SOUTHERN FANTASIA | CHAPTER 5

[posseoir]

Liam. He had been sick for a long time now. Not long after the Great Calamity, just like that, he…

Akira. That’s…

Liam. The last time I saw him, when he was still able to get up, he was writing a letter to someone. I think that's the one you’ve got there. But, he had very little magic remaining in him, at the time. With all the disasters that happened, I guess it didn't reach you successfully.

Liam bowed apologetically. His disciplined and sincere personality comes through in his demeanor.

Liam. On behalf of my teacher, I apologize.

You came all this way to visit, but unfortunately it was a wasted trip.

Lennox. No apology necessary. Had I known Ethan was in town, I would have come sooner.

Allow me, at least, to mourn him. Where is his tomb?

Liam. This way. I'm sure he’ll be pleased to know you came.

Liam leads us to a small grave adjacent to the workshop. Freshly picked flowers were placed on the headstone. He probably remembers his teacher in this way every day.

Liam. When I turn to stone, bury me near this workshop. …That was my teacher's dying wish. There was no other place for him except here. He always said that: this is the only place I can belong.

Lennox. …That’s a testament to its importance. Both you and this shop.

Touching the carefully placed flowers, Lennox's face relaxes just a little.

Liam. Ha, when you put it that way, it's a little embarrassing.

I think my teacher and I, as people who have no relatives, were like brothers to each other.

After a shy scratch on his head, Liam's lips pursed into a frown as he looked back up at the tattered workshop.

Liam. …In the end, he couldn’t see it rebuilt.

Managed to get the furnace repaired, but unfortunately, I didn't earn enough money to restore the rest….

Akira. Did you…. Are your injuries a result of you working on your own?

Liam. No, this happened the night of the Great Calamity. I know I should be resting and getting better, but with the workshop in the shape it is in, I don't feel like sleeping…

But it was clear from Liam's complexion that he was working under pressure.

Progress on the restoration did not seem to be going too well.

Lennox. Liam. I'm going to be in town for a couple of days. During that time, let me help.

Liam. Eh? That’d be a big help but …. are you sure?

Lennox. Of course. This is where Ethan lived at the end of his life, a place he could call his home.

I'd like to fix it as soon as possible. Do you mind, Akira?

Akira. Of course not! Please allow me to help too.

Liam. Okay…! Thank you both, I appreciate it!

His face lit up with happiness as he bowed to us.

When he looked up, he clapped his hands as if suddenly remembering something.

Liam. …Oh! That reminds me. My teacher told me, just before he turned to stone, that if anyone came claiming to be his friend, he would like me to show them to his room.

Lennox. His room?

Liam. Yup. It's in the workroom! Please, come in.

He led us to a corner of the forge that looked relatively undamaged. A stone chimney stood in front of a row of tools and other work equipment. As we went further in, Liam stopped.

Liam. This is my teacher's room.

Lennox. ….this?....

Standing in front of an old wooden door, Lennox looks slightly apprehensive.

Akira. Lennox, is something wrong?

Lennox. It might be my imagination….I feel a strange magic coming from the door.

Liam. I think it's magic he cast when he was still in good health to replace a key. Since I'm human, I can't open it, but you're a wizard, right? Open it, then. I'm sure he would want you to.

Lennox. ….

At Liam's urging, Lennox started to press his hand against the doorknob, but quickly dropped it. He stared at the door with his mouth sealed shut, as if having a silent conversation with someone on the other side.

Akira. ( ….? Is something wrong? Would it be bad if we opened it or something…? )

Lennox. …It's getting late today. I will drop by again tomorrow. You were just finishing up some work, too.

Liam. Right. Excuse me for bothering you. Tomorrow I'll be here all day, so you can come by anytime.

Later.

Akira. We’re back.

Mitile. Welcome back, sage!

Rutile. Welcome back, Mr. Leno.

Lennox. I'm back. Sorry I'm late.

Returning to the inn after leaving Ethan's workshop, Lennox and I were greeted by everyone carrying souvenirs.

Figaro. Welcome back, you two. Glad you made it in one piece.

Lennox. Thank you, Dr. Figaro. I apologize for worrying you, as well as Sir Faust.

Faust. It’s fine. Sorry for leaving it in your hands, sage.

Akira. Not at all! I'm glad everything turned out okay.

Mitile. Sage, take a look at this! I bought it in town a while ago.

Happily, Mitile offered a small knife.

From the handle to the blade, it was engraved with a mysterious, spiraling pattern.

Akira. Wow, what a strange pattern. What is this knife for?

Mitile. For good luck! Although knives and bows are cool, carrying them myself was a little scary…. So I decided to buy one for a talisman, rather than a weapon. Shino said that just having a weapon would be reassuring.

Rutile. We asked if there was anything specific we could use as a good-luck charm, and the store owner was kind enough to make a recommendation.

Lennox. A protective knife… Come to think of it, it used to be a standard blessing gift. Good buy, Mitile.

Mitile. Yes! And Nero, you also found a knife to use in the kitchen without incident, right?

Nero. Ah. A definite gem, according to the young master's eye.

Heathcliff. I was just checking the signature of the workshop. Don't exaggerate, Nero.

Lennox. Everyone got what they came for, I guess. That's great.

Shino. Did you get everything you came for? You went to see an old friend.

Lennox. …No, we couldn't meet. Ethan had…already passed away.

The letter he sent out a while ago got to me late.

Rutile + Mitile. No…!

Faust + Figaro. ….

Heathcliff. ….I can't say it well enough…. but keep your spirits up, Lennox.

The report from Lennox seemed to have come as more than a bit of a shock, especially to the young wizards.

Lennox. Sorry for dampening the mood. But... I had a feeling. From the moment the letter arrived.

Lennox's voice was remarkably quiet. He has lived a long life.

Perhaps a goodbye like this is not all that unusual for him.

Lennox. I didn't get to meet Ethan, but I did get to speak with one of his apprentices.

Faust. Apprentice?

Lennox. Yes. A young man named Liam.

He explained Ethan's workshop had been destroyed by a Great Calamity, and that Liam is working hard to repair it.

CHAPTER FOUR  |  CHAPTER SIX