6-3-3/7 (1-4) Chapter 6: The Land of the Winds Episode 3: The Bonds of Royal Blood
Part 3/7: Restoration and Rediscovery
Scene 1-4
⸻
Scene 1:
Amid the sobs of Yue and Keela, Akira caught sight of Mirelle lying unconscious in Kalisa's arms. His eyes widened in alarm.
"What happened to Mirelle? Who hurt her?"
Elina, her emotions in disarray, answered first.
"No one hurt her. You just got yourself trapped under the ruins that collapsed, and we pulled you out. Mirelle passed out from overexerting herself with magic."
Draco added grimly, "It's more than that. She used everything she had—scrolls, potions, mana stones—without caring how expensive they were. All of it just to save you."
Guilt washed over Akira's face. He lowered his head, lips parting as if to speak—
—but Draco cut him off.
"Don't you dare say 'I'm sorry,' Akira. I swear, I'll punch you if you do. You know exactly what you should be saying right now."
Akira fell silent for a moment, then let out a light chuckle.
"Haha… okay, okay."
He took a breath and looked ahead with clear, sincere eyes.
"Thank you, everyone. Really. You were amazing. You actually got me out of there. That's incredible. I promise I'll be more careful from now on, so please don't worry too much."
Keela immediately objected, her voice firm and shaky with emotion.
"No. Don't you dare try to stop us. I'm ordering you as a princess—you have no right to tell us not to worry about you, you idiot…!"
Her words dissolved into heavier sobs as she clung to his arm.
Akira spoke gently, "Uh… with your permission, Your Highness," and reached out to pat her head softly. She buried her face into his chest without resistance, seeking comfort.
Yue chimed in, teary-eyed, "That's right! You don't get to decide! From now on, you have to stay close to me too. No more getting hurt, or I'll punch you in the tummy! Take this! And this!"
She playfully punched his stomach.
Akira laughed. "Didn't you already do that just now, you little rascal?" He took a breath, then added warmly, "But seriously… you did great. You really saved me."
Yue burst into tears again—three times louder than before.
As emotions settled, the group gathered to discuss what to do next. Kalisa offered a clear decision: they needed to head back and let Mirelle and Akira rest and recover.
Gryphonnix then carried them gently into the basket, using wind magic to make the ride smooth and quiet. The moment they took off, Akira mused silently to himself:
"So he can fly this smoothly after all. That first time—with all the twists and turns—he was definitely messing with us, wasn't he…"
⸻
⸻
Scene 2:
They returned to the house. Elina carefully laid Mirelle down to rest in her own room. Akira, looking deeply worried, turned to Yue.
"Is there any way we can help her, Yue?"
Yue shook her head with a sorrowful expression.
"In this condition, healing magic won't work. In fact, it might make things worse. She's suffering from an overdose of mana stimulants… It's like a violently rippling pond. We have to let her body restore its own balance until the pond settles again."
Akira's face darkened. He replied quietly, "I see…" Then he forced a smile—one that was visibly strained.
"Alright. You all go get some rest. I'll stay and watch over her."
Yue protested, "But you're injured too! You need rest just as much."
"I'm fine," Akira insisted. "See?"
He flexed his arm dramatically—though the gesture looked painfully feeble.
"But—" Osiris began, only for Elina to gently extend an arm to stop her.
"Let him," she said softly. "He needs this. Now, let's all go clean up and rest. We'll prepare some recovery meals and wait for Mirelle to wake up."
The group, ever obedient to their "big sister," reluctantly nodded and dispersed with worried faces, leaving Akira alone by Mirelle's side.
He gazed at her in silence, his eyes distant.
"We're always doing this, aren't we… constantly making each other worry."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. He took Mirelle's hand in his own.
"Look at this… The hand of Arcadia's genius mage, all covered in rust and dust because she dove into a pile of junk to save an idiot like me. You're seriously crazy, you know that?"
Despite his joking tone, tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I won't let you go through something like this again. I'll protect you too. You think I matter to you, don't you? That's why you did all this. Fine then… I'll treat you like someone who matters to me too."
He lowered his head, gently pressing her hand to his forehead, and wept.
"Please wake up… Let me see that bright, aurora-like smile again, Mirelle…"
But unbeknownst to him, Mirelle had woken slightly the moment he took her hand. She was pretending to be asleep. Her ears had flushed red, and she struggled to hide them under her hair. Her heart pounded so hard, she feared it would leap from her chest. But thankfully, Akira was too caught up in his own emotions to notice—too busy sobbing to hear the thunderous rhythm of her heartbeat.
Some time had passed, and a quiet stillness had settled in the room.
That was when Keela finally stepped inside.
She stopped at the doorway, seeing Akira asleep by Mirelle's bedside, still clutching her hand. Mirelle had fallen asleep for real this time. Keela stood there silently, eyes calm, thoughts stirring beneath the surface.
Kalisa appeared behind her and asked gently,
"What's wrong, dear? Aren't you going in?"
Keela replied in a hushed voice,
"Oh… no, I don't want to disturb them. They're asleep. Let's go prepare dinner."
"Alright, sweetie," Kalisa answered with her usual calm, but her eyes lingered on the scene inside the room. She followed Keela down the hall, quietly musing to herself,
My little girl… it seems your rival is quite the formidable one.
Suddenly, Keela stopped walking.
"Mother… would you mind starting on the food without me? I want to pick some herbs from the garden first."
Kalisa blinked in mild surprise.
"Oh—of course, dear."
