-The Gaian Academy: One day later-
Inside a large, Victorian-styled classroom, the two groups, Pale Fangs and Flock of Veils were scattered across the space. Each dressed in dark windbreaker robes. Some had their arms crossed, some sank their cheeks into their palms, some were standing, resting their backs against the walls. Emory stood against the wall, gazing at the three Masters adjacent to him who stood before the class.
A heavy air descended upon them all. It was of course just a day after the events surrounding Caelum and the others. Even though they couldn’t verify their assumptions, they already knew something wrong happened.
Simeon, dressed in a dark brown suit, crossed his arms and spoke to them all in a loud and understanding tone.
“All of you have probably heard about the disappearance of the Jormungandrs. I want you to know that an investigation is taking place. We hope that the problem will soon be resolved.”
Qlint, seated at the far right corner, spoke out with an irritated tone.
“Resolved? Was it not mentioned that the Inquisition would be catered towards our current Sequencer abilities? The first Quest was quite literally a wholesome hunting session. I fail to believe those Cimmerisses were the cause behind their sudden disappearance.”
Eunice, who was dressed in a black suit, stepped forward with her arms crossed.
“…It may have been possible for other creatures to suddenly come to light. But that may also not be the reason. There are a lot of possibilities that could be linked to this.”
Grace, who was seated at the front next to Petronella, spoke to them.
“That could be true… but a unanimous dissipation just seems unlikely. An outside force, or one that was unprecedented must have been the cause for this. I see no reason for them to abandon the Inquisition on their own accord.”
“At any rate,” Simeon sighed. “The Forest has now been closed off. We’re still unaware how long it will remain closed, but the Inquisition will have to be halted until the GEF may be opened once more.”
Madeline, who sat at the far back left, looked at Emory with a thoughtful gaze. He hung his head, aimlessly staring into the ground. Her recent memory flashed through her mind; The moment when Caelum stood face to face with Emory, their brutal, but heartfelt rivalry sparkling from within their distance.
***
-Later that night: Aurora’s house-
She was dressed in a white robe made of fine silk, a seamless extra layer of fragility upon her weathered skin. Buried deep in her bed, she began to move involuntarily whilst in deep sleep, as if experiencing a nightmare. This continued for several minutes until she stopped, opened her eyes, and departed from her bedroom, as if a calling required her appearance.
There was indeed a calling. A calling she normally wouldn’t have heard, were it any other day. A loud bell rang throughout her head, causing her to follow the source. This was a special bell. A bell that nobody could ever expect to arrive, because… it was a special bell.
The bell led her from through the upper corridors all the way towards the front door at the first level. The entire house was dark, she didn’t bother flicking the light switches. She simply walked towards the front door as if cast under a mind-controlling spell.
And, suddenly, a few gentle knocks on the front door reverberated throughout the hallway. Someone was indeed standing at the other end of the door, and that someone was most likely the source of that mystical bell.
Without any hesitation, Aurora unlocked the door with her keys, and pushed down the wooden lever, slowly pulling the door open…
…revealing Emon’s figure, draped in his usual dark brown jacket over his white blouse, standing right before her.
Aurora’s eyes instantly widened. Mouth left ajar, haggardly gasping for air. Yes, this was ‘Emon’ standing before her. He was no mirage, nor someone else acting as ‘him’. No, ‘Emon’ decided to adhere to Helvega’s request and give the person he always loved a visit. Although, as a stark contrast to the occasion, Emon’s face was still, emotionless, cold. It was as if he had come here with a single goal in sight.
Several seconds of silent gazes being exchanged passed. By now, Aurora should have already acknowledged Emon’s existence. Indeed, she had ‘wasted’ her precious earlier years by lamenting Emon’s ‘death’. She could never forget that one moment when she encountered Emon’s supposed wife he had hidden away for so long. Despite that memory, she always cherished the wholesome moments she shared with him when they were associated with Luria. The flying in the ships, sharing breakfast at the tavern… feeling as if she was the only person who got to witness the ‘real’ Emon he had deliberately kept hidden for as long as they knew each other.
The amalgamation of all the memories, feelings, thoughts, tears, sweat and blood swirled deep within her chest and instantly materialized into a stone clump that anchored her heart down. Unfortunately…
“…Aurora, it’s me.”
…as soon as hearing Emon’s voice, she fell on her knees, and began to chuckle softly, which gradually grew into a hysterical laughter. Her long gray tresses fell over her tears filled face, her body trembling, hands clutching onto her clothes as if her younger self wanted to share this experience.
And with her head still kept lowered, she spoke to him.
“…Who are you?”
These three words seemed to have struck a deep chord within Emon. He reached his right hand to her as carefully as he could.
