Chapter 12 – Mirana Alicent

“You look familiar,” Miss Mirana Alicent remarked, her voice soft yet carrying an air of quiet authority.

She tilted her head slightly, a subtle motion that stirred a strange pang of nostalgia within me. It was an unconscious gesture, one I had seen Myrrh do countless times. The resemblance between them, even in their mannerisms, was unmistakable—a clear sign they were mother and daughter.

“U-umm...” My words faltered as I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, fumbling to find something impressive to say. My heart pounded in my chest, and my thoughts tangled in a frantic scramble. After all, here I stood, face-to-face with the woman who had been my childhood heroine, a figure I had idolized for years. “I-I’m Zaft Callahan, Myrrh’s partner at the university. I… I was the kid you rescued fourteen years ago during the Christmas Siege.”

Recognition flashed in her eyes, and a warm smile touched her lips. “Oh, right. You’re that lone survivor from the kindergarten home, aren’t you?”

The memory stirred, its edges sharp and raw despite the years. The Christmas Siege—one of the most infamous events in human history—had unfolded fourteen years ago, when the Cosmic Beasts launched their large-scale assault on Earth. It was the second time the planet had faced these monsters head-on.

That night was meant to be festive, filled with laughter and the scent of gingerbread in the air. At our Catholic-run kindergarten, we had been celebrating a Christmas party. There were fifteen kids, two teacher nuns, and a single security guard. But when the Cosmic Beasts descended, their rampage laid waste to the city. The kindergarten, a place once brimming with innocence and joy, was utterly destroyed. All the children, the two nuns, and even the security guard—everyone was massacred.

Everyone, except me.

The details had blurred in my mind over the years, my brain having tucked them away, perhaps to protect me from the trauma. All I could truly recall were the scenes of chaos—the crumbling rubble, the metallic tang of blood in the air. The horror of it should have scarred me for life, but instead, it ignited a resolve deep within me. I had held onto a singular dream: to support the WAIFUs in battle, just as Mirana Alicent had saved me. To me, she wasn’t just a hero—she was everything I aspired to be.

I glanced at Myrrh, whose wide eyes and slightly parted lips revealed her surprise. It wasn’t often she saw me vulnerable, let alone heard about the shadowed parts of my past. She probably had no idea that I carried such heavy memories, though, to be fair, I had long since moved past them. Still, her reaction stirred something awkward in the air, and I shifted uneasily.

Then, breaking the silence, Myrrh gave a small, knowing smile before turning to her mother. “He’s the hooligan I told you about from high school.”

“Oh.” Miss Mirana Alicent’s eyes widened slightly, her hand fluttering to her chest as she gasped. “I recall you saying he was quite the troublemaker back then. But now, you’ve brought him here?” Her gaze flicked between the two of us, and a mischievous twinkle brightened her expression. “You only ever introduced Ephraim to me in the past, but since the breakup… I see now! You’ve found yourself a new suitor. Ah, the wonders of love!”

“No! We’re not lovers!” Myrrh’s voice shot up in an instant, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“S-she’s right! We’re definitely not lovers,” I stammered, caught off-guard, quickly backing her up even though it felt strange to agree with her on anything, let alone this.

Miss Mirana Alicent tilted her head, still smiling, but now with a playful curiosity. “So, are you two just friends, then?”

Myrrh’s brow furrowed, and she placed a hand on her hip. “I wouldn’t say we’re friends either.”

“We’re not even acquaintances, right?” I chimed in, glancing toward Myrrh as I tried to make sense of our odd relationship.

“True,” Myrrh admitted, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “But we’re not strangers either, since we do know each other.”

“Enemies then,” I said with a smirk, leaning into the playful tension between us.

“Yeah, let’s settle with ‘enemies,’” Myrrh agreed, a faint smile tugging at her lips, almost as if she enjoyed the label.

Miss Mirana Alicent raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting into a smug, knowing grin. “It’s so curious how you two consider yourselves enemies, yet here you are, introducing me to a boy other than Ephraim. Very peculiar.”

Myrrh let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes. “It’s not that deep. Zaft here wanted your autograph. He’s had a crush on you since forever, and—” she paused, clearly trying to contain her frustration, “he even asked if you were single earlier.”

A glint of amusement sparkled in Miss Mirana’s emerald-green eyes as she turned her gaze to me. “Is that true?” Her voice was sweet but teasing, and it made my heart thud in my chest.

