It was a nice, cool morning. The wind brushed softly against the trees as the birds chirped and built their nests. The sun wasn't high up, covered by the clouds, giving the people a lot of shade.
A woman in white walked out of the cabin, stretching out her joints as she let the cold wind blast her. Releasing a sigh, she walked up to a wagon and dragged it into the near by forest, preparing to collect some lumber to start off her daily chores.
Picking out a decent spot, she grabbed hold of her axe and went up to the tallest tree within the area. Twirling around the tool, she grunted and deftly sliced it down into numerous logs with one stroke. The woman carried each one back with her to the wagon, dropping it in before going back to repeat the process.
A few minutes later, and she finished. The woman let out a sigh of relief and wiped off the drip of sweat on her forehead as she dragged the full wagon back to the cabin in order to cut them up some more.
A stocky old man chuckled as he walked out and into the patio, placing down a pot of tea and two cups. He poured in both cups and took one, lightly blowing it before taking a sip. He leaned into his lawn chair and propped up his feet, basking in the calm and cold wind. He looked over to the blonde cutting down the logs of wood and gestured to the other cup of tea.
"Hey, Jeanne! Why don't you take a bit of a break? It's a nice time to relax, don't you think?"
The blonde grunted and brought down the axe onto the log and split it into two. She breathed out a sigh and nodded in agreement to his suggestion. She set the axe aside and walked up the old man to grab the other cup. Sitting down right next to him, she took a whiff of the scent of the tea and smiled.
"White jasmine. Thank you, Mr. Raziel."
"Heheh. It's nothing compared to what you've been doing for me, you know? You're an angel, Jeanne. Don't ever forget that." The old man complimented.
Jeanne flashed him a polite smile as she sipped her tea to hide her frown. She looked over to the side, watching as the trees danced to the wind while the birds chirped. It's been nearly two years since her near-death experience against the angel that attacked her and Vergil in Fortuna.
She fully expected to die that day, and yet, she instead found herself reforming within a forest just near-by Mistral City. She was confused but decided not to question on her good fortune. That day, she met Mr. Raziel, the kind old man who came across her during his nature walk, and tended to her wounds.
Jeanne felt indebted to him and decided to help him out with whatever he needed, whether it be housework, getting some firewood, shopping out for groceries, and even doing some odd jobs. Raziel took it all in stride and always thanked her with a smile of gratitude for everything.
Sighing, the Nephilim shook it off and just focused on finishing her tea so she could get back to chopping up wood. She still needed to make breakfast, after all.
Raziel sighed in satisfaction and set down his cup onto the table. "Simply wonderful." He pushed himself up, straightening himself out. "Well, I gotta get going before it starts to rain. I'll be making my rounds in town. It'll probably take me until the afternoon. Don't wait for me, alright?"
Jeanne smiled at the kind man and nodded, bidding farewell and the best of luck. The Nephilim poured herself another cup, concurring with his suggestion to just take it easy. She leaned backward and sighed deeply, quietly sipping her tea, enjoying the serene sound of silence.
Setting down her cup, the blonde went back into the humble home to check up on their supplies. Opening the fridge, a light frown creased her lips as she saw that they were running low.
"I suppose it's time to make a run to the market."
Jeanne hummed to herself as she picked amongst the stack of apples, ascertaining which of them was the freshest. She grabbed about a dozen and paid for them. Nodding in gratitude at the stall owner, she walked off to where poultry was being sold.
As she approached her destination, Jeanne hummed to herself, wondering what to cook for breakfast. "I could just go for a simple pancake with a mixed bowl of fruit. Hmm. Maybe a vegetable omelette and some nuts? Or how about the classic eggs and bacon?"
With her mind elsewhere, Jeanne didn't pay attention to where was she was going and bumped into someone, causing them to fall down. The blonde blinked and looked down to see what she has caused, a young girl about four years younger than her was on the ground with some fruits sprawled over the ground. She had the decency to look sheepish and quickly swooped in to help her pick up her stuff.
