healingbonds (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
healingbonds) wrote2021-11-21 01:04 pm
healingbonds) wrote2021-11-21 01:04 pm
Entry tags:
The Bonds We Formed, Like Magic | Chapter 5
Chapter 4 << | index | >> Chapter 6
Arthur: Wizards wield magic with their hearts. That’s why we try to shield our own hearts, and why we’re so unaccustomed to working closely alongside each other.
The more we learn about other people’s hearts, the more we grow wary and defensive — even the kindest wizards among us.
Won’t we just end up hurting ourselves, and the other person too, since our natures are so intrinsically different? We start to feel exhausted about the whole ordeal.
We fear hurting the other party, or we take an offensive stance in protecting our own hearts from being hurt.
Yet our conversation today was so much fun!
Sir Sage. I’d love to hear about everyone’s fantasy kingdoms!
Who would they include in their kingdom? What role would each person have? I want to listen carefully to what they have to say.
I’m sure that there will be many, many opportunities for our opinions to clash......
But as long as we continue to live through days like today, surely we can avoid thoughtlessly wounding each other.
That is what I believe.
My heart grows warm at Arthur’s words.
We might not have reached any solutions, but the glorious time we shared is far more important.
It’s all right, we don’t have to rush. We can take one step forward at a time.
✦✧☾✧✦
......That was what I thought, but we’re still struggling with the meetings.
We are really, really, really not making any progress.
For one thing, it’s impossible to get everyone together. On the rare occasions that we do, we can barely hold a semblance of a meeting. And when we manage to sit down for an actual meeting, our opinions are absolutely scattered.
After going through these situations a number of times, I’ve come to learn the characteristics of each country.
✦✧☾✧✦
Mithra: Listen. Everyone should just obey me.
Owen: I’ll kill you.
Bradley: What now? You wanna have some fun?
Snow & White: This calls for punishment.
Northern Country, who pay no heed to anyone and invoke their absolute brute force......
✦✧☾✧✦
Arthur: Thank you for your valuable opinion. I think it allowed us to broaden our minds considerably.
Please try expressing yourself in a more composed manner next time. That way, it’ll be easier for everyone else to listen to and accept your opinions. No one here is your enemy.
Cain: Well, I guess some people could see it like that. I can’t say I dislike it. But I also can’t agree.
Riquet: You’re impatient, brutish, and a fool. But I shall forgive you.
Oz: ............
Central Country, with their absolute fortitude......
✦✧☾✧✦
Murr: That’s right, that’s right!
Shylock: Oh, my. You can’t possibly back down after taking such a hard stance, right? It would be disgraceful.
Rustica: Ooh, things are getting very interesting now.
Chloe: Oh my god! What’s going to happen next!? Keep going, keep going!
Western Country, who are absolute hecklers.....
✦✧☾✧✦
Heathcliff: ....It’s really hard for me to say this, but... I can’t say I think.... That’s a very good idea...... You know.....
Nero: ....I was gonna keep quiet, but since it looks like nobody else has realized — there’s a critical flaw in that idea of yours.....
Faust: ....I wasn’t going to get involved, but don’t you think that plan comes with significant risk?
Shino: Can you all speak up earlier?
Eastern Country, who are absolute masters at upsetting our plans the very moment it looks like we might reach a consensus.....
✦✧☾✧✦
Chloe: It looks like we all need to cool down — why don’t we chat about something else for a little while? You know, the other day....
Rustica: Don’t you think it’s time for some tea?
Shylock: Oh, it looks like it’s time to start opening shop.....
Murr: I’m tired of this~!
Western Country, who are absolute masters at diverting the conversation......
✦✧☾✧✦
Rutile: Eh... Oh, I see. Then let’s go with your plan!
Mitile: I see. Okay, I’m good with that, then!
Figaro: Oh, okay? Then why don’t you do that?
Lennox: I think you should do as you please.
Southern Country, who are absolutely ready to let the others have their way.....
✦✧☾✧✦
And we are faced with derailment after derailment......
Chloe: Hey, out of curiosity — has anyone here ever gotten married?
Snow: I’m certain that few of us have. A marriage is a vow. If you break it, you will lose your magic.