I felt heat creeping up my neck. “Y-yes Ma'am… I wanted an autograph,” I stammered, my face flushing with embarrassment. Desperate to salvage some composure, I fumbled through my pockets for a piece of paper or a pen, but of course, I hadn’t thought to bring anything. Panic bubbled up. If only I had a marker, I would have asked her to sign my shirt just to not lose the moment.

“Uh, Myrrh? Do you happen to have a pen?” I asked, feeling more awkward by the second.

“There’s no need for a pen,” Miss Mirana said softly, her voice warm and soothing. “Come here.”

She beckoned me closer, and before I could fully grasp what was happening, her slender, pale arms reached out, gently pulling me toward her. My body froze as she leaned in, her presence overwhelming. And then, her soft lips pressed against my forehead in a tender kiss.

The world seemed to spin. My heart skipped several beats, and I could feel my face turn crimson. Her warmth lingered on my skin, while my mind buzzed with an intoxicating mix of embarrassment and awe. My thoughts dissolved into a mess of nervous energy as I stood there, blushing furiously, my heart racing like never before.

“This is better than the autograph, isn’t it?” Miss Mirana’s voice was soft, yet it carried a playful undertone as she looked down at me, her green eyes sparkling with amusement.

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“Y-yes,” I mumbled, barely managing a nod, my face still flushed from the kiss. My heart was still racing, and I felt like I could barely hold myself together in her presence.

Then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, she turned to Myrrh. “Hey, Myrrh. How would you feel about him being your stepfather? Because if he’s not your suitor, he just might be mine.” She winked, a smug grin spreading across her face.

“Yuck.” Myrrh visibly cringed, her expression twisted in disgust as she headed for the door. “I’ll go get some drinks, because clearly you two are thirsty,” she said, the sarcasm dripping from her words.

“Just kidding!” Miss Mirana let out a laugh and finally released me, though her eyes were still twinkling with amusement. She turned to her daughter, the playfulness still evident in her tone. “Get me a lime soda pop, will you?”

“Got it,” Myrrh said, glancing briefly at me. “How about you, Zaft?”

“Huh? Uh, root beer, please,” I managed to say, my mind still struggling to keep up with the whirlwind of emotions.

“Okay,” she replied, flashing a quick smile before disappearing out the door, leaving me alone with Miss Mirana Alicent—my childhood heroine.

The air shifted the moment the door closed behind Myrrh. The playful, teasing atmosphere evaporated, and suddenly, the room was filled with a more serious, almost intimate energy. Miss Mirana turned toward me, her gaze soft and kind, reminiscent of how my late grandmother used to look at me—warm, full of trust and understanding. For a moment, it felt as if she could see through me, past the nervous boy standing before her, to something deeper.

All the lighthearted banter was gone, replaced by a weighty silence. The gravity of the moment pressed down on me, and I found myself unable to look away from her. This was no longer the celebrity heroine I’d idolized from afar, but someone real, someone who had stepped into my life in ways I hadn’t expected.

“I know that you and Myrrh may have started on the wrong foot, but please,” Miss Mirana's voice softened, her tone almost pleading, “give her a chance. She may come across as a perfectionist, always trying to keep things in line, but beneath all that, she’s just a normal, fragile girl.”

I nodded, feeling a wave of understanding wash over me. “W-well, it’s no wonder people look up to her, both back in high school and now at the university. She’s always so composed, excelling in every test. It’s like she’s got this unshakable image she has to maintain.”

Miss Mirana smiled, her eyes reflecting something deep and maternal. “Every night, she calls me to tell me about her day. She always mentions you, though not always in the most flattering terms. To her, you’re an ‘immature smart-aleck goon,’” she said with a chuckle, “but even so, she knows you’re kind and trustworthy. She’s told me how much she owes you, and…” Miss Mirana hesitated, her gaze growing softer. “She regrets being so strict with you back in high school.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. “Well, all those clashes we had back then were mostly my fault,” I admitted with a weak smile. “Myrrh was just doing her job as a student council member. She’s not to blame for anything.”

I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth. Admitting defeat to Myrrh, the girl I had loathed for so long, felt foreign to me. But as much as I didn’t want to make her look bad in front of her mother, the truth was, I had been wrong all those years. The tension between us was mostly my doing.

Miss Mirana gave me a warm smile. “I still don’t believe that you two are enemies, as you claim. The way you interact… you fit together like cheese on a pizza. There’s a chemistry between you—one I never saw with her ex-boyfriend.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “No, no. I’m pretty sure she loved Ephraim more than anything... well, maybe except Sammelplatz Pizza. She has a serious love for that.”

