[ 2 - 4 ]
The Past
The blond could faintly hear a clock ticking, the seconds passing by, forever lost, never to be experienced again. Whenever there was silence, Aether always heard a clock ticking in the distance.
It must have been warning him of all the time he was wasting when instead the boy could have been doing something.
The door creaked open, boots hitting the wooden floorboards. Footsteps were approaching him, and a hand went on the sheets which covered Aether at the moment.
He thought to say for whoever it was to leave, but they likely wouldn't. By this point, the blond had memorised all the words which were certain to pop up, so much so that he could already imagine the words he was to hear in the coming moments.
"Everyone's worried."
Aether mouthed the words at the same time they were spoken. It was Lumine, again. He grunted, bringing the covers closer to his body.
Perhaps he could cut his skin to make a tally chart of how many times she had come into his room.
Her hand moved up to touch his, which was currently half-covered underneath the sheets. Aether swatted it away lightly.
She retreated slowly, taking a seat by the bed and continuing her useless attempts of persuasion.
"You did your best," she whispered just as soft as their mother had spoken whenever she had consoled either of them. Aether was correct again, having thought a few possible sentences that could have happened.
Of course, many others had tried to 'help' him, others had tried to even pull him out, but that would never work. If he wanted to, those people would disintegrate in less than a second, just with a snap of his fingers.
Time for this crap again...
"Ohh, Lumine? Sorry, I was just a bit sleepy." Aether sat up, putting on a smile for his little sister, "You don't have to worry about all that. The battle just exhausted me, that's all."
The blond chuckled, pretending to rub his eyes as he took the glass of water on his table. It was still full.
She must've noticed, tears seemingly brimming on the edge of her golden eyes, hands clutching her skirt as she continued to sit next to him. Lumine gritted her teeth.
"Just stop. That won't work with me."
"W-what're you talking about–?"
"Stop. If you're not going to attend, then just lay there forever."
She slammed the door close. Aether heard her footsteps descend the stairs, and once he knew she was gone, he had gone back under the covers.
He was fitted into a black suit, sat among the crowds. Aether didn't know anyone. A trumpet blew, signalling the start as all participants sat up.
Despite the quiet sobs scattered around, the sky continued to shine bright. It was exceptionally clear today, and the wind felt just right.
A buff man adorned with lavish clothing, a crown sitting atop his grey hair, hobbled over to the front stage with a cane in his hand.
"Today," his throat growled, "marks the funeral of our beloved hero, a cherished fighter which brought peace to the lands which we call 'home.'"
The king brought the piece of paper in his hand closer, "Her sacrifice will not be in vain, and though this is a day to mourn, the sky is happy, and we shall follow."
He bowed lightly, retreating to his seat as the organ began to play. Several men walked along the blood-red carpet, carrying along their shoulders a pure white coffin, as white as snow if not brighter than that.
He put his head down, wanting to sink back into his chair even when everyone was standing, gazes attached to the box that contained someone who had been laughing along with the boy just a few days prior.
The sobs grew louder. One had begun to cry right next to him.
"It's going to be all right," Aether attempted to comfort the weeping woman beside him. Of course, though Yulia was now dead, he still had his duty to help others.
He was a hero, wasn't he? Heroes were role models, someone for people to look up to. Aether was happy. He was happy. There was no doubt about that.
He was definitely, really happy, and he was so happy that she had managed to save her home and was satisfied. He was happy.
It was going to be fine.
"It's going to be fine."
His thoughts of disappearing as well as everyone else was just because he was a little bit sad that she had died.
He was happy.
He was fine.
Besides, only one person died. He wasn't special. Many others had lost multiple people. Aether wasn't forced to fall in love with Yulia and watch her die multiple times without him being able to do anything.
Aether didn't have his parents killed. Aether wasn't forced to return to life after death. There was no need to be sad – not that he was in the first place.
"I'm sorry, showing myself like this to a... Captain? I-is that you?"
"Oh, yes." He smiled, "I didn't realise I was with a knight. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm well. Thank you."
Just because she died didn't mean he would stop helping others. He was a hero. He was happy. He was definitely happy. Besides, he still had his sister, and he still needed to be tough for her.
It would be selfish of him to suddenly feel as if everything had gone away. As they say, one end leads to another beginning.
Not one he saw would be hurt anymore. He's learnt his lesson. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"GIVE HER BACK! I SAID GIVE HER BACK!"
"Hmph, do you suppose that I would simply return her just because you had asked so? So foolish. So arrogant."
Aether couldn't move, try as he might. He couldn't feel his body, he couldn't feel his fingers. Aether looked at his trembling hand, only seeing, not feeling. His sword was destroyed during the explosion.
