"Grant my wish," Leon whispered.

He closed his eyes.

The sound of leaves blew in the wind, spiraling in a disorderly fashion. The temperature dropped, the air getting colder around them. And the sun seemed to dim, no longer were there any golden rays peeking through the trees.

It was dark and loud. An unpleasant feeling filled the air. It was as if nature had reacted to the fairy's distress and was causing a ruckus.

And just as it started, it stopped.

Now, what surrounded them were dull colors.

No wind, no light, no life.

It seemed as if everything just stopped and disappeared.

The fairy seemed to stop struggling too.

That must've been why.

Then, Leon felt a warmth that glowed from beneath his fingertips.

He opened his eyes.

A golden aura was emanating from the fairy, making her glow from head to toe.

Leon smiled.

It must be working.

This must be how a fairy disappears after granting a wish.

How unfortunate.

To look beautiful even as you burst into nothing.

Leon smiled and looked towards the somber sky.

He would be home soon.

He would be free.

He could finally escape from this nightmare.

And everything would be over.

BLAST!

Leon was sent crashing back towards a tree.

He didn't need to look to know who it was. It was obviously the protagonist who had come to the rescue.

So Leon sat there against the tree, staring at the glowing fairy. He didn't have time for the protagonist, he was still waiting for his wish to come true.

Rey stood before him, angry.

His eyes were a brighter shade of red more than ever before. His fists shook uncontrollably, his wrath leaking out. He picked Leon up by the shirt, or what was left of it, since he scorched it.

"I trusted you," Rey snarled. "and you broke it. Again,"

Leon made no reaction, preoccupied with waiting for the fairy to burst.

PUNCH!

"LOOK AT ME!"

Leon continued to stare at the fairy, this time confused.

"LEON!"

Why was it taking so long?

"LEON!!"

Leon tried to make his way towards the fairy, but the protagonist held him back.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"Let go," Leon muttered.

And with strength he hadn't used in a while, he sent Rey flying back. Then, with a flash, he stood above the fairy.

The fairy was still lying down, glowing.

But she wasn't bursting anytime soon.

In fact, she was healing herself. Her broken wrists seemed to be coming together, same with her dislocated jaw. The glowing was just her absorbing the energy around them, which was why their surroundings seemed to look dull.

"Leon," Rey called once more, calmer this time.

Leon slowly turned around, finally sparing the protagonist a glance, "You lie,"

Rey narrowed his eyes, "You lied first,"

"I trusted you,"

With clenched fists, Rey uttered, "You broke my trust, twice,"

Silence.

Leon frowned. He gritted his teeth. His body began to tremble uncontrollably. His chest hurt, it hurt to breathe. But despite this, he still stood tall. He had too. This wasn't finished yet. It's not the end.

'My wish,' Leon thought frenziedly, 'My wish, my wish, my wish, my wish, my- . . . . Del Amira,'

He chuckled.

"Leon-"

Then, he faced towards the sky and started laughing hysterically.

It all made sense now!

He trusted the protagonist too much!

He should have trusted only himself!

Before, he was constantly spying on the protagonist and the fairy's alone time, listening to every conversation!

But not once had he heard the fairy give out her name!

It was because she never did in the first place!

He should have not trusted the protagonist!

"Del Amira," Leon said between laughs, "Del Amira, Del Amira,"

Then, Leon took a deep breath, "It's not her name,"

"No-"

"-It's Emilia's,"

Rey furrowed his eyebrows, confused, 'How does he know?'

"No matter," Leon turned back towards the fairy, "I'll still get my wish,"

Just as he was about to grab the fairy, a small beam of light pierced through his shoulder. Then, a quick flash took the fairy from his side.

Rey set Fay down next to a tree behind him and stood in Leon's way, planning to stop him from doing whatever he plans to do.

"I heard your wish," Rey said, "I can take you back home, there's no need to sacrifice a life-"

"-No," Leon raised a sword and pointed it at Rey, "You can't take me home,"

Rey glared at him. The sword in Leon's hand was no other than Everlasting Light.

"Give her to me," Leon threatened.

Rey furrowed his eyebrows, "We don't have to fight, just talk to me,"

Though Rey said this, he still raised his hand, ready to attack.

Leon didn't want to fight the protagonist. He already knew it was a losing battle. He's the damn protagonist for a reason. But, the protagonist had stopped him way too many times now. If Leon wanted to achieve his goals, he must first get rid of the protagonist.

It was no wonder why the protagonist had so many enemies.

He keeps butting his nose in where it doesn't belong.

Leon smirked, 'Today must be the day where the best friend becomes the villain,'

Leon dashed forward and swung his sword, breaking the shield that Rey had casted. Then, with another swing, Leon aimed for Rey's head, but was met with only black smoke. An illusion.

From behind, Rey had summoned a flurry of black, smoky tendrils to grab a hold of Leon.

Leon swiftly block the attacks heading his way. With quick twists and turns and heavy strokes, he managed to crush all the tendrils. And right then, a pressure from above weighed down upon him, pushing him towards the ground. But Leon reacted quickly and used his speed to escape.

With a heavy step, Leon plunged forward, Everlasting Light shining brightly in his hand.

