A/N: Originally written on March 23rd, 2011. Also, it's implied that the reader/OC is married/engaged to Duke.

Dawning Change

The refreshing scent of the ocean filled the air with the breeze gently caressing her lone self. She sat still and quietly by herself, idly playing with the grass she sat on while her feet dangled on the edge of the cliff. The sight before her calmed her tensed nerves, if not a bit. Although deep inside, that feeling of anxiety and fear still lingered in the pit of her stomach.

She took deep breaths, in hopes of putting herself at ease. But really, with the Adephagos ruling the sky like that, who would feel at ease?

Soft footsteps slowly approached her, alerting her of the arrival of someone. She didn't bother looking at them and only remained staring at the sight before her.

"You came," came her soft voice that closely came to a whisper.

"You wished for me to come," he said, his deep voice ringing in her ears. "And so I did."

She slowly cast her eyes to the direction of a gravestone, feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. She traced the silver band around her finger, noting how smooth it still felt even after all these years. He saw this action yet did not even make a comment about it. He had nothing to say regarding that matter. Though, really, he did not have anything to worry about because she didn't plan on bringing up the matter either.

She slowly stood up on her feet, patting the dirt away from her clothes. He watched her silently, almost as if waiting for her to speak once again. He wasn't much of a talker and she was the one who had things to tell him to begin with.

"Do you still intend to avenge his death?" She asked softly, noticing how he now stood beside her. "This is not what he wanted you to do," she said.

A predicted silence befell on him as his seemingly red eyes focused on her. Slowly, they moved to the horizon before the both of them.

"Humans think of nothing but themselves. There is no other way," was his explanation. He sounded calm and nonchalant about it, almost as if it did not matter.

Her eyes finally gazed at him and they held a certain sadness on them. She tried to rid it away by blinking. Somehow, it worked.

"You speak as if you're not human yourself," she said. "Why do you hate your own kind this much? Why not forgive them? Surely they are not as bad as you claim them to be," she reasoned, sounding a bit distressed. She desperately searched for a change of heart or expression on his face — anything would do, anything. Though, much to her dismay, he remained passive with that composed look on his face lingering still.

"Do not forget that they are the reason he is dead after what he had done in the war," he reminded. She could hear the resentment in his voice as he spoke of the past. "After what he had done for them, they had betrayed him and claimed his life."

She looked away, shoulders fairly slouching.

"I know..." She said. "But not everyone is evil as you see them to be. It's all in the past now." Her hand fell on his left cheek. He did not push away or lean in on the touch. He just merely watched her with such distant eyes that it somehow broke her heart. He had changed. He had changed so much that she could barely recognize this man who stood before her.

"Duke," she uttered his name. "Why? Why go to such lengths? Elucifer did not give up his life just so you could sacrifice the lives he had tried to protect."

The way she had uttered his name brought pain in her heart, remembering her fond memories of the Entelexia that once was her friend.

"It is for the better. After all, humans only bring chaos to this world. It is not them whom Elucifer had tried protecting but rather the world. It is because of them that the Adephagos had appeared once again. If they are not to be relinquished, the world would really be destroyed because of such imprudence," he stated. He moved away from her touch and reached for both of her hands, wrapping his around hers. The sudden action had no doubt caught her by surprise, but she did not say anything.

"This is for the better," he said, almost as if he was comforting her. He pulled a strand of hair of hers behind her ear, eyes shining with a faint fondness and gentleness as he looked at her. She held his hand back, realizing how much she had missed his warm touch.

"I don't," she muttered, eyes prickling with tears. She moved away from him, from his touch. She could see the confusion and hurt on his eyes as she did. "I don't understand how sacrificing our lives is the good for this world. I don't want everyone to die. I don't want to die. Most of all, I don't want to lose you again."

He watched her as she broke down, tears trailing down her cheeks. It pained him to see her like this, but he remained still on his spot. He believed — no — knew that what he was doing was the right thing and for the better. He would not stop until justice had been served.

"Duke," she called desperately. "Why?"

"You know why," he calmly answered, almost coldly at that.

"It was always about Elucifer," she whispered pathetically. She bitterly laughed at herself while her tears still kept coming out. "It was always about him. You always chose him over me."

"It was a war. There was nothing I could do at that time," he said, closing his eyes. "I had to be by his side but that does not mean I chose him over you," he elucidated.

"Of course," she intoned dryly, turning her back to him. She silently wiped her tears away, trying your best to stop weeping pathetically in front of him. Arms wrapped themselves around her as his chin settled itself on her right shoulder. Her heartbeat sped up a beat. He noticed and it brought him assurance that she still cared and had feelings for him. He did so, too.

"You have always been the one," he whispered as placed a kiss on her cheek. "You will always be the one."

And before she could even say something back, he had pulled himself away from her. She quickly turned around, tears appearing once again on her beautiful eyes. She saw him walking away, away from her life. Somehow, this scene seemed like a déjà vu. Back then, he had left her this way as well and for many years, she had never recovered from it.

"Duke!" She called, but he was already gone.

Once again, he had walked away from her life, not even giving her one last look. She finally let out the sobs she had been trying to keep in, her knees giving out on her.

He had left her broken and alone once more with nothing but a broken heart and sadness. It had always been like this and would always be.

End.