Chapter -85: The Resolve of the Believer
Sarajin spent another hour in Oreore catching up with Ezekiel and having the blacksmith take care of a couple favors.
He left the ravine with a more polished, reforged sword that can better handle heat, and another item he tucked away in his left pocket.
He said his farewells for now and then began his march south to Pulsa Minoria.
Ezekiel gave him a heads-up that there's been some Metal Box sightings over the past year but no thievery involved with them.
Sarajin had wondered if Valic had made any progress on his dream. It made him think of those metal leviathans he encountered, and if Pulsa Minoria could have one day wound up like that if Voltneir had not performed divine intervention.
It was a thought that he carried with him in the back of his head until he made it to the city of electricity. It was in as fine of shape as ever with no noticeable upgrades or damage done to the outside.
He encroached the outer wall and waved his hand to signal to the onlookers that he was back on-world, which would make it easier for him to get in through the front.
Once inside he decided to just take a stroll around and get a feel of the city, comparing it to when he was on the leviathan.
The static clung to his body and clothes like warmth, whereas the metallic walls of that titan constrained it, removing any sense of joy.
He breathed a sigh of relief, and relaxed himself into enjoying this city for the good it brought to its people.
Once he finished his walk he went straight for Valic's personal laboratory and tried to knock on the door. A few attempts later with no response, Sarajin raised a brow and tried to look elsewhere.
The drone labs? No. The residential district? No. He wasn't at the generators either. He thought of asking Rai, but apparently he had successfully snuck out of the tower for once.
When it seemed like Valic had up and vanished, Sarajin refocused his efforts on double-checking everywhere he had looked so far.
And that was when he caught the man's distinct visage wandering atop the walls to the north.
With a worriless smile Sarajin flew over and landed a few feet away from the man. They were gazing out across the horizon, the speck of land representing Oreore's ravine in the center of it.
The breeze was electrified this close to the fence and made Sarajin's skin feel all fuzzy as he approached the man carefully and said, "What's up, Valic?"
Valic glanced away for a moment out of the corner of his eyes and remarked "You're back?" in a stoic tone.
He then gestured towards the stony lands beyond, "I've been having...a conflict of conscience lately."
"Before, it always felt so...natural to take what was necessary for the sake of progress. But now, every time I send the drones out, it feels as though there is something tugging at my chest, staying my hand."
"Was it because of our last conversation?" Sarajin thought. He felt good about it if so, yet conflicted at the same time...
Valic closed his eyes and bellowed out a deep sigh, "What am I saying this to you for?"
He then turned and that spark of curiosity grew in his pupils, "So? Have you brought back anything worthwhile from your trip out into space?"
Sarajin smiled and nodded, "Nothing concrete, but maybe this'll help inspire you with some new ideas."
Valic gestured towards himself from out beside his hip and Sarajin began to explain himself.
"There's other worlds out there that I could breathe on without a problem, and they were full of natural resources like metal and rocks."
"Anything similar to our world?" Valic poised.
"Some familiar, some new. There was a lot of material I couldn't manipulate with my elemental powers."
"You weren't able to bring any back?" Valic asked while rubbing his chin.
"I wouldn't have been able to bring back enough to make a difference. Sorry."
"Hmmm, no matter. What about the moon?"
"Our moon? I didn't go there."
"Why not?"
"Well, that's your dream isn't it? I didn't want to take that from you."
Valic briefly flashed a small but wobbly smile, then stiffened his upper lip and forced out a chuckle as he admonished Sarajin, "You could have at least made a pass-by over it to see if you can breathe on there."
"O-Oh, yeah, of course," Sarajin then gestured his hand out and said, "But if it's any consolation, I checked out the moons on other worlds real quick and there was no air on any of them."
"Hmmm, so we must invent a way to breathe in space before we can land on the moon. Noted," Valic then closed his eyes and gestured his hand floaty with a smile, "What else?"