"I'm sorry about that. I was not paying attention to where I was going." She apologized while the girl recovered.
"I-It's okay. I didn't get hurt, or anything. I was in a hurry, anyway."
Jeanne smiled in relief at that. She managed to get all of her fruit into the bag and handed over to the girl. The girl looked up and their eyes met. Shock overcame Jeanne as she stared into the girl's eyes. It was the same shade as hers. She looked beyond that and moved to her face, and was beyond surprised.
"A-A-Aurora?" The words faintly left her lips, as if afraid that just saying it would break everything around her to reveal an illusion.
The girl's expression curled into a scowl and shoved her away while she turned and ran. Jeanne was still in shock for a short few seconds before she finally snapped out of it. Scrambling to follow after the girl, she pushed herself up and went after her.
"Aurora, wait!"
Jeanne didn't stop, having only one goal in mind as she shoved anyone that was in her way. She stayed hot on the girl's trail, ignoring all of her shouts and screams of anger to stay away from her.
"Please, wait! I just need to know something!" she insisted, her tone full of pleading.
Alas, the girl just repeated her earlier words, laced with disdain and loathing. "Stay away from me!"
Jeanne felt a pang of pain strike at her heart. If this girl was indeed her sister, then why did she seem so…hateful towards her? Within minutes, the girl ended up running into a dead end, allowing Jeanne to finally confront her.
The Nephilim slowly walked up to girl, hope blossoming inside of her as she reached out. "Aurora? Is it really you?" Her voice was almost faint, like a whisper. It was like she couldn't trust herself to speak loudly.
The girl slapped her hand away, eyes morphed into a scathing glare. "Yes. It's me."
Jeanne looked delighted, but also confused. Where was this hate coming from? "Aurora? What's wrong?"
Aurora's face, along with her tone increasingly grew angry as she marched up to the blonde. "What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?! Well I don't know! You tell me, sister. You abandoned me! You left me behind when I needed you most. But now, I don't. So, do you seriously think can just waltz back into my life?!"
The older Nephilim couldn't help but wince at how venomous her tone was. But she couldn't let her continue. She needed to explain to Aurora why she did what she did, and she wasn't going to let her sister out of her sight ever again.
"Aurora, I-"
"No, no! Zip it! I don't want to hear your excuses! It was clear that you didn't even care about me! You didn't hesitate to dump me in that orphanage!" Aurora looked down, tears pricking her eyes. "I… I thought we were supposed to look after each other. I thought we were supposed to get through this together. Because that's what sisters are supposed to do. I guess you had other plans."
Bitterness spread across her expression, looking away from her sister. Jeanne tried to explain herself once again, only to be interrupted as what seemed to be a butler arrived. Jeanne felt her skin crawl at his presence, her instincts flaring to run away. She instead, however, pushed it back down as the butler nodded at Aurora.
"Ah. Master Brillant. I've been looking for you. Your parents are expecting you back at the mansion. It's time to go home."
Aurora sighed and gave him a small smile, nodding. "Noted. Mind waiting for me back in the car? I'm just finishing up here."
The butler bowed to his charge and walked off, leaving behind the sisters. The younger Nephilim lost her glare and just stared at her sister apathetically.
"I've lost count of how many times I cried every time I go to bed. For you to come back and hug me to sleep, that you'll take me away and so we can be a family again. I stopped hoping once I got an actual family. I hate you, Jeanne. I don't want to ever see you again."
Having said her piece, Aurora stalked off and left behind Jeanne. The older Nephilim slowly fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't stop herself from crying and simply laid against the wall and sobbed out her frustrations. Why didn't she say anything?! Why didn't she explain herself? That she left was so she could be more powerful and be confident that she could protect her little sister.
Was her quest for power all for naught? All of her training? All of her experience? Were they just for nothing now?
To make matters worst, rain began heavily pouring down, making her mood even more dour than it already had been. Jeanne could only sit there and hug herself as she kept whispering to no one in particular.
