Odeen soon emerged from his room, flustered and avoidant. "You wanted to speak with me, Ruby?" There was a stiff silence between them that hung thick in the air. Even Vatic seemed to know what happened in there.
Ruby cleared her throat, her own face heated and flustered. "I just wanted to ask you if you're planning to accompany us. More than likely, it seems like Genis wants to flee. Nexus is a lot stronger than he is, and he has a way to get to us."
Odeen nodded, clenching his jaw tightly. "I know. He won't just stop because we take to the hills. However he's finding us, running won't stop him for long. What do you want to do, Ruby? You know that you're welcome here."
Ruby shook her head weakly. "I'm a danger to you and your people. If you come with me, you'll be in danger, too. It's almost like Nexus isn't afraid to kill. Are you really willing to put your life on the line for someone you met a week ago? That seems like a bit too much to ask."
"Who asked?" Odeen smirked confidently, rolling his shoulders with a satisfied grunt. "It's been too long since I took on a worthy opponent. Nexus had better hope that he can put up a fight. I'm not going to go easy on him."
Ruby chuckled, having to cover her mouth to attempt to play it off as a cough. Vatic stood in the background, utterly stunned beyond words when his King's language seemed to fluctuate. He could pick out random words of Oceranian, and even fewer of English, but the structure was completely jumbled, yet they understood one another perfectly. "Sire, when did you learn such complex language skills?"
Odeen sighed in amusement, throwing his arm around Ruby's neck, beginning to walk down the hall. Vatic jolted, following along behind them as Odeen switched to Oceranian. "It's not something we can control anymore. We were blessed with understanding, but that doesn't mean that others can understand us. The language we use to speak with one another is far too complex. I'll fill you in on the way to Jasher and Safire."
Vatic looked like he was on the verge of mental collapse. "Sire?! Safire has been located? When I find her, I will give her the scolding of a lifetime. She will never forget the verbal tongue lashing I leave her with. Fret not, I've ensured that all avenues you may be needed for in your absence have been filled."
Odeen chuckled in mild amusement. "There's no need for that. In fact, I think it would only hurt our mission if you yelled at Safire. Just let it go, Vatic. And how did you manage to set that up so quickly?"
Vatic smirked, brushing his shoulder down confidently. "You doubt the man you ensured was your second-in-command? You put me in that role because you know that I know you better than anyone else, and that I am calm and confident under pressure."
Odeen began to let out a barrelling laugh, catching Vatic off guard. "You asked the wizards order for a clone of me, didn't you?" Vatic began to sputter in shock, only amusing Odeen all the more. "So transparent. That's why you're my second-in-command. You could never betray me."
Vatic felt his face heat up, turning his head away to sulk. "While I should be insulted by that, it oddly enough sounds like a compliment. So I will say thank you, and how dare you. I'm going along with you, sire. If you're in danger... I would never forgive myself for letting you go alone."
Odeen grinned, pulling Vatic along with them. "I'm glad to have someone I could trust with my life on this mission. You have no idea what it is that you've agreed to, but it's too late to back out now." That seemed to spook Vatic, but there was no going back now.
Back at the hut, Safire and Genis banded together to help Jasher create a makeshift grave for Rufus, covering his body respectfully. Once he was entirely encased, Jasher placed one of his beloved whiskey bottles atop the grave, hanging his head in respect. "I told you that you were going to drink yourself to death. If you were sober, you might have gotten out."
Safire held Genis's hand, struggling not to shed a tear. Genis wrapped a supportive arm around her, pulling her flush. "It's alright. Souls live on after the body dies. He may be gone physically, but he's still around."
Safire sniffled weakly, turning her gaze up to Genis. "Are you certain that he's still around? Can you see him right now?" Genis shook his head weakly, patting her hair. "Oh... I wanted to tell him thank you one last time. He took me in when I had nowhere else to go."
Jasher returned to his feet, scrubbing his eyes dry. "He knows how you felt about him. He always took the wayward in because when he had nowhere else to go, he was turned away time and time again. He didn't want anybody else to be left behind like that."
Genis sighed, hanging his head in regret. "I can't help but feel like this is my fault. Had I not meddled in mortal affairs, this would have never happened. This is why deities shouldn't stick their noses into human lives."
Safire shook her head weakly. "You were protecting me and Ruby. Had you not done what you did, Nexus would have taken us. Then there would have been no one who could have stopped him. Nexus punched you through the walls. This is on him."
Jasher nodded in agreement, squeezing his hands into tight fists. "And he's going to live to regret that decision. No good deed goes unpunished, as they say. He created this mess, destroyed three lives and killed my otherworldly father figure. He won't get away with this. If it had been you I met back then, you would have sent me back."
Genis sighed, brushing his hair back. "I wouldn't have even split Ruby and Safire in the beginning. I doubt that I would have watched a single human life play out. He got far too interested in the mortals and decided that he had the right to play god. Now look at what he's caused."
Safire stepped back when she heard approaching footsteps. Out of the forest, Ruby and Odeen appeared with Vatic in tow. Safire's face warped through several emotions of sadness, grief, relief and excitement. She ran forward, throwing herself into Ruby's arms to begin weeping.