"Well..." Sarajin had to brace himself for this next part, out of fear that he may change the fate of this city for the worse. But he wanted to believe, deep down, that Valic was a man with a stronger set of morals than he had shown thus far.
"On the last world I went to...there were these massive metal leviathans floating in the sky."
Valic paused and drew his eyes open with a slowly forming sense of intrigue, "Oh?"
Sarajin nodded, "Uh huh. They were big enough to house the entire population of a few Tribes all at once."
"But they weren't villages...they were floating weapons of mass destruction."
Valic's eyes briefly tingled with waning interest, as Sarajin continued unimpeded, his voice pained with sorrowful memories, "They had dozens of towers that fired bolts of energy onto the planet. And they could release large orb-shaped drones that could keep up with my pace."
"...I see," Valic wiggled his monocle and muttered, "Were they...powered by electricity?"
"I'm not sure," Sarajin noted, "There was a lot of weird stuff going on with that world."
Valic then turned away and started to mumble aloud to himself, "So it is possible to suspend a large mass of metal high off the ground..."
He itched at his lips with one finger and then made some more incomprehensible mumbles before turning back around and gesturing his hand out from his side, "This has all been very important information. Yes. I can feel the gears in my head turning again."
"But there's still the matter of all the metal that would be necessary to make this possible." He noted.
"Yeah. Now that I'm back I'll help out however I can," Sarajin then applied a little force in his voice to suggest, "But you'd get a lot more work done if you reached an agreement with Oreore."
"You're asking too much." Valic said right away.
"I'm really not," Sarajin said with even more force, "...But if you don't believe me, fine. I'll act as the mediator between you two."
"You would?"
"Yeah. The leader's son is one of my best friends, I'm sure I can convince them! We're all after the same thing."
"You're welcome to try, but those oafs can be pretty stubborn."
Sarajin smiled and said in a joking tone, "I can think of someone else that's pretty stubborn too."
Valic smirked out of the corner of his mouth and then waved his hand around in the air above his head, "May as well get to work immediately. First I'll need to visualize the idea. When you get a chance, you may come back and help as necessary."
Valic left on a better note than Sarajin was expecting. Slowly but surely, progress was being made here.
He smiled and then dropped back into the city, deciding to take the scenic route to get some more of that fresh, electrified air.
As he passed by the center of town he looked at the small shrine to reflect on his work here so far, "I wonder if you're happier with this place now, Voltneir?"
"I bet he is!"
The sudden voice made Sarajin jump and turn around all ready to draw his sword. But there was no threat to speak of. It was just Adderbolt, chewing on a slice of food that looked as soft as a cloud and laced with a smooth cream.
He was looking a little thinner than usual, but was as chipper as a squirrel eating nuts.
"Oh, it's you," Sarajin said, feeling a little more urged to be friendly in his presence, "You're looking good. Lost weight?"
"Yeah, Lady Auris really gave me a workout yesterday! Hopefully I can gain it back quickly." Adderbolt then chewed away at his treat until his cheeks were positively stuffed.
With a pleasant hum he swallowed his food and then tried to offer Sarajin a piece, "Want some? Nobody got to have any. And I worked soooo hard on it too..."
Sarajin felt bad for him, but couldn't accept the offer, "Sorry, it looks too sweet for me."
"Awww, that's alright," Adderbolt stuffed the piece into his mouth with a huge smile and then wiggled the food towards one cheek, "By the way! Congrats on you and Lady Auris getting together!"
"H-Huh...?" Sarajin sputtered up.
Adderbolt opened his eyes and looked embarrassed as he swallowed, "Oh wait, she did confess didn't she?"
"Y-Yeah, but how do you know that?"
"Oh, she kind of made a big deal in front of everyone about you," Adderbolt said all nonchalantly, "Poor Lord Borealis though, he was devastated after that whole affair."
"Oh no, is he ok?" Sarajin's concerns immediately sprang to Valflame's condition.
