It was one of the hospital rooms in HQ where currently four women sat near the boy who was still unconscious, or rather was deeply asleep. All four of the women were beautiful enough to put goddesses to shame, sitting together in a quiet circle as they spoke in hushed tones.
Riveria Ljos Alf sat on a chair, her emerald hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, green eyes concerned as she spoke quietly with the others.
Beside her, Ais Wallenstein listened with her golden hair framing her face, amber eyes worried as she added soft comments to their whispered conversation.
Asfi Al Andromeda had pulled her chair close, her cyan blue hair catching the light while her intelligent blue eyes moved between her companions as they talked.
Ryuu Lion completed their circle, her blonde hair like spun gold and clear blue eyes holding unusual emotion as she contributed to their hushed discussion.
Each woman was a vision of loveliness in her own right, yet all their attention remained focused on their quiet conversation and the unconscious boy.
"When will he wake up?" Ais asked impatiently.
"Soon," Riviera said, in hope of calming Ais down. "His injuries are already healed; he is just sleeping." She said, looking over at Arin's sleeping face. "I swear, I am going to give him a stern talking for pushing himself so much, and not even telling anyone about it."
When she turned back to face the girls, she could see Asfi shifting uncomfortably on the chair.
"Is there something wrong, Asfi?" Riviera asked, to which Asfi strengthened up.
"No, it's just my back felt a little uncomfortable. But anyway, it is good that the Evilius have pulled back their forces for now."
"Yeah, all of us can breathe a little easier for now," Ryuu said, sitting on her chair between Ais and Asfi, facing Riveria.
"By the way, Ryuu, is it ok for you to be here? I heard that Astraea Familia was assigned to guide the people from the northwest district to the central park." Riviera asked her, as from what little time they have spent together and from all the things Arin told her about Ryuu, she has come to know that Ryuu is not the one to slack off on her duties.
"Act-Actually, my fellow familia members told me to be here and look after Arin, and I wanted to be here as well, since he went to the northwest district to find me. Lady Riveria." Ryuu said nervously as she was in the presence of the princess of their race. Her knight-like upbringing and the values she grew up with ask her to be respectful to Riveria.
"I see. But Ryuu, you can talk to me more freely, you know." Riviera said, sensing how nervous the elf felt around her. "You are a friend of Asfi and Arin, which means we will be meeting more often from now on, and besides, I would very much prefer it that way as well."
"Yes, Lady-I mean Miss Riveria, I will try to do that."
"You can take your time, Ryuu; there is no need to hurry," Riviera said, understanding how hard it could be for a normal elf to do that.
"Thank you, Miss Riveria," Ryuu said, with a smile on her lips.
A comfortable silence fell over them. Despite their worries, there was something peaceful about sitting together like this, watching over him.
But that silence was broken when they heard Arin stir in his place, his face twisted uncomfortably like he was having a nightmare. They stood up from their spot, going over to him, and unconsciously held his hands.
"Big…sis…" Arin muttered in his sleep, his breathing becoming calm again.
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I was in a familiar place, a dark one. The whole place was filled with dead bodies, and the floor was stained with blood.
Ah… I am dreaming again. I thought. Seeing this place, my heart felt heavy and hollow. I just want to wake up and see their faces filled with a smile.
I can't stay here.
The darkness around me began to shift, the bloodstained floor slowly fading into something softer, warmer. A gentle light appeared in the distance, growing brighter as a familiar silhouette approached.
"That's right, my little brother."
Hearing that voice... I'd know it anywhere, made my chest tighten with emotions I'd buried long ago.
"Big sis..." I whispered.
She stood there just as I remembered—tall, graceful, with kind eyes that held both strength and infinite compassion. Her smile was the same one that I had known and seen for years. I was not able to believe that she was here.
"Look at you," she said softly, reaching out to cup my face with gentle hands. "My little brother has grown so much."
"Big sis, it really is you… I... I've missed you so much," I managed, my voice cracking despite myself.
"I know, baby brother. I've been watching over you," her hand caressing my cheeks. "And I'm so proud of you."
"Proud? But I—"
"Shh." She placed a finger to my lips. "Yes, I am and will always be proud of you, no matter what you do."
She said, gently petting my head like she always did.
"I…I was so lost when you were gone. For a long time, I kept thinking about our old life." I laid all my insecurities bare.
"And now?" she asked gently, her fingers running through my hair.
"Now.. Now I don't feel lost. I feel like I found my home again."
She cupped my face with both hands, making me look directly into her eyes. "Oh, my sweet little brother. I am so happy to hear those words. When I... when I left you behind, my only regret was that you'd be alone. But I am really glad to see that it is not the case anymore, and now you have someone you can love, don't you?"
