-Chapter Forty-Five-
Revelations - Part One
Life is a cruel joke and fate has a twisted sense of humour…
To live is to suffer.
Those that are truly blessed are only the ones who were never born to see the sun.
I’m so tired.
After everything that happened, I’m so tired.
I never want to go through those things again.
I just want to rest now.
To me in the future, don’t ever forget this.
Remember. I must remember.
Remember the feeling of your heart shattering.
Piece by piece, your limbs are torn from your body.
You fall apart. Your mind dissolves in fire.
Because you cannot stop. You keep going, and keep going.
But what was it worth in the end? Hah.
In order to save the world, I sacrificed all of my loved ones, and even my own life.
What was it worth, when none of us survived?
And the world continued on as if nothing happened.
The planet just keeps spinning. Until it's inevitable destruction.
I was never missed, and I’m no longer alive to miss the ones who gave their life for me.
The world chose me to save itself, but did it ever consider whether I would choose to save the world?
This world wasn’t worth saving. And I couldn’t even save it in the end anyway…
How funny is that?
After everything we all went through, I still couldn’t save this stupid world in the end.
It’s not like I can go back in time.
Ah-... if I could, what a cruel joke that would be…
I’m so tired…
Alea, you seem so distant to me now. Nothing but a fading memory.
Violet too, I miss you. I miss you dearly.
And Clara… I failed you.
You were always so good to me, and I failed you.
Halona… what have I done?
You faithfully followed me into battle, and in the end, I let you die in my place.
How could I have done that? I was supposed to protect you.
Even you, Asura. I sacrificed even you in the end.
My Asura, my one and only.
My indomitable Queen, even you fell at the hands of Fate.
If I survive this day, future me, please never forget.
Never forget the hatred in my heart this moment. The suffering I had to go through, that all meant nothing in the end.
It all meant nothing.
In his final moments, as his blood bled out, covered in soot and dirt, with not a single soul around him to witness his death, Aelius’ eyes grew emptier and emptier.
Overhead, the sky glowed up in a myriad of colours, rainbow, purple, neon pink, ocean blue, green and yellow, as his world, the world of Vertex, was torn apart at the seams.
He was just witnessing the beginning of it.
The pool of blood grew larger and larger, and his mind faded.
With a single tear falling from his cheek, his eyes slowly, very slowly, fell shut.
To never open again. Or so he had wished at that time.
—-----------------------
The sun finally rose, but even hours into the late morning, Aelius and Asura were yet to regain consciousness.
Saki and Lia were, yet again, left in each other’s company to pass the time.
They were situated outside the room Aelius and Asura stayed in.
The two shared a set of steps with each other, blocking the way to the top floor.
There had been nothing but silence for the entire morning.
An awkward tension hung in the air, until finally, an uncomfortable Lia broke it.
“Saki…” she nervously called to her companion, who looked gravely into nothingness, deeply contemplating something.
“Saki?” Lia tried to get her attention again, causing the other young adult woman to blink in surprise.
“O-oh, sorry, Lia. What is it?”
She mustered a shaky smile to the younger girl.
“Oh it’s just…”
Lia’s eyes nervously dropped to the ground.
“Is something the matter? You seem… like you’re upset about something.”
“Ah…” Saki gave a deep breath, looking back to the wall. “I… I don’t know. But don’t worry.” Saki looked back and gave Lia a warm smile.
“It’s nothing serious. I’m waiting for Aelius to wake up. Speaking of which, should we go check on him?”
“Hmm… yeah, I guess we should…”
Lia rose to her feet.
“Well, I’ll leave it to you then. Let me know how they look,” Saki smiled as Lia disappeared into the room, before she looked away again.
As soon as the other girl was gone, the older woman’s brow furrowed and she frustratedly bit her lip, looking down to the ground.
“Oh dear…” She felt tears sting her eyes. “Oh dear…” her dejected voice faded into silence as she sniffled to herself in her own company.
—-----------------------
Lia stepped into the room, closing the door behind her and turning back to the room before she jumped in fright.
Aelius, who had been asleep the previous time, was now awake.
A dark shadow seated at the edge of the bed, Lia saw he was broodingly hunched over in silence.
A heavy atmosphere hung in the air, and he didn’t even look up as Lia entered.
“Aelius…?” she called to him but he didn’t react, and suddenly, Lia felt concern.
“Aelius…!” She crossed the room and knelt down at his side, gasping to see his lifeless eyes pointed at the ground.
“Aelius… are you okay!?”
The soullessness in them gripped her heart stronger than fear, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.
“Ah… Lia…” he softly croaked, looking to her and mustering a pained smile.
“Is that you, Lia?”
“Yes… of course.”
Lia put a warm hand over his.
“What’s wrong? Tell me.”
“N-no, nothing’s wrong,” he answered with a husk chuckle. “I’m just… tired, I guess.”
Before her, the teenage boy her age that she treasured so much, fell deathly quiet again, looking back to the ground.
