Chapter Text
Life grew peaceful for them for the next following weeks. It was as if Firion’s dreams came true – there was this world, this city, where wild roses can bloom freely.
Every morning, they would greet each other, and they would either meet by the dining area to eat breakfast together. They would take turns cooking for each other; especially if, for example, one of them was exhausted from the night before. Sometimes Firion would be so exhausted from hunting, or sometimes Minwu would be so exhausted from his duties as a white mage.
Their days would often be spent either doing their duties; Firion would go out to hunt to earn them additional cash, and he would sometimes send that money back home to Maria ang Guy, who were still dealing with workshops for the young people in Fynn. Minwu would often do his duties as a white mage, whether it was being a mentor, getting asked to do blessings, or contributing to the academy in various ways.
At the end of the day, most of the time, they would either spend all their time alone in their rooms, or spend time exclusively together. They would spend time each other normally by watching the stars, reading a good book, or even watching something on the magic television together.
The latter seemed to bring them a lot closer… but there is just one thing.
Not once have they admitted any of their feelings for each other.
***
“And how is the hero of Fynn today?”
Minwu greeted his friend who was just fiddling with his magic phone while sitting on the wooden sofa in the living room. The same sofa where he sat during their first night of their reunion, where he still couldn’t believe that Minwu was indeed alive and more than well in this city.
“Minwuuu… please…” Firion called out sheepishly, still not used to overflowing praises.
Minwu playfully nudged him as he sat right next to him.
“Hush. I have some announcement to make. But before that… have you made up your mind about the Mysidian Guard Force?”
“I…” Firion looked down at his phone. He was finally getting the hang of it, and he was able to access the website of the Mysidian Guards. No information about who the guards were, and most of the time, their faces were obscured by helmets or were shot at a distance where it was impossible to tell who was who.
Minwu peered over at his phone. “I suppose not. I will not force you to. Were you, perhaps, looking for someone?”
“… Yeah.” Firion said with a sigh. “I’m not sure if Leon is here. I know I told him I would always welcome him with open arms, but…”
Firion shifted and looked conflicted as he realised Minwu was listening to him intently.
“D-Don’t get me wrong! I’m not going back on my word. It’s just… I don’t know how he’d feel if he sees me again, you know?” Firion looked conflicted. “And I’m not sure how that would affect Maria and Guy when they finally have the time to come here. I know I promised him that he would be welcome if we see each other again but… I’m not sure if I’m ready to open that can of worms again.”
Minwu nodded in understanding, knowing the turmoil that must have been plaguing his mind. He tilted his head and put his hand on Firion’s shoulder. “Firion… you look so tired. Come. Do you want a hug?”
“W-Wha? Where did that come from?”
“Allow me to paraphrase: do you need a hug?”
“I-I do, but…” Firion sheepishly looked at him, then sighed. He relented. He really did want it, but despite already spending some weeks… months, with him, he was still very much the same guy as he was before. Still shy, still cautious, about his feelings for Minwu that only grew each day. Hesitantly out of this bashfulness, he leaned towards him and then embraced him.
Minwu hugged him tightly as well. He laid his hand at the back of Firion’s head and then ruffled his hair gently. For as much as Firion grew, this young man… his inner child had never been given the time to heal properly. And he was going to make sure he helped him live his life to the fullest this time, by his side.
“Feeling better?” Minwu asked, his voice tender.
“Y-Yes… yes. Thank you, Minwu. You always know what to do.”
They then parted and then looked into each other’s eyes. Light brown and warm brown staring into each other. Firion was the first to break eye contact, as he grew sheepish again with his emotions starting to bubble up to the surface.
“I’m sorry.” Firion chuckled sheepishly. “Before you had to comfort me again, you had something to tell me.”
“Now, I am not sure if I will tell you.” Minwu chuckled.
“N-No! No! I’ll listen, I promise! I’m sorry I-”
“No, that is not my concern. I know that you will listen. I am just… not sure if now is the time. Firion, is your heart ready?”
“What…?”
