Card Five: Ace of Swords

Cirrus used the limited power behind his all-knowing eye to find the location of the plague seed so far in the distance, although the more he used it, the more he felt like his head was spinning and his ears were ringing. Whenever he needed to use this unstable concept of his, frequent rest stops became mandatory. He often felt ashamed, as he’d worked tirelessly for over four hundred years to finally master this concept, yet to no avail. He knew that in its final form, where the all-knowing eye was at its most powerful, it would no longer harm its user, and yet here he was clenching his eyepatch in a tight fist with his amber eye burning and pulsing, feeling as if it were being stabbed by millions of tiny needles just because he’d used it for more than fifteen minutes. 

Really, it was shameful. No matter what kind of prophecy Cirrus may have on his head, it was still clear to him he had a long way to go before he was fit to save reality, however one was supposed to go about doing such a thing to begin with… he certainly didn’t know. But the task he’d been assigned on this journey was to follow the rumor mill leading him to the miracle worker, so he would do what he could to swallow his pain and push forward regardless, all until he and his group finally reached the town where the seed was hidden away. 

“How much longer will our illness immunity last, Achitha?” he questioned solemnly as he wiped a tear from his eye, doing his best to hide the exhaustion in his voice while he finally got to wrap his eyepatch back around his face and over his troublesome eye. 

Though the question felt necessary, because following the seed had led them to a larger town on the south coast of this planet, his eye having located a deep pit in the far distance filled to the brim with dead, diseased bodies covered in black bulges and rotting yellow blisters that the citizens were apparently trying to burn. Even with that concerning sight ignored, there were dying people abandoned on the streets, their bodies now malformed and decaying, swelling up with those same black and yellow welts that could only be the sign of a very grave, deadly plague. And the worst of it was here in this very town, the home of the plague seed where all this sickness originated, so he was very glad Jayce had stayed with Eve outside. 

Even though she’d been doing her best to heal the worst cases they had seen, she couldn’t heal everybody, and he didn’t want that to weigh on her. Saving lives was not her sole responsibility to bear, and she shouldn’t feel like it was. In fact, saving people was not their goal here at all, so even he did not have to worry about it. But still, with her naturally empathetic and passionate nature, it would be impossible for Eve not to feel guilty at what she saw if she found herself too weak to do anything, because she would most certainly feel like she should’ve been able. The young girl did always have that bad habit of feeling responsible for things that weren’t her fault, and this instance would be much the same. 

Achitha, on the other hand, was very different. He could tell just by giving her a glance that she felt at home in this atmosphere, despite pitying the people. Perhaps that was just what was natural for someone who wielded the concept of disease as both a useful tool and a powerful weapon. “I can give you immunity to all diseases so long as I am awake. Meaning we’re fine for now, but we shouldn’t rest here, as wielding my concept in my sleep is far beyond my abilities,” Achitha responded calmly, her tall and sturdy stature, while slightly shorter than him, making her look incredibly larger. He worked out too, of course— you would need to, if you were always going to be on the front lines like he was. But he was aware that Achitha herself was aiming to develop a strength concept to add to her arsenal, so she seemed rather larger than life compared to someone like him. Though he didn’t mind, he was just thankful for her reliability and her skill, her muscular physique doing nothing but showing how hard she’d worked to be where she was today. 

Most people assumed that Achitha was the type of woman he liked. In other words, because of his previous engagement with princess Arcadia, people who didn’t know him very well tended to think he was attracted to serious, intelligent, and slightly rude or arrogant women, exactly what Arcadia used to be. She’d been incredibly sharp and wise beyond her years, and she’d never had a problem with interrupting strategic meetings if she disagreed with what other officials were saying. Arcadia would boldly and unabashedly point out all of the flaws in their plans, and when asked what she would do differently by condescending men and other figures of rank, she displayed flawless insight with outstanding plans of her own. It was to the point that, despite how sickly and ill the young woman had always been before her death, she’d still always be invited to political roundtables and military meetings just to gather her insight. Cirrus’ mother had always said he should learn from her. 

