The Book Of Flowers
5 Years Ago, When We Were Separated
-- 5 years ago, the City of Calendula --
"THE VAINZEL!! VAIN-!"
"Son, stop..."
Because of Frank's words and realizing that I was out of sight, Verdea stopped screaming and could only cry out loud
He slowly grabbed Frank and continued to cry in his arms
Veskal who saw the heartbreaking thing was just joined in crying without being able to comment
"... T-mister Gold" Luna interjected between the atmosphere
Frank, Verdea and Veskal then turned towards Luna and Uncle Zer who looked confused what to do with Artorius who fainted
"... I'll take care of him later" Frank answered while taking his eyes off Artorius
"But, I'm not sure he'd last long if-"
"Fuck that guy"
...
"Mr Gold...?" Ask Uncle Zer
"Grandfather?"
Luna and Verdea were immediately startled when they saw Frank suddenly shed tears and put on an angry look
"Grandfather..." The restless Verdea said
"I'm fine, my grandson. I just suddenly remembered your mother" Frank said as he rubbed his eyes
"Kake-up"
"Mr Gold. I beg. Her pulse was getting weaker" Luna interrupted again
Verdea and Veskal who heard Luna's words immediately panicked
"I'm not going to help that person, no matter how much you're going to pay me" Frank said with an increasingly angry face
"I'm moho-"
"No! I wouldn't-"
"Grandfather!"
Hearing Verdea, Frank immediately stopped talking and turned to his grandson. Verdea's tears fell hard. The look in his eyes clearly shouted 'Please help father'
Looking at his grandson, Frank asked inwardly, 'Why do you want this?'
His anger for his daughter who died because of Artorius was still implied in his heart. Frank couldn't have forgotten that. Although Artorius was responsible for everything, Frank could not forget that Artorius was the cause of Marianne's death
"Grandfather, I beg you"
Verdea finally said it clearly
Frank's increasingly shaky heart saw Verdea, immediately knocking down his stance not to help Artorius
Frank raised his index finger and pointed at his shop without turning
"Bring him in and take him to my room. Find a jar of orange powder inside my store shelf, then hand it to me immediately" Frank explained
Luna nodded in understanding, thanking Frank, while Uncle Zer heaved a sigh of relief
"Thank you Mr. Gold. Veskal, come here"
Helping Luna, Veskal supported Artorius' left side, while Luna supported her right side. They immediately brought Artorius in, followed by Frank, Verdea and Uncle Zer who followed behind
...
"Just throw him on that guest couch"
"Good"
Luna and Veskal slowly put Artorius in a lying position on the sofa
Luna immediately darted away in search of the drug Frank intended
Veskal moved back a few steps as Frank advanced with a glass and a bottle of milk
Verdea drew near to her fainted father as Frank put some milk into his mouth every few moments, making Artorius gulp it down slowly
"Are you going to be okay?" Verdea asked, whose eyes were already puffy
"most likely. If your father's body wasn't strong against the poison in his body right now, he wouldn't have been able to survive this far"
"Excuse me, here's the cure"
"Mix 3 spoons of the powder with water, then add lemon juice to the cabinet, then stir" Frank said, pointing at a cabinet on his wobble chair
Luna immediately did everything she was told
Frank continued to focus on the condition of Artorius. And after checking for a while, he again gave Artorius some milk
BRACKET!
Someone suddenly entered through the door and said
"I'm sorry I broke down, but NOTHING WITH THAT RED SKY"
...
"Haaa!? Captain Cyth!!??" Veskal exclaimed with wide eyes
"Oh, hello-HAA!?? WHY ARE YOU GUYS HERE!!??" Cyth said
"THAT'S OUR QUESTION!" Veskal immediately replied
"Sorry I can't help it...! I'm not a good fighter...!" Uncle Zer said as he tried to pull Cyth out
"Take me off, old man" Cyth said to Uncle Zer
"I couldn't go into more detail, so the answer to my first question was 'Red Sabbath' "Luna interrupted
...
"Wait, wait. You must be kidding me. Red Sabbath is a myth"
"It's up to you what you think, but we don't have time anymore and have to leave" Uncle Zer said after stopping pulling Cyth
"But, Vainzel says we don't have time. Besides, where are we going, Uncle Zer?" Ask Veskal
"The nearest town of the Dwarves, Bargalos. It is located under an uninhabited island far enough from the South of the Flos continent" Veskal said
"Huh!? About how long can we get there?"
