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Garreg Mach came into sight. Cyril had been sent out for the day, asked to collect important plants and herbs for the greenhouse. It had taken his entire morning, so he was glad to be returning. He used to fear leaving the monastery, but now, years after the war, he felt more comfortable in this new Fodlan.
Making his way past the guards he entered the familiar sight of Garreg Mach Monastery. Turning left, he made his way to the greenhouse to return the items he’d collected. Upon entering, he noticed Shamir taking care of the flowers.
She smiled as their eyes met. “Cyril, great timing.”
“Yeah?” he put the bags down and took a deep breath, his arms screaming in relief.
“Mhmm, I was wondering when you’d return. Were you able to find everything on the list?”
He nodded. “It wasn't too hard to find everything.”
“And you were able to read the list of supplies?”
He smiled. “Easily.”
She chuckled. “Excellent. I can take care of these then.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Besides, I had a message for you.”
He tilted his head. “Yeah?”
“It is nothing troublesome. The girl from the Kingdom wanted to see you.”
“Hm. Mercedes?”
She nodded. “I last saw her cleaning out the student rooms.”
“All right, thanks Shamir.”
Cyril exited the greenhouse, walking towards the training grounds as he inspected the rooms. With the new year of Garreg Mach underway, students from all over Fodlan were in attendance. Since the wars end, the students were markedly different: much less snobby and noble, which Cyril very much approved of.
As he neared where the professor used to stay, he spotted the new theology teacher on a walk.
“Mercedes!”
She turned at her name, smiling upon noticing the familiar face.
“Hello Cyril. Welcome back.”
“Thanks. Shamir told me you wanted to see me?”
“Oh, I just wanted to make sure the students were accommodated for and settling in nicely. We did have that fight break out the other day between a few of them, so I worried if they were having a difficult time here.”
“Oh, yeah they seemed fine. I checked the rooms yesterday, and they were all neat and tidy. Didn’t find any poison vials or scary masks or anything.”
She giggled. “That’s good. Gosh I still look back at our year at Garreg Mach and can’t believe how much was happening.”
“Mhmm. It’s nice to know this place is still standing despite that.”
She took a moment to gaze at the rooms and new students as they walked by them. She closed her eyes. “True, and yet it also feels so different, fresher than it’s been in goddess knows how long.”
“Yeah. Well, if that’s all you needed, I haven't eaten anything all day, so I was going to go grab some food in the cafeteria.”
“Oh, before you do that, would you mind running to the training grounds?”
“Yeah? Why?”
She smiled. “We have some guests that wanted to see you.”
“Hm, all right.”
They waved as Cyril continued his walk towards the training grounds, entering to find two individuals he had not seen in a long time. There was the large and muscular body that could belong only to Raphael, and the long orange outfit and hair that marked Leonie the mercenary.
They both grinned the widest of smiles as he entered. “Cyril! Holy cow it’s been a long time, how are you doing?”
“Leonie! Raphael! Welcome back! It’s great to see you two.”
Leonie smirked. “We were just showing these new kids some techniques.”
“We even told them about how great of a teacher you’d be!” laughed Raphael.
Cyril sighed. “I appreciate the thought, but training others has never been my specialty.”
Leonie threw Cyril a spear. “Nonsense, all the students have to do is watch and your style will show them all they need to know. Come on, I’ve missed sparring with you, and these new students can’t keep up with us. Why don’t we put on a show for them?”
Raphael showed off his muscles with a big smile. Cyril couldn’t help but share the enthusiasm, though instead of approaching, he walked to a nearby pillar and leaned the lance on it.
“I’d love to, I think you have a few more wins on me, and I’ve wanted to even the score for a while. However, I just got back from a lot of work, and am exhausted. I’d like to grab some food first. Would you both like to join?”
Raphael looked nervous for a moment. Before Cyril could ask, Leonie interjected, “Nah, we might go in a bit, but we should at least clean up first. We can meet there later. But! Before you do, Ignatz wanted to see you.”
Cyril gasped. “Igantz is back!?”
The mercenary laughed. “We did go to Almyra together, so if I’m here it should have given it away. He’s in the reception hall, why don’t you go say hi and we’ll meet you in the dining hall?”
Cyril nodded, waving as he exited. He walked past the three classrooms. They’d been remodeled to no longer be divided by homeland, instead being grouped by the subject that was being taught.
Entering the entrance hall, Cyril watched students come and go as the day continued. Off to the side, sitting at a table, was the green haired painter himself.
Cyril made his way over, happily taking a seat next to him to give his legs some rest. Ignatz noticed as he approached, grinning as he sat down.
“Cyril! It’s so great to see you!” he pulled him into a hug that Cyril theorized would happen.
He hugged back. “Hey Ignatz. Welcome back.”
Ignatz smiled as they let go. “I’m so glad you’re still here, and from what I’ve heard you still keep this place as clean as can be.”
“Mhmm, nothing gets past me here.”
“Fodlan really doesn’t deserve someone like you.”
Cyril smirked. “You can say that again.”
They laughed at the retort. True, this place was a reminder of many scars and bad times Cyril had to endure. But it was also the source of many of his most precious memories, and for that, he couldn’t help but hold it dear.
“You at least take time to rest right?”
“Mhmm. I don’t do everything around here anymore. Now it’s like…" he paused to choose his words. "I help to direct and assist everyone else. It's more hands off, which took some getting used to, but it's much easier to manage.”
“Oh that sounds nice. I’m happy for you Cyril.”
“Thanks Ignatz. I’m glad you returned safely. How was Almyra?”
