After the End (Julian and MC)

8

Julian nods and tries to smile, but I can still see the fear in his expression. I lead him along until we reach the cells of the dungeons, picking up my pace when Scout does. She stops suddenly in front of a cell, and turns to us as she taps on it with her stick.

"Asra's in there?" I ask her, to which she nods.

I turn to look at Julian, who nods encouragingly at me. Slowly, I step towards the door and press my hands to the door, using my magic to unlock it. When I push the door open, I gasp as my eyes fall on Asra, his head bowed and his wrists chained to the wall.

"Asra!"

His head snaps up to look at me, his violet eyes wide. "M-MC?" He stammers in a whisper, struggling to his feet.

I run forward and support him, quickly freeing him from his shackles with my magic. Asra groans and leans on me, resting his head on my shoulder. I turn to the door, locking eyes with Julian. He nods and rushes over, helping me to hold up Asra.

"Asra, are you alright?" I ask him, brushing his snowy hair out of his eyes.

Asra nods weakly, lifting his head to smile at me. "I thought I'd never see you again." He confesses, his eyes softening as they meet mine. "You're alright? You're not hurt? What're you doing here?" Asra wonders, arching an eyebrow as he looks over my face.

"I'm fine, we came to find you. We're going to try again, we're going to stop the Devil." I tell him quickly, smiling encouragingly as his eyes widen in realisation.

He stares at me for a long moment, slowly shaking his head as he swallows hard. "N-no, we can't... If we lose-"

"We won't lose." I interrupt, cupping his face and smiling sweetly. "We need to find the others, we need your help, Asra. Please?" My tone is a little more desperate than I intended, but it seems to get through to him. I smile when he nods his agreement, standing on his own and combing his hair back.

"If we're going to fight the Devil, I know two people who can help." Asra smiles, shakily making his way to the door and stepping out.

Julian and I follow, confused as to who Asra is referring to. Scout walks alongside us as we follow Asra, who stops at the next cell over and forces open the door. We hear muffled chatter and the sound of shattering metal, and when Julian and I step inside the cell, we see two people with their arms around Asra.

The woman beside him is taller than both of them, with Asra's eyes and complexion. She has her hair covered along with most of her body, her clothing similar to Asra's in design. The man has Asra's fluffy hair, though his is dark brown, not white. When the two notice us standing in the doorway, they look to Asra, who turns to us with tears in his eyes.

"MC, Julian... Meet my parents, Salim and Aisha." He grins, smiling proudly as he looks from us to the two people with him.

"Nice to meet you." I nod, looking from Salim to Aisha.

The two of them smile back at us, their resemblance to Asra undeniable. "Nice to meet you, too." Aisha replies, placing a hand on Asra's shoulder. "We'll be happy to help you against the Devil, we've been his prisoners for long enough." She smiles, her eyes shining with determination.

If Asra is a magician, maybe his parents are too. Maybe that's what Asra meant when he said they could help, four magicians are better than just two. I turn to look at Scout, who is waiting for us with impatience clear in her eyes.

"We need to find Portia and Nadia first, and then we can face the Devil." I tell Aisha, turning and walking out to stand with Scout.

Julian follows me out, along with Asra, Salim and Aisha. I smile at Julian when he meets my eyes, stepping into him and pressing my body against his. He wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head as he takes a deep breath.

"Can we find Portia first?" He asks me quietly, moving to look at my face.

I nod and smile, kissing his cheek before turning to look at Scout. "Scout? Do you need a rest? Or can we find Portia now?" I ask her gently, breathing a sigh of relief when Scout shakes her head and indicates for us to follow her.

Following Scout out of the dungeons, Julian, Asra, Aisha, Salim and I walk mostly in silence, keeping close behind our guide. I can sense Julian's excitement and nervousness as we begin to look for Portia, and I squeeze his hand comfortingly. We only have to find Portia and Nadia, and then we can face the Devil, together.