Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Thirty-One: Love in Flames

"I want to hear about everything," Jayler told her as they arrived in front of the door to his room. He paused before looking in her direction. "I... I don't think I can say enough how much I've missed you. I mean, it was so much to hear about all at once during the previous war... That I had a sibling, you know. It was hard to have to go back home when I knew that there was so much that had yet to be done on this side of the barrier. How could I just return to normal life when I was part of something so much greater than just me over here? The war ended, and there were people counting on us for hope. I was hoping that we would be able to return sooner than we did, but... Better late than never, right?"

Jay smiled to herself and nodded. "Yeah... I guess that you're right," she murmured. She watched as he opened the door, and she trailed after him to the space within. It was just as she remembered it from the night that she had snuck inside, and she was glad to see that such a fact continued to ring true. She remembered this room from her days as a Skylox Hero protege as well. She could still see the faces of the occupants of the building when she closed her eyes. 

"You seem stressed all of a sudden," Jayler suddenly told her, and Jay started as she turned to face him. She hadn't realized that he had shut the door behind them and was watching her intently.

Jay hesitated before sighing. "Yeah... I guess you could say that I am," she replied. "This place was once the base for all of the Skylox Heroes. This was where we carried out all of our operations, and even if I wasn't one of them by technicality since I'm part of a different Hanilia faction... I loved being here with them. It was my home, plain and simple. This was the place that I grew up, and... I guess that I never thought I would see it change after they died. I came here every once in a while just to look around, but... I never expected that Tuila of all people would decide that it was a good idea to barge in here and make it into something new."

"Times change," Jayler told her simply. "I think that we both knew that already though... I mean, time is part of what tore us apart, brought us back together, and then left us to divide once again. It seems pretty obvious that it can have a major influence on your life." He chuckled to himself before shaking his head. "That's enough of that talk though. I want to hear about what you've been doing. It's... It's nice to be able to see your face for the first time without the helmet. I knew that you and I looked a lot alike, but seeing it is something completely different."

"It's a strange sensation to look at somebody else and see your face on them," Jay agreed as she began to laugh to herself as well. "I got used to it, at least to a degree, during the war on Daragon, but since I was wearing a helmet and suit of armor all the time, I guess that you never got that luxury."

"Nope," Jayler replied with a smile as bright as the sun itself. He shook his head and glanced up to her once again. "But I'm going to get over it. I think that I kind of have to. I don't want to be all weird and constantly stare at you whenever we're hanging out. I'm going to have to adapt to this... Having a sibling and seeing my face on said sibling. Who would have thought that this would be what I'd find in the Galaxy of Hyperion?"

"Believe me when I say that I never anticipated having a sibling until I was told by Lyloc," Jay assured him. "It... It's new to me as well. I'm not used to reaching out to people in general, if I'm being honest. It's been a struggle for me for as long as I can remember, but... I do want to get better about it. I think that we both deserve that much."

"It's a slow process," Jayler reminded her. "Everything takes time. It isn't like you can just wake up one day and suddenly be amazing at anything. You have to practice anything, and emotional connection is the same way. I mean, I handle things pretty differently from the other members of my team, wouldn't you say? That doesn't mean that any of us is specifically bad when it comes to emotions, you know?"