Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Destiny…

A predetermined fate based on the previous actions of a person or a group. Many assume they will never be able to choose their own destiny, that they will always suffer the consequences of their predecessor’s actions. But perhaps if one fought hard enough, they could attain the freedom to choose their own destiny, to remove themselves from the shackles of their past actions and strive to become better people.

This is the story that began with a chance encounter…

Oceana Secondary School, Selatapura, 2013.

A young boy wearing a Selatapuran military uniform typed away at a small laptop, sitting on a bench table near the corridor to the classrooms. Several students happily chatted among themselves as they descended down a flight of stairs that was close by. Occasionally one of them would wave at the boy, and he waved back.

As he continued with his work, the audio from a news channel played on his laptop. “Several hours ago, another protest turned into a riot at the currently under-construction International Space Elevator.”

“You got NCC later Kyle?” A voice interrupted him from his work. Kyle looked up from his work to see two other boys approaching him. One had a small, typically Usean frame while the other, despite being an Usean as well, was tall and had a thick physique. Kyle stopped typing on his laptop to wave at them. The news channel kept playing at a low volume.

“Yep. Training is until 7pm today. We have a cadet promotion ceremony later. Can’t wait to actually have a stripe on my rank,” Kyle replied excitedly as the two took a seat at the table. They took notice of the newscaster reporting.

“Can’t believe people are going ballistic over the Space Elevator. They should be excited since it’s straight out of a Science-Fiction movie,” the shorter boy commented.

“Thankfully casualties were at a minimum. However, tensions over the Elevator continue to escalate. ”

“People continue to surprise me. This Elevator is supposed to help us go to space, yet people are whining about it,” the large boy scoffed while drawing a rocket in his notebook.

“Well, there were findings that improper use of funds and unsafe construction had environmental impacts in the area. It’s not exactly easy to ignore these things, Viktor,” the smaller boy responded.

Viktor could only roll his eyes. “A small price to pay for human advancement JJ. We should be grateful.” He turned to Kyle.

“By the way, are you going back to Verusa for vacation this summer?” he asked Kyle. Kyle stopped his work to look at him.

He paused for a moment before responding, “We probably might, but I’m not looking forward to it.” JJ looked at him skeptically.

“Why though?” JJ asked, “Did something happen?”

“Nah, it’s just that it’s going to be hard communicating.” Kyle elaborated as he scratched his short black hair, “I’m mostly an Osean speaker and I can’t speak Verusan for shit. And they expect me to conform to Verusan culture when I was raised here in Selatapura.”

“So, you can’t relate to Verusa,” JJ concluded. “Understandable, since you were raised here for nearly a decade.”

“Pretty much. I also want to serve in the Selatapuran Military since I’ve always been interested in the Air Force,” said Kyle, “I just want to serve the RSAF and Seletapura.”

“Seriously Kyle? You know this place isn’t really that worth protecting,” Viktor scoffed, “Why not Osea?”

“As much as I want to fly the F-22, realistically speaking that's impossible,” Kyle responded dejectedly. “I owe a lot to Selatapura as well. I can’t imagine where I would be today if I wasn’t here.”

“I can see why you are so dedicated to the Corps.” A voice interrupted their conversation. It came from an older student wearing a military uniform as well. The only difference was the rank he possessed. 

“Morning, Staff Sergeant Jordon,” Kyle greeted his fellow cadet. JJ and Viktor waved a simple hello before breaking off to have their own conversation, the former taking Kyle’s laptop to look something up with Viktor.  

“Come on Solares, we aren’t in training now. Rank doesn’t matter outside of CCA.” Jordon casually dismissed him as Kyle got up and walked to the 

balcony railing that overlooked the school courtyard. “You seem very patriotic for a foreigner.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m a patriot, but rather that I just want to serve,” Kyle responded honestly. “I’ve always wanted to join the military, but I’ve never had a clear direction. Then I rediscovered something from my childhood that made me interested in military aviation.”

Kyle extended his hand out to the sky while making a plane gesture. “I want to fly in the blue sky. Commercial isn’t enough.” He looked up to the sky, admiring the vast blue space above him. “Though Verusa isn’t a place I’d call home either, and soldiers need a home, or reason, to protect.”

Jordon smiled at Kyle’s determination but then changed his expression to a serious one. “Most Selatapura Permanent Residents such as you never really stay long here. What happens when your parents pull you out? Who will you fly for?” Kyle looked at him with a confused expression, clearly never having thought of that. “What if you are forced to return to Verusa because of your blood?” 

Kyle could only look to the sky once again, in deep thought at the question directed to him. He faced his superior with a determined look. “Then I’ll look for a place to call home, a reason to fly, a nation I can be proud to serve,” he declared passionately. “I have no allegiance to Verusa, and if I can’t serve Selatapura? Then I’ll find my place in this world.”

“While you lack confidence and firmness due to your social anxiety, you make up for it with dedication and passion. Respectable.” Jordon started walking off. “I’ll see you later for training,” he said before leaving.

“Yeah,” Kyle said softly, “A reason to fly…”

Françoise High School, Farbanti, Kingdom of Erusea, 2013

Around the same time, a girl from another country sang beautifully. On her lap was a notebook with various notes and drawings. Her harmonic voice continued to fill the atmosphere as passersby looked at her with soft expressions. The elegant singing comforted others. She seemed happy singing, as she sat on a grassy patch…

“Rosie!” A voice called out to the girl. The girl looked behind her, her blonde hair swinging in the wind. Two girls with long black hair approached the blonde singer. She waved at them as they approached.

