The Shadress (MCD x Reader)

Ch. 18- Return to Phoenix Drop

By the time I had returned, Pikoro was green and alive. There were people out on the streets and many animals had already returned to repopulate the area. Due to the circumstances, there were clearly fewer animals in the area than there should be, but it was better than the barren snowy wasteland the village had been before.

I had long since switched which shoulder the bag rested on, having returned my wings to the tattoo-like form they have when not unfurled. My mana had long since been replenished to safe levels, rendering the appendages' continued presence a nuisance.

When I knocked on Lucinda's door, I was met with silence for a few moments before the aforementioned woman opened with a minuscule scowl. There wasn't much time spent in the doorway, a quick glance over my form was all she scrutinized me with before she allowed me entry.

Despite nothing visually changing, there is a distinct change with the air of the room: it's lighter – happier. A quiet joy seeps from the people gathered in the small living space. As I join the group, I swing the bag around to my front, holding it in such a way that all of the people can see.

"What's that?" Aphmau asks, a small smile lining her face.

"Better question: Where have you been?" Katelyn crosses her arms as she interrogates me further. Our lord responds with a look of disgruntled shock.

I smile and drop the bag at their feet, the various metals and gem types clanging as it hits the wooden floor. "Your armor and weapons." I drop my hand in the general direction of the bag, then cross my own arms as well before leaning my weight onto my left hip. "I noted that they were missing back in Scaleswind and went to retrieve them at noon yesterday."

The boys reach for the bag almost immediately. Katelyn keeps a skeptical distance, which only changes as she sees the boys pull out their gear. Aph seems shocked. "What did you do to get those? I thought they would be missing."

"Apparently, that Meif'wa wasn't completely stupid, as she brought everything she took from you to the castle. Bar for your nice clothes but I figured that would be a small price to pay for the expensive armor and weapons again."

"What about the king?" Laurence asks, one of the bright orange ears turning to the side with the question. I note there seems to be some form of respect in his tone, but for what I am not sure. "Surely he didn't just hand these over to you."

I pause at this. They would know the king as a more tyrannical ruler, the person they came across before I was there. None of them would be aware of the things I knew, as well as what I have changed. "It's complicated. But yes, he really did just give them back."

They give me weird looks. Aphmau's the one to take the bait. "Why? What did he gain from giving them back."

"Well for starters, you heard everything about how his former oracle was corrupted. By the time I got there, the new oracle had already arrived and had informed the king of my second trip as well as its purpose." I stretch my arms out behind me – dropping them to my sides after – and lean on my other hip. "Secondly, he gained the information that I knew more than what I was letting on."

Laurence rolled his eyes. "'Know more'? That's not vague."

I pointedly glared at him before looking at the ground as I responded, "Since it has already passed, I can tell you that I knew some things about a possible future that could have happened instead."

"Clairvoyance is not something that just anyone can do." Lucinda's tone is almost mocking, but it's more of a challenge. I looked up to see her smiling at me with a look that suggested I had no way to explain this.

Unluckily for her, I have a response for almost anything. "I am not just anyone, though." I pause and take in her hardening gaze. "Did you really think I wouldn't be capable of such a thing?"