Original Stories Fan Fiction / Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction ❯ The Elementalists ❯ Twenty-five - The End... Or is it? ( Chapter 25 )

“Am I in…Florian's mansion?” she asked herself quietly, sitting up to look around. The room was very large, the queen canopy bed located right in the middle of it. A couple of chairs with golden legs and deep magenta cushion were next to the bed, and on Candis's left side the high windows were closed with beautifully embroidered curtains.

 

Shaking her head to make sure it wasn't a dream, she slowly got out of bed, her legs feeling a little numb. She held onto one of the chairs to support her, as she was just getting the feeling back in her legs. `I must have been out for days, or even weeks,' she thought, sitting down in the chair to allow the tingling feeling in her legs fade away.

 

Candis turned her head to see Eryk walk into the room with a newspaper in hand. He froze when he saw Candis staring at him, then rushed over to hug her. She blushed, hugging him back, though timidly. “Um…hi,” she said quietly.

 

Eryk let go, beaming with delight as he said, “I knew you'd wake up! You were in a coma for three weeks, but I knew that you would pull through. The way you handle things, you wouldn't let something like a little sleep kill you.” He laughed gently, wiping away tears that had managed to escape his eyes.

 

Candis offered a small smile, then looked past Eryk and at the door. “Are the others up yet?” she asked, attempting to stand once again.

 

Eryk immediately helped her up, guiding her to the door. “Unfortunately, no,” he answered, his voice bleak. “Florian's been worried sick about Kai, naturally, but he's been better since we've convinced him to leave her room to eat and bathe.”

 

Candis wrinkled her nose, disgusted. “How long did you let him sit there without having a bath?” she exclaimed.

 

Eryk laughed. “Only three days. We finally managed to get him out of the room for a bath after that third day, then he continued to do it and eventually we got him to come out for meals too.” He sighed, still helping Candis walk through the halls. “Maybe I should…carry you when we reach the stairs,” he offered shyly, his cheeks burning red.

 

Candis blushed as well, but nodded. It was probably better for him to carry her than for her to fall down who knows how many flights of stairs.

 

She turned her head just in time to see Kai slowly but surely walk out of another room. She grinned widely, shouting, “Hey! Guess you're up too.” Kai's head snapped towards Candis, and she tried to hurry and make her way to the other two.

 

“I wonder how long we were out,” she wondered, leaning on the railing to keep her balance. “My legs were numb for a full ten minutes! I had to sit there for ten minutes just so my legs could get the feeling back in them. And that tingling feeling was no help at all.”

 

“Three weeks,” Candis said, answering her first thought. “We were out for almost a month.” Kai made a `wow' sound, then cautiously proceeded down the steps.

 

“So, what happened after we… you know… fainted?” she asked, taking one step at a time while gripping the railing.

 

“Well, Ilias called that Captain Skyler guy and he came right away by portal with some goons of his. They took Gilead's body back to the Ministry for research, or something like that, then they carried you guys back to Florian's place after they healed all of us,” Eryk explained. “And you don't need to worry about fighting Rika either.”

 

“What?” asked the two girls, stopping at the bottom step of the staircase as they stared disbelievingly at Eryk.

 

“Turns out that last blast of yours destroyed the crystal amulet that Gilead said held most of Rika's power, and now she has fled into hiding. They have an idea of where her new hiding spot is, but they don't find it a big threat. It would take her many hundreds of years to gain back all the power she lost.”

 

The girls gawked at the wondrous news, quickly accepting it as they continued through to the second floor's living room. Florian was found laying on a couch, his eyes closed and an open book set on his face. Kai giggled slightly, walking over to poke at him. “Wake up, sleepy head!” she said loudly, causing Florian to flinch and warily open one eye. The other eye snapped open when he realized that Kai was grinning right before him.

 

“K-Kai!” he exclaimed, practically jumping off of the couch and onto the girl. “I'm so glad you're alright! Thank the Gods you've finally woken up…” He sighed in relief, hugging the girl tightly.

