Hua's birthday was a large event, even though she had requested for it to be small and close-knit. I likened it to the coming of age ceremonies they held in my past life. My home world– Altruia– was riddled with a large divide between the rich and poor, with most children like me not knowing when they had been born. But the rich and the strong often held large, grand parties for their children.

This was no different, I noted, as we all stood before the castle. In the darkness, it was lit up beautifully– and, I recalled, the last time I was there was with Hua, before I had met the king for the first time. Today, we were there simply to have fun and to party.

My family and I were dressed as formally as possible, my mother putting on a dress she hadn't worn in years and my father wearing a suit, my two sisters wearing small dresses. I had decided on a simple black suit with a tie, Isabella perched on my left shoulder. I had heard certain figures would be in attendance, ones that didn’t normally come into the city– Xiao being one of them. Seeing his name on the list had surprised me– the guy was a hermit and wasn’t the type to leave his forest for anything.

Especially not after what had happened to Meryll. Quite frankly, we hadn't spoken since then, not that we had to. I still held a lingering grudge due to what had happened with Diana, but the rational side of me pushed past that for a mutual goal. After that goal had been reached, however, there was nothing tying us together any longer. We were nothing more than two strangers brushing past each other on a crowded street amongst thousands of others, as though we hadn't almost died together.

After showing our invitations to the guards, they allowed us inside, and the castle was far more decorated than it had been the last time I'd been there. My sisters were immediately enticed by all of the lights created through magic, and I could already tell Tiān had spared no expense to ensure the birthday party was as lavish as possible, much to Hua's dismay.

The room was covered from head to toe, with Hua herself not around– likely fashionably late, but I could see both Tiān and Mei, as well as Feng and Yuxi. Even Xiao was in view, sitting in a corner and drinking what looked to be wine instead of mingling. I wasn't surprised. In the background, classical music played from a band set up in the corner. Little bits of ice shaped like glitter fell from the room constantly, the light bouncing off of them and dancing in a myriad of colours before my eyes.

‘It’s certainly very pretty,’ Isabella commented, ‘The king clearly spent quite a bit of money on it.’

‘I know, it’s almost too much.’

My attention was immediately dragged away from the conversation as I felt a slow tapping on my other shoulder, head whipping around to face its source. Feng and Yuxi stood before me, their hands tucked behind them as I glanced them up and down. Giving them a cold stare, I wasted no time getting to the point.

“What do you want? I would like to enjoy my evening.” I spoke calmly, yet there was an undertone of slight impatience. I didn't want to deal with them tonight. By now, I could already tell what they were going to say, but that didn't stop me from deciding to hear them out. Yet, I was surprised.

“I– we're sorry,” Feng started, “For everything that we did to Hua, and the way you were dragged in. It was wrong of us to harm that br– our sister, and an innocent person like that, and though we know nothing will ever make up for that, we wanted to express our apologies.”

I raised my hand as she finished speaking, silently signalling that enough had been said. Isabella glanced down at me, and I looked back. Perhaps, if I was the child I was supposed to be, I would have accepted the apology and that would be that. But having lived the life I had, I couldn't simply look past everything they had done as though it had never happened. I wasn't that nice.

“Your apology is appreciated, though, you are right. It won't make up for what you did, not ever– and I’m not even the one you should be apologising. Hua is. She's the one you hurt. However,” I offered a small smile, “if you take the time and strive to be better people, I suppose I can forget a little of what happened.”

They were both a long way off from changing fully, but they were trying. That much was good enough, at least for now. They both nodded, accepting what I had said, and walked off to enjoy the party. Exhaling– I hadn't even realised I was holding my breath, to be honest– I looked back to Isabella.

‘I'm surprised. I didn't expect that from you. I thought you were going to… curse them, or something.’

‘I can be nice and forgiving when I want to be.’

‘Yes, of course. Absolutely.’

‘Why, you little…’

—

After I was done conversing with Isabella, which had only taken a few seconds at most, I walked slowly over to my family, hands in pockets. The Lizards stood, laughing and joking with each other, and I couldn't help but enjoy the pleasant atmosphere. It wasn't something to take for granted after all, not with what approached for me.

I hadn't even told Hua I was leaving, to be honest. She was so busy, and I didn't think it was necessary anyway. She kept things from me, and vice versa. Besides– we would always be an arm's length away from each other. We could never be truly friends, not with me being reincarnated. She could never find out about who I truly was, as the faces of her and those I cared about contorted into looks of horror were often vividly painted into my dreams. Was that what she would look at me like?

The same cold-hearted monster everyone else had seen the vast majority of my previous life?

Biting back a small hiss, I waved at my mother, who rose from her seated position and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

“Are you enjoying the party?” She asked, a smile on her face. It had been a while since I had seen her so peaceful, so happy, and a small part of me wanted to stay, just so she wouldn't have to worry. But I knew that in order to protect that happiness, happiness that was so utterly fragile, I needed to become strong. And for that, I needed to spread my wings and fly, to forget my old world and throw myself fully into this one.

“I am, Mum. It's all a bit– new,” I explained, “I've never seen so many people in one building. It feels a bit… weird, to be honest.”

She smiled, taking me over to my dad and my sisters who were sitting on the marble steps. Next to them stood Mari and Nessa who were talking, though I couldn't figure out what about. Not that I cared anyway, it was none of my business.

Sitting beside my father, I allowed Evelyn to sit in front of me.

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“Big brother! Do my hair!”

“What do you say?” My mother asked her, to which she nodded.

“Pleeeeease?”

I smiled. “Of course. Your wish is my command, your highness!”

“Me too! Me too!” Lucy's voice followed immediately after, as she squeezed in next to her sister to sit in front of me as well.

