...
Atta...wake...
...Atta...
...huh?
...It's...dark.
A starry night sky. I woke in a grassy field facing the shiny stars while feeling the luscious silky meadow flattened beneath my torso and legs.
Strong soothing winds swept throughout the grassland tossing flower petals, pebbles, and other greenery across the field as a hand briefly came over my eyes brushing away long green strands of hair that sat on the tip of my nose.
"...Silva?"
I breathed his name. His hands caressed my head softly as it rested on his warm lap.
"At-ta," he whispered shakily.
Silva gazed down at me, the last essences of shadows finally melting from around his head to reveal his sad blushing red face contorted in bereft and sorrow.
"At last, you're back to normal."
"For now. There's no telling when another god will have me turn my blade against you."
"Again, with the self-loathing. I didn't risk my life to hear such things."
"...Sorry, it's just-"
"Shhh. Silva."
I silenced him. Pressing a finger to his mouth he grew quiet as I blew a calming shush.
"...I'm the one who's sorry. I knew there was a chance you'd lose it looking at an altar because of that nightmare. Instead of brushing you off atop the gate and every other time we talk, I should've been watching out for you, given your condition. That's what comrades do."
"Therefore, don't apologize. Protecting master will always be my most crucial task, but it doesn't mean I should neglect my other meaningful friendships like you, Medea, or Kosmos."
"...And the whole nii-san thing?"
"Ah, w-well..."
Shifting and nuzzling my body further into Silva's lap I turn onto my side away from his eyes. My tail swishes embarrassingly as I rub my arms feeling warmth in my cheeks despite the chilly night.
"I was imitating Kosmos's voice since she calmed you down the one time you went berserk. I wasn't sure if mine would completely get through to you, t-that's why."
"I suppose I did become less aggressive after hearing it. The hug was nice too."
!!!
My cheeks reddened in full bloom up to my ears. Memory of the hug before I lost consciousness played back vividly.
"E-Enough with the teasing. You're clearly feeling better if you're joking around." I punched at Silva's side.
"But I wasn't joking. The embrace helped most, being that close even with my state of mind gone. I could tell it was you by your scent and how your face felt. ...Every aspect was reassuring and sympathetic."
For a moment, I thought I'd heard him wrong. Circling the words he spoke in my head multiple times, I couldn't bring myself to say anything more.
I had no response. I kept quiet, hearing my restless beating heart reverberate against my chest as an awkward silence filled the air in place of our words.
Briefly, I considered withdrawing from his lap out of his apologetic touch. Before I could, however, a flashy mint green light came from the overly-sized crater ahead of us.
Its radiance blinded the area, forcing me to close my eyes. Yet, even shut, a soft gleam still penetrated through, fleeing after a few seconds.
Reopening my sight, a misty levitating head floated before me, staring back with large white pupils.
The creature blinked, tilting every which way as it studied me, drawing closer once it felt comfortable. Stopping mere centimeters from my eyes, it spat playfully, spitting and sticking out its tongue.
Eww!
Taking the opportune moment, the deviant grows to its complete form while I shield myself from its saliva. A tiny, misty, see-through mint green body extends from the head manifesting a neck, two short arms, and the rest of its torso except for legs, instead a curly misty tip marking the end of its figure.
"Silva is that?..."
"A Will O' the Wisp."
No longer focused on me, the Wisp flies up to meet Silva face-to-face, giggling mischievously behind its two dwarf-sized hands hiding its mouth.
Sliding his hands from beside my head Silva scoops it up, sitting it in his palms.
"So, you're the one in possession of my belongings?"
Answering in response to his inquiry, the wisp nodded, amused. Toppling over in laughter, it imitated drawing a circle in the air as magic gathered in the spot, poofing a rubber ball-sized orb of green, blue, and pink into its cloudy palms.
"Good wisp. Now may I have them back?"
Carefully stretching towards it, Silva gently reaches for the sphere with his thumb and index finger. The entity quickly hugs the ball protectively, shaking its head furiously as if it was its favorite toy.
"Hey, dragon-kun, what's going on?" I asked quizzically.
Silva regarded me, stealing a glance away from the wisp he held upside down by its tail.
"In short, this Wisp has parts of my memory. Gil informed me they were sealed by the land itself, and defeating the alliance members was the key to getting them back. Who knew a pesky Wisp would be involved as well."
"So that's your reason for joining from neutral to Chaldea's side."
"Yeah. Are you...discontent, Atta-nee?"
