Magic, Love, Family Pt. 04

"Sir Raymond! I understand that you want to test the extent of your powers..." Emil began and unleashed the aura of a 4-star awakened before he added, "It's enough, there isn't any need to carry on with it."

"Be prepared!" Emil shouted and then flashed ahead Raymond.

Raymond couldn't even blink his eye before he was blasted backward by wind pressure. Emil was supremely quick, nearly invisible. He instantly caught up with an airborne Raymond and slashed diagonally with his dagger. Their eyes stared at each other as Emil's dagger travelled in an arc, aimed straight at Raymond's mouth. Emil hadn't held back or underestimated Raymond this time around. He had used the full powers of a 4-star. The dagger was incomparably fast, there wasn't enough time for Raymond to perform any action.

Raymond looked haughty and smirked, appearing completely calm. "You're strong to survive the previous combo, even if the armor had negated most of the impact... You won't survive this one though!"

"Edafos Petra Kano Skoni" He chanted and pointed to Emil's feet.

Emil stumbled and nearly fell face first, only saved by the nick of time as he cast a small wind spell to keep himself upright. He looked to his feet and they were trapped inside the sunken ground. Any effort to free himself ended in vain. His dagger had also gotten knocked out of his grip due to the sudden change.

"Shit!" Emil cursed.

Raymond dashed towards him, his sword thrust forward. He didn't smirk or smile anymore, even if it looked as if victory was in hand. Emil was amazed by the display of concentration and willpower. It hadn't been more than a few seconds from when he blew Raymond away and then gotten himself trapped. It seemed to him that he had been fooled by Raymond from the very start.

He has great instincts. Emil praised inwardly. Although he was impressed, he didn't understand the need to go through all this charade just to earn a victory, or why Raymond had constantly insulted him like a jealous ex, he couldn't give up at this point. Specially not when Rose was watching.

"I didn't want to do this..." Emil sighed even as Raymond's sword was inches away from him. He prepared his spell, it only took a second to do so. Like he had underrated Raymond time and again, Raymond, too, had underestimated the difference of power between a four-star and a three-star awakened.

"Fysima Anemos" Emil chanted.

...

Raymond felt as if he was flying. He was inches away from piercing his sword inside Emil's shoulder and then suddenly his feet were in the air, some 20 meters away from his opponent. The next thing he knew; he was in pain. Incomparable pain assaulted his body as he hit the ground and bounced around messily. All the bones in his body felt as if they would get bent and broken. Blood spewed from his mouth and red covered his eyes as he groaned, "Fuck..."

A stunned red-head on the verge of tears calling for him, it was the last thing that registered in his brain before he passed out.

***

Scene 6

"Ray..." Lily softly whispered by his ear.

Raymond turned to his side and stared in her brown eyes. Earlier, they had pulled the curtains and blown off the lamps; all but one lamp kept in the corner. The dull sound of falling rain and the steady deep breaths kept them aware in the dark night. In the dim room, the twins' eyes remained locked for a long time before Lily looked past him and towards the window.

The mystique and the silence, a result of not being able to see her properly in the dim, quiet, room, added to her profound beauty. The silhouette of Lily, deep in thought as she gazed into the void, made Raymond want to squeeze her tight and never let go. He shifted towards her and the few inches between them faded with that. The bed was not so small that they would have to huddle together, neither was the weather so cold that they couldn't do without the heat of their embrace. They just needed it; needed this closeness to satisfy the desperate need for the other.

"Lily!" Raymond moaned her name dreamily as he ran his finger through her slightly damp, dark-brown hair. His other hand, busy behind her back, caressed her soft skin. Raymond was still lost in the feel of her warmth, the hypnotic aroma emanating out of her, when Lily focused her gaze to his eyes.

"Ray... I... can you-" Lily shied away before finishing her words.

He smiled at her clumsiness. In the grey room, he could not make out if it was true, but he was sure that his twin had a slight blush at the moment.

"Tell me," He said and gently pressed his lips on her wet, quivering ones. Lily pressed back invitingly, but leaned back all too soon.

Gingerly, she asked, "Ray... Do you..."

He coaxed her soothingly as he traced her spine with his hand. "Say it. Do I, what?"

"Do you really love me?" Lily asked in a shy tone, her stare searching.

"Of course, I do," Raymond replied domineeringly as if there was not to be any shadow of doubt on this matter. "I love you, Lily!" He placed soft kisses on her neck.