"I'm sorry…"
Raziel pushed open the door to his house, shucking off the jacket he wore. He threw it right into a coat rack and stretched out his joints, yawning a bit as he smacked his lips to keep himself awake. His brows raised up upon seeing Jeanne slumped against the wall, dripping wet from the rain.
The expression on his face quickly shifted to concern. The elderly man walked up to the blonde and wrapped a towel around her. "You're completely soaked to the bone! Come on, let's get you out of those clothes and get you into something warmer before you catch a cold."
Unfortunately, she didn't even seem to care, forcing Raziel to drag her up to the bathroom. He sighed as he made her sit down while he prepared the bath, filling it hot water. He looked back over and couldn't help but frown in worry as he spotted her eyes looking very dull.
Stopping the flow of the water, Raziel knelt down and looked at the blonde with a questioning gaze.
"What happened?" he simply asked. "You weren't like this when I went out. You know, you can tell me anything that's bothering you."
The two of them sat there in agonizing silence before Jeanne finally found the strength to speak. She slightly lifted up her head, if only to face the man that's been taking care of her.
"I finally found my sister…"
Normally, Raziel would've been elated for her to hear that she finally found her sister, but considering the condition he found her in, he figured that something unpleasant happened.
"I'm guessing it wasn't the reunion you were hoping for, huh?"
Jeanne shook her head, tears pricking her eyes as Aurora's words seem to continuously echo in her head. She tried hard not to choke on her words as she repeated everything that was said to her just a few hours ago.
Raziel remained silent, allowing Jeanne to continue so she could let it all out.
"I… I just don't know what to do anymore. I dedicated my life to training and getting more powerful so I can better protect my sister. But she hates me, and I didn't even get a chance to explain myself. Was everything I did just for nothing?"
The stocky old man whacked her over the back of the head, his visage twisting into a stern and scolding expression.
"Of course not! Why the hell would you think that? And why are you being so mopey?" His features softened, as did his voice. "Your sister's just angry and bitter. Anyone in her position would be. It's been bottling up for years, and meeting you was what made her pop."
Jeanne rubbed the back of her head, looking at Raziel in confusion before her eyes widened by a fraction. "Are you suggesting…that there's still a chance I can reconcile with my sister?"
"Exactly." He confirmed. "But I suggest you let her cool off a bit before trying to approach her again. The Brillant family is pretty influential, or so I've heard, and they won't let anyone come close to their heiress. You'll have to catch her while she's out, or go directly to their estate and try to see if she's willing to talk."
She thought it over, considering every aspect of the idea. Seeing no downside to it, a small smile made itself over Jeanne's lips. She nodded at Raziel, appearing very grateful.
"Thank you, Mr. Raziel."
The man just laughed jovially and patted her on the head. Pushing himself up, he nodded at the blonde and left to give her some privacy. Finally finding the motivation to do so, Jeanne peeled off her damp clothes and lowered herself into the bathtub. She hummed in pleasure as soon as the hot water made contact with her skin.
The Nephilim stared at the ceiling, mind abuzz as she contemplated on what to do once she went off to go and meet her sister once again. Then, an idea struck her. Something food related. She just hoped her plan would work.
Aurora groaned, burying her face into her textbook for the umpteenth time. "Tell me again, why do I have to read about the Great War? What does this have to do with me inheriting the company?"
Her butler simply pushed up his spectacles and answered his charge. "Better to learn from the mistakes of the past, instead of repeating the same actions that drove many to war. I suppose that's what your parents are aiming for?"
The young girl just sighed and pushed herself up, not really having that much of a choice, and went back to reading. She was always more of an adventuring type of, preferring to explore and discover the world. Still, reading and staying in wasn't too bad. She got to read so many interesting and awesome stories, thanks in part to the books inside the library.
A fond smile crawled its way up Aurora's lips at the thought of her adoptive parents. They could've chosen anyone at the orphanage and they chose her. They gave her a home, three square meals and the love and affectionate she desperately craved. They showered her with it, even.
