Chapter 154: Living On (2/2)

Ophelia's mouth worked slightly a few times before she closed it with a gulp.

[Hopefully, this will keep her off my back for now. If I can avoid running into them in the future, it will be perfect.]

Ignoring the stunned silence, Mike started walking to the north, quickly leaving the group behind. If he moved quickly, he would still have time to stop by the Guild to turn in the requests before heading back to the dorm to get ready for tonight.

However, there was one last thing he knew he needed to take care of, he just hoped that it wouldn't take too long.

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Ruby stared at her hands, mind still refusing to come to terms. The others had already left, carrying Morgan's body, and shooting accusatory looks in her direction.

Lonnie and Ethan had been ready to attack her, but Ophelia interceded, inspiring a small amount of hope in Ruby's heart. Hope that was very soon crushed.

”I said it in the cave, Ruby. We are done. I will not be doing you any more favors. You will have to find someone else to be your nursemaid.”

”But Ophelia….please...” Ruby had pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

”No more, never again.” Ophelia spat, before turning on her heels to join the others. ”From this moment forward, you are dead to me. I never want to see you again.”

And just like that, Ruby's only friend walked out of her life, leaving her utterly alone and lost. She had messed up, and clearly had no means of fixing it.

”What should I do?” She whispered to herself, drawing her knees up to her chest in an effort to block out the pain that was still stabbing at her heart.

[I should have died in that cave.]

The thought came unexpectedly, and with it a sense of release. Yes, maybe everyone would have been better off if she had died.

”Your death will accomplish nothing, save invalidating Morgan's sacrifice.”

Ruby glanced up and saw the mage looking down on her with those golden eyes. She hadn't heard him approach. Once again, she was struck by the sheer aura that seemed to surround him, as if his mere presence was bending the world around him.

”How did….”

”It was easy to see,”

”Then what am I supposed to do?!” She yelled through another round of tears, ”I was a coward. I abandoned my companions, I betrayed my only friend. Now I have nothing. The world would be better off if I was dead…” She trailed off before collapsing back against the tree.

The mage was silent for a few moments after that outburst, simply staring down at her. ”If you're seeking pity, look elsewhere. You ran away from your friend, and now you are running again. If you want to take the coward's way out, I will not stop you. However, I would like to ask you a few questions before you do.”

Ruby looked up at him, confused. ”What do you want to know?”

”You are a dragon beastman, correct?”

”That's right.”

”Then why are you so weak?” He asked mercilessly.

A pit seemed to form in Ruby's stomach. She knew that she wasn't strong in any sense of the word, but to hear that denunciation from the lips of the man who had saved her was a hard blow.

”I don't know. Maybe there is something fundamentally wrong with me. I was abandoned by my parents, after all. Maybe they didn't want to raise a failure.” She felt the cruel grasp of despair around her heart.

Turning his eyes to the sky, the mage replied. ”Well, that answers my second question. Anyway, I doubt you are somehow inherently flawed in any category save personality. It seems to me you are holding yourself back. Letting your fear and self-pity consume you.”

The words stung. She'd heard something similar from Ophelia for much of her life, only she'd never really listened. To hear it from the mouth of the powerful figure in front of her was....painful.

”In any event, I don't have time to sit here and try to talk you out of suicide. Just know, that dragons are among the strongest beings to inhabit this world, in many ways. As a dragon beastman, you have inherited a portion of that strength. Do not let it go to waste.”

A blast of wind swept the small clearing around the cave entrance, momentarily blinding Ruby with a wash of leaves. When it cleared, she felt her jaw drop.

The mage had disappeared, and in his place was a creature of legend. A true dragon, the color of flame towered over her, red eyes fixed upon her seated form.

It should have been terrifying. After all, the creature could crush her in an instant, should he desire to do so. However, she only felt awe, and a strange kinship that resonated deep within her bones.

The dragon stretched its wings, and flapped but once, creating another storm of wind, blinding her once more. By the time she opened her eyes again, he had vanished, leaving her alone in the clearing.

It took her until nightfall to get her thoughts and emotions in order. By then, her stomach was growling.

Silently thanking the man who had saved her life thrice, Ruby stood and started walking. There was an inn not too far away that was famous for its stew. She'd never had it before, but today seemed like a good day to try.