We managed to set up a base camp several miles away from where we left Kione and Reine, figuring that we should be safer here now that we're farther away from Kione's so called "trespassing" area. Dimitri chopped down a tree and sliced it up into firewood and logs to sit on after he set up an illusionary dome around the area so that we wouldn't be spotted.
I end up sitting on a log next to Mikasa around the now burning fire, watching as the smoke rises into the sky and disappears from sight once it reaches the end of the dome. Dimitri is currently sitting across from me and Mikasa, holding Ayette on his lap.
"I don't need to be babied, you know," Ayette mutters as she glances away towards the fire and blushes, "I'm fine."
"Whatever," Dimitri grunts, but he still doesn't loosen his hold on her and she doesn't complain about it again.
"So," I speak lowly as I glance over at Mikasa, "that thing you did earlier...what was that?"
"Being a Time-Weaver Priestess means I'm able to reverse time, but I can only do it if it pertains to me personally. If it were anyone else that were stabbed by Kione, I wouldn't have been able to reverse time to fix it, but I have been sworn to protect this realm as long as I live and have been gifted with the ability to keep myself alive...in a sense," Mikasa explains, "I'm able to show the past to people and I have other abilities similar to that, but that's different than physically turning back time."
"Yeah," I nod, "I think I get it. So, if someone else dies and you get severely injured afterwards, wouldn't you turning back time heal them as well?"
"Yes," Mikasa nods, "it should. But I would have to be mortally injured in order to do so, as I mentioned before."
"So," I start, the fire crackling in the background as embers pop off of it every now and then, my hazel eyes studying Mikasa's blue ones, "how come I'm the only one aware of what happened?"
"If anyone is touching me in the process of me reversing time, they're able to remember what happens. Otherwise, nobody else knows that anything was any different because it technically never happened," Mikasa explains.
"Oh," I say and glance back at the fire, twiddling my fingers together, "I see."
I sigh as I stare at the fire and I find myself thinking of Reine, hoping that she's okay. Mikasa seems to sense my discomfort and she places a hand on my shoulder, making me jolt slightly in surprise and turn my head to the right to face her.
"I wouldn't worry about your friend," Mikasa smiles softly, "she seems like she can handle herself."
"Yeah..." I trail off, smiling sadly.
"Or..." Mikasa pauses for a moment and tilts her head to the side as she furrows her eyebrows thoughtfully, "is she perhaps more?"
"What?" my eyes widen and Mikasa drops her hand from my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Mikasa chuckles, "I shouldn't have pried."
"Wait," I start, an idea coming to my mind, "you said you were a Time-Weaver Priestess and that you can show people the past, right?"
"Yes, why?" Mikasa frowns slightly in concern.
"Are you able to show people their lost memories?" I ask, hope filling inside of me.
"I--" Mikasa starts.
"Mikasa!" Ciana shouts as she returns from the woods with Renji and tosses a small branch to Mikasa, "here's the branch you asked for. Sorry to interrupt your conversation."
Mikasa catches the branch with a light sound of distress as it surprises her before she examines it in her hands and glances up at Ciana.
"Thank you," Mikasa smiles and Ciana nods.
Mikasa looks at me regretfully and I sigh, silently telling her that it's fine and we can finish this conversation later before she smiles and goes down to the campfire, getting on her knees gingerly as she burns the end of the branch over the fire, releasing a pinkish-green smoke with white tints to it into the air.
Renji ends up sitting next to me and taking the spot where Mikasa was sitting as he looks up to the sky and sighs.
"Are you alright? I mean, about the whole Khalida thing?" I ask.
"I'm not someone who believes something without checking it first, but I'm beginning to doubt Khalida," Renji says as he runs a hand through his strawberry-blond hair.
Mikasa's shoulders visibly tense and her head lowers slightly upon overhearing us and I know that she knows more than we do about Khalida and definitely has mixed emotions about her as well.
"That's understandable," I say after a few moments, "I mean, Khalida was always your role model. You looked up to her. To learn that she may not be the person you always idolized her as can really hit hard."
"Yeah," Renji breathes out, his amber eyes with green flecks still scanning the sky full of white wispy clouds, "the only people I ever really could look up to in my life were my mom, Renee, and Khalida. But my mom died, and I never really personally knew Khalida. I just heard stories about her and followed her training that was passed down through generations. Renee was the only one who was actually there for me after my mom was gone. I know she can come across as...harsh...to most people, but she's just extremely defensive. She's honestly an amazing person and she never gives up on the people she loves."
"Yeah, I can tell," I smile tiredly, "it must be hard being away from her."
"Yeah," Renji breathes out once more, "it is."
Just then, a rustling comes from outside the illusionary dome and I look behind me to see Reine walking through the woods, her outfit slightly tattered as she looks around and dirt and blood smeared on the side of her face.
"Reine!" I shout and stand up and Dimitri's breath hitches.
I run out of the illusionary dome and Reine's eyes widen upon seeing me. I stop a few feet in front of her and her eyes scan me over.
"Gabriel..." she breathes out.
I swiftly walk over to her and pull her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her waist tightly and leaning my face down to the crook of her neck.
"Welcome back, Reine," I breathe out as I feel her arms wind around my back, her palms resting against my shoulder-blades.