Chapter Text
"Here we are." Schezo laid down on the grass. His long and thick dark blue coat kept him safe from the dew accumulating on it. Earlier today he had gone looking for a good place to stargaze, and this little clearing in the forest worked perfectly. It wasn't too far from his home too. Ragnus soon joined him, lying close by. Wearing his armour (as usual), he had consumed a cold resistance potion from his inventory to stave the chill off. His presence was comforting. Schezo was content with being on his own, but the company of someone he cared for and trusted like Ragnus was certainly much better.
The clearing opened up the canopy, revealing the starry sky that was free from clouds. The moon and its twinkling companions shone down. They lit up all the parts of the world they touched with a soft silver glow. It was quite unlike anything else.
"Aren't they pretty?" He said to Ragnus.
"They are...I've never set time aside to properly look at them and appreciate them." Ragnus murmured.
"I don't think most people do. We are diurnal after all." It was a shame, really. The blue of the sunny day's sky was a nice shade. But compared to this, it was nothing. Even the bridges between both skies, the sunrise and sunset, were prettier than it.
"You said you used to do this with your siblings?" Ragnus asked.
"Yes. It's calming and pretty to look at, and areas like these at night provide the best privacy. We usually did these things whenever we were stressed over something and needed someone to confide in." As he recalled memories from his childhood that were fuzzy around the edges, Schezo couldn't help but feel a twinge of loneliness deep in his chest. He was not estranged from his family – quite the opposite, with how much they sent each other letters – but time and paths in life led them far away. The shouting, the bickering, having to help them with homework while he tackled his own...that he did not miss. But he missed the sweet times they spent together. Times like these. Perhaps a family gathering was due. It would be nice to see them all again, and they'd love to meet Ragnus in person after hearing about him through letters. Sword especially; Though Schezo's area of expertise was not to do with blades, that sword of Ragnus' was undoubtedly unique. He had never seen a metal that was such a pearly white, especially used for the blade of a sword. From her writings, it seemed that she was quite eager to see it for herself.
"I wonder how far the sky goes." Ragnus said. He raised his arm up, like he was trying to grab the moon. "Dragons and birds and people sometimes fly up there, and it's high, but they've never hit a limit or barrier before. It looks like it goes on forever."
"The limit's too far for a human to ever reach. Probably." Schezo replied. Had there been a way to reach the end, it would have already been found out by now. The world had been picked clean for its secrets, and now there were barely any left. Only select places people didn't dare touch were treasure troves for such a thing. "Nothing is infinite."
"But...the stars...they look like little suns. What if there's more than one sun, and they're just further away?"
"What." Schezo asked bluntly. More than one sun? What was Ragnus even thinking? That was ridiculous!
"C'mon! Look–" Ragnus got up onto his knees. He looked down at Schezo as jabbed his finger up to the sky. "They're round and they give off light. The sun is round, and gives off light. They've got to be related somehow."
Schezo tried to think of a counter. Ragnus' logic was sound, and made sense however. It sounded ridiculous, but there was no flaw in his thinking.
"Well, they could be, but that does not mean the sky is infinite in size." That way of thinking would just mean that it was larger than previously thought.
"Doesn't mean it isn't too! If nobody's found an end to it, nobody knows for sure."
"There has to be an end to it. Nothing has no end, Ragnus. Besides, what about the day's sky? Does the night sky not need to stop to make space for it?"
Ragnus blinked. "They're just one sky."
"Are you trying to be obtuse?!" Schezo shouted. He sat bolt upright. "They're different! Just look at them!"
He waved his arm around wildly, gesturing at all that could be seen. A dark sky lit up by tiny pieces of light. Completely different to that of the day. "That's not blue! That's not bright! It has no sun!"
"But the sun's bright. What if it's just brighter than the stars and drowns them out?"
"If you put a candle next to a hearth fire you can still see the candle's flame! Why would it work any differently up there? And that doesn't explain why the one in the day is blue!"
"Well–" Ragnus stopped abruptly. He bit his lip as he looked down in thought. "...I don't know how to explain that, but there has to be a reason behind it!"
"Or, you're just sorely wrong." Single skies, infinite skies, stars being suns...had his parents really raised him so poorly? To the point he thought such ludicrous things? Clearly, the sky was made of two bodies. Anything else simply made no sense. "Let us leave this topic where it is. I didn't bring you out here to argue."
"You didn't." Ragnus agreed. Neither bothered to lay back down. Instead, they simply gazed up at the sky from where they were. Ragnus leant onto Schezo, resting his head on his shoulder. Schezo couldn't help but smile. Ragnus always put on an energetic and heroic face, but when he was calmer, more down to earth, he had grown quite affectionate to Schezo in little ways like this. It was nice to have such a close friend. He put his arm around Ragnus, holding him close.
