After laughing enough, Tamarinne decided to untie him. However, when she was figuring out how to get him down, a giant shadow appeared from behind. Tamarinne was surprised to see the giant guardian but Al was not. Although Zaeon's face did not deliver any expression, Al could feel he was enjoying the scene. He looked at the lost right arm and felt thankful that he protected him. Using his sharp finger, Zaeon cut the rope and Al fell down afterward.
"It's good to see you again," Al greeted him when he got up and was united by Tamarinne.
"Me too. I'm glad you're doing well," Zaeon replied. The way he spoke with Al was very gentle and it made Tamarinne curious.
"Do you know each other?" Tamarinne asked.
"Actually, Zaeon is my father-in-law," Al replied and it surprised her.
"It "was", not "is". It was a story a long time ago so you don't have to see me the same as before," Zaeon added.
"Once a father, last to the end," Al smiled and Zaeon knew he could only smile back.
"So, can I ask what happen?" Tamarinne asked curiously.
"Do you remember when I said I fell in love with my first Heir?" Al asked and Tamarinne nodded. He continued, "Back to the time when Zaeon was still a human, in the first world, specifically, my first Heir, was Zaeon's daughter."
"I was a general of a destroyed kingdom, who participated in an Archdemon war in Ritania. At first, I was really surprised that my daughter was chosen to be an Heir and it was a male guardian. I was suspicious but I thought it was the Goddess's will so I didn't question much. However, I still did feel stressed when a man got close to my daughter. I think Miss Tamarinne will understand what I mean," Zaeon added.
"I understand, and please just call me Tamarinne," she got the idea and smiled at the giant guardian.
"However, it didn't turn well. After the Archdemon was ended in our victory, the king of that kingdom wanted to marry a son of him to Elena. Zaeon disagreed with that idea but he was powerless to do anything since it was the king's speech," Al said.
"I could clearly see she would never be happy with that prince. But if you disobeyed the king, meaning you would be seen as treason, and it could lead to death. Nevertheless, I told them to run away, far from the kingdom. Of course, I was put in jail but it did not matter. And then, a tragedy happened…"
Zaeon stopped and Al followed him, "When we thought we could live together, one year later, the other gods sent their subordinates to kill us. I lost everything, my immortal, my power, my wife, and my unborn child."
Tamarinne could clearly see his despair through his trembling voice and shaking body. She could not imagine such a tragedy would happen to him, and it was made by the gods. She did not know what to say to soften his pain.
"When I was about to take my punishment, the Goddess Diche came to me and saved me, before I went with her to their home. But it was too late and the Goddess could only save Al. When I saw the scene, I realized that if there were benevolent gods, then there would have evil gods. Then I was told that the Archdemon was created by these gods because she did not follow their rules. When I knew the reason behind, I ask the Goddess if I could be a guardian so I could protect Orbis from them, and maybe, I could prevent something like that happened again," Zaeon sadly spoke.
"I said that I'm a guardian, right?" Al looked at Tamarinne and she nodded. He then said, "Well, Zaeon is my guardian as well. Whenever I am reincarnated, he always looks for me and makes sure I will be raised by a good family."
"Most of the time, I don't want Al to fight but later, the Goddess persuaded me and I had to agree with her but only if we needed him. Sometimes, there are enemies that can create illusions like Tenebria and his power is very useful against them."
"I see," Tamarinne looked at both of them with her sad eyes. Then, they did not say anything. Tamarinne then leaned on Al and grabbed his hand. Things from his past did not make her hate him or jealous of other Heirs.
"But the past is the past, nothing good comes in if we keep thinking about it," Zaeon then spoke on and looked at them, "Al, make sure you treat her well."
"I'll do my best," Al nodded.
"Don't use the future tense to me. It sounds inappropriate and I don't think your Heir will feel secure with it," Zaeon suddenly changed his attitude and laughed at them both.
"I'm okay with that," Tamarinne smiled.
"Okay, okay," Al looked at Tamarinne. He took a deep breath and said, "I hope that I won't disappoint you,"
"Doesn't sound better to me," Zaeon placed his left hand on his left hip and commented.
