Terico spent the hours either staring at the ceiling or watching Suran, always thinking of how he would use the Elpis to heal her. He knew how to transfer the healing Nexi energy to her, but he wasn’t sure how to apply it to each of Suran’s poisoned organs. The gray Nexi had affected each system of her body, weakening her in every way possible. Terico wondered if he’d have enough energy to heal Suran’s entire body. It had taken so much out of him just to heal the wound of the sword that pierced her...
“Terico...”
It was Suran. Terico got out of his bed and stood beside her. “I’m here, Suran.”
Her eyes were still closed, her entire body as still as as can be. “Terico...”
Half a minute passed, but she didn’t say anything more. Terico placed a hand on her head and held his breath. He bent down a bit so he could listen as closely as he could. Suran exhaled slightly, but Terico couldn’t make out any words from her breath.
“I’m here,” he said again. “You’re going to be okay. Just keep resting...”
She lay there, quiet and motionless, an embodiment of pure innocence. Her breaths were slow and shallow, even more so than was typical of sleeping.
She’s dying, and there’s nothing... nothing I can do yet. He knew he was still too weak to use the Elpis right away. Making another attempt to heal her this soon would only wear him out more, and he would need all the energy he could get in order to save her.
Suran slid a small hand out from her blanket. Terico clasped it and looked down to Suran’s eyes, which were still shut. Suran’s hand was so cold, it made Terico shudder when he first held it. He gripped it tight, letting her frigid energy seep into his hand.
“My... mind is far away,” Suran whispered. “Tell me... a story.”
“About what?” Terico asked.
“Us,” Suran said, her voice tired and scratchy. “Happy.”
There were plenty of happy times Terico spent with Suran and their classmates. In a soft voice, Terico shared some of the happier memories he was able to quickly remember.
He started with a story of when they were seven years old. Suran and a friend of hers had found a tiny rabbit in the forest caught in a simple snare. They wanted to free it, but were afraid the frightened animal would bite them, or that they would hurt its leg while trying to untie the rope. They found Terico and Turan and asked them to help save the rabbit. At the time Terico didn’t think there was much purpose in this, since another animal would just get caught later anyways—but Suran couldn’t help but sympathize with this specific rabbit. Turan pointed out that they had all eaten rabbit in the past, but still Suran wanted to free this bunny, regardless.
Once in the forest, Terico held on to the animal while Turan untied the rope. Terico managed to calm the rabbit and let Suran pet it, which filled her with emphatic glee. Terico couldn’t help but smile, too. Though it might have been wrong to mess with the trap, Terico was glad to make Suran happy. Even as a child, he recognized something special in Suran’s smile.
There was a faint trace of one on Suran’s face as Terico told the story.
Terico moved on by recounting when they had participated in a play for the Heavenly Lights Festival. They were all twelve at the time, and their class was assigned to perform the tale of Yemadi for the village. In an attempt to put a fresh spin on the yearly performance, the class had everyone play the roles of characters of the opposite gender, with the exception of Turan, who played as a giant worm demon. Terico ended up with the part of a castle maid who happened to hear the worm’s wicked plot, while Suran got the lead role of Prince Yemadi.
It was likely the most ridiculous play the village had ever seen, but most of the class managed to get through their lines without dying of embarrassment. The crowds roared with laughter whenever Turan squirmed onto the stage in his absurd worm costume, and would applaud whenever a new character appeared. Just the anticipation of seeing which girl would play as the blacksmith or which boy would play as the fortune teller was enough to hold everyone’s interest. The one to get into the play most wholeheartedly though was Lanek, who volunteered for the role of Yemadi’s love interest, Princess Iminia. He was probably the only one who looked just like the character he played, actually. Some of the villagers even questioned Lanek’s gender for a few days, to his amusement.
The details of the story made Suran smile a tiny bit more. Her breathing was still very slow, and her hand was still nearly cold as ice.