"When I was a little child, I wanted to be a teacher. I suppose I am now, considering I tutor." It felt only right to talk about himself first. Though he had wanted to talk to Ragnus about his own past out of curiosity, asking him outright would perhaps be too blunt. Wouldn't that sound quite suspiciously odd? Schezo didn't want to sound suspicious. "But when I was sixteen, I went through such a terrible exam that it made me realise I didn't want to go down that path at all."
"What happened?" Ragnus questioned.
"I doubt you did, considering your family doesn't use magic all that much, but have you ever studied at a magic school?"
"My parents homeschooled me. Didn't do any education outside of that."
"Ah. Well, you study and practice magic throughout. You learn the basics that every magician does, and then with whatever course you choose, you also learn more specific forms of magic. I chose to study healing magic."
"Healing?" Ragnus asked, and Schezo noted how he had a hint of shock in his voice.
"You sound surprised to hear me say that."
"Well, because you–" Ragnus coughed. "You just kinda, uh, don't seem the type for it."
"I was, at the time." Schezo had learned and perfected every healing spell taught, and eventually self taught himself quite the variety of condition cure spells. All magic worked quite similarly under the hood, but he'd worked to break down healing spells into their simple building blocks. With some effort, Schezo would be able to create a new healing spell from scratch.
Not that it really mattered anymore.
He didn't want to think about that any longer. It was never good to dwell on past shortcomings. Schezo quickly remembered where he was going with the story after that little detour, and continued to recount it. "At the end, you graduate by passing an exam where you must navigate a dungeon and find special items hidden within to unlock the exit. There's monsters inside to battle you and force you to use your magic."
"That sounds...kinda dangerous? What if a student got badly hurt in there?"
"They have regulations in place for those sorts of things." Schezo couldn't deny Ragnus as being right, however. It was a stupid, stupid system.
"I studied hard for my final exam. I went over every spell I knew and practiced them until I believed I could cast them in my sleep."
Schezo sighed and gazed at the sky as he continued. Even years later the memory ignited his ire. But the night sky, soft and twinkling, helped to quell it, even if just by a bit. "And I went in. I bought all the items I felt I needed from the dungeon's shop. And then all was going well until I suddenly came across a monster that feasted upon one's magical stamina, and in that battle I had used up the rest of my resources. I had barely any magical stamina, was badly hurt, and had no way to recover."
Even now he could remember the situation clearly. How his whole body ached and how his head felt fuzzy to the point he couldn't think straight, let alone properly cast a mere fire spell. Looking back, he had no idea how he was able to keep moving. He had no idea as to how he was still able to fight.
"Of course, I decided to go back to the shop to restock. I was on the same floor as it. But– But these monsters just kept coming after me, and I kept getting into battles. I couldn't get to the shop, and I couldn't heal or cast most spells. And then, one of them ended up getting a good hit on me and I passed out and I failed!" Schezo couldn't help but grit his teeth at the memory. He hated that place. Hated how he worked himself down to the bone, worked himself until he was near perfect all for it to be worth nothing due to random luck and chance. His previous perfect streak of passing with flying colours shot down, due to chance. And the disappointment from his teachers, despite it not being his fault...he didn't miss that place.
"That's not fair! Everything that made you fail had nothing to do with your magic!" Ragnus said, sounding as angry as Schezo felt. Thankfully, he'd learned to keep his voice more level. Schezo could only imagine how terrible it would've been to have him shout in the way he used to at such a close proximity. Ragnus' voice was in fact quite pleasant to listen to at this volume.
"Exactly! After I had thought that to myself, I realised just how terribly our education is done. That was when I decided to drop my dream to become a teacher. I do not want to support such a system." And there was not much a single person could do to change a system that had been around for so long.
There was more to the story. Schezo clearly remembered the little flask of hot chocolate he'd held in his hands as his sisters let him vent his frustrations to them as they stargazed, like he was doing with Ragnus right now. A small and warm comfort against the slightly too cool night. He could vividly remember how the tears that ran down his face at the time stung as the cold wind blew on them. Schezo was never one to be emotional – at least, that's what he believed was the case. But when he was sixteen a lot was piling up, both at school and at home. Even the strongest metal would eventually crack if put under enough pressure.
"I wouldn't want to either..."
"What did you want to be growing up?"
"A hero!" Came Ragnus' reply, saying it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And, with the ways he acted, Schezo supposed that answer should've been quite obvious to him.
"I'm glad you've met your goals." If only to a degree. The more Ragnus mentioned the damned thing, the more it rubbed Schezo the wrong way. Made his skin crawl, sometimes. Schezo was prone to having a one track mind when it came to things he enjoyed sometimes, but this was different, the way it was near constant.
"I had a lot of help along the way! My father, he was a great hero like I am! And so was his father, and his father's father was also one... The duty's been passed down in the Bishasi family for as long as anyone can remember. Each one teaching their inheritor all they know until it's time for them to go off into the world."