"I love you!"

Lily, at those declarative words, suddenly pushed her head against his wide chest and hugged him tight. He could hear her racing heart starting to calm down as her grip gradually lessened from the suffocating hold to being a tranquil embrace of lovers.

"... that is enough..." Lily hummed airily and then she closed her eyes with a sweet smile on her face, a look of love and contentment.

"Huh?"

"Did you say something?"

Raymond sluggishly stroked her hair and pressed on drowsily when Lily kept mum, "What is enough?"

"What do you mean?" He asked again, his words drowned in lethargy.

"It means... you should follow your heart and not worry so much because this... this is enough for me."

"...Okay..." Raymond mumbled sleepily, unmindful of her words.

***

Scene 7

Raymond groggily opened his eyes. Looking around, he realized that he was in the infirmary of the palace.

"Finally awake, huh?" Rose mumbled from his side.

"What are you doing in bed with me?"

"Well I was sleepy, and this seemed like a good place for nap..." With a sheepish look Rose replied and then put her hand to his forehead. "Doesn't seem like you have a fever anymore..."

Raymond rolled his eyes at her antics. The infirmary was empty and Rose also had her own room in the palace, so it was beyond him why she was making such a terrible excuse.

"How long was I out for this time?"

"A day, more or less."

"Hmm..." He still felt dizzy and wanted to go back to sleep. The pain wasn't as intense and there weren't any bandages on his body anymore, though he still felt very weak. He tried to circulate his mana but was interrupted hallway.

"Hey, Ray!" Rose screamed and cripplingly shook him by his shoulders. "What the fuck are you doing you, idiot?!"

"Ahh! Pain..." Raymond foamed at his mouth and collapsed. After a few moments, when he could make sense of things, he groaned again, "Pain!"

"Serves you right." She glared at him. "Idiot! Don't you know that using mana in your condition can be fatal? Are you stupid... Arggh! You make me so mad!"

"Sorry..."

Rose huffed while giving him a death-stare. Gradually, she calmed down and her gaze became a lot softer. "Why are you so in rush? Why don't you try to be a little patient? You don't have to be..."

"I- I just-" Raymond choked up. A million thoughts ran through his mind, none of them suitable to be revealed. The dream was only a dream, after all, he couldn't use it as an excuse and hide behind it. He sighed and turned on his side, away from her. "I don't know..."

"You are such an-" Rose snuggled with him. Her hand spooned him lightly, while the heat of her body gave him warmth. They remained silent in that position.

Raymond thought about the last week, and sighed once more. After his "spar" with Emil, it had taken him a complete day to recover. He had been grateful that there weren't serious injuries and all his bones were intact. Emil had held back, even at the last moment. There was also the difference between their gear.

Though the kingdom sponsored all the awakened warrior that had pledged their loyalty to it, the expenses of an awakened warrior were too many to count. It was only the awakened who were from old nobles or from wealthy families who were able to purchase the best of magical equipment. Even Raymond had a set of below par armor, before Rose bought him the new thing. Gelodesh was a poor kingdom, and the rules were strict even for royalty.

So pathetic, I'm so pathetic... The pain faded away quickly, the humiliation not so much. Raymond brooded over the whole episode, tried to imagine different scenarios and how he could have defeated Emil. At the end, he always reached the same conclusion, he couldn't. He couldn't have defeated Emil, no matter how much he tried to be sly or creative. He just didn't have the answer for that last spell.

It was amazing... Raymond recalled that sensation; it had been like he was in the middle of a snowstorm. He had no control over his body and it had all happened so instantly that he couldn't have dodged even if he had known about it in advanced. The sensation of defeat was real and overwhelming. He had regularly tasted defeat, whenever he sparred with Rose, she made sure that he knew who called the shots between them.

It's different, so fucking different. He was an awakened now, not just a magic warrior. He could use spells; his body was stronger... It was impossible to accept that he would lose to someone outside of his family. Even if there was a difference of whole level between us, I shouldn't have been so helpless...

"Is there such a divide between a 3-star and a 4-star?" Raymond mumbled hoping for a reassuring response from Rose.

"Yes, there is," Rose muttered and prodded him in the back. "Why do you think it's so hard to progress from a 3-star level to a 4-star level?" She continued without waiting for an answer, "Even if you have the money to buy an infinite number of magic stones, you would forever be stuck in that level unless you have the talent for it!"

