Who else cried watching today's episode? Just me? ok then....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, there were no warm rays to awaken me from my deep slumber. Instead, I open my eyes slowly, and sit up, feeling an odd sense of sickness in my stomach. Looking toward my clock, the time read 9am, yet I don't understand why I'm feeling this way. Letting out a low sigh, I slide out of bed carefully and cross out the previous day on my calendar.
Then it hits me
It's been a full year since I ran away from the heart kingdom
Meaning it's been a full year since my family died
'No wonder it felt gloomier than usual today'
The base is quieter today, almost no sound echoing through the halls as i get ready for the day in silence. Kaito who had chosen to stay in my grimoire isn't even out to greet me this morning. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, my figure seems to slump a bit, my eyes barely glowing, almost like I have no energy whatsoever. Clicking my tongue, I quickly throw on my cloak and grab my grimoire before swinging my door open, only to be greeted by a strong gust of wind that causes me to shiver. Leaves fall in front of the doorway causing me to stare down it it, drawn in my the color. The leaf has a hole in it straight in the middle as if someone stabbed it. The wind picks it up again, flowing outside the base. Letting out a sigh I turn back the other direction, only to bump into someone taller than me.
"Oh Yuno, sorry" I mutter out, beginning to walk
"Is something wrong?" His question catches me slightly off guard, making my eyes widen a bit
"N-No not especially." I laugh nervously causing his eyes to narrow
"Captain wants to see you"
I nod and start walking to the Captain's office, Yuno following closely behind. After knocking on his door lightly and announcing my arrival, he lets me in and Yuno waits outside. I close the door behind me as I bow and continue to walk up to him.
"You wanted to see me Captain?"
He sends me a gentle smile and pats my head. "It's been almost a year since you've first arrived here Y/n. You've become a valuable asset to the kingdom's forced" I nod, trying my best to put on a smile but he sighs. "But I'm sure you already knew that didn't know?"
"Yes sir" I mutter out, eyes glued to the floor.
"Gadjah has called for you from the Heart Kingdom, I'm sure he's aware of the day as well."
I gulp down the lump in my throat and nod my head slowly. He places his hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up at him, his facial expression making me want to break down and cry,
'he's just like him'
"Losing your family is painful, even after a lot of time has passed. You don't have to hide your pain. Gadjah probably assumed you wanted to-"
"Visit their graves" I finish his sentence, earning a nod. "I do"
He nods and dismisses me shortly after, Yuno still waiting outside with a neutral expression. I give him a small smile and start walking down the hall in silence once again.
"Hey...Yuno?"
He hums in response as we both stop walking and look into each other's eyes. Taking a deep breath, I decide to ask. "Do you want to...visit the Heart Kingdom with me? It's just that..."
"It's almost been a year since you came here. Meaning it's been a year since you left the Heart Kingdom" he states flatly. "I know."
I bite my lip in anxiety, not expecting such a direct response to the matter. Yuno simply takes my hand and guides me out of the base, making an eagle using his wind magic and we begin flying toward the border. We fly over the trees of the forest into the Heart Kingdom and looking down at the green lands and tall trees, I'm reminded of the good old days.
~9 years ago (Age 6)~
"Mom Mom Mom! Look at Y/n!" O/b/n pulled me toward where my mother was sitting watching the two of us play. He wore a bright smile like always and despite being already 16, still boasted about his little sister's magical abilities.
My mother smiled down at me as I held out my hand, creating a small orb of water and controlling its movement. She clasped her hands in great joy, picking me up and throwing me in the air and catching me over and over again. My laugh echoed through the yard and as myself and o/b/n continued to play, more of my magic showed and just how gifted I was.
"You're going to be the greatest mage in existence N/n! You're going to make your older brother proud!" He ruffled my hair, causing me to let out a laugh and jump on his back as we retreated back into the house.
~ 4 years later (Age 10)~
My little brother had just been born and wouldn't stop crying. O/b/n and I watched as my father frantically tried to figure out what as wrong. I was already 10 at the time, and my abilities had long passed those around me, so I used some of my wind magic to try to calm him down, which worked. He giggled as he tried to catch the wind, causing me to smile. O/b/n followed after me, using his wood magic to make a small figure to entertain him. My father patted both of our heads in pride as the two of us simply sent smiles to each other.
~4 years later (Age 14)~
The thunder was especially loud that night. The storm had come out of nowhere, after all, the day was sunny and nice. A loud clap of thunder had woken me up and I shot up, taking in my surroundings. Letting out a breath, I was about to lay back again when I hear a small voice call out to me
"Big sister?" My four year old brother spoken quietly, his voice beginning to break. I open my door seeing him clinging to his favorite stuffed animal tightly, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "I'm scared"
I smile slightly, scoping him into my arms and walking to O/b/n's room and knocking on it gently. He opens the door not long after, letting the two of us in. Another loud clap of thunder causes y/b/n to whimper, beginning to cling tighter to my shirt. I carry him to one side of the bed, O/b/n sitting on the other side.
"It's just a small storm y/b/n. It's not going to hurt you" I whisper gently as I run my hands through his hair trying to soothe him.
"And even if it could, you have you strong older brother and sister to protect you"
Using my light magic, I make a small light for us, gaining y/b/n's attention. He laughs as I start to make it morph into different animals and have them dancing around the room. Soon, he falls asleep again in between myself and o/b/n, causing me to smile at the sight in front of me.
'I love you both'
"Y/n" Yuno pulls me out of my trance and I rub my eyes in order to adjust my vision. "Where should we land?"
I point to a house in the distance where I see a figure already waiting. "There. That's where I used to live and I think Gadjah is waiting there already."
Upon seeing me land, a small smile forms on Gadjah's face, but then returns to a neutral expression once he sees Yuno. He also wears a neutral expression and tension fills the air as the two stare into each other's souls
I clear my throat to break the tension. "Um Yuno this is Gadjah. He's one of the spirit guardians and I've known him since I was a kid. Gadjah, this is Yuno...my boyfriend"
The two continue to look at each other, but Yuno is first to bow. Finally giving in, Gadjah repeats the gesture and we start making our way to the graves. After about 20 minutes of walking, we reach the cliff where the graves sat. All four of them, a little muddy but still in good shape. Using some of my water magic, I clean them off one by one, paying my respects to each of them. Gadjah excuses himself after a while, leaving Yuno and I in silence. He takes a seat next to me wrapping an arm around me, making me lean into his chest. The sun caused the water on the gravestones to dry quicker and the flowers around it are already in full bloom. We stay like this for a while, the birds chirping to fill the silence and Yuno occasionally placing small kisses on my head.
"You ok?"He eventually asks
"I guess. It's just weird. I feel like I failed them" I clench my hand and let out a breath. "I couldn't protect them"
"That wasn't your fault, you had no idea what would happen. I'm sure if they were all here they'd say the same thing." I close my eyes, leaning further into him as he pulls me into a tighter hug. A few tears slip down my face, causing me to nuzzle into him. A little while later we pull away and I let out a breath.
"We should be getting back to base." I whisper
"Are you sure? We still have more time"
I smile at him, this time genuinely and shake my head. "We have work to do don't we? We have to train for the battle"
He nods as we get up and start walking back toward the house, but something urges me to turn back around. When I do, I swear I see a glimpse of all of them, smiles on their faces, waving goodbye.
"Good luck y/n...make your big brother proud. Forgive yourself, and move forward"
A small smile forms on my lips as I run to catch up with Yuno. Grabbing his hand carefully, the two us us start to fly back to base.
This is my home now, and my family.
This time, I won't fail to protect it.