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“Oberon!”
Her hand reached out, even though she knew it would be in vain. She probably realized she wasn't supposed to.
He understood that much, as he fell down the Abyss, watching the girl above hesitantly retracted her hand.
Ah, what a face. As if he cared. Reading her face was easier than ever… it was the most painful look she had shown ever since he met her in this cursed world. ...Still, deep down, he also knew. That, she was good at hiding away the darkness within, more than anyone.
Somehow, he was glad that the last remnant of her memory was tied to the lone star shining amid the vast sea of despair.
And he hated it with his entire existence.
* * *
“Hey, I am trying to sleep!”
“…Hm, then sleep. Will you treat me for giving you some sleeping aids?”
“That’s not the point, Oberon!”
Ritsuka sighed, looking down at the Fae King shamelessly lying on her bed, burying himself in the books he apparently “borrowed” from the library. And he wasn’t even trying to put her to “sleep” either, although she knew he could easily do that if he wanted to.
“Oberon, I tolerate you hanging around here, but at least let me use my own bed when I’m dead tired.”
No answers.
“If that’s what you want, fine then!”
No need for mercy, she shoved him to the edge and lied down, her back touching his back. She deliberately ignored the blunt “thump” of his forehead hitting the bedframe, followed by a small groan.
“Now that hurt, you violent wretch…”
“Good thing it's not my shower time. Otherwise, I will drag you out of here.”
“Whoa, you think I am that kind of a guy? You make me sick”
“Whatever. I am sleeping”
Ritsuka closed her eyes and let herself drift. The steady sound of ticking wall clock, and occasional faint rustle of turning pages. She felt the faraway scent of autumn forests. The warm heat touching her back. Despite the earlier protests, she expected Oberon to say additional word or two, but he was strangely quiet. She felt him slightly moving his back, holding his breath…
“Aaaaahhh! I CAN’T SLEEP!”
Ritsuka jolted out and heard another thump behind.
“Ugh, This is insanity. And I even tried to stay quiet just so you can sleep?”
And heard an angry protest right after.
“Sorry about tha… wait, am I really the one that should apologize?”
Understandably Oberon was upset, but Ritsuka didn’t feel much sympathy. He was using her bed, he had that coming.
“Well, I do appreciate you were letting me sleep in MY room. And being considerate enough to stay quiet. That means the 'giving me sleeping aids' part wasn’t true, then?”
The commotion was enough to pull Oberon away from the books, after all. They were no longer lying down, instead of sitting beside each other on her bed. With Oberon rubbing his slightly swollen forehead.
“The hell with it. I was just minding my own business. That’s all.”
True, it wasn't his obligation to use his sleeping spell on her. At least unless she asked him to.
He neither confirmed nor denied what she said. So, he probably meant it, Ristuka thought.
“Master, you are either stupid, insane, or both. Like what? Seeping right in front of me? Even after knowing what I want and what I did!? I hate this entire world with passion. There’s no reason I won't gladly end you while you're sleeping.”
Oberon said with a menacing smile, clinking the long, stiff claws of his inhuman left hand.
Here he goes again. His snarky voice made her smile.
“What are you laughing at, creep?”
As Ritsuka let out a soft laugh, Oberon glared at her, with clear disgust on his face. It was his nature to talk that way. That much she knew.
“The ‘you want to kill me’ part? Well, that's probably why I feel safe around you. Not that I want to die. I wanted to live. Which was precisely why we were enemies at the Britain Lostbelt.”
Even if how cruel that might be. His time as a servant of Chaldea was nothing but a fleeting dream. His true self was still falling down the dark Abyss for eternity, with no hopes, no salvations, forever alone.
But he lied and made himself the Fae King Oberon, a child’s fairytale taking part in this unending battle to save humanity.
Being a servant was indeed a curse by itself.
They were all “Heroic Spirits” made by people’s collective fantasies.
That means whoever chose to become a servant would have to forfeit their own true selves.
They were called “servants” for a reason. None of them were truly free from their concepts.