“You both will get your turn, don't worry.”

I smiled softly. It still didn't get my mind off the fact that when I returned from my adventure, they would both be 9 years old– three years of their lives I would never get back. Yet it was three years I couldn't simply spend standing idly by.

War was approaching. I had known this since I had awoken in this new body– and with the lingering threat of the New World Order in the background, it appeared that things would be growing more tumultuous, and fast.

Unable to shake the anger I had felt after losing to Claire with little effort on her part, I knew I had to get stronger. Perhaps that lingering hatred was a good thing, pushing me to get stronger– both Isabella and I. We were still far too weak, and at this rate, we wouldn't be able to protect anyone.

Meryll’s words still lingered in my mind.

‘Become strong enough to write the ending.’

I still knew very little about who or what she was, except for the fact that those who had existed for aeons referred to her as ‘Mother’.

Why, I couldn't tell. I had noticed that whilst I remembered my past life as Xeno, parts of my memories were patchy, even before I was reincarnated. As though someone had intentionally cut out bits of it in order to stop me from remembering things.

Who Isabella was, and how she was involved in this war was still a mystery to me– but I was desperate to find out. She was the key to finding out why I had been saved, for what purpose I hadn't died like the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Altruia.

But for now, it was okay to enjoy the time I had with my sisters and my family, fleeting as I knew it would be. Every second meant the world to me.

If only Arwan, Deianira, and Evanora were here with me. Then, this life would have been beyond perfect.

–

My attention was drawn, as I quickly finished up Evelyn's hair done into a simple bun, to the top of the staircase as we quickly moved backwards and away, the entire hall falling silent. From the top, the door was pushed open… and Hua arrived– late, as I knew she would have been.

The entire hall erupted into clapping, as I spent a moment taking her in. She was… the brightest star in the room, to put it simply.

Her hair had a brain tied into it on either side, from the top of her hair and ending around her ears. The excess was left to hang in a fringe or pulled into two buns on either side of her head, with a small yet intricate fengguan perched atop her head.

Her hanfu swept across the floor as she descended the stairs, everyone's eyes on her. Various male nobles made their way to the front, falling over one another whilst trying to get the chance to ask her to dance with her. The first dance was saved for her, after all, and it would be both a great honour and a great opportunity to dance with and gain the favour of the crown princess.

Yet her green eyes never landed on any of them. It appeared she was staring at something… but what? Immediately afterwards, I felt everyone's eyes on me. Why were they looking? Had I done something wrong? Messed up again? A billion thoughts went through my head, moving at a mile a minute.

The answer became clear as Hua got closer, the crowd of nobles parting like the seas at her command. Her footsteps became audible, their rhythm elegant and slow, as she knew her worth. Hua made people wait for her, and she wasn't going to hurry for anyone. That was who she was.

Hua stopped, standing right in front of me, and before I realised, she had extended a white, gloved hand in front of me. It took a second, but what I had to do clicked in my head.

Of everyone in that room, she had chosen to dance with me first. I couldn't fathom why– after all, out of everyone, I was a commoner. A simple commoner boy– her friend, yes, but just a commoner. The only thing I was good at was fighting. I couldn't give her anything she deserved.

But she still chose me, and I couldn't deny her in front of all these people. Dropping onto one knee, I took up her hand.

“May I have this dance, Your Highness?”

Isabella leapt from my shoulder, padding over to my mum as I got to my feet, one hand wrapping around Hua's mid-back, the other taking her hand in mine as her hand rested on my shoulder, our eyes locked as we danced across the room as though we had done this a thousand times before, everyone gathered in a circle. Though, I couldn't deny I had forgotten their existence as we moved in sync, entangled in our own little world for a few seconds. Her green orbs were all I needed, in those moments. She was all I needed. And the dance ended, slowly but surely, as I let go of her. And we parted once more, the nobles immediately circling round her as she disappeared from view.

‘Oooh, look at you! Someone's got a bit of noble in him.’ Isabella's voice echoed in mind, teasing

‘Oh, shaddup. It's just something I picked up from having to attend lots of parties in my old life. Thankfully Lady Sara taught me more, otherwise I would've just made a fool of myself.’

‘Lady Sara?’

‘She was like my… caretaker for a time, if you will. A mentor, almost, before she was killed by…. by Emperor Caelus.’ Although we were talking within my mind, my tone suddenly dropped to rather sombre and somewhat reserved. Lady Sara's death was a sore subject for me. Especially since much like with Evanora, I had been able to do nothing about it, not with all the power and strength I once had.

They were my breaking point, their deaths hitting so hard and so quickly one after the other it felt like I had no one left to rely on, like all I had left was slipping through my fingers and I could do nothing but watch it happen right before my eyes.

I couldn't take losing anyone else, so I pushed Arwan and Deianira away and shut my emotions off in the hopes that I wouldn't have to feel the pain ever again. People became nothing more than tools to me because I knew when it came down to it, I couldn't handle losing them too.

‘I… see. Tough subject?’

‘You could say so.’

‘You need not continue on, then. I won't pry.’

‘...Thank you, Isabella.’

‘For what? This is nothing.’

‘For being by my side. It might seem like nothing to you in the grand scheme of things, but I need a rock. Someone to keep me anchored, keep me sane, so I don't fall into despair like I did before.’

‘You don't have to mention it. That much was always a given.’

I smiled, and extended my hand out to my bond, who leapt up onto my arm and made her way to my shoulder. A hand scratched her chin, and she let out a sharp “kuu!” along with a yawn.

A figure brushed past my arm, and only upon looking down did I realise it was Hua. As she did so, she muttered a few words in my ear.

“Meet me outside.”

I wondered what that was all about.