-Chapter Fifty-Two-

A New Future - Part Two

Aelius found himself taking in some refreshing air as he leaned up against one of the fences decorating the porch of the building.

Aelius looked up at the illusionary sky overhead, the sound of his breath exhaling deeply softly whistled in the night.

Finally, Aelius heard the creek of the wooden door and turned to see his beautiful, blue-haired bride shyly stepping out, and he felt a smile urge itself across his lips.

“Aria.”

“Aelius…”

For a moment, he was unsure how to act but on her own accord, she approached him and stepped into his arms.

“I’ve missed you,” she softly whispered.

“...I’ve missed you too.”

For a long moment, they enjoyed each other’s warmth until Aria pulled away again, giving him a wry smile.

“I’m surprised to see Felix here. I left him behind at the Aerianne Manor, saying you were safer in my care rather than his. How ironic that we’ve switched roles.”

“Yes…” Aria tucked her now significantly longer hair behind her ear. Come to think of it, they had been apart for an entire year.

“But he worked up the courage to find me and make amends. And I’m grateful for him.”

“He’s joining us in a dangerous war,” Aelius warily remarked and Aria only smiled.

“That’s exactly why he did it. I don’t think he’s comfortable knowing his own daughter is out there fighting.”

Aria gazed out into the village and leaned forward onto her elbow.

“Where’s our next destination?” she asked. “I’ve done everything I can here in this village. I wonder how Lia is doing.”

“Our next destination…” Aelius exhaled deeply. “I’ll be taking you back to the Imperial Capital for now. As for Lia, I’ve enrolled her into a Magic Academy. Currently, we need to protect her until she can truly unfold her wings. So at least for now, we can give her a normal teenagehood.”

“A Magic Academy? She’s going to drive those teachers mad. She’s the natural enemy of Mages,” Aria chuckled. “Do you plan on setting off tomorrow morning?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…” she hummed, something on her mind.

They stood in silence for a moment, before they noticed a stream of children filing out from a cave at the other end of the village.

The excited laughter and shouts filled the air as the children averted today’s disaster and returned to their homes.

Aelius watched with a small smile on his face. How unexpected, that the Dragon who taught Aria had also decided to take in more children. Perhaps it was to fill the void that Aria had left?

Beside him, he felt the warmth of her body pull away, and blinked as he looked over her shoulder.

“Just a moment, I’m going to put father to bed,” Aria said with a mischievous smile.

Ominous, Aelius thought nervously as he turned back to the small haven, his thoughts whirring.

Anyways, I’ve been unconscious for too long. I need to check on Lia’s progress, and I’m sure Asura is furious right now that I’ve disappeared without mentioning anything to her.

He sighed as he dreaded the inevitable encounter, when he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Aria returning.

“Thanks for waiting. Father’s going to rest until morning.”

“Yeah, it’s gotten late,” Aelius remarked as he felt her slip her hand into his, their fingers intertwining.

Then, she immediately pulled him with her, before clutching onto his arm, giving him a beaming smile.

“Aelius,” she whispered, her voice filled with a devious tone of mischief. “You left me here alone for so long. I hope you’re willing to make up for it tonight.”

“Uhh…” Aelius felt his cheeks flush.

“Come on.”

—-----------------------

Aria led him to an isolated building at the edge of the village.

“This is my residence,” she presented proudly as she opened the door for Aelius to step in.

As soon as he did however, he heard the door slam and the clunk of a lock.

“A-Aria?” Aelius turned before Aria dove into him, immediately putting her lips to his and wrapping her arms around his head.

“Yes, honey?” she giggled, pushing him down the corridor.

“H-hold on. We’re still in the bodies of teenagers.”

“...Does that mean you don’t find the young version of me attractive?” Aria mischievously tugged on the collar of her shirt, revealing her chest, with a teasing smile.

“N-no, that’s not it at all.”

“Well…” They came to a room and Aria pushed Aelius onto the bed before quickly climbing atop of him.

As Aelius looked up at her attractive figure, he realised this scene was strangely reminiscent.

“What’s the point of waiting until we reach our original ages, when I’m already yours? Besides… we finally got the chance to go back through time. Truth be told, I’ve always wanted to taste you in your youth.”

Aria seductively took Aelius’ fingers into her mouth, her delicate hands wrapped around his arm.

“Uhh…” Aelius’ frantic eyes darted around the room as Aria undid the ribbon tying her chest together, letting her shirt fall open, revealing her bare stomach and bra.

“Come on, Aelius~ Don’t you think it’d be a shame if you missed out on the chance of us doing this while we’re still in these young bodies? It’s not weird because we’ve both regressed. It’d be weird if you made a move on Lia, though.”

Aelius’ red face observed Aria’s attractive figure before gulping.