"That's okay. I know he will never do it," Tamarinne replied and they both laughed joyfully. When they were chatting, Tamarinne suddenly fell asleep and leaned her head on Al's shoulder.
"It was a rough day, after all," Zaeon said. He could feel that Tamarinne was very happy when she was with him, and Al felt the same.
Al then carried her carefully. Before he took her back to the flying ship, he said goodbye to Zaeon.
When the clock pointed at nine, Tamarinne woke up and she startled as she looked at the clock. She quickly got up. When she opened her room door and passed the canteen, she saw Yuna, Iseria, and Cerise were sitting and chatting together.
"Oh, you awoke," Yuna said.
"Sorry, I slept too much," Tamarinne apologized.
"No rush here. We can come to the party whenever we want. Since we're all here, let's go."
When Cerise spoke, the four of them left the flying ship. On their way, Yuna introduced to Cerise many things from Ritania. The more the president told her, the more curious Cerise was.
"Actually, I thought of coming to Reingar one day, after Aakhen has done rebuilding," Cerise smiled. "Thanks to the machines and resources from Ritania, we are able to rebuild many sections in a short time."
"Glad that things are doing well," Yuna replied. "When you come to Reingar, I promise I will guide you around."
"Thank you," Cerise nodded.
The tavern, which was holding the party, was designed and built on a big tree and had some medieval details on its walls and balconies. This place seemed to open overnight as the light still brightened the street from the windows. And when the four girls opened the tavern's door, they were shocked at what they were witnessing.
On a wooden table, Pavel was holding two big cups of alcohol and performing a dance in the cheers of other soldiers. The young gunman was totally drunk without recognizing anything. Meanwhile, Al was playing rock, paper, and scissors with others and the one who lost had to drink a massive size cup of alcohol. One other thing, the group was fully naked, as there was no piece of clothes on them.
When four girls looked at the party, they were totally shocked and stunned. While Iseria did not know what to say or how to react, Tamarinne was very surprised when she looked at Al. She had never seen he was this joyfulness before, which made her smile. Meanwhile, Yuna did not forget to use her smartphone and took many pictures of the party.
Suddenly, the group felt frozen from the air. When they looked at the front door, they knew they were screwed up big times. The party was stopped and the men looked at the angry "lioness" named Cerise. Without saying anything, they were pulling out of the tavern like the bees escaped from the destroyed nest. But Cerise was faster than them. She threw ice balls and knocked them down one by one in the cheers of the other three.
The next morning, next to a big tree outside of Witchaven, Pavel were being tied and hanged on it. On the ground, the administrator of Aakhen, Cerise were watching a group of soldiers, who were participating in the party last night. Taking orders from the administrator, the soldiers had to run around Witchaven until she told them to stop. But that would be a long time before it.
"Cerise, can I…" Being hanged on the tree, Pavel wanted to speak with her but when she stared at him with her angry eyes, he shut his mouth immediately.
"I can't believe you went all out. I did tell you not to cross the line," Cerise raised her voice over him.
Meanwhile, from a near distance, Tamarinne was sitting on Al's back and he had to do a push-up as a punishment.
"Somehow, I'm amazed that you aren't drunk. How much did you drink?" Tamarinne looked at Al and asked. Among all the participants, he was the one he did not have any hangover.
"I don't remember," Al replied while doing a push-up. Then he said, "Maybe around 20 cups, I guess. By the way, how many times do I have to do before you forgive me?"
"Until I feel enough," Tamarinne bloated her face but she was pretending all along. She continued, "I had to agree with Cerise. You all were over drinking and you have to take your punishment as the same as the other."
Even though Tamarinne was displaying that she was very annoyed and displeased with Al, she did not hold any anger towards him. Back at the party, she was very surprised. It was the first time she even saw Al being so free and joyful, more than anything back in Reingar. Regardless, a punishment was a punishment and she was really enjoying sitting on his back, while Al seemed not to mind it at all.
"Keep going, you have done it 70 times," Tamarinne was counting and kept encouraging him. When the soldiers passed by, nobody understood if it was a punishment or they were playing. As for Cerise and Pavel, they were glad that Tamarinne was able to heal his pain.