And with a wave of his hand, Rey casted a dozen of magic circles, beams of light charging through.

And like this, they fought.

Spell after spell.

Attack after attack.

The forest surrounding them was in ruins, the trees cut down, most of them were charred and the others still burning. The ground was smashed and filled with cracks. There was not a step where one could stably stand. The sky had even started to cry, pouring rain to the fight below.

They didn't know how long they were fighting for.

Hours? Maybe even days?

It was hard to tell.

They was no time to keep track.

But they fought, and they continued to fight.

They had enough energy, enough mana to keep going as long as they wanted to.

However, they weren't healers.

Wounds have begun to pile up. Bruises and lacerations littered across their bodies. Not even broken bones managed to stop them.

Unbeknownst to them, Fay had silently watched on the sidelines. Her area was specifically safe from harm because of Rey.

But that safety didn't matter, she was horrified of the scene. This once beautiful forest full of life and light was in tatters. Never have she seen such destruction, it was terrifying. How can these two beings be this powerful?

From her eyes, she can tell that despite Rey's angry expression, he was feeling distressed and hurt. He was lost, he didn't know what to do nor how he should help his friend. So, he fought in hopes of finding the answer.

Leon, on the other hand, was filled with so much rage yet so much pain at the same time. She couldn't help but wonder what could have been so bad that drove him to this madness.

But that reason also didn't matter anymore. She had a duty to do. A duty to protect all other enchanted beings from this human. This human who is too powerful, too dangerous to keep loose. This human who tried to take a life for his own selfish reasons. This human who is not all there.

She needed to stop him from ever harming any other enchanted beings from now on.

So, she stepped out of the protected area and into the destruction.

She casted a burst of light, blinding both Rey's and Leon's eyes. Then, with a quick mutter of chants and a wave of her hand, vines erupted from the earth and began to wrap themselves around Leon, holding him down.

Leon reacted quickly and began striking at whatever that was holding onto him. However, it was futile. Everlasting Light did not pierce through the vines. These vines were not normal. They have been charmed, rendering Everlasting Light useless.

And just then, Rey had recovered from blindness and helped Fay tie Leon down.

It was not an easy fight, but soon Leon was forced onto his knees, unable to move.

Realizing that he had lost, Leon sat still, awaiting for their next move.

He hoped that the fairy was kind enough to finally grant his wish. Or maybe the protagonist was angry enough to finally kill him. Either one, it would be a blessing to him. But he already knew that none of those were ever going to happen.

"Le-"

"-Step back," Fay interrupted and walked towards Leon.

She was still glowing. A light within this destruction.

Leon wondered what she had planned. She had absorbed most, if not all, of energy surrounding them. What was she planning to do? Was she going to kill him herself?

Fay stood before Leon, looking down at him. She made a few movement with her arms before muttering a couple of unknown words. Leon have never seen it before. It must be some sort of special spell.

Then, glimmering sparkles appeared from nowhere and formed themselves into a small sphere above the fairy's palm.

The fairy's glow disappeared and her wings folded back down, relaxed.

Just as the Fay was about to take another step towards Leon, Rey stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

"It won't kill him," Fay replied.

Rey was hesitant, but he slowly let go of Fay, letting her continue her task.

"A present for me?" Leon smiled innocently, "I feel so special,"

Fay grimaced, "Yes, a present for you,"

With one hand, she lifted Leon's head, and with the other, she shattered the glowing orb and pressed it on his forehead.

Leon let out a small groan. Dizziness and throbbing pain filled his head. He could feel something embedding itself into his body, searing into his very soul. It was uncomfortable. His breath fastened and his body trembled. He wanted to scratch it out and destroy it, but the vines made him unable to. He couldn't move. So he struggled in place, unable to get rid of the discomfort.

Rey pushed Fay out the way and quickly went to check on him.

"Leon?" he raised Leon's head, trying to find what was wrong. But there was nothing. Leon seemed completely fine in his eyes, but he knew there was something causing him pain.

Rey stood up and glared the fairy.

"What did you do?!"

Fay glanced down at the struggling Leon.

Sizzle.

Leon's hand burned as he held Everlasting Light, causing him to drop the sword. The vines on his body also began to scorch his skin, but he was unable to remove them. Rey acted quickly and began ripping the vines off of him.

"Just like your brand, Rey, Leon's the same," Fay explained as Rey dragged Leon to safety, "Except, from now on, he will forever be scorned by everything enchanted. He will no longer be blessed or trusted by any enchanted beings. He will no longer be able to touch or hold any enchanted artifacts, weapons, or even magic. From now on, he is considered as an enemy,"

Rey stared bewildered. He didn't know something like that existed.

Leon pushed himself out of Rey's hold and staggered up to his feet. Between heavy breaths, Leon began laughing once more. His laugh getting louder and louder as his hands rested at his sides.

He felt like he was going mad!

Things just keep happening one after another!

The nightmare just doesn't seem to end!

Rey stood up and tried to calm Leon down, but was instead met with a harsh push.

Leon sucked in a quick breath and turned towards the fairy with bright smile.

"I'll kill you,"

 

A/N:

I am back from vacation!!!