Chapter 31: One More Day

My left hand was interlinked with her right.

She let her other hand rest on my shoulder, while I placed mine on her waist. And just like that, Alex and I started to sway to the beat. Well, perhaps that's not quite accurate. We weren't following the beat of the clapping, but rather, our own.

It was slow, probably because if we went any faster, we'd step on each other's toes, but I was still enjoying it. As it went on, it felt like I could let myself go, free of worries and uncertainties of the future – even if it was just for a while. As far as I was concerned, the only people who existed at that moment, was me and her.

I stared on, deep into her eyes, as she finally started to get into the groove, too.

"See? Isn't this nice?"

"It is..." she admitted. "Even if you have two left feet."

I paused for a split-second, but soon figured that she was joking. At least, she must have been...

"Oh, yeah? How about this, then?"

I took my hand off her waist, and gave her a twirl. Once she stopped, she chuckled.

"What? I was the one who twirled; you just moved your hand. You've still got two left feet in my eyes."

"...I just can't win, can I?"

"Don't feel bad. Here, maybe this will help."

With a sudden yank, it became my turn to get spun.

"Wow, Alex, you were right! I can almost feel the improvement in my dancing skills rushing through me!" I quipped, and she started laughing.

It was a light, dulcet sound. I momentarily felt sad, realizing just how rarely she'd laugh nowadays. I brushed it off, however. I couldn't expect her to be as joyful as she had once been, considering everything we'd been through. If I could give her a reason to at least cheer up, that was enough for me.

"Glad I could help."

While we kept on dancing, in our own little world, a loud yell cut through the air.

"Wooooh Hooooh! That's what I'm talking about!"

We whipped our heads towards the source of that very apparent, and rather obnoxious exclamation, and saw three illagers, spinning in place. They were all holding some kind of object in their hands, but I couldn't discern what they were. Be that as it may, it didn't change the fact that this was one of the most ridiculous spectacles I had ever seen in my entire life.

"What are they doing!?"

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Suspicious stew," was all she said.

"I've heard about this 'suspicious stew' before, but what even is it?"

"It's a type of mushroom stew, mixed with various herbs and plants, like flowers. Unless you made it yourself, it's practically impossible to tell what it's gonna do to you – or what it's gonna make you do, for that matter. I never liked it, personally."

As she was explaining some of the stew's abilities, I was watching the chaos unfold with my very own eyes. The spinning illagers fell unconscious one by one, creating a big heap.

"...Although I suppose it's okay if you want to just escape your problems and drop unconscious."

That…comment was…a little disturbing, admittedly. With everything she had told me the day before yesterday, I could simply hope she didn't have to resort to consuming such a substance often.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" I asked her shortly after. To be clear, I wasn't particularly concerned for them, but I wanted to hear her estimation.

"I'm positive. Anyway...shall we-"

"Man," Vincent stepped in. "These things are something else!"

He was pointing at the empty bowl he was holding, and his speech was slightly slurred. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what that meant.

"And yet, you seem in surprisingly good condition," Alex pointed out.

"'Surprisingly'? C'mon, boss... I may be kind of an idiot sometimes, but I'm not dumb! I know my limits, so gimme some credit."

Although he wasn't quite as unphased by the mysterious stew's effects as Alex had assumed, to Vincent's credit, at least he was standing (unlike the three limp bodies that were lying down behind him), and talking mostly like normal.

"You are right. My sincerest apologies, Vincent."

"Thanks, boss. You're the best."

With unsteady steps, he went and embraced his higher up which made me suspect that, in the end, he was simply really good at hiding how much the stew got to him. Alex seemed a little taken aback, but returned the gesture with a couple pats on his back, which was what I found the most peculiar.

They quickly broke it off, and Vincent wished us good night, before going to sleep. On that note, it seemed like most people were preparing to do so, as well. The moon was nearing its apex, so it made sense.

"So...we should turn in, too, right?" I asked.