Later, Tamarinne got up from Al's back and he immediately lied down on the ground and pretended that he was very tired. He stretched out his tongue and breathed short and long when Tamarinne could only smile with the ridiculous actions he made. She then gave him a bottle of water and shared it with him. When they were sitting down together, the man in green, who had short light brown hair and wore a pair of glasses, stepped close to them.
"Excuse me," the man spoke politely, "Are you Heir Tamarinne and Guardian Al? My name is Woodrow and if possible, could you please help me?"
When the man asked, both of them were surprised but without thinking too long, Tamarinne replied, "Please tell us what we can help."
"Before that…" Woodrow then looked at Al. From the first look, he could not believe this young man was a divine guardian. He looked nothing different than a normal person. Regardless, he was not here to question his identity. He then asked, "Are you really a guardian who can control delusion?"
"Depend on what you meaning of "delusion"," Al replied in doubt, "it could be an illusion or hallucination. Each of them has its own meaning so I need you to think carefully, of what you are looking for."
Woodrow was a bit surprised but Al had a point. He then paused and considered what he was asking for help. Both Al and Tamarinne gave him some time. After that, Woodrow determinedly spoke, "Actually, I am the assistant of the city lord, Vivian. Recently, she was diving into an illusion created by a woman named Tenebria. Do you know her?"
"Yes, we do," Tamarinne nodded.
"Here's the story. When a war carried on by Straze and his subordinate in the early of this year, the city lord lost an important person of hers. His name was Kawerik. He was very closed to her and they developed their love for each other. Unfortunately, Kawerik sacrificed in the war while protecting Witchaven. From that day, the city lord has always dreamt about him. She always wishes that he is still here and keeps blaming herself for not being able to save him."
"I see," Al replied weakly. Vivian was just another person who suffered from love and they all felt sorry for her. He then asked, "So what do you want me to do?"
"If possible, can you somehow, please delete the memory of Kawerik in her mind? Or some other way that makes her forget the man?" Woodrow responded. Although he was asking for something unusual, they could tell the honesty and sadness in his eyes. The city lord must be very important to him and he would do anything for her best.
"Deleting her memory will cause some conflicts in her mind, which can end up badly. And even if I delete the man in her memory, there is always a part of her body still remembers that man. You cannot completely delete something in people's memory that easily," Al replied.
"Then maybe you can think of something to help her? I really don't want to see her being sad forever. I know that eventually, people will forget the pain and move on, but sometimes, they will hold it until the end. Of course, what I said is only my theory but it doesn't mean it can't happen. So please, help her, and I promise I'll do what I can to pay you," Woodrow spoke determinedly.
It was not about the payment, and never would be. Both Al and Tamarinne knew how hard to change a person's mind. Seeing how loyal and honesty Woodrow was, they wanted to help him but they were not sure if it would work or not. As for Al, he could manipulate people's mind but it was not easy to come in and come out. One wrong step and he would make that person suffer forever. As for Tamarinne, Al's power was something completely new to her so she could not recommend whether Al should help Woodrow or not.
After long thinking, Al replied, "I can't promise you but… I'll see what I can do."
Hearing the answer, Woodrow was very glad. He had high hope that they would be succeeded. It seemed he overestimated Al's power. He said goodbye to them before he left.
When Woodrow left, Tamarinne looked at Al and asked, "So, do you think we can help the city lord?"
"I'm not sure," Al shook his head. He seemed to be sorry for the city lord. She lost her loved one and she had not accepted his death yet. They were similar at some point and Al wanted to help her. He then said, "Like I said, in order to change or delete some memories, I have to create as well as remove some parts of it. The most important thing is if I want to protect them from memory conflict, I have to create and rearrange their memories. Let's take an example here. Right now, we are talking, right?"
Al asked and Tamarinne nodded. He continued, "So, imagine if I see this scene that we are talking to each other like this, and then I remove myself from your memory. What will happen next?"
Tamarinne tried her best to imagine and linked what he taught her. After thinking for quite a long time, she answered, "It's obvious that I will still here, however, I will ask myself why I come here. Then if I remember I am talking to someone, I have to think of…. Ah, I get it."
