The sun was setting at Radiant Garden. Lauriam was looking at the sky while sitting on the flowery lawn. He was thinking back to everything he had experienced in the past few years. Many things had changed since he had regained his true form eight years ago. Thanks to his recovered memories, he had been able to relearn how to wield his Keyblade, perhaps even better than before his time in the Organization XIII. A few months later, his perseverance had paid off and he was able to find his sister, Strelitzia. Honestly, he had started to lose hope that it was possible.
That was until the help of a precious friend, Elrena. She had always been by his side since their first meeting, supporting him in the best and worst moments. They had traveled through time together, leaving everything behind. They had successively succumbed to darkness, transformed into Heartless, then into Nobodies. They had joined the Organization XIII within a few days of each other. Lauriam and Elrena had lost their memories and their hearts to become Marluxia and Larxene, shadows of themselves.
Then, they had conspired to overthrow their Superior, Xemnas. It had been a lamentable failure that caused their deaths, before they were recompleted and reintegrated into the True Organization XIII. Finally, they had perished one last time facing Sora and regained their original form, Lauriam and Elrena, leaving their dark past behind. If it were up to her, Elrena would never have gone through all these painful trials. Not for her or anyone else. Anyone else, except Lauriam...
"Hey!" Lauriam was suddenly interrupted in his nostalgic thoughts. He turned to the voice and widened his eyes. A blonde woman with turquoise eyes was smiling radiantly at him. She was wearing a long white dress. "So, what do you think?" she asked, twirling around.
"Elrena... y-you look magnificent!" the pink-haired man replied, his eyes filled with joy. "B-but... the wedding is only in two days, you know? I'm not supposed to see you now, it's bad luck!"
At that moment, he really didn't expect to see his future wife in her wedding dress. But at the same time, Elrena had retained a certain impulsiveness in her. The one that was an integral part of Larxene's personality. He imagined that this was what sometimes drove her to do crazy things, going against what is expected of a sensible person. It was so refreshing for him! In almost eight years of being in a relationship, there hadn't been a single day where he had grown bored of her presence.
"Do you really believe in this bullshit ?" Elrena replied, giggling. Deep down, she didn't want to wait any longer. If it were up to her, she would have married him a long time ago. They had known each other for almost twenty years, not counting the century between their original time and the present. Since they had become a couple, she had swept away all her feelings of bitterness. It was as if the wary and angry Larxene she once was no longer existed. She had freed herself from the weight of her heavy secret that she had kept buried in her heart for years. Since then, she had only felt happiness and relief that her feelings were reciprocated.
"I thought you were supposed to take it easy today. You just gave birth..." Elrena had just given birth to their second child, Rose. Their first daughter, Camelia, was already eight years old. They had conceived her just a few months after solidifying their relationship, as if it were urgent to make up for lost time. They were the two most beautiful gifts life could offer them.
"I'm not fragile!" Elrena retorted with a smile. She sat down next to him on the lawn and watched the sunset. She looked so radiant, Lauriam could observe her for hours.
"I'm so happy to have you by my side," he said, gently caressing her cheek with his fingertips. Their gazes met again, Elrena smiled at him, but her eyes seemed sad. "What's wrong?"
"Sometimes, I just wish we could go far away, you and me, and raise our daughters away from all of this..." Elrena was referring to the Keyblade War that had once again struck the worlds. Despite Xehanort's death, light and darkness continued to battle. It was also what somehow ensured balance in this world. Lauriam and Elrena had been tirelessly fighting on the side of light together for a decade now. Elrena was starting to grow weary of this situation, especially considering she wasn't young anymore.
"It will be over soon, I promise you!" the pink-haired man replied, gently stroking his future wife's hair. He kissed her tenderly and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. He took both of her hands in his and covered them with his own. Elrena instantly felt reassured. Sharing these moments of tenderness with the man she loved gave her strength. The strength she needed to fight. By his side, she knew they would be invincible, and nothing could separate them.
