ROSES HAVE THORNS-Chapter 58 - Injured Face

"What should we do?"

Kurt asked Diana as they watched Emelie and Dominik unboard the rowboat.

"What kind of a silly question is that? We stop hiding and go to them."

"But what if, you know, it’s not them?"

"Rosie, what are you talking about? It’s clearly them."

"I’m just saying." Kurt looked at them intensely as they were talking to each other. "I may not have watched a lot of anime, but I have seen the classic big four. And the world now, as I see it, is filled with magic. What if it’s just the cult disguised as Emelie and Dominik?"

"Anime? Big four? Rosie, I love you but you’re getting way in your head with this. Look, Emelie even started floating." Diana pointed at her. "Even if it was a disguise, nobody can replicate the magic she does. They’re real."

"Hmm. Alright, that’s fair. Also maybe checking this island was part of Emelie’s plan all along." He mumbled the last part to himself.

"What’d you say?" Diana moved closer to him.

"Nothing, it’s nothing. I’ll go out first to greet them while you get the women."

"Sounds like a plan." She nodded and teleported away.

’Alright. Here goes nothing. Please let me be wrong about that whole anime theory.’

Kurt got out from his hiding place and went to them with his hands up.

"Hey, Dominik! Emeli–"

Suddenly, he found himself stuck in place and unable to move a single limb. That’s when he noticed that Emellie was holding her hand out the same way that she did when they fought Diana together.

’Dammit Emelie! Can you not see it’s me?! Wait... my theory! Was I right!? Shit! C’mon body, move. Move!’

Kurt channeled mana through his body again in hopes that his skill would somehow come in clutch.

’T-This feels way worse than when Arlo froze me!’

"Good job, Emelie! I’ll finish him off!" Dominik screamed from a distance and came flying in with a fire kick. But as he got closer to Kurt, his face changed from dead serious to disbelief, then happiness, and finally horror all in the span of a second.

"Kurt? Holy shit it’s Kurt! OH SHIT IT’S KURT!" The fire on his leg was put out, but unfortunately his momentum wasn’t.

WHACK!

’Wait, did Dominik just say Kurt?’ Emelie let go of her hold on him and flew towards them.

"Kurt! Are you alright?! I’m so sorry!" Dominik panicked as he dug Kurt’s head out the sand.

"Aww... my head... *cough!* *cough!*"

"Is that your footprint on his face? Damn Dominik. You really went in swinging for the fences."

"Your commentary’s not helping Emelie! And why are you looking at me in pity?! It’s not that bad! Shit, I think I’ve got some ointment in my robes..."

"Here, let me do it. I know healing magic." She took Kurt from him and put his head on her lap.

"You know healing magic? T-That great... But still, here." He gave her a small jar of healing salve. "Put this on his face. Maybe it’ll heal faster."

"If it makes you feel better." She took it and applied it around the print of Dominik’s boot.

"Auugh... D-Dom?"

"Kurt! I’m so sorry man! I didn’t know it was you until it was too late"

"I say he’s partly at fault too. Maybe this’ll teach you to stop wearing all black, hmm Mr. Pirate?"

"B-But I’m a ninja... not a pirate."

"And now he’s talking nonsense." Emelie sighed.

"D-Dom. Diana’s... in the jungle... getting the victims. Help her..."

"That’s right! I don’t see Principal Valentine anywhere! She’s in the jungle you said? Alright, I’ll go get them!" Dominik got up and ran away.

"W-Wait! I didn’t show you which direction she’s in- aaand he’s gone..."

"Hold still. I’m nearly done applying this salve."

"..... I should probably do this myself. Don’t want Diana throwing a fit when she sees me like this. I appreciate the help though." Kurt got up and applied the salve to the rest of the spots of where it hurts.

"So you made up with her? Cleared the misunderstanding?"

"Yes. In super succession. We’re going now hehe~" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"That’s actually really impressive. Never in all my cycles have I seen her with a lover despite all the offers she received. You really are special." She smiled.

"Thanks for the compliment. So, why’re you here?"