Terico moved on to another story. About a year ago, Terico’s parents had fallen gravely ill. They were sick in bed for several days, and Terico took time off of school in order to care for them. One day Terico left to buy some food, and when he came back he found Suran in the house, tidying up the mess that had grown over the past few days. She ended up helping Terico prepare a soup for his parents.
Once Terico’s parents were asleep, Suran took Terico outside so they could chat. Suran was worried Terico was going to get sick himself if he didn’t get enough fresh air, and wanted to let him know he could always go to her if he needed help. They walked to a field of yellow flowers, bright even under the night sky. Terico had trouble thinking of things to talk about with Suran, so they simply looked up at the sky for a while, searching for constellations and falling stars. It was probably that night when Terico realized just how much he liked Suran, though he had no idea how to go about telling her. So they simply enjoyed their time together, gazing up at the sea of stars.
“As always, you were concerned for the well-being of others,” Terico said. “It made me really happy to be with you that day. And I was always glad to see you at school. I always wished we could do more together.”
Suran’s faint smile had faded slightly, her nearly sleeping face turning a little more thoughtful.
“And we will do more together,” Terico said. “You’ll be well soon enough. And once the Elpis is gathered, my work in this city will be done. We can go wherever we wish.”
She didn’t say anything more, but drifted slowly back to sleep. Terico knelt down on the floor, too tired to keep standing. His hand still gripping Suran’s, Terico shut his eyes and lay his head against his arm.
Hour after hour passed, but Terico could not fall asleep. Though the Elpis had drained him of all his energy, Terico didn’t feel tired enough to sleep. Even as night drew on, he remained kneeling by Suran’s bed, holding tight to her cold, tender hand. Darkness fell over the castle, and Terico kept all his thoughts on Suran and how he’d heal her.
Her tiny heartbeat pulsed from her wrist, so faint that Terico was afraid to move his hand away—as if the slightest disturbance would douse what little fire was left in Suran’s heart.
The door to the room opened, but Terico didn’t bother going to his bed. He listened for who approached, hearing only one person treading the thick wooden floor.
It turned out to be Lanek, who didn’t bother lighting any of the wall torches. He looked down to Terico and pursed his lips.
“A part of me would still love to kill you,” he whispered. “You must realize... that girl is the most important person in the world to me.”
Terico looked up to Lanek. “Where have you been?”
“Working with the doctor,” Lanek said. “We’re searching through every text on the gray Nexi stone we can find. To call that stone rare would be a... vast understatement.”
“I’m sorry,” Terico said. “You asked me to protect Suran... but I failed.”
“Yes, you did,” Lanek said. “And I really do wish to yell at you for it. For hours on end. Or at least to slap you.”
Terico stared at the elf, knowing better than to object. A part of Terico felt he deserved any retribution Lanek wished to deal him. If Terico hadn’t saved Turan from falling out the ship, Turan wouldn’t have stabbed Suran. It was thanks to Terico that Suran was in this state, dying a little more with each passing hour.
Lanek walked to Suran and placed a hand on her forehead, stroking her bangs a few times. “I need to k
eep searching for a cure, if there is one. You keep resting, Terico. If Suran wakes up and you’re awake, you let her know she’s going to make it. And when the time comes... you better heal her.”
“I will,” Terico said.
“I realize you and Suran have been good friends for many years now,” Lanek said. “And I understand that... there’s only so much I can do for her as her brother.” He bent down to give his sister a kiss on the forehead, then turned away and took a long, slow breath. “When the time comes, please save her, Terico. I’ve already lost my parents. I can’t lose my dear sister, too.”
Lanek walked back to the door, his last words giving away his tears. Terico said nothing, but focused on his grip on Suran’s chill palm.
The night passed without Suran waking up again. Kneeling on the floor for so long was painful, but Terico was too focused on Suran to let the pain in his knees affect him. Terico listened intently the entire night, but Suran didn’t speak up again until morning.