"Tomorrow, the Great Keyblade War will take place," she said, standing up, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "I will fight by your side. We'll get married and leave this place!"
Lauriam also stood up and placed a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Are you sure you'll be up for it?... I worry about you..."
"When I think of you and our two daughters, I have all the strength I need!"
Elrena was a fighter, she never let herself be defeated. That was what made Lauriam madly in love with her. Nevertheless, he worried about her fiery spirit. He always kept an eye on her to prevent her from getting burned.
"In that case, we'll fight together," Lauriam agreed. He wrapped his arm around Elrena's shoulder.
The Keyblade War struck once again at the Keyblade Graveyard. Lauriam and Elrena, accompanied by all their Keyblade wielders friends, were equipped with armors similar to Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. Lauriam kept in mind the promise he had made to Elrena the night before. He was eager to win this battle in the name of Light and to step down from his role as Union Leader. As a father and a future husband, his priorities lay elsewhere. It was time for him to leave the front lines to the new generation who'll continue to serve their honor.
Armed with their Keyblades, the forces of Light rushed toward the opposing camp. The metallic clashing of their weapons and the cries of war, agony, and fury created a sense of anguish within Strelitzia. As a Keyblade bearer and a true Union Leader, she had to fight alongside her brother and friends. Although she had witnessed battles of this magnitude several times before, she still wasn't accustomed to the violence unfolding around her. Pierced bodies were strewn on the ground, struck down by the forces of Darkness. It was an unbearable sight.
As fear surged within her, a dark warrior raised his weapon behind her back. Suddenly, she turned around and blocked his attack with her Keyblade. She struck him in the stomach, propelling him a few meters away. Enraged, he swiftly approached the young woman. Sparks flew from his weapon as it scraped against the ground during his sprint. He struck her on the head. The violence of his action shattered the visor of Strelitzia's helmet. Injured and dazed, she crouched on the ground, looking at her assailant with fear in her eyes.
"STRELITZIA!" Lauriam shouted with all his might. He was locked in combat with another malicious Keyblade wielder. The man with pink hair pushed him back as forcefully as he could with his weapon and ran towards Strelitzia's assailant. With a powerful magic spell, he managed to keep him away from his sister for a few moments. "Are you okay?!" he asked Strelitzia, kneeling in front of her. She nodded silently. Completely paralyzed by fear, she shaked like a leaf. "Are you injured? Let me see!"
While Lauriam tended to his sister in the midst of the battlefield, the Keyblade wielder belonging to the forces of Darkness rose from the spell cast upon him. Taking advantage of this moment of weakness, the armored man attempted to attack Lauriam from behind. A dark aura surrounded his weapon, and this time he knew that his strike would be critical for his victim.
"Lauriam, WATCH OUT!" When Strelitzia noticed the presence of the attacker, it was too late to counter-attack. She pushed Lauriam to the side so he could dodge the critical blow. She closed her eyes tightly, as if her time had come.
Suddenly, a muffled sound froze time for a few minutes. Feeling no pain, Strelitzia cautiously opened her eyes. What she saw in front of her sent chills down her spine. "No..." she whispered, her eyes widening, almost losing the use of her vocal cords. In shock, she placed both hands over her mouth. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
The dark Keyblade pierced Elrena's abdomen. "Mmmh!" She writhed in agony, the pain was unbearable. The powerful strike had shattered the thick layer of her armor. The wound was so deep that her enemy's weapon emerged from the other side. In one swift motion, he pulled it out to reclaim it, as if removing a mere bandage without warning. "AAAAH!" The pain was even worse. Elrena felt like her organs would remain impaled on the Keyblade. The assailant shook his blood-covered weapon. Elrena trembled, pressing her arms as tightly as she could against her bloodied torso. And suddenly, everything went pitch black. She collapsed face down, her helmet slamming violently against the ground.
