Ephemeral Echoes

Beautiful Inside And Out

Before we stepped out, George flashed his mischievous smile that I was very familiar with and said, "I have a surprise for you."

I smiled but also curious, "What is it?"

As we finally walked out of the house, I was surprised to see Starra, George's beautiful white horse, parked in front of Edward's house.

Starra looked incredibly graceful and majestic with its horn ornament, almost like seeing the unicorn I had promised before. George must have overheard my conversation with Starra back then.

With warm steps, I approached Starra slowly. "Starra! Oh my, I've missed you," I said softly, gently stroking her smooth fur.

The white horse neighed joyfully, as if responding to my arrival with equal happiness. George, enjoying the moment, commented, "Looks like Starra missed you too."

I glanced at George and joked, "I thought following me was enough for you, turns out you were also eavesdropping."

He retorted sarcastically, "Not my fault. You are the one suddenly talking to animals."

"I hate you," I said without much seriousness. "You're still annoying."

He laughed and said, "Let me help you," reaching out his hand.

I leaped onto the horse's back, every movement causing pain. But with his hand still in mine, he helped me endure the tormenting pain.

Then he jumped onto the horse I was riding, positioning himself behind me attentively.

Although I was in front, weak and low, he took control and decided to guide Starra.

However, as we were about to start our journey, Ruby suddenly arrived, riding her black wooden horse, an animal with eyes as sharp as hers, exuding a charm almost devilish.

"Ruby?" I was a bit confused by her presence.

She stopped her horse beside Starra as she said, "Hi Rae. I'm here to apologize because I thought you kidnapped Emma. And I thought you were a witch."

Turns out, not only Billy was apologizing, but Ruby too. As I mentioned, even the coldest-hearted person has a warm side. "It's okay, I accept your apology," I replied with a sincere smile.

"You know? When I looked back at what we did before, I felt that we were a strong team, the greatest duo," I continued.

"Absolutely," Ruby agreed. "But I'm still curious, what's that object? The one you and Jeremiah have."

"Jeremiah and I come from a very distant place, which took days to get here," I lied without thinking, as if I were already adept at lying. "The object we have is very common there."

"What's the name of the object?"

"Just as you said earlier, the object has a name," I replied, recalling her words when she mentioned that the Phraethiea Heliodnica necklace didn't have a name.

"Oh..." Ruby nodded again, leaving her confusion behind, as if she was okay with my answer, even though my answer didn't answer anything.

"Do you want to come to the palace to visit Emma?" I invited.

Smiling softly, Ruby answered, "Of course."

Amidst the gentle caress of the warm sun and the gentle embrace of the breeze, we started our journey with peaceful grace, the world spread out before us in all its grandeur.

***

When we arrived at the palace, we were welcomed by Elizabeth, Henry, and Aunt Bertha. At that moment, I felt glad for Aunt Bertha's presence, seeing her now looking happier.