After successfully slaying Helios, the great Fire Dragon of Solaris, John, with his comrades, went back to the town for a short rest offered to them by the grateful citizens. The townspeople wanted to thank them for bringing back the peace and prosperity in Solaris.
The night was enlightened by the lights and the cheers of all the people in the town. Sophia was about to leave the congregation, because as often, she got a lot of research to do. John was lying on the bed, while Zephyr was sitting on a chair near the window, staring at the glorious celebration outside. Where was Charles? Well, as he always did, he was thinking of something terrible and mischievous, and unluckily, he did. His childish yet adult mind sprouted with an idea.
The serenity inside John and Zephyr's room was shattered by Charles' enthusiastic entrance. He walked straight to John and messed his hair. He said:
"Why are you two so quiet?! You should go celebrate with the people outside! We are heroes, remember? You should display yourselves outside and be proud."
"I'm tired, can't you see? I want to rest, and what's the messing hair for?" John complained.
"Nothing. How about you, Zephyr?"
"The wind in its purest form is perfectly invisible. I am not meant to be recognized," Zephyr replied.
"Argh. This only means one thing. I guess I'll have to go alone."
And then he left with his right hand clenched, as he was holding something. After closing the door, the Master and the Familiar were back to their quiet selves. An hour had passed; John was now sleeping while Zephyr was still watching outside. A knock on the door caught her attention, and she opened it. It was Charles, carrying a tray with three glasses of water on it. He placed the tray on the table and said:
"Maybe you're thirsty. I brought you something to drink."
Charles handed out a glass of water to Zephyr. She sipped from it, and having a quarter of the drink consumed, she grew dizzy and hot. She wavered and the glass she was holding fell and was broken. The noise awakened John, and he alertly recognized the situation. Zephyr fell into the bed. John got up.
“What happened to her? What have you done to her?!”
“Don’t worry John. I just gave her something.”
John remembered something. A flashback made his eyes shrieked.
“Isn’t it...”
Charles interrupted: “You’re right, John. It is a Love Potion.”
“How dare you poison her?! How did you do it?”
Charles gave a strand of John’s hair (the one he was holding an hour earlier) to Sophia before she left, and without asking any questions (maybe she already knew it), she made a Love Potion.
“I don’t think it’s effective. The symptoms of a Love Potion’s not like that,” Charles observed.
“You’re such a crap, Charles,” John said.
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry. You’ve been so cold since the tragedy happened, so I thought that making Zephyr fall in love with you will return you to your normal self. John, observe her until she awakens while I will search for an antidote. Is that okay?”
“Fine, just hurry.”
Charles left, and John sat on the bed beside Zephyr. Her fever was gone, and she was now soundly sleeping. After a few moments, Zephyr finally woke up. With sleepy eyes, she wandered her look around, as though she had amnesia. When her pine – green eyes caught John’s, she surprisingly and unusually avoided them. She blushed.
“No... It can’t be. It worked!” He silently screamed.
“Ahh... John?”
“Y – Yes?”
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“S – Sure!”
“Can we take a walk outside? It’s somewhat hot in here.”
“Of course! You can leave the room anytime!” John thought he was saved.
“No. I mean, we, together,” Zephyr specified. Her romantic eyes were still shy.
John trembled.
His body was frozen when he heard Zephyr spoke those words. For five years he never heard Zephyr speak emotionally like that, still he can’t deny it.
“Y – Yes we can!”
“Thank you, John,” she smiled.
John never had this kind of fear. They went out of the inn. Zephyr was wearing a fine women’s dress. Charles gave it to her recently. Street lights were glowing bright like fireflies, and the people around recognized this couple not as heroes but as perfect lovers. Because of having a long, brown hair and passionate, green eyes, Zephyr was quite attractive and unique to the masses. John was embarrassed, but Zephyr never minded them. In fact, she even locked John’s arm into hers and rested her head into his shoulder! John’s embarrassment gradually turned into irritation and anger. It was finally settled when Zephyr asked:
“John, do you love me?”
Knowing that it was only an effect of a mere potion, John finally and recklessly blew out his words:
“Zephyr, I finally had enough of you. Would you please stop embarrassing me? Let’s just go back and wait for Charles to cure you, okay?”
Zephyr felt ashamed.
“I - I’m sorry, John. I just like to...”
Tears began to flow from her eyes, and she ran away fast. John, being surprised, tried to chase her, but he failed. Her speed was unmatchable.