 

“Hey! I… can't… breathe!” she stammered, trying to loosen Florian's grip around her waist.

 

“Oh, sorry…” he replied guiltily, immediately releasing her. He smiled happily, running a hand through her messy brown hair, then resting his head on her shoulder. She hugged him again, rubbing his back to relieve some of the tension. “Kai, I didn't think you would make it,” he admitted.

 

Kai scoffed, replying, “You didn't think I would make it? How low of me do you think?” She pouted and stopped rubbing Florian's back. “I can handle virtually anything!” she added lightheartedly.

 

Florian laughed, standing up and bringing Kai along with him. “Come on,” he said, gesturing Eryk and Candis to follow. “Guren and Ilias are still here, too.”

 

“Candis! Kai!” called a squeaky, frenzied voice. “You guys are okay!” Candis turned to see Chi run towards her, nearly knocking her over when she hugged her. “I was so scared! But I knew that we could pull it off in the end. I just didn't know that we'd be in a coma for three weeks. I'm so glad that we're all awake now!”

 

“`We're all awake now?'” questioned Candis, lifting her head up in time to see Feng emerging from the stairs, her hair quite tangled. “Have a nice nap?”

 

Feng smirked, leaning against the railing of the stairs. “I could say the same,” she replied. The group laughed heartily, then followed Florian down the very last flight of stairs and into the large kitchen.

 

Ilias was sitting at the table looking very tired, and Captain Skyler occupied the seat in front of him. He looked equally tired, pouring over maps and documents that the girls were immediately curious about.

 

The elf glanced up, seeing the group approach all at once. His eyes lit up happily when he saw that all the girls were all awake. “Girls!” he said excitedly. “You've all awakened!” He quickly stood up from his chair rushing over to hug each of them individually. “I knew in my heart that you could make it,” he said, his eyes gentle and glad.

 

Captain Skyler appeared behind Ilias, his somewhat famous smirk set firm on his lips. “Well done, Elementalists,” he said, holding out his hand for them to shake. “We would not have got this far without your overwhelming powers.” He nodded to Florian and Eryk, adding, “And thank you two as well. You've done well to look after the girls and help them with their training.”

 

The group sat down at the table and chatted for a while about specifically what happened after the girls collapsed. “You had used most of your excess energy, leaving barely enough for you to survive. You were in a coma for three weeks because your bodies needed to recover the vast amount of energy that you lost,” Captain Skyler explained, sipping at another cup of coffee.

 

“So what's all those maps and documents you have there?” asked Candis, pointing to the now forgotten pieces of paper. The Captain sighed deeply.

 

“Since Lady Rika fled somewhere off the coast of Roshim, her followers have also fled, all over the region. We've sent a fair number of troops in the main directions they went, but there were also a great number of them who disguised themselves as humans and are hiding in villages. Those are the hardest to find, and we've had many complaints already about thievery in villages close to Lady Rika's hideout,” he answered glumly.

 

“Oh.” The girls silenced for a few moments, then Kai asked, “But they'll be caught before the end of Fall, right?” The group looked at her quizically. “I mean, it won't take longer than an entire season to find all of them. Will it?”

Ilias sighed and rubbed his eyes. “It may, or it may not,” he replied, uncertain. “We're not sure. Our troops have found a large number of them and killed them, but there are still at least double that amount left. They're easy to find and kill if they aren't disguised as humans, but some are clever and set up illusions. But no matter, the major threat to both worlds is now gone.” He forced another smile on his face.

 

“Yes, I guess that's a plus,” murmured the Captain, rubbing at his chin.

 

“You guess?!” exclaimed Candis, slamming her fists on the table as she stood up. “We busted our asses just to get rid of her top-notch sorcerer! We could have died, and you say you guess that it's a plus that we nearly destroyed her too?!”

 

“Calm down, Candis,” said Feng calmly. “Don't let yourself be angered by simple little things.” She tried to give Candis a small smile to calm her down.