“I am… Emon…”
“You’re not,” Aurora retorted, causing Emon to stop his motion, as if an invisible barrier prevented him from touching her. “You’re not real! Get away from me, you demon! Emon would never dare to show himself to me like this! Not after what he did to me!”
As Emon retreated his hand, he spoke to her in a more stoic tone.
“…How did that make you feel? That moment, when you encountered his wife?”
She remained silent in response, the still air punctured by her continuous sniffs and breathing.
“Do you hate him for it?” Emon continued.
“Of course I do… Of course I hate him for it!”
“What would you want to do to him, if he was standing in front of you right now?”
Aurora began to grimace, as she raised her disheveled head to meet the unknown man’s eyes.
“I would kill him! I want to choke him to death and see life slowly fade away from within his eyes! He ruined my life!”
She then clutched onto the lower part of Emon’s jacket, tears continuing to glide down her face.
“I wasted so many years… so many years trying to find him, his truth, my own purpose! And guess what? I never found it! He disappeared and forced me to take in his children! I… I don’t know what to do anymore!”
The unknown man squinted his eyes, as if holding back tears.
“…You do not deserve to live. Not in a world as cruel as this.”
“Yes, you’re right! I don’t…” Aurora began, suddenly remembering her children. Their smiling faces crossed through her mind, causing her to relieve her grip on the unknown man’s attire.
“…My children…”
“Hm?”
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“My children… deserve to live.”
The unknown man was standing at the threshold of her house, whilst Aurora was still on her knees, completely defeated, within the hallway. However, right as she muttered those five words, their surroundings melted away, revealing a pitch black void surrounding them. Rain then began to pour down upon their area, but not ‘on them’. It seemed as if an invisible barrier prevented the droplets from reaching them, causing a dry circle to form around them.
The unknown man began to speak once more. Looking down at Aurora with a pitiful expression.
“Tell me, Aurora, how did your experiences with Emon look like?”
She took several moments before answering. The muffled sounds of the surrounding rain acting as though telling the man to wait patiently for an answer.
“…He was a smart and charismatic man. But he never opened himself up to anyone. He always had a very soft and thoughtful way of talking, as if he knew exactly what words he should utter, no matter what the situation was. He seemed like a hollow shell of a young, bright man he once was, but he was radiating that young man’s energy, despite having become the person he was at that point.”
“That young man… Do you know him?” the unknown man asked.
“I… only had faint assumptions of what that young man may have been like. But I can safely say that some sort of malicious intervention must have taken place, because I doubt that such a change in a man could never happen spontaneously. It is as if he sold his soul to the devil, in exchange for a life I fail to discern…”
“A life you fail to discern… What do you mean by that?”
Aurora sniffed her nose before answering.
“I thought he always wanted to have a different kind of life, despite being one of the most successful individuals within Deneve. I never… understood it, because I tried giving him a life he could benefit from, but…”
“…But it appeared that he already had that life,” the unknown man said, finishing her sentence.
“Exactly,” she responded. “He already seemed to have been with someone else. It… hurted. It still hurts now… but whenever I think about the times when we would simply enjoy our time together…”
She let out a deep sigh, and continued.
“There was one time when we shared breakfast together, back in ‘84. On that day, I was able to catch a glimpse of that young man. He wanted to know more about me, about my past… He eagerly listened to anything I had to say. I touched his hand, and… it felt soft, charismatic, cunning, just like him.”
“…I see,” the unknown man muttered. “Emon most definitely wanted to know more about you, Aurora.”
She remained silent in response.
“He wanted to know everything about you, but he could not bring himself to voice out that feeling to you.”
“Then, why did he never give himself the time to prepare himself? Why was he with another woman? Who was that woman?” Aurora retorted as tears began to well up in her eyes once more. “I first thought that he had been lying to me for this whole time… Playing with my emotions whilst being enamored with someone else. But… I just… cannot accept that. He did not lie to me… I just know it!”
“He did not lie to you. You were the only person he loved.”
The unknown man’s voice appeared as stoic as before, but something glimmered in his eyes, as if… he had been waiting to tell her this for his entire life. Something changed about his demeanour, or better said… appearance.
“…Caelum and Vaelen,” Aurora began. “Those are the names I gave to his sons that he made with his other wife. Why? Why did I need to take them in? Why are they not my biological sons? If Emon truly loved me… why would he commit such a clandestine act like this, and make me, the person he loved, take in his children?!”
Yes, to anyone with common sense, this was a totally reasonable question. Why did Emon do this? Why did he betray her like that? Why did he make children with Velera instead of his ‘real love’? What fruits was he expecting to grow by arriving here, and finally revealing himself to her after close to two decades?
