Chapter 85: Farewell is only the Beginning
It was a night like any other, identical to the past hundred nights in this forgotten place. Under the tender caress of the moon, selenias slowly opened their petals to gleam like stars against the deep green carpet in which they laid. The flowers' pollen glowed in the night air, dancing like fireflies across the secluded valley. Only a whisper differentiated this night from any other, making it stand out from the endless twilights to come.
A single boy stood among the flowers, his golden-crimson hair tossed about behind him, mingling with the night's gentle wind. The white coat draping over his shoulders shone silver like the selenias at his feet, broken only by the black scarf about his neck and tattered cape that fell down his back.
Alone he watched the waves as they played with the moonlight, bathing the overgrown ruins whose silhouette cast shadows over the valley's edge. The once pristine white marble stood weathered, its surface yellowing under the pressure of the elements. Moss clung to the stone surfaces and plants grew aplenty from the degraded structure. It was a testament to the passage of time, merciless, even to those unaware of it.
The boy sighed and as if sensing his emotions, a breeze picked up off the water. The cool caress flowed over the redhead and it struck him how long it had been since he'd felt such a thing. It had been a long time since he had felt the wind, since he had looked upon the stars or listened to waves lapping at the shore. For a brief moment he allowed himself to drown in his senses, allowed himself to be enraptured by the peaceful world surrounding him... to be consumed by the feeling of being alive.
He didn't think it possible to forget the feel of the grass beneath his feet or the scent of the sea air, but the nostalgia of all these things flooded him. So many feelings, so many sensations... it was almost disorienting. Everything that had happened before this moment blurred into a single existence that seemed to stretch out over infinity. Just how long had it been? One year? Five? Ten? A hundred? The flowers had no answer for him.
Here in this secluded place, time was frozen; a concept with no meaning or purpose save to mark the cycle of the blossoms. From here one could watch eternity and be content; the world seemed at peace. There was none of the uncertainty that haunted his memories, none of the burdens, the fear, the sorrow that had once lingered at the back of his mind, just serenity that flowed from the calm of night. It might only be in this valley that he would find such reprieve; beyond its confines he may find turmoil, he may have to face the reality of time's passage, confront the warring memories at the back of his mind. He knew he may have to accept the extent of the sacrifice he had made, but that was a challenge he would accept head on. He was ready to face life again.
The melody was soft at first, carried gently on the evening wind, its sound danced in the valley's peace. Swirling around the boy, the familiar notes rose until their tones could have carried him forward.
Go.
The redhead smiled, turning his back on the fading past and took his first step forward.
She's calling you.
Tear let the last note of her song quiver as it died, carried away into the silent night. Even as she watched it vanish into the silver moon, she could tell there was no power behind the melody anymore. The Grand Fonic Hymn no longer carried the weight she'd once felt when invoking it. Lorelei's pact with Yulia was gone, completed when the being had been set free, but that wasn't why she sang these notes. She sang the fonic hymn because it was that song that Luke had always loved, that he had always asked her to sing. So she would sing for him. She would come and sing for him as often as she was allowed. She had come faithfully for the past two years, and she would keep coming until the day her legs would no longer carry her.
In the ensuing silence Tear waited. What she was waiting for... even the melodist wasn't sure, but she waited none-the-less. Some sign that her voice had reached him somehow, that her music had made him smile as it always had. Anything... she would be satisfied with anything... but still she waited, alone in a valley of memories she could never escape. Somehow in the past two years... the world had kept turning. The world had moved on, leaving her behind, trapping her in the moment Luke and Asch had disappeared. She hadn't moved forward since that day; even though she knew Luke would be ashamed of her... she just couldn't turn her back. No matter how hard she tried to go on, she kept finding herself back here, waiting for a sign that would never come.
Tear couldn't help but wonder what had ever happened to Luke and Asch after they'd parted ways. Had their fonons really separated? Had they really vanished from the world completely, taking that smile of theirs to the end? She couldn't accept that. No matter how many times Jade had explained their condition to her, explained how they had kept it hidden... how Luke had wanted her to smile until the end, she couldn't accept it! She knew Luke wanted her to be happy... she knew he had sacrificed everything so that she could live in this beautiful new world they'd created... and that thought left the melodist in shambles.
