Another late update, but could be sooner if not for my team project being cancelled. Anyways, please enjoy Leon's unusual despair with a bit from his proposal event.
Wishes, Dreams, and Memories
Chapter 20 – Broken Promise
The tallest and oldest tower in Selphia was surrounded by dark fog, but the first Guardian didn't care as he stood at the foot of the tower. Leon saw how the tower had aged from the cracks and moss, compared to the condition when he saw it before becoming a Guardian. It wasn't just the tower, but the scenery he remembered from his time had completely changed. Everything except one thing left on the tower.
Leon didn't have his usual playful look as he looked at the door on the foot of the tower. It had many names written on the stone door in various languages, but there were only two names which had been written in the same language. Those were the names written at the top left corner of the stone door.
"Maria," Leon read one of the names before he let out a sad smile, "You were upset with me, weren't you? I still decided to become a Guardian even after I made that promise."
Leon held out a piece of worn paper with writings written in an old language, which was the same language as the two names on top were written in. He had read the paper so many times that he had memorized every word written on it, but he had to come back and read it over and over again. The more he read it, the more depressed and guilty he felt. He had to read a sort of diary of an old friend he had left behind.
Leon hadn't been an easily depressed person, but he knew that had been his most depressing moment. He had never wanted to break any promises, but he eventually did. His old precious friend, Maria, had never broken her promise to him, yet he did. He left her behind just like that when he had promised that he would marry her someday.
"So you want to go back in time?" A voice asked from Leon's head.
The male Guardian stood still, giving the voice in his head a complete silence.
"Get real, human. She will never forgive you," The voice continued, sensing more despair pilling up within the Guardian.
"Huh," Leon let out a chuckle, "Whoever you might be, you won't be able to make me feel desperate. I never regretted my decision to save my friend."
"By sacrificing the other? You do regret it and I can feel it. It's very clear to me, stupid human," The voice pointed out its opinion, "You're in deep despair, but I can help you if you want."
Leon stood in silence, knowing how true the unknown voice was. At first he never regretted the decision to become a Guardian and save Ventuswill, but his childhood friend had suddenly come into his mind in the past few days. He would claim that he would never break a promise, but he already had broken one thousands of years back. This friend of his might have been waiting for him to come back and passed on while feeling hurt and betrayed. All of her suffering as she passed on must have been his fault and his only.
"Tell me," Leon spoke up in a serious tone, "Who are you? Why can I only hear you in my head?"
"A curious one, aren't you?" The voice replied, "You were me since that day until that Earthmate came into the picture. Now, I'm simply a weak being trying to recover my strength."
"And you're the voice that I hear every night in my dreams," Leon added, "Are you the one who kept reminding me of Maria?"
"I have no interest in meddling with your human affairs," The voice scoffed, "It's you mind alone, human. At my current strength, I can't-"
"Can you…" Leon cut in, "Can you let me talk to her? Even if I'm not forgiven, at least I can apologize to her properly."
"Acting all tough but you're also melting in the inside now, aren't you?" The voice let out a mocking tone, getting an unusual angry growl from Leon.
"Very well," Leon calmed himself down before he carefully folded the piece of paper he was holding and started walking away from the tower, "I've wasted too much time here. I need to help Arthur with his latest translation."
"I can help," Leon stopped in his tracks, "if that's what you want."
"I do believe that I heard that you're not interested in human affairs," Leon talked back with his usual sly smile.
"This is an exception," The voice responded, "You're not entirely human. You fused with me before and you still have a part of me within you. Theoretically, you're a half monster."
"Well, that was quite an entertaining excuse," Leon's laid back response got him an annoyed growl.
"Fine, fine! The point is, do you want to go back to the past?" The voice asked in annoyance, "I can guarantee that you can see her in person if you can just let me heal myself here a little longer."
This might be his last chance to finally meet Maria once more. It didn't matter to him whether he would be forgiven anymore. He just wanted to apologize for leaving her to live in despair, while he woke up in a new world and lived happily. It was his decision, but one that wasn't fair for Maria's life. He had to go back but at the same time, he was already attached to the new world he woke up in.
"So, how about it?" The voice asked once more, slightly surprising the Guardian, "You don't have to do much, just leave town tomorrow night and come here. I can heal much faster then."
"Very well," Leon let out a sigh, "It doesn't sound like a boring idea."
"Good. We can come back here tomorrow-"
"I'll think about it," Leon's response cut off the voice, "I never said that I would completely agree to this, didn't I?"
"W-Well maybe…" The voice let out an angry growl, "Fine, do what you like! The deadline for your dumb human thinking is tomorrow, you hear?"
Leon let out a small chuckle, "Don't worry, it's a promise," The Guardian looked back at the names on top of the door once more, 'Wait for me, Maria. I'll be seeing you soon.'