But still, it didn't do anything to the hole in her heart, thanks to Jeanne leaving her behind. The young lady's mood turned dour as she recalled her earlier encounter with her elder sister. Her feelings about her was…mixed, to say the least. A large part of her despised Jeanne for abandoning her without so much as a word, but another part of her that she didn't want to admit greatly missed her sister and would've gladly welcomed her back in her life.
Sighing, Aurora thought to herself, maybe she was a bit too harsh on her sister. Maybe she overreacted and exaggerated her bitter feelings toward her. Maybe… she should let her explain herself and then make a decision on what she should do.
A maid knocked gently on the door as she stuck her head inside to inform Aurora that her adoptive parents requested that she head down to the dining room for dinner. The blonde smiled and closed the book, pushing herself out the chair and rushing out the door to go eat.
Her butler stayed behind. He grunted and pushed up his glasses, causing it to gleam. "The clock continues to tick. The dawn approaches."
The very next day
Raziel tilted his head in confusion, looking at the dessert that Jeanne had just finished boxing up. "Banana cream pie? Are you sure that your sister would love this?"
"Positive." confirmed the blonde. "Our father brought this home from work every time, and Aurora always gobbled it up in seconds. I'm hoping she'll accept it as a peace offering so I can get to talk to her."
"Well, you won't know if you try." Raziel said. Giving her an encouraging smile, the old man patted her on the shoulder and bid her the best of luck. "I hope you can get to reconcile with your sister, Jeanne."
The Nephilim smiled back and bowed to him. "Thank you, Mr. Raziel. I'll certainly do my best."
Grabbing her gift, Jeanne headed out and rushed towards the Brillant family mansion. She really hoped that she can mend the bridge with Aurora. She never meant her to hurt her, or abandon her. She just didn't feel capable enough of protecting her, and went off to get stronger. For her sake.
Stopping at a red light, the blonde looked around, making sure she was going in the right direction. "There's that convenience store. I just need to run up a few more blocks then, take two lefts, then a right, and I should be there…"
Once the light turned green, Jeanne hurried on over to the sidewalk and quickened her steps to get to her destination.
At the Brillant Mansion
Aurora yawned as she got up and stretched her limbs. She smacked her lips together while he rubbed her eyes to try and get the drowsiness out. She lazily got out of bed and slipped into her slippers to get some breakfast.
As she walked along the hallway, she began to notice that there wasn't any of the servants to greet her, nor were there any to tell that breakfast was ready. At least, until her personal butler approached her with a bow.
"My apologies, mistress. Your parents aren't feeling well and have said that they won't be able to join you for breakfast."
Aurora frowned at this. "They were just fine last night, though! Come on, it's probably just a cold. Tell them to come down and eat with me, okay?"
The butler seemed to weigh his options, whether or not to obey her. He nodded and bowed once again, telling Aurora that he'll see to it that they get the message. The blonde smiled and thanked him as she proceeded to the dining room.
Suddenly, that feeling of confusion began to sleep into her once again. She had yet to come across any of the maids, or, really, any servants of the Brillant family. So far, it's been only her butler. Aurora shrugged it off, chalking it to most of them probably on an errand to get some medicine for her parents.
She sat down and patiently waited for her adoptive parents to come down and eat with her. Aurora hummed a tune and entertained herself to pass the time. Ten minutes went by, and still, there were no signs of her parents. Rolling her eyes, she pushed herself off the chair and ascended back the stairs to go to their room.
"They're probably being worrywarts I'll get sick too, or something. Come on, they were perfectly healthy last night. It's just a cold or something. It can't be that bad."
She reached the door and was about to knock on it, until she noticed that it was slightly ajar. Aurora shrugged and pushed it open without prompt. "Mom, dad, can't you guys come do-"
Her words died in her lips while her eyes shot open in pure fear. Her adoptive parents' bedroom was completely torn apart and ravaged. Every piece of furniture was either thrown in disorder or broken into pieces. Aurora felt her body tremble in fear as her eyes roamed around the ruined room.
