Card Thirteen: Seven of Pentacles

Apparently, there was nothing left to see on the planet of Rwnne, or at least nothing Cirrus and his group could conclude the miracle worker would be after. Feather was surprised to say he was right, and that if he hadn’t come in contact with this pesky group of people, he really would’ve been moving on to another planet by now. A whole new universe entirely, to be exact. He’d already had fun in this one, so he would’ve been ready to move on either way, but watching Cirrus and his party try to brainstorm where the miracle worker would most likely be off to next was entertaining. 

“Maybe we should head to Pearalis, in the Oacabi Universe. They’re apparently dealing with a bunch of sailors getting mysteriously killed or ships going missing while out at sea. And that planet is mostly water, which only makes things more concerning…” Achitha suggested during their brainstorming session, Feather nodding along sensibly. Her insights were spot-on, he’d indeed been thinking about heading over to Pearalis to deal with their sea monster problem after he'd cured the plague here. She was definitely spot on. 

However, Jayce quickly spoke up afterwards, leading Feather to frown as the man began to suggest something completely ridiculous. “Well, shouldn’t we be focusing more on rumors we’ve heard about here? The miracle worker was clearly on this planet, but it doesn’t look like he came this way, so maybe we should double back to the town with the hydra and look for more rumors there.”

“What? But that’s so tedious,” Feather protested, not liking that direction as Jayce shot him an annoyed glare. 

“What would you know? It’s not like you’re the miracle worker, so just shut up, will you?”

“...”

Feather, for once in his life, didn’t know how to respond to that, and merely crossed his arms as he continued to begrudgingly listen. Obviously, since he was the miracle worker and knew exactly how his own mind worked, he’d jump straight into more chaos. Doubling back to someplace he’d already been without good reason was something he’d never do, so Jayce was actually the one who should be shutting his face. Still, he couldn’t say any of that without blowing his cover, so he kept silent and brewed while the conversation kept spinning. 

“Hm, circling back might be a good idea in theory, but it would waste us a lot of time,” Cirrus spoke up with more sense, Feather instantly brightening and nodding along, finally appreciating the man and what he had to say. Even the dumbest of people said smart things every once in a while, after all!

And Eve could only give a small sigh, moving her hand to scratch at the back of her pale neck underneath her snow white hair, looking awfully conflicted as she put in her own two cents. “I agree with Cirrus. There haven’t been any other rumors to follow in this world, so I’m thinking the miracle worker just already up and left. I mean, he seems like a pretty knowledgeable guy, so don't you think he would've left the plague alone because he figured Feather would handle it? That would explain why we haven't seen anything else of him, meaning he's probably already long gone. We’d be best just moving on to somewhere else with rumors circulating it to save time. Ruba just said to follow the trail of rumors, not that they necessarily had to be rumors about the legendary guy himself, you know?”

“Exactly. We should just go to Pearalis and check that out,” Feather smiled smugly, glad to see the conversation turning in his favor as Achitha shot him a look. 

“Are you even thinking through this logically? We’re trying to hunt somebody, not follow our whims. We're not doing this to have fun.”

“Um, okay, fine, whatever. Guess my opinion just doesn’t matter then,” he spat indignantly, Leocadies snickering at him from behind as Kya continued to listen in silence. But honestly, this was so stupid. He was hiding his identity because he didn’t want more responsibilities to be hounded on top of him without his permission, so he was planning to reveal himself at a more opportune time when he’d finally decided on what he wanted to do. But like, hello? He was this close to just blurting out that he was the miracle worker they were looking for. Eve's theory was solid with the information she had available to her, but in the end, the miracle worker was still the man right in front of them. Of course if anyone would know where he would go next, it would be him, because he was him! But noooo, he was just a healer, not worth listening to, just a childish lunatic who knew nothing, blah blah blah…

But Cirrus still gave him a disgustingly considerate smile, as if he were empathizing with Feather’s situation, even though that was honestly very unnecessary. And Feather nearly started throwing another tantrum when he gently commented towards him, “Your opinion does matter, and I’d like to hear it, if you have anything you want to say. All we’re asking is that you try to think about our goal a little bit more.”

And he felt the strongest urge to punch a tree than what he'd ever felt before, the rage-filled desire only increasing when Leocadies started laughing into his fist, Feather turning on him in an instant as he threw his hands in the air. “What?! You think this is funny? I’ll show you what’s funny when my fist hits your face instead of a tree!”