Firion’s heart thumped against his chest. What was he trying to say? What kind of a question was that? His mind began to swirl again with a flurry of thoughts as his emotions started to take over internally once more, despite his cool exterior. He tried to regulate his breathing, but he couldn’t. Why would he ready his heart… while they’re all alone in this very living room they first met in? He was overthinking things again but… he wanted to ready his heart. Perhaps it was time.
Perhaps this was when he finally confessed his feelings… and found out the truth.
“I have been meaning to tell you something for a long time now…” Minwu put his hands on his lap, one over the other. He looked at them for a while, and then he looked up to see Firion once more. “Something important… but I was not sure if we were both ready to face it.”
Firion gulped. “G-Go on.”
Minwu gently lifted one of his hands and laid it on top of Firion’s. It was soft and warm, just like how he remembered it whenever he would heal him from monster attacks… or this time, from his injuries from hunting.
“Firion…” Minwu said tenderly, as their eyes met. “There is someone else…”
Firion’s heart started to crash, like a wrecking ball to a condemned building. His eyes went blank, he wanted to cry, but… like a true rebel warrior, he kept those feelings under the surface as he tried not to give in to his emotions. He only kept quiet as he looked into Minwu’s beautiful warm brown eyes, as he kept listening despite the pain.
“… I want you to meet.” Minwu said as he finished his sentence.
“…” But Firion was far too gone by now, consumed by his swirling thoughts and emotions.
For a minute or so, they held that awkward silence as they just stared into each other’s eyes. Minwu noticed that Firion’s tears were starting to well up in his eyes, despite his blank stare, and this caused an alarm for him.
“F-Firion? Are you okay?” Minwu looked at him with concern.
“Y-Yeah, I… I… I just… I thought…”
Despite keeping a relatively blank expression, Firion started to let his tears roll down his cheeks, much to Minwu’s alarm. The other man could only wipe his tears with his own handkerchief as he did his best to calm him down. After an embarrassing show of misplaced emotions, the two finally communicated a bit better.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
“Your heart… despite it having been through so much, it is still tender. It is not an insult, I am just… surprised.”
They now looked embarrassed in each other’s company as they tried to make sense of what had just happened. Firion would never confess his feelings in that manner, so he tried a variety of excuses that would (hopefully) make sense. Embarrassment aside, Minwu wanted to tell him something important… about the “someone else” that he “wanted (Firion) to meet”.
“I did not think he would be here but… I think it would just be better if I showed you. Only if you are okay now.” Minwu couldn’t help but tease him a little bit. “Are you really okay now? We do not need to force this if you do not want to.”
“No, no. I’m okay. I’m sorry, really, I am.” Firion chuckled sheepishly, as he wanted to just stop existing for a while for embarrassing himself like that in front of Minwu. In front of Minwu! There go his “pogi points”**.
**Author’s notes: (“pogi points” = Filipino, literally translates to “handsome points”, used in humourous, otherwise non-serious, situations. Think of it as brownie points or an imaginary score for acting and/or appearing conventionally attractive, especially when winning the favour of someone’s beloved and other related people to said beloved person.)
“There is no need for any apologies.” Minwu reassured him. “Now then. Please get ready. Let’s go to him together. I’m sure he will be thrilled to meet you again.”
Now, he was curious. Who exactly was this mystery man that Minwu wanted him to meet? One who was so important, that he had to prepare his heart? It couldn’t be Leon, right? No… Minwu saw how apprehensive he was earlier; it couldn’t be him… could it? As he prepared himself to go out, he couldn’t help but let those thoughts swirl in his head. Not long after, they made sure everything was ready, the house was secured, and they stepped out of the front door to make their way to the Elder’s office.
***
When they arrived in the Elder’s office, they were escorted to wait by the lounge. Firion was tempted to ask him again about who they were to meet, but he decided to stay quiet. When his mind was made up not to ask about it anymore, his mind ended up thinking about his feelings for the other man again. Great, he thought. There was no escape to this deluge of overthinking.
