Chapter III

More Problems.

Geo and Zas were on the outskirts of one of the largest cities of Autosam.

- "Don't let yourself down, that's what he chose."-

- "It's just I don't get it, Zas. I don't understand his sacrifice, nor do I understand Lilandra. Why hasn't she forgotten him?"-

- "She must…"-

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of an alarm coming from the city. Geo and Zas jumped on their sliders and took off.

In Cephiro, Clef was showing everyone a transmission coming from Fahren where a not so clear figure was asking them to rescue Princess Aska. Presea suggested:

- "We have to send someone to Fahren in order to know what's happening."-

- "I'll go, and you'll be coming with me, right Fuu?"-

Ferio looked at the young girl, she nodded with a smile drawn on her lips. Hikaru noticed that Clef became somewhat upset with the volunteering of Ferio. Everyone else was going to leave the room when an emergency transmission from Autosam came.

- "Guru Clef, we need your help. One of our cities has been put down by a strange magical power. People fight among themselves and hurt each other for no apparent reason."-

- "I think Lantis is the most adequate one to go. He will soon be in Autosam."-

Geo wasn't very happy to know who they were sending, but he had to deal with it.

Later, Clef summoned Ferio to his room.

- "What's wrong?"-

- "You know you can't go to Fahren, at least not know because…"-

Ferio got huffy with Clef. Being of a free spirit, he didn't like receiving orders, his old life and the great freedom he enjoyed in those days didn't prepare him to be the next ruler of Cephiro. Clef didn't like that, since he needed to prepare him to be ready as soon as possible to assume the throne of Cephiro.

- "Yes, yes, I know! A day hasn't gone by since you all made that decision, so don't even remind me of that!"-

- "So?"-

- "Clef, I'll go to Fahren with or without your approval. I didn't ask for so much responsibility. I don't want it! I know already that you're going to tell me to think about my sister. I never stop thinking of her! How much she loved this world that she couldn't enjoy, locked away in this place praying for the welfare of this planet and its people. That's what Hikaru changed. And I am not going to become a slave of this castle! I'm going to Fahren and you will not be able to do anything to stop me!"-

- "Ferio, you can't run away from your fate!"-

Ferio didn't listen to Clef's words because he'd already left the room. Presea listened to the whole thing and watched the next king of Cephiro leaning against the door.

- "Are you ok?"-

- "I didn't want to engage in that argument with Clef, but…"-

Ferio stood silent. He would never confess his feelings, but Presea had a feeling about it.

- "But you want to spend as much time as possible with Fuu before she leaves again. I believe you're doing the right thing. It's good you fight for what you want, but you have to learn a bit more about responsibility."-

Responsibility, a word that he had learnt to despise in the previous year.

Hikaru and Lantis took off towards Autosam, and in spite of Clef's opposition, Fuu and Ferio went to Fahren. Before they left, Presea gave them a small device to the two couples that still was under perfecting process. It combined technology and magic to teleport anywhere, so they wouldn't have to travel for so long and they'd come back quickly to Cephiro if there were any problems.

In Chizeta, things weren't going so well. Ascot was about to go mad. He'd spent the nights awaken and remembering all those things that hurt his heart. He was telling himself that that bitter pain he was feeling was almost no punishment compared to the crime he had committed. He wasn't eating at all and every day he'd look skinnier and emaciated. Caldina and Lafarga were very worried about him. And Umi wasn't getting any better. Tarta and Tatra had done all they could, but the young woman hadn't opened her eyes thus far.

- "It's as if she no longer wanted to live."-

- "But how is that a girl so young and with so many reasons to live would wish for death?"-

The Princesses of Chizeta were wrong. Umi didn't want to die. Her fight with Ascot had removed an old secret that for a long time she had kept without knowing. While her body seemed lifeless, her heart, her soul and her mind worked at full speed so everything would be ready to live the future that awaited her. In short, Umi was growing like a butterfly inside her cocoon.