Ragnus shifted himself off of Schezo. Everything felt much colder without his warmth, and despite not being the most touchy-feely person, Schezo couldn't help but wish they were close again. Drawing out the Reactor Blade from his inventory, Ragnus proudly held it aloft for all to see; Though, Schezo was the only person there, and in very close proximity to the blade already. Perhaps this gesture was another one of Ragnus' little quirks.
Like this, he looked like a grand statue depicting a legend from the past. But his cape fluttered in the wind; He was more real than any legend could hope to be. "The Reactor Blade's been passed down with it too, and my armour! They've purged many evils in their long lifespan!"
"They're both in very good condition for their age." Schezo noted.
"I do take great care of them." Ragnus replied as he sat himself back down next to Schezo. The Reactor Blade disappeared back into Ragnus' inventory. "I'd have no idea what to do if they were irreparably damaged."
"A passed down role...I doubt I'd ever be able to keep up with the pressure. How on earth do you do it?"
Ragnus shrugged. "As long as I don't think about it too much, it's not stressful. As long as I complete quests and save people, and continue to do so with no hesitation, I'm fulfilling the duty."
Ragnus hadn't done much of that since he ended up here. As much as Schezo loathed to admit it, the Azorecrack was shaping up to be something outside his skills. Repairing the storing stone led to dead ends. Anything else also resulted in the same. He had taken to re-examining his more ancient items in the case they held a clue, but at this point his confidence was waning.
Perhaps it was soon time to give up.
"I hope my shortcomings regarding the Azorecrack are not causing you too much distress, if any at all. I apologise."
"It...is not your fault." Ragnus said quietly. When Schezo looked at him, his gaze was not on the ocean of stars above. Instead, it was on the bland and grassy ground, his head resting on his knees.
Schezo held his tongue, and didn't argue otherwise. He'd seen Ragnus in an array of emotions, but sad? It was completely new to him. Just how much had he hidden away from even Schezo's watchful eye?
"Are you alright?" He said instead.
"...I just...I wasn't expecting to be staying with you so long. It's nice. To know where exactly I can go to recuperate after my quests...I forgot how comforting the feeling of having a home to go to was."
There was a lot to unpack in those simple sentences. For once, Schezo stumbled over his words. "You– Do you not have a home?"
"I guess not? I travel too much to really bother settling down anywhere. Having a home is certainly better than using an inn. I fear the memories of here will distract me when I leave one day, giving me the taste for a life I cannot have."
Schezo's heart ached for his friend. If being a hero meant denying himself such simple pleasures, then the role should be abandoned, legacy aside.
Or, perhaps in direct spite of the legacy. Did Ragnus have a choice in regards to his job? Or was his fate written in the blood of a bunch of other fools? Schezo doubted it was the former. Ragnus would certainly be annoyed if he was told his family legacy was irrelevant and moronic, but Schezo sure did want to say such a thing.
"Well," Schezo paused, and decided his words carefully. "If you ever need somewhere to go, my lodgings will always be an option. I will always welcome you."
"Oh, no, you don't have to." Ragnus said rather hastily. "I've already disrupted your way of life. I don't want to disrupt it further with sudden appearances."
"But I want to. You're a dear friend to me." And what sort of friend would Schezo be to Ragnus if he didn't support him where he needed it? "I must be there for you, like you would be for me."
"I know that, it's just..." Ragnus went silent, and did not finish his sentence.
Ragnus was always a sort of enigma to Schezo, but right now he might as well have been an instruction manual in a foreign language with how hard he was to read. And, with the experience of young siblings and the meanings in their words unravelling through incorrect interpretations, Schezo decided to go about things in the most logical way he could think of.
"Is there a greater issue at play here?" Schezo asked tentatively. And, with the way he heard Ragnus' breath hitch in the quiet dead of night, he felt he had hit the mark. "Tell me. I will glady shoulder whatever is weighing on you too."
Ragnus shook his head. "I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"...You'll hate me if I do."
Hate was a very strong word. Schezo couldn't imagine any realistic scenario that would cause him to feel such a way towards Ragnus. "Well, are you planning to harm me, or my family?"
"No, of course not."
"Then I wouldn't hate you for whatever's burdening you."
"Still...I just....can't."
Schezo shuffled a little closer to Ragnus. Then, leaning over, he wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. The golden armour on Ragnus' shoulder dug into his chest. Nevertheless, Schezo didn't let go, and rested his head on Ragnus'. He could feel as Ragnus softened, and melted into the hug.
"That is alright. You may tell me when you feel ready, if that time ever comes. Just remember, I am your friend, and as such I will be there for you when you need it."
"Thank you." Ragnus' shaky voice came out as an almost silent whisper, the words almost being mistaken by Schezo for the soft swoosh of the wind, or the somber hooting of an owl.
If Ragnus started to cry, Schezo didn't take notice of it. He simply held his friend in his arms until he felt better, pointing out constellations to him all the while.