"It can be fast with teleportation. But...
I'm not sure you two kids can withstand the burden of teleportation"
"Huh!?" Verdea and Veskal exclaimed in unison. "You mean we have to walk?" Added Veskal
"No. We can reduce our distance between cities to reduce the use of Mana for you. It's just..."
"What else?"
"If anyone had a ship here..."
...
Everyone who knew Cyth looked straight at him
Cyth makes a coughing sound once then tries to regulate his tone
"alright. But, if you want to hurry, my crew will probably die of exhaustion first"
Uncle Zer clapped his hands once loudly, then put on a smiley face and said, "Sorry, but your crew has to use a lot of wind magic this time"
Cyth complains of resignation with the situation
"I'm not sure we'll last long, old man. Only a few of my crew can use magic" Cyth said
"Hm... Uh! It's impossible to escape from this place"
"Don't say that uncle" Verdea interjected
They all looked directly at Verdea who looked so resolute
Verdea remembered something about my words. The seal on his right hand could be used to amplify a magic
And the approximation was, the seal could also strengthen one's magic
If he used the seal to help the crew of the ship that used magic, then...
"Let me work with your crew, captain" Verdea said
"Hey, kid. You-"
"Trust me captain. This might work"
Only Veskal knew the clarity of the seal, putting Verdea and I aside. The rest of the people there just stared in confusion at Verdea's words
"alright. I gave him the medicine. We may have to move now" Frank said as he placed the medicinal steeping water on the table
Luna who heard that immediately lifted Artorius to her back and was ready to carry him
"Bringing him now would indeed not be good if his body was not strong. But we don't have time" Frank added
"It's okay, grandpa. I'm sure you'll be strong" Verdea replied
Frank smiled warmly at the words of his grandson
"alright. We have to leave immediately" Uncle Zer said
Everyone there immediately left quickly, exiting the city of Calendula while running as fast as possible
This city was the closest city to the southern line of this continent. So, Cyth's ship parked haphazardly was not too far away. Just have to go down a small hill, and up
They went straight up to the deck of the ship. The entire crew looked very agitated and anxious, and not a few asked Cyth a lot of questions
But Cyth just quietly did not answer and told them to immediately sail the ship towards the South
Not forgetting he told the rest of his crew that those who could use magic immediately climbed onto the ship's sail
"Use wind magic as much as you can to bring this ship as fast as possible. And also, one of you take this kid up there"
"Huh!? Captain-"
"Speak again and we'll all die!! Move quickly!!" Cyth exclaims
Those who were astonished were just cheering. One of his crew, Erin, carries Verdea on his back, riding the mast of the Black Hunt
"You're not afraid of heights, are you, son?" Ask Erin
"No. I'm just afraid of death" Verdea replied
He didn't want to die first
...
He knew exactly that I would feel very sad if he died. He was determined to stay alive so that he could meet me again
No matter how long it is
"The evocative answer. Hold on tight!" Erin said as she climbed the mast of the ship
......................
The anchor has gone up. Some of the non-essential items were thrown off the ship. The sails were laid out, and the crew of the ship that would cast magic was ready, plus Verdea who was ready to hold Erin's shoulder with her right hand
With a cue from Cyth, the crew immediately used their wind magic
And not at all expected, the enormous ship could go quite fast just because of the gusts from Erin's strengthened hands
Erin gaped at it, then turned her head slightly towards Verdea. Verdea just kept quiet and kept looking ahead
Erin smiled slightly and shook her head. 'Really, this boy and his friends were very unexpected at all' He said inwardly
They continued to go quite fast over the sea water
All of the ship's crew continued to work hard to set the ship's speed, driven with their uneasy feelings by the increasingly dark sky
Go on and on and on. Till...
BOOM UP!
"...!"