He muttered the end of his sentence. Silva's gaze shied from mine, fearful of what I would say. "Of course not. You're handling your problems alone while still trying to protect your friends- taking everything upon yourself like you always do. It is a little unnatural you're not causing trouble, though."
Heaving a great sigh, I sit up and scoot across the grass until our bodies and faces become less than a hairsbreadth apart as I nudge into Silva. His cool breath tickled my cheek as I sat next to him, glimpsing at the Wisp with curiosity.
"Any idea what it wants?"
"Who knows, these guys are tricky troublemakers. Their favorite things to do are play pranks and lead adventurers on wild goose chases."
"They don't sound so bad, just misunderstood like playful children. Here, let me try."
Silva shrugged when I held out my open hands, placing the mystical entity into them and crossing his arms afterward.
"Excuse me, little one," I called for its attention, turning its pouty face to focus on me. "Is there something we could exchange for my friend's memories?"
The wisp huffed, puffing its cheeks out so much their face threatened to explode. Stroking their head, they calmed down, breathing softly and leaning into the gesture.
"Please. He's kind of an idiot with them; moreover, they're extremely important to him." I whispered jokingly at Silva's expense.
Aiming upturned eyes at him, I shoot an apologetic gaze prompting the Wisp to leer between us with its hazy pupils. Beholding Silva and me with deep rapture, it constantly switched targets, forming a smoky question mark above its head as it pondered in quiet contemplation.
POP!
The sudden burst of the question mark disrupted the temporary stillness, shifting into a thumbs-up of confirmation. Clasping their wee hands together, they excitedly threw them open wide, illustrating a colossal-sized circle larger than last time, going a step further to poke holes in the imaginary ring.
"Hehe, of course."
"Silva." I urge him to conjure the desired object discovering a rare sight. Bewilderment. All that can be heard is incoherent speaking as I sit there astonished.
"Ah, I forgot you wouldn't have a clue what it's talking about. Such delicacies didn't exist during our lifetime. It can't be helped; come here."
I tugged his ear intimately close to my lips, noting how our boundaries had developed from the earlier hug into intimate proximity as the night dragged on. Paving through the shocking surrealness, I whisper the Wisp's wish in great detail.
"I see."
Silva hummed in response. His hands sparkled with rainbow colors as he utilized his magic to craft a thin disk-shaped item with brown dots on both sides that released a sweet aroma.
"What is this anyway?" he queried.
"A chocolate chip cookie. It's a sweet delicacy that people in the current age enjoy. I've witnessed some female servants bake them for her countless times. A few of the children servants love them as well."
"I find it impossible to believe unsightly pastries like these are popular. Whatever happened to apple cakes?"
"Left behind in the Age of Gods."
"Truly? How unfortunate."
Turning a light pink shade, the Wisp floated from my palm waving its hands before us impatiently, pointing at the warm cookie.
"Forgive us. Here you are."
Forking the sweet from Silva to the Wisp, it bites into the cookie with a massive chomp, resembling a waxing crescent. Its body grows red in contentment. A large smile plastered on its face as it melted into bliss, chewing happily.
"Pardon me." After placing the tiny being onto my shoulder, I gift Silva his trapped memories. He took them hesitantly, holding the sphere to the sky and staring at it appreciatively.
"What's troubling you?"
"Truthfully, uncertainty. When I got these memories, I imagined I'd want to recall my sister and the events that led to the horrible nightmare; that being said, I can't help and believe there are other essential memories I should hope for first. I'm unable to decide what I want."
"That's a given. You have plenty of moments that'd be worth recalling. In any case, it isn't your choice about which ones come first. Whatever happens, confront them bravely and stumble forward like you always do."
Silva flicked the ball airborne watching it twirl aimlessly until it landed securely in his palm. Scratching the back of his head, he stood, peering down at Wisp and me.
"A reasonable voice of wisdom. Bottoms up, I guess."
SHHK!
The orb is shattered to dust in Silva's right hand with minimal effort. From the powdery remains slipping through the cracks of his fingers. A vibrant spectrum runs across the sky like a track.
Wide rectangles containing images flash across at eye-level as if watching a movie reel. Every memory my eyes catch resonates with me. Speaking to my soul pleasantly.
Our raid on Olympus. Silva's fight against Ares. Adventure on the Argonauts. Meeting Aphrodite and Artemis.
