A/N: About the title: Welp, there's nothing to explain! ;)
The chilly winds of Arktika blew over and gently moved the curtains in Selviya's room. She woke up because of it. She brushed her long, light blue, glossy hair from her face. Then she got up with an unstifled yawn that managed to escape her mouth. She quickly put her hand on her mouth while yawning in a feeble effort to stop her yawn.
She went to the faucet to rinse her face and brush her teeth. After doing all that, she quickly donned a Lin-Kuei uniform and headed to the main hall to see her friends.
It is the first time she wears a Lin-Kuei uniform, and she feels mixed emotions about it, but she knows that Kuai Liang will be happy once he sees her wearing it. She chuckled at this.
She heard the hushed voices of two familiar men; they are Cyrax and Smoke. Selviya doesn't like to eavesdrop, but she felt the need to do it. Because they seem troubled or something.
Selviya felt like a rude person, but she didn't like to eavesdrop further, so she quickly decided to leave them be and went to see Kuai Liang or Bi Han.
Upon walking through Lin Kuei's old, mysterious, and awe-inspiring halls She likes this place, and she wants to learn more about it. Sadly, Kuai Liang doesn't mention anything to her. He only mentions short stories or short information about this place; Selviya can easily learn it all with her magic, but again, she feels like she is intruding or trespassing. With a smile on her face, she mumbled.
"Time will tell".
Once again, She heard the voices of Cyrax and Smoke. She hummed in pure relief that they were still social and willing to interact with people. Despite what happened to them, they are still fighting, and nothing has ever broken their spirits.
Selviya wished she could help more. But she didn't want them to be indebted to her; She didn't want them to feel they were independent of her and her only. She just wants them to be happy and smiling after all they have been through. She just wants to be the light in their lives. Not just in their lives, but In all people's lives.
She reached the main hall, where she hopes that she can find Kuai eating his breakfast. She found him indeed; he was talking to a student near the table. She didn't like to interrupt, so she waited patiently for them to end the conversation.
The student left once the Grandmaster dismissed him. Then the Grandmaster left to drink tea before his morning meditation session.
Before Kuai put his hand on his teacup, Selviya greeted him, "Hi! Good morning!".
He was startled by her voice; the cup nearly fell from his hand, but he kept his composure. which made her giggle at him.
"Good morning, Love," Kuai greeted back.
"Sorry about that," she said with a smile. "I was just too excited!"
"Don't worry about it," He muttered as he poured tea for himself.
She didn't respond, but she only gave him an ornery smile. He got used to her ornery, playful smiles.
Before Selviya could say anything, Cyrax and Smoke entered the hall to have their breakfast.
She quickly turned her face to get a glimpse of them; they seemed ordinary. There were no black bags under their eyes or anything. She quickly turns around so they won't catch her staring at them.
Smoke and Cyrax sat on the table and started to pour themselves some water. Before they started a conversation, they took a sip of water.
"Good morning, Grandmaster and Grandmistress," Cyrax greeted.
"Good morning! přátelé!" Smoke was greeted with a smile.
Both Selviya and Kuai smiled at this. Selviya didn't respond, but instead, she smiled at them.
"Good morning to you too, friends!" The Grandmaster greeted them back.
Selviya thought to herself: If Kuai didn't mention anything about his past or Lin Kuei's past in general, she would know it from Cyrax and Smoke; of course, they would tell her anything she wanted to know about. It is the least they can do to repay her, but again, she didn't want them to feel indebted to her. She will ask them about Lin Kuei's history after they are healed and ready to face reality once again.
Selviya thought again: she can't just ask them about the history of the temple or their clan. She knew if she did, she would open a lot of wounds and remind them of old memories, they tried so hard to forget.
So, she sighs and tells herself once again "Time will tell". Or she can do what Aliyaa does: Use magic! Maybe she only needs to do a "revealing spell," as Aliyaa called it.
She is so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Smoke calling her. "Krásná! Krásná!" Tomas's voice cut through her trail of thoughts.
"Ooh! I'm so sorry... I was... remembering something!" She spoke, then she smiled at him.
Oh, no worries," Tomas uttered.
"What were you remembering?" Cyrax chimed in his curiosity piqued.
"I was remembering the first time I found out I was a cryomancer," Selviya answered quickly.
"You are a cryomancer?" Both asked in astonishment.
"Surprised?" Selviya smirked.
Cyrax and Tomas were surprised because all they remember is that Selviya used some celestial magic; they don't recall her being a cryomancer like the Grandmaster.
"Selviya is full of surprises," Kuai Liang conveyed proudly.
Cyrax and Tomas grinned, "Definitely."
"So, um, got any nightmares or something?" Selviya prompted, her tone laced with concern.