But now, it was Minwu’s turn to ask him something.
“So… feeling better now?” he looked at him once more. “Do you feel safe enough to tell me what that was about?”
“I-It’s uh… like I told you. I just remembered something.”
“Ah… we really need to go to therapy. It must be a severe form of PTSD bubbling on the surface… I cannot blame you, with what we went through, and what you had to go through after I…”
“Minwu.” Firion tried to be firm with his actions around him for once. “When I’m ready, I want you to meet someone too… okay?”
Minwu was surprised with the sudden change in his tone, but he smiled under his mask. He nodded at him. “I am looking forward to it.”
They were now allowed to go inside of the Elder’s office, as he was done with whatever his prior business was. The two went inside and greeted him politely as they were allowed to sit across the elder’s office den desk. It was similar to the one Minwu had in his study, but it was much grander and much larger, with more expensive-looking items fit for the person looking out for the big city’s well-being.
“Ah, Minwu.” said the Elder. “And what can I help you with?”
“Elder, I heard that you were responsible for bringing this young man to my residence.” Minwu nodded, calling him by his title as they had the same name. “Thank you for reuniting us. I have been thinking about how he had been from the moment I awoke into this world.”
“…” Firion could only look at him with a slight blush on his cheeks.
While Minwu didn’t see it, the Elder saw it clear as day and could understand what was going on here. He had seen this before, in all his years of living.
“My students love him as well.” Minwu chuckled at this as he narrated some things that they did together. “Truly, it was nice to have him again by my side. Thank you.”
“Of course. I knew that you meant a lot to him too, having journeyed far and wide just to see you in this city.” the Elder nodded.
“Elder, if we may ask, I do want him to meet someone.” Minwu nodded, his tone a bit more hush and serious. At this, the Elder seemed to know who he was talking about, and he shared the same serious expression.
“Are you sure? He seems a little… detached from the world.” said the Elder. “And he had just woken up fairly recently, which means he may still need some time to adjust. We don’t even know where he came from, or if he has any ties to anyone in this world…”
“… I have seen him before. And so has Firion. I feel he may learn to open up to us more easily.” said Minwu with a firm glance.
The Elder looked surprised. He hadn’t known this fact, as the white mage had never told him anything when they both saw him. Perhaps he stayed quiet so as not to create a ruckus, and he had been waiting for this moment to finally reveal it, now that they could actually take action. He nodded at the Minwu and stood from his desk.
“Very well. I trust that you and your friend will know what to do.” the Elder nodded, as he beckoned them to follow him, to which the other two obliged to. “But mind you, while he is not violent, we need to make sure that he doesn’t cause any harm. I feel a strong life force from him; and a very strong capacity for magic. One that I fear may even rival mine.”
“I understand.” Minwu said. He noticed that Firion had looked like he was starting to have an inkling as to who it could have been, and this made the rebel freeze in thought for a while, and so he reached out for his hand and tugged him along.
The Elder led Minwu and Firion to a secret pathway behind his bookshelf. There, they descended down some corridors through a dark spiral staircase, lit up by torches. It seemed to be a long way down, to the point that Minwu and Firion started to ask themselves if they’ve seen the same torch before, but the Elder reassured them that they had not.
Finally, they’ve arrived at the floor they were meant to be on. The long spiral staircase led them to a spacious room, almost like a temple. The room was wide, and it had stone flooring. It was surprisingly well-lit, perhaps thanks to magic. There were decorative pillars everywhere, especially since this was an olden structure located in what appears to be the Elder’s basement.
This temple in the basement had a summoning portal; it was where they were able to summon forth anyone who had been caught within the rifts of time and space. The people who tend to be caught in this tend to have magical abilities that summoned them to Mysidia. Should they want to integrate into society, they are allowed to; should they not want to, they often go back out of summoning and try to reunite with their home world.
However, this specific person that had been summoned seemed to be neither.