It felt like there was a dark ink rising within his irises and it was simply engulfing him.
An overwhelming darkness.
Seeing him the way he was, without knowing the reason why, Lia felt her lips begin to tremble and her eyes sting.
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For some reason, sadness overwhelmed her at the broken sight of the person she held so dearly before her.
What could she do for him? Anything? Anything at all?
“If you’re tired…” she began to speak softly, “then just rest.”
Reaching forward, Lia pulled Aelius up against her chest, hugging him tightly.
“Rest as much as you need.”
She closed her eyes to stop the stray tears from hitting him.
Though he remained silent, she felt his arms lift up to hug her around the waist.
“Rest…” he quietly repeated. “Right… rest. Haha. There’s no time for such a thing.”
Lia felt him pull away, and withdrew herself, sitting back to gaze at him.
“We already wasted so much goddamn time in this stupid-ass village, with that stupid-ass bullshit from last night. We’re already behind schedule.”
Aelius reached up to wipe his eyes clean and rose to his feet.
Lia watched as he crossed the room to where the blonde haired girl slept, but he stopped for a moment, turning to look back at Lia, giving her a smile.
“Thank you, Lia. You’re too precious. Thanks for cheering me up.”
“...Yeah, you’re welcome,” she answered mindlessly, unable to take her eyes off him.
Normally, Lia would timidly blush.
But today, something was off. Something was different.
The eyes Aelius looked at her with had lost their spark.
They were still dead inside, just like a moment ago.
Yet, she could still feel that there was something pushing him forward.
She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it felt like he had aged a dozen years in a single moment.
Yeah. Calmer, more indifferent.
Sullen. Sunken shoulders.
He was no longer looking up at the sky as he walked, but rather down at the ground.
And yet he continued to walk nonetheless.
—-----------------------
When Lia left the room, she found Saki was in a similar state.
She seemed to have come to terms with what was bothering her earlier.
Lia could tell from observing the older young adult woman that she was also somewhat sullen, not very much excitable like she normally was.
But she held her head up regardless to greet Aelius and the freshly awoken blonde-haired girl as they stepped out.
The newcomer girl, the… Noble, who had been murdered apparently, immediately clung to Aelius’ arm.
Or perhaps, they clung to each other.
There was something odd when she first woke up and set her eyes on him.
She smugly smiled, reached up to touch his cheek, and ruffled his hair, and then she spoke some strange words.
It was though Lia was witnessing an entangling web wrap itself around Aelius, as he knelt with his head in her lap.
“Now there’s the man I know. Look at how your desperate struggles have brought you back to me.”
She reached down and affectionately embraced him, just as Lia had, as she awkwardly watched in the corner of the room.
“It’s okay though,” the blonde-haired beauty soothingly consoled him. “I’ll solve it all for you…”
Someone might have noticed Asura was also behaving differently than she was the previous few weeks. It was almost as though she had also aged within a single night, just as Aelius had.
But what only Aelius knew was that the state of her being was actively reflected off him.
She grew and evolved alongside his desires, his feelings, and his experiences.
And the Asura that he had come to live with in his past life was… none other than this Asura.
The Bloody Queen of Destruction, blood-hungry, haughty, arrogant. And yet, though twisted, still remained oh-so ever loving toward him. She had now returned in the earnest.
This devilish woman had proven to be his backbone many times. And now, that teenage-like angst and attitude in her from the last few weeks is gone.
Just as how the teenage-like attitude in Aelius was gone.
One can’t help but ask… just as Lia and Saki asked after they saw how he changed…
Just what did he see in the span of one night?
—-----------------------
The newly formed group of four went to the roof of the building to take in some breeze, at Saki’s suggestion.
And soon, they stepped out into the roaring sun, looking over the beautiful desert.
As breathtaking as it was, there was a degree of pensive glum among them.
Aelius looked out over the village with Asura dangling her legs over the edge, shining a small smile at her surroundings.
Lia also took a seat, but Saki remained the only one standing.
For a long moment, she stood before Aelius, nervously silent, and he continued looking out into the desert plains.
“S-so… where are we going now?” she finally gathered the courage to speak up.
“We continue what we came here for in the first place, before we got caught up in this mess,” Aelius answered, turning to look back at her.
“We go deeper into the desert.”
At his answer, Saki began to fidget with her fingers, clearly trying to say something but too nervous to.
Aelius frowned for a moment before he hopped up to his feet and approached her.
Lia and Asura both silently watched as he raised his arms and embraced her around the back.
“Hey, it’s alright. Saki, listen to me. Whatever’s going on, whatever it is you’ve got to say, it’s okay. So don’t feel pressured.”
While her head rested on his shoulder, the young, dark haired beauty broke into tears and hugged him back.
“I-I’m sorry…” she sniffled, crying into his shoulder.
A short minute went by before she gently took a step back, her tears not stopping and she began to waffle.