Cyrax and Tomas cringed at the mention of nightmares. These are the remaining effects of their slavery. One was a revenant, and the other was a cyborg.
"Yes, there is," Cyrax answered.
"Same here," Tomas spoke.
"Don't worry, friends. It will be hard at first, but you'll be able to recover!" Kuai encouraged her with a warm smile.
They smiled at him; they didn't say anything at all. They only offered a smile.
Selviya felt bad for bringing up the nightmares and reminding them they were enslaved to do the villain's bidding.
As the sensitive soul she is, she doesn't want to annoy people or say something that hurts or offends them.
A sudden realization washed over her and struck her! She is still pregnant. Well, no, she stopped the pregnancy process for a time, for a whole year. Then the pregnancy process will start.
She needs to be ready for it. It looks like she was right when she stopped the process because she couldn't give birth to a dangerous environment where two restored men suffered enslavement.
She just needs to help them recover, and then she will be ready to give birth to her offspring.
She gently rubs her belly, where she can feel the idle fetus due to the spell that Aliyaa put on her.
The Grandmaster doesn't know of her pregnancy, let alone cast a spell on herself to stop the process of it; she doesn't want to tell him. However, she will when the time is right. For now, she has to work and make sure that everything is suitable for the child or children.
Deep down, she questions if she made the right choices in her life. But Aliyaa told her one thing that she would always remember, no matter what. That is, don't regret the decisions that one makes.
Looking back at it, She doesn't regret putting the spell on herself. If anything, she should be proud of herself. She only needs to create a safe environment by helping the two men or the three men recover. Bi Han, Cyrax, and Tomas
She only has a whole year to do it, and it is enough to make them recover and restore themselves.
Once again, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Kuai calling for her until he snapped his fingers to gain her attention.
"Heh, from Earth to Selviya!" Kuai called; he couldn't contain his chuckles.
"Oh! Sorry again, Heh," she chuckled.
His beloved had been lost in thoughts again, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her. She is so sweet, Innocent, and happy. He wants to kiss her right now, but he can't do it in front of his friends.
Selviya decided that she would eat her breakfast. No more thinking of things that will make her mind drift somewhere else. She took the fork and started to eat with manners so that she wouldn't gross them out or anything similar.
She munched on her food quietly, savoring the taste and everything. She gets glimpses of Tomas and Cyrax. They seem to talk freely and happily with Kuai. She couldn't blame them; it had been a lifetime since they hadn't seen their friend.
"So, Anděl! Tell us more about you!" Tomas's voice was thick with a Czech accent.
"Well, Where do you want me to start?" Selviya replied with her British accent.
Secretly, Tomas loves Selviya's accent; he thinks it makes her cool and unique. He remembered once that there was an assassin in the old Lin Kuei with an accent similar to hers.
Although this brings unneeded memories, it's still worth it. Since it is relatable to Selviya. His Anděl.
"Well," He uttered, "from the beginning!"
Selviya gulped; she doesn't like to remember everything, let alone her past. She gave a playful smile to hide her sorrow. She is an expert at hiding her emotions, and she learns better.
In all honesty, She doesn't know where to start. The moment she was born—or the moment when she was bullied—or simply the moment that made her experience her first heartbreak and breakdown—this brings a lot of sad memories that are best left buried in the past.
"Well.. sure!" She bubbled, faking her sorrow with a bright smile and a happy tone.
It is a miracle that Selviya is still sane after all that happened to her. She took a long breath, then started to tell them.
"Well, I will summarise my story!" She declared, "The moment I was born, the doctor told my mother that I was born with a rare genetic disorder that made my hair light blue or blonde blue, Something like this. Then, after 7 or 6 years, my parents died because of me. I accidentally killed them. Then they put me in an orphanage. Things aren't going well; I was bullied, and I was ignored. Then came the rich kid, whose name was Billy. He played with me and talked with me. He didn't let me feel left out or ignored; he was my best friend until some lunatic killed him."
She breathed again, and she continued telling her story. So far, the two men were extremely saddened because of the things she had been through. They only offered sad smiles, Hoping it would soothe her soul.
"Then... I discovered the whole truth; I killed my parents, and... I have powers! And there is the magical girl, Aqua! We teamed up and saved the city from evil and such." She continued, "That's all!"
"Your story is something," Cyrax said with a smile.
Selviya smiled and said, "Thanks!".
"I'm so sorry, I... I never knew that you went through all of this," Tomas apologized on behalf of all the things that happened to her.
"Why are you apologizing? It's all in the past now." She stated that she can't help but say to herself, Tomas is a sweetheart.
While they were talking to each other, they were cut off by the door being opened wide by Bi Han and Sareena.