Luna immediately called out her arrow reflexively and shot the thing that was hovering towards them. It stopped and fell into the sea, almost hitting Black Hunt
And it turns out, it was a cannonball
"THERE'S ATTACK! PREPARE A REPLY CANNON!" Cyth's orders
All the crew of the empty-handed ship immediately worked to prepare the cannon to counterattack
"WHAT'S UP!?" Verdea asked from a height
"JUST FOCUS, KID!! WE HAVE TO KEEP GOING AS LONG AS WE CAN!!" Reply Cyth
Luna prepared her arrow again. Veskal started to be alert and picked up a gun on the corner of the deck of the ship. Frank tries to keep Artorius in the cabin when he hears of the attack
Cyth also tried to pay attention to who attacked them. The ship shot very fast towards them, as if they were also using force
...
...
"Destroy the ship immediately...!!!"
Cyth who was suddenly furious immediately made Veskal and Luna shocked
The ship was quickly getting closer and closer to Black Hunt
"All cannons ready, captain!" A crew member exclaimed
"SHOOT EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW. I WANT THAT SHIP TO SINK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA"
They just follow Cyth's words without further ado. As if...
They're just as angry as Cyth is right now...
"Mr Erin... What ship is that...?" Verdea asked agitatedly when she saw the ship that was already very close to the Black Hunt
"I recognize the symbols on their ship. And I assure you of this, we Black Hunt crews want the ship to sink as soon as possible" Erin replied with a furious look
"Why?"
"Because...
... The whole ship, along with its men, belonged to a traitor to our crew named Walter Herb"
Verdea was feeling increasingly uneasy about it, especially since Erin said it was just 'one of '' from the ship that belonged to the man named Walter
...
Booms! Booms! Booms!
Firing cannons that retaliated against each other was heard filling the entire air between the two ships
"RECHARGE! FIRE AGAIN SOON!" Cyth's orders
"Ready, Captain!!" Reply to all crew
They kept trying their hardest to recharge all the cannons on board
Luna tried to rain down the enemy ship with her arrows. Occasionally, he tried to shoot the ship's sail, but because it was coated by protective magic, the ship's sail was not scratched in the slightest
Veskal and Uncle Zer on the other hand, helped fill the cannon. Occasionally Veskal shoots back all the enemies he can shoot
"Captain! They're getting closer!" Calls a ship crew
"Captain! I'm already running out of Mana!" Shouted a crew member who was on duty using magic
...
"Sad...!"
The situation is getting worse
...
"Mr Erin" Verdea said
"Yes, son?" Reply Erin
"I want you to do..."
Erin then turned her body and pointed her palm towards the ship
He also slowly cast Fireball fire magic. The magic was thrown like a cannonball that was fired
BOOM!!!!
The ship suddenly exploded almost instantly when it came into contact with the magic. Everyone there was on fire, there were even some who died instantly
Some tried to jump into the water, but the explosion still continued, like a chain effect
The ship sank slowly, while being eaten by the flames. Everyone on the deck of the Black Hunt ship gaped at it
They then turned to Verdea and Erin who were also gaping in disbelief
"What the fuck?" Ask a confused Cyth
He then smiled in admiration, followed by the happy cheers of the crew. But...
Sorrows don't last long
"CAPTAIN!! THERE WAS A BLACK CLOUD SUDDENLY BILLOWING IN THAT RED SKY!!" Shouted a crewman suddenly
They all looked up to make sure. And it's true. The mysterious black clouds were clustered together and built up a huge cloud, as if there was going to be a great rain
"CAPTAIN!" Shouted all the crew members in turn
They all screamed in panic because of it. Cyth was even overwhelmed, especially when he realized that the island Uncle Zer meant had not been seen in the eye
"... Get everyone here right away. We're going to teleport now!" Cyth said
"A-You are crazy!? Some people here are running out of their mana. Those two kids are kids, and we have someone who's hurt!" Uncle Zer is against
"We'll die if we don't try. You should be willing to bet on something like this, old man. That's how I live. After all, the distance between us and the island is already decreasing isn't it?" Cyth countered
"... If anyone is not safe, you're responsible"
"Yes, yeah. Anyways... I'm the captain of this ship, right?" Everyone on this ship is my responsibility"
Cyth then looks over at Luna, and hints at her picking up Frank and Artorius who are in the cabin of the ship
"ALL TIMES! DOWN IMMEDIATELY!"
