As a child and still now, I love butterflies. They would fly around my head all day and drink out of my cup with me. The garden was always filled with them, all year round. Mother and Father knew better than to let anyone or anything, even the force of the world, take my butterflies away from me. So with magic and careful gardening, the butterflies stayed all year.

So for me there were the butterflies. And there was Elyasia.

She was an Elementalist. She loved all growing things and loved the butterflies as much as I did. We spent days after days together, only pausing to go to our tutors and depart at sunset, when all the butterflies went to sleep.

At first, she only came to the garden because of the butterflies. And I waited out in the garden all day because of the butterflies too.

But that changed. She came because I was there. And I stayed out all day because she would come.

And she began to not leave at sunset, which I was dearly glad of. She would stay for a while, and we would talk in my room. And then, before the moon fully rose, she would leave and say, "Promise I'll come back, Lodion, if you promise you'll be there."

I had never taken those words seriously, only as a little joke. I had never answered, only laughed.

But now I know better.

When it came time for me to choose a bride to carry on the family lineage, it was no surprise that Elyasia came as my first choice.

But she was already betrothed to another noble, a higher ranking one. I remember the day I found out, the butterflies looked in the garden for me all day.

Elaysia came to me that day, crying. She promised that she had not choice but to marry the noble. Promised that she would always look over her husband's shoulder when they hugged, looking for me. We kissed, and then she departed before anyone could see. I was to duke-to-be. And that was my first kiss.That day I died. I stayed in the basement, forging my own special magic, one to save both of us with. I had no love for light anymore. I had no love for life. But I loved two things- Elaysia and the butterflies.

So from all the time I spent in that laboratory, down in the basement where nothing but mold and mildew and dampness grew, I aquired the nickname the "Dark Duke."

One night, it was finished. I call it the Dark Heart. I had smiled so much that day, smiled so humorlessly, so evilly, so malicious... Only two things separated me from insanity and evil- and they were Elaysia and the butterflies.

I gathered whatever followers most loyal to me and announced that we were running away from law, away where the noble that claimed Elaysia so uncaringly would never follow. And that would be a Jadg.

I remember my words that night. I called to Elaysia in her window, "Sweet Elaysia, if you will still have me, we shall steal away and never be seen by them again. We will never be apart."

But I was pre-empted. Lovely Elaysia wasn't in her window.

High Duke Thomson leaped out the window and struck me in the neck. I thought I would have died if all of a sudden, the pommel of the rapier I thought I'd never see again struck his head.

Elaysia smiled at me. "We'll have to run fast. We'll make it to the Jagd before anyone notices."

So Elaysia, my followers, and I made our way to from town to town, killing anyone we saw. I killed most of them, blowing them up and creating such grusome distortions that no one would dare come after us.

So all of us started a new life in the Jagd Dorsa. We grew things, we worked hard, but we never went cold or hungry for it.

I had Elaysia and the butterflies and my dearest friends.

Nothing could go wrong, I thought.

Until that day.

A devil with hair the color of Elaysia's Shining Air and eyes the color of her sliprain showed up.

His Assassin killed me with one fatal Last Breath.

Now, I'm here. With all the other nutcases.

Elaysiais allowed to visit once a year.She joined a clan of other viera and a funny pink-haired human. She is now a Summoner, and every once a year that she is allowed to visit, we cry and sit together, totally ignoring the huge Defenders butting into scared moments with their huge heads.

But one day, one Defender said to me, "Lodion, you may by a total nutjob, but you're lucky. I think that you're one of the lucky onesss."

I had asked why. He replied, "Sssomeone dearly lovesss you. And that'sss more than mosst of usss ever find." And he lumbered off.

Elaysia still says "Promise I'll come back, Lodion, if you promise you'll be there."

But there's one difference.

I would kiss her and say, "Promise I'll be here," and remember two things-

Elaysia and the butterflies.