"M-Mom? D-Dad?"
Aurora walked forward and stepped into something wet and warm. The blonde shivered and hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. She slowly looked down and her fears heightened as she saw a large puddle of blood, trailing over to the broken bed...where she saw two different arms sticking out from under it. The young girl let out a bloodcurdling scream and rushed out of the room.
She didn't get far, as she bumped into something. Aurora looked up and saw what looked like one of the maids, except her entire body was unnaturally pale, bits of her body was covered in scabs and her eyes were bright red. The zombie let out an ear-grating shriek and pounced the blonde.
Aurora managed to scramble herself up and get out of the way just as soon as the zombie smacked into the floor. She ran at a brisk pace, not daring to look behind her to check if it was chasing after her. A horrified gasp left her body as she stopped in her tracks and froze in complete fear. The house servants all stumbled out into view, moaning in a mixture of agony and anger.
"W-what the heck is happening?" she whispered to herself, unable to stop quivering in fear as the zombies limped towards her ever so slowly with their beady red eyes.
How did her adoptive parents die? How did the house servants all get turned into zombies? What did she do to deserve this?! The only thing she could do was scream.
Jeanne came to a stop right in front to the gates of the mansion, and immediately, she felt something was off just with how the gates were carelessly left open and that there were no guards standing by.
"Odd. Mr. Raziel said the Brillant family was an influential sorts, like the Schnees. Aren't they too lax on security?" she mused out loud.
A terrified scream for help grabbed the blonde's attention as she realized who that voice belonged to. "Aurora?! Don't tell me!"
Without even a second thought, she charged forward with the intent of saving her sister. Jeanne burst through the front doors and was met with about five zombies who blocked her path. She said nothing and simply cracked her knuckles, preparing to fight.
The first one shrieked and lumbered forward, attempting to claw her face. The Nephilim grunted and parried the attack, spinning it around and hitting it in the back of the head with an elbow strike that was powerful enough to obliterate the head. She grabbed the headless corpse and threw it over one of the zombies, trapping it under it.
The remaining three pounced as one and she swerved to the right, letting them fall. She looked over and saw a coffee table placed there. Grabbing it, Jeanne ran toward the pile and smashed the thing to splinters, killing the zombies.
The blonde quickly ascended the stairs, calling out to her sister as she scoured the halls. "Aurora! Aurora, where are you?!"
She stopped in her tracks, as another group of zombies blocked her path. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Jeanne summoned Uri to her side and drew its blade as she zipped forward, already in the process of sliding it back in its sheath. With a resounding click, the zombies fell into a heap of parts, allowing her to proceed further.
More zombies continued to sprout from seemingly out of nowhere, leaving her no other choice but to cut them down and continue on, calling out to her sister with every step she made. Soon, she managed to locate where she was and kicked down the door to see Aurora crumpled over in an unconscious state.
Jeanne quickly approached her, only to be met with a surprise attack. A web of electricity sprung from out of nowhere and wrapped around her. The blonde screamed in pain as she was constantly shocked. The web disappeared, letting her fall down in a heap as she tried to recover.
"How predictable of you…"
A pair of silver eyes widened in fear, hearing that baritone voice. The butler revealed himself, sneering at Jeanne. Grabbing hold of his outfit, he ripped it off his person and revealed the angel she had fought in Fortuna. She immediately grew horrified at the implication of his presence.
"Y-You…! If you're here, then that means Vergil- "
The angel grunted, scowling in displeasure at his defeat at the hands of Vergil. "The Son of Sparda defeated me. Cut off my head, as well." His scowl was then replaced with a grin at her confusion. "You're wondering how I'm still alive then, aren't you? Or how you managed to survive, even though I stabbed you right in the heart while you were weak."
