Uh loosely based on this parallel post I wanted to make with Jafal vs Mifal but is still in the works so yeah
Edit: James actually values Kyma here so yippee
James watches as the boy leaves the Woods, betrayed and angry. He is the only one who doesn't follow or fight with the others.
Some of the students whisper among themselves, Aladdin especially being judgemental, even going as far as to call him a traitor to the cause.
James understands why the Reader from that funny little place beyond the Woods leaves, doesn't dare look back. He can empathize.
Even now, James feels nearly nothing of how he used to feel for Rafal, their now-leader for Good against Rhian’s evil. Rafal had so many chances to make things right and he had failed almost all of them.
Even before Rufius was brought back to life and freed from his golden tomb, Rafal had only begged James to save him from the mess he put himself in. Not for forgiveness, no apology. Did Rafal so easily forget what he had done?
James didn't believe he had hard feelings. He sees the value in Princess Kyma now, someone who fits the title of “Pure Good” more than Rafal ever would. Besides, James doubted Rafal really wanted him for the long term. He'd probably go crawling back to Rhian and the school whenever the opportunity would come to him.
Sometimes, James wondered if the both used each other from the very beginning. Not just for nefarious purposes, but to fill emotional voids, too. Rafal saw James as a Rhian loyal to him and James just wanted the overwhelming warmth he missed after his father's death. Home was too tense and depressing. He didn't want to burden his own family for providing something they genuinely couldn't.
He felt Kyma walk next to him. He looked at her, and she stared back. She seemed uneasy, distrustful, and sick.
“Kyma, do you think I should have… I don't know, should I have helped him instead of Rafal? Maybe none of this would have happened if I had taken over–”
Kyma placed her hand on his shoulder. “It isn't your fault. Rafal knew full well what he was doing. For all we know, you could have died while trying to rescue Midas and have him die anyway.”
James frowned. “It’s just that I knew who Rafal was and what he was capable of doing and I saw how he had Midas around his finger from the beginning. When I found out Rafal was Fala. I should have warned Midas, told him what he had done to me.”
Kyma sighed. “I understand why you feel guilty but I'm not sure if telling Midas anything would have been productive. Take the fact that Rafal left you to drown in the Savage Sea after taking his magic away from you. Rafal saved Midas from being drowned by Peter Pan's angry fairies. He could have thought you were lying out of bitterness or jealousy.”
“Yes, but still, at least I would have had peace of mind. Or even Rafal with that damned demimagus. All Midas wanted to do was go home, and he seemed genuinely upset about being here. I knew what Rafal had done before, felt suspicious about his attitude earlier, and still said nothing.”
“James,” Kyma said firmly, “you can't blame yourself. Rafal had the job to change himself from the time he destroyed the relationship between you both. He should have known better than to harm one of his brother's students, a member of this school. You are not responsible for his actions. Besides, considering the fact Midas ate all those Wish Fish eggs, who knows if he would have listened to any of us.”
James didn't say anything for a while. He disagreed a bit with her. The egg fiasco was already concluded: Midas regretted his Gold Touch and that rash decision. There was no need to bring it up.
“Right, Kyma is correct in mentioning the Wish Fish,” Aladdin broke in as he approached. He looked annoyed at seeing Kyma comforting James’ uneasy conscience. “Don’t waste your tears on him, James. Midas got exactly what was coming for him. Evil rewarded with Evil. What did he expect?”
“Wasn't crying, Laddy,” James replied dryly, the flames of annoyance fanning higher.
“Aladdin,” Kyma said sharply, glaring at her former boyfriend. “Why are you trying to justify any of this?”
“Nobody even invited you into our conversation,” James mumbled.
“I was just following up with what my girlfriend said,” Aladdin grumbled. Kyma tensed. “I was just explaining to James why he shouldn't beat himself up over not saying anything aboutbhis experiences with Rafal. I wasn't justifying anything else, especially as a Reader from the Woods wouldn’t know any better about magical things. Besides, I don't know what we are anymore. Remember?”
Aladdin glared at James. “Oh. How could I forget?” James glared back. “Now isn't the time to be quarreling about this, Laddy. We have war looming on the horizon, with one of our own out there by himself. We don't know where he went, and we can't necessarily send someone to find him.”
“He doesn't want to be found,” Rafal interrupted. James looked up at him. Before, maybe, there would have been a spark there. An urge to smile. Now, there wasn't much of it.
“He made his choice. Nobody is going to force him to take up a battle he refuses to be a part of. I offered him the opportunity to fight for me, to fight with me, and he turned it down.” Rafal seemed somewhat upset, as if Midas’ freedom personally hurt him a little. That anyone meant for him would dare to leave for something else. Maybe that's the real reason Rafal killed him in his mind.
James only thought that maybe Rafal could have kept Midas if he hadn't betrayed him by using his greatest obstacle against him. Maybe he would have been willing to stay if Rafal had cared for him and protected him. If he had put him over himself and his love for power.
Rafal may be his friend forever, and the better choice over Rhian, but James couldn't ignore those rotten parts about him. The parts that poisoned him whenever the opportunity presented itself. Even now, Rafal never thanked James for risking his life for him. Did Rafal even give Midas the dignity of gratitude? If he could go further than James, being rescued from the water and flying in Rafal’s arms, and still end up broken-hearted, James highly doubted it.
Rufius followed Rafal, another admirer, though not to the same extent as the other two. It was quite funny how he got the best treatment from the former School Master out of them all.
“Do you think he will come back?” Rufius asked.
“I'm not sure,” James was about to say before Rafal broke in with a no.
“Like I have already said, my dear Reader has already made his choice. This situation is bigger than him, and we need to start preparing for my brother and his army. It won't be too long before he appears.”
Just like how Rhian was a bigger matter than helping him kill Pan, James thought. Or treating him like a person to be respected.
James wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling Midas would come back, and the thought made him sick. James had returned to save Rafal and had received rejection. This was during a potential violent fight between Good and Evil. What if something worse happened, especially considering that Midas was practically married to Bad Luck?
James tried to stamp these thoughts down as he followed the others, up to the balcony. Kyma held his hand, probably feeling that ominous energy herself.