"Right..." she agreed reluctantly.

We placed down enough wool blocks, and even some beds, to create an adequate sleeping surface for almost everybody. The allays settled for sleeping on the canopies of the trees, all bundled together, which was a sweet sight, in my opinion.

As I was about to lie down, Alex called to me one last time.

"Hey, Steve?"

"What is it?"

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and spoke.

"Thank you for the dance. I...really enjoyed it."

"Even if I had 'two left feet'?"

"Ha ha, come on, I was just joking!"

...

"I had a good time, too, Alex. Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Oh, and keep an ear out for any heartbeats!"

It took me a second to figure out what she meant by that, and I laughed it off when I did.

"Yeah, sure."

I laid down on the wooly mattress, which felt extra inviting in the lowered temperature, and looked up into the sky. Without many clouds, the stars and the full moon were free to illuminate our small camp along with the torches, which were left burning to make sure no mobs would sneak up on us.

Unfortunately, with all the brightness, actually falling asleep would turn out to be quite challenging... Regardless, I lied still, and waited patiently for the moment when I would drift off to come.

...

That moment never came.

I was tossing and turning deep into the night, trying all these different positions, each one more uncomfortable and grating than the last. I sat up with a small groan of frustration, and looked around, only to find that every other illager was sleeping with a serenity only babies can achieve.

Looking at the moon told me it was a bit past midnight.

"Can't sleep?" a whisper came from the right. Predictably enough, it came from Alex. I shook my head in response to her question and crawled to where she was sitting.

"To be honest, I've been sneaking glances at you for a while now. You're pretty funny when you're annoyed," she spoke casually.

"Glad to see at least one of us is enjoying this."

She turned her head upwards and looked at the stars.

"Did you have fun tonight?"

"Overall? Yes, I did."

"I'm glad to hear that."

I asked her the same question, but she took a while to respond. So much so, that I was beginning to suspect that she didn't hear me. As I was about to repeat myself, she finally nodded.

"I think...this is the happiest I've felt in a long time..."

She lowered her gaze shortly after replying. I couldn't exactly distinguish her tone, because she was whispering, but her words gave me the hunch that something was off.

"Is everything alright?"

She slowly scooted towards my direction. She looked at me head-on and I saw her eyes glimmer. With less certainty than I was used to hearing from her, she confided in me something that took me by surprise.

"I'm scared, Steve."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"I... Just that my life is going to irreversibly change soon. That's the impression I'm getting."

"...Is it because of what you told me earlier in the morning?"

She shifted her focus to the ground.

"That's correct. Being the leader of this group feels like the only lifestyle I've ever really known. I don't think I'll be able to regain it... so what if I regret my decision?"

I pondered for a bit, in an attempt to find the best way to approach this situation.

"Wait, even though you're scared, you're still planning to go through with it?"

"...Yes."

"..."

"..."

"From everything I've experienced in this world," I started, "I've reached the conclusion that change is a truly daunting thing. It can look and feel insurmountable. It only makes sense you feel scared now that you're faced with the prospect of it."

"..."

"And yet, I still think you should embrace changes like these. Otherwise, you won't grow as a person, and all the what-ifs won't let you be happy. Don't you think so, too?"

From the corner of my vision, I could see her nodding half-heartedly, but it didn't seem like my words offered her much assurance. That made me feel a little disappointed in myself, because I seemingly couldn't offer her a sound advice. Or, maybe, there just wasn't much I could do in the first place...

"Alex, is that the only thing that's bothering you?"

Without warning, she squeezed me tightly.

"Stay. Please."

"Alex...?"

Once again, she locked eyes with me. There was a hint of pleading in her gaze that I had never seen on her before; neither in this world, nor in the Sky dimension.

"This is...difficult. I don't think it's even a good idea to tell you these things, but...I feel like I have to."

"I will listen to anything you tell me. You can trust me on that."