Rustica: I have my beloved bride.
Shino: But she’s not around right now. What happens in a situation like that? It doesn’t count as a broken promise?
Faust: .....His bride is simply missing, and he is still looking for her. The marriage itself should still be intact.
Shino: What if his bride is living with another man?
Heathcliff: Shino! ....Sorry, Rustica. Shino doesn’t mean to be rude.
Rustica: I know. You were worried about me, right?
Chloe: ....But if that were really the case, would Rustica lose his magic?
Snow: It all depends on Rustica’s heart. If Rustica’s heart says that the promise was broken, then Rustica will lose his magic.
Heathcliff: If Rustica’s heart says....? What does that mean....?
White: It means exactly what it sounds like. Even if your mind says, "I couldn’t keep my promise," if your heart says, "I kept my promise," the vow will continue for eternity.
I have seen a number of wizards who made wedding vows and promised eternal love — yet even after their beloved partner passed away, they did not lose their magic.
Among them, there were a few who made additional wedding vows with other individuals, and still did not lose their magic.
Snow: That must simply be how love and pledges work.
Ohoho. As someone who has never broken a vow, I can’t say I understand.
Chloe: I see....
Rustica: What is it, Chloe? You look happy. Your lips are making a smile.
Chloe: Ah.... Nothing! It’s nothing!
Shino: I don’t think I could. If I saw Heath’s dead body, I wouldn’t be able to believe that I had protected him.
Heathcliff: You won’t see my dead body. Because we’ll turn to stone when we die.
Shino: ....Why are you trying to piss me off?
Heathcliff: Why are you getting mad? It’s not like we can do anything about it.
Hey! Where are you going!?
Shino: Out for a walk.
Heathcliff: .....Geez.....
Snow: Ohoho.
White: Oh, to be young.
✦✧☾✧✦
On yet another day, our conversation was once again derailed.
Murr: Oh, right, wasn’t there an island near Borda Island that fell to ruin because of Shylock?
Shylock: You remember that incident?
Murr: Hmm.... Just a little!
Akira: An island that fell to ruin because of Shylock?
Shylock: Don’t go smearing my reputation. That was just something Murr said once upon a time to tease me.
Murr: It’s a tale about a wizard who Shylock tantalized to death!
He was a terrifying Northern wizard with incredible power — yet he turned to stone before he had a single chance to wield that power against him!
Bradley: How’d that happen? I can’t imagine a Northern wizard losing to a Western wizard.
Murr: He stopped playing like a Northerner: before he realized it, he had been whisked into Shylock’s game!
Shylock: Murr.
Murr: What? I’m not wrong! Or is this memory faulty?
A wolf with sharp claws and demonic fangs fell to his knees before the Devil of the West, without ever once baring those claws or fangs. You are the king of the demons, Shylock!
Bradley: Now that’s scary. What kinda magic did you pull that off with?
Shylock: I did not use any magic.
I simply told him this: You seem to mistakenly believe that I am the Devil of the West, but....
The truth of the matter is that the wizards of Western Country are simply fond of me.
Even if you bend me into submission with brute force, you will never control me.
If you wish to make me do your bidding, then you will need to become my favorite.
Bradley: Ahaha! That’s pretty messed up.
Northern wizards are pure-hearted, you know? Power is everything. If you have power, you can make anything and everything you want your own.
I bet he was so tongue-tied he didn’t know what to do when he heard that.
Murr: He sure was.
Bradley: Did he trip over himself trying to suck up to you with offerings?
Murr: He was so bewildered that he destroyed an island and sank to the bottom of the ocean!
Akira: ....And you weren’t hurt at all, Shylock?
Shylock: Fortunately.
Murr: How tactful!
Shylock: Murr. You’re telling this like it’s your own tale, but you were far away when it happened.
Murr: I don’t remember~!
Shylock: I’m not surprised.
Because it all happened around the time the < Great Catastrophe > was approaching.
✦✧☾✧✦
And on yet another day.....
Rustica: And now, I’d like to present my piece....
"The three little dogs and daddy Cerberus."
Owen: Hey. You’re making fun of me, aren’t you? Cerberus is way more violent than you think.
