Ambient Mage

*???'s Pov*

-A few weeks later-

-Deep within the recesses of Lucas' soul-

"Why have you gathered us here?"

A boy held a scythe pausing his sweeping motion over the grassy field.

"He is overloading himself, trying to hold back."

"So you gathered the three of us for what?"

"That wasn't an answer."

A young man shifted himself on a rock.

"If you are going to sit on my rock, questioning me, then you should at least wait for me to finish."

The middle aged man leaned on his back foot.

"Okay, so what are we here for?"

"Well, we need him to stop exerting himself in self harmful ways."

"I don't see the problem with it."

The man shifted again on the rock.

"Are you going to sit on the rock the entire time?"

"I don't see why not."

"This is my field, come down."

The boy ordered the man as he stared up to the top of the rock.

"Fine, but since we're gathered can we go somewhere more comfortable?"

"He does have a point, these discussions take a long time."

"No, we stay here, we finish this now."

"Alright then, what is your proposal, you did after all bring the topic up."

"We should stop his heart."

"I disagree, we should stop his brain."

"No, if we stop his brain he may not return the same."

"But if we stop his heart can you bring him back?"

"We all can, don't pretend we can't"

"Even though we can, who knows what the consequences are for the world force?"

"She might kill us too."

"She can't."

The boy and young man's discourse ran for a long time.

"What if we overload him enough to give him advice?"

The older man posited.

"What do you mean?"

"Go on."

"We let him continue, but this time, instead of just giving him a offhand dream, we pull him here."

"Hm... who would he talk to?"

"Me of course."

The young man stated.

"No."

The eldest and youngest said.

"So will he come to my zone or yours."

"I think he should meet you first, he needs to know he can choose to stop constraining himself."

"I see."

"Then is this discussion over?"

"Yes."

"Then we shall disperse."

"Yes."

"It's time to wake up."

***

*Lucas' Pov*

"Ughhhhh."

I sat up gripping my head.

Where was I?

"I swear Lucas, you spend more time in this bed hurt, than using it for it's proper purpose."

"Huh?"

I looked up to see Mother Alicia.

"Or time in my daughter's bed."

I looked behind Mother to see Father standing with his arms crossed.

I looked over to find Aura.

"Aura."

I channeled mana into my eyes.

Asleep, thank Nyx above.

'Daddy?'

A little ferret jumped up onto my lap.

She put her paws up to my stomach.

'You won't leave me right Daddy?'

'Of course not.'

'What about Mommy Aura?'

'She would never.'

"Alea, come to Grandma."

Mother held her arms out to the little white ferret.

'Daddy?'

She cocked her head to the side, as if to ask me for permission to go.

I nodded my head.

"Come here my little muffin."

Alea jumped over to Mother.

I laid back down.

Whooooooh.

That whole dungeon experience felt so long.

"Lucas that was your first time facing a 6th tier and 7th tier."

"Yeah it was."

Father Stephen seemed to want to question me.

I stared up into the ceiling fully intent on answering any question he might have had.

Mother left the room with Alea.

"How did it feel?"

"The seventh tier was essentially a mortal beast."

"It was severely restricted."

"That much huh?"

"What about the 6th tier?"

"The Tyrant was downright terrifying."

It was, the dragon blood steeled my emotions, but looking through my own memories was absolutely terrifying.

"Of course it was, you are just a 4th star swordsman who faced up a peak 6th tier monster."

"You will likely receive some merits for your actions."

"Lucas, you aren't able to fight something like that without extreme skill, trust in your teammates, and understanding of your opponent."

"I know you're smart, but you're not omniscient. So how do you know how to fight a Tyrant, and how did you know it was going to appear there?"

"I didn't, I was just preparing for the worst situation."

"So the things in your backpack weren't deliberate?"

"No."

"Bullshit, Lucas. I don't really care how you find out about these things, but I need to know now, if Aurelia will be hurt, because of your inability to properly gauge your enemies."

"I love you like a son, but I need to know that my daughter is safe."

A reasonable request.

"I don't know if I can trust your judgement Lucas."

"And I don't know if I can trust her to not rescue you if you find yourself in danger, so in the future, should you decide to fight or do something dangerous, leave the comm orb to Aurelia at home."

"If you are in trouble, call either of us, we'll be more help than her regardless."

"Although I make it sound bad, I do trust your judgement, even if that contradicts my last statement, I just don't know how you always end up involved in troubling situations."

"So for now, until you're stronger, unless you know it's somewhat safe, don't bring Aura around. She needs to grow stronger without your crutch."

"You are inherently stronger than her, and you probably won't die even if Alicia went all out against you, but Aurelia would, without so much as a peep."

"In front of her mother, it's like a candlelight in front of the sun."

"You are special in that you can punch up, fight monsters and people far outside of your level, and not die."

"But you can't win, much less alone."

"She can't even fight."

"A level 6, even if it was a low tier one, would tear her apart."