“You see, he has chosen to stay here. But when he woke up, he seemed to not want to come out of this basement… so I decided to give him a makeshift bedroom to stay in.” the Elder gestured to one of the doors by the right side of the temple. “I tried to get some information out of him, but he would not budge. I don’t even know his name, but… perhaps I’ll leave you two to it.”
“Yes, we will take care of it.” Minwu nodded at this, allowing the Elder to resume to his duties to the surface. “Thank you, Elder.”
“Before I go, there is something you need to know about this basement. Do you see those doors?”
The elder gestured to the grand double doors adorned with gold and various precious crystals that appeared to be sealed by powerful magic. It was with his power, as well as the power of other mages that helped keep the city peaceful, that had sealed it so that nobody can just barge through them… and it was designed that way for a very good reason.
“The doors behind that summoning portal is where we keep some of the most powerful spells known to man.” the Elder seemed dead serious. “I am sure you may be familiar with some of them. Behind those doors are great enhancers to different spells… and who knows what it will bring about to spells like Ultima. These enhancers are only to be used when Mysidia and the rest of the world are on the brink of dying.”
“… I understand.”
“And another particularly strong spell is in there, that I have told our new… friend.” the Elder said. “It seemed to have made him feel more at ease. He said that it was his sole purpose in life to guard it to his dying breath.”
“So… the Destruction Tome is here, after all.” Minwu’s eyes were glued to the sealed grand doors behind the summoning portal.
“I reassured him that it’s perfectly safe and he doesn’t need to stay down here to guard it, but… ah. I’ll leave you two to it, then.”
At this, the Elder nodded back, and he wished them luck to talk to this rather shut-in fellow. He made sure that they could hold on their own, gave them some last precautionary measures about the summoning portal, and then bade them farewell as he went up the long spiral staircase once more to resume his duties in the surface.
Not long after, they could hear some giggles from what sounded like a young man from the bedroom. Minwu nodded at Firion, and then the pair proceeded to the bedroom door. Before knocking on it, they listened to the young man giggling behind it.
“Hahaha! Phrekyos, stop… that tickles! Down, boy!” the voice seemed to say in a light-hearted tone. They could also hear what sounded like a rather gargantuan dog playfully tackling something to the ground.
“Wait…” Firion was suddenly struck by a memory, to which Minwu smiled up at. It looked like they were finally on the same page.
That was when the pair decided to knock on his door, to which the giggling and the activity abruptly stopped. It was awkwardly silent for a while, before the voice on the other side of the door called out.
“Who is it?”
“May we come in? We would just like to talk to you. I’m Minwu… although I am not sure if you remember me. However, I have brought someone whom you may remember.” Minwu called out, and then gestured Firion to come closer and speak as well. “Introduce yourself.”
“Hi uh… it’s me, Firion. Is it okay if we talk?”
At this, the person from behind the bedroom door seemed to have unbolted his door locks. It took him a while, but he was able to undo all of them. His door slowly creaked open and in front of them was a blonde young man with tan skin.
“Firion…?” he called out as he peeked through the door shyly. “Is… is that really you?”
“Hey, Deumion. It has been a long while, hasn’t it?” Firion smiled down at him warmly.
Deumion looked left and right, before he decided to open the door fully. Behind him was his bedroom, and he allowed them to enter, as long as they were careful. He was just as they remembered him; his hair was long, slightly spiky, and some locks were in braids. He wore a blue headband, an elaborate, layered white and blue cape, and a long, somewhat translucent skirt to match it. He seemed to wear elaborate blue thigh high sandals to complete his look.
And after all this time, he was still rather youthful having lived for centuries, if not millennia… all thanks to his destiny that he had pursued in their past world.
He warned them, since there seemed to be quite an amount of antiques that the Elder had stashed in this makeshift bedroom. It was a bit of a mess, but it was still spacious and comfortable. It did have a high ceiling like the temple itself, so it didn’t feel as cramped as it should have.
Another more important thing why he warned them was…
“WHOA!!!” Firion exclaimed as a massive creature seemed to pin him down to the ground. Minwu could only watch in shock as this gargantuan canine-like creature seemed to maul his friend down. He wasn’t too worried, since the creature didn’t seem to harm Firion as much as it just wanted to play rough with him.