After running away without looking anywhere, Zephyr finally found herself in the middle of a grassy plain. It was where they fought Helios! The remains of the great dragon still lay on the field. She saw a Wind Mage and his Familiar near the corpse. His Familiar was a large green eagle. He was a Rogue – Mage – a magician that was hunted by the law. They were murderers, thieves, and looters (this Mage's a looter). The Wind Mage saw Zephyr, and without saying a word, the large Familiar began to strike silently from the night skies. Zephyr cast her spell:
“Ventus Imperium!”
The west winds blew hard, giving Zephyr increased agility and speed. Vast wings sprouted from her back, and then she summoned her sword:
“Whistle, Vernus Ensis!”
She drew her sword from the spell mark in front of her palm, as though it had an invisible hilt. She began to initiate her counter attack. She flew to the skies to counter – strike the enemy. The talons of the eagle clashed with the Vernus Ensis, but the force of the eagle prevailed. Zephyr bounced back. When she looked back, the eagle withdrew, but a set of floating swords, forged from the winds, stroke her from the caster on the floor. She gracefully dodged most of them, but some slightly wounded her, bringing her down into the floor. The enemy didn’t give her enough time to be reconditioned as he cast the spell again. He cried:
“Ventus Percussum!”
The spell was very fast, that the flying swords were already in front of Zephyr when she got up. She didn’t have enough time to evade the attack! But in a split second, John suddenly flashed in front of her and created a wind barrier that stopped the entire assault. John turned back to Zephyr:
“Are you alright?”
“John, behind you!”
Another set came in. John’s mind was quick. He can no longer cast a spell, but he could dodge it easily, but Zephyr’s behind him! If he did that, she would surely die! So he didn’t; he embraced the blow. Blood dropped from him, which made Zephyr scared.
“John! I – I’m sorry! P –Please don’t leave me!”
“Don’t’ worry, Zephyr. It’s just a scratch. I should have thought that you are behaving like that only because of the potion. I know it’s against your will. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not true, John...”
After looking worriedly at John, Zephyr took a hateful glare at the enemy, who was then casting another spell. For the first time Zephyr’s eyes grew fierce and serious. The opponent’s strike was ceased, for he was casting a greater one: a Transfusion. A Transfusion combines the Master to his Familiar – body, mind and soul, giving them greater power. The Wind Mage took his Familiar’s form, but maintained his intellectual mind. The combination was yet incomplete, but after a few moments, it’s done. Zephyr spoke seriously:
“John, the enemy has grown more powerful. Please let me use it!”
“No, Zephyr! We can only use that twice, and it’s very dangerous, especially for you! I have lost someone special once, and I won’t allow you to make it twice!”
“John, I am your Familiar. I am bound to protect you at all costs. I want to protect you not as a Familiar but as a friend, as a lover. I want, and I will die for you!”
John finally realized Zephyr’s feelings, and so he nodded. Zephyr summoned her sword again while John straightened. He said the magic words:
“The chorus of the Winds heralds the arrival of its master’s final strike.”
A glowing, vertical spell circle, swarmed with mysterious writings, flashed between Zephyr and the enemy. Her wings spread wide, and she dashed through the circle. As she passed through it, John cried:
“Ventus... Finalis!”
Zephyr’s speed was suddenly increased thousandfold. She disappeared with the singing wind, and before a blink of an eye, she flashed below the great eagle. The enemy failed to react in time because of the immense velocity. She tossed the huge enemy using the bottom of her sword, and she cut it in its fall into halves in a silent grandeur. The beast fell into the grass, and Zephyr was victorious. She looked back at John, and made her final smile. She fainted. John ran towards her, but unfortunately his wounded body finally gave up. All he saw was a man riding on a horse from a short distance. It was Charles. John also fainted afterwards.
After opening his eyes, John found himself lying on the bed in the inn. On his side was Zephyr, again in her sleep. On his other side was Charles, sitting on the chair. Charles quietly uttered:
“Don’t worry John, both of you are now fine. And by the way, I already gave Zephyr the antidote.”
“Oh... Really...” John somewhat sadly replied.
“The antidote’s quite expensive. I’ve paid for it, so you’re not angry with me anymore?”
John didn’t answer; instead he looked at the antidote on the table. It’s not just a Love Potion antidote; it’s an antidote for all sicknesses. A Love Potion antidote was much cheaper, so buying a more expensive cure only mean one thing: Charles didn’t use a Love Potion. He didn’t use John’s strand of hair after all, but yet the unknown potion was effective. Charles lied.
Zephyr was right.
