal that Grisia was encased in for us to make a move.
Just as I was thinking this, Lesus threw the Divine Sun Sword right at the crystal, his aim true. Both Charlotte and Stephen had no choice but to swerve out of the way with such an entity of pure holy element flying at them. A crack appeared in the crystal.
The battle raged on, the stalemate unbroken. Or so I thought. Holy element enveloped the Twelve Holy Knights, their movements becoming swifter and their bodies impervious.
I grinned. Grisia was awake.
Distract them, I tried to say via psychic magic. I'm the Pope.
I doubted Grisia got all of the message, but I felt his sensing ability settle on me. I then proceeded to flap my arms. I pointed at myself and Lesus. When Grisia replied to me, I heaved an internal sigh of relief.
Grisia will be fine...
Grisia's methods of distraction were truly ingenious. A large amount of dark element gathered in the sky, and then suddenly, Stephen's arm burst into dark flames. Soon after, a nearby building also burst into flames. While Charlotte and Stephen were distracted by the two bursts of dark elemental magic, I gathered wind element, grabbed Lesus, and flew us into the air.
Lesus's eyes promised retribution like none other.
You dare hurt Sun, and I will hunt you down.
Though she always pretended him to be an annoyance, she was always the first to save his hide. He was our bumbling Sun, and no one else's.
When we were finally close enough, I flung Lesus forward with a burst of wind element, and watched as he crashed against the floating crystal. He grabbed the Divine Sun Sword and twisted it. Then, in one slash, he sliced off the top part of the crystal. Immediately, wind element tore at the crystal, no doubt Grisia's own handiwork. The crystal shattered into a million pieces.
Grisia was free.
Lesus grabbed onto Grisia's shoulder, holding him close.
I floated down to the earth.
The battle raged on, but I had no doubt we would win it, the stalemate finally broken.
When Grisia eventually defeated Charlotte, I thought my part was done. I helped clean up, and then I headed back to the Sanctuary of Light.
Not long after, Metal came pounding on my door. I hadn't even parted from them for all that long. What now? was all I thought.
I never thought...
He led me to the conference room without telling me why, but a dreadful sense of déjà vu came over me, the scene all too familiar. Metal didn't seem to know how to explain and merely gestured for me to hurry. His knuckles were white, his face pale.
Sun, you...you! How dare you...
"What is up with all the mysterious..." I started to say.
My voice died.
How dare you die on us!
Metal's anguish back then had always been the worst. I stopped dead in my tracks. I stared disbelievingly.
Grisia lay on top of the table, his eyes wide. He had not passed away in peace. Below him was a black robe -- definitely Lesus's, my mind supplied inanely. Grisia's white hair stood out all the more against it, reminding me once more the life Grisia would have been subject to.
Was this... actually escape for him?
Eleven pairs of grim eyes stared imploringly at me.
They wanted me to resurrect him.
I wanted to resurrect him.
But all I could think...
...was that death might be kinder.
Grisia, you can escape my fate...
...you can escape...
But I had made a promise to Sun.
I would watch over them all.
Voices pleaded with me left and right.
How could this have happened?
He has God's favor!
What are we to do now...
D-Don't worry! I...I can bring h-him back!
And now I would do the same once more.
It wasn't really for their sakes.
Don't leave me too, Grisia.
Don't leave.
to be continued
Oh Pope, you are full of contradictions in this fic...
I wanted to write something mysterious and suspenseful, but this was what resulted, haha... Totally failed with that. =P
Next part
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1821
Summary: The secret behind the Pope's youth is no small secret. Even the Pope himself has tried to forget, but when Grisia comes too close, the Pope is forced to confront his past.
Notes: In which I abuse ellipses.
Previous part
Part 3: Stalemate
Over and over, I saw gold seep back into Grisia's hair, traveling down to the very tips, as he covered his white hair with holy element.
Then came his smile, his reassurance that he was completely fine, but what did he know? Nothing.
It was all a lie. He thought he had snatched the life of his friend back with only a small price. He didn't know...
What have you done, Grisia, what have I done, how could I have let this happen, Sun please forgive me, I couldn't protect them, not Lesus, not Grisia, not anyone-
"Watch over them, won't you?"
"F-fine! I will!"
Sun, this promise is really too hard to keep.
Watching Neo walk over with Aldrizzt by his side was always another blast from the past. This time, I almost cried out, "Br-" before I remembered where I was.