“Down boy! Down! Sit! Phrekyos, sit!” Deumion ordered his creature to behave, to which the latter did… but not without giving Firion a huge lick on the face. “I’m sorry about that, I think he missed you too. Firion, I’m so glad to meet you again! I did not foresee that we would in another world. And yet… here we are.”
Firion propped himself up on his knees and laughed at this. He looked like a mess, and he knew it. Deumion handed him some wipes to clean himself up with, as he sat on the ground and looked up at the guardian and his best friend.
“Indeed, it’s been far too long. I didn’t know I would see you again.” Firion nodded at him.
Deumion gestured for Minwu to find a comfortable spot in his room. Phrekyos, his canine-like creature companion, crawled on top of his bed. He followed his companion and sat on the bed, with Phrekyos’ tail curled around him on his lap. Minwu sat on a chair not too far away from the bed, and Firion decided to stay sitting on the ground as he felt it comfortable enough.
They didn’t want to surprise him by telling him to go up to the surface and reintegrate in the Mysidian society; they wanted to catch up with him first, and probably ease that in later.
“So, when have you woken up?” asked Firion. “Truth be told, I only learned about you being here today. Minwu told me.”
“I woke up only a few days ago. When I woke up, I saw unfamiliar faces.” Deumion started recounting his story. “But I also awoke to see that Phrekyos was with me, so I wasn’t at all that worried.”
“I see…” Firion deduced that one of the unfamiliar faces must have been the Elder. “The Elder told us that you decided to stay down here?”
“Yes, I don’t know if I could face people.” Deumion sighed. “You’re an exception, of course. But when I saw the Elder and other people, I… I started to feel weird. As if I didn’t want to mingle with them, not because they were bad, but…”
“Social anxiety?” Minwu suggested.
“Oh, is that the word? I have not been aware of society for longer than I thought. Yes, I did feel anxious about the thought of having to socialise with people. Another thought is…” he leaned against the giant beast Phrekyos, who was curled up behind him. “Can they ever accept me or my best friend? I am afraid they would only see him as a menace to society… I cannot have that. Not to mention, people rarely saw me as a fellow person; I do recall that most of them only saw me for my powers.”
Firion and Minwu looked at each other; they did have a point. The two were thick as thieves, nigh inseparable, with an insane power level that even the Elder himself acknowledged and seemed to be quite wary of. He had a valid reason not to want to reintegrate into society, despite no longer needing to protect the Destruction Tome from malicious individuals.
“Mysidia is full of different people. Not just humans, mind you. There are moogles, chocobos, and some others I have personally seen for the first time. Vieras, tarutarus, nu mous…” Minwu started to paint a picture of the different kinds of people he had seen so far in the city. “Mark you, some of them I have seen for the first time in my life after having been summoned here. But they are nice people to mingle with. I think I have also seen some summoners like you, here and there.”
Deumion’s eyes seemed to sparkle with more interest. He seemed to be yearning for more stories, to which Firion obliged.
“You see, I arrived here a few weeks ago by chocobo. Maybe someday when you’re ready, I can let you ride one!” Firion wanted to keep it light, but wasn’t able to help himself. “Anyway, I arrived here because I didn’t know if… if Minwu was still alive. Long story short, he did die some time after we met each other… a lot of people did. The reason why I kept seeing you in the Arcane Labyrinth back then was because I needed your help. There was war everywhere in the world… and thanks to you, we were able to defeat the evil much easier!”
Minwu chuckled. “I am alive and well in this world. And I still do have that Staff of Light you bestowed upon me. Thank you, Deumion.”
“I still have Ragnarok! It helped me fight off anything that came my way on the journey here. Thanks.” Firion chimed in, hoping to help the guardian feel better.
“You two…” Deumion smiled at them warmly as he leaned against Phrekyos comfortably. “Thank you. But that still is not enough for me to want to get out there.”