“You must have been really pent up for the last year,” he remarked.

“That’s what I’m saying. You are obligated to make it up to me-”

Aelius quickly flipped them, now pressing down on Aria as he tore his shirt off.

“Do you prefer it rough or do you want me to be gentle?”

For a moment, Aria pondered the question before her face turned red.

“I-I think I’d like it gentle.”

The long night was only just beginning for the two lovers.

—-----------------------

When Aria woke up, Aelius was already gone. But as she came out into the main room with her open shirt and only underwear underneath, she found him looking out on the veranda.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Happiness filled her as she approached him from behind and hugged him, feeling his hand clutch her’s.

“Good morning, love.”

He turned to glance at her with a smile, cupping her cheek.

“And good morning to you too, beautiful.”

They exchanged a kiss before Aelius put an arm around her shoulder, as they looked out into the village.

The two remained there, enjoying the artificial sunlight and the breeze for a long moment before Aelius spoke.

“You must have enjoyed it here. It’s peaceful.”

“I did. I’m going to miss this place. But I was prepared to leave a long time ago.”

“...If only days like this could last forever.”

Aria detected a hint of sadness in Aelius’ tone.

“We’ll make it so that they can. Isn’t that what we’re doing? Going to war for the sake of peace.”

Aelius nodded, looking down.

“And I’m going to need your help to make it happen.” He took her hand and kissed her fingers, causing her face to flush.

“You seductive fiend,” she scolded him, pulling her hand away.

“That’s awfully rich of you to say after last night,” Aelius smiled, taking her hair into his hands instead and kissing them again. He closed his eyes as he smelt her hair, sensing the overpowering womanly fragrance.

When Aria saw him open his eyes again, he was looking at her with what was pure desire. She felt a shudder like prey in the eyes of a predator, before Aelius suddenly reached down and lifted Aria up by the legs.

“A-Aelius!” Aria exclaimed as he carried her on his shoulder back to the bed, dumping her down on the mattress, and he gave her a smirk.

“Shouldn’t we make the most of such a day? Your words, not mine. I really want to give this intelligent woman of mine some more love,” he coyly lowered himself to attack her neck, and Aria’s voice echoed out the room.

—-----------------------

When Aria stepped out of the shower and joined Aelius for a mug of coffee at the table, Aelius felt an odd sensation well in his chest.

How long had he felt this sort of lethargic, sense of peace?

Making love late into the night. Sleeping late into the morning, just to make love again. And watching his beautiful mistress eat breakfast beside him.

That would be the life. That was the dream, he thought, looking down at his coffee and steeling his resolve to end this war with the Devils.

“Ael, my love,” Aria began to speak.

“What’s up, sweetheart?”

“Before we go back north to rejoin with Lia, I think you should go see your family just once.”

Aelius frowned as he considered the proposal, before he sighed.

“I… could, but…” He pursed his lips. “I really don’t want to see them until this is all over.”

“Aelius…” Aria took his hand into hers. “Being with my father has made me incredibly happy. It made me realise the importance of family. Not family like my mother, but family that loves me. Aunt and uncle deserve more than just having you disappear on them.”

“I left them a letter,” Aelius answered and Aria sighed.

“But think about it this way. What’s the point of coming back in time, just to not see them? You’ve been given this incredible opportunity. You have no reason not to lead a good life.”

Aelius pursed his lips again, clearly conflicted.

“But if I see them again, I’m really going to be tempted to take them away from Farrien. This Kingdom is disgusting and destroyed that family.”

“Exactly. They met tragic deaths in our past life.” Aria softly caressed his hand. “Don’t you have lingering regrets? Nobody else gets to travel back in time to resolve them. Aelius, you can love people without feeling guilty,” Aria told him firmly, her golden eyes glowing as she gazed deep into his soul.

“I know how much you’ve suffered. I know how fragile you perceive all the people in your life to be.” She suddenly sprung to her feet and pulled his head to her chest, softly caressing his hair, dropping her voice to a soft whisper. “It’s inevitable to feel scared after we all died once. But if you keep your distance from them and they pass away again, wouldn’t that be terrible?” Aria asked.

“I won’t let them meet the same fate again,” Aelius answered firmly.

“If so, then don’t be afraid to love them. You’ll protect them this time, and I’ll help you with it. So let go of the burdens in your heart, my love. Go see their faces without guilt and anxiety burdening you.”

Aelius clenched his fists recalling the smiles of his father, his mother, and his beloved younger sister.

“...Fine, fine.” He sighed deeply, as Aria pulled away, sitting back down and giving him a smile. “We can go visit them.”

Aria smiled.

“While we’re there…” she kicked her legs under the table. “Do you think we could procure some engagement rings, and hold an engagement ceremony?”