“No, no, hahaha… I’m sorry boss, please forgive me, hehe…”

Kya was the only one who kept her calm composure as Feather and Leocadies started wrestling, calmly turning to the group led by Cirrus as she added what Feather would’ve wanted to say, if he could without blowing his cover. “I do agree that we should be thinking about this logically, but I think it’s also important to think about this emotionally, as well. Because from what you’ve told me, the miracle worker doesn’t seem to follow logic when he goes from place to place, he just follows rumors. I’d say he usually follows the biggest circulating rumors, correct? Or the rumors that seem like they threaten the most people. We need to try and get into his mind, to attempt at understanding what he may be feeling emotionally in order to figure out where he would go. And based on that, since we can conclude he is no longer here, I think Pearalis is the best match we can hope for.”

It seemed Cirrus’ group was a bit surprised to hear anything intelligent come from one of them, and their respect for Kya and what she had to deal with on a daily basis grew tenfold as Achitha gave her a warm smile, nodding respectfully with her agreement. “I think that’s a good way to look at it. Since I’ve been tracking and keeping notes on the miracle worker’s movements, and he definitely tends to just move to whatever rumor seems the most wide-spread or threatening at any given time. Getting into his mind like that is definitely a good strategy, and I agree with Cirrus that circling back would waste a lot of precious time we might not have. Cirrus, if it’s alright with you, can you start preparing for teleportation to Pearalis?”

“Is that quicker than heading to a waypoint?” Jayce asked sensibly, and Achitha flipped through her book as she folded out a large map, setting it on top of the book's hard cover as she checked to see where they were. 

“Hm. Of course, as we all know, there’s always four waypoints on each planet for the north, south, east, and west poles… and right now, we’re closest to the western waypoint… but it would still take us about a two weeks journey to get there, so in the end, having Cirrus teleport us is still faster,” Achitha deduced, her maps diligently written with neat handwriting while also being extremely detailed as Feather peaked at it, intrigued. And, as she continued to speak, Achitha noticed his child-like interest and subtly positioned the map lower and closer to him so he could take a better look. “But I can understand how that would be taxing on you, Cirrus, especially considering what you just went through. Keeping your health in mind, if teleportation proves to be too difficult right now, moving to the western waypoint may be our only option. Though, if preferable, I know I can teleport two people at once, so I can take some of the load off your shoulders, making it to where you’d only have to teleport five of us instead. How would that work, Cirrus?” she looked up, Feather’s curiosity shimmering as he looked at all of the landmarks she’d sketched out on her detailed maps of all the places she’d been to. 

“Um, don't worry... I'm really fine, I'm sure I can teleport all seven of us just fine if you give me the rest of the day to meditate,” Cirrus comforted his people, giving them all a warm and sweet smile as he tried to calm their worries. “I can do it, it's really not—”

“Why are you so fixated on teleporting? I know you struggled to teleport us to a planet where the bridges of reality were gone, but Pearalis’ bridges are still running strong. Is it really still that difficult for you?” Feather interrupted with a lazy drawl as he kept investigating all of Achitha’s map’s little details, details he hadn’t noticed even when he’d walked right past them himself. Apparently, the type of trees that grew in this forest were known as lizena trees, and they had white bark with grey patches, and produced beautiful flowers that were blue with white spots. They grew all over this specific universe, and were a common invasive species on other woodland planets because of how easily they adapted. He agreed they were pretty, but having all of this extra information in his face was so brilliant, and his respect for Achitha grew immensely. 

Though, his question must’ve seemed slightly offensive to the others, and before Jayce could snap at him for it, Eve slapped his shoulder for good measure and gave him an eager smile before exclaiming, “Oh right! Feather, you’re a world hopper too, aren’t you? And since there’s three of you, does that mean you can teleport three people at once?” she questioned brightly, Jayce trying to step away from her as she grabbed hold of his arm to keep him close and on a leash. “I can’t teleport yet, and Jayce can only teleport himself. Achitha can teleport two people, which is already really impressive, but Cirrus’ limit is actually ten, which is extremely advanced for his age! What’s your limit?”

“Huh? Limit?” Feather blinked, not truly understanding the question in its entirety. Although, he could tell she didn’t mean any harm by it, so it just confused him. “What do you mean? I’ve never understood why people found teleporting to be so difficult. I just open a portal and take whatever I want through it. Do you want me to take us all to Pearalis right now?” he offered, casually extending his finger to the side as reality began to spin in his finger, space and matter bending to his will as a hole in space was formed, and Cirrus’ party was suddenly left to gape.