Lumine was in the same situation as him, albeit whatever it was covering the both of them was up to her neck as opposed to when it was only up to his chest.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, I SAID GIVE HER BACK! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS!"
She chuckled, enjoying herself, "Oh, am I? And may I ask, how?" Her devilish grin spread from ear to ear.
He forced himself to move once more, he forced his legs to run, his wings to reappear. Nothing happened. His sense of touch was taken, yet his sight was not.
But it would be fine, wouldn't it? He had said so before. Aether said it to that young knight. Somehow, he would claim victory.
Never give up, right? Never give up. Never give up, never give up, never give up, never give up.
He was to struggle to the very end, struggle so hard even if it meant something worse than death.
This wasn't the end. He wasn't going to make the same mistake, right? He would break free and save his sister – because he was a hero.
...
Nothing happened.
Aether, even if it was pathetic of him, begged for someone... to save him. Pathetic. Even when he had said that he was a hero, when he was the one who would keep people safe, he was depending on a hero. Was there even a hero?
No, he was making one up, relying on that delusion. Yet, even as he watched his only family left become engulfed and transformed into several blocks, Aether kept pleading. And yes, it had gotten to the point where...
"S-stop! Stop, don't! I beg of you, don't do this... PLEASE!"
He wasn't a hero. He was weak. Wanting to be saved by a hero meant he was weak. He hated heroes.
"And all at once, mankind swallows his pride with no shame whatsoever."
She snapped her fingers.
Pitch-black, then nothing.
Aether knew he was awake, yet his eyes were still closed. It felt like he was underneath a tree, likely the one outside the gates.
As if.
He brought himself up, loosely checking his surroundings before getting up. The sun was bright, poking his eyes the moment he stepped out of the shade.
He winced, covering the light with his hand. Once his eyes adjusted, Aether began to walk, the sweltering heat ignored.
He needed to find his sister. Firstly, where was he? How did he end up here? He still had a duty to save her, he still needed to rescue her.
This was fine. Just because he lost that fight didn't mean he actually lost. Just because he had utterly failed for the fifth time didn't mean he was a failure.
It was going to be fine. He could still keep going. She would return, he would find her again.
People are cheering him on, wanting him to find her. He was needed... right? People depended on him, he was strong, he was absolutely strong and people admired his strength.
He punched the tree behind. Pain.
People wanted him, and he needed to do this for everybody. That was... That was the truth. It was... It was really, really true. H-he wasn't... he wasn't... lying... was he?
The boy collapsed on to the ground, keeping his knees to his stomach. Tears welled up, falling down his cheeks.
There was no one. No one needed him. He failed. There was no third chance. He messed up. Aether was a disgrace.
Aether wasn't needed, nor was he strong. No one admired his strength, and no one looked up to him.
It wasn't fine. He wasn't definitely happy. He wasn't happy at all.
Aether was a loser – an absolute, pathetic, weak, horrible loser that should have died instead of Yulia, a loser that couldn't even save his sister, that couldn't even stop his friends from dying.
He watched them hang themselves, the three of them jumping off with a smile on their faces.
He watched Yulia die in his arms, and she also had a smile on her face as she softly caressed his cheeks, her hand staining his face.
Even Lumine had a smile on her face, mouthing the words 'be careful' to him as she was eventually taken away from his grasp.
What was he even doing?
He laughed, grabbing his head and laughing his ass off. What was he actually doing!?
Believing that he could actually do something like that, he really was arrogant.
Thinking just because he was strong he could do anything, just because he had powers like that, just because he thought he was special Aether believed he could actually defeat that god – if it even was a god. Aether quickly got up, running headfirst into the trunk.
His fists clenched, violently hitting the bark, again and again, his skin bleeding, splitting, ripping apart.
He punched again. And again. And again and again and again.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!"
He didn't care for the pain.
"DAMMIT!" Aether screamed his lungs out, legs losing balance as he once again fell, "I'm... dammit..."
He was...
"I'm... fucking done..."
Aether wasn't special – that was a significant realisation. He slapped himself, stopping the tears. Aether wouldn't cry, even if he wanted to – because he promised he wouldn't, because he didn't want to be more pathetic than he was already, because many others had suffered more than him and they handled it better than he did it.
That was it, the sound of the final straw snapping. Aether was tired, but there was still one job to do: get his sister back. He needed to get his sister back, and to ensure victory, he would stick to the plan.
The plan was essential, he needed to follow it to the letter. Every action he made would be according to the plan. The plan was needed. The plan was important. Not following the plan meant mistakes, and mistakes were bad.
He had nothing to lose, there was no need to act like a coward. There was no need to act like a pussy.
In 1 - 6, I wrote that Aether 'didn't want it to happen for the third time', so now I'm changing that into 'the sixth time' because it doesn't add up. Anyways, even though the planning is not finished, I've got the ending down.