The Revival: Epilogue 3 - Reconciliation
“... Wait, are you sure Mika? Can I really...?” I looked at that blue stone — Mika’s treasured jewel which he always carried around with him. He never let anyone else touch it... And yet there he was, handing it to me.
“Yeah. It was about time I did it. We have to start this talk somewhere, right?” He smiled, but that smile betrayed the saddened look on his eyes.
I hesitated for a moment but I got a hold of that stone.
It was cold to the touch and not as heavy as it initially looked like. Looking closely, I easily could tell what kind of gemstone it was.
A blue boulder opal. Merely two shades of blue from a distance, but put it against the light and you can see faint traces of cyan and green. And paying close attention, I could tell it was sculpted in the shape of the -Earth- emblem.
“... This was a birthday gift.” Mika finally said. His voice was... Surprisingly calm. And the way he spoke was way different from the usual slang-filled way he talked to others.
“I was nearly twelve of age when my brother Ciradyl and I found this rather big rock on the way back home. We tried carrying it out of the road, but we let it slip by accident and it rolled down the hill, then it hit another rock and broke apart.
As we got closer, we saw it was blue on the inside. Ciradyl took some of the larger shards and we both went back home. A few days later, he gave me this stone.”
“You had a brother?” I looked back at him — I was surprised, I thought he was Magic-born, but then he explained:
“Oh, non-biological, obviously, but you know... That didn’t matter at all. As long as it was family, living with Elves was more than enough.”
“Elves?!” My eyes widened. Many assumed he spent his childhood with humans, but Elves? No one would expect that to be the case.
“I know, hard to believe, right? Haha...” He laughed, but it had no joy in it... I held his hand within mine. It could’ve been just my imagination, but I felt he was trembling a little. He looked back to me, and that smile was gone.
Part of me wanted to spare him from telling me everything, but the other part had to know. If it was to make our relationship work, there would be no more secrets between the two of us.
With his other hand, Mika reached out to the stone and clutched it, staring at the jewel for a couple seconds before taking a deep breath and continuing.
“On my twelfth birthday, Ciradyl and I spent the whole day exploring a few cliffs, which were located far from where the clan lived. By the time we got back...” Mika’s eyes closed shut and his grip on the jewel tightened... I started to assume the worst.
“... By the time we got back... That thing... That damned freak of nature...!”
Red Petal-Eyes... The Outbreak of the Nether Beasts... It couldn’t be!
“... That hellish beast destroyed everything. The buildings, the land, the people, the whole province... Nobody made it out alive.” He opened his eyes as he spoke, orange and violet turned into a haunting, eerie shade of blue...
“My brother and I got separated trying to run from that thing, and... Well... It almost killed me as well.” Mika’s hand let go of mine, gripping his left shoulder. On the exact place where the scar was. It must’ve been so painful to him...
“But Ciradyl found me in time and we both fled the place. But the beast was fast as hell... So we tried to escape through the bridge leading to the Cliffs. Then that freak tore it down... And th-then...” He shuddered... The blue glow in his eyes faded, and now tears were forming in them... Mika...
“... We both fell into the sea... I didn’t drown. Somehow I couldn’t drown. I didn’t know I was a God back then. I called out to Ciradyl, searched for him everywhere... But... He never came back... Nobody came back...” I pulled him into a hug as he let it all out... Every tear shed, every ounce of grief and rage, he let it all go. I kept holding him as he sobbed softly onto my shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Mika... I had no idea. I should’ve known...” I heard him sniffle and felt him hug me back tightly. He cried until the sobs were reduced to shudders, and he finally continued speaking.
“... That stone is all I have left of my family... The only thing that kept me going for so long during that War...” I stroked his hair, untidy as always and yet ever so soft, and slowly he calmed down.
“... Back then I couldn’t care less if I became a monster. I just wanted to keep living, even if I never found a new reason to do so. But...”
“... But then I was brought to this Realm. Was shown what life really was like outside of the War. I remembered what peace felt like. And...” He pulled back a little from the hug and looked at me, eye to eye.