"Good morning, everyone!" Bi Han greeted Followed by Sareena, who also greeted them.
"Oh, good morning, friends!" Sareena greeted him brightly.
"Good morning!" They replied to Bihan and Sareena.
"Smoke! Cyrax!... you guys are back!" Sareena called; she isn't believing her own eyes.
Smoke and Cyrax are restored; they are humans again.
"Sareena! Been a long time!" Cyrax said sheepishly.
"Yeah! It's like decades have passed since the last time we met you!" Tomas exclaimed.
"Tomas, it had been decades since you were dead." Kuai corrected him with a sad acknowledging tone.
"Oh.. right!" Tomans responded quietly.
There is a dreadful silence in the atmosphere; so far, no one has talked. They only look at each other as if someone should say anything. Still, no one has said anything since Tomas replied.
"How are you today, Brother and Sareena?" Kuai asked to end the dreadful silence.
"Well, I'm good," Bi Han answered.
"I'm good too!" Sareena said.
Selviya still doesn't say anything; she only offers a warm smile to everyone in the room. Like the sweet angel she is, she isn't stern or gloomy; she is a happy, bright girl.
Her curiosity is always piqued. She looked at Sareena, and she smiled playfully. She knew that Sareena knew something of the old Lin Kuei.
She only needs to let Sareena talk about it, but she knew that Sareena loves to talk freely about anything that attracts her attention. One of those things is the old Lin Kuei clan.
Selviya doesn't understand why she is keen to know about the old Lin Kuei, although she tells herself constantly that "Time will tell" and she shouldn't open her mouth to open old wounds, especially around the four men.
She doesn't want them to reminisce about painful memories, Just like she doesn't want them to reminisce about hers.
Once again, she restrained herself from her curiosity; she must respect people's privacy and their choice if they don't want to talk about anything.
Instead, she reminds herself that it isn't polite to do so.
Selviya remembered that she can hear people's souls; she felt the heaviness of their sadness when they stopped talking. They are quiet; they didn't say anything.
Selviya's heart is heavy with their sadness. Kuai had just remembered a painful memory that was related to the old Lin Kuei. So Did Bihan, Tomas, and Cyrax.
Sareena is sad because she isn't a human like them; she fears that she won't be accepted at all. Bi Han and Kuai Liang are the only ones who are nice to her.
They all feel alone, each with their sadness. They figured out that she didn't move on, unlike Selviya.
Selviya hesitantly grabbed her star wand. She wants to make them forget about these memories. She only wants them to live their lives untroubled by the past.
A graceful light caught their eyes. They know that these sad memories are stronger, and they will remember them forever.
"Guys! I can let you forget about these memories completely!" Selviya uttered brightly.
She clutched her star as she raised it high above her head, and she offered a bright, warm smile to them as her body glowed with the most warm and intense light.
They feel happy, just like these old memories are gone!
"Memory refresh!" Selviya commanded her wand.
The wand obeyed Selviya and emitted a beautiful, warm light that surrounded them in a circular motion, Entering inside them and refreshing their memories.
Their frowning faces turn into laughing, happy ones. Their mood just changed 180 degrees. They are more lively and relaxed now.
The light worked like a miracle, healing their troubled souls and wounds. Old, Painful memories are no more. It is time to create new, lovely memories. With the new Lin Kuei and different leadership.
"No matter what happens! You won't remember these memories!" Selviya promised them.
Their response to her was that all of them came to hug her as they collapsed on her. She tried to push them slightly so that she could breathe.
Oh, stop it, guys!" She giggled.
Although they nearly made her choke. But she brushed it off as she giggled at their cute reaction.
Seeing them happy made her happy too, but she knows now that these memories are no good to talk about or remember at all. They are only making their lives doomed and worse for them.
They are lost, and that's a good thing.
But Selviya refused to let her bad memories fade; it made her stronger, more resilient, and more confident. She once recalled Aliyaa saying that strikes that don't break your back make you stronger! or a relatable idiom: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!
She wants to test her might with sweet memories and painful memories alike; she wants to live her life with its sweetness and bitterness.
Selviya can feel their souls are happy, silently thanking Selviya for her interference.
But they don't know that Selviya can hear their souls, their minds, and their hearts.
She is the perfect embodiment of a celestial being living on Earth. She silently offered to pour them tea and cookies that she had magically made.
They happily ate and drank the tea, and they started to talk and discuss plans and related things.
Selviya is happy that they are energetic and talkative; she can tell her spell worked perfectly.
She put her wand back in her pocket; she doesn't want to lose it, and she can't lose it.
She smiled softly as she listened to them and looked at them. She hopes the peace lasts forever.
Alas, nothing ever lasts forever.