“Terico...” she whispered. She was still too fatigued to open her eyes.
“Yes,” Terico said in a hushed voice.
“I’m still here.”
“I’m...” Suran began, but she couldn’t finish her sentence. “It’s okay,” Terico said. “Don’t push yourself. Just rest a little longer... I’m going to use the Elpis to heal you. As soon as I can, I’m going to heal you.”
Suran lay still, her mouth open slightly for several seconds. “Talk...”
She needed Terico to speak to her. He thought of telling more stories of the good times they spent together, but instead felt he should finally tell her all the thoughts that had built up in his heart. For hours now, his mind had been entirely focused on Suran and all his hopes and dreams for her.
“There’s so many things...” Terico began, struggling to find the right words to say. “So many things I wish to do with you, Suran. I will heal you, and then the battle will end, and everything will work out. In the end, everything will be all right.
“They might try to make me be king afterward, but I will turn them down. I don’t seek power, or the strain of an entire kingdom’s troubles. I would rather live somewhere quiet and peaceful. I would like it if we lived in a small town like Edellerston again. It wouldn’t be the same, of course, but we belong in the countryside somewhere. We can leave all this behind. The royal courts, the wars, the Elpis, the power struggles, the constant death... We’ll leave it all behind.
“We’ll live together in a village, and the world will never trouble us again. We can get married... Nothing will break us apart. We’ll always support each other. Every day, you can call me dear. Then I will call you dearest. And you will call me dearest forever... And... I’ll call you dearest of all times, all places.”
Terico couldn’t say any more. His throat was so tight, it hurt to even breathe. Tears dripped onto his hand and Suran’s hand, still clasped together. Terico had wanted to be strong for Suran, but he couldn’t control himself. All his feelings for her were pouring out, and he couldn’t stop himself.
“Once this is over, let’s get married,” he said.
Suran gave the slightest hint of a smile on her face. “I would... like that.”
“I’ll give you my... entire heart.” Terico was too overcome with emotion to say anything more.
He knew what he had to do. As soon as his energy was back, he would use the Elpis to fight off the poison infecting Suran’s body. He wouldn’t let up until she was in perfect health once more.
Even if he had to give up his entire heart.
The morning slowly crept toward noon, and Suran’s condition continued to grow worse. Despite Terico’s presence, Suran’s hand only grew colder. Her pulse slowed down even more, leaving four seconds of emptiness between each heartbeat.
The doctor eventually returned to check on Suran once more. “The poison is affecting her a bit faster than I anticipated.”
Terico stood up and gritted his teeth against the pain in his legs. “How long does she have? How soon do I need to use the Elpis?”
“You shouldn’t use it before you’re fully healed,” the doctor said.
“But how much time does Suran have left?”
The doctor sighed. “It’s difficult to say. I’ve never had a patient infected by gray Nexi energy before.”
She could be hanging to her final breaths then, Terico thought. This man doesn’t know how much time Suran has left to live. I have to heal her now.
“Okay,” Terico said. “I’ll keep watching over her.”
“Very well. Make sure you get some sleep...” The doctor looked concerned, but he also looked very weary—he may not have slept at all either.
As soon as the doctor left, Terico took out his Elpis fragments and gripped them tight, one in each fist.
I’ll start by healing her mind and heart, Terico decided. He placed one hand on her forehead, the other over her heart.
“Don’t worry,” Terico said softly. “This might hurt, but the Elpis will destroy the gray Nexi energy inside you.”
He knew he wasn’t in very good condition to use the Elpis again, but there was probably no time left to wait any longer. One can only wait so long before breaking down.
I can do this, Terico repeated in his head. He activated the Elpis stones, causing them to glow brighter. The energy rushed up his arms and flooded his body with every pain imaginable. The fact he was still recovering from his use of the stones the day before only made the agony worse.
