The Shadress (MCD x Reader)

Ch. 10- Meteli

The week following the High Priest's visit is rather eventful and a clear stressor for Lady Aphmau.

Delighted by everyone's return, the village threw a party to celebrate – which was an obvious excuse to gather with each other.

I stayed out of it, not wanted or needed in a celebration in the town square. However, I remained nearby in the case of an emergency. It was at this party that a little girl with bright blue hair got kidnapped, Nekoette~Tan, I believe her name is.

Dante was the one who sprinted off to find her first and Aphmau followed him closely after, but I stayed behind to ensure that no one else was in danger. The pair explained the problem when they eventually returned, citing a group of bandits wanting a ransom for her life. I could tell they were holding something back, though. Aaron was noticeably missing during the whole ordeal, but I suspect that it was due to him helping the pair.

Everyone else easily accepted this explanation, but Aphmau pulled me aside with a shaken look. "My lady, what's wrong?"

"I- uh... I blacked out," she started.

"I'm sorry? I don't understand."

She glanced around her and lowered her voice further, despite the fact that her guards were all gracious distances away. "Dante got shot with an arrow. He had passed out due to the impact he took when he fell, and it scared Nekoette and I." Aphmau stopped and glanced around again, her eyes lingering on a wary Laurence. "After I finished with the rest of the bandits, I felt this... tingling and- and heat in my palms. Then, out of this strange urge, I rested my palms over the wound and it healed. Then I blacked out." When she finished, she looked scared. Honestly, since I've been here, I have never seen Aphmau with such an expression on her face.

I took a moment and collected all my thoughts on the matter. This was clearly her healing powers. Access to her magic meant that some of her memories were going to resurface here soon. And I'll be damned if I let her go through any of those without me by her side.

I must've been thinking too long because before I could respond, Aphmau was speaking again. "There must be something wrong or... or I'm starting to lose my mind."

"You're not losing your mind." I gently clasped my hands around hers. "Did you experience or envision anything after you passed out?"

She shook her head discreetly. "I don't think so. It's still a little fuzzy."

"Okay." I let out a sigh at the revelation and lowered my voice more than it already was. "Then there is nothing to currently worry about. I'm going to warn you that things like this are going to start happening. You will use your power and shortly after will black out and go through a memory. It's one of the side effects of putting yourself through slumber like you did."

Aphmau nodded again, but before she could respond, Laurence walked over and ended our conversation quickly. At least she understood that some things were not worth worrying her guards over. The only one we might need to worry about asking questions is Dante.

– – – – –

The following day a few of us gathered to rebuild the outer wall further. Aphmau, Garroth, Laurence, and Katelyn had partially repaired it soon after they had returned to this realm; however, as I had pointed out, there were still substantial holes in the structure which could lead to more incidents like what happened with Nekoette.

So the five of us decided to fill in the gaps some more before that occurred. Katelyn and Garroth went to gather some materials, something about knowing a nearby trading post or something. But this left Laurence, Aphmau, and I at the wall.