After all this talk on how they should teleport and get to Pearalis, this felt almost unbelievable. Eve almost felt stupid for trying to call Cirrus and Achitha impressive to Feather's face, seeing the stupendous portal he’d just opened like it was nothing…

“A portal prodigy,” was what slipped out of Achitha’s mouth, her hand going to cover it almost instantly as she looked at the swirling white mass of space. “I… so if I walk through this, I’ll end up in Pearalis?”

“Wait! Don’t do that! It could be a trap!” Jayce insisted, already pushing himself forward as he blocked the way through the portal. “This guy could be leading us somewhere dangerous! Look at all the trouble he got Cirrus into yesterday!”

“If you’re that worried about it, I’ll just go first,” Leocadies shrugged, Kya not bothering to spare Cirrus’ group another glance as both of them walked through the portal without a problem, Feather just staring at the four of them like they were completely foolish. 

“What are you waiting for? The miracle worker is probably capable of this as well, why do you think he’s always ahead of you?” he pointed out rudely, Cirrus carefully taking off his eyepatch to examine the swirling portal. 

It really was pristinely made, and he could tell it was a perfect, easy trip to their next location, the planet of Pearalis, all the way in the Oacabi Universe. He knew some portals would spin you around if you stepped inside, and others made it feel like you were falling, but from what his all-knowing eye could witness, this one was an immediate step to the other side, no extra problems or dizziness added. It was a very complex, very advanced portal, and this unbelievable man here was the one opening it like it was nothing, without even needing to focus. In fact, it was so complex and advanced to look at that his eye started tearing up from all of the intricate knowledge that entered it, wincing at all of the detailed and fleshed out designs that must’ve gone into making such a portal... even though Feather had created it so casually. But it made him smile as he wrapped his eyepatch back around his face, and he carefully stepped around Jayce as he smiled at Feather. 

“Thank you. This will make traveling much easier for me.”

“Hahah, of course, I can do anything!”

And Cirrus chuckled fondly at that, before he waved to Jayce, Achitha, and Eve to follow, already disappearing through the swirling white sheets as Eve bounded after him, jumping through the portal in one hop. She was probably expecting to feel that falling sensation and flail around, but surprisingly, the moment she stumbled onto the other side, she felt nothing of the sort. Her stomach hadn’t flipped upside down, and she hadn’t even been spun like a top! Achitha was also amazed as she gracefully walked through, and as begrudging as Jayce was, he had to admit this was probably the best damn portal he’d ever seen. 

Mostly everyone was silent, Leocadies and Kya following Feather’s lead as Cirrus’ group all stared at them. Feather was the only one who looked so happy, and he casually spun around on the sandy beach they’d arrived in, a port to be spotted in the distance as he breathed in the fresh salty air. 

“Ahhhhh, I love the ocean!! Let’s go swimming!! I wanna catch some fish!! Hehe, I’m going to have so much fun in this place!!” the manic healer grinned, already moving to take off his knee-high white boots without a care. 

“Remember boss, something dangerous is in the ocean, so it might not be smart to go too deep,” Leocadies reminded him, Feather only continuing to grin from ear to ear. 

“That’s fine, I can take it! Bring all the sea monsters right at me!”

“But boss, you’re only a healer…” Kya reminded him strategically, Feather visibly faltering as he froze with the realization, before he suddenly began to whine. 

“Aww, that’s right… but maybe the monster is actually injured and will go away if I give it a healing kiss of love?”

“Haha, maybe you’re right, boss! I wouldn’t wanna kiss a monster though, sounds gross,” Leocadies laughed boldly, clearly enjoying the hot ocean air and the strong breeze that flowed through, ruffling Feather’s platinum blond curls in its clutches. 

He really was amazing. Cirrus already knew that. He’d been healed from the brink of death and had been prevented from turning into a gruesome monster by that man, and he’d watched him follow his whims and uncover a conspiracy no one had yet to discover in over four hundred years. Of course Feather was amazing. But sometimes his childish behavior tricked Cirrus into thinking he had nothing else to show… only for him to pull stunts like this. It’d only been three days, but Cirrus already found himself wondering how he’d be surprised next. And just where had Feather learned to create a portal like that? 