Mithra: Shh, quiet now. The performance is about to begin.
Chapter 4 << | index | >> Chapter 6
Arthur: Wizards wield magic with their hearts. That’s why we try to shield our own hearts, and why we’re so unaccustomed to working closely alongside each other.
The more we learn about other people’s hearts, the more we grow wary and defensive — even the kindest wizards among us.
Won’t we just end up hurting ourselves, and the other person too, since our natures are so intrinsically different? We start to feel exhausted about the whole ordeal.
We fear hurting the other party, or we take an offensive stance in protecting our own hearts from being hurt.
Yet our conversation today was so much fun!
Sir Sage. I’d love to hear about everyone’s fantasy kingdoms!
Who would they include in their kingdom? What role would each person have? I want to listen carefully to what they have to say.
I’m sure that there will be many, many opportunities for our opinions to clash......
But as long as we continue to live through days like today, surely we can avoid thoughtlessly wounding each other.
That is what I believe.
My heart grows warm at Arthur’s words.
We might not have reached any solutions, but the glorious time we shared is far more important.
It’s all right, we don’t have to rush. We can take one step forward at a time.
✦✧☾✧✦
......That was what I thought, but we’re still struggling with the meetings.
We are really, really, really not making any progress.
For one thing, it’s impossible to get everyone together. On the rare occasions that we do, we can barely hold a semblance of a meeting. And when we manage to sit down for an actual meeting, our opinions are absolutely scattered.
After going through these situations a number of times, I’ve come to learn the characteristics of each country.
✦✧☾✧✦
Mithra: Listen. Everyone should just obey me.
Owen: I’ll kill you.
Bradley: What now? You wanna have some fun?
Snow & White: This calls for punishment.
Northern Country, who pay no heed to anyone and invoke their absolute brute force......
✦✧☾✧✦
Arthur: Thank you for your valuable opinion. I think it allowed us to broaden our minds considerably.
Please try expressing yourself in a more composed manner next time. That way, it’ll be easier for everyone else to listen to and accept your opinions. No one here is your enemy.
Cain: Well, I guess some people could see it like that. I can’t say I dislike it. But I also can’t agree.
Riquet: You’re impatient, brutish, and a fool. But I shall forgive you.
Oz: ............
Central Country, with their absolute fortitude......
✦✧☾✧✦
Murr: That’s right, that’s right!
Shylock: Oh, my. You can’t possibly back down after taking such a hard stance, right? It would be disgraceful.
Rustica: Ooh, things are getting very interesting now.
Chloe: Oh my god! What’s going to happen next!? Keep going, keep going!
Western Country, who are absolute hecklers.....
✦✧☾✧✦
Heathcliff: ....It’s really hard for me to say this, but... I can’t say I think.... That’s a very good idea...... You know.....
Nero: ....I was gonna keep quiet, but since it looks like nobody else has realized — there’s a critical flaw in that idea of yours.....
Faust: ....I wasn’t going to get involved, but don’t you think that plan comes with significant risk?
Shino: Can you all speak up earlier?
Eastern Country, who are absolute masters at upsetting our plans the very moment it looks like we might reach a consensus.....
✦✧☾✧✦
Chloe: It looks like we all need to cool down — why don’t we chat about something else for a little while? You know, the other day....
Rustica: Don’t you think it’s time for some tea?
Shylock: Oh, it looks like it’s time to start opening shop.....
Murr: I’m tired of this~!
Western Country, who are absolute masters at diverting the conversation......
✦✧☾✧✦
Rutile: Eh... Oh, I see. Then let’s go with your plan!
Mitile: I see. Okay, I’m good with that, then!
Figaro: Oh, okay? Then why don’t you do that?
Lennox: I think you should do as you please.
Southern Country, who are absolutely ready to let the others have their way.....
✦✧☾✧✦
And we are faced with derailment after derailment......
Chloe: Hey, out of curiosity — has anyone here ever gotten married?
Snow: I’m certain that few of us have. A marriage is a vow. If you break it, you will lose your magic.
Rustica: I have my beloved bride.
Shino: But she’s not around right now. What happens in a situation like that? It doesn’t count as a broken promise?
