-last night-
"You had a clear shot at the target yet you missed, for the first time."
"Look at the target he's weakened, my bullets are especially made to eat out at the target life force ,to you i missed and to me he's agonized and injured."
"Do as you say , but
There's no place for complacency in our organization."
"Yeah yeah? I'll see you when the job is done."
-one day later-
"Hey Eric , you ok? If rowing the boat is hard let me take care of it."
"Mistress, if you as much touch these oars. Then I'd stop making tea for you besides its not that hard of a chore."
While the student council healed me , the attack from that masked swordsman weakened my furnace the core of my chromata powers. The shot I sustained also contributes i can feel the mana residue taking shape in my body, rupturing my insides.
"you always push yourself Eric, for once follow my orders."
Aida scoots Eric and takes to his left forcefully taking the oar off his hand
"Mistress , i'm sorry."
"It seems my servant is going through an ordeal of his own, sometimes I wish you would believe in your own Mistress."
"Mistress its not like i can tell you..."
"You have been targeted, I knew about this since yesterday."
"What??!!, who told you?."
"Theodore ofcourse."
"That old.... uncouth bastard!."
Putting her face inches from mine , she looks me in the eye.
"Eric, put your trust in me. Put your trust in your Mistress. I'm not the same girl from before im a powerful mage and I can be of help to you."
"Its not about that Mistress , i have lost it.
I lost my powers or keep losing them. My connection to the furnace is weakened , he took it away... he took away my Chroma."
Tears welled up as I recall last night , the frustration of losing the power I called mine , stripped away from what made Eric who he is.
"Without it ... i'm just that boy from the alley , I lost my means to stand tall. I'm no longer fit to be your butler."
"Eric listen, with or without that power. You are still the same understanding , dependable, cute tea master butler of mine and my very own partner .... my very own lover."
These words as beautiful as they were felt like a knife re-entering the stab wound.
"Don't look at me with these eyes... do not pity me."
"Eric wait!."
I snapped and leapt away from the boat into docks, dashing away with what little Chroma skill I can muster.
-meanwhile-
"I thought i told you not to row the boat like a barbarian raider Gil"
"How am I supposed to row the boat then , I dont like that snail pace of yours."
"Why not?, don't you think its romantic after all you're with your older childhood sweetheart."
"Shut it Misty."
"These two really get along." Alice says smiling
"They were joined at the hip since the day they met." Said Joshua
"At first glance I thought they don't get along but the more I observe they remind me of a bickering elderly couple." She giggles
"I couldn't have agreed more Alice."
"1 , 2 , 3 , 4 hmmm where's Eric and Ms. Fiery Mistress." Killian moves like a shadow dropping by
"They were at the boat area last time I saw them, his highness and I waved at them from our boat."
"Oho , I see i see. So you progressed that far eh Joshua to get a genius like Alice." He muses
"I-Its not like that Sir Killian , please dont jest me and his highness..."
"Killian , ... " Joshua gives Killian a blank stare hand grasping the hilt of his sword.
"I was jesting ofcourse, after all Alice has set her eyes on a very peculiar butler."
"Sir Killian!." Yells Alice face reddened
The group left the boat area, each bickering and bantering with their set, when they suddenly heard a yell coming from Aida and come across Eric appearing out of nowhere tripping and coughing blood.
"Damn it!."
Eric gets up and sprints away
"Eric!, Mr Eric!." .they yelled in unison
-a while later-
Tapping into my furnace proves to be a challenge I can feel my body teetering in pain. I sway and wobble as I fall into my knees until I finally reach campus.
"What am I supposed to do now?, tell me Master Theodore."
My legs had long gave out , alone in the courtyard I look for answers finding none of my own.
I dreaded Origin since merging with the original Eric , now having lost my Chroma. I don't know who iam anymore do I deserve to be here by her side.
Do I deserve to call myself her butler?
I ask this question to myself
"Look at you cowering in self pity, to think Theodore entrusted his legacy to a crybaby like you."
I look up the clock tower and find none other than the masked Swordsman , rather than him it looks to be a Chroma skill a silhoutte.
"Who are you and what have you done to me?!!!."
"I'm nothing but a ghost lost in time and as for what I've done , I sealed your undeserved power otherworldling."
"How did you know?"
"It doesn't matter how , struggle in the mud all you might like the maggot that you are. I look forward to breaking you further. The next time we meet will be in armagedon courtesy of the master."
"Tell me who are you and what do you want from me!! , why have this vendetta against me and Master Theodore. Who is your Master."
"When time is due maggot. Keep wriggling in the mud I'll smite you and your Master when the time is right."
I can hear the clockwork gears shift as v anishes , a maniacal laugh echoes in the wake of his departure.
Left alone powerless , and no sense of what had just happened. There's at least someone who knows about my reincarnation and armagedon, I heard it before as well.
Entering these tribulent ordeal , without any understanding of what happened or why it happened
I felt like a powerless calf , opening its eyes to the reality of its own weakness
"Damn it damn it damn it!."
To be continued