[SP-F22] Lightbringer, Part II: The Cage That Contains Us

[Morningstar 0]

                                                                                                                                Elwood's House - Floor 22

A clock ticked impatiently in Elwood’s living room. A few words crossed Morningstar’s mind. Discomfort. Uncertainty. Acrimony. His call had been sudden; they hadn’t spoken in what felt like weeks. His idle thoughts wandered restlessly. The quiet of the room made them all the louder.

Rain tapped rhythmically on the window. The moon was high but a ceiling light kept it from going dark. He had always hated lights like it. The yellow glow was tiring on the eyes and it always looked unnatural. It only worsened his already uncomfortable state. Periodically, lightning would strike. He could see it, far off in the distance, through the glass panes of the window. Thunder followed shortly after. He counted the seconds in between.

One. Two. Three.

The clap reverberated through him. It was not far from him—less than a mile away. Then, more lightning. Morningstar turned his gaze away from the storm, looking towards the door to the hallway. Elwood took his time. A single light source blended with the darkness of the hall. It came from an open door on the right-hand side. He could hear the occasional clang of dishes and the pouring of water.

Morningstar’s stomach churned. For some, anxiety manifests in the biting of nails. Others shake their legs. For him, it was a silent dread. The longer he waited, the further into the cushioned chair he sank. His eyes shut slowly. All he could do was give time the chance to pass. The three words revolved around his brain.

Discomfort. Uncertainty. Acrimony.

Spoiler

Morningstar | Lv. 25 | HP: 500/500 | EN: 83/83 | DMG: 20 | ACC: 4 | MIT: 66 | EVA: 1 | 2 BLD | 1 PAR

Gear:

• Meteor | Perfect Two-Handed Straight Sword
  +2 BLD
  +1 PAR
• In Noctem | Perfect Light Armor
  +36 MIT
  +1 EVA
• Lexa's Light | Perfect Trinket
  +3 ACC

Skills:

• Straight Sword | Rank 5 | Precision | Stamina | Ferocity
  +9 DMG
  +1 ACC
  -2 ENG per attack
• Light Armor | Rank 5 | Meticulous
  +30 MIT
  -2 Stealth
  +1 DMG
• Searching | Rank 5
  +5 LD
  +5 Stealth Detection
• Survival | Rank 1
  +10% to healing effects
  +Immunity to environmental effects
• Charge | Rank 1
  +5 DMG (when activated)
  -1 ACC (when activated)
  +2*tier ENG cost to activate
• Energist | Rank 1
  +15 ENG

Combat Mastery:

• Damage
  +9 DMG

Combat Shift:

• TECH Specialist
  +4 to multipliers
  +3 to ENG cost

 

[Morningstar 0]

How much time had passed before his arrival and Elwood’s return to the living room was a mystery to him. He funneled back in, a small tray in his hands. On top sat an ornate teapot and two cups. It was rare to see the man dressed in anything that did not look kingly. Morningstar wondered if he was one of the few who had seen it.

"I hope you don't take honey or anything. I'm afraid I'm all out."

"I'm sure it's fine how it is," Morningstar smiled.

Elwood poured tea for the both of them. He was slow and precise, in the same way he was in all aspects of life. He hated to rush. Earl Grey wafted from the pot, the scent mixing with the air. While not his favorite type of tea, it might have broken Morningstar's top three. It reminded him of his life before. For a moment, he lost himself in memories of his mother. She and Elwood poured their tea in the same way, gripping the handle with three fingers and a thumb while leaving the pinky out to hang.

[Morningstar 0]

"New sword?" Elwood broke the silence.

Morningstar, frazzled, looked to his left. Meteor leaned against the arm of the chair, faintly glowing at his side.

"Yeah. A blacksmith up in Ronbaru crafted it for me."

Elwood set the teapot down on the tray. He traced the floral pattern on his cup before lifting it to his lips and taking a long sip. Steam floated from the top. Morningstar picked up his cup, following his friend's lead. Before he could take a sip, he stopped himself. He stared into the cup for a moment, watching the dark water swirl. Then, he looked at Elwood.