“Oh I have…so much to say, I could go on for hours ha ha. We’ll have to set a time for that because…”
“Hm?”
“Ah, just, I was catching up with Lysithea earlier, and she told me that if I run into you, to tell you to meet her in the library. She seemed very serious about it, so I wouldn’t want to keep her waiting long. I can tell you about Almyra later.”
“I’m meeting Leonie and Raphael in the cafeteria, maybe then?”
“Great idea! I’ll meet you there!”
With that the pair parted, Cyril heading upstairs. He was quite hungry. So much running around. It took him back to his first days at Garreg Mach, when running around was all he did. He was very glad to no longer live such a busy and stressful life, but there was something comforting about knowing that despite how much had changed, there were still parts that felt untouched.
He walked up the stairs to the second floor, heading past the staff rooms to the library. The new teachers greeted him warmly, with Ferdinand in particular giving the most gracious of bows.
Entering the library, Cyril found it nearly empty. There were only a few students going through various books. Looking around, he couldn’t help but be proud of his work. After the war, when the monastery was changed to accommodate the new Fodlan, the library’s organization was completely altered. A part of him was sad, as he had spent so long memorizing the layout, but he couldn’t deny that the new design was more efficient in both putting away and finding books.
As his gaze neared the end of the library, his eyes set upon her. The magic teacher dressed in her usual purple and white outfit was quietly leaning on a bookcase, gazing at him, waiting to be noticed. When their eyes met, she put her hand up and waved.
Cyril smiled. She always brought those out of him. She moved to close the gap between them, her violet hair gently swaying back and forth.
“I’m glad you made it back all right.”
“I’m glad you don’t look upset. Ignatz sounded concerned.”
Lysithea chuckled. “Did he? That guy, he always reads too much into things.”
Cyril chuckled back. “I think we’re all guilty of doing that sometimes, yourself especially.”
“Hey! I don’t always overthink things!”
Cyril looked away, clearly showing he didn’t want to continue this and was conceding.
Lysithea smiled. “At the very least, I’m better at not reading too much into things, just as you’re better at not working yourself to death. You didn’t spend too long outside did you?”
“Ah…well, it had been a while since I’d left the monastery. I might have overdone it a little.” He could feel the soreness in his arms and legs.
Lysithea’s expression showed her disappointment. “I can tell, you look tired. Are you hungry?”
“Lysithea, ever since I got back I have had to run around non stop. I am starving.”
They shared a laugh at that.
“Let’s head to the dining hall then.”
“You don’t have classes to teach?”
“No, I took the day off.”
“Special occasion?”
She hummed. “Kind of.”
She gave a playful wink as she grabbed his hand and led him out the door.
“Don’t eat too much okay?”
“I won’t. We’ll still on for tonight right?”
“I reserved special seats at the new Almyran restaurant just for us.”
“Wow, fancy. I guess the opening of a new place is a big deal.”
She chuckled, smiling as they walked down the stairs and through the reception hall. It was nice. Cyril might have an empty stomach, but his hand felt warm. Lysithea felt warm. Every time she smiled, he felt his worries drift away. Admittedly, his worries were much less then they had been years ago, but it didn’t make his time with her any less special.
They reached the entrance to the dining hall. Lysithea halted them.
“Why don’t you go in first?”
“Hm? Sure.”
Cyril pushed the double doors open, and…could not believe the sight before him. The dining hall was decorated with all sorts of colored banners and signs. The smell of warm meat filled the room as the sight of a large white cake sprinkled with all sorts of delicacies captured Cyril’s attention. But before he could turn around to ask Lysithea…
“Happy Birthday Cyril!”
Raphael, Leonie, Ignatz, Mercedes, Shamir, and all the monastery knights cheered in unison. Raphael giddily picked him up and began carrying him to the center of the room. Only then did Cyril notice that above the entrance was a large sign wishing him a happy birthday.
The cheers continued as Raphael sat him down next to various plates of food and everyone crowded around him.
“Congratulations Cyril!”
“Here’s to another year of Garreg Mach’s #1 caretaker!”
“Even after all these years you’re still not through with us!”
The many cheers and congratulations were overwhelming, and Cyril could hardly process it.
The crowd quieted down and parted as Lysithea made her way through to approach him.
All eyes were on them as Cyril looked around, still in shock at the sight before him.
“I…how did…why…I completely forgot it was my birthday!”
The crowd erupted in laughter. Everyone happily brought and placed gifts on the table in front of him.
“Happy Birthday Cyril,” said Shamir.
“This place wouldn’t be the same without you,” commented Ignatz.
“You’ve done so much for us, we’re all so grateful,” smiled Mercedes.
“You’ve earned a break, so eat up. We made all this to celebrate!” exclaimed Leonie.
Cyril couldn’t help himself, all the kind words and thanks, he’d never received it to such a degree. He lowered his head, not wanting everyone to see the emotion covering his face.
Lysithea enveloped him into a soft warm hug. “You’ve done so much to make this place feel like a home for all of us Cyril. We only hope that we can do the same for you. Happy Birthday.”
Cyril began crying, he was caught completely off guard and it was all too much. As the birthday wishes quieted down, he wiped the tears off his face and turned to the multitude of smiles.
“I…thank you. Thank you everyone. Thank you for all this food, the cake, the…for letting me stay and live here. Thanks for giving me a chance to befriend you. This…this place truly is my home, and it’s thanks to all of you.”
With that, Raphael exclaimed to dig in, and everyone cheered as they dispersed to begin gulping down the food.
It was one of the happiest days of his life, and Cyril would never forget it. The day he truly felt at home in Garreg Mach.