Ruby was stunned for a moment, slowly wrapping her arms around Safire supportively. "What happened here? Hey, Safire, it's alright. There's nothing to cry about. I'm alright! Genis saved us."
Safire shook her head against Ruby's chest as Genis stepped forward. "You're kidding me, right? You saved my ass back there. We're all able to stand here together right now because you're a total badass."
Ruby furrowed her brows, holding Safire supportively. "Then why is she crying like one of us died? We all got out of this attack, and we're better off for it. Odeen got slightly injured, but he was healed shortly after."
Jasher turned back toward the rubble, sucking in a harsh breath. "Rufus didn't make it. He passed away as soon as the hut collapsed." The silence that rang after Jasher's words was deafening.
Ruby's face warped with regret, moving to hold Safire in her arms tighter. "I'm so sorry for your loss. You two were quite close to him. I had no idea that there was a casualty. I'm really sorry."
Genis approached Odeen, explaining to him and Vatic what they were dealing with in that moment. Jasher sighed weakly, trying not to look back at the grave he'd made for his fallen friend. Ruby stepped forward, pulling Jasher into the hug with Safire. "It looks like you need comforting, too. Don't worry, we'll make him pay."
Jasher nodded, burying his head down into Ruby's shoulder. He gripped a tight hold of her shirt, choking back the urge to cry. She never let the two go, knowing that they had to grieve their fallen friend. But when the sound of rustling over near the debris sounded, Jasher pulled away, finding Odeen kneeling by the grave. "Get away."
Odeen placed his hand on top of the grave, sighing deeply. "Rufus of Cyrus." Jasher and Safire halted at his words, left in a state of shock. "You were convicted of conspiracy and murder of my father. You escaped many years ago." Safire covered her mouth with trembling hands. Nobody knew Rufus's crimes aside from Odeen and Vatic.
Odeen hung his head, brushing the dust from the debris. "But today, you have been pardoned for your crimes. Not just because you lay dead beneath me, but because you protected my dearest friend, and the other half of Ruby. Thank you for your service, and forever rest in peace." Odeen stood slowly, popping the cork open from the only bottle of whiskey that remained intact, pouring it across the grave. "You loved to drink like a fish. Having the bottle sealed was nothing more than a cruel taunt."
Jasher felt his bottom lip quiver when Odeen turned back toward them. Jasher stomped his foot against the ground and stood at attention for his King. "I doubt that Rufus would have cared for the pardon. But it means the world to me. You're a great King, Odeen. Thank you."
Odeen nodded, stepping from the grave. "I did not pardon him because he's dead. I did it because he taught you our ways and made you into the finest damn Knight I have. I'll never forgive him for killing my Father. But I can appreciate a man who changed their ways for the better. With the pardon, he will be granted permission to be buried inside the kingdom's walls. Forever safe."
Jasher stepped closer toward Odeen, bowing his head in respect before lunging forward to embrace Odeen tightly. Safire was a mess of sobs, Ruby fought back her own tears, Vatic's breathing wavered, and even Genis had to turn away as Odeen held Jasher in return. "Thank you." Jasher muttered, the relief flooding his system.
Odeen nodded weakly, patting Jasher's head. Genis cleared his throat, refusing to look at the scene. His tone came out broken and shaken. "We should make a decision now on where we'll be going. Nexus won't just sit around and wait; he's probably already on his way here."
Vatic nodded, wiping the wetness away from his eyes. "I have somewhere that we can go. It's not exactly hidden; it's quite out in the open, but it's far from here, and it would take at least a few days to catch up with us."
Ruby nodded, peeling away from Safire, no matter how desperately her other half wanted to cling. "We'd better get going, then. Odeen, we're going on the move now, so keep Jasher close. I'll do the same with Safire. Neither of them are in a state to be alone right now. Vatic is leading the charge."
There was clear confusion between Jasher and Safire when Ruby began to speak in a scrambled, coded language. Odeen nodded like he understood every word, then replied with the same scattered language. "Got it. Stay between Genis and me. We'll be able to keep an eye on you two that way, and if you're together, it'd be easier to keep you safe."
Ruby shrugged weakly. "Or it'd be easier to pick us off together. Either way, I doubt that Safire would allow you to comfort her." The two shared an amused laugh, clearly able to speak in such a way that the mortals around could not translate.
Jasher sputtered, whipping his head between the two, choosing to speak English toward Ruby at that moment. "Hold the fuck up – when did you two develop your own little language?! You couldn't have done that while I was translating for you?"
Ruby turned on her heels, wrapping her arm around Safire as they began to vacate the area. "Sorry, Jasher. We really couldn't. Odeen and I can only understand one another now that we have talked together in the Inbetween." Jasher frowned, chasing after Ruby, still screeching in insult.
Genis looked back toward the hut with narrowed eyes, slowly backing away from the space while scanning the vicinity. He felt a familiar sensation, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Once Genis shook off the feeling and returned to the group, Nexus stepped out from behind a nearby tree. His eyes had grown dark, watching everything they were planning from afar. "Imbecilic morons. You will never escape from me." Nexus leapt back, vanishing into thin air.
-End of chapter 20-