But Arcadia was dead. Which, notably in the eyes of other nobles, left him very alone and without a fiancee. The missing slot that the prophecy had appeared to have gotten wrong spurred a fire in many a noble’s heart, and many of them viewed it as a chance too delicious to pass up. For the past four hundred years, hundreds of different planets and all the vast amounts of royals and nobles within them all attempted to send their daughters his way and make him fall in love with their charms. However, it wasn’t the usual charm you would think of when you envisioned a nice, lovely girl fit for a political marriage. Instead, all of these audacious parents and guardians had specifically trained their daughters to be cold, serious, and arrogant, and forced them to study endlessly in the hopes of reaching Arcadia’s same intelligence. Which, well… he’d found it all to be a bit unsettling. It wasn’t like he was blind to what they were all trying to do. Instead, he usually found himself pitying the poor women who came his way, because more often than not, it was clear they were very unhappy and uncomfortable playing the role of someone who was long gone from this world. In fact, Achitha was one of those very women. 

Looking at her now, it may seem hard to believe, as she’s come a long way and has grown into herself splendidly. But back when they’d first met, Achitha had been trained the same way as all the other girls, with the task of seducing him and becoming his wife falling on her shoulders. And because his grandmother, Ruba, had invited her into Lilino’s royal palace to have his mother train her personally, anyone could imagine how awkward he had felt. In fact, Achitha’s initial aggressiveness had only made him timid and caused him to avoid her, and when the observant girl caught onto that, she greatly softened her approach and finally revealed the very polite, sympathetic woman who liked to keep herself fit and active and who hated confrontation almost as much as he did. 

Eventually, after she admitted to what her parents had asked of her, Cirrus was able to give a firm but kind rejection, which finally allowed them to become genuine friends. Achitha gave up on trying to seduce him, and after a few centuries passed, he appointed her as his right-hand and personal second-in-command, the person who would lead in his place if he ever weren’t there to do so. He grew to appreciate her flawless memory and her own unique intelligence, as well as her strategic insight and calm, levelheaded demeanor. He might’ve known Jayce far longer and trusted him just as much, having been raised beside him, but his dear best friend was not fit to lead the same way she was. So, knowing he had her loyalty after all these centuries of fighting alongside each other, he couldn’t be happier with whom he had chosen to represent him. 

“Perfect, that should be fine. This town is large, but… if the miracle worker is truly here, I’ll be able to sense his magic just fine if he ever goes to use it, even if we’re on the outskirts. And if he really is here at all, it’s clear what he will try to do. Healing this town would probably be his priority, based on all the other legends we’ve heard of him,” he smiled wistfully, staring off into the distance where he could sense the plague seed was residing, Achitha staring at him with a level face. 

“Hm, I’m not as certain,” she eventually admitted, turning to stare into the same spot he had been while he turned his head towards her, her murky green eyes squinting into the clear blue horizon. “Your grandmother told us to follow the trail of rumors, so it would be good to continue to keep an eye out and possibly ask around. This might not be our final destination.”

“Ahh, you have a point… I’m just hoping we’re close now, it’s been nearly ten months since we set off. I know my grandmother said this journey was important, but I still can’t help but feel like there’s other stuff I could be doing that is more impactful,” he explained with a sigh, Achitha lowering her head in agreement. 

“You’re right, as well. I do understand what you’re feeling, as I feel the same. But if anything, I do believe this is the closest to the miracle worker we’ve ever been, so there’s that. This journey has been long, but you know just as well as I do that Ruba wouldn’t send us on such a long mission if the results weren’t going to be well worth it,” she remarked, Cirrus turning to stare at her again while heeding her words. Achitha truly was so wise. She was most likely the wisest person he knew who was younger than him. He was a good fifty-eight years older than her after all, and yet her maturity always greatly outshone his own. It was comforting most of the time, but sometimes it left him feeling a little lacking, since he was supposed to be a great leader according to the prophecy that had already lit up his legend for him without him even needing to lift a finger. 

But let’s not think of that… there was no good that would come out of comparing himself to others. He needed to focus on other things, like the possibility of detecting any strong mana that could belong to the miracle worker. He hadn’t missed the strong shockwave that had seemed to rock this part of the world, and he vividly remembered the mass destruction of that cave and the ashy remains of a powerful hydra when he’d come across it just recently. Whatever the case, this miracle worker was clearly not the one to hold back, so if he was here and planning on using whatever concepts he may wield, Cirrus was sure he would feel it. 