Could she really live like he had wanted her to? Could she keep smiling trapped in the past like this?
"Surely you don't intend to sing it only once." A voice interrupted Tear's thoughts.
"Natalia," Tear spoke up, surprised to find she wasn't alone in the valley. The princess stood to Tear's side, her violet dress cutting through the green vegetation surrounding them. Her blonde hair was bound, though it showed signs of being tussled. In her arms a little blue cheagle grinned cheerfully.
"Please sing it again Tear!" Mieu chirped.
"I think we'd all love to hear it again," a third voice came from behind her.
Turning around, Tear found all of her companions standing behind her. Guy, Anise... even Jade had made the trip here. Why?
Then the thought struck Tear, the reason all her friends seemed to be dressed formally. Today was Asch's birthday... the day a ceremony was held in front of graves Tear had never seen. Tear had refused to attend the yearly ceremonies dedicated to the twins. It didn't matter how often she was invited, she would never go to Baticul to see their graves. To go was to acknowledge everything that monument entailed and Tear simply couldn't bring herself to accept that they were truly dead. She knew she wasn't the only one, knew that deep down all of them felt the same way. Perhaps that was why they had all left early, perhaps that was why they all found themselves here, just as they had the previous year. Tear bit back her emotions. How many more years would they be coming here like this?
"What if..." Tear began hesitantly. "What if they never-"
"They will," Natalia replied instantly.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I have faith in the words Asch said to me... and I believe in the promise Luke made to you as well," she replied. "It may take them awhile, but they will definitely return to us."
"Natalia's right," Guy spoke up. "They promised us they'd come back and I'm not letting them get out of it that easily. Besides, I wouldn't make a very good friend if I let them break their word like that, now would I?"
"I'll always wait for Master!" Mieu piped up. "I promised Master that I would take care of everyone while he was gone and I'm going to keep my promise too!"
"Those two were the definition of stubborn," Anise declared. "They're the ones who taught me not to give up no matter how hopeless things seemed, so there is no way they would just up and quit on us like that."
"Well, we've accomplished greater things flying on blind faith alone," Jade said with a shrug. "I don't see much point in quitting now."
"Everyone..."
"What do you say Tear?" Guy asked. "One more time?"
Tear felt a smile spread across her face.
"I'd be happy to."
Luke...
"Twei Rei Tsuae Croix Ryo Twei Tsuae,"
I don't know if you can hear me... I don't know if this song reaches your ears, but these feelings, our feelings... I hope they reach your heart. Wherever you are... I want you to know I'm not going to live in the past anymore. I'm going to smile... just like you wanted me to.
"Croix Ryo Tsuae Twei Ryo Rei Nevu Ryo Tsuae,"
It's been so hard without you here... so hard to wake up each day knowing that I won't see your smiling face, I won't hear you laugh or feel your light. I miss you, and some days it's almost unbearable, but I won't give up. I will keep moving forward.
"Va Rei Zaei Twei Nevu Tsuae Ryo Tsuae Croix,"
Because I still love you.
"Ryo Rei Croix Ryo Tsuae Rei Va Tsuae Rei,"
The world is beautiful again... the places and people that you loved so much are at peace. Everything is how you dreamed. The world you loved, that you sacrificed yourself for is finally as you wanted it to be.
"Va Nevu Va Rei Va Nevu Va Tsuae Rei,"
I hope wherever you are... that you're happy. That you're watching over us and smiling... and that you're proud of what you accomplished. As long as you're satisfied... I know that my heart can start moving forward.
"Croix Ryo Croix Nevu Tsuae Rei Croix Ryo Tsuae Rei Va,"
Even so... I will never give up on the hope you left me. No matter how many years pass, no matter how often this song is carried off on an empty wind, I will wait for you... I will sing for you...
"Rei Va Nevu Croix Twei Rei Rei"
Until the day we're together again.
A tear slipped unbidden down the melodist's cheek as the last note of her song faded into the night, swallowed by the stars that watched over them.
A breeze picked, up rustling the grasses at Tear's feet, tossing her tan hair across her eyes as she watched the flowers beneath her sway in time with the wind. No one said a word, entranced by the silence that wrapped itself around them, leaving Tear to lose herself in the sounds of the night.