He shrugged uncaringly, before deciding to explain. "It's simply something that has existed ever since the formation of angels. We're granted a second life after our deaths. Like a video game, we simply respawn. That's how you're still alive. But that's it. From this point on, there are no continues."
The angel chuckled. Raising his hand, a pillar of light flashed against it and his sword flickered around it. He swiftly pulled it out and tossed aside its scabbard as he raised it into the air.
"It's the end of the line for you. I'm killing you right here and now. Once I claim your soul, your sister is next, and I, Azrael, will rebuild the angel race and rule over it to it's former glory! Time to die, Jeanne Arc!"
He grinned manically and brought down his sword. Jeanne managed to snap out of her bindings and unfurled her wings to defend herself. The blade struck against the hardened feathers and made a resounding clang with sparks flying across.
MAD ANGEL OF DEATH
Azrael
Jeanne grunted, shoving him off with her wings before kicking him away on the stomach, making him keel over. She steadily pushed herself up as her body healed itself up from her burns and shocks.
Azrael sneered at the blonde, brandishing his blade and didn't wait for her to make the next move. He raced forward and dealt a flurry of cuts to her chest, ending his attack with a downward slash that pushed her against the wall. Jeanne looked up and saw the angel leap towards her with a mad grin.
She rolled over to the side, narrowly avoiding his blade as it got stuck in the wall. The blonde was quick to take advantage and grabbed what was the nearest object within her vicinity – an armchair.
The Nephilim lifted it up without much effort and smashed the furniture over Azrael's head, slamming him down. Before he could recover, Jeanne roared and continuously bashed him over the head until the chair broke into pieces, blood splattering everywhere.
Azrael growled and got back up on his feet, deciding to forego his sword and switch to hand-to-hand. He adopted a boxing stance and dashed forward, delivering a barrage of right and left hooks. Jeanne raised up her guard, doing her best to defend against his onslaught of attacks. She was taken by surprise by the sudden right uppercut, causing her to stagger. Azrael swept her off her feet then slammed his heel on her head with a crunch, breaking her nose.
He backed off, avoiding her wings as she pushed herself up. She cursed herself for not ever refining her fighting styles and only focused on her weapon mastery. Still, she had her monstrous strength…
Jeanne cracked her knuckles and loosened her stance. With a grunt, she performed a flurry of punches that forced Azrael to block. His defense faltered with another blow, allowing for her to grab him by the neck. She showed no mercy and slammed him against the wall, hitting the back of his head with an elbow strike. Azrael didn't even manage to get up as Jeanne dug her fist into his face.
The blonde backed away, evading his legs as he tried to sweep her while he recovered. Azrael hopped back on his feet and swerved to the right and threw a left hook. Jeanne moved to her left, before being met with the angel's right fist, who quickly followed it up with a jab to her stomach, forcing the air out of her lungs and leaving her vulnerable while he dealt a vicious cycle of alternating hooks. The angel gave her no room to counter, striking her right in the ribs with a hook kick.
Jeanne pushed herself, already recovering. She sprinted forward, ignoring all pain as she lifted herself off the ground and grabbed him by the shoulders. She reared back her head and slammed it against his, bringing him down as she followed it up with another headbutt. Azrael growled and met it with his own, discombobulating Jeanne.
Unbeknownst to them, Aurora slowly regained consciousness. The young blonde softly groaned, pushing herself off the floor as she tried to recall what happened. It all came crashing down on her from finding her family dead to her butler being an angel in disguise that wanted to kill her.
She didn't get the time to process this all as the on-going battle grabbed her attention. She saw Jeanne on her knees and was about to be killed by her butler. Looking to her left, she saw a katana on the floor. Aurora rushed over to the blade and tossed it to her sister.
"Jeanne!"
The older Nephilim looked up and saw Uri sailing towards her. She took hold of her sword and blocked Azrael's strike, pushing him off. The two traded blows before they ended up locking blades as they both tried to push the other off. Jeanne managed to win the struggle and cut up his chest.