"Of course! He's our fantastic and supportive leader!" Adderbolt pondered over it for a moment before remarking, "Though he has been cooped up in his Atelier all morning..."
"...I'll be heading to Sancturia later. Maybe I should have a talk with him."
"So?" Adderbolt chimed in, "What're you up to these days, Sarajin?"
"I've been making the rounds to catch up after my year long trip to space."
Adderbolt's eyes widened and he spat up his food on the ground, "W-What?! You were in space?!"
"Y-You didn't know?" Sarajin sputtered.
"No! Awww, I bet I was the only one who didn't either. That's mean."
Sarajin patted him on the shoulder to give him a little comfort and then headed off to his next destination, Obscura.
Admittedly he didn't think it would be necessary. Solomon, without a shadow of a doubt, could handle any problems by himself.
"I'll just drop by real quick to let him know I'm back, then head out to Sancturia."
He then made his way to the ghastly forest surrounding the village and entered, heading straight for the palace atop the small knoll.
Upon closing in on the front doors he felt an increasing sense of hostility in the air, with a repugnant scent coming from his back.
His face scrunched up and he turned around with one hand on his sheath and the other thrusting towards the hilt.
But then a flash of violet light filled the corner of his gaze and pressed closer and closer to his face, crackling like electricity.
He sweated at the whisper of a disdainful, feminine voice making demands, "Do not move, intruder."
All he could catch of them was a crown covering half their face and parts of a robe.
Sarajin's curiosity was piqued, and so he chose to play along with this stranger's request for the time being.
The witchy woman did a harsh job accommodating him inside. She used a type of magic to tightly bind his wrists together behind his back and then shoved him into the palace.
Once Sarajin was on his knees, the woman grabbed his hair to wrench his gaze up at Solomon sitting comfortably on his throne, where she made a show of pride in her accomplishment.
"You had nothing to fear. I alone have captured the intruder, Lord Solomon."
"You...?" Solomon's gaze was projected with a hint of detachment and intrigue subtly blending together.
Sarajin was perfectly calm, though a little confused, "Solomon? What's going on here?"
The witch growled in a gravelly, bitter tone, "You...KNOW this vermin, Lord Solomon?"
Sarajin turned and pushed through her grip to nod his head, "I'm an ally of-"
The witch tugged harder and curled her fingers so her elongated nails nicked his scalp, "I was NOT speaking to you!"
A chill grew in the air that put goosebumps on the two's skin. Sarajin looked towards Solomon, noticing his armored fingertips were scratching at the arms of his chair in this tense, fickle manner.
"Hmm..." The confines of his armor rattled with a deep breath.
The witch shook Sarajin's head around and then pointed his face at the ground, "IS he someone you know?"
Solomon took an excruciatingly long time to answer, and all he had to show for it was a mere gesture of his finger and firm demand of, "Release him."
"What, but-"
"Now, Vizier."
When the witch shook, her grip released all on it's own. Then she put her hand limp into her robe and flicked a finger out.
Sarajin's chains broke at the same time she grumbled internally. Then he stood and rubbed his wrists while looking between the mysterious Vizier and Solomon's throne.
Xiark still napped, and the demonic parasite remained trapped in his jar. Though it seemed a little bigger now...His eyes were playing tricks on him, maybe?
The man sat upon his throne, a true unflinching monarch of darkness, and seemed to take his presence here as an insult like the first time they met.
Sarajin turned aside and bowed his head in silence, not sure of what to say.
Solomon placed his hands down flat and the glow of his eyes spread ever slightly, upon which he remarked, "You should leave."
Sarajin put his hands down and said flat-out, "I'm not going to be here for long. Just wanted to let you know that I'm back."
"Why?" Solomon asked in a quick, desperate sounding tone.
"To see if anything happened to you while I was gone?" Sarajin said, briefly rubbing the back of his head and glancing at the king in confusion, "Is everything alright between us, Solomon?"