“Then I met you. And I came to know the real you.”
For a very brief moment, it felt like my heart skipped a beat. What did he mean by that?
“You kept dismissing me after that fight when we first met. I could tell you lost on purpose, so there was no way I’d give up on winning against you for real.” That surprised me, I couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
“And after that, I saw you take care of those animals. Especially that Irys Deer, Orien. Going so far to save her from those hunters, too... And not killing them.” That caught me off-guard!
“Old doc Abaven told me. He also told me of the day he found you under a tree as a toddler.” Sweet Heavens, Abaven...
“Well it made me realize what kind of person you were.” What did he mean...?
“You’re someone who, despite everything, would never hurt anyone to keep living. Someone who took care of every living being equally, someone who chose kindness over violence... Everything I could never become as a child.” I sighed as I shook my head.
“You’re mistaken.” As much as I appreciated hearing those words... It hurt.
“How so?” He looked confused, didn’t expect me to say that. I couldn’t blame him.
“... I never killed anyone, I always chose to be kind. But... I could never forgive them. Seeing humans hurt and kill angered me, yet I tried to not go against them. And I did the same for other Gods...”
“But still! You never strayed, and that’s what made me admire you so much...” Admire me... For being weak? For having to keep most of my magic to myself?
“I knew right then and there, you were so much stronger than me in every way possible. And I mean it!” I sighed again. Mika, please...
“And besides... It made me realize something important. It made me remember something I forgot during my time in that War. Tzike, hear me out, okay?”
“... Okay. What was it?” He took another deep breath and, without taking his eyes off mine...
“... All the times I fought to continue living on, even after becoming the Sea God, even slaying Red Petal-Eyes... None of it was out of revenge.”
“Not once did I want to get revenge, not even after everyone I knew was gone back then. Not once did I fight and slay beasts for all I’ve lost… I fought so I wouldn’t lose what I still had.”
“Wait... Even when you clearly risked your life? Mika... Why?”
“It’s easy to have something to die for. Many do that, I’ve seen it over and over. But it’s much harder to find something to live for. “ He lifted his hand towards my face, carressing my cheek. And then, he smiled.
... I had no words. And there was nothing in the world that could ever be enough to describe what I was feeling. All I could do was hold onto his hand and listen to everything he had left to say.
“So right now, more than anything, I want to make this work. I want us to stay together, and I want to become a better God, a better person. I don’t even care if I need to stop fighting! As long as you’re happy, it’s more than enough for me! Also-!”
Before he would keep going, I pulled him into a kiss on the lips.
I noticed he was caught off-guard, yet instead of pulling away he just stayed still. That little kiss was meant to last for only a couple seconds — as I just wanted him to slow down — so when we pulled away and stared at each other, Mika laughed and fake-pouted at me.
“Tziiiike, I wasn’t done pouring my heart out! That was cheating!”
“I’m not sorry for this.” Our foreheads touched, never looking away from each other. And then I raised an eyebrow at him.
“On top of that, you don’t have to give up on fighting. You like it so much.”
“’Yeah I admit I won’t, but I promise I’ll never go to the front lines unless they need me to. I let Cerys tell Zhatty he’ll replace me.”
“Ah yes, you mentioned that earlier.” I said while nodding.
“Aye. But in any case! From now on... No more secrets, be honest with each other, and less fighting on my side, is that okay?”
“As long as you’re okay with it, naturally.” He grinned at this.
“Well I am!” I laughed at his response.
“Then so am I.” And with that, we hugged once more. We both knew now, things were going to change for the better.
“... Hey, Tzike? I hope I’m fully recovered by tomorrow, or else I’m done for.”
“Because I’m betting right now, everyone will be asking where I’ve been, and they won’t be happy.”
“... Oh. Indeed. I think they’ll do the same for me.”
“What do you- ... Waaaait a second. Did they ask to come with you and you refused?”
“I... -sigh- Yes. Exactly that...”
“... You’re such a dimwit, ya know? And I love you so much.”
“Haha... I love you too, Mika.”
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And here’s the final part! Previous part is here, and The Revival can be found here!
