Raffina's eighteenth birthday comes and passes. Years stretch on and on, and Rulue and Arle remain the same while the others grow up. When Rulue tries to come to terms with what has happened, Arle reveals the truth. Requested by a tumblr anon!

I actually had an idea for this some time in the late spring and even had a dialogue draft going for it, but it wasn't coming out right. When anon sent me this idea, it prompted me to give it another try!

This Is Eternity

"This may come off as rude, but how come you don't seem to age?"

Rulue didn't answer and quietly sipped her tea in one of the many gardens Primp Town offered. She felt Raffina's eyes on her face, searching for an answer which seemed implausible. Her skin crawled as she swallowed, the mint taste bitter on her tongue. Setting the cup on the floral saucer, Rulue offered a smile.

"I don't know."

They left their conversation at that. After all, it was Raffina's eighteenth birthday, and such questions dampened the light mood.

But the question stirred in Rulue's head. It tormented her whenever she tried to relax. She ended up beating her punching bag a little harder and gritting her teeth every time the question speared through her brain. It was like a lightning bolt striking her from the top of her skull, infiltrating her entire body until she felt numb.

She knew Raffina wasn't foolish. She must have been pondering the same question as she grew up. Fifteen became sixteen, seventeen, and then she was Rulue's age. She was an adult, an independent martial artist who had worked hard to learn basic spells despite having no natural talent. Rulue had watched her grow from a student to a master within the span of a few years.

Years continued passing. They kept going and going. On and on, stretching for what seemed like forever without any intentions of stopping.

Rulue believed Arle noticed it as well. The softness in Amitie's face had sharpened. She grew much taller, seemingly towering over Arle by the time she was seventeen. All Rulue could do was stand in the background and watch Arle fumble over herself, her teenage form a stark contrast compared to the girl who became the reincarnation of a goddess.

She couldn't tell what Arle was thinking. She seemed to be playing along with Amitie as the others grew up. Klug became the scholar he always wanted to be and traveled with Lemres and Feli to worlds unknown. Lidelle joined Accord, now middle-aged with crow's feet appearing by the corners of her eyes, as a teacher at the magic school, her confidence shining like the faces of her young students. Sig had grown up, too, staying behind as Primp's protector, a role he shared with Amitie while writing stories about entomology and magic, each of them edited by Akuma.

They lived in their adulthoods while Arle was trapped in her teenage wonderland. Rulue watched her to stay the same, never saying anything. If it was her place to interject, then she didn't know.

Arle had been in Accord's class for years. The same studies, the same magic, the same lessons, Arle was taking them over and over again, her expression hardly changing despite the lines creasing on Accord's brow. Even though she had private lessons, it seemed like Arle wasn't learning anything new, a master of the sameness plaguing their everyday lives.

"Arle," Rulue said one day as she left school, "we need to talk."

"About what?" she asked, tucking her tomes into her bookbag.

She crossed her arms as children and teenagers scurried her. All of them would soon become much older and taller than her. Clearing her voice, she said, "This. All of this."

Arle smiled. "I know."

A shiver ran down Rulue's spin. Her eyes widened as she glanced around. Arle's admittance shocked her, her line of questioning splintering off as she tried wrapping her head around Arle's calm response.

"This is my tenth year here," she said, her shoulders sagging. "Amitie's twenty-fifth birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?"

She swallowed. "That...it is."

"What do you think she'd like? Perfume? Is that what adults like?" Arle laughed, her honeyed tone soured. "Not like I would know. I never age."

And there it was crashing down upon them. Acknowledging the truth with such ease must have sickened her as Rulue watched tears form in the corners of her eyes. How her head bowed, how she shuffled her feet, she seemed like a child being scolded.

"Arle, how long have you known this?" Rulue quietly asked.

She raised her head, her lips parting in surprise. "Is that...a serious question?" She vaguely gestured at the trees around them, the effects of fall coloring their leaves. "We've seen them all grow up, Rulue, and we haven't aged a day. Don't you know why?" Leaning forward, her expression only grew more haunted. "Have you really been living so ignorantly?"

Rulue felt like pinching her skin in hopes of waking up. Sweat beaded her brow, and she stepped backwards. Arle advanced, her bag swinging by her side, giving her the impression of an innocent schoolgirl.

"I guess-" She hummed and shook her head. "-you're the only one who didn't learn about it, huh? What Satan did."

"Darling? What did my darling do?" Rulue snapped, her fear replaced with anger.

Taking a breath, Arle held it and let the silence set between them.

Then, she told Rulue an incredible, unbelievable tale. It was filled with misery and chaos, an absolute truth meant to crush the heart.

And Arle's heart had been maimed long ago by it. Her role now, abiding by Satan's laws, without any escape or change, kept her in place. While Ringo and Maguro attended graduate school in Tokyo, while Amitie and others bettered themselves, she stayed the same just like everyone else from her world.

"You're lying," Rulue spat when she finished. "You're lying, you're lying, you're lying."

Her cold voice hardly made Arle flinch. "I'm not. Ask him yourself."

"You're lying! That's insane! You must be, too, if you believe such a-such a-such a cockamamie lie!" Rulue streaked her fingers through her hair and shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as if she could blind herself from the truth.

"You're actually doubting Satan?" Arle snickered under her breath and stepped past her. For a split second, she resembled that accursed doppelganger. Tightening her grip on her bag, she added, "Well, believe me or don't. It's the truth. Schezo, Witch, and the others, they know it, too." Giving Rulue one last glance before setting off, she asked, "Why do you think you haven't seen them hanging around Primp in so long? Easy answer. Because they don't wanna see Amitie and the others grow older than them."

Rulue sunk to her knees and listened to Arle's footsteps retreating up the path. She dug her fingers through pebbles and dirt, one her painted nails chipping. Her mind refused to cooperate, telling her it was a lie and the truth at the same time. It made sense while at the same time making no sense. It was insane and probable, a curse and a relief.

A hand gripped her shoulder and squeezed. She looked up, her long lashes blinking away tears. She stared up at Raffina, kind, strong Raffina, her dear friend, an older sister figure in her life.

"Let's go inside the school," she said, helping her stand. "I'll make you some tea in the break room. Ms. Accord won't mind."

Rulue nodded, and Raffina guided her inside, her heart heavy with enough pain to last the rest of her life.