"Your attack strength is so bloated you don't even know what it feels like to fight a monster on level and struggle."

"Most average swordsmen fight beasts on the same level, but require anywhere from 2 to 4 teammates."

"You just eviscerate them."

"Don't get me wrong, she's a strong 5th circle mage, probably the strongest in the nation, but she's human."

"She has clear limits."

Stephen moved towards me, pulling a chair up to my bedside.

I looked down at him.

He looked incredibly sad.

I looked back up to the ceiling, the look on his face made me feel guilt.

"The logs from the student's accounts show us that she fought a 5th tier beast, and was injured badly, not severely or fatally, but a good chunk of damage was taken."

"You on the other hand, decapitate 4th level beasts, with your magic alone."

"You smushed a 5th tier beast, and that 5th stage demon, well, you know how well you held up."

"Hell, you fought against a 3 eyed Tyrant, alone, and lived to tell about it."

"Many people can't say that, much less a 4th tier person."

"She's not like you Lucas."

His voice started to break.

"She's not strong enough, and I'm afraid, afraid to see her die before me."

"Alicia was worried, but she was never scared."

His aura completely deflated.

"Here we don't need to protect ourselves, but outside we must remain our strongest."

"For Ezechs it has never crossed my mind he would be weak."

"For Matthew, he never got into any dangerous situations. For him the most dangerous thing is continuing to attract the princess' attention."

"For Theo it was MSS, and you cured that."

"For you, I never worried, a 12 year old boy with no formal training, escaped me?"

"But her? Her training required sealing her power, and that alone only made her the strongest mage in her year."

"She collapsed in Alicia's arms you know? Holding you."

"She didn't even let go in her sleep."

"We pried you from her arms to heal the both of you."

I looked past Stephen.

I could only see her bandageed forehead pointed up at the ceiling.

"When we did she started to curl her hands into fists as if to grab something."

"She can't live without you Lucas, just like we can't."

"You won't ever die, I'm certain of it."

"But she will risk her life for you."

"Alicia would too."

I stared back at the ceiling.

"She doesn't scare easily like me."

"I used to be more stonefaced, emotionless, until I met her."

"But she showed me weakness, and I learned why it was people protected the weak."

"Aurelia was so tiny when she was born."

"Her tiny fingers wrapped around my own."

"She looked just like Alicia."

"She was weak, so weak that when she got a cold when she was younger I worried she would die."

"As she grew I learned how to be concerned and worry, but ultimately trust in her strength."

"But with the academy's recent events, I feel like I'm watching her catch that cold all over again."

"I can't watch her die Lucas, if I do, I think I might die."

"Alicia, Aura are my heart."

"I love my boys too, but they are sufficiently protected."

"My girls are the weakest of the strong, the strongest of the weak."

"If I allowed them, no, that's arrogant, they're not my items."

"If they lived their lives, and died suddenly, when I knew I could have done something about it, my heart would break."

"Alicia, is well protected here, by my name, by the formations, by the people."

"Aurelia is protected by all of that, and you, yet, she is far weaker."

"She is my precious daughter, someone I cannot live without."

"Someone who makes me feel worried, concerned, happy, lonely, but makes me feel all the same."

"I am reduced to a father in front of her."

"And it scares me, that without her, I won't be one anymore."

"She's weak and you are near indestructable.

"She- She's just too important for me to lose."

He placed his hands over me.

I watched as he held his left hand balled up in his right.

"Lucas, she's not like you, she's just-"

"She's my daughter- a child forever in my eyes."

He choked over his words.

"She's weak Lucas, I can't protect her all the time, no matter how much I wish too."

"I trust you to keep her alive, but I can't trust this world Lucas."

"It's the weak who bear the brunt of the suffering."

"And my strength isn't enough to shield her Lucas."

"Lucas, she's my world, I- I need you to tell me she'll be safe with you."

I looked at his face.

"She is."

I barely spoke up.

His red teary eyes, stared deeply into my soul.

"Please Lucas, protect her, even if it costs you your life."

"I know, it's cruel to ask a child to die for another."

"But watching her-"

"I don't want to think about it."

"Alicia would know how to assuage my fears, but Alicia doesn't understand that they are my world. My heart."

"To lose them is to lose my being."

"To lose who I am."

"Who could live with the fact that they let themselves lose their personality, their very essence, who could go on to live in ignorance of the sins committed after witnessing them?"

"I struggle, Lucas, to think about losing her.

"But to let her die?"

"I can't. I can't."

He rocked slowly back and forth.

"I can't."

He didn't even finish.

"So please, watch over her, and if you ever decide you can no longer guarantee her life, kill me first."

He cleared his throat.

"Please keep her safe, and out of trouble."

"Keep her happy, and alive."

He stood up and took the chair with him out of the room.

I stared at the ceiling once again.

Then I turned my head to look at Aura.

She stared back at me, tears streaming down her face.