His eyes lied. Hanging out with these two started igniting a faint desire for him to come to the surface and see what he had been missing, now that he was no longer required to become a guardian. Then again… all his life, all that he knew was to be a guardian sealed away with the most destructive spell known to man. How could he just make such a dramatic shift? He had just been transported away to a foreign dimension, and now he feels forced to change all that he lived for, altogether.
The only thing keeping him grounded right now was his beloved companion, Phrekyos, and these two men that had gone out of their way to visit him.
“Hmm…” Minwu had an idea, and then he summoned his magic phone. Firion wasn’t as experienced with it, but Mysidians had to learn this new technology and others in order to have gotten this advanced together. “Very well, let me show you some things without you having to leave this place.”
He approached Deumion and started to show him a few pictures he had taken from the surface; most of them from the time that Firion arrived. He didn’t seem to take that much photos of things, save for some photos of his plants, and perhaps some… animals? That he had never talked about with Firion before. The guardian looked like he was in awe. Before him, he could actually see something else, and not just rely on his own memories and stories.
Deumion scooted over to give Minwu some space to sit on his bed as well, and he cautiously reached out for Minwu’s magic phone, afraid of what it could do. He poked it and accidentally closed the photos.
“Oh! I am sorry.”
“No, no. That is okay. You know, perhaps we can get you one of these and teach you, that way we can communicate even when we are far away.”
“What…?”
Deumion looked like he was a young child, discovering something new. After all, just like some people in this city, he wasn’t exactly given the privilege to grow up with a normal childhood. Witnessing constant devastation from a young age, having been appointed the sacrificial task of being the guardian just because of his innate powers… the only time he had ever felt a semblance of being a human being was with his mother or the few friends he had gotten in his life.
That didn’t dampen his beautiful heart though; but it wasn’t given any chance to truly shine, save for when he did nothing but aid Firion and his friends by providing them weapons and trials to make them stronger for their own battles.
Right now, he felt like this was an opportunity to be able to befriend Firion and Minwu further than just their transactional needs with key terms and ultimate weapons.
“Let me show you.” Minwu said. He showed his messaging app, and then he showed how the letters and message box appeared. “Deumion, can you read this alphabet?”
“…” Deumion squinted for a while. “They look rather… different, from the alphabet I have been accustomed to.”
“Dang it.” Minwu couldn’t help but exclaim, but then he got an idea. There were accessibility options that they have worked in their technology, so they could probably help out with his case here. “I think we can work with this for now. Do you see this small icon? You can record your voice with it, and it will be sent instantly to just one person.”
Minwu fiddled with his magic phone and made it so that Deumion could rely on visual cues rather than text. They made an example out of Firion.
“Firion, please open your messaging app.” Minwu suggested, to which Firion obliged. He then started to record a voice clip to be sent to Firion’s account. “Firion, you are cute.”
He decided to be playful with his sample message, and then sent it over to Firion’s account, to which the latter blushed at. They demonstrated how instant the voice messages have sent from one device to another, which left Deumion in awe.
“Please! May I also send him a message like that?” Deumion looked excited.
“You can also send him a video. Which one will it be?” Minwu chuckled as he gave him his phone, and then he eyed Firion. The latter couldn’t see it, but he was smiling ear to ear under his mask.
“Video?”
“Oh!” Minwu explained the whole concept to him, to which the other seemed to understand. “It will be easier if I showed you.”
“Okay! Firion, could you… could you get out of my room, please?” Deumion requested him. “I want to make it special for you! My first video message to one of my coolest friends…”
“Sure thing.” Firion chuckled. He got up and walked towards the door. He looked back at them as he swung the door open, happy to see how much they were having fun together.
He let out a sigh of contentment and then walked out the door. He decided to observe the summoning temple while waiting for them to finish up their video message. Just outside of Deumion’s room was the elevated summoning portal, where he had been summoned, as well as other Mysidians who chose to stay and reintegrate in their society. It seemed to be shielded with a barrier for extra precautions.