The only other people he'd personally met who could create portals so advanced were his grandmother, Imperial Queen Ruba Aixon of Lilino.... his mother, Queen Nadia Aixon of Lilino... King Cadence Canasettia of Salaven, who was the previous leader of the Central Domain Alliance before he retired… Kallan Sanguine of Salaven, King Cadence’s leading general and master strategist… his friend Honorary Princess Artemis Canasettia, King Cadence’s niece who he’d gone to school with back in the day… as well as King Ophiuchus Deliuras of Betalina, celestial leader of the planet of stars. Of course, he knew there were more, but they were all people who were in their two or three thousands, and yet his all-knowing eye told him quite clearly that Feather was only five-hundred and twenty-five…

It made Cirrus feel slightly reverent, and he didn’t know whether to pretend as if what Feather had done was normal or maybe compliment him, but Eve was the only one thinking on an entirely different level. As Feather kicked off his boots and began to strip off his many outer layers so that he could enjoy the hot weather of the beach, clearly about to jump into the ocean that was just in front of him, Eve immediately approached him before he could do any of that. 

She was much too hot in this weather… after all, she’d been raised on the planet Notir, the world of snow where blizzards took place nearly daily. No one in her small village had been able to learn any concepts, and her tribe members used to die of hypothermia more often than she could count… until she’d discovered the concept of healing and began using it to save them. And then she mastered the concept of snow, using it to fight alongside the men and other warriors so that she could help put food on the table for her society. She was used to working for what she got, and she wasn’t good at sitting still and doing nothing when such big opportunities were dangling right in front of her face.

“Please teach me!!” she bowed to Feather, the man stopping in his stripping as he tossed his white and gold tunic to the side, staring down at her with a look that said he was barely registering what she was asking. 

“Huh? Teach you what?”

“Please teach me how to teleport, and how to use the concept of healing better!” Eve repeated more clearly, further deepening her bow as she stared earnestly at the sandy ground. 

This was it. She was already considered a prodigy, and she’d already been recruited by Imperial Queen Ruba herself when she made a visit to see who the rumored double-concept wielding girl was in such a rough, dangerous planet as Notir where concepts were few and scarce… but she was still a rookie. If Cirrus had gotten that injured in front of her, and if Feather hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have been able to reattach his arm. She would’ve been able to heal his stomach, but she wouldn’t have been able to remove the scar. And she most certainly wouldn’t have been able to remove all of the black blood from his system. But if something like that happened again, even if it wasn’t Cirrus who was injured… and if Feather wasn’t with her… she needed to be able to do miracles like that herself. And the man right in front of her was simply proof that it was possible. 

But Feather just stared at her, the request finally registering in his mind as he threw his tunic and belt onto the ground, Leocadies quickly catching the thin white fabric before it blew away with the wind, making sure to pick up the discarded belt, as well, brushing off the sand from the golden leather. All Feather wore now were loose white harem pants that wrapped tightly around his small waist, but he paused in preparing himself to swim to swiftly think over Eve’s request. Though he didn’t think for long. “Hm. No.”

“Huh… what?” Eve looked up, Feather squatting down before he rolled onto his bottom, already starting to roll up his pants to his knees just to make things easier, even though he planned to jump in completely.

“Sorry, I don’t really want to do that,” he reiterated, before standing up all over again as he stretched himself out wide. “Hahah, time to swim!! I’m going to have so much fun on this planet!!”

And at that, without another word to her, Feather ran off into the salty water as he threw himself into the small waves, trudging deeper while laughing giddily like he was having the absolute time of his life. Eve could only stare after him, shocked that he’d responded like that. She was so certain he was a good person, and after watching him for the past three days, it was clear he cared deeply about life… after all, it was impossible for such a talented to the point of divine healer to be a bad person. 

Healers were inherently good people… because that’s how their healing concept was made. To develop a healing concept for yourself, you had to have a strong, deep desire to heal and care for others. If you didn’t have that, it would be impossible for you to gain the concept. And Feather… he was such an impressive healer, to the point he was almost godly, like no other healer she had ever seen before, and Eve had been trained by none other than Didimitri Korule himself, the strongest divine healer that the Central Domain Alliance had to offer and Cirrus’ father… so what on earth had possessed him to refuse? If he was a healer, why wasn’t he more kind-hearted? Healers weren’t supposed to be so selfish and self-centered! She wanted to be as talented a healer as he was, and she wanted to learn from him so she could save others as effortlessly as he could, so… what on earth was wrong with him? How had a man like that ever learned the concept of healing to begin with?