Everyone near the screen went down to follow Cyth's orders. After landing safely on the deck, Erin lowered Verdea from her back slowly
Cyth then handed over 3 bottles of Mana potions to his crew
"I only have 3. You guys 6 should split it together in half"
"Six?" Ask Verdea
"You count too, son. Drink before Erin. Her mouth hasn't been brushed for a few days, and I'm sure you don't want to know the smell" Cyth added
Verdea was silent for a while, then a small laugh followed by the crew there, mocked Erin
Erin just kept quiet with a flat face looking at Cyth who was trying to hold back a laugh
Verdea took the potion and began drinking it until the bottle was half empty. He then handed the bottle to Erin who then consumed the entire contents.
After that, Luna came with Artorius on her back. Frank followed not far behind
The crew had also started to neglect their usual duties when sailing. They all gathered around Cyth while waiting for him to speak
Making sure everyone on board was gathered and complete, Cyth took a deep breath and began to speak
"We must separate from this ship, my friends"
Silence came for a moment among them all. Suddenly, the atmosphere became boisterous filled with the silent cries of the crew
"But, what about the orders from Captain Alice?" Ask a crew
Cyth was silent for a moment. He played around with the clam necklace he was wearing while preparing for what he was about to say
"I... I promised him to make sure you all stay alive. He never made me promise to look after this ship or anything"
"But, this ship carries the memories of all of us Captains!" One of them said again
"... 'It's just a ship. Someday too will drown'. That's what Captain Alice told me...
... 'And it was those on board that kept the ship alive, not the other way around' "Cyth replied with Alice's words
Cyth who smiled with a sad feeling also made his crew feel even more sad when he heard his words
"Well, you guys ready or something? We don't have time to say goodbye to Black Hunt, so..."
Cyth chuckled in the midst of his grief. Verdea and Veskal who saw it so also felt sad and shed tears
"We're ready captain!"
"We'll follow you, wherever you go!"
"You are our captain!"
All the crew cheered loudly to dispel the sad atmosphere
Cyth chuckled again, and said, "Based on weird people" in a slow tone
None of my friends cheered. They all just silently looked at that heartbreaking festive atmosphere. The atmosphere where everyone was ready to say goodbye to the thing that unites them
But Verdea was sure in her heart that even without this ship, the Black Hunt crew would be together forever
...
He wanted to be with me again, but...
He made himself understand that this was done by me for his own good
Everything I've done has been done for the safety of my friends. And that's the mindset taken by Verdea
He felt very sad in his heart. In the depths of his heart, he wanted to continue to be by my side. But, he would definitely only be troublesome when going with me
He always thought he was always troubling me. And that day made him even more convinced, that he had done nothing to maintain his standing by my side. I was the one who always maintained his position by my side. And that made Verdea upset when she realized it
He felt that he was too weak because he could not and did not want to do anything
He would love to see me soon. And he never thought, saying goodbye is the most painful thing in the world
Then, he prayed...
When we met later, he prayed that he would be strong enough to stay by my side without my protection later
When his cheers had stopped, he turned his eyes to Uncle Zer. Uncle Zer simply nodded his head in understanding and began to use his forced teleportation magic
"All of you, don't die" Uncle Zer said
A bright light came out from the necklace that Uncle Zer was wearing
And in an instant...
ZAP UP!!
- - City Bargalos - - - - City
They, have arrived at the Dwarven city
They all looked extremely exhausted, there were even some who had suddenly fallen to the ground
Only Uncle Zer alone looked fine back then, just because the effects of the teleportation were different from the teleportation effect in general
"Verdea..." Veskal said, trying to reach Verdea
Veskal then fell to the ground with a gasp of breath
Verdea on the other hand, was already lying limp to the ground with a deathly pale face and heavy breathing
His body suddenly heated up for a moment
Luna slowly approached him, then Veskal, confirmed the condition of the two of them
"I'll call the other Dwarves first. Watch them" Uncle Zer said to Luna
"alright. Please hurry uncle"
Uncle Zer immediately ran as fast as he could, asking the nearby Dwarves to help them
"Verdea..."
Veskal finally managed to reach Verdea's limp palm
Luna then stroked the heads of the two of them while laying their heads on her lap
Veskal closed his eyes to rest his exhausted self. Not long after, they both looked like they were asleep
But, before Veskal could fall asleep, he had seen the Dwarves arrive and help them
Later then... The roar of Red Sabbath began, sounding from the sky
......................
"Ugh.." - UH...."