Around it were two rows of magic glyphs; the first row is presumably for the summoning itself, while the second outer row is for the magic barrier that is now protecting it. He decided to be careful as he walked around it.
He observed that Deumion must have been playing around the basement with Phrekyos… it wasn’t hard to see. Clearly, they avoided the portal but they were able to play around the entire basement. There were gigantic scratch marks all over the floors. Perhaps they were playing tag or fetch. That was a nice thing to think about; in the Arcane Sanctuary where Deumion was effectively sealed, he didn’t even have that luxury. It was good that the Elder allowed him to have some fun.
Perseria, Deumion’s home town, had failed him… all because of desperation for peace that they deemed had required a sacrifice.
Deumion was that sacrifice.
Because of the Destruction magic having become a reality, the elders of Perseria, along with the King, have decided that they needed a guardian to seal it away. As powerful magic wasn’t enough at the time to seal the most powerful magic spell known to man, they needed someone equally powerful to seal it… despite him being a mere young lad at the time.
Deumion effectively lost his family and all that he held dear, except for Phrekyos, the only beast that had stuck with him through ages. Through these stretches of time, he had met only a few people who were brave enough to seek ultimate weapons for a price… but among those, only few were willing to befriend him despite the limited times they met each other. And those were Firion and his friends. They were the only ones in the modern times that were willing to learn about his past and even live through it. None had gotten that far.
Remembering all these, Firion let out a deep sigh. Everyone has had it rough, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine the loneliness Deumion had to go through, and the fact that the very balance of the world rested on his shoulders…
… What does that do to a person, psychologically? What would he have thought of with all those eons of loneliness and heavy responsibility?
That was when his magic phone rang. He looked at it and found that they were finally done recording their video message. He smiled and opened the message.
It showed both Minwu and Deumion just leaning against Phrekyos in the bedroom, just like how he had left them. The main focus of the video seemed to be Deumion, and he seemed to be smiling from ear to ear, something that Firion had never seen him do before in their world for he wasn’t given the privilege to do so. But now…
“Firion, can you see this? I do not know what to say, but…” Deumion chuckled as he clumsily held the phone and then tilted it to both Minwu and Phrekyos. “Look! I am sending you a message!”
How awkward. Firion couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at this as he watched the whole thing. It was just of Deumion goofing around, showing his room and clumsily zooming in and out of different random things. He was clearly having so much fun with this new “toy” that Minwu had lent him. From time to time, Minwu would assist him and explain things to him. It appeared that he understood, but would still slip up from time to time.
“AH! Phrekyos, down! Don’t!” Deumion called out frantically as the camera seemed to black out.
Minwu didn’t scream, but his footsteps could also be heard frantically running towards the camera. After a while, the camera seemed to be free again as it showed a panicked Deumion and Minwu.
“Sorry, Firion! Phrekyos took it in his mouth and started to play around with it like a chew toy… oh no… Minwu, will this thing be alright?”
“Not to worry, mine is heavy duty. Sometimes mine would fall from the second floor and still be alright. Magic keeps it safe.” Minwu reassured him. “Well then, Firion. Thank you for watching this video.”
“I will see you later, Firion! Even if I know you’re probably just out there in the basement.” Deumion waved at him, and then the video cut off.
Firion laughed at this and then he walked back over to Deumion’s bedroom to see how the pair is doing. Deumion was still preoccupied with learning the basic things on Minwu’s phone, while Minwu would keep an eye on him from time to time. He did have private things on that magic phone, and he didn’t want the young lad accidentally finding out about it.
“I received your message.” Firion raised his phone to show them.
“Already? Wow…” Deumion still couldn’t wrap his head around it. He could wrap his head around the existence of the Destruction spell, or being able to summon beasts from other dimensions, but… not with instant messaging and data sharing. It was all new to him.
“While you are still not ready to go back to the surface, you can do that. But… ah, this is a predicament.” Minwu paced around the room. “Firion, we will need to buy him a new magic phone. I know of a good, affordable brand for a beginner but… hmm.”
