Later that night, after dark in Anna’s room…

Our stuff is packed for tomorrow. We spent the rest of the evening after dinner and prayers doing that. It’s not much work because we’re travelling light.

I’m gonna take my phone with me, though. I didn’t do that the last time… but I think I will, this time! I’m not sure why. Call it a gut feeling!

We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Kinda. The ferry leaves first thing in the morning, barely an hour after our morning prayers. We’d have to get our breakfast from the dining hall to go if we are to board on time. And we will, because it’s the last taste of home we’re gonna get for a long time! I missed it very much in the previous timeline… and now, I’m feeling it again.

Good grief. I’m a tangled mess of feelings right now. Fuck! I’m excited, but I’m also feeling rather… homesick. Nah, I’d say it’s more of a feeling of dread knowing that I’m gonna feel homesick again, soon enough.

We should get some sleep, but I don’t feel tired right now. Just… restless. I think Anna feels the same way. We’re hanging out together, relaxing side-by-side on her bed. It’s a little cramped… but we’re making it work!

I’m just staring into space while she’s got my phone in her hands. She’s playing a game on it that I showed her on that night she learned how to cast the Sanctuary spell. Learning how to be gentle with that touch screen. She hasn’t broken it yet, so I’d say she’s doing good!

Good grief. I’ll admit that it’s not a good use of my phone’s battery (I know of no places to charge phones on Nisha, unfortunately!), but it should be alright. I told her she’d get twenty minutes to play. No more, no less!

Oh, but she’s not playing anymore! And it’s been less than twenty minutes! Far less! I look down at the phone placed in my hands and turn it off before looking at Anna, gazing quietly into the sorrow in her eyes as she stares despondently at the bedsheets.

“Hey, Anna…” I say with a smile, prompting her to look at me. “Something wrong?”

“Umm…”

“Feeling nervous about tomorrow?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Arisa…” Anna answers forlornly, tears in her eyes. “I shouldn’t be acting like this at all! And yet, I…”

She’s crying, sobbing, tears rolling down her cheeks and onto the bed like raindrops. And I know why. I remember why. It was the same the first time around when we were leaving for Sharmarli. She’s been here on the Isle for all her life, after all. For all the life that she knows and remembers, at least.

“Anna…”

I do the only thing I can do for her at this moment as her Healer – I take her into my arms and listen with my ears, letting her cry on my shoulder. It’s what I can do for her, the same thing that a close friend of mine did for me when I left my sleepy village to study in the big city all those years ago, back in my world. And it meant the world to me.

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So, yeah. I feel ya, Anna. I really do. And if I can shoulder a little of this burden for you, I don’t mind doing it.

“I’ll miss Mom and everyone in the Chantry! I…”

“Hey, don’t worry about it at all,” I answer warmly as I reach over her shoulder, patting her gently on her back. “Besides, if you’re worried… that’s a good thing!”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“It means you love and care about Lady Iris and everyone in the Chantry, and that you know what you’re fighting for when you’re out there on the mainland! With that knowledge close to your heart… you’ll be even braver and stronger than you already are!”

“You think so…?”

“That’s what I told myself when I left my hometown to study in the city. Something similar. And I persevered. I’m still here, so there’s that! And so will you, Anna. This sadness in your heart… this too shall pass.”

“Like everything in life…”

“Yeah. The good, the bad, and the ugly…” I say tenderly as I reach in with a handkerchief, wiping the tears off Anna’s face. “But a smile better suits a Paladin like you, don’t ya think?”

“Oh, Arisa…”

She’s smiling now amid the tears that have stopped flowing. It’s bittersweet, if anything. As I put away that handkerchief, she leans in close, pecking me softly on my cheek.

“Heh. You’re very much welcome!” I exclaim, grinning sheepishly as I feel the heat welling up from the warmth in my cheek. “So, that’s enough worrying for tonight outta ya! Promise?”

“I promise, Arisa. Let’s talk about something else, shall we? Anything but tomorrow.”

“Sure. Any ideas?”

“Umm…”

I mull on it alongside Anna, my gaze wandering across the entirety of her room. I’ve said it before, but this place feels super comfy and homely! Even if it’s a bit cramped for more than one person (like right now!).

Oh! Amid all the fancy and neatly arranged plushies and vinyl records… my eyes fall upon Ascalon. It’s resting on a wall-mounted weapon rack right next to Elizabeth leaning against the wall, its ornate hilt and blade silver like the moon.

“Have I ever told you about my blade... and my Second Mom?” Anna asks innocently as she joins me in gazing at Ascalon’s blessed silver. “Umm… back in your timeline, I mean!”

“Yeah, you did! Lady Claire Silverlight, right?”

“Mm-hm!”

“She was the Executor… Lady Iris’ personal Paladin! She brought you here many years ago after rescuing you from a Dungeon, right?”

“That’s what Mom says…” Anna remarks thoughtfully. “I was ten years old. Waking up here, with Mom at my side… that’s my oldest memory. I don’t remember anything before that moment. I don’t know why, but Mom doesn’t like to talk about what happened…”

“I see. In the previous timeline, I once asked her about Lady Claire. It didn’t go too well. But uh… did you ever get to meet your Second Mom?”

“No, Arisa. I never did. Mom said she passed away before I woke up.”

“So, your Second Mom gave her life to ensure yours. That’s badass.”

“That’s her over there with Mom…” Anna says, pointing at a photo framed in gold and silver on the wall behind her desk. “She’s really pretty, isn’t she?”

“Damn right, she is…”

Lady Iris and Lady Claire are standing by each other’s side in that photo, both of them dressed to the nines in their holy regalia. Real fancy and regal! It was a long time ago, though. But Lady Iris looks just as young as she does in this image. Perks of being a Healer, I suppose!

“Hey,” I add cheekily. “I bet your Second Mom’s an awesome Paladin. Apples don’t fall far from their tree, y’know?”

“She’s the bravest and the best of all!”

“Even better than you?”

Earnestly, Anna nods enthusiastically. Her gaze, alongside mine, falls upon Ascalon once more. And is it just me… or did that claymore’s hilt sparkle!? It's like it’s winking at me… glowing…

“Yo, what the…”

“Arisa!” Anna exclaims, eyes wide with surprise. “Is Elizabeth… glowing!?”

“Holy shit, it is! And so is…”

“Ascalon…”

Good grief. Our weapons… it’s almost like these two sacred relics are trying to tell us something! Something about Anna’s Second Mom, surely…