She took a few deep breaths, and I couldn't help but wonder what could it have been that was burdening her this much? She elaborated in an even, yet somewhat bitter tone.

"I...want you to stay with me. With so many aspects of my life feeling so turbulent, I want you to be the one person who'll stick with me... The one person I won't let go, and won't let me go... But I can't ask you that. It makes me feel selfish and terrible."

"Why?"

"Because I've caused you pain; sent men and beasts out to get you. In the end, I don't think my intentions outweighed my actions. You miss your old life, back in Cornelia, don't you? I deprived you of that."

"Why are you beating yourself over this again?"

She seemed bewildered at my question.

"Why- What do you mean 'why'? Aren't you hurt!? Don't you feel wronged!? You told me so yourself!"

I squeezed her shoulders, and gave them a light shake.

"That doesn't matter anymore. I forgive you."

That affirmation appeared to have cut her momentum.

"You...do?"

"I do. I forgive you for everything you've done to me. To be honest, I can't say there aren't things I miss from the time before the raid, but if I were given the option to go back in time and change something, I would change nothing. Nothing at all. Do you understand?"

Shyly, she leaned forward, and embraced me tightly.

"Please...don't leave."

I needed to take a moment to collect my thoughts, just to make sure I wouldn't say anything that would hurt her. I even tried to make my voice sound as gentle as I could, while caressing her ponytail.

"Listen. I'm much like you in a lot of ways. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow, or the day after, nor do I know where I'll end up in the future...but all I know is that at this moment, there is nowhere I'd rather be, Alex."

I broke the hug to see with my own eyes whether she took the meaning of my words to heart or not, and noticed that hers were brimming.

"Do you mean that?"

I brushed her cheek slowly.

"I do."

"..."

"..."

"Thank you."

"You seem tired, Alex. You deserve some rest."

Already, her eyelids were beginning to lower.

"I...I do?"

I couldn't hold back a chuckle at that; her tone sounded strangely cute.

"Of course you do. Sweet dreams."

She laid down on her side with an incomprehensible murmur, and fell asleep practically in an instant. I told her that I was going to stay with her for tonight, so I didn't bother going back to my makeshift bed, and instead, I slept by her side. It felt warm...

Warm...

...

...

...

I slowly opened my eyes.

As my vision adjusted, it dawned on me that I couldn't recognize my surroundings.

As I pushed myself up, I couldn't ignore the pounding headache I was feeling. With quite some effort, I stood up, and tried to identify the immediate environment, only to find that the colors blue and green were all I could see.

I was standing in the middle of a grassy field. Actually, was I even in the middle of it? As far as I could tell, it was just a sea of grass, without a beginning or an end. In fact, this didn't even look like a natural field, now that I got a good look at it.

It was completely flat. Not a single block stood out. Not a single shrub. Nothing. It was as if I was placed on a bright green carpet.

I inspected the sky in a similar manner, and it struck me as odd that there wasn't a gradient in its shades. In other words, the sky wouldn't become a progressively deeper blue the closer to the apex I looked. It was simply a uniform light blue, with no clouds at all.

There was a sun directly overhead however, but it wasn't very bright, nor did it feel particularly hot, in spite of the lack of shading and wind to cool me down.

I started walking around, with no sense of direction. I simply kept walking, and walking, and walking. For what felt like an eternity, the scenery remained unchanged. Until finally, after a trek so arduous, I spotted something that disrupted the monotony of the blue-green binary.

It was small and inconspicuous, but now that I had seen it, there was no way I was letting it out of my sight. It was a small, yellow dandelion. I got near it, and as I was doing so, more began to fade in. It got to a point where they formed an entire patch, in the middle of which, sat-

"I've been waiting for you! My name is Rana! Nice to meet you!" she announced happily.

She looked exactly the way she did on the last day I saw her; bandaged, pale, and in her underwear. And yet...something was different. In between the wraps of the bandages, a multitude of dandelions had been tucked. I didn't know what to make of this, and apparently, my lack of response upset her.