"What am I doing here, Elwood?" He asked.

The guild master looked weary. "I thought we could talk. Just us for a change."

Morningstar looked puzzled. "What about?"

Elwood sighed, turning to look out the window. "Straight to the point, as usual, Stephen. You know, people used to make small talk. How're the kids? How's work? Things like that. These days, I find that it's all about survival. I don't get many pointless conversations anymore."

"I guess things aren't the same as they were when we met," Morningstar replied.

"No. No, they aren't."

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar finally sipped his tea. The warm bitterness of the Earl Grey was pleasant on his tongue. A green sweater replaced the cloak he commonly wore. He preferred visiting friends casually. There was something about it that brought back a piece of the old world, and he thought that was important. Elwood dressed similarly, although he had chosen a brown cardigan layered over a white t-shirt. It matched his auburn hair nicely. Lightning struck again, nearly making the blonde jump. He should have been used to it by now, but both the conversation and the length of time between strikes had caused him to forget.

"I'll oblige," Morningstar said, adjusting himself in his chair.

"What?"

"Let's talk. Like we used to."

Elwood stared back, his mouth barely open and his eyes wide. "Where do we begin?"

"For starters," Morningstar cleared his throat, "I hear you've taken a leave of absence from your guild."

[Morningstar 0]

Elwood's glossy eyes were fixed on the rain that pitter-pattered against the glass panes. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Morningstar refrained from breaking the silence by adding to his statement, hoping to get some sort of reaction from his friend and mentor. It was unlike the man to leave his guild members for any amount of time, prolonged or otherwise. Sources told him that Elwood had been away for a month. Where was he all that time? What was he doing? And why wait so long to message Star?

"I suppose," Elwood paused dramatically, "fate is finally catching up to me."

Ominous was Morningstar's initial thought. It felt more like a prologue to a long tale than an answer to his question. Elwood's gaze lingered on the downpour for another moment before meeting Morningstar's. It was not immediate but the blonde saw something in the man's face that he had never seen before: fear. He pieced together words in his mind, struggling to formulate a proper response.

[Morningstar 0]

What came out was, "what are you so afraid of?"

It made Elwood laugh and, just for a second, the tension lifted.

"I've come to enjoy this world. I hated it for years for what it took from me,  and now I thank it for what I've been given. For you, my friend. For my guild. I've found family, in a way—and that's something I haven't known in a very long time. And I know that I’ll come to lose it."

There was a poem that Elwood had once recited. He tried to remember the words to it but they were a mess inside his cluttered mind. 'I met a traveler from an antique land,' it started. But how did it end? He racked his brain and found nothing but a name and a theme of cessation.

"Don’t be going all ‘Ozymandias’ on me now." Morningstar asked.

His eyebrows rose in amazement. "I'm glad you still remember. Well referenced."

[Morningstar 0]

"You aren’t him," Morningstar said, his face straight.

"I am. Really, we all are. Nothing can last forever, Stephen. Not even a fraudulent king like me."

Fraudulent was a harsh adjective to use. He was as close to a king as a player could become.. His guildhall was even a castle, and the members who lived there were loyal to no one but him. He was no fraud.

"Sure, but that’s out of our control. Why run from it?"

"You’re right. I am running." Elwood smiled, but his eyes told a different story. "I have a brain tumor, Star."

In that moment, Morningstar's face revealed nothing, betraying no trace of emotion. It was hard to tell just how he felt. His eyes widened slightly, but he remained stoic before his friend. He said nothing to fill the dead air, silently begging Elwood to continue so that he did not have to.

"The doctor said I had two years to live, but it's been nine and I'm still kicking."

This was a goodbye from Elwood to the one he deemed his closest friend. He was the leader of dozens and was by no means unpopular; still, out of everyone he knew, he chose Morningstar. 

He wanted to jump out of his chair and run far from there, and for a moment that even sounded logical. If he could run—no, fly—a great enough distance from his problems, maybe they wouldn’t exist.

[Morningstar 0]

"Do you see why I'm scared?"