Almost two decades. Eighteen years. One must imagine how long ago five years must be, or ten. How did your life look like ten years ago? What memories did you make? What emotions did you experience, and what events did you bring alongside you?
Indeed, one could surely imagine how long eighteen years must have been for anyone. Despite that, ‘Emon’ still haunted Aurora’s mind. She was… never able to let go of him, after all.
So, just like Aurora said earlier… ‘Emon’ would never dare to reveal himself to her like this. Not after his betrayal, not after the heartfelt moments they shared, not after ‘disappearing’ for this long! To her, this could never be Emon. It could never be him…
And yet, Emon was quite special to her. He was special enough to become someone beyond the concept of ‘common sense’. Perhaps, this ‘unknown man’ was the projection of absurdism. That Emon could be absurd enough to encounter her in a fashion so paradoxical to ‘himself’.
“…Remember when you said that a malicious intervention must have taken place?” the unknown man spoke softly. “Well, you are not wrong. Emon could only deserve to have someone like you. He never did what he did because he wanted to. He could only deserve someone able to bring him that new life he always wanted. He would sell his soul for that life. However, Emon never found that life in the end.”
“Are you saying… that I could have brought him that new life?”
“…Yes, you would. It could only be you, Aurora.”
“But… he left me…”
Her voice began to lose balance, and tears rolled down her face again. The unknown man sat on one knee, and gently embraced her in his arms. Burying his face in her neck.
“…If the Devil gave you one chance to speak to Emon, would you take it?”
“I would. I would take it!” she exclaimed, firmly grasping the unknown man’s back. “I would give up everything I have just to be with him one last time! I want him to tell me about everything… Everything that happened when we were younger! I want him to show me the truth about his existence, about his love for me! That is what I want!”
These words were witty and eloquent. They were beautiful words that portrayed the love she still held for Emon. And these were the last words she would be able to utter.
The unknown man could sense that her grip grew faint. As if all of her muscles began to relax at once. He gulped, and spoke to her once more, hoping to get a response.
“Who are you, Aurora Jinton?”
“I… a…m…”
Her way of speaking turned completely foggy. It seemed as if she used up all of her energy left, up to the point where uttering simple words would be impossible.
Yet, the unknown man did not give up.
“Tell me, who are you? What lies in the deepest layer in your heart?”
“…I…”
…Her body fell limp like disconnected strings. Her hands that were once clutching onto his back now fallen like a lifeless marionette. The unknown man began to breathe haggardly, his own grip tightening around her. He buried his face in her neck once more as he began to cry profusely.
He weaved his hand through Aurora’s tresses with a contorted face. The sounds of his lament now echoed throughout the entire void-filled world, and it ended with one single sound.
“…Aurora…!”
The rain stopped, and the dark world turned into gray sparkles that faded in the air, revealing Aurora’s bedroom.
Just like the beginning, Aurora was laying on her bed. She had been on her bed all this time. But she did not move. She could not move.
…She was dead.
Her left hand was being clutched by Emon, who stood next to her bed. He wiped off the tears from his face, and gently kissed her palm.
“…It’s okay. We will meet each other again soon. I promise.”
At the threshold of her bedroom door, a swirl of black butterflies appeared, which eventually formed the figures of Michel and Geisterpriesterin.
Michel stepped forward with his arms crossed behind his back, stopping right in front of Aurora’s bed.
“You respected Helvega’s request, it seems.”
Emon remained silent in response, his full attention still gravitated towards Aurora.
“How did you know she would die this night?” Michel asked, as Geisterpriesterin walked up to him from behind with a closed smile on her face.
“…This is not his first time here, my Lord. Throughout the years, I helped him infiltrate her bedroom every time she would be deep asleep. He would always stand right beside her, and gently caress his lips against her forehead, light enough to prevent her from awakening.”
“I see,” Michel said. “Then I presume you also witnessed her health deteriorating over time, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did,” Emon finally answered, his voice solemn. “I was planning on repeating this today, but… I noticed she was not breathing correctly. She was also talking to herself. This is what I assumed at first, so I began speaking to her, and she would surprisingly respond to me.”
Michel took several moments before answering. He gazed at Aurora’s corpse as if questioning the significance of her love and devotion towards someone like Emon. He then slowly raised his head to meet Emon’s eyes, and spoke with a careful, but authoritative tone.
“We must go now, Emon. The time of your departure is nearing.”
“Yes, I understand,” Emon responded. “Thank you for letting me be with her in her final moments.”
Michel turned towards the Lady in Black and uttered her name. She responded with “Yes, my Lord,” and summoned a large swarm of black butterflies that consumed their figures. It then morphed into one large swirl that exited the house through a slightly opened window next to her bed.
***
…One could imagine her happy.