"Is that so..."

She lightly poked behind his ear and remarked, "Yes, and that's why you are an idiot!"

"But I didn't know- I didn't know that something like this would happen..."

"Oh yeah?" Rose turned him around on his back, and then climbed over him. She settled there, over his legs, and gently took his head in her hands. Her glossy hair dropped down and blocked his vision from anything else other than her worried face. "It was your luck that nothing more happened than an injury to your mana pool and mana circuits. Please, don't be so hasty!"

"Okay..."

"You have to wait before you go from 3-star level to 4-star level, it had been only over a week since you had awakened," Rose explained patiently. "And don't worry about wasting the magic stone, mom should have another one..."

"Huh? Aunt Suzy? What?"

"Haha," Rose laughed as she fell down beside him. She ruffled his hair and laughed some more until she was in tears.

"What is the deal with you?"

"... Little Ray Ray is going to Beltran!"

***

Scene 8

Novatil. Capital of Beltran Kingdom

"Hey, Raymond!"

Raymond opened his eyes to see that a woman was observing him. His mind felt groggy and he couldn't make out the identity of the person.

The woman was a blonde with the end of her lustrous hairs in ringlets. She was considerably busty and had a very gorgeous figure. Her round face looked innocent and the sweet smile on her wide lips made her that much beautiful in its simplicity. Her white robes loosely draped her body and came up from behind her ears and covered her head. The light from the window shone on her back, giving an impression as if she had wings.

"Angel?" Raymond murmured.

The woman started and then a slight blush crept up her round cheeks.

Raymond's blinked his eyes. "Angel... blushed?"

The woman's face became red in an instant. Before Raymond could carry on with his sleepy mutterings a hand nudged him in the chest.

A giggle sounded followed by, "Sweetie, stop it! Your angel can't handle it anymore!"

"Suzanne!" Ingrid playfully swatted.

"Aunt Suzy! I missed you!" Raymond was beyond himself as he laid eyes on his aunt and instantly sat upright on the large, cozy, bed. He realized the complete picture after that and slowly turned towards Ingrid to give her a sheepish smile. "Sorry! I was feeling dizzy..."

"It's fine." Ingrid's voice was even as if she had already put the little gaff behind her, though there was a hint of red on her cheeks.

"How are you now Sweetie? I was worried sick for you." Suzanne gently embraced Raymond. Her hands lightly stroked his hairs and back. She gave him a comforting smile and added, "it's good that you're here now. Ingrid will fix you right up!"

"I missed you..." Raymond buried his nose in Suzanne's violet hair. He breathed in deeply and tightened his hold around her. He had slept the whole way from Ostorth to Novatil, scared and lonely. The thought of being magically crippled for the rest of his life, frightened him.

It wasn't so bad in Ostorth, Rose was there and his mother had also been attentive, which was positively weird, yet he couldn't let his heart relax. It gradually worsened during the time he was alone, until now that is. It was quite magical how quickly Suzanne helped calm down his anxious heart.

"It's fine, Sweetie. It's fine. Ingrid can even regrow your limbs..."

"Really?" Raymond asked skeptically.

Suzanne just winked at him without giving an answer. Unconvinced and insistent, Raymond turned to the silent Ingrid. "Um... Ingrid- lady Ingrid, is it true?" He was a little unnatural in speech, having never had talked to her such laid back manner and openly.

Ingrid smiled sweetly as she said, "Ingrid is fine. There's no need to be so polite." Her hand played with her ringlets as she began, "As for growing limbs..." She blushed a little and admonished Suzanne with her gaze before she resumed, "it has a lot of conditions. So don't count on it."

"Oh. Ah-Ah!"

"It's alright, Sweetie. You will be fine in just a few moments." Suzanne carefully made him lie down on his back. She lovingly stroked his hair. "Ingrid is going to take care of you. I will be just outside..."

"Alright." Raymond muttered as Suzanne waved to him before she shut the door behind her.

"Raymond- Hmm... can I call you Ray?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." Ingrid smiled and then gestured toward his shirt. "Please take it off."

"Take it off?!" Raymond raised his eyebrows, questioning if he had heard her correctly.

"Yes, it will be in the way..." Ingrid didn't seem perturbed and stated it as a matter of fact. Raymond shrugged and took it off without saying anything further.

"Wow!"

Raymond, taken aback by the whisper, gazed at her face. Ingrid blushed a little as she cleared her throat, "Um- Your body is... I meant, you are very handsome..."