When Solomon didn't immediately speak up he pointed out, "I'm just sensing a lot of hostility right now and I don't know why."
"That is none of your concern," Solomon barked back, "And nothing happened in the year you left us all. Almost as if your presence means so little to anything."
Sarajin felt that one, and his subsequent tone of voice was a little shaken, "I-I see...Well, if anything does happen and you need help...I'll be here. I'm still committing to that promise."
"Do you doubt my worth as a king?" Solomon gestured his hand out and this simple act brought a crushing feeling throughout the room, "Is my power a mere thing of mockery in your eye?!"
Sarajin's knees shook, but so did his head, as he stood against Solomon's authority and told him, "Nobody's looking down on you, Solomon."
"Grrr..." Solomon's eyes narrowed, and Sarajin matched his gaze with kindness coming off his.
"But there's nothing wrong with admitting when there's something you can't do...I can attest to that more than anyone."
After a long pause, Solomon set his hand down and leaned back deep against his throne, "You may believe that. But there is nothing I cannot do."
The Vizier could be heard cooing in the back.
Sarajin eased up and let out a sigh, making a kind gesture of his hand towards the man, "I'll see you later, ok?"
Solomon didn't utter even a breath in the face of Sarajin taking his leave. The Vizier stepped aside to let him pass out the doors, and only upon him reaching the porch did Solomon comment upon his presence with pained disgust...
"Why him?"
The words barely entered Sarajin's ears and caused him to glance back.
The man remained on his throne as firm as iron and glared.
The two let out their own sighs, and Sarajin left without another word.
"Solomon takes a lot after his mom," Thought Sarajin as he made his way out of the forest with eyes narrowed by his resolve, "But I can't give up on breaking through to him because of that."
It was more than just out of moral obligation, because for as much as Solomon put on airs, that armor housed a deep, drenched sadness...
Once out of the forest, Sarajin realized, much to his surprise, that he had gone everywhere he wanted rather quickly.
The sun was halfway in the sky and he hadn't even had an excuse to have lunch yet.
He looked across the wasteland at Sancturia's barrier looking positively bright and remarked, "I wonder if I gave Auris enough time to settle in."
He tried to make excuses to stall for time but there was genuinely nothing else he needed to do.
"Alright, Sancturia it is then." He laid a hand on his chest, took a deep breath, and flew off towards the sacred land.
The guards didn't fire arrows. There was no point trying. Sarajin could just waltz in through the barrier like it was a simple door with the help of the Gaia Temporis.
There was a lot about this world that was unchanging, but he was never going to get over it with this city. He felt sorry for the people by now.
But this wasn't something getting stronger would solve. He would need to deal with this through Borealis.
And speaking of the man, that was who Sarajin wanted to stop and visit first. He reached into his left pocket and jiggled the small object inside, it's cold touch inflicting doubt upon his mind.
He stopped, sighed, and steeled his heart again, making his way to the palace.
There he locked eyes with Gabriel standing guard at the door. The man's eyes were closed until he was in his line of sight, upon which he flinched and opened them to give him his full attention.
There was an unspoken degree of respect between them where the samurai didn't open with hostility, and instead spoke in a somewhat aghast tone, "You made it back..."
Sarajin smiled and waved his hand out, stopping a few feet from the door.
Gabriel's eyes then turned tender with shame, "...If you're here for Lady Auris, then I am afraid she's no longer a resident of this palace."
"I know that," Sarajin said softly out of care, "We had a long talk about that last night. She'll be living in the city now as a regular citizen."
"So she went to you right away," Gabriel nodded, "I figured the timing of her rebellion was more than mere coincidence."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing." Gabriel whispered.
"I'm surprised she didn't tell you." Sarajin replied.
"She hasn't returned to the palace at all."
"She didn't come get her stuff?"
"After completely disowning her heritage, I doubt she'd feel a need to."
"Well, I'm going to find her in a little bit. When I do, you're welcome to come and visit her."