With all his might, Terico focused on directing the Nexi energies to Suran’s mind and heart. He shut his eyes and exerted all his strength to separate the healing forces from the rest of the Elpis powers. Upon accessing the healing magic, Terico forced the energy to flow from his body to Suran’s.
Suran’s eyes shot open and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Terico wanted to cover her mouth to keep her from alerting the castle’s nurses, but he couldn’t move his hands away from Suran’s mind and heart now. He continued to pour Elpis energy into Suran, his body trembling from the torment of the Elpis. Suran writhed beneath her blankets, tears streaming down her face.
Terico felt the healing energy collide with the gray Nexi energy in Suran’s body. There was far more of the poisonous energy accumulated in her than the Elpis energy Terico was transferring to her. The gray energy negated all of Terico’s efforts, then rushed up his arms and flooded his body with the effects Suran was suffering. Immediately Terico’s arms went limp, too weak to even hold up.
In seconds, Terico’s whole body turned weak and lifeless, and it simply became impossible to fight the Nexi energy, let alone the torment of the Elpis. He fell back and collapsed on the ground, unable to move at all for several seconds. His mind disconnected from the Elpis, and once he could move his hands he pushed the Elpis fragments away. The pain coursing through his body remained several seconds longer, and Terico almost felt certain he was going to die.
It didn’t work, he thought, shutting his eyes tighter. It didn’t work at all.
Suran’s cries died away, and she lay still and quiet once more. Terico wanted to get up to check on her pulse or to see if she was breathing, but his limbs failed him. The brief burst of gray Nexi energy in his body was heightened by the energies of the Elpis, and his entire body felt numb, unresponsive.
The effects faded away after a few minutes, however, destroyed by lingering traces of the Elpis’s healing powers. As soon as Terico was able to move to his hands and knees he pushed himself back to Suran’s bed.
I can try again, he thought. I have to keep trying!
He picked up the Elpis pieces and struggled to stand on his feet again. He felt too weary to do so, and decided he had to rest a few minutes to recover.
Once he was able to stand, Terico felt for a pulse, and after several seconds felt only a single faint heartbeat. Suran held on to life with only the slightest of grips, her body threatening to give in to the poison at any moment.
“Stop!” a woma
n yelled. Terico glanced to the door to find Rilv entering the room.
“This is my only chance,” Terico said, turning his focus back to Suran.
“You don’t have the energy to save her,” Rilv said. “You need to rest until you have fully recovered.”
“She will die by then!” Terico yelled.
“You were supposed to rest,” Rilv said. “You need all your energy for when Delkol attacks.”
So this was Rilv’s hope, Terico realized. She just wanted Suran to die while Terico slept, and then have Terico continue to rest and prepare for Delkol’s invasion.
“Leave,” Terico ordered. “I need all the concentration I can get.”
“You can’t keep using the Elpis like this,” Rilv said. “You will die.”
Terico ignored her and placed both hands on Suran’s heart. He gripped the Elpis fragments tight and accessed their energies once more. In seconds, the power overwhelmed him. He could feel the gray Nexi in Suran’s body fighting against his Elpis energy, utterly overpowering it. There was a moment of utter torment, then a moment of complete emptiness, and then a moment of pure grief.
I need more, Terico thought. My power isn’t enough. Even if I were fully rested, I wouldn’t be able to fight off this poisonous energy. I need the full Elpis.
His body turned limp and weak once more, forcing him back to the ground. He dropped the Elpis pieces to either side of him and rested his back against the side of his bed. Every centimeter of his body drummed with a stinging pain, and his headache seemed to pulse from head to toe several times a second.
“I hate this,” Terico whispered, short of breath. “It’s not enough. It’s not nearly enough.”
“You must rest,” Rilv said. “If you are ill-prepared to face Delkol, he will kill you, take the Elpis fragments, and then have the powers of a god. He would be very difficult to deal with then, and thousands of people would die.”
“I understand,” Terico said. “I have to find Delkol... I have to find him now.”
Elpis Page 27