The plant mage breathed steadily, her emerald eyes narrowed on Ruvel seated on the top of her shield. Her frustration was growing and staying calm was a struggle. Her mind was on Johann, on the fight they had, on the monster within him that had nearly killed her. Her mind was on the taunts of Oykai, grating at her already frayed nerves, pushing at her buttons as she fought with all her strength to keep herself like stone. Focus, I need to concentrate, I can't give up. I need to prove that I belong, I need to prove that I am a part of this guild and that this place matters to me. Her brain felt like it was going to explode, her heart thumping slow in her chest, controlled only by Yona's persistent inner mantra. Breathe in, breathe out, let it in, let it go. Yona was determined not to lose it and this time didn't even respond with a glance to Oykai.
Ruvel leapt downward and landed in a crouch before Yona, and still, she was hesitant to try to take advantage of the child just before her. It seemed so wrong to her to fight a child, even though that was what she was supposed to be doing. She bent herself to touch the ground and pull out the Blade of Thorns from the ground, in sync with a strange sight. A beautiful bright yellow forsythia began to sprout and grow from the ground and just for a second, for a second was all that she would allow for, Yona felt a deep pang of sadness. The plant before her was home to her, her whole house surrounded by the bright yellow flowers, her mother and her brother's favorite. Her dad preferred hydrangea, magnolia, roses, but her mother and brother had always liked the tiny rows of yellow blooms, like miniature suns all lined up to remind visitors to be positive even on cloudy days. A tired and sad little smile crossed the young woman's face.
Oykai translated once more and Yona got to her feet slowly, taking a half step back, holding the green scimitar to the side with her right hand. When the plant began to open, Oykai gave a warning and Yona looked at him with annoyance. She had just about enough of his commentary. And then, he hit her. With the force of a solid tackle, Yona could barely keep her balance, stepping back a few paces to remain on her feet as small arms wrapped around her waist and a face buried itself into her abdomen. Her breathing faltered as the plant mage looked down, seeing the familiar dark haired boy, the wet green eyes that matched her own. When he cried out, "Big sister!" the nineteen year old felt sick to her stomach. She stood there stunned for a moment, her left hand coming around to hold him. "Sato, my Sato." She trembled, her legs starting to become jelly beneath her weight. She dropped her blade and fell to one knee, holding him tenderly to her chest, tightly and with gentleness, the way an older sister would.
"Sato, how I have missed you so," She whispered, "I love you, you know that right, I love you. I'm right here." She repeated it to the small boy, comforting him and herself, over and over. Her eyes stinging and wet, her throat closing up as she began to choke on a sob. She felt his arms, his warm breath, the damp place on her skin where his tears had left a mark. Then something inside of her finally broke apart. Like a volcano eruption, the collapse of stone, the thick of dark smog, the painful burn of sulfur in the air- Yona suddenly remembered. She remembered his screams and the smell of burning flesh. She remembered the laugh of the man in the shadow. She remembered that he was dead. The feel of his arms around her suddenly felt more like a noose, like a rope meant to hang her. Yona gently pried him off and pushed him aside, her eyes staring at Ruvel with an intensity unmatched. Had someone been able to show her a mirror, even Yona would have been afraid of herself. "You. You people," She spat, "You use him to hurt me. You used him the day I met you. Cirven used him to punish my temper. And you both think you can just fool around in my damn head," She lifted her Blade up and made a spinning gesture near her own head. She gave a dark half chuckle.
"And you play with me still now. You play with the memory of an innocent boy. You play as if his death was a game and replaying his death to me just amuses you, so much," She choked on the word death. "The hell is wrong with you?" Yona was blind, a thriving new power unveiled itself and she found a strength she hadn't known that she possessed. The green haired woman took a half step forward, refusing to look at Sato anymore. "He is gone, he is dead, and you play his death for me again and again. I wish I had died then, all right!" She shouted, her voice cracking under the pressure. Her magic simply started to pour out of her body in a green glow. "Kill me or leave me be! Stop! Just stop!"
She had so much to say, so much to convey, but words were at an end. Her typically green eyes had turned so dark green and her pupil had widened to much that her eyes looked nearly black. She dropped her blade unused for a second time, weaving her hands through motions, waving them, bending them, casting every spell at her fingertips, at her thoughts. First came her blightweave, a green glow looking to connect and envelop Ruvel, looking to taint his skin black and cause him pain and fear. Then came three more shoots of bamboo, all three aimed from different angles to shoot upwards through Ruvel's body. Yona curled her hands into fists and then extended her arms, shooting out a wave of piercing cactus needles in every direction. She had dropped the seed as well, and if it had been close enough to Ruvel, his physical health would have been sapped to give Yona restorative gain. Not that Yona knew or cared about restoring, or life, or anything past this moment.
Nobody would use her brother again. Nobody would torment her. Nobody would dare utter Sato's precious name or wave his face in her eyes again. A fog like substance eased out of her pores in place of the chemical hormones, and all within the range of her puffball-based spell would hear the terrifying voices, echoes and screams which had haunted her. "You will not use him. You will not use him." Yona uttered again and again, as her magical strength began to waver. She fell to a knee and still she could not stop. She stomped her other foot on the ground before dropping to both knees, watching as a bright green glowing plant appeared beneath Ruvel, wherever he stood, wherever he had moved to. The bright plant dealt extremely painful burning and stinging sensations. Yona breathed hard, her face streaked with tears, not knowing when they had started. "Stop, stop," She trembled out loud, trying to stop her own self from unleashing more than she could take. Yona had reached her breaking point, her fragile mind already weary with worry for Johann could not take any more and it broke. She groaned, gritting her teeth from the pain of having the magical power sapped out of her body. Yona's eyes took in the sight of little Sato once more and then her agony reared back its ugly head again as she turned back on Ruvel.
"Scopolia," She said, fusing her voice with the power inside of her, using the last of her strength to issue a command that would be terribly hard to ignore for anyone of her own strength or lower, the same command which had gotten into Johann's head and had brought out his inner monster. The blame and the guilt she felt over that spilling into her own words now, the guilt from losing her brother and not being able to protect him back then. She couldn't bear the torture of Sato's illusory arms and illusory presence. "Just kill me. Please." Yona begged and then collapsed where she had been, her magical power lower than it had ever been, perhaps so low that it would not return.
WC: 4331+1441 = 5772
Spells:
Sundew Mire- 4/5 cd
Jasmineae- 3/5 d, 0/5 cd
Greenwalk- 1/2 cd
Mortal Oleander- 1/2 cd
Blightweave
Bamboo Rend
Nopalli Needles
Leech Seed
Puffball Cacophony
Young Dendrocnide
Scopolia