- "Umi? Can you hear me, Umi?"-

- "Who are you?"-

- "Someday you will know. For now, I've come to give you some advice. Trust yourself and your heart a bit more, and stop acting driven by your foolish pride that is of no worth to you, that pride which you use to hide your insecurity and fear."-

- "Wait, don't leave."-

- "It's time for you to wake up."-

Umi opened her eyes and contemplated the sun coming in through the windows. She was lying down on a four-poster bed covered with sheer, gauzy veils. Next to her was a chair luxuriously adorned with jewelry just like the dresser and the furniture in the room. The window had a beautiful sight to the landscape surrounding the palace, where there were ivory elephants surrounding a lake; the room where she was in was the best of the Royal Palace. While she slept the city had been rebuilt, and Ascot worked on that night and day; he tried to remain focused on that labor but Umi's last words were still echoing in his head, he knew that her heart belonged to someone else but hearing it from her own mouth hurt as if someone stabbed a dagger in his heart.

Caldina entered the room as she did daily to accompany Umi and speak to her. She was convinced she was able to listen to her.

- "How do you feel today?"-

Caldina was greatly surprised when Umi weakly answered.

- "My entire body aches, but my chest hurts the most."-

- "You woke up! We were so worried about you, but you finally woke up!"-

- "Why? What happened to me?"

- "You don't remember? Don't you remember anything about that wound in your chest?"

Umi started to remember, images came to her mind as ghosts, at first they weren't so clear but soon she relived in her mind every instant of that hard battle she fought.

- "Yes… I remember that I was fighting. My enemy was very powerful. He wounded me with Lafarga's sword. My enemy was… Ascot! No… no, it can't be true…"-

- "Yes, that's what happened, but Ascot wasn't aware of what he was doing. Now we all know it and forgave him, but he hasn't forgiven himself for all the damage he caused. He has changed a lot. Since the reconstruction works finished we rarely see him, he goes out and wanders, nobody knows where he goes, he always comes back with a flower for you, enters the room like a ghost, and leaves it in the vase and then leaves. I've seen him crying."-

- "Why are you telling me all this?"-

- "Because I want to ask you not to be too hard on him. He is already going through a lot. It's most likely that he avoids you, but if you meet him, don't hurt him too much, I know that…"-

Caldina was interrupted by the moved voice of that young woman from a distant world, that girl that stopped being a capricious and prideful girl to become a young woman of noble feelings.

- "I couldn't do that… he has saved my life so many times… that he might had all the right to take it away. I've already forgiven him."-

- "You're in love with Ascot!"-

- "No Caldina, don't misunderstand me. What happens is that just now I'm able to realize all that Ascot has done for me and how much I've made him suffer. He has my forgiveness. My affection for him and friendship with him remains intact. I just hope that that compensates for not being able to give him my heart, which belongs to someone else."-

Umi stood up to look outside through the big window in the room, wearing only a delicate, almost transparent nightdress. Her slim figure, which had acquired womanly forms in the year past, could be seen perfectly through the delicate fabric. A slight breeze came in through the window, waving Umi's long hair altogether with her dress. The sunshine lit up her face, which smiled by the joy of being alive.

Ascot gazed at her from the door. Neither Caldina nor Umi realized that he had been for a long time standing there, with a flower in his hand. He had listened to almost the entire conversation. Ascot was petrified; he'd expected Umi to react in a much more cruel way towards him; in change, he found the warmth of her heart, which not only was forgiving him, but also saddened for not being able to requite his love. That was the best thing that had happened to the young wizard lately.

Impulsively, he ran and hugged her, falling to the ground in front of the surprised eyes of Caldina.

- "Umi, please forgive me. Someone manipulated my feelings, but that resentment existed in my subconscious. I didn't want to hurt you! I didn't want anything of this to happen! I never thought in asking anything in return for all the times I helped you; my only desire was that you were well and were happy. You are so important to me. I… I… I love you! And I don't want to cause problems anymore. That's why I believe the best thing is to never see you again.

Farewell… forever, Umi".

When Ascot stood up, Caldina was able to see the traces that the tears left in his face, though he tried to hide them. Ascot ran in order to give no time for anyone to stop him.

Umi, shocked and motionless, didn't know how to react. Tears started to roll down her face; the event had affected her enormously.

- "I don't want you to leave!"-

Her plea wasn't heeded by the young wizard, who'd already disappeared down the corridor. It was better that way, subconsciously she knew it, but she also knew that she had lost, forever, her best friend.-