Gabriel was stunned, "I...am not sure I should."
"I bet she'd be happy to see you." Sarajin assured him with a smile.
Gabriel gazed around and then bowed his head to make his whisper hidden, "I'll consider it. Thank you."
He then returned to his respectable stature and even gave a bit of a smile, "So then, I imagine you have business with Lord Borealis?"
"I heard he's not feeling too good. If now isn't the best time..."
"He is...very tired, but is pressing on for our sakes, I choose to believe," Gabriel glanced briefly into the palace, then back at Sarajin with a quibble of hesitation, "I really shouldn't let you in."
Sarajin understood and respected those wishes, up until he fiddled around with the object in his pockets for a bit. When he clutched it in his hand, he narrowed his eyes part way and then looked up at Gabriel.
"Please? This is very important to me." He whispered.
Gabriel frowned, and muttered under his breath, "...You did keep your promise to make it back."
He nudged his sheath in the direction of the door and stepped back.
Sarajin's heart fluttered with joy and he pressed his hands together to take a forceful bow, "Thank you, Gabriel!"
"I'll shoulder any blame for failing to stop you. Just do not stay longer than you need to, lest you grab the attention of the other Sages."
Sarajin nodded and then made his way into the palace, aiming straight for where he needed to go.
However, before he made it into the back hallway, he was accosted by a familiar voice joking at him in a calm tone.
"Did you really think you could get away without receiving a 'Welcome back' from your best friend?"
Sarajin turned around to greet Justek, approaching him from the door on the side.
He smiled and walked up to him to shake his hand, "Of course not! I thought you'd be at the library as usual."
Justek let out a dry chuckle, "I do have children whose needs I need to attend to sometimes."
"I just laid them down for their afternoon nap."
"How are they doing?"
"They're growing up healthy and strong."
"That's great!" Sarajin brightened up and then gently asked, "What about you?"
"I think I've long since stopped growing, Sarajin." Justek said with a wry chuckle, and Sarajin quietly echoed it.
Justek then made a tiny smile and whispered, "Nothing much has changed."
"Oh..." Sarajin hung his head slightly.
"Did you honestly expect otherwise?" Justek murmured.
Sarajin looked at him and spoke with sincerity, "Kind of?"
He then gestured out and whispered in a melancholic tone, "I'll try not to leave for that long ever again."
"I'm just glad you're back safe and sound, my friend," Justek smiled, "But I never had doubt you would."
"I wish I could tell you everything that happened, but I shouldn't be here too long," Sarajin waved his hand out and asked, "Want to meet up at the library later?"
"Or perhaps I can join you at Auris' new abode?"
"Oh she told you?" Sarajin blurted out in surprise.
"...Naturally." Justek said with a smile.
"Sure. But uhhh, could you wait a little longer then? There's something-"
"Say no more," Justek whispered sincerely and then patted him on the shoulder, "I know."
Sarajin placed his hand on his and smiled back. Justek then told him, "Take care of what you need to. I'll enjoy whatever tales you have to weave anytime."
He then forced himself to let go, watching as his friend left to take care of the last affairs standing between him and the love of his life.
Justek's eyes became tender with melancholy as he muttered all to his lonesome, "Alas, I never stood a chance. And yet, these feelings I bear may never die..."
He closed his eyes and turned away, on a slow march back to his room...
Sarajin stood before the door to Borealis' Atelier. It appeared to be disheveled at the hinges and made it easy to open with one knock.
It slowly creaked open and Sarajin walked inside.
The lighting was dim and the room felt vast and empty despite all the bookshelves. Borealis sat alone in a chair with the back turned to the door, clutching an object attached to a silver chain.
Sarajin approached cautiously and whispered, "Lord Borealis?"
No response. The man was fully absorbed in whatever it is he was doing.
And by being in his presence now, Sarajin felt like he was being suffocated. But he stood still and presented himself with certainty in himself and what he was about to say.