Miss Mirana chuckled weakly, her eyes filling with a bittersweet nostalgia. “That pizza has been her comfort ever since their breakup. She’s been stress eating for months now—about six, if I remember right. Sammelplatz Pizza has been her go-to, even though she’s noticed the weight gain. But more than the pizza, I think she just needs someone to talk to, someone who understands her best.”

There was a long, weighted pause as Miss Mirana’s gaze settled on me, her green eyes glimmering with something I couldn’t quite place. She held my stare for a moment longer before she spoke, her voice soft yet filled with intention.

“I think that someone is you. Please, take care of Myrrh.”

Her words hit me like a wave, and for a moment, I was speechless. It felt heavy, like a dying testament or a parent’s blessing for a marriage I hadn’t even considered. Was she really entrusting me with that kind of responsibility? After all, I owed my life to her—it was a debt I could never fully repay. Maybe this was her way of asking me to try.

“I… I can’t make any promises,” I managed, my voice a little shaky, but I gave her a small, genuine smile. “But I will try.”

Just as those words left my lips, the door creaked open—slowly, almost too quietly, as if someone had slinked in like a cat. It was Myrrh, her footsteps so light I hadn’t even heard her approaching. When she stepped into the room, her face was slightly flushed, and there was a faint, shy smile playing on her lips.

“One lime soda pop, and one iced coffee,” Myrrh announced, distributing the drinks with a calm efficiency.

“Hey, wait a minute,” I exclaimed, looking down at the iced coffee. “I thought I asked for root beer!”

Myrrh scowled, her brow furrowing. “That’s the only other drink available. The vending machine didn’t have root beer. Take it or leave it.”

For a second, I wanted to argue, but with Miss Mirana watching us with that amused smile, I decided to drop it. I took a sip of the iced coffee, resigning myself to my fate, while Myrrh’s mother observed the whole exchange with clear delight.

“Myrrh,” Miss Mirana spoke softly, her voice gentle but purposeful.

“Yes, mother?” Myrrh tilted her head slightly, the gesture so similar to her mother’s that it made me smile.

“Why don’t you show Zaft the best view in Xyraxis?”

“The secret base?” Myrrh’s eyes lit up, and she broke into a wide smile. “Good idea!”

Myrrh’s hand wrapped around my wrist, her grip firm yet gentle as she looked at me with a gleam in her eyes. “Zaft, I want to show you something.”

“O-Okay,” I stammered, standing up awkwardly, unsure of what to expect.

As we moved toward the door, I glanced back at Miss Mirana, who waved us off with a warm smile. “Take care!” she called out, her voice echoing softly in the hallway.

Curiosity gnawed at me as Myrrh led the way to the elevator. The "greatest view" in Xyraxis? In a hospital, no less? My mind started running wild, trying to make sense of it. Maybe this “secret base” was some kind of metaphor, or… well, maybe it was something else entirely. My thoughts veered into ridiculous territory, imagining “secret base” being some sort of flirtatious code, like first base, second base, and—well, let’s not go there. I mentally shook my head, reminding myself not to get too ahead of things. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder where this was leading.

The elevator dinged softly, and we reached the topmost floor of the hospital. Myrrh led me toward the emergency exit, where a narrow staircase spiraled upward. At the top, there was a small metal door, the kind you'd see leading to the roof of a building. With a quick glance back at me, Myrrh pushed it open, and we stepped into the night.

The moment we emerged onto the rooftop, I was left breathless.

The sky stretched out before us like an endless canvas, dotted with the most vibrant, surreal colors. The Milky Way shimmered overhead, a swirling sea of pink, magenta, indigo, and gold stars twinkling in the infinite expanse. Meteor showers streaked across the sky, leaving trails of multicolored light in their wake, like brushstrokes on a cosmic painting. It was nothing short of magical, and the beauty of it all made my heart race.

But the true marvel was just beyond the horizon. At the edge of the skyline, where the distant skyscrapers met the heavens, I could see the gentle curve of Earth—a stunning blue arc peeking out from beneath the vast sky. The planet shimmered in the soft glow of space, adding an otherworldly touch to the dreamlike atmosphere.

Myrrh skipped playfully ahead, her movements light and carefree. She reached the railings and effortlessly hopped up to sit on the edge, her posture relaxed. The soft light of the stars bathed her milky white skin, making her look almost ethereal. Her blue eyes sparkled with a mischievous light as she spread her arms wide, letting the wind catch her long, lime-green hair, which swayed gracefully in the breeze.

“Welcome to my secret base,” she said, her voice carrying a playful lilt. She shot me a wink, her smile warm and inviting. “Don’t tell anyone about it, okay?”