Later that day, Julius and Patry prepared to return home to the Capital. Word spread quickly, and soon all the children were talking about it. All of them except one. As Patry left the building to stretch a bit, he was slightly surprised to find Yuno standing in front of him. The Elf smiled down at the 11-year-old, but winced internally at the hurt and angry look on his reincarnated little brother's face. 'Well, this isn't how I thought I would be doing this' he thought. "Why are you leaving so suddenly? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" the small boy asked, voice trembling slightly as he tried desperately to hold back his tears. "We didn't know that we would be leaving tomorrow until just yesterday. And I was so tired from my training that I didn't have any time to talk to you. I had planned to tell you today though. Still, sorry for the short notice" Patry explained as gently as possible. "But, but- you're my Big Brother! You said you'd always be there for me- you promised!"the little boy sobbed, body trembling, his tears finally beginning to stream down his face uncontrollably.
"Please don't leave me Big Brother Patry, please!" Yuno begged. Patry flinched at the sight of his Baby Brother's tears, 'shit! I didn't mean to make him cry!' he thought in instant regret. The Elf had never been able to stand the sight of Yuno crying. He wracked his brain desperately for some way to comfort the little boy, before catching sight of the Magic Stone that hung around the human's neck. Patry knelt down in front of the child, raising a hand to his cheek and catching Yuno's attention, "hey, it'll be okay Yuno, I promise. No matter where I go or what happens, I'll always be right here" he said softly, pointing at the blue Stone. Yuno's crying calmed slightly, "wh- what do you mean?" he asked in confusion, tears still falling from his eyes. Patry gently grabbed it and lifted it before his little Brother's eyes, "this stone is far more than just a necklace Yuno. It's a Magic Stone that once belonged to my people long ago. We kept it, and all the other Magic Stones safe for hundreds of years. This Stone and all others like it, were important relics to our people and are far more precious than even diamonds.
Somehow, this Stone found it's way to you, and I don't think it was just by chance either. Like I said before, you look and sound just like my first Little Brother, even your Mana is so similar that I almost confused you for him the first time we met. I believe you were meant to have this Magic Stone Yuno. And if that is so, maybe the bond that I feel with you is more than just due to your appearance. As long as you keep this Stone close to you, you'll have a part of me, and all the rest of my people with you. But you have to be very careful too. Not only would some greedy people love to steal it from you due to the money it could make them, if greedy Mages found out you had this, they would want to steal the Stone to try and make themselves more powerful. No matter what, you must never let this Stone leave your person. Do you understand Yuno? It's extremely dangerous for people who have no idea what they're doing to have this. Protect it, keep it safe, and remember that despite the fact that you were left here, you have always been loved. Even if you can't see, hear or touch them- there are people that love you, myself included.
Okay?" Patry asked. Yuno blinked, almost like he was coming out of a trance. He looked down at the pendant on his necklace in surprise, awe and a little bit of fear, "I understand, but is all of that really true?" he asked. The Elf nodded, "it is. I trust you completely Yuno, I know you can do this" Patry replied. The black-haired boy frowned, "if it belonged to your ancestors, don't you want it back? And not to mention- your Dad is a Magic Knight Captain. If I gave it to you two, it would be safer than with me, wouldn't it?" he asked, looking down at the blue stone that had a yellow cross on it's front. The Light Mage shook his head, "I want you to keep it, as a reminder that wherever I go, even if I'm not with you in person, you'll always have a part of me with you" Patry replied with a loving smile on his face. "Big Brother-" Yuno replied softly, before gaining a determined look on his face, "I promise that I'll keep it safe". "Thank you. I also know this other super powerful kind of Magic. It's called writing letters" Patry added teasingly with a smile. The 11-year-old giggled quietly. "I'll go and find something to write on and a pencil, then I can give you our address, okay?" the Elf said, quickly running off in search of the stationary items.