That much she learned being the last Master of humanity.
And yet Oberon chose to become a Heroic Spirit.
“You are a liar. That’s why I trust you, I guess.”
"...Yeah, I hate that part of you more than anything."
She looked at his deep blue eyes, wondering if those ever got to see the Starlight/Titania.
It didn’t even take a second for him to look away.
"No matter what you did, I still appreciate being able to complain about you using my bed. I mean it. I’m not a liar, unlike you."
"Oh, really"
"Yes, really"
Whatever he felt, he never showed.
“…I don’t like where this is going. Master, whatever you are trying to say, don’t say it.”
“Thanks, I will then.”
She hoped he would get what she meant. They both knew that it would be a curse if she says what she was about to say.
He was being a nuisance. As much as she appreciated his presence, she still felt like she was allowed to be a tad mean to him.
“We both know this journey is not easy. We still have another world to destroy.”
“Hey, I told you not to…”
"That’s why I can’t die just yet, and I know you won’t kill my human self, no matter what.”
“Don’t. Just, don’t”
He sounded angry. Or rather, desparate.
“If I ever stop being human, that means Humanity lost the battle. When that happens, I’ll be yours. Do whatever you want. That's a promise”
“……”
It didn't take long for Oberon to fall completely silent, pressing his eyes to the palm of his hand, obscuring whatever face he was making.
“Don’t know, don’t care!”
He grabbed the blanket and curled himself up without looking at her even for once.
Ritsuka let out a sigh of content and proceeded to lie down again. Strangely, it was much easier falling asleep after all of that. A pitch-black, dreamless, pleasant sleep. She had to sleep without her blanket. Ritsuka hoped she won’t catch a cold.
He tried to destroy the wolrd, and was rightfully punished for that. He totally deserved it, and there was nothing she could do to change the fact. But his very being was created to be the Void itself, never experiencing love or happiness in the first place. No one deserved that.
It might just be her pitying him. Still, she hoped he would find temporary peace in here.
She didn’t know how long Oberon stayed, or when he sneaked out. Hours later, Ritsuka woke up with the blanket on, with the pile of books neatly set aside on the desk.
* * *
Foolish. Ignorant. Abhorrent.
Oberon tried to search the word that correctly describes the girl he called his Master, but each word flickering in his mind seemed to get farther and farther away from what he wanted to convey.
It probably didn’t matter. Everything he says will be a lie. It was a curse, a wretched curse.
He hated the world that, in order to save its ugly self, decided to set up a weak, ordinary human to be a hero/scapegoat. The world that despite its monstrosity, forced a single human to bear the immense guilt of bringing the destruction without losing sanity at the same time. The world that, after being restored, would forget about that very person including all of her pain and sacrifices.
He hated that pitiful human, still wished to play along with the farce, accepting both the infinitive gratitude and hatred while remaining fully human, embracing all the pain it brought upon.
But most of all, he hated himself, for he was only capable of helping her, not saving her.
“Idiot. You, hopeless, idiot”
He muttered to himself, shooing away the swarm of insects trying to console him with clear concern sounding in their buzzing noises.
“__”
He remembered the faint star disappearing into the void. He loathed himself for even thinking about calling that name. He knew it, right from the beginning. That every dream would come to an end. And she knew it too. How dreadful.
That’s why he wanted the world to disappear. By lying to the World itself. By trying to bear the destruction in her stead.
So, she no longer had to suffer.
Yet, in that split moment, she wanted to save even someone like him. Which was just unacceptable.
Maybe stars were never meant to be reached. It didn’t matter either. He was the Big Liar, he can never say it out.
Even if his time at Chaldea was nothing more than a dream he had while falling into the eternal slumber deep down within the Abyss…
“I really, really hoped I wouldn’t see your face ever again.”
It was a foolish prayer. That his lie would someday reach her.
And that prayer was answered. He hated it, too.
No matter what calamities would be waiting ahead, Oberon hoped Master could have a good rest, at least for now. But he won’t say it. Lest it will become a lie as well.