He gripped the bottom of his poncho and ruffled it around while catching his breath via a few coughs. He then put one foot forward and began to speak clearly.
"...I wanted to tell you that Auris confessed her love to me, and I accepted. We're going to get married someday soon, which means you'll be a part of our family."
His swallow felt like a knot going down his throat, "I...bet this is going too fast for you. You dislike our people. I get it. Nothing's changed, and I can't force you to in the spur of the moment."
"But...I want you to be there for the wedding. For Auris. So will you consider making an exception to your beliefs, just this once?"
The grueling pause that followed did little to ease Sarajin's nerves.
The man ceased raising his arm and put it against his chest. Then, even the air was still.
"...You called yourself a fellow man of peace. And yet, my heart now pangs with discord." Borealis spoke in an utterly chilling calm.
"It was not enough that you stole the sanctuary of my home. You took my daughter's heart as well..."
"How?" He queried, "In what manner of tongue did your voice worm it's way into her heart?"
Sarajin fought through his shivering form to answer, "We had a close friendship with each other."
"That's all?" Borealis muttered under his breath, "No. No. You infected her with savagery."
"Never had my daughter raised her voice against me. She was pure. A true Aurian like me. Beautiful...like her mother..." Borealis curled his fist and punched the arm of his chair while voice raised a few decibels, "And then she met YOU."
"These hands...held her as she cried for days. As though she knew she brought death to her mother at birth. I gave her everything I could to keep her happy, as any good father could. Yet now...these hands can never hold anything."
Sarajin felt a pang of guilt in his heart and hesitated to look Borealis in the back of his head, "You can still be with her. It's never too late to apologize."
Borealis' chair slowly turned around, positioning his poignant, narrowed and tear-filled eyes to bore a hole through Sarajin's body.
"You believe that I have been...wrong in my actions?" His brows shifted downward like two plates of crust crashing together beneath the planet's surface.
"You...have only ever been a son. You know naught, what it means to be a father. The things I have sacrificed, the choices I have MADE, all in the name of keeping my daughter safe from harm."
Borealis stood resolute in what he believed but this was one declaration of will that Sarajin could not stomach.
Going against his hesitation, Sarajin stood tall against his voice and told him, "And the Anti-Genesis Theorem keeps her safe?"
Borealis' expression flickered for a brief moment, as Sarajin eyed him with a hint of rage, "She told me how much it hurt to have it put on her flesh."
He then grit his teeth and remarked, "I don't doubt you love Auris more than anything in the world, Borealis. So I don't get it. Why would you do that to her?!"
Borealis' brief trembles ceased with the crushing of his fists and his head craning back to emphasize the resolve in his iron-clad gaze, "You are still too young and naive...And the Titans have led you astray like any other of their sheep."
"This world will spring cruelty on you at a moment's notice, snatching hope and happiness away whether innocent or guilty!" Borealis raised his golden gauntlet high before his face and shouted, "And when that cruelty comes for you, Sarajin Stratos, how will you shield my daughter from it?"
"Everything I have done is not born of some sickness of the mind, but because my heart aches too great with love!"
"So can you dare to gaze into my eyes, and claim that you can provide her with a greater love than I can give?!"
A single dew drop of sweat went from Sarajin's forehead to his scowl, as he swallowed hard and looked deep inside of himself to answer, "To be honest, I don't know what I did to deserve her love."
Borealis' gaze eased up ever slightly as Sarajin waved his hands around and muttered, "Auris is...great. She's strong-willed, clever, and beautiful. She's been a huge motivator for me when I felt like giving up multiple times."
"She's always felt like more than a friend to me, and I want to treasure that feeling until the day I die."
"I get...that I can't expect everything to go right in life. Sometimes you're blindsided and everything seems hopeless."
He laid a hand on his chest and said to Borealis in earnest, "But I trust her to have my back, and hers mine. And I'm willing to do everything I can to make her happy in spite of the difficulties that come with the Anti-Genesis Theorem inside of her."