"Ha-Ha, thank you... You too. I mean beautiful, you are incredibly beautiful."

They awkwardly stared at each other for a while before turning their eyes away. Raymond coughed and apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, you know, offend you..."

Ingrid shook her head. "It's I who should apologize."

"No, no. You don't have anything to-"

"Let's stop, else we would be stuck." She interrupted and lightly placed her hands on his chest. The soft sensation of her skin felt fantastic to Raymond. He moaned appreciatively which made her flinch.

When he was about to once again launch into an apology, she shushed him. "I'm about to begin now, don't be distracting!" Raymond was surprised by her choice of words, nonetheless, he smiled and nodded to show that he had understood.

Raymond watched her work. She was serene and seemed amazingly focused. He reached over and wiped the little beads of sweat on her forehead that glistened due to the sunlight.

"Thanks." Ingrid offered him a quick smile.

The weather in Novatil was not as cold as Ostorth, and certainly a lot more pleasant than Ryhor. However, the warmness he felt want only because of the sun.

Ingrid's hand emitted a warm light as she rubbed them across his naked torso. The sensation was extremely unique and pleasant. Raymond had to hold back a groan of pleasure when her fingers passed over his pectoral muscles.

"Light element?"

"Yes," Ingrid replied after a moment while she continued to treat his injuries over his skin. A lot of attributes could help heal a person but light element was the most effective and efficient for it. Raymond was wowed by the brilliance of Ingrid and her control in her techniques.

"So beautiful..." He mumbled, too relaxed to care. Ingrid didn't reply to his comment, she just poked his side a little, a sweet smile on her face.

In that white garb of hers, she looked exceedingly pleasing. Her gentle aura and the softness of her touch, took his pain away. Raymond felt blessed to be able to enjoy this little moment of peace and restitution.

It's so good. Raymond felt a little drunk as, under Ingrid's careful ministration, his mana circuits healed and strength gradually returned to his body. His fingers unconsciously went to her blonde hair and he begin to play with her ringlets.

"Ray!" Ingrid shyly called out.

"I think I'm in love!"

Ingrid blushed and poked his cheek. She giggled lightly as she responded, "It's just the side effect you are feeling... you don't mean it."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Really now?" Ingrid asked with her lips stretched wide. Her eyes were disbelieving yet Raymond sensed a hint of humor in them.

"Believe me! I don't lie!" Raymond pointed downward and stated, "at least that doesn't!" His dick had stood in attention. Hard and pitching a tent in his pants. He laughed when Ingrid became paralyzed after looking at it.

He sluggishly boasted, "see, I told you! It's not every day that it gets up like that. You should take responsibility for it..."

"What?"

Raymond carried on as a bashful Ingrid met his eyes, "Impressive, huh?"

"Indeed..." Ingrid's voice sounded distant and low. The drowsiness deepened and his eyelids became heavy. He could barely catch her words.

"You don't have to apologize or feel bad, it's normal. Everybody reacts differently to this kind of treatment..."

"I love you!" Raymond mumbled once last time before he fell asleep.

...

"Fuck! How embarrassing!" Those were the first words out of his mouth as he regained consciousness. Unsurprisingly, the memory from a few hours ago was crystal clear. "It was quite funny though..." He muttered and tried to laugh it off.

"She did say that it was normal, so she shouldn't be that mad..." Raymond mused to himself as he exited the room. "Nah, I should still apologize. Just in case..."

The evening sun was about to set and he hurried towards Suzanne's room. He only knew directions for that place in the small villa. Outside, he spotted a few guards and sentries, as well as the soldiers from Ostorth who were huddles together and resting under a shade. Other than that, the place seemed to be empty, as he didn't encounter a single soul during the short walk.

"Is she not in?" The door to Suzanne's room was ajar and he pushed it open. There wasn't anyone inside, and after waiting for a few minutes, he went looking for her. He roamed around aimlessly, opened a few rooms, when eventually he heard Suzanne's voice.

"There she is!"

Raymond sauntered towards it, relieved to have found her. He was just about to knock when he heard his name being mentioned. It seemed like Ingrid's voice, but he wasn't sure.

"What the... Are they talking about me?" Raymond was wavering on his next action when he heard it the again. Though it wasn't entirely clear the first time around, he was certain this time. Against his better judgement, he chose to listen in. "Only for a bit..."