Yes. 

At any moment, Elwood could simply disappear. There was nothing Morningstar could do to stop it; no item in the game that could keep him safe from the dark destiny that gripped his friend so tightly. Morningstar had always imagined himself by Elwood's side at the peak of the castle, the one-hundredth floor. In an instant, that dream came crumbling down. He understood why Elwood was so afraid. He had found a home in Aincrad. To leave it for problems of a world in which he only existed in body… 

"I'm sorry," Morningstar finally said.

"Don't be. If there was something you could do, I would have asked—believe me."

Stillness overtook the room again. Not even thunder dared crackle, nor did lightning rip the sky apart. This time, Star was the first to speak.

"What about your guild?"

Elwood had expected the question. "I had almost asked if you would take over in my place," he admitted, "but I know you well enough to guess your answer. I don't want to force you into accepting out of guilt. You're a solo player at heart, I think."

Morningstar nodded. He didn't know what to say, so why speak at all?

[Morningstar 0]

"I'm glad I helped you out that day in the Town of Beginnings. You know, in that tavern. We've been through a lot, you and I. Who could have anticipated any of it?" Elwood stared up at the ceiling, crossing one leg over the other.

A deadlock between anger, grief, and love waged on within Star. Part of him wanted to throw himself into a pit of monsters and another wanted to die there. The stronger part wished to be there for his friend, and so he stayed. He stood from the chair and stepped up to the window. The glass, covered in a sheet of rain, was difficult to see through. Beneath the street lamps, however, he found a man picking at a guitar, hiding from the weather underneath the porch of a building.

"How long have I known you? Seven? Eight years?" Morningstar asked, leaning against the window sill.

Elwood glanced back down at him. "Somewhere in between, I think."

“Somewhere in between.”

[Morningstar 0]

His chest was tight; restricted, like a bird in a cage. It was only a bad dream, he realized. He pinched himself on the hand. Nothing. He tried again.

“It’s not a dream, Stephen. I wish it were, but it’s not.”

Star spun, bumping the table. “It has to be! You can’t die!”

Shattered pieces of porcelain littered the floor, and tea spilled out like thin amber blood. He stared down, taken aback by the sound it made. It was an explosion. Sharp, jagged fragments all separated from one whole. It was wrong.

Elwood pulled him back to his senses. “But I will. And soon, I think.”

“No, no—you said it yourself. Nine years and the doctor said two. Maybe they were wrong. They could have been wrong.”

“They weren’t wrong.”

“Maybe they were! How—how do you know?”

“I can feel it.”

“What?” Stephen slowed down, sitting back against the window sill for security. “You can?”

“I couldn’t always. But lately…” he held his palm to his forehead. “This pounding in my head. It doesn’t go away.”

“But that’s–”

Impossible, he wanted to say. The console shut down external senses by intercepting brain activity. It was NerveGear 101. Nobody should be able to feel a thing that happens to their real body.

[Morningstar 0]

“I’m tired, Stephen. Sit, please. Let’s talk.”

Star agreed, but moved to clean up his mess before sitting.

Elwood waved his hand, a quick flick of the wrist, as if to brush away the thought. “Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal. Leave it, and I’ll clean it up later.”

“No, it’s my fault. I insist.”

“Really, don’t bother. I don’t care. It’s just a bit of tea.”

He tiptoed over the spread of cold liquid, taking a seat in the cushy chair. His hands were clammy, like they’d always get before a big show. Staring at his friend made him woozy. “What the fuck,” was all he could think.

“I went to that little coffee shop that you like.”

“Moonbux?”

“That’s right. Not a bad little place. Kind of cozy—and the coffee was perfect.”

Star nodded.

“How did you come across it?”

He stuttered. “I-I’m not sure. I can’t remember.”

“Well, I enjoyed it, anyhow.”

[Morningstar 0]

Elwood stood, like he’d forgotten something. He hurried into the next room, leaving Star to stare into an empty hallway and listen while he scrounged through piles of books. When he came back, he was holding two.