"So if I can't convince you of that...then I'm sorry, Lord Borealis. But I'm still going to marry her, and you can't stop me."
Borealis hand shook, rattling within the gauntlet as he lashed it down behind his back and tensed up in his face, uttering a firm and blunt, "Fine. Take and take until your greed is satiated..."
His eyes narrowed, hiding the tears welling up at the bottom of them, "But only one man can take the fate of the world into his hands."
Sarajin clutched his fist and nodded with a whisper, "I know."
He then raised a smile and said, "Someday, I'll be strong enough to change this planet's fate. And yours too, Lord Borealis."
Borealis widened his eyes and with a quick unseen gesture of his hand, Sarajin found himself pushed out of the Atelier and the doors slammed shut in his face.
This interaction ended on a sour note, but perhaps this was expected. Didn't make it any easier to swallow...
Sarajin left the palace feeling a little light-headed, but the fresh air helped him gather his thoughts to focus on what was most important now...
A silent walk through the city guided him towards the unknown. He didn't know why, or how. He just knew. He was heading towards a place of great importance for his and Auris' futures.
It was a solitary hut like all the rest, a few blocks down from the pyramid. The door was a fine, fresh woven cloth that was easily parted.
Inside there was not much to speak of. Just an empty canvas of walls and floors waiting to be filled, with stairs leading up to a second floor, and another set descending underground.
But in the middle stood Auris, more beautiful than any painted canvas.
She delicately examined the room and wore a fine smile with a hint of regret.
She crossed her arms under her chest, and whispered with a crack in her voice, "It's beautiful..."
She then turned aside and panned her gaze over to Sarajin with tender, loving eyes, "Are you finished for the day, Sarajin?"
Sarajin nodded and got in closer, "So this is where you'll be living from now on, huh?"
She closed her eyes and wondered aloud, "I wonder how long it will take for me to get used to it."
"I'll be here as much as I can to help you get adjusted, Auris," Sarajin then shook his head and yelled out in a haste, "No! I'll be here every day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No...! I'll be here for you when you go to sleep, and when you wake up! ...Damn it, no! I'll-"
Auris pressed a finger against his lips and pulled in closer, motioning her hand towards his cheek with happiness all over her face, "I would love to spend every waking day with you until the sun sets for the last time...But you're not just committed to me, Sarajin."
Sarajin was saddened, but did not show it outwardly.
With a quick reach into his pocket he pulled out his hand cupped around a small object and used the other to bring Auris' down before his chest.
His arms were shaky but he didn't feel alone in that regard, for he felt her pulse quicken against his thumb as he slid the object onto her finger...
Said object, revealed to be a ring with a ruby on top, surrounded by specks of gemstones, one for each element, capped off with a medium pink one at the bottom. Together, it made the ring look like a cloud with a tail.
The two's hands shook. Auris brought the ring closer to her face and could barely hold onto a facade of maturity.
Sarajin, meanwhile, was breathing rapidly and quietly in a vain attempt to settle down the elation and tears in his heart.
"I don't know what the future holds for us. But I'm not going to let anything stop me from being at your side," Sarajin took her hands into his own and cast his tearful gaze straight into her crystal clear eyes, "I-I don't want to be a burden to you like I have in the past."
Auris smiled across her whole face and shook her head daintily, feeling faint in her head a little as she whispered, "No...you've never been a burden to me. You're the one...who finally lifted them from my shoulders, Sarajin."
"...Auris?" Sarajin had a difficult time keeping it together as he whispered, "Will you marry me?"
"...Yes. And I shall engrave this vow of unity into my soul...From now unto eternity."
Fate. Destiny. Perhaps they existed in some shape or form.
But sometimes, people just end up together to make each other strive to be better.
The marriage of these two lives carried a lot of weight behind it...And none were happier about it than the pink-haired girl who watched over them, who was proud to now call them both...family.
Next Time: The First World Disorder