It was so silent that she didn't even perceive it, blending flawlessly into the surrounding noises it was just another part of the world Tear had tuned out. Staring at the flowers that now stood still at her feet, the sound of the grass took a moment to register in the absence of the wind. Then ever so faintly, footsteps discerned themselves and all Tear could hear was the sound of her heartbeat.
Looking up, a single figure cut through the moonlight. His white jacket swayed behind him as he moved forward, tussling the scarf that wrapped around his neck. The moon cast a shadow on his face, hiding his eyes and masking any expression that lay there. Jumping up from the rock on which she'd sat, Tear ran a few paces before stopping, paralyzed with an overwhelming flood of hesitation. What if... The stranger stopped a few feet from where she stood, looking up to reveal a set of achingly familiar green eyes.
Yet, this was not entirely the boy Tear remembered, that danced carefree through her memories. He was taller than Luke had been, and if possible his hair was an even deeper red. While it was the same length as before, the pieces along the side tapered at his chin, framing a face that despite its soft smile, had an air of seriousness to it that seemed foreign.
Behind her, Tear could feel the same tension, the same air of hesitation from her friends, the atmosphere only fuelling the squall of emotions that flooded her chest. Two years of yearning, of wanting to see Luke again more than anything collided with the uncertainty that the person before her presented. Her heart screamed at her to run into his arms while her mind feared the answer to the question before her in ways she couldn't fathom. Why was he alone? Why... why was there only one of them? And which... Tear knew she couldn't handle the possibility that she was wrong.
"W- why are you..." Tear began.
"I like this place, it's peaceful here. Besides... I made a promise to someone," the boy replied, his voice mixing Luke's youthful tones with the serious accents she knew from Asch. He smiled gently.
Tear's inner wills collided again, and the mention of his promise fuelling both her desire and her fear. She just... she couldn't bring herself to ask. To dare inquire which of the boys they had treasured so dearly stood before them.
"Who..." Anise was the one to finally muster her courage. "Who are you? Are you Asch... or are you Luke?"
"All this time, and you still can't tell us apart?"
Everyone flew around as a second voice erupted from behind them. The boy they found there was identical to the first in every way, from the way his hair was styled, to its deep red tones. The voice that escaped him carried the same intonations all while wearing the same gentle, yet almost playful expression. Even the clothes they wore were identical, but with the appearance of this second person, every bit of the hesitancy that hung in the air vanished.
"Asch!" Natalia landed in the second boy's arms, trapping him in her embrace while burying her tears in his black shirt. "I knew you'd come back. I knew you'd return to us!"
The boy sighed and with a smile leaned it.
"I'm Luke," he whispered into her ear. Natalia shook her head, her voice still shaking from the tears of joy that spilled forth.
"You are not, you liar."
Asch smiled, holding her in return. "You've become better at this than I thought."
"So," Jade said, a warm expression dawning his face as he turned back to the first redhead. "Have we passed your test, Luke?"
The seriousness melted away from his expression and he simply smiled, radiating with a light that could have chased away the night.
Tear ran, her legs trailing behind the heart that spurred her forward. She hesitated one last moment, the spilt second before her hands reached him she feared that this illusion would vanish. That she would wake from this dream like she had all the others before it, finding herself alone in her bed with nothing but a broken heart to keep her company.
Luke's warmth flooded her, wiping away such inconsequential thoughts. Her doubts, her fears, her weaknesses, they all melted away under the strength of his support against her. Collapsing into his arms, she wrapped herself around his chest, pulling him so close she could feel his breath against her neck.
"You're... you're really back," Tear managed to choke out through the mixture of relief and euphoria that flooded her. "You came back to me."
"Of course I did," Luke voice sent tears flooding down her face. "I promised you, didn't I? I'm sorry it took so long-"
Whatever words Luke had been about to say were lost as Tear pressed her lips against his and he wrapped his arms around her in return. The future had many paths; many possibilities. Perhaps she could have conquered them on her own, she did have that strength, she knew that now, but in the same breath she also knew that she didn't want to. Here, now, she had finally embraced her future, and her world began turning.
It would be the first day of forever.