I unconsciously list each one within my sight. The memories eventually stop blinking past, swirling into a violet-colored beacon that transcends higher in the sky before hitting Silva's temple with a white glow and subtly fading away.
"Silva..."
I reached out concerned. His eyes closed, then opened, regaining their usual purple vim the moment I tugged at his pinky.
"Atalanta...Nero...Okita. I now remember how dear you three are to me. How could I forget so easily, Atta-nee?"
"Aphrodite, Artemis, Apollo...even my younger little sister Kosmos. I recalled all the good people in my lifetime. ...And then, him."
"Him?"
I was utterly lost. Silva's eyes quickly became transfixed on Wisp, who still sat on my shoulder, now eagerly licking the last bits of chocolate around its face and hands.
"Him. Daiki."
Waving a hand at Silva's accusatory finger, Daiki rose with joy mocking his irritation.
"You two know one another?" I asked, taken aback.
"Afraid so. I met him in Asko Forest, where I fought Pan. Daiki, at the time, was a wisp renowned for robbing Pan's precious fruit from his trees. He's followed me everywhere since I saved him from Pan's retribution. You never saw him aboard the Argonaut cause Heracles's figure scared him into eternal hiding within my cabin."
"A wisp that managed to anger even Pan...it's hard to visualize given his usual calm nature."
The two glared at each other. Daiki kept his ground despite only measuring up to the height of Silva's hand. Leaning slightly ever closer, he slapped Silva's nose in blinding surprise. Caught like a mouse by his hands the next second, Daiki imitated a scream without sound, jokingly dying in the embrace.
Releasing Daiki, his lithe body levitated until he raised his head. Zooming to Typhoon's necklace, he began knocking, waiting for a sign.
"...Any ideas why Daiki would safeguard your memories?" I interjected.
Silva strung the pendant around Daiki as I asked the question, the latter falling face-first into the grass as he started rubbing his chin.
"One strong idea. The nature of this land seems to be anything but ordinary. While Daiki might not have been summoned in accordance alongside Quetzalcoatl, his existence is still primarily associated with the earth. If he refused whoever requested the task, the earth would have swallowed him whole."
"Daiki is a lot of things, but fighter isn't one of them. He likely agreed, fearful of what might happen."
"I've never met a wisp until now. This information is quite new. Could there be a possibility the last two goddesses entrusted your memories to wisps as well?"
"It's...feasible. Like other races, wisps vary. Some are more suited for combat because of their inherent magic, while others are naturally smarter. It would depend on the wisp themselves."
"Well, that's no help. We're just pulling at straws taking guesses here."
"For now. At least."
With one hand, Silva pulls me up to stand, handing me Tauropolos. Brushing the grass from my hair and clothes, I watch him flourish his wings ready to fly, prompting him with a question out of worry.
"What are you planning to do?"
"No idea. Find Riessa first, I suppose. It's been well over fourteen hours she's probably worried. You, Atta?"
"Return to Gudako and the others myself. Like Riessa, they're probably frantic about my whereabouts. Give me a lift? Both groups are at Uruk."
"Not going to run? You've always been fast on your feet."
Despite his words Silva pulled me onto his back with no complaint. Turning back and meeting my emerald eyes.
"The threat of Ugallu beasts lurking at this time draws me away from the idea. Not to forget the crater we're facing. Could you not get it to vanish when healing the area?"
"I experimented with different spells, but it refuses to close. It's almost as if it's sitting there waiting for something to pop out."
"The magic accumulating inside has gotten more potent due to the noble phantasm."
"Yeah. It's impossible to miss."
Adjusting my legs and pulling my arms tighter around his neck Silva moved and picked up Daiki. Flipping him over, swirls took place for where his eyes were, rendered wholly knocked out by the weight of the pendant Typhoon rested inside.
Slipping the necklace back on in place, Silva went full dragon transformation and soared off into the cloudless night sky. Hearing the powerful flapping of his wings echo in my ears as they shake the winds. I couldn't help but glance back at the ominous orange chasm that stood out in the dark, feeling like a future event on the rise would be birthed here, paving the way for untold destruction.
END
Next: Departed Souls
A/N
"A new character joins the cast! Daiki is another OC character from God's Wrath, but he won't have too much influence on the story's structure."
"What do you guys think of him? Cute? Funny? I think he's adorable. I can't wait to meet him next chapter!"
"Until next time from your favorite saber, Sakura Okita!"
P.S.
Don't tell Silva I plan to sell one of his chains. I don't have enough pocket money for the bundles of sweets I ordered.