"After you teleported away with the principal, Dominik and I had a discussion about what to do next. Luckily for me, he was really cooperative about helping out. Said that since you put your trust in me, he will do the same. Also, something about having a good feeling about me and being my number one fan."

"That definitely sounds like him alright."

"Yeah. I just told him that you told me that you received an anonymous tip from someone about strange men smuggling women onto a ship. We infiltrated the ship and took out the cultists on board. Dominik then tied them up with ropes that he mysteriously pulled out from his robe and said that he’ll be taking them to the station."

"I didn’t ask ’how’ you got here. I’m asking, ’why are you here’?

".... I’m sure you could already guess." Emelie clutched her arm and looked down at the sand when she answered him.

"But why now? Why only come to this island now? I don’t know how long the cult has been bringing women here for but if you’ve known about it all this time then..."

The question struck Emelie harder than she thought. Yes, she knew about all the horrors that were taking place on this island, however....

"I... I can’t save them all." She said softly.

"What? You can’t save them all? What does that even mean?"

"It means exactly that. Kurt there are too many evils in this world, and I’m only one person. Even at this very moment there is something bad happening out there, but I chose to be here because having these women in our corner would help us speed up the process of taking Tobias down. As for the reason why I’m only saving them now, it’s because I’ve decided..."

"Decided what?"

"I’ve decided that I want to keep some semblance of a normal life. During my early regression days, I tried two things. One, I tried speeding through the process of saving everyone. I completely disregarded my own wellbeing and personal life which eventually led to me becoming... insane. This method of fixing things did save a lot of people but didn’t stop the end of the world."

"Yes, I could see that happening. Carrying the world on your shoulders must not have been easy. But what about the opposite? Couldn’t you have sought help from your peers and friends?" Kurt tried to counter.

"And that’s my second point. I did do all those things you said. I told them everything and even received support from all the kingdom’s leaders. But as you must know, humans are greedy creatures.

During the leadup to the second invasion war, the very leaders we all looked up to grew complacent and saw each other as political enemies rather than allies. These kingdoms couldn’t even sit in a room together without flaunting about whose fucking dick is bigger. And so another war broke out.

The method that should’ve saved many people, killed them instead. In the end the cult won and the world ended.

Throughout all my trial and error, I decided that for my peace of mind I would not only walk this road alone, but I would also heavily weigh the scales of who’s worth saving..."

"... I just have one question." Kurt spoke after a moment of silence. "Please, answer me honestly. If I wasn’t here in this 100th cycle of yours and of what you consider who’s worth saving, would these women be on the right side of your ’scale’?"

"They..... They wouldn’t."

"Emelie..."

"Please understand where I’m coming from, Kurt. I’ve already saved all these women countless times before. At some point I just became desensitised to everything and focused my priority on more important matters, and it worked because I got things done faster.

I’m here because I thought saving these women would’ve helped you on your mission of stopping Tobias. I’m making it my mission to help you above everything else because–"

"Because I’m different." He finished that sentence for her.

"Yes..."

"God, you’re making me sound like some last hope type of main character."

"To me it certainly feels that way..."

"Haaa... Emelie." Kurt rubbed his head as if he were troubled but then quickly looked back to her with resolve. "While I can’t empathise with what you’ve been through, I can, however, sympathise. I won’t, or rather can’t, judge you for your actions since, from what you told me, you’ve only ever been doing your best."

"T-Thank you for understanding and not being mad." Emelie let out a sigh of relief she didn’t know she was holding.

"I wasn’t mad. Just confused."

"Still. I’m glad to know we’re still a team. Here, let me heal the rest of your face." She brought her hand to his face.

"Wait wait wait! You don’t need to do that! I’m all better now! Seriously!"

"Stop making a scene and let me see!" She grabbed his chin to look closer at his wounds. "What the... it really is gone. It healed that fast on its own? Or is this the work of Dominik’s salve?"

"I told you it’s fine! Now let me go before–"

SHWOOSH

"What’s going on here?"

"D-Diana?!"