“Hm… say this isn’t our final destination, like you suspect,” Cirrus eventually turned towards his friend, giving Achitha a warm smile. “We’ll need to look for more rumors again. My grandmother said to follow the trail, so if we don’t find the miracle worker here, we should at the very least be able to find a trace. I’m just concerned we won’t be able to do that here, seeing how all these people are so sick…”

“I agree that it’s an issue,” Achitha spoke calmly, turning her gaze around to stare into the houses and windows of this diseased and dreary civilization. “Eve will not be able to heal them all. She is still learning as a healer, and has a long way to go, being the youngest of us all. Honestly, I do hate to say it this way, but I don’t understand why she was the one chosen to accompany you in the first place. Out of all the healers Ruba could have chosen, Eve is only… barely above average, I’d say. And I know Nadia has access to greater ones. I will admit she’s more than a prodigy for her age, and she also has plenty of experience and skill in combat, it’s just that she’s not at the same level as you or I. And with you being such an important figurehead in the fate of our world and society in general, it seems rather irresponsible to me for you to have been assigned such a healer to protect you. Not that I don’t like or appreciate the woman, she’s kind-hearted and fun to be around, I just can’t say the same for the strength of her concepts. In my opinion, she would’ve needed much more time to keep honing her skills before she was ready to travel with someone like you.”

Hearing all this come from the woman’s mouth, Cirrus couldn’t help but stare at Achitha rather blankly, having not expected her to be quite so blunt. If he were being honest, he really liked Eve and thought she had more than enough potential to be worthy of traveling at his side. Sure, she wasn’t the best healer out there, but she had the skill and the tenacity to get there eventually. If anything, he’d enjoyed watching her grow over these past ten months, and he knew she still had a lot more growth left inside her. 

“I think you’re being a bit harsh on her,” he smiled rather softly, Achitha refusing to look at him as she kept staring straight ahead. “Eve is young, sure, but she has immense potential. Ruba handpicked her by choice after having a vision that was apparently so great she had to search for her then and there. I don’t know what exactly that vision must’ve been, but it was clearly something important. I don’t mind if Eve’s not as skilled as she should be to be on my team. In fact, I don’t want to be viewed that way at all. I don’t want to be a person who’s so high above everyone else that you have to be someone extraordinary to travel with me. I don’t want to be alienated that way. And Eve is exceptionally friendly, and she’s got a good heart, so that’s more than enough for me.”

Achitha was silent as Cirrus continued to smile at her, patient and kind in his expression. It took her a moment, but she finally pieced together the words she wanted to say, and turned to him calmly. “I see what you mean. It was never my intent to put you on a pedestal. I do agree that Eve has the most potential for a healer I’ve seen in a while. I just fear that she’s a bit stuck right now, as I haven’t seen her improve much over the last few decades. In any case, we’ll need to plan out who she chooses to heal so that we can get the most information. If anyone would know any rumors about the miracle worker, it would most likely be an adventurer of some sort, so we should head to the main guild in this town and choose whoever seems most important.”

“Ah… I suppose I’ll have to use my title, then,” he chuckled rather awkwardly, Achitha’s brows beginning to furrow as she listened to him ramble. “I’m glad I have such a unique appearance… it helps that people always recognize me when I tell them who I am. If they didn’t, and I had to prove that I was actually Prince Cirrus Aixon of Lilino, I think I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I mean, arguing with someone over something like my identity feels so stupid and a bit overwhelming. I used to not like being so tall, specifically because it always brought me so much unwanted attention, but in times like these, it really isn’t so bad. Don’t you think, Achitha? Achitha, uh…” he trailed off after finally catching the look on her face, the disdain terribly evident. It made him feel like shrinking into himself, and all of a sudden, he wished he wasn’t so tall so that he could better hide from that look she was giving him… oh, the contradictions life brings…

“You know, Cirrus… I do hate to criticize you, as I often feel it’s not my place, but this time you must surely see where you have gone wrong,” Achitha frowned at him, moving to cross her arms as she leaned her weight on one sturdy leg. “I’ll admit, you’ve had this same problem for centuries, since the first day I ever met you. You never assert yourself unless you are absolutely cornered, and you never stand up for any of your beliefs. You horridly lack confidence, and the only times you ever talk well about yourself is when you happen to ramble like you are now, about the parts of you that make it easier for you to avoid conflict. Ugh, Cirrus…” she sighed into her hand, the prince lowering his head to listen obediently as he held his hands behind his back. 

