OH MY GOD [discontinued]

interlude: what love is

Takes place before and after the events of chapter 14.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

There was a time when William doubted his growing feelings for Elise. It defied logic, consumed his thoughts, and made his heart ache in ways he never felt before.

A thought burned through his mind whenever Patolli stirred Elise's memories. William knew it was so the elf within Elise could awaken, but he continued to wonder.

William and Patolli, to some extent, felt each other's emotions. It was how they came to understand each other, so if Elise was the reincarnation of someone who his friend held dear, were his emotions influenced in some way? What if on the day they first met, the slumbering Patolli sensed her, and it intensified his admiration for her?

He wanted to make sure that these feelings were his.

»»————-　　————-««

"So, the mission's for publicity?" Elise crossed her arms, a small pout present on her lips. "Wouldn't that be bad for me? I'd prefer it if fewer people know me."

Both of them were assigned to find any concrete evidence and detain anyone who had a connection to a drug organization that recently popped up. Elise protested the idea of being assigned a mission by the Wizard King but gave in after the king allowed her to do so.

"The Rivière family have a bad reputation on purist nationalists." Julius cheerily replied. "Better if the most popular Rivière manages to single-handedly catch a massive drug organization, right? If William is there to vouch for you, it'd be more believable."

"Aren't you a support-type mage?" William asked. From what he could make of their conversations, she usually stayed behind her brothers unless forced to participate in the fight. Mages who specialized in support never really trained on strength. 'And she told me back then that she had to rely on brains to outmatch her opponent... '

"Yes, but I can probably tie with Fuegoleon in terms of arm strength. There's a reason for these puffy sleeves, you know. "

'It was to hide muscles?' He always thought they were for fashion. 'Still, a buff Elise... '

The image still managed to flush his cheeks, but he strained a smile. He shouldn't make his reactions too obvious.

"You definitely thought of me with a bodybuilder's body."

'How did she—'

"It was written all over your smile." She pointed on the corners of her pink lips, lifting them up to mimic his smile. "I'm not that buff, you know."

'Cute...'

"William?" Standing on one of his many tree branches, Elise watched in the sidelines as their captured prisoners were detained by Golden Dawn members.

"Yes?"

"I just realized it now...but your magic suits you a lot. It's kind, somewhat nurturing." Elise turned to smile at him, the light shining through the tree leaves made her eyes shine a brighter green. "I'm glad to have a friend like you."

The air grew colder when one flew up, yet he could feel his cheeks flame a bright red. He hoped Elise didn't see, couldn't see, through his mask. There was a fluttering in his stomach, then a sudden drop after reaching its high. William wondered then if such raw feeling could ever be faked.

He has read many books. In romance, authors compared love to a raging fire. It consumes your being and then your soul. They called it unstoppable, wrote of how it grew stronger after every hurdle—but does fire not destroy everything it touches?

'Do I love you?' The familiar ache clawed its way out his chest. 'Or do I love the idea of you?'

William Vangeance was said to be the mightiest captain of all the Magic Knights. Though rumored to be the next Wizard King, he was reduced to a bumbling mess next to a woman already set to marry someone else. He didn't want to inconvenience her nor does he want their friendship to crumble because of his feelings.

If love felt as overbearing as this, he wondered why anyone fell in love at all. Then one look at Elise, and he knew. He had endured heartbreak for a moment with her.

He would endure a hundred more.

"William?" Elise poked his mask, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I didn't think you were the type to zone out."

"Sorry, I was a little...distracted."

"It's alright." 

»»————-　　————-««

There were three people William loved most in this world. Those were Julius, Patolli, and Elise. He held them close to his heart, but the reasons why they remained so differed.

William shed his blood, sweat, and tears for the Clover Kingdom Julius wished to see. His gratitude for the man who allowed him to become something more was never-ending. Which is why it ached his heart when Patolli had different plans for the country he loved. William knew of his existence before they ever met. They understood each other the most and thus knew of each other's dreams.

It hurt more when he found out Elise became a part of Patolli's.

William sat next to the sleeping Elise, her face stirring in pain as if recalling a bad memory. The tears staining her face unsettled him. He didn't want to put her through this, but his friend told him it was necessary to awaken the elf's memories before casting the reincarnation spell on her.

"I'm sorry..." He apologized next to her slumbering form, hand intertwined with hers. It was just as rough as the day they promised to meet each other again. 'Things might have been better if we never met, but she would still be reawakened if he manages to get all the magic stones...'

Julius and Patolli would clash, and Elise would be dragged into it after being possessed by an elf spirit. These were the three people he cherished most, tearing each other apart for hollowed dreams and a new dawn.

'But I cannot get in the way...it is not my place.'

And so, he chose to watch.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
an interlude in this story is a small chapter that reveals important details during the transitioning of story arcs.