“I spent some of my savings coming here, perhaps we can pool some money together? Or I can hunt extra!” Firion nodded, as he was down to help Deumion buy his first magic phone.
“Yes, let us do that.”
While lost to most modern concepts, Deumion still knows a thing or two about economics. He seemed to feel a little bad that the two would work extra just for him, because he didn’t want to come out from the basement with Phrekyos; he was still afraid of what the surface held for him, and he may need some more time to get used to having people around him before plunging in a society full of different walks of life. Just the thought of it made him feel a little anxious, but also a little hopeful.
“You need not do that, really…” the guardian shook his head.
“You gave us our ultimate weapons without us needing to pay for it.” Firion made a counter point.
“Yes, but only after I sic’d Phrekyos at you!”
“… Right.” Firion thought about it, but then he shook his head. “Still, it’s not a big deal to us. Tell you what. If you really want to repay us someday, then maybe… if you feel comfortable enough, you can hang out with us.”
Deumion looked up at Firion from where he sat on the bed with his companion, Phrekyos. He seemed to have a certain sparkle to his eyes, although he was quite scared of the thought of going to the surface someday.
“It doesn’t have to be anything grand. If you want, you can just stay at home with us, and you can come back here anytime you’d like to.” Firion smiled at him as he put his hand on the guardian’s shoulder. “We’ll watch the stars together, eat some meals together… maybe just spend the day sleeping on our day off.”
Deumion looked at the two, surprised that they would go to lengths for his comfort. After all, he was used to being seen as a mere tool. Nobody truly saw him beyond his immense power and summoning skills save for his mother. His mother… that he hasn’t seen since he was taken away from her to become a guardian for all eternity. He does miss her dearly, and he wasn’t sure if he would be given a chance to see her in this new world.
But for now… these two. They were the closest he could have to that kind of love… that unconditional love that he hadn’t felt in centuries.
“Deumion, are you okay?” Minwu looked alarmed as he came over to him.
“Huh? Oh.” Deumion just realised that tears were starting to roll down his cheeks. He didn’t even notice it at first; perhaps it was the slew of overwhelming feelings. He didn’t know that the loneliness got so unbearable that people showing him any form of concern for his well-being had such an effect on him. “I am okay… I am okay. I only… I never thought you two would go this far for me.”
“Deumion…” Firion’s face softened at this, realising how he must have felt. He sighed and then he moved forward to embrace him, to which the other followed suit. “You’re our friend now, don’t you forget it. You don’t have to bear this alone.”
Minwu smiled at this. That was exactly what he told him before… that he didn’t have to bear the burdens alone, and that he would be there for him every step of the way. He was also happy to see that the two seem to be getting closer in this new world of theirs. As soon as the pair parted from each other, he chimed in.
“Firion, let’s tell the Elder about this. I have a feeling he would give us the allowance needed for Deumion to buy that phone.” Minwu nodded at him. “After all, we have already volunteered to help him warm up to the city someday.”
“Ah, great idea.” Firion nodded. “Let’s do just that. Deumion… we’ll leave you for now, okay? We’ll be back for you later with your new phone.”
The guardian nodded as he got up from his bed. He beckoned Phrekyos to come with him so that they could see the pair go off. They waved each other goodbye, as the pair went back up to the spiral staircase. As soon as they were off, he let out a sigh. He missed them already. It was similar to the feeling that he had everytime he saw them leave the Arcane Sanctuary. He always had to show them a stoic, formal front because he was the appointed Guardian, and hence duties always came first.
However, as soon as they left the Arcane Sanctuary, he always felt a sense of loneliness. He would summon Phrekyos right back to keep him company after he was sure the warriors were gone, and he would talk to him about the warriors and what he thought the world was like on the surface. Beneath his stoic Guardian front still belied the heart of a dreamer.
“Come on, Phrekyos…” he said as he hugged his beloved beast companion. He smiled into the embrace, now feeling warmer and less alone. “We’ve got so much to talk about.”