Rosa?! Warrior looked sharply to Cecil before he could help himself. Rosa was his wife from Baron! He barely stopped talking about her. Yet there she was before the two of them, her beautiful features so stunningly eye-catching Warrior nearly abandoned decency and stared. He pulled his gaze from the woman and looked back to Cecil.
For a second he looked absolutely destroyed. Then, relief colored his flushed face.
"Rosa!" The word escaped his lips. "Rosa! I'm so glad to see you!" He stepped towards her.
She stepped back. "Yes, I am Rosa," she said, caution creeping into her tone. "But who are you? How do you know me?"
His smile faltered. He stepped towards her again. "Rosa . . . "
Again, she took a step back, hand creeping towards the hilt of her knife.
The smile vanished completely, replaced with troubled shock. His blue eyes bore pleadingly into her green. "Rosa, d-don't you recognize me-" Realization flushed his face again. A cold chill wracked his spine as his throat seized with understanding.
She didn't remember because she was here.
She was here because Cosmos had called her.
"Sh-she is my wife!" he thought, "Why did she have to be called?!"
He may have missed her, missed her so deeply that his heart hurt with longing when he thought of her shining face he was never to see, missed her so desperately that he could barely focus in battle at the mere mention of her name. He may have missed her, but her being here was the last thing he wanted. He would never wish the twisted, methodical logic of this repetitive world upon any other.
Especially Rosa.
Never Rosa.
"Cecil?" asked Warrior.
"Your name is Cecil?" Rosa questioned. She frowned as her hand dropped back to her side. He quickly peered into her face, but Cecil could see no spark of recognition in her eyes. Only that frown.
Cecil's dread of her calling turned to instant fury. His hands clenched at his sides. "Why?" he thought bitterly. "Why her?!"
Of all the worlds she had to choose from, Cosmos had chosen his. Of all the heroes scattered across their many realms, she chose Rosa. She chose the woman he cared for more than anyone in the worlds to fight in the cycles.
His spear solidified in his grip. Rosa jumped back and pulled out her knife, but Cecil shoved past Warrior and pointed it directly at Cosmos' throat.
"Why?!" he yelled. Her gaze dropped to her clasped hands in her lap.
"I never meant to hurt you . . . " she said in her voice of silk. He pressed the tip to her skin.
"WHY?!" Louder that time. She raised her chin at the touch of cool metal and stared into his eyes, the sky blue of hers fighting and swirling with the royal blue of his.
"Because I needed her. That is all. I am sorry."
Cecil pulled back to strike the goddess.