"That's right. You're amazing," Al was very surprised that Tamarinne was quick-learning, and he could not help but praising her, which made her smiled embarrassingly and joyfully. He then continued, "If I do it right, they will never remember that memory. However, it is still easier said than done. I can also create delusions but you already know the outcome."
"I understand," Tamarinne nodded. Suddenly, something popped up in her head. She then asked, "Say, when you create a delusion for a person, is it like what Tenebria can do? If I remember right, she can let people see what they want to see."
"Yeah?" Al wondered what she wanted to say.
"So, can you possibly be that delusion?" she asked.
"Uhm… I'm not sure if I can understand your point?" Al replied.
"What I want to say is, can you be the man who the city lord loves, or create a delusion of that man and control him? In that way, maybe you can persuade her."
"Ah, I see what you mean," Al touched his fingers on his chin. What Tamarinne said was right and it was something he could do. After reconsidering, he looked at her and said, "To be honest, I barely do anything like that before. You know, when something is so precious to a person, it is very hard to persuade them to forget it. Most of the time, I do the opposite. I control the delusion, let them see what they want to see, and then I use that delusion to manipulate them. Like, if a warmonger wants to raise a war, I let him see he successfully wins that war and from that, I can slowly destroy his sanity, by making him not realize what is real and what is a dream. But to persuade a person to forget something, it's a tough job and if I'm not careful, I can damage their mind."
"If it's that dangerous, then I think we should work it out with Mr. Woodrow. It's always better safe than sorry," Tamarinne replied. The more Al explained his ability, the more she realized the risk. But deep inside, she still wanted to help Vivian.
Inside a big white tent, a temporary meeting was being held. Sitting around on the ground, Vivian, Cerise, and Iseria were looking at some reports handed to them. Standing next Vivian was her assistant, Woodrow.
"Woodrow, can you please give us a brief about the damage?" Vivian looked at her assistant.
"Apparently, after the battle, it is estimated at least 300 dead and missing, 2000 wounded," Woodrow looked at a paper on his hand and answer.
"We can call it a small loss. It was very lucky that we were able to respond in time," Iseria said when she received the paper Woodrow gave her. After checking it, she looked at Woodrow and asked, "Do we have the number of people, who were supposed to be killed by Tenebria?"
"It is around 500, madam," Woodrow answered sadly.
"It was my fault," Vivian squeezed her hands. Her voice was trembling and full of regrets. "If I hadn't been this stupid, maybe I could have saved them. I'm sorry, Woodrow."
"Please don't blame yourself. I understand that how important Kawerik to you. I couldn't say I would do it better if I were in your place. So please, don't take all the responsibility on your shoulder," Woodrow showed his honest concern to his city lord, which made Iseria and Cerise smiled.
"She's right. One more thing, we have to investigate those helped her, too," Cerise suggested.
"That would be those who aren't satisfied with the fact that I am the city lord. They don't show it outside doesn't mean they accept me," Vivian bowed her head a little, hiding her worrying. She then asked Woodrow, "Have we caught any of them yet?"
"We already did but some of them already made their escape. Although we can assume that they won't do anything for a while, we have to stay on our guard," he suggested.
Vivian nodded after hearing what he said. She then looked at Iseria and Cerise and said, "That's all for today. I sincerely thank you for coming to our aid."
When the meeting ended, later, that night, Vivian returned to her bedroom. She took off her clothes and wore a simple one. When she lied down on the bed, she looked at the window. The light of the moon brightened her bedroom, created a stunning scene but Vivian could not enjoy it. The silence of the night was supporting the sorrow in her heart. She wished that it was not a dream at all. Kawerik was still there, somewhere, waiting for their reunion. And then, she fell asleep.
Later, she woke up in the middle of the night. She then felt a familiar presence. He was sitting there, on a wooden chair next to the window, looking at her. She wondered if Tenebria had returned a give her another hallucination. But if it was not her work, she wished she would stay in this dream for a little longer, to see him and to talk to him again.
However, when Kawerik was sitting there, he seemed very upset. A light breeze blew his white coat when he closed his eyes and turned away.
"What's wrong?" Vivian got up and asked. "Why are you looking so trouble?"
Kawerik stayed quiet. He kept closing his eyes, caught a breath before he opened them, and said, "I'm very disappointed in you, Vivian."