“You must surely see where I’m heading with this. It’s not the first time we’ve had this conversation, and I’m afraid at this rate it won’t be the last. The truth of the matter is plain and simple… you need to carry yourself better than you do! You are not only a prince, and you are not only the chosen heir to the Central Domain Alliance, the largest alliance the Udimeia has to offer, but it has also been foretold that you are the chosen one who will someday save the world from reality’s collapse! You of all people don’t have the luxury to act so obviously insecure… the world needs you to stand tall and be strong! What are people to think if the one person who has been prophesied to save us all can’t even hold his head a little higher or treat himself with any respect? Surely you must see the problem.”

“Ah, yes, I do… I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize to me now, all I need is for you to fix the problem. And stand tall for goodness sake,” Achitha sighed once again, turning away from him as Cirrus straightened himself back up. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll try to do better… I understand my role is important and that it’s just as important for me to look the part,” he smiled rather tiredly, taking the critiques for what they were as he started heading deeper into town, Achitha taking that as her cue to follow him. 

“Do you know where we’re going?” the woman asked, Cirrus just smiling a bit at the ugly view in front of him while he followed the wide street filled with the sick and the dead all the way to the center plaza.

“No, not really. I’ve never been in this town before.”

“Really? But it’s within your alliance. I assume your mother would’ve taken you everywhere at least once.”

“Ah, yes… sort of. She only ever takes me to the main capitals of each planet. The capital here, for planet Rwnne, is on the complete opposite side of the map. I’d say this is only the third largest town that Rwnne has, so my mother never would’ve brought me here. She thought it would take too long and that it would be more of a waste of time to visit every town of every planet in the alliance, so I haven’t been everywhere.”

“Hm. That’s logical, I suppose,” Achitha nodded, stopping a few paces behind him as she watched her prince walk towards the large marble fountain that stood strong and elegant in the very center of town, watching him gaze down into the waters for a long, contemplating look. “...is something wrong with the water, Cirrus?”

“Oh. Yes, actually. The plague seed is stuck in a well on the outskirts of this town following along the coast of the sea… it’s job was to help filter through the water and make it clean and safe to drink for the townsfolk, but it seems a dead rat got stuck somewhere in the mechanism and poisoned the water. So everyone that has been drinking any would’ve gotten sick,” he commented, Achitha’s eyes widening at the reveal before she stepped up to look down into the flowing fountain as well. 

“Do you think Eve is skilled enough to remove that plague seed?” she asked quietly, feeling great concern as she looked down at the smooth waters that appeared so harmless on the surface. It was easy to imagine that the people here didn’t even realize this was the cause, and yet of course still needed to drink… so even now that they were sick, those with strength must still be getting water from this very fountain, and would therefore only grow more ill without ever knowing why… it was a cruel, twisted fate she wouldn't wish on anyone in the world, no matter how much she might hate them. 

Cirrus thought the same. But as for if Eve could remove it… “I’m not sure. I’d like to think she could. It’s worth it for her to try, I suppose, but if she can’t, it’s not too big of a deal for us. I’ll just send word to my mother and she will dispatch another healer who can get the job done. As of now, these people are not my responsibility and are not described in the mission my grandmother has given me, so we don’t have to stay here just because they’re suffering. It may take a few weeks, but my mother will receive the letter soon enough and they will receive the help they need.”

“Hm. That does seem like the most reasonable course of action,” Achitha nodded, taking one more sad look at the water before she turned towards Cirrus. “Then should we go ahead and have Eve try? If she fails, we should just have her heal someone from the adventurer's guild, gather whatever rumors they know, and then be on our way. If everything goes to plan, we should be able to move on to another town or planet by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, that sounds best… we should start moving now. The sooner the… the…” his eyes suddenly widened, his head snapping up from gazing into the flowing water to the very blue of the sky, not able to comprehend what he had just felt so deep within his body. Eve was a talented healer, and she had so much potential it was almost unreal, but what he had just felt didn’t feel like the concept of healing at all… and yet somehow, the plague seed was gone. What… how had that happened? What was going on? Was it really the miracle worker? It’d been a working theory in their group of four that the legendary man of myth only had combative concepts, so Cirrus had begun to think that it was impossible to run into him here… but clearly, whatever concept had been used to remove the seed hadn’t been healing, so maybe it really was…

He ripped off his eyepatch on instinct, jaw clenched so tight it hurt as he scanned his burning eye all over the town. If this really was the miracle worker, or… if it was even the second man Ruba had told him he would find… he needed to do everything he could to recruit them. He would not let them get away from him, not when he was so close…! He bit down so hard on his cheek he could feel the strong taste of iron, searching madly with his all-knowing eye for anything that could be a lead, but in the end, he really hadn’t needed to look so hard at all… because his eyes naturally laid themselves on what was most jarring in his vision, something so bizarre he didn’t know how to process it. 