“That’s your reason for-?”

“No, no. Of course not. I really do wish for you to meet with your family. But Aelius, they’re family to me too. And so are you. I want to commemorate our bond. I want to be able to stand on the aisle with you, proudly, with our precious family watching us, in the place that gave me the most happiness in my childhood. The place where I learnt love, and the place where we first met.”

Aelius envisioned her wish, closing his eyes with a gentle shake of his head.

“I-I…” he clenched his fists. “Before we end this war, I don’t deserve to-” he felt his voice break and his eyes widened as sudden realisation dawned back on him. “I don’t deserve such happiness.”

Aelius reached up burying his head in his hands.

“I let down every single person I loved in my past life. I failed to save you all. I watched you die, Aria, and I wasn’t even there to see my father and mother die. I only came back to find their graves. I have blood on my hands! I’m so sorry, Aria, but I can’t envision myself standing hand-in-hand with you on the aisle, smiling and acting like nothing’s wrong when those bastards are still out there. I’ve sinned and I’m guilty. Before I’m allowed happiness, I have to end this war first.”

“Aelius… Aelius!” He suddenly felt her pull him into a tight hug. “It’s okay, Aelius! I’m alive. They’re alive. You’re alive. That was your past life. This life is different. That past life was horrible, but it’s over now. You lived through it once so that we could be here today, as we are. The suffering you went through, you went through it for the sake of succeeding this time. It was just like a trial run, and now is the real performance.”

Aelius’ shaking arms hugged Aria tightly, as he felt his breathing calm down.

“I-I…” His lips trembled. “I failed you in my past life too. I really don't deserve a woman as good as you. Even in this life, I treated you poorly after I regressed.”

“...But being able to hold you like this right now makes me happy. The past aside, it’s the future that matters.” Aria pulled away, holding his hands, before giving him a beaming smile. “We’ve all made past mistakes. But we can’t let go of the possibility of a better future just because of that. Don’t let the nightmares of our past bind you down. None of it was your fault, and we’ll get through this.”

Aelius reached up to bury his head in his hands

“Thank you. Thank you, Aria. But, I’m sorry, I don’t think we can hold the ceremony. And I’m only planning to stay the night there. We don’t have enough time, and there’s too much to do.”

“It’s okay, Aelius. Your happiness matters most to me.”

“But I promise. In two years, let’s get married,” he looked up with a warm smile. “We’re actually already engaged, we were since birth, remember?”

Aria’s eyes lit up.

“Our… wedding… Okay… I’ll hold you to that. Anyway, it’s already noon. When do you want to go visit aunt, uncle and Penelope?” Aria asked with a smile.

“Penelope…” Aelius recalled her tragic fate in his past life. “We’ll go within the hour. You and your father should go say your goodbyes to the rest of the village.”

Aria nodded.

“Alright.”

—-----------------------

Penelope in the first life, watched her family get torn apart before her very eyes. She was there when her father’s head fell from execution, only at the tender age of thirteen. Her mother who stood next to her, immediately coughed up blood and fainted from the shock of the horrific sight. Her older brother had disappeared years ago and no one knew whether he was alive or dead.

If the tears being shed from her father’s death wasn’t enough, Penelope had to haul her mother to get medical care at the exact same time.

As a result of the sentencing against her father, their manor and all of their assets were confiscated by the King, leaving her and her mother with nowhere to go.

While trying to pay for her mother’s medical bills somehow, Penelope gave up on her education and went out to search for work.

Painstakingly, she worked for years to support herself and her mother in a difficult job. In the end, at fifteen, she even got married for the sake of having some more money and stability, but her husband ended up being an abusive scumbag.

As she continued work, barely staving off poverty, and being hit and sexually abused at home, she became trapped in hell.

Penelope’s sixteenth birthday passed by without so much as a mention, and soon after, her mother’s constitution finally gave out.

Right before the young girl’s eyes, every member of her family passed away.

With no one left and trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage, life was not worth living.

When Aelius returned, she was so bitter and miserable that she refused to let him back into her hell-like life. She shunned him and turned him away, and before Aelius could gain her forgiveness… he heard the news.

She was found hanging from the ceiling one day, in a locked room.

They had to break the door down to gain entry. The body was cremated and disposed of, and her husband divorced her and moved onto a new wife.

No one was left to mourn her except for Aelius, who could only make a tombstone for her. No body or ashes to scatter.

This traumatic incident haunted Aelius for years to come. The guilt of being the only one who survived was destructive and madness inducing. It was another burden he carried on those tired shoulders of his.

The hardest part was that there was no one else to hate, because at the end of the day, Aelius was the one who failed her.

At least, he has the chance to create a new future, now.