How silly of me. They were all long gone, even my brother who had tried to hang on as long as possible. This was Neo who was in front of me, along with a dark elf. He may have pointy ears, but that didn't mean a thing.
But Aldrizzt's kindness...
It was really nostalgic.
I pulled my composure together, but when Neo went off drinking and crossing swords with each of the current Twelve Holy Knights, I couldn't help stealing Aldrizzt away to my study, luring him with tea and books. It was true that he was well versed in magic and I itched to pick his brain, but a large part of me just wanted to bask in his presence as well as the assurance that I would not have to watch him age before my eyes, at least not for a good long while.
He was safe to be around. For now. Of course, the negative side was that he would definitely discover my secret one day, but it wasn't like he would have anyone to tell it to by then.
Except maybe Grisia.
Grisia...
I'd really failed Sun this time.
I watched Aldrizzt study the magic tomes. If my brother had met a dark elf, how would he have reacted? Dark elves were said to be malicious, the epitome of evilness, but Aldrizzt didn't fit the mold at all. If my brother had met Aldrizzt, he too would surely have liked him.
In the middle of our discussion, I asked out of the blue, "How old are you, Aldrizzt?"
He paused and glanced up from the magic tome he had been deciphering. One strand of white hair slipped in front of him. He casually tucked it behind his ear and said, "One hundred and thirty-six."
"Really young then," I said while tapping the table.
He chuckled and lifted an eyebrow. He must have gotten that from Neo, but on him, the look was much less mocking. "You call that young? It's true that I'm young among dark elves, but one hundred years is definitely a lot for humans, right?"
Indeed, one hundred years was a lot. Let alone...
"You'd be surprised," I murmured.
Aldrizzt smiled easily as we continued rambling on about theories so complicated that Grisia's mind would surely fry itself if he were to listen in. As we compared notes, I even attempted several spells like a giddy little kid trying to show off.
Brother, look! Look what I just learned!
In Aldrizzt's presence, I half wanted to pretend to be an actual fifteen year old.
But that was silly.
That time was long gone.
My eyes slid downward to my untouched tea, the reflection there taunting me.
Mocking me.
Baby-face.
"Baby-face! Toss us a Light Shield!"
I wrinkle my nose at getting called that. "I'll grow out of this soon, just you wait!"
A hand comes down to ruffle my hair. I pout.
"Sure, sure, and I'm gonna be rich, right?" he quips. It's as likely as my growing taller. In other words, unlikely.
With two knives in his hand, he leaps right into danger, like always. I hurriedly cast Light Shield to protect him.
Another hand pats me on the shoulder. "You've gotten really good at casting that."
I crane my head. My brother smiles at me. I smile back, basking in the praise. Still, my neck really hurts from having to crane my neck like this.
"Will I grow taller one day?" I blurt out, worried. What if I always stayed looking like this?
My brother doesn't answer "of course" like many others would. He's honest to a fault, but his honesty isn't ever cutting. It's because he only ever thinks the best of everyone.
"You're fine as you are!" he says and smiles.
I smile hesitantly. He's right. I'm fine as I am. One day, I'll grow up! There's no rush!
Meanwhile, I'll continue protecting everyone! I can do it! If I can even bring Sun back to life, there's nothing I can't do!
Hah. I seriously thought I would grow out of my baby face. I'd always been teased about it, and I'd always replied that I'd grow out of it. Metal, having never been rich, always joked that when I lost my baby face would be when he became rich.
He never did become rich.
They hadn't known anything was wrong until much later. I hadn't either. We all thought that it was only just that my hair had lost its color.
Nothing big, right?
Yeah right.
I'd always been teased about being baby-faced, but when even the densest among us, the loud and brash Blaze, noticed that something wasn't quite adding up, it was already too late.
I'm scared, Brother.
What's happening to me?
Why do I still look like this?
They're gone... There's no one left...
Don't worry, I'll always be with you.
You'll be fine!
...
Brother, you liar.
Brother...
Brother, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. You never lie, right?
You'll be with me, always... right?
Please...
Please don't leave me.
Rescuing Grisia from Charlotte was dead exhausting. It had been ages since I was such an integral part of the fighting. My hands twitched as I watched undead creatures flood the streets. I half felt like I should have a weapon in my hands instead of a staff, but that wasn't my job here.