“I have a gift for you. A couple, actually. I know you like to read. I also know that Ronbaru’s collection is rather dull. System generated fiction is… well, it lacks that bit of humanness that makes stories special. We’re lucky to have a few real authors among us, though.” Elwood held out a thick hardcover, plain but for a title and the author’s name. It was a faded shade of purple and looked well-read. He handed over the book, and Star flipped open the cover. Inked into the first page was a beautifully drawn map, with calligraphy unlike anything he’d seen before. It was wonderful.

“A player called Cobb wrote that. He only produced a handful of that version. I was lucky to find it, and now I’d like to pass it on to you.”

His next book was different. It was a stack of pages bound in leather and wrapped in string. “When you told me you kept journals, I decided to do the same. I crafted this one myself, actually. It’s been filled, mostly, but there’s some room left at the end. Take it.”

Star didn’t argue. His fingers curled around the journal, and he felt every inch of the tough leather. The pages were bone white, but for the top corner, where black ink had been spilled. He pressed his thumb on the spot. It was still a bit sticky. It must have been recent.

[Morningstar 0]

Dumbfounded, he looked up. “Why?”

“Because you’re my best friend,” Elwood stated plainly. “And I’ve read them both about a hundred times,” he chuckled.

Star smiled sadly. “Well, thank you.”

“Of course. You know, I saw Joaquin just a few days ago.”

“Really? He didn’t mention it,” Star said, a tad surprised.

“Yes. In Tomoika. He was haggling with a merchant, I think. He must be confident to lowball a dwarf.”

Star laughed for the first time that night.

 

 

They chatted well into the night, until it was time for Morningstar to leave. On his way out the door, Star turned back. “Hey. Tomorrow, let’s get lunch. A new place opened up near my house. It’s on the beach. It’s supposed to be good.”

Elwood grinned. “I’d like that very much.”

“Great,” Star returned. He waved and spun around, dipping under the torrential rain. He looked back once and saw Elwood, still in the doorway, smiling. He was so bright, Star almost thought it was him lighting up the street, and not the lamp posts.

[Morningstar 0]

Elwood shut the door, humming a low, quiet tune. He took a mop from his closet and brought it to the living room to clean up the spilled tea. The house felt massive without a guest. Once more, he was a king, alone in his castle. 

He stepped over broken glass, kneeling down to pick up the pieces. Then, when all but the tea had been moved to the table, he began mopping from one end of the mess to the other. There was something serene about cleaning. He would miss it. Or, maybe he would feel nothing at all. Who was to say?

The teapot remained warm to touch. He poured himself another cup, bringing it to the window. The guitarist continued to play. He wondered what song had been chosen, and imagined it happy. His limbs felt weak. They had all evening. He blinked in tandem with the thunder. How far away it sounded. His body tipped, and his eyes shut. The connection between his brain and the headset was gone. So was Elwood.

[Morningstar 0]

Near the top of The Eye, you could find the most perfect sunsets. So many colours mixed and matched. Visually symphonic.

Willow napped to his left. She snored loudly; he didn’t have the heart to tell her. Despite the sky’s beauty, his eyes were locked on the final entry of a short, leatherbound journal. Silently, he read to himself.

Morningstar,

The years I spent in this world taught me three things:

Hold your friends in high regard,

Be kind, even when it is difficult,

And stay away from shady taverns.

I learned all of these from you. You’re smart, and yet thick-skulled at the same time. You have a knack for finding yourself in the most difficult of situations, and somehow, you always come out unscathed. Trouble seems to be drawn to you. What I most envy about you is how well you treat others. You have a heart of gold, Lightbringer. Stay that way, and know that I cherished our friendship until the very end. 

May we meet again, wherever we end up next.

Elwood

He shut the book and wrapped the string loosely around it. He read it often, from start to finish. He knew what it contained like the back of his hand. He had memorized every detail and concluded that, while The Eye had perfect sunsets, none were more special than the words within his book. He cozied up with Willow and listened to the distant harp of a griffin.

[Morningstar 0]

thread summary

morningstar

891 exp | (2972/10)*3*1