A fairly tall man with a lean and slender build and a heap of thick platinum blond curls stood upon the highest rooftop of the church in the center of town, his round, heart-shaped face a soft creamy white with bright blue eyes that resembled the depth and freedom of the sky. His back was nearly bent entirely backwards and his arms were extended wide, and there was an immense, incredibly strong aura radiating off of him. It was a gentle white in color, but it was so large and all-consuming that it seemed to almost fall over this part of the world like some safe, warm blanket. And the moment this gentle blanket touched them all, Cirrus could feel that the entire town, no… the entire continent on this side of Rwnne had been healed of plague. The man was somehow turning himself invisible and completely undetectable to the naked eye, either with his own concept or a magic tool, so Achitha wouldn’t know what he was gawking at, but that wasn’t what shook him to his very core. 

No… what made Cirrus feel like he should turn tail and run the other direction was that crazy, manic smile that was wrapped all around the man’s face. The insane blond had extended his arms out like he was extending himself to the entire world, and he was laughing as though he’d lost his sanity. There was nothing hinged in the sound of his overpowering laughter, and his words were just as crazy and unfocused as the rest of him while he announced with vigor, “There you go, there you go!! My precious citizens of Rwnne, you’re all healed thanks to me and my power, you’re so very welcome!! I know I’m the greatest man who has ever lived, so live your lives to the fullest as well, and I will view it as thanks!! Hahaha, oh dear, this is amazing… it feels so good using this much magic, doesn’t it?! Doesn’t it, eheheh… oh… hm? What’s that?”

It was like a switch flipped in the blond’s mind the moment he caught Cirrus staring, the prince’s eyepatch clenched tight in his hand while he moved his long bangs out of the way of his vision. For a moment there, the two of them were locked in the weirdest staring contest he could ever hope to experience, working hard to get a perfect look at the crazy man so he could engrain his appearance into his memory, before he suddenly flinched and nearly freaked out when the blond anomaly began climbing the chimney, leaning his head down into the pipe before he completely pushed himself through headfirst and disappeared down the top. 

“I, uh… what in the… wha, wait!!” Cirrus yelled, it having taken a moment for him to come back to his senses after that insane display, dashing towards the church as fast as he could with Achitha on his toes, who was keenly aware that her friend and leader must have seen something with his all-knowing eye that would illicit such an intense reaction. And Cirrus couldn’t help but wonder, was this it? Was he about to find the miracle worker, or perhaps the mystery man who Ruba had warned would not respect him? Either way, would he finally be able to meet the person who he could share his burden with? A desperate, painful feeling of hope drove every fiber and muscle in his body, dashing into the church after slamming the doors open and jumping over all the formerly sick people who were now slowly beginning to wake, assuming that a god had granted them a miracle. He raced up the stairs as fast as he could, all the way to the third floor before he finally ran into the delirious blond. 

They crashed right into each other on the stairs, the insane healer running into him headfirst just when Cirrus turned the corner in a rush. And, as if their touching had evoked such a reaction, the blond suddenly began screaming as if he’d just been burned before he tripped over his own feet, falling harshly on the church’s wooden steps where Cirrus stared down at him. And it took the manic healer a moment before he managed to flip over onto his back, shooting the prince the angriest glare he’d ever received from anyone. And it really was so heated and fierce, like Cirrus had personally done something to wrong him… and that was when he realized. He’d found one of them. He’d found the man who would most certainly not respect him. A man who would not respect him, but who was also a man he needed to recruit regardless. And oh… oh dear. Cirrus, he… he suddenly realized that the task he’d been given by Ruba… well, it wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought. The hatred and animosity burning in those pure, sky blue eyes was far more than enough proof of that.