(500 years later/ Mymoma Playhouse, Fonsa Myma on Uraya)
Cole had retreated rather early to his room. He had been no more than a guest in his own theatre this evening and his physical strength was running out fast these days. He felt like a dwindling candle burning down slowly but surely. He had taken his presents still wrapped and stolen away.
Still, it had been nice of Pyra to ask him to join their little Christmas party. It had evoked memories of better times. Times long gone. He just wished he had cherished them more there and then.
It was amazing how the tree had looked quite the same as that one those 500 years ago. Nia and Pyra singing sounded in his ears so much like Lora and Haze back then. The overall excitement about all those presents had been the same, too. The only thing missing had been Mythra's cake. Though… well, that he did not truly miss. It had been awfully dreadful.
Cole smiled at the thought, nevertheless, when someone knocked at the doorframe. He had not closed the door and Pyra was standing there, a plate in her hand.
"May I come in?"
"You may indeed", Cole replied. "Excuse me for not getting up." He felt so exhausted…
"Oh. Please, no, don't bother", Pyra said. "I just wanted to bring you some of my cake."
"Thank you", Cole said. "That is very kind of you."
Her cake looked rather delicious. It came as a surprise to him that her cooking skills obviously did not mirror Mythra's.
Pyra put down the cake in front of him. "You did not unwrap your presents?"
"Oh, I am sorry. I did not find the… time to do so." He suppressed a cough. "But why don't you sit down, and I will unwrap them right away?"
Pyra sat down on the stool Iona normally sat on. Her posture was so mannered and chaste, that it was a pleasure to look at. She was so much not Mythra in this way. It was amazing to see.
Cole unwrapped the first present. It contained ink and paper. That would surely come in handy. He always had need of things like this.
The next gift was a bottle of Herbal Elixir. Well, he could certainly use that one, too. And then there was another bottle, this one of Petronella Oil. Better not mix up those bottles, but nice that Mythra still remembered… or had it been Brighid? She had written down the recipe in her diary after all.
"Thank you", Cole said. "These are fine presents, indeed."
Pyra beamed. "I knew you would like them."
So, it had been Mythra.
"But…", Pyra went on.
"Yes?"
"There is another one, right?"
"Yes", Cole said. There was another parcel.
"This is strange", Pyra continued. "Because I am pretty sure we only had three presents for you and… well, Mythra got an extra one, too."
Cole raised one of his eyebrows inquiringly and started unwrapping the gift in question. It contained a book, obviously. He could tell from the format even before he had opened the parcel. But when he had, he stared at it just as much in disbelieve as Mythra had, when unwrapping the silk scarf.
"What is it?", Pyra asked.
"This is… 'The Aegis'", Cole whispered nearly voiceless.
"The script you wrote at the Holy Gate of Altana?", Pyra asked.
"Yes, and the location is the reason why there has been one copy of it only, ever", Cole said.
The Holy Gate of Altana had been where they had confronted Malos for the last stand. He had not had the time to make a copy. It had been the end of their journey together, and…
"During the fight", Cole explained to Pyra, uncertain whether she knew and whether Mythra had noticed at all, "my pouch fell in the heat of the battle, vanishing into the cloud sea…"
He leafed through the pages. This was a miracle. How? Who? It looked well read. Someone had taken this script and read in it more than one time, for sure.
"It fell with Malos?", Pyra asked.
The thought gave Cole the creeps. Technically speaking this was true, of course. The pouch had fallen into the cloud sea, just like Malos had.
However, just the thought of Malos having found his script at the bottom of the cloud sea, where he had fallen to…
No, but this did not make any sense. Someone like Malos would certainly not read it. He would not have kept it. What for?
But what if? Might he have given it to… Jin, maybe? Could this be a present from Jin? He knew about Christmas, too, of course.
"You think…", Cole started still confused.
"Mythra's present", Pyra said, "had a very special name tag on it."
