A fine summer day in Champa. He should be happy. But he wasn't.
Garet to the left of him. A seemingly endless sea to the right. But that wasn't helping.
Garet was his best friend, of course. And naturally, he would never forget what Garet had given him and done for him. But that wasn't what he was grieving over.
His eyes were as blue as the ocean, but it could never reflect the sadness shown beneath his gaze. His hair was as golden as Sol, but it couldn't warm his heart, for most of it was missing.
Her name was Mia. The beautiful healer from Imil, the healer that had restored his physical self time and time again. Ironic, how now she could cause such pain and torment to his soul.
He supposed that he brought this about himself. He was the warrior, the leader, the self-righteous, level-headed one. He had things to do, and a destiny to fulfil. But he set himself up to fall. Now he had to go on, but each step brought agony; each day, a new stream of searing pain. He had a job to do, but still he couldn't help himself from falling for her. She was everything he had hoped for, but still something was wrong.
They were chasing Felix. Felix and his companions. Chasing them beyond the reaches of the horizon, never stopping or tiring, but now he felt older than he had ever felt before, the weight of life now fully on his shoulders, and now, his alone.
But he took a risk by letting the healer into his heart like that. He took a great risk and he knew that. But he did it anyway. Why?
Who can define love? He knew that by bringing her on the quest, he would be putting her life in danger. Many times, in fact, would her life be in danger. Still he brought her. Why? He couldn't tell. He was self-righteous, true, but selfish, in a way. Was he selfish for wanting to be happy? No. Was he selfish for risking others because of it? Probably.
Their quest was going along wonderfully. Mia was spending more time with him the whole way. They grew closer and closer until their hearts were as one, their souls practically intertwined in the bliss of life. He knew that he was caring for her more and more, and that soon, some question had to be asked.
A starry sky. A perfect night on the boat, as it rocked gently up and down with the waves, Luna above casting a silvery light on the sea below. With every wave and ripple of the sea, the light bent a little, causing the great ocean itself to shimmer with beauty.
And he, on the crow's nest. Staring over the ocean and under the night sky. And suddenly, ascending footsteps, climbing up the ladder to join him. Garet and Ivan were asleep. He smiled, knowing who was coming.
A cerulean haired beauty climbed the final steps to join him. Not a word was spoken, but they let love's embrace carry them into the night, holding each other close under a perfect sky.
And then, his heart pounding, he shifted, and plunged his hand deep into his pocket, and produced a tiny mythril bag, smaller than the one he used to carry the Mars Star, but big enough to hold something more precious to him.
He stared her deeply in the eye, then drew her gaze down to the bag, and slowly opened it, to reveal a shining golden ring, embroidered with the finest diamond she had ever seen. Tears of joy welled in her eyes as she could predict his next question. He shifted to one knee, stared her in the eyes and asked. And she held out her hand to accept it, and he slid it over her finger.
Once this journey was over, their life could be perfect.
Once the journey was over. Once this damned journey, that consumed their lives and controlled their fate, was over, maybe they could live again. But then, he knew, he never would.
For he knew, with what happened, that he couldn't. And he knew, with what happened, that he might not be happy again.
A fight!
On the sandy beaches outside Champa, a battle! A test of strength, pitting the abilities of the combatants against each other.
His sword was out, in his hand; his shield was raised in his other; his eye on his enemy, and his other eye, as always, on her, to ensure she was safe, and make sure he could safeguard her from harm if necessary.
But the speed! Everything happened so fast! A simple cuttle, from the sea, that slashed at him, and caused him to recoil. A simple sea bird, that kicked up sand in his eyes and blurred his vision.
And then, a new species of monster he'd yet to ever see, that appeared from under the sand itself! But it wasn't the monster that scared him, it was where it appeared that caused his heart to freeze in terror.
Right behind her.
But his vision was so blurry, he couldn't see much beyond the figure rising behind her. His feet scrambled against sand in a desperate attempt to reach her, to get to her, but he was too slow!
The sound of Psynergy, but what kind? He couldn't tell. He left the others to take care of the cuttle and the sea bird, and he scrambled to her. He was a few meters away when he saw it happen.
The monster, some kind of crab, he could see, whipped the staff right from her hands. And as it went, it scraped across her hand, dragging the ring with it. It fell to the sand. He leapt forward with his blade swinging down, trying to cleave the crab in two to protect his loved one, but he missed! The crab scuttled around him, danced around her, and withdrew deep into the sand.
He clasped her shoulders and looked her over, relieved that she was undamaged. He nodded and assured her that everything would be okay, and then took to digging in the sand to find the ring. It looked as though the crab has dragged it down, and he couldn't find it. But he couldn't let it go: it meant everything to both of them, a symbol of their undying love. But then, a tap on his shoulder, and a quizzical look on her face, and she asked the question that sealed his fate forever.
"Who are you?"
Even Ivan couldn't tell him what happened. The Psynergy they heard was a spell meant to make the target forget other Psynergy spells... but something went wrong. It had backfired. It had backfired horribly. Not backfired for the crab, but for him.
The spell hadn't lost Mia her battle ability, her curing spells or her offensive spells. It had stolen her memory. And with it, her recollection of him, of who he was and what she meant to him, and once, what he meant to her.
Lost and confused, not understanding the situation or the quest, she left, back to Imil, for one of the only things she could remember was that Imil was her home.
Not with him. Her home was there. Once, a long time ago (was it so long? It was only a few days ago...), she could be home with him, in his arms, staring at the horizon from the peak of their ship.
And now? Their love was lost, like the ring. Buried in the sands of time, lost forever in the annals of history.
Oh, of course, he would remember it. And so would Garet, and Ivan. But all they lost was a good friend and traveling companion, whereas to him... it felt like he lost a soul mate, someone to confide in and trust.
Sure, he could have made a fuss before she left. Tried to remind her what they had, who he was and who she was... even who she was to him. And he did, a little, at first. But he had to stop. He had to stop, because that wouldn't have been like him. She couldn't possibly remember him. And he can't define love, so he can't say that he could make her care for him a second time.
So what could he do? Again, he was the self-righteous one. The one who puts the others before himself. And he couldn't try and force her to love him again, because as far as she could tell, he was just another stranger.
So he had to let her go. To let her move on, and leave him behind. Maybe one day he would go back to Imil, and try to get to know her again. Or, maybe he'd leave her behind forever. He was the self-righteous one. The one who let the others live their lives to be happy, while he must bear the pain himself. Maybe his destiny didn't lie on this quest. Maybe it lied in being unhappy, alone, forever. He had to let her go. He had to.
Let her go, so she could be happy.
So at least one of them could be.