Eleven of the Twelve Holy Knights stood in battle formation around me, facing outwards with my presence in the center. Their backs were so familiar, so comforting, so similar to the figures in my memory. There stood Blaze with fiery red hair, Cloud with his light-footed steps, Metal with his throwing knives, Moon with his chin lifted high, Stone with his broad shoulders, Ice with his cold demeanor, Hell with his seriousness, Storm with his powerful kicks, Judgment with justice about to be served...
Except, my brother was no longer around... my spot was filled by another... and I stood in the position of their missing leader.
Grisia... you really are too much.
Never had a Sun Knight, not since that first time -- that was warning enough -- died under my watch. I'd even nursed that one guy who got stabbed through the heart back to life... but Grisia was even harder to deal with than him! At least Mr. I-Got-Stabbed-Through-the-Heart never went and got himself kidnapped so soon after going missing (with amnesia even), and neither did he ever play with fire like Grisia always did.
You shouldn't have ever touched Resurrection, Grisia.
Countless undead creatures closed in around us. I cast minor healing spells when necessary, but I saved my reserve. I eyed Charlotte and Stephen. They were too close to the ice crystal that Grisia was encased in for us to make a move.
Just as I was thinking this, Lesus threw the Divine Sun Sword right at the crystal, his aim true. Both Charlotte and Stephen had no choice but to swerve out of the way with such an entity of pure holy element flying at them. A crack appeared in the crystal.
The battle raged on, the stalemate unbroken. Or so I thought. Holy element enveloped the Twelve Holy Knights, their movements becoming swifter and their bodies impervious.
I grinned. Grisia was awake.
Distract them, I tried to say via psychic magic. I'm the Pope.
I doubted Grisia got all of the message, but I felt his sensing ability settle on me. I then proceeded to flap my arms. I pointed at myself and Lesus. When Grisia replied to me, I heaved an internal sigh of relief.
Grisia will be fine...
Grisia's methods of distraction were truly ingenious. A large amount of dark element gathered in the sky, and then suddenly, Stephen's arm burst into dark flames. Soon after, a nearby building also burst into flames. While Charlotte and Stephen were distracted by the two bursts of dark elemental magic, I gathered wind element, grabbed Lesus, and flew us into the air.
Lesus's eyes promised retribution like none other.
You dare hurt Sun, and I will hunt you down.
Though she always pretended him to be an annoyance, she was always the first to save his hide. He was our bumbling Sun, and no one else's.
When we were finally close enough, I flung Lesus forward with a burst of wind element, and watched as he crashed against the floating crystal. He grabbed the Divine Sun Sword and twisted it. Then, in one slash, he sliced off the top part of the crystal. Immediately, wind element tore at the crystal, no doubt Grisia's own handiwork. The crystal shattered into a million pieces.
Grisia was free.
Lesus grabbed onto Grisia's shoulder, holding him close.
I floated down to the earth.
The battle raged on, but I had no doubt we would win it, the stalemate finally broken.
When Grisia eventually defeated Charlotte, I thought my part was done. I helped clean up, and then I headed back to the Sanctuary of Light.
Not long after, Metal came pounding on my door. I hadn't even parted from them for all that long. What now? was all I thought.
I never thought...
He led me to the conference room without telling me why, but a dreadful sense of déjà vu came over me, the scene all too familiar. Metal didn't seem to know how to explain and merely gestured for me to hurry. His knuckles were white, his face pale.
Sun, you...you! How dare you...
"What is up with all the mysterious..." I started to say.
My voice died.
How dare you die on us!
Metal's anguish back then had always been the worst. I stopped dead in my tracks. I stared disbelievingly.
Grisia lay on top of the table, his eyes wide. He had not passed away in peace. Below him was a black robe -- definitely Lesus's, my mind supplied inanely. Grisia's white hair stood out all the more against it, reminding me once more the life Grisia would have been subject to.
Was this... actually escape for him?
Eleven pairs of grim eyes stared imploringly at me.
They wanted me to resurrect him.
I wanted to resurrect him.
But all I could think...
...was that death might be kinder.
Grisia, you can escape my fate...
...you can escape...
But I had made a promise to Sun.
I would watch over them all.
Voices pleaded with me left and right.
How could this have happened?
He has God's favor!
What are we to do now...
D-Don't worry! I...I can bring h-him back!
And now I would do the same once more.
It wasn't really for their sakes.
Don't leave me too, Grisia.
Don't leave.
to be continued
Oh Pope, you are full of contradictions in this fic...
I wanted to write something mysterious and suspenseful, but this was what resulted, haha... Totally failed with that. =P
Next part