Lauriam had witnessed the entire scene, helpless. He stood dumbfounded under his helmet, completely frozen by what he had just seen. It had all happened too quickly, in just a fraction of a second... He didn't have a chance to react at all. Seeing her on the ground, he quickly regained his senses. "ELRENA!" He ran towards her and cradled the blonde's head in his lap. He removed her broken helmet and shook her vigorously to wake her up. "Elrena! Elrena, answer me!" But she remained unconscious…
Aqua, a friend of the Light and a Keyblade Master, stepped in between Lauriam and the Dark wielder who intended to attack them again. She blocked his attack with her own Keyblade. "Don't stay here! Take her to safety and take care of her! We'll deal with him!" she ordered Lauriam.
He nodded and lifted Elrena, placing one arm beneath her thighs and the other around her shoulders, as if carrying a princess. He ran out of the battlefield and placed Elrena near a large rock, hidden from view. She coughed up blood, her complexion was pale. Panicked, Lauriam's heart raced and his hands shaked. In the face of this situation, it was difficult to stay calm. He had to act quickly and effectively…
He began by removing his own helmet to get a better view of Elrena's injuries. Given the emergency of the situation, he broke the fastenings of her armor and tore open the blood-soaked reinforced fabric of her bodysuit. Her chest was exposed, with nothing but a black strapless bra. Despite the high temperature of the area, Elrena was shivering. Lauriam tore off his own cape and wrapped it around her shoulders to keep her warm. He placed his hand on Elrena's abdomen and cast a spell that allowed him to administer first aid.
Lauriam tried with all his strength to heal her, but his attempts proved fruitless. Even though he was exhausting his last resources, he made one final attempt to cast a healing spell, focusing as much as he could. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he observed his beloved in a coma. "P-Please, don't... don't leave," he whispered, his voice trembling.
Suddenly, the young woman grasped Lauriam's right hand, attempting to stop him from expending his magic to save her. She shook her head, signaling him to stop. "It's too late," she told him with a sorrowful smile. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes down to her temples.
Lauriam shook his head, refusing to believe it was over. He widened his eyes and furrowed his brows. His gaze was drowned in the tears he struggled to hold back. "N-No... I will save you!" He placed his right hand back on Elrena's abdomen, but she grabbed it and pushed it away once more.
"Lauri..." She coughed and caressed his cheek. "Take care of our two little girls for me..." She leaned closer to him and drew from her last reserves to kiss him gently. He wrapped his strong arms around her slender waist and responded with a passionate kiss.
Among all the deaths she had experienced before, this was by far the best. She could now rest in peace, knowing that she had lived the most beautiful moments with the love of her life. She wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him a third and final time. "I love you!" she whispered in Lauriam's ear before meeting his teary gaze.
Elrena closed her eyes with a smile that reached her ears. Her daughters were in good hands. She felt happy and loved, knowing that she had left a mark in this world.
"I love you too..." Lauriam replied, almost voiceless. He held his deceased fiancée's body tightly against him, sobbing uncontrollably.
In a matter of minutes, his whole world crumbled. He had lost his future wife, whom he was supposed to marry the next day, the mother of his children. How was he going to break the news to his eldest daughter, Camelia? She and her mother had such a close bond... Not to mention Rose, who had just been born. She had given life, and life unjustly took hers away…
As Lauriam held Elrena's lifeless body, Strelitzia, still shaken and in a state of shock, approached them slowly. Tears streamed down her face as she knelt beside them, placing a hand on Lauriam's shoulder. No words were spoken. They simply cried together, their hearts heavy with loss.
At that moment, the Keyblade war lost its meaning for them. The clash between light and darkness became a distant background noise as they mourned the loss of a loved one. The battle would continue, but for Lauriam and Strelitzia, the world had lost its light.
Lauriam felt overwhelmed by a sense of injustice and despair. Why was life targeting those who mattered the most to him? Strelitzia had already been taken from him for many years, and now Elrena? And for good?
He had promised her that everything would be alright, that they would live a peaceful life after this war... He would never forgive himself for not honoring that promise.