 

Candis glared, turning away from the table. “Easy for you to say,” she muttered before slowly heading out of the room. Eryk sighed, following after her without delay.

 

“Candis,” he called, stepping beside her. She had almost climbed all three sets of stairs and was now on the balcony of the very large library. “I know that Captain guy is a jackass, like Guren, but just focus on the good news. You're alive, Kai is alive, everyone you care about is alive. Shouldn't that be enough?”

Candis sighed, leaning against the railing and looking out onto the sun. “Yeah, I guess,” she replied softly. “I guess it's just my natural fiery attitude,” she added, laughing a little. Eryk grinned, looking at Candis.

 

Running a hand through his wavy brown hair, he said, “Candis…” She turned to look at him, blushing when she saw the softness in his eyes that never existed there before. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, causing her to blush even more. He tilted her chin up and slowly leaned down, closing his eyes as he kissed her tenderly.

 

Candis's eyes widened for a moment, then the strain on her shoulders disappeared and she closed her eyes, kissing him back. The two stayed like that for a moment, breaking apart only when the need for air became an issue. Flushed, Candis leaned into Eryk, wrapping her arms around his middle. He smiled softly, wrapping his own arms around her to hold her closer. He intended to hold onto her for as long as he lived.

 

 

Kai slipped out of the kitchen when the group occupied themselves with tea and coffee, bustling about the kitchen in the joy that their heroes were alive and well. She walked first into the bathroom in search for a hairtie, finding one and tying her still somewhat messy hair up in a bun.

 

She continued on through the first floor living room and out the door that led to the backyard. She walked through the trees surrounding the fields of Florian's backyard, following the path to a place she used to go to if she needed to clear her thoughts. `That's exactly where he'll be,' she thought, thinking herself witty.

 

When she came upon the clearing, she saw a familiar redhead through the bushes that surrounded it. Pushing her way through them, Kai saw Guren sitting Indian-style next to the small pond, his eyes closed and his breathing even. She smiled slightly, sitting down a foot or two away from him.

 

“You've finally woken up, I see,” he muttered, his shoulders slumping down. “Disturbing my peace and quiet as usual.”

Kai laughed, replying, “Hey, that's what I live for!” She winked at him, and shaking his head, he smirked back at her.

 

“I'll never understand you.” Kai giggled a little, turning her head to see the sunlight begin to fade away behind the many trees.

 

“This pond shines so magnificently when the moon is out, you know,” she said. Guren raised a brow, slightly interested.

 

Kai continued willingly, “A year and a half ago, a while after we met Florian, he and Eryk and the rest of the group except Feng would tease me all the time. I'd always been teased when I was living with my foster father, Misa, because of my strange powers.

 

“I lived in a village full of dog demon merchants, so I didn't exactly fit in. Pops always told me not to be bothered by it, but I was anyway.” She looked into the pond, smiling sadly. “I used to always come here when they teased me. I guess I couldn't take it then because I was picked on so much before. Their teasing is just for a laugh, but it still hurt.”

 

Kai sighed quietly, looking up at the darkening sky. The two sat in silence for some time, Guren seeming to pay no attention to her life story. Finally, when the moon had risen into the night sky, he murmured, “You're right. It sparkles beautifully in the moonlight.” He stared into the pond, seeing a darkened reflection of himself. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, bringing his hands behind his head as he laid down on the soft grass.

 

Kai smiled a little, looking at Guren with much interest. She stood up and stretched, extending her hand to help Guren up. “Hm?”

 

“Let's go eat,” she said, her stomach rumbling loudly to prove her hunger. “Unless you plan to leave this place since we've all woken up. Like there's no reason for you to stay anymore,” she added, somewhat unhappily.

 

Guren smirked, standing up on his own. “I don't know,” he said, stretching his own arms out. “You're not as bad as I thought you were.” He smiled briefly, then stuffed his hands in his pockets as he turned to head back towards the mansion.

 

`I knew he would warm up to us,' Kai thought. `We just took some getting used to.' She smiled genuinely to herself, running to catch up with him.