Black Clover
Once Patry came back, he handed the now much calmer young boy a piece of paper, "this is my home address. If you send it there, even if I'm on a mission, I should still get it eventually. Okay?" he asked. He felt bad lying to the boy, even if it only a little, but despite how wise Yuno seemed at this age, he had to remind himself that his Little Brother's human Host was only 11. And his brother's own Soul was only 7. How could he explain everything to Yuno and expect him to believe him? No, it was still far too early. One day, when the Wind User was older and less- innocent didn't really seem like the right word- more aware of the cruelties that existed in the world, then, maybe he would understand. But Patry never wanted Yuno to lose that bright spark of innocence in his eyes. He knew that he was only contradicting himself, but it was how he truly felt about the issue. However, the most painful part- the part that the Elf didn't want to face was that- he already had. Yuno had been forced to watch everyone he loved die right in front of him when he was only 7-years-old. He had had his innocence shredded to pieces and been taunted with it.
Patry had failed horribly as Yuno's Older Brother the first time. But he swore to himself that he would make it up to the boy in this life. And NO ONE would ever hurt or take his Little Brother away from him again. Julius came around the corner to find the two boys standing together, Yuno clutching a piece of paper close to his chest. "You will still come back to visit one day, won't you Big Brother Patry?" the black-haired boy asked sadly. "Of course I will, I'll make sure to try and make it to your Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony too. Hopefully I won't be too busy at the time. But I'll do my best, okay?" Patry promised. Yuno smiled and hugged the Elf tightly, "thank you. I'll be, w-waiting for your first letter" he promised, stuttering only slightly. "You'll see Big Brother. I'll become such a strong Mage one day, that I'll be able to protect you from creepy bad guys!" Yuno exclaimed. "Heh, heh, I'll be looking forward to it" Patry replied. "Patry!" Julius called, now that it looked like the conversation might be finished. "Coming!" the Light Mage replied, going over to his Father, "yeah Dad?" he asked. "Are you ready to go home tomorrow?" the Magic Knight Captain asked.
"Yeah, pretty much" Patry replied listlessly, turning to look back at where his Brother's Reincarnation was, only to find he had already left. The 17-year-old let out a shuddering breath, "it's just so hard to leave him now that we've finally started getting close again. I know that I will see him again eventually, but-" he began, clenching his fists. Julius put a gentle hand on his older Son's shoulder, "don't worry. Somehow, someway, you'll be able to be as close as you were before, even if it takes a few years. I'm sure of it", the blond human assured. The Light Mage took a deep breath before letting it go, "thanks Dad, I really needed to hear that" Patry said gratefully, smiling up at the Time Mage slightly. "You're very welcome. Now let's go say thank you and goodbye to Father Orsi, Sister Lilly and all the kids, huh?" Julius asked, making Patry nod in acceptance.
Black Clover
After saying their farewells, the group of four set off for home. As they flew on Julius's broomstick, Patry was very quiet. "Hey, are you okay?" the Time Mage asked the Elf sitting in front of him. "Yeah, I just- part of me is happy to have my Little Brother back, but the other part is still upset that he had to die so young and go through so many horrible things. And there's another part of me that is also feeling guilty for being so happy that Yuno was killed when he was only Seven-years-old, forced to watch people that he loved be killed right in front of him- since that is the reason that he's here in the first place. I just- *sob* I don't even know if I should even feel happy about this- o-or even disgusted with myself for feeling this way! I feel like such a filthy person for daring to ever feel happy about Yuno dying! J-just what, am I supposed to do?" he cried, emotions finally overwhelming him, as he broke into tears in the middle of his reply. "Oh, Patry no, none of that makes you a bad person. Anyone in your situation would be glad to get someone that they love back- to be able to spend time with them again, and have another chance at keeping them safe. Yes, it's horrible how the situation with Yuno came about, but I know, with 100% certainty, that not one of your people, if they could tell you their true feelings about it, would blame you for how you're feeling now. Okay?" Julius asked softly.
The Light Mage sniffed, wiping his tears, "I, really hope so. And I hope that if I ever do tell Yuno the whole truth, that I'm strong enough to accept whatever he truly feels about it, and about me too" Patry said quietly. The rest of the flight back was in silence.
Black Clover
When the four of them finally reached their house, Patry barely had enough energy left to crawl into bed. As soon as the exhausted Elf's head hit the pillow, he was dead to the world. Julius gently shifted the Teen so that he would be comfortable in bed, and not wake up with his whole body aching. Once he was sure that his Oldest Son was resting peacefully, the Time Mage smiled gently, "sweet dreams Patry, William" he whispered softly, before leaving to start their dinner. After everything his Sons had accomplished over the years since he'd known them, he was sure that they deserved nothing short of a feast.
To Be Continued