“I feel so bad… I really feel so bad for this. Aelius is the first person in my life to mean so much to me. Y-you saved me from eternal hell, and you treated me with more kindness than anyone ever has. I know you would never abandon me, and you’d do almost anything for me. I too, am willing to do anything for you…” Saki put a hand on her chest as she cried out the words.
“B-but… but! It’s precisely why I know you’d be willing to do anything for me that I have to do this. And say this.”
She finally calmed down somewhat. At least, the tears stopped and her words became more comprehensible.
“I… found clues to returning to my realm.”
Aelius’ eyes widened at the sudden revelation, and he took a step forward.
“Right… well, hey. Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked. “I was wondering how we were gonna do that, but it really just fell into our lap, huh.”
“Yeah… and… you asked me if I wanted revenge or not, on the day you saved me. I’ve been thinking about it all night and… I do. My father was murdered, and so was my grandfather. At least, I want to make my twin-sister pay for what she’s done.”
Saki clenched her fists.
“Knowing that she might be out there happily ruling over her little kingdom… fills me with rage.”
Aelius took a step forward and took her hand into his, and she relaxed, looking at him.
“I know you have your own mission here, in this realm. I would hate to become a burden to whatever it is you are fighting for - the war against the vampiric species. S-so…”
Saki tried really hard to get the final words out.
“S-so-so…” She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and then opening them again a moment later, gazing directly into Aelius’ brown irises.
“So you’ll have to continue without me.” She smiled warmly. “It looks like, just as with Aria, I can’t travel with you anymore.”
“What? Why’d you go jumping to that conclusion on your own?” Aelius asked her but she shook her head
“I am going to have to travel this entire world to find the remaining Keys. You are headed deeper into the desert. My destinations are far with few between. I can’t bring you with me, and I can’t stay with you. It’s just better if we go our… our separate ways.”
The words pained her to say, but she got them out.
“That’s fine, Saki! It’s fine if they’re far away. We can get around to them. I’m sure that wherever they are, we’ll have the chance to pass by!” Aelius insisted to her and she shook her head yet again.
“Last but not least, this is my vendetta. It’s something I would hate to drag you into. If you were put in danger because of my selfish quest for revenge, then I’d regret it.”
Aelius grit his teeth.
Selfish quest for revenge? Putting a loved one in danger? Ah… that sounds familiar. So that’s how this comes back in a circle to bite me, huh.
“What if I want you to stay with me?” Aelius asked and Saki shook her head. “What if I need you to stay with me then!?” he put a firm hand on his chest and asserted. “I-I… I can’t stand losing someone again.”
She shook her head yet again, tears at the corner of her eyes.
“No can do, my sweet.”
She turned her eyes to Lia and gave the girl a beaming smile.
“Take care of him in my stead too. And tell Aria I said hi.”
“Saki!” Aelius shouted as the older woman waved, and before Aelius could grab onto her, she lifted into the air.
“Saki you get right back down here!” Aelius demanded but she simply reached her hand up to her lips, and blew a kiss at him from the air. Aelius saw the familiar gesture and rage engulfed him.
Not again. Not like this!
“I promise, Aelius. I promise I’ll return safe and sound to be with you again. I promise, okay?”
“Saki!!!” Aelius roared. “It’s dangerous! Don’t you dare go and get yourself killed again!”
As she began to fade into transparency, he saw her smile sincerely at him.
“I will always love you.”
He was powerless to stop her from disappearing as she blended into the air, and without a trace, had left them.
“No way…” Aelius fell to his knees in shock. The rage he felt quickly died out, leaving only ashes within him. “Why? How did things come to this?”
“Saki…” Lia sniffled, knowing she might not see her friend again for a very long time.
“Really? So she’s just gone? Just like that?” Aelius worded aloud in a daze. “What the hell…”
Behind him, Asura slung her pair of slender arms around him, leaning into him over his back.
“Are you going to get caught up in your emotions? Swept away powerlessly like that? Or are we going to get a move on? She made her choice. Respect it and continue with your journey. That’s what she left for in the first place, after all.”
Asura’s slender, snake-like tongue poked out of her red lips and she kissed Aelius on the ear.
“Come on, honey. We came this far into the desert for something, did we not?”
He did not answer her, but rose to his feet. As he turned away, Lia saw a thin line drawn across his face.
A stern, thin line of self-forced apathy and indifference.
“Let’s go,” he spoke to Lia, and stepped past her, wordlessly disappearing through the doorway.
Asura followed, appearing amused by the entire situation.
Lia, the last one remaining on the rooftop, looked out at the sky for a moment. Was Saki still there, watching them? Could she still hear them?
Well, even if she couldn’t, it was too unfair that Lia didn’t get the chance to have her goodbye with her.
“Saki!!!” Lia called out at the top of her lungs. “You better come back alive someday!
—-----------------------
And now, by Aelius’ side, not just one, but two of his chosen companions have left in pursuit of different things than his quest of vengeance.
First Aria, and now Saki.