Faust: .....His bride is simply missing, and he is still looking for her. The marriage itself should still be intact.
Shino: What if his bride is living with another man?
Heathcliff: Shino! ....Sorry, Rustica. Shino doesn’t mean to be rude.
Rustica: I know. You were worried about me, right?
Chloe: ....But if that were really the case, would Rustica lose his magic?
Snow: It all depends on Rustica’s heart. If Rustica’s heart says that the promise was broken, then Rustica will lose his magic.
Heathcliff: If Rustica’s heart says....? What does that mean....?
White: It means exactly what it sounds like. Even if your mind says, "I couldn’t keep my promise," if your heart says, "I kept my promise," the vow will continue for eternity.
I have seen a number of wizards who made wedding vows and promised eternal love — yet even after their beloved partner passed away, they did not lose their magic.
Among them, there were a few who made additional wedding vows with other individuals, and still did not lose their magic.
Snow: That must simply be how love and pledges work.
Ohoho. As someone who has never broken a vow, I can’t say I understand.
Chloe: I see....
Rustica: What is it, Chloe? You look happy. Your lips are making a smile.
Chloe: Ah.... Nothing! It’s nothing!
Shino: I don’t think I could. If I saw Heath’s dead body, I wouldn’t be able to believe that I had protected him.
Heathcliff: You won’t see my dead body. Because we’ll turn to stone when we die.
Shino: ....Why are you trying to piss me off?
Heathcliff: Why are you getting mad? It’s not like we can do anything about it.
Hey! Where are you going!?
Shino: Out for a walk.
Heathcliff: .....Geez.....
Snow: Ohoho.
White: Oh, to be young.
✦✧☾✧✦
On yet another day, our conversation was once again derailed.
Murr: Oh, right, wasn’t there an island near Borda Island that fell to ruin because of Shylock?
Shylock: You remember that incident?
Murr: Hmm.... Just a little!
Akira: An island that fell to ruin because of Shylock?
Shylock: Don’t go smearing my reputation. That was just something Murr said once upon a time to tease me.
Murr: It’s a tale about a wizard who Shylock tantalized to death!
He was a terrifying Northern wizard with incredible power — yet he turned to stone before he had a single chance to wield that power against him!
Bradley: How’d that happen? I can’t imagine a Northern wizard losing to a Western wizard.
Murr: He stopped playing like a Northerner: before he realized it, he had been whisked into Shylock’s game!
Shylock: Murr.
Murr: What? I’m not wrong! Or is this memory faulty?
A wolf with sharp claws and demonic fangs fell to his knees before the Devil of the West, without ever once baring those claws or fangs. You are the king of the demons, Shylock!
Bradley: Now that’s scary. What kinda magic did you pull that off with?
Shylock: I did not use any magic.
I simply told him this: You seem to mistakenly believe that I am the Devil of the West, but....
The truth of the matter is that the wizards of Western Country are simply fond of me.
Even if you bend me into submission with brute force, you will never control me.
If you wish to make me do your bidding, then you will need to become my favorite.
Bradley: Ahaha! That’s pretty messed up.
Northern wizards are pure-hearted, you know? Power is everything. If you have power, you can make anything and everything you want your own.
I bet he was so tongue-tied he didn’t know what to do when he heard that.
Murr: He sure was.
Bradley: Did he trip over himself trying to suck up to you with offerings?
Murr: He was so bewildered that he destroyed an island and sank to the bottom of the ocean!
Akira: ....And you weren’t hurt at all, Shylock?
Shylock: Fortunately.
Murr: How tactful!
Shylock: Murr. You’re telling this like it’s your own tale, but you were far away when it happened.
Murr: I don’t remember~!
Shylock: I’m not surprised.
Because it all happened around the time the < Great Catastrophe > was approaching.
✦✧☾✧✦
And on yet another day.....
Rustica: And now, I’d like to present my piece....
"The three little dogs and daddy Cerberus."
Owen: Hey. You’re making fun of me, aren’t you? Cerberus is way more violent than you think.
Mithra: Shh, quiet now. The performance is about to begin.
Chapter 4 << | index | >> Chapter 6