Keela quickly turned and walked briskly toward the backyard garden. Kalisa watched her with a soft sigh and a faint shake of her head.
"Ah, youth… what a stormy season it is."
⸻
⸻
Scene 3:
Keela ran out to the garden, grabbed a small spade, and sat down beside the herb patch behind the house. Her eyes rested on the fresh green leaves before her, but her heart was clearly elsewhere. The image she had just seen replayed in her mind.
"I know. I know how much they mean to each other… They were willing to do anything to help, no matter how hurt they got. But what about me? I'm just the one who came after…"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered through sobs,
"Even if I came later, I don't want to deny these feelings. I… I can't pretend they're not real."
She sat there for a while, quietly crying. The herbs around her seemed to perk up from the falling tears as if they were being gently watered. Unlike the thriving plants, however, the source of those tears was a girl with a heart aching in silence.
Suddenly, Keela slapped both cheeks with her hands—firm, decisive. She wiped her tears away and took a deep breath, eyes sharpening with resolve.
"Okay, Keela. Whether he chooses me or not… it doesn't matter. As long as I can be by his side—that's enough. Think, think! What do I have to do to stay with this group for a long time?"
Her mind kicked into high gear, though her emotions clouded her thoughts. Then, like a spark, an image of Yue popped into her mind.
"Yue… That's right. His mission is to purify the Chaos. It always involves him and Yue… and Yue really loved the food I made."
That thought led to a sudden, bold idea.
"That's it! I'll win Akira's heart through food! Just like how Mom could even tame Grandpa Gryphonnix with delicious cooking. I won't force him to choose me… but I'll show him—show everyone—that I'm the one most fit to take care of our children."
As soon as the word "children" left her lips, her cheeks lit up a fierce red. She hid her face in her hands, flustered beyond belief. But then, she took a long, deep breath and looked straight ahead, her gaze now filled with unwavering determination.
"Watch me, Akira. I'll make sure you see me. One way or another… I'll make you notice."
⸻
⸻
Scene 4:
Elsewhere, one of the most heartbroken among them was Yue. Even though she had managed to save Akira—her beloved older brother—she couldn't stop blaming herself.
""I should've stayed by his side. The moment I left him for just a second, something terrible happened. And while everyone else was digging him out, all I did was stand there. I couldn't even help. I just stood there… useless."
She turned on the shower and let the cold water pour down on her, not even bothering to change out of her clothes. She stood under the stream silently before slowly sinking to the floor, her cries muffled by the sound of water hitting the tile.
"Brother Leanne… you're good with healing magic, right? I wish you could teach me. Mother… I want to be better at using light magic for restoration. I want to go back and see you again, Mom… h-hic…"
She wept softly, longing for someone—anyone—she could lean on. And so, she remained there for a long time, quietly crying.
⸻
Meanwhile, in a quiet part of the woods, Draco Dustflark stood alone, his brows furrowed with frustration. He muttered under his breath,
"How many times now… how many times have I not been strong enough? How many times have I failed to protect my friend? Damn it."
He slammed his fist into a large rock beside him—thud! The ground shook from the impact, and a flock of birds scattered from the trees above.
"Master… is this what I've been lacking all along? That thing you always said I didn't have?" He let out a long sigh.
"You always criticized me… said I wasn't worthy of your teachings. But then, why did you suddenly say I passed the first trial? Why send me out into the world? A fool like me can't understand something that deep."
He stood in silence for a moment, then let out his frustration by punching a tree. Boom! The tree split in half and crashed down onto the rock he had just struck earlier. At first, the rock didn't seem to have suffered any damage from his punch. But when the tree landed on it, the stone crumbled into fine dust.
Draco stared at the shattered remains.
"If Akira had been here watching… he probably would've figured out everything Master was trying to teach. Maybe… maybe he's the one who's truly worthy. Not me."
His voice dropped, tinged with sorrow.
"Still… if Master's art finds its true heir, and if my best friend becomes safer because of it, then it's worth introducing him. Right, Great Serindragon?"
⸻
Back in another part of the house, the siblings from the continent of Draft—Elina and Osiris—were sitting together, tension thick in the air. Osiris broke the silence first.
"What's wrong, sis? You've been sulking for a while."
Elina responded in an unusually somber tone.
"I just feel… like I haven't done enough. I'm a Guardian, a major, and the oldest one in the group. But look—everyone still sees Akira as the leader. Always. And honestly… it pisses me off. I don't even know why."
Osiris stated plainly,
"I think you're jealous. You want to be the leader, don't you?"
Elina shook her head.
"No… I think he's the most suited for it." She looked Osiris straight in the eyes. "What do you think of him, Osiris?"
Osiris paused, considering it seriously before answering.
"He overthinks a lot. He's always quiet, always thinking by himself. He tends to smile when others are talking, but deep down he's extremely responsible. Careful. Cautious. He tries to shoulder everything on his own. And… he cares about his friends deeply."
Elina sighed.
"Exactly. And if even you, who joined later, can see that much… imagine how Yue, Draco, and Mirelle must feel when something bad happens to him."
Osiris's expression shifted slightly, as if she had just realized something.
Elina continued.
"Right now, our team's morale is at rock bottom. I guess I'm just frustrated with myself… that I couldn't do more. But at the very least, I want to help hold our group together through this."
Osiris nodded solemnly.
"I'll help however I can too. Even if I don't really understand human emotions… I'll try."
Elina gave her a soft smile.
"The fact that you're willing to try—that's already a great start."
⸻