"It's okay... You don't have to say anything..." she assured me with a half-smile. "You can sit down, if you want..."

I complied, my mouth and mind refusing to cooperate.

"We were about to start our performance."

I tilted my head at that, and she elaborated with a gesture of her hand. She showed me three dandelions which had sprouted in a line of sorts. With a snap of her finger came a breeze, and the dandelions turned red. She performed the same action, and this time, they turned blue. One last time, she snapped her fingers, but instead of changing colors, the flowers shot off into the sky, like fireworks.

"Okay, you guys did great!" she clapped.

For some inexplicable reason, I felt like I had just witnessed the most spectacular, life-changing miracle ever conceived. Something so profound and meaningful, that made me subconsciously let out a 'wow'. To me, it sounded like I only did it with my inner voice, but she managed to pick it up anyway.

"I knew you were a good person!"

'What...?'

"Come here," she beckoned, by patting her lap. Oblivious to my confused mind, my body moved on its own, and my head landed on her thighs, as if that were the most natural and obvious thing in the world to do.

When my face made contact with her soft skin, I felt my cheeks flush. It was a somewhat uncomfortable feeling, but when I felt her fingers gently brushing my hair, I relaxed almost immediately. I could feel my eyes gently close.

Once my vision turned black, I heard her ask, "Wanna know something fun about my world?"

I slowly nodded, and she giggled in response.

"So, on Earth, cats walk backwards."

That got quite a laugh out of me.

"That makes no sense, ha ha!" I finally said.

"Nope. Not one bit!"

All the while, she was still running her hand through my hair. I felt such an odd sense of peace swell within me. After a long stretch of silence, during which I almost forgot where I was and who I was with, she spoke one final time.

"Thank you. Bye."

...

"-up."

...

"Huh?"

...?

"Boss, come on, wake up!"

One by one, my senses returned to me, as I regained consciousness. I could tell, even through shut eyes, that it was a lot brighter now, so I concluded it must've been morning. I felt the wool press against my body, and the comforting heat it held. The wool wasn't the only sense of warmth, however.

I tried to move, only to realize that I was constricted by a certain someone who was still snoozing soundly. On one hand, I felt satisfied that I stayed by her, but on the other, it seemed as though we had slept in.

I opened my eyes, and saw a bunch of pillagers looming over us, trying to rouse their leader awake. Soon enough, she groaned and began to stir sluggishly. I expected it'd take a lot more to wake her, but her eyes snapped open in a heartbeat.

"Wh-what-?" she uttered.

"Hey, boss! You're finally up!"

That remark seemed to have made her tense up.

"What do you mean 'finally'? What time is it!?"

"Almost noon, boss."

"What!? Why didn't you wake me!?"

Matilda drew near, and spoke with a knowing smile.

"Because, I ordered them not to, boss."

Alex seemed exasperated at that.

"With what privilege!?"

"With the one that accompanies the role of being your chief assistant."

Before Alex could formulate a response, Matilda elaborated further.

"This was the first time I have ever seen you sleep so peacefully, and I know you deserve at least that much. Everyone else agreed with me, too."

At that, Alex buried her face in her palms, which weirded me out.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"...I'm so embarrassed..." Her voice was muffled.

"Why?"

"Don't worry about it, dear. It's just that, boss has a habit of being the most punctual, waking up before everyone else."

"Enough!" Alex barked with rosy cheeks. "This conversation ends here."

"Yes, ma'am. Although, I feel obligated to point out that I believe I speak for everyone when I say that we don't think any less of you for oversleeping."

Strangely, the reassurance made Alex shy away again. Frankly, it felt strangely endearing seeing her act like this after being so used to her usual stoic disposition. In any case, we all took at least some part in the deconstruction of the camp, and we left for the mansion with no further hiccup. Even though...

I couldn't get that dream off my head. It was one of the most beautiful dreams I had ever seen...

I wished I had never seen it.