Deciding to just end things now, she whisked towards him and impaled her blade into his gut, dragging it up to his heart. The blonde harshly ripped it out and stabbed him right in the head, making Azrael draw his final breath.
Jeanne sighed in relief and fell back to catch her breath. Aurora ran up to her sister and threw herself into her.
"Jeanne! A-are you alright?"
Of course, she was taken aback by how her sister talked to her. Nonetheless, she didn't look at the gift horse's mouth and nodded.
"Yeah… I'm fine, but what about you? Are you hurt? Did that bastard hurt you?"
Aurora shook her head, making Jeanne smile. Before she could utter another word, Azrael revealed himself to still be breathing and pushed off the katana that was in his skull.
"You really are your mother's daughter… But if you think this is the end, you're sadly mistaken." He gave Jeanne a mocking grin as he struggled to stand. "Mr. and Mrs. Brilliant are dead, along with their many servants. Try to do the math yourself... I'll be back. Until then, good luck rotting in prison."
Azrael'e eyes rolled over the back of his head before he fell down in a heap and finally dispersed into balls of light. Right outside the mansion, multiple police officers and Hunters mobilizing and prepping to go right inside. Jeanne finally realized what Azrael meant. He had called the authorities beforehand, and they would believe that she had done the deed of murdering the two.
"We need to get out of here. Now." Jeanne said, not really giving her sister any say as she scooped her up and flew through the back, just in the nick of time as many men kicked down the door and barged right in.
Jeanne had brought Aurora to Raziel's cabin and promptly explained everything to the surprised man as to what happened. The blonde sighed, bowing her head at him with an apologetic look.
"I'm really sorry about this, Mr. Raziel…"
The elder man waved off Jeanne's apology, not really minding. "It's fine. We still got quite a bit of space in here anyway. Why don't the two of you get cleaned up? You both look like you need a good scrubbing."
Jeanne nodded in agreement. She led Aurora over to the bathroom and readied the water while the younger Nephilim took off her bloodstained clothes as she finally got the time to process everything. Once again, she lost her family and her home was ruined. She was betrayed by someone she'd like to call a friend. She idly watched her sister pour in some soap into the water. Aurora decided that she needed to have this talk now, and spoke up.
"Hey, sis… Can we talk?"
Jeanne looked over shoulder, looking at the younger blonde with a curious glance. Aurora awkwardly rubbed her wrist, not really knowing what to say or do, so she just spoke out her mind.
"I hated you… For most of my life, I had nothing but disdain for you since the day you left me at the orphanage. Every day, I wondered. Why? Why did you just leave me? Why couldn't you have taken me with you to wherever you where going? Why did you never tell me?!"
"…because I felt I wouldn't have been able to protect you." Jeanne answered. She turned off the water and fully faced her sister. "The day our parents died; I could only think of one thing – what if it happened again? I barely knew how to fight. That's why I thought that leaving you at an orphanage would be the safest bet."
Jeanne knelt down and pulled her sister in for a hug, her voice growing softer. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I didn't think of how you felt, I just… I didn't want to lose you too. That's why I went away. To become more powerful. To get stronger until I was confident enough that I could fight anything that would endanger your life! I'm sorry I left you… will you ever forgive me?"
Aurora kept silent, processing her sister's words. Then, she made her decision. The younger blonde reciprocated the hug, nodding tearfully. "Yes… I just wanted my sister back. I missed her."
Jeanne couldn't hold back her own tears as the hug grew tighter. "I'm here now. We won't ever be separated ever again. I'll be there to protect you, I won't fail this time."
And I'm back!... Kind of. I'm so sorry, I've just been so preoccupied with my school works, and also the gacha games I've been playing. Those are also factors that have kept me from writing, siphoning my motivation.
I plan to get out, at least, four more chapters for Chronicles before I get back to the main story and finally continue where I left off. I already got most of it written, so hopefully, it won't take long. Thank you for continuing to tune in, everybody. Have a lovely day.