The skeleton rose, and with its hands lifted to the sky, it began to cry... Its soul screamed in pain and release.
..........
A memory was projected into everyone's mind. In it, a girl was seen studying in her room, always glancing out the window at a boy with glasses. Her gaze was sad, her body cursed with an incurable illness.
But the boy who watched her from the street studied relentlessly until he found a way to overcome the illness.
The two married and opened a clinic, he as a doctor and she as a nurse. One night, while Fausto was away searching for medicine to restock the clinic, thieves broke in and murdered her.
The young doctor tried to save her, but he couldn't. Eliza was dead...
Her body perished, but her soul lingered, watching angrily at what had happened.
Angry at the thieves, and at herself for not being able to respond to her beloved. Furious as she watched her dear one turn to necromancy just to see her again. And yet, in the end, she felt immense happiness just to be by his side... but... she couldn't speak, nor interact.
She was nothing more than a doll. And Eliza once again felt rage and sorrow...
But when she heard that song, the calm and gentle melody, her grudges began to fade away. "Ahh... if only I could be with him one more time..."
Eliza's body collapsed, and a piece of wood fell to the ground with a hollow sound.
.........
The echo of the wooden piece resonated through the cemetery. By now, Fausto had regained consciousness and saw his beloved wife fall, her spirit no longer there.
Enraged, Fausto struck the ground with his hands, crying out in agony.
Tempo stopped playing the ocarina and walked toward Eliza's skeleton. On the ground lay a mask bearing her face. Picking it up, he looked at Fausto and said. "This mask is your beloved Eliza."
Through his sobs, Fausto looked at Tempo and crawled toward him with difficulty."W-what do you mean by that, you bastard?!"
Tempo showed him the mask."Your wife's soul is within this mask, along with her memories and her essence. Why don't you try placing the mask on her body?"
Fausto, trembling, stood up and snatched the mask from his hands. With delicate care, he knelt down, took Eliza's skeleton, and placed the mask upon it. Instantly, skin and dark energy began to emanate, spreading from the mask across her body.
Before everyone stood Eliza, staring at her hands. When she lifted her gaze and saw Fausto, a single tear rolled down her cheek, followed by many more. With sudden speed, she ran to Fausto and embraced him with all her strength.
Tempo left the couple to their reunion and walked over to Yoh and the others."How are you feeling now?"
Yoh checked his wounds once more and, with a tired smile, replied. "They're gone... but I feel exhausted."
Tempo stored the ocarina and his guitar in his inventory, then, with a hand on his hip, turned to Anna. "What do you want to know?"
Anna looked at him with arms crossed, her eyes narrowed, and in an annoyed voice she said. "How do you know I can read minds...?"
Her eyes widened in shock."Why... why can't I read your mind?"
Tempo smiled and answered. "Don't worry about that. I don't think I'm the one blocking your reading... it must be part of why I was sent here to help you."
Calming slightly, Anna asked. "Then what's your plan? What exactly are you after?"
Ren crossed his arms."I don't really have a plan. I simply follow the rhythm. I've been in three battles counting this one. In the first, I helped a guild, in the second, some knights, and now, the brother of the future S̲̈́̾̍͘̚ẖ̜̥̓̍͛a̳̪̤͂͆̀͘m̦̻̪̽͊̚ͅa̟̦͇̠͗͆n̟̜̠̹̈́͛̋̾̐ ̦͍̔͆̇K̗̠̝̝͌̽̀i̦̯̙̞͂̈́͒͘n̖̼͑͌͊͆͋g̫̟̐̇."
The silence sigil once again glowed on Ren's throat. "Ugh... damn it, looks like I can't say much more."
Yoh stepped closer, placing a hand on Ren's shoulder to keep him steady. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Ren looked at Yoh, leaning against him."Yeah... I'm fine. Let's just say something is stopping me from saying too much. Speaking of things I shouldn't say. Yoh, you should go to Izumo. Train hard. Take this battle as if you had lost. If you don't improve, you could lose your friend next time."
The young shaman's jaw tightened, and he nodded silently.
Manta had fully regained consciousness. He noticed his body was healed, though he still felt very weak. As he sat up, he saw Yoh's lowered gaze, Anna staring at him intently, and even Amidamaru watching with tense eyes. Manta swallowed hard.
Yoh was about to tell him he didn't want to be his friend, to stay away from him. But Fausto interrupted the moment, approaching hand in hand with his wife.
As they stood before the group, Silver stepped forward, taking a defensive stance in case Fausto tried to hurt them. But contrary to expectations.
Fausto knelt before Tempo and said. "I can never repay what you've done for me. You've made my dream come true, I no longer need to stay in the tourna..."
But Tempo placed his hand over his mouth.
Ren smiled, calculating what to say. Looking at Anna and Fausto, an idea quickly formed."Hey Fausto... now that you've fulfilled your dream, why don't you help Yoh achieve his?"
Manta burst out."You can't be serious! This man cut me open, he's insane! And... for starters, who the hell are you?!"
Ren ignored Manta for a moment and, addressing Anna, commented. "A renowned doctor for the hot springs would be a great addition, don't you think... Lady Anna?"
Yoh and Manta looked at Anna in fear. But she, keeping her eyes on Ren, sighed, crossed her arms, and said. "Actually... yes, he would be a great addition."
Ren turned to Fausto. "Don't drop out of the tournament. What happened with my music might be temporary—I don't know if it'll last forever. But Anna here can also help you, so that your beloved doesn't remain just a doll."
Fausto looked at his wife, and with a mutual smile they both replied. "Of course, we'll join."
..........
Author Note.
Work Is hard, but this Tuesday is a holiday. yaaaay!
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