Verdea squirmed her body as if she had been sleeping for so long that her body was stiff
His eyelids slowly opened, but a bright light greeted him
When his eyes were wide open, he realized that he was drawn into his soul again
Everything there looks exactly the same as the last time he was there
The Fir Tree, the ground beneath it, the vast puddles, and the Sun
But...
I don't know why...
The sunlight was dimmer than before...
"... You coming again?" Verdea asked
Marcellus who was hiding behind the tree immediately stepped beside Verdea, then sat down with a smile on his face
"... You know what's going on outside?" Ask Verdea again
Marcellus just kept silent not answering
Verdea who was upset immediately beat Marcellus' chest once, but it was translucent and hit the cypress tree
"I'm just a spirit, Verdea. I had no physical form after my death" Marcellus said. "I also only know that everything in the world of living things is now limited to you" he added
Verdea cried in annoyance. He just sat down limply with his previous position next to Marcellus, slowly implanting his face in both knees
"... Something to do with your friends?" Ask Marcellus
Verdea nodded slowly without turning her head, then said, "I-separated with Vainzel--"
"... I expected it"
Marcellus walked towards the vast puddle of water, then looked into it
"... A heartbreaking sight..." Marcellus muttered
Verdea, who had overheard this, raised her head, facing Marcellus, who was busy stirring the water in the puddle
"What do you mean?" Ask Verdea
"This pool of water. They look... Distracted" Marcellus replied
Marcellus then turned to look towards the sky
"And all of a sudden, the light somehow dimmed..." He continued
"... You realize it too apparently. I thought it was just my feeling" Verdea said, then planted her face back into her knees
"... It's hard, huh...?" Marcellus once again muttered
"...! Sure was! I-i!"
Verdea stopped talking for a moment
...
Marcellus Face...
It can already be seen completely by Verdea...
...
Her beautiful face barely made her look like a man. She also has long blonde hair and golden eyes with pliable eyelashes, adding to the impression that she looks more like a woman than a man
Her gentle and beautiful face directed a warm smile at Verdea
"Why is your face suddenly visible?" Ask Verdea
Marcellus turned towards her, then replied with a smile
"Oh yeah? Can you see my face now?" Ask Marcellus back
"Ha-haa? You don't know if I can't see your face?"
"... I-i know. It's just..."
Marcellus got up from his place and again sat down beside Verdea
After sitting down, he continued his words
"... That means, you already know what you look like, right?" He said with a smile
Verdea. He slowly turned his face away from Marcellus
"I just know, I can't completely part with Vainzel. I can't completely part with any of my friends. They're the only ones who want to be my friends
I couldn't possibly want to lose people like them-" He said slowly, then slowly shed another tear
Marcellus widened his smile. The wider the smile, the warmer the aura emanated from it
"Isn't that one thing about you?" Marcellus asked
"Then... What's the point of knowing me if I have to part with my best friend?"
"... Verdea..."
Marcellus turned Verdea's gaze toward his face
"Where there is a meeting, there must be a farewell. And vice versa. And I will assure you, if you really want to meet your best friend, you will one day meet him again, at any time
Believe this. Trust me sincerely, if you will meet her again someday. So stay alive and take care of yourself. And the best way to take care of yourself, is to know yourself"
Verdea was silent at Marcellus' words
Marcellus then closed his words by stroking Verdea's cheek once, then got up from his seat, went to walk over the puddle
Verdea just kept silent watching him leave. And the next moment, when Marcellus looked back at him...
...
...
Verdea woke up on a bed with tears streaming down her cheeks
It was getting dark, as the moonlight interjected behind the window of the room
Beside him, he saw Veskal who was asleep while sitting on a chair, holding Verdea's hand as if he did not want to let go
...
Her tears slowly trickled down when she saw Veskal
'I'm sorry to trouble you' He said inwardly to Veskal
...
He realized one thing at the time, that his friends were always trying to keep him alive and well
All the things they've been through all this time, just done to take care of him
And at the same time, Verdea was determined. He was determined that he would become strong enough to take care of himself
That way, all of his friends wouldn't have to worry about him too much
He didn't want to trouble any of his friends anymore
In that silent atmosphere, he prayed, that someday when we could meet again, he would be able to stand with his friends, and able to endure the same pain as them
He prayed that whatever was going on out there, I would still be fine, then meet him again
He hoped God would fulfill his request, even if it was the last request God could make for him