"What do you mean?" Vivian wondered.
"You let yourself caught off guard so easily. You couldn't even distinguish what was real and what was not. And what was the price for that? Many people died and you had your hands on it," Kawerik answered with his serious voice.
"I thought it was real, that you are still here, with me," Vivian shouted, and then she lowered her voice when her tears rolled on her face. "Do you really know how much I miss you? Tell me, why did you leave me?"
"I committed so many crime and death were my redemption. You must know due to whatever messed up things they put inside me, it drained my life and I could not live long. When I said goodbye to you, I reached my limit and the last thing I wanted to see was your smile. I wanted to believe that without me, you still would overcome it easily and moved on and lived a happy life. But you couldn't," Kawerik coldly replied. Then he softened his voice and said, "I love you, Vivian, and I don't want to see you suffer."
"Then stay with me. I don't want you to leave me again," Vivian insisted.
"Vivian, the dead can't walk again and if they can, it can't be considered they are living. You have to let the past go and keep moving. What happened between me and you belong to the past. If you keep clinging on it, you will never move on and only suffer from that past. Do you think I want to see you like this?" Kawerik showed his determination yet his concern for his love.
"But I…" Vivian could not find any words to reply.
"What happened already happened. You cannot change the past. I want to make you happy but I can't, so I hope to see you will keep smiling until the end."
When Kawerik finished his line, Vivian paused and thought of their memory.
"How long do you want to deny the truth?" Kawerik asked.
Vivian could not answer. She looked away as she wanted to dodge the question. She did not want to admit it was the truth, but the truth was always cruel, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
"Tell me, was it hard to forget me?" Kawerik asked another question.
"Yes," she replied, weak and hopeless.
"And why?" he stood up and came closed to her.
Vivian looked at him with her tears, "Because… you are everything to me."
"If so, can you please hear my final request?" he asked another question.
"Yeah?" she wondered when she looked at him.
"Please move on, for me. In that way, I will always know that you are doing fine, and I will be waiting for you in the next life," he slowly sat next to her and stroked her long black hair.
Vivian looked at his eyes. The moment he touched his hand on her face, it was real. She could feel the warmth from it when he wiped out her tears.
"I'm not the only man you see in your whole life. Maybe someday, somewhere, you will find a man who will soothe your pain and bring happiness to you. But if you still think about me, then know that I will always be watching you. And like I said, I want to see your smile."
When Kawerik comforted her, he touched his forehead to hers and smiled. Vivian could not think anything else than enjoying her moment with him, and she knew that it would be their last one.
"If we have to say goodbye, then can you hear my last request?" Vivian asked when she touched his face.
"Anything for you," he nodded.
"Stay with me, tonight. One last time."
Outside the bedroom, Tamarinne and Al were standing there. After giving Vivian the delusion, Al pulled them back to normal. Vivian was still sleeping on her bed but her face looked happy and she was smiling peacefully.
Closing the door, Al and Tamarinne quietly left the bedroom. "Well, from now on, it will depend on her," Al commented
"It was tough, though," Tamarinne grabbed his arm as they were walking. "It is never easy to persuade a person."
"Still, her love for that guy was very respectful. No doubt it will take a long time for her to heal," he said.
As Al finished, Tamarinne looked at him and something bothered her thought. She still remembered that he said that he could not forget his first Heir. However, she could not be selfish but it also made her respect him more as that woman was no longer here. She stopped caring about how many times he loved. At that moment, she only knew how important they were to each other.
Tamarinne then released his arm and it left Al to wonder what was wrong. She took a few steps back and placed one hand on her chest. When she smiled, Al was stunned again when the moonlight brightened her beauty.
"I promise…" Tamarinne said in determination, "… that I will live long. I will live a long life and I will never let you alone."
Al was surprised and speechless. And he promised himself that he would do anything for her. "Thank you," he smiled back and extended his hand.
Tamarinne ignored his hand and rushed to hug him. As he hugged her back, they both did not care anything else. And as they stepped into a new page of their lives, they knew that no matter what happened, life would always go on the future would always come, and time would never be stopped, and all of them would never stop them from loving each other.