Chapter 17 - Help Me

Lightning struck. With his face glistening from the rain, Damon approached Azriel. He laughed, revealing white teeth as he held his bleeding head.

“How dare you hit me?!” Damon stretched out his hand as he neared her. “D*mn it. I won’t let this pass.”

A dark shadow loomed over her tiny figure like despair. Whenever she blinked, she felt as if a monster was trying to crawl out of her lost memories. As she stepped back, her back finally touched the cold wall of the well. She stopped breathing. At that moment, she saw something white appear behind Damon. It was him. That weird wizard, Rhema Reshith. Upon realizing his presence, Azriel shrieked.

“Help!” There was an illusion as if time was paused. No, it was not an illusion. Azriel vacantly stared at the raindrops that had stopped before her eyes. Raindrops like beads were paused around her. The water droplet hanging from Damon’s finger which was stretched out to her also stopped as if it were stiffened. The lightning breaking out in the sky was also paused as if someone had placed a drawing of tree branches. The shadows of the people that were reflected from the castle, lamplights that were coming and going, and even the grass leaves laying down due to the wind had paused as if they had turned into paintings. Only Azriel’s breath spread out like white fog in the scene where everything was stopped.

Rhema Reshith walked slowly to her. Not casting his shadow over her, he got on his knee and got down to her eye level.

“Azriel.”

“Th, th, this, you did this? Did you… pause the time?”

“Yes, only for a little while.”

Azriel unconsciously called his name without the honorific. It felt much more familiar somehow as if she had been calling him all along. When she called him by his name, his face seemed to soften a little. He was still expressionless like a statute but Azriel could not tell why she felt that way. He spoke in his signature slow tone. “I want to help you, Azriel. Can I intervene in your life?”

“What does that mean?”

“I made a vow not to meddle in your life. One of the reasons for such a vow was to protect you from me.”

“Protect me… from… you?”

“I am a being close to omnipotent, Azriel. If you allow my intervention, your life may be distorted. I want you to be happy, but you can get miserable because of me.” A being close to omnipotent, that was an expression too arrogant to call oneself with his own mouth. However, it did not sound arrogant at all for raindrops were still paused like jewels scattered in the air at the very moment. The still speckless snowy robe, silver hair flowing like a silver thread, unimaginable magic that was said to pause the time, a being close to omnipotent… There was one thing that came to her mind. The legendary being who was still alive and breathing. Azriel blankly murmured. “The Wizard of the Horizon…?”

“I’m often called that.”

“You are, the Wizard of the Horizon?”

“Yes.”

She felt dizzy. Azriel rubbed her wet face with her both hands. “…Why did you make such a strange vow? Why do you keep trying to help me? And why… do you think I might be unhappy when you help me?” Through her trembling lips, questions poured out. Rhema closed his mouth for a moment and answered her slowly. “It’s because you are a person who can see the same thing as me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s hard to explain in a simple way. This is a long story to tell now.”

Azriel stared at his straight face. Something kept glimmering as if she could touch it. Nevertheless, she could not think straight due to her exhausted, wounded, and soaked body. She was dead tired. A day tougher than yesterday was not over yet. She feebly asked. “Then tell me one thing. Is there a way for me not to get miserable even if I get your help?”

“There is.”

“Then… help me.”

Snap. She felt something like a knot breaking. She repeated. “Please help me, Rhema.” 

She felt a sensation as if things that had been binding her entire body snapping in strands disappeared. Her sight twirled around. The things that had been suppressed swelled filling her whole body and began to overflow. Then the rain that had been paused began pouring again. Rhema raised his body and reached out his hand. Damon was startled to see a man suddenly appear. Rhema’s hand touched him. Then Damon vanished on the spot as if he was removed with an eraser. Even looking at the strange scene, Azriel could not come to her senses due to the strange sensation flowing through her body. 

She opened her mouth, struggling. “Rhema… what did you do just now?”