"Yes, I love them… I love them so much it scares me sometimes," I admitted. "What if I lose them? What if I'm not good enough to make them happy? What if I am not strong enough to protect them?"
She laughed lightly. "That's some heavy love you got there. But do you remember what I used to say?"
"That love is not something to be afraid of," I whispered the words I had heard so many times.
"Exactly, Love is the most wonderful gift we can give and receive, never be afraid of that." She said as the world around us began to flicker and distort.
"Now it is time for you to go back to them." She said as her figure began to flicker as well.
I wanted to stay there with her, keep her with me, but I knew that was not possible, so instead of saying goodbye, I only said what we always used to say.
"Big sis. I love you."
She giggled like a child. Most likely, remembering how we used to say this since childhood.
"I love you too."
""for eternity and beyond.""
.
.
.
My eyes slowly opened, taking in the appearance of the girls surrounding me.
"Are you okay, Arin?" Asfi asked. I got up on my bed. Looking at our connected hands. My vision felt blurry.
"Arin, why are you… crying?" I heard Ais say, looking at my face.
"Arin-san, are you hurt somewhere?" Ryuu said, still holding my hand.
"Should I call Armid or Naaza-san?" Riveria said, ready to call upon the best medics available.
Ah… that's why everything is so blurry. I hurriedly wiped the tears away, since I did not want to worry them unnecessarily.
"No, no, I'm fine, everyone," I said with a reassuring smile, though my voice was still hoarse. "Just had a really good dream, that's all."
"A good dream?" Ais tilted her head, looking skeptical. "You were crying."
"Sometimes happy dreams make you cry too," I explained, gently petting her head. "I promise I'm okay. Actually, I feel better than I have in days."
Riveria's worried expression softened slightly, but she still looked unconvinced. "Are you sure? You look pale, and—"
"Riveria," I interrupted with a small laugh, "I'm fine. Really. Though I have to ask... how long was I out?"
"Seven hours," Ryuu answered immediately.
"I got some good sleep then. And is it fine for you girls to be here?" I asked, since each of them is strong and crucial to push back evilius.
"Yeah, after you defeated Olivas, their forces made a retreat, maybe to regroup and plan their next move," Ryuu explained further.
"So you girls were here all the time?"
"We all were," Asfi added with a slight smile. "Ais-san refused to leave your side even to eat."
"I wasn't hungry," Ais said matter-of-factly, as if this explained everything.
"And Riveria threatened to hex anyone who made too much noise," Asfi continued, clearly enjoying this.
"I did no such thing," Riveria protested, though her ears were turning red. "I merely... suggested that quieter conversations would be more appropriate."
"By glaring at people until they whispered," Asfi added helpfully, a small smile playing on her lips.
I couldn't help but laugh, which seemed to ease the tension in the room considerably. "I see. Thank you for staying."
"Of course, we stayed," Riveria said, her tone becoming more serious. "Though speaking of staying... Arin, why didn't you tell any of us that you were running yourself ragged? Taking multiple people's shifts, going without sleep for days?"
I felt a familiar sinking sensation in my stomach. "Ah... well, you see..."
"Don't try to deflect," Riveria continued, crossing her arms.
My eyes looked all over the room until they landed on Asfi. Who was suddenly looking very interested in the ceiling. Perfect.
"Well, actually," I said with an innocent smile, "Asfi knew about it."
The room went dead silent. All eyes turned to Asfi, whose calm composure cracked like an egg.
"Wha! You are throwing the ball at me?!"
"Asfi knew?" Riveria's voice was dangerously quiet as she slowly turned to face the Item maker.
"Now wait just a minute," Asfi said, holding up her hands defensively. "I told him it was a terrible idea! I said he should get proper rest! I even offered to help find alternative solutions!"
"But you didn't tell us," Ais observed with her usual blunt honesty.
"I... he asked me not to!" Asfi protested, shooting me a look that promised revenge. "He said he could handle it and didn't want anyone to worry!"
"So you enabled him," Riveria said, her tone making Asfi shrink back.
"I didn't enable anything!--
*Knock Knock*
Our fun time was interrupted by a knock on the door. We turned to find Finn standing at the entrance.
"Umm… Am I interpreting anything?" Yes, you are. I wanted to say that, but I knew this was not the time to be childish, and he was here, which meant he had some important information to share.
"No, it is fine," I said, sitting on the bed. "Did you find something?" I asked him.
"Yeah, that gut feeling was right on mark. The investigation team in the dungeon found that a dangerous monster is making its way towards the dungeon entrance."
So another problem to deal with, huh?