Chapter 76 THE NIGHT BEFORE GOODBYE
They returned to Xyra’s house without ceremony, slipping through the front door as if the day hadn’t altered anything at all. Inside, her parents sat with their daughter, mid-conversation, their voices warm and easy. They stopped though, when they saw the sorcerer and his ever-faithful follower, Layton. Their attention, however, quickly settled on the document in his hand.
"Welcome back," Liv greeted sweetly.
Magnus smiled in return. He had grown fond of her kindness; it had been there from the very beginning. Xyra’s parents reminded him of his own in a way that was both comforting and a little bittersweet.
"What's that?" Nereo asked curiously, pointing to the papers.
"I'm glad you asked," Magnus said, his smile becoming a bit smuggled. He really was proud of himself for obtaining the papers. "This…is the deed to your town."
Then their expressions shifted all at once; shock, disbelief, something close to awe. It wasn’t the kind of answer anyone expected, not even in their wildest guesses. Magnus Coleman had always been a man surrounded by quiet rumors; wealth, influence, doors that opened too easily for him. But this… this wasn’t for himself.
"So you…" began Nereo a bit hesitantly. "… You bought the town?"
"Indeed."
"Mr. Vidar, was he really that willing?"
"Well, I did have to give him quite a bit of money. I can officially say I'm broke at the moment."
"You spent it all?" Xyra asked in surprise. He had a lot of money, more than what the town was worth. He could have bought a town at least as big as Tago, if not larger, and that was the governor's mansion included. From what he had originally had plus his demon slaying money, he had literally been rich. He probably had a lot more at home though. To him, it didn't seem to be anything short of nothing.
"Yeah," he responded. "Every last ruby. I gave it all away, and he gave me this, so it looks like I'm the owner of this town now." A sigh escaped his lips, but it had been a bit fake. He had been trying to sound disappointed, but he was simply pretending. "I can't stay here though. Got a lot to do, so I won't be around much. Guess you, guys, will just have to govern yourselves."
"Only one problem," began Nereo, his expression falling. "We don't have enough money to even begin fixing this place."
"Not a problem. I can just give you some later. As soon as I return home, I'll have enough to help you out. You'll be able to get this town looking better than ever, and then people will start traveling to it again. Everything will work out just fine, I'm sure of it."
The effect was immediate.
Relief softened Liv’s face, and Nereo looked as though he might laugh or cry — perhaps both. They held themselves back, likely for Xyra’s sake, but their joy was unmistakable. For the first time in a long while, the weight that had hung over them was gone. Vidar no longer had a hold here. Whatever remained of his power, it would never reach this town again.
"How can we even begin to thank you?" asked Nereo, happy almost to the point of tears.
"You don't have to. I did it because I wanted to."
"Isn't this great, Xyra?" asked Liv cheerily. "Now you don't have to travel anymore. You can finally stay home."
The smile Xyra had been wearing slipped for a moment before returning. It was much more forced though. That was something she hadn't thought of. Her whole point in traveling was so that she could get the money to help her home. Now that Magnus had done what she couldn't, there was no reason for her to keep traveling. She had nothing left to keep searching for. She would have to remain home.
Something about that seemed so sad. She didn't want to stay home and live quietly in town. That had always been her goal after she earned enough money, but things had changed. She enjoyed spending time in different towns, seeing the world around her. There was so much she had yet to learn. She didn't want to live peacefully. She much rather preferred demon hunting with Magnus.
Perhaps that was the main thing she would miss. She didn't want to leave Magnus. He had quickly become a good friend of hers, and the thought of never seeing him again really pained her. She had never even thought about that problem before. She had always assumed that they'd just stay acquaintances, that she would just use him for his money, and once she was done, she'd leave. Things had definitely changed though. To put it in the simplest of terms, she didn't want to leave him.
"It is, mom," she answered at last, but her voice was anything but enthusiastic. Her parents were so excited though that they didn't give her a second thought. They were talking with each other about all the things they were going to do with the town. Xyra just smiled sadly at them and then looked at Magnus. Her eyes met his, and he smiled at her. He had an amazing smile. She had to force a brighter one to cross her lips. She knew that Magnus would detect the traces of sorrow on her face. She had to convince him that she was happy even though she was suffering. It pained her so much…knowing that this was the end of her journey.
It was a beautiful, clear night once again. The stars and the double moons were the only things illuminating the tiny city of Clearham. They were also what Xyra happened to be staring at that night. Her window was wide open, and she was sitting on her bed, looking through it. This time there were way too many thoughts running through her head to allow her to sleep. They were all troublesome too. If she didn't figure something out, she was never going to get to sleep.
She turned her attention from the window to her companion. Once again, she had allowed Magnus to sleep in her bed. He was sound asleep on the opposite side, but she knew that would change. The sorcerer moved quite a bit while he was slumbering. The second she was to lay down, he would probably place her in the same situation as the night before. He claimed he didn't know he did things like that, but it was questionable. Magnus was a decent guy, but it was hard to trust some of the things he said. His mind wasn't nearly as clean as he claimed it to be.
With a sigh, she continued to watch him and think about tomorrow. This was his last night here. He and Layton were going to head out in the morning. After that, she would probably never see either of the boys again. It was a sad thought. Layton provided great conversations, usually about Magnus, but the stories always kept her entertained. Magnus was just a great friend, and she was going to miss him dearly.
She jumped a bit when she felt the weight of the bed shift. Magnus had just rolled onto his other side, still sound asleep. He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping. Most did though. Sleep always seemed to do that. He was an image of innocence, but when he was awake, he could be anything but. Despite his smile, he was a cold fighter. He would kill without hesitation.
Slowly Xyra reached out with one hand, her fingers trembling the entire time. She brushed a few locks of stray hair away from his handsome face. A soft smile crossed his face in his sleep, bringing one out of her as well. There was something she really liked about this boy. Magnus was endearing, but she couldn't figure out why. She had gotten attached to him so easily. I wish…I had a reason to stay with you.