“Lucile! Mathilde!” Rosie greeted her two friends as they took a seat beside her on the grass. Lucile searched  in her bag and took out a bottle of orange juice. She gave it to Rosie, who accepted the bottle. Mathilde took out a tablet.

“We have an hour or so before our next class, so let’s just hang out here. Maybe practice our singing again,” Mathilde suggested. Rosie savored her drink while Lucile simply nodded her head. Mathilde read a news article on her tablet as Lucile looked at Rosie’s notebook.

“Wow, it seems Osea’s spaceship has left the solar system,” Mathilde excitedly read from an article. Rosie and Lucile looked at her with curiosity in their eyes. They had heard about Osea’s deep space exploration program.

“That’s great! To think we could potentially discover life outside of our planet. It marks a milestone in human history!” Rosie said as she looked over to Mathilde’s tablet. Lucile also shifted closer to read the news article. 

“Last week, Pilgrim One of the Osean Federation sent their final message before losing contact with Earth. They will continue to explore deep space for several years before finally returning,” Mathilde recited off the news article.

Rosie looked up to the air, extending her arm towards the blue sky with her hand making a plane gesture. She seemed to be in deep thought.

“I wonder if there is life out there beyond our reach. I wonder how different we are from them,” Rosie wondered softly, “as well as the kind of songs they will have…” Rosie’s two friends then start giggling uncontrollably.

“Guys, what’s so funny?” Rosie asked. This prompted her two friends to laugh even more, as Lucile fell on her back clutching her stomach. Eventually Rosie joined in their laughter.

“Sorry Rosie. It’s just that,” Mathilde said as she continued to laugh, “You are always thinking of singing or music,” she finished lightheartedly.

“Pretty much,” Lucile interjected, “It’s either singing or Osean movies.” Rosie blushed in embarrassment at the accusations. The three of them continued laughing. Lucile looked at her watch. It was almost time for their class to begin.

“We should get going,” she informed them, “Class is going to start soon.” They started to pack to get to class. Once they were done, they got up and made their way to their classroom. The three of them walked side by side, talking amongst themselves.

“So when will we ask the music teacher to help us make the Chorus Club?” Lucile asked Rosie as they walked into the school building. Many students were still in the hallway on their way to class. Rosie looked up with her hand on her chin.

“Probably next week? Miss Michele is still busy at the moment,” Rosie informed Lucile as they entered their classroom. They took their respective seats  and whispered the details to each other as their homeroom teacher took attendance.

“Rosa Cossette Falcinelli?” Rosie raised her hand.

“Present!”

In 2015, tensions around the space elevator continued. Most of the protests were led by Useans who were still against Osea’s presence despite the Elevator’s role in helping Usea flourish. Sometime later, the Erusean Royal Family and key members of the Erusean government arrived in Selatapura to deal with politics in regard to the elevator.

SMRT Station City Hall, Selatapura, 2015

“The train to Somerset will arrive in 3 minutes,” the intercom blared throughout the  packed MRT station of City Hall. Kyle, now a lean 15-year-old, casually walked through the crowd. He weaved through the masses while rummaging through his bag, several flyers visible sticking out of it. He moved to an area where not many people were around and crouched to the floor, fixing the bag’s contentsAs soon as he had finished fixing and got back up, his phone rang in the pocket of his jeans. He whipped it out to see the caller ID - his father. 

He immediately picked up the call. “Hello? Yeah, I just finished with the flyers. Not sure if my friends are gonna continue with the meeting, they had family problems to deal with. Dad, I can’t under- please speak Osean. No, I’d rather not speak in Verusan. Look, I might go home now or not, maybe explore Selatapura alone for once. Yes, I’ll stay safe. No need for Verusan stuff. Yeah, love you too. Bye.” He closed the call once he was done.

He sighed with a gloomy expression. ‘Only a few more months until I leave Selatapura’ , he thought to himself as he started to walk. ‘I love this country and I am willing to serve it. But as it stands, I will not be able to. I really should’ve cherished my time here, now I don’t even have much to remember.’ He took out a small piece of cloth. It was a Seletapura Military Staff Sergeant chest strap with the letters NCC below it. 

‘It’s funny, I don’t have any vivid memories of Selatapura despite my love for it. All I can remember are faces whose names I can’t even recall, events which I will never get to experience once again. ’ He sighed as he placed the rank chest strap back in his pocket. ‘At least I can keep my NCC uniform and rank. Achieving it proved to others that I was capable, and that’s as good a note as any to end my time here on.’

As he continued to walk through the crowd, he noticed an overhanging TV that a significant amount of people were watching. He focused his eyes on it and the  news report being broadcasted. Luckily, its speakers were loud enough for him to hear the report, so he decided to join the others watching.

“Yesterday morning, world leaders and politicians of various nations arrived to discuss the effects of the International Space Elevator as well as the recent problems in regard to the large structure ,” the newscaster explained. People around Kyle chatted among themselves while Kyle’s face scrunched with confusion. 

“Man, it’s already been 2 years since all of this escalated,” he mumbled to himself as he walked away, “Looks like the King of Erusea will be here and whoever his child is too. I think he was a prince...”

“… I guess it’s time to head home,” he sighed.

Selatapura was a prospering and vibrant city, that was for sure. His job was done and he wanted to get back home, and so he picked up his pace.

“I wish I could actually make one genuine memory here…” He muttered to himself, rounding a corner to return home…

… before promptly walking face-first into another person. Flesh met flesh, bone collided painfully with bone as their foreheads met, and they were both sent sprawling to the ground.

“Ah!”

“Oof!”

Kyle was the first to get back onto his feet. Rubbing the back of his head and looking for the source of his collision, he spotted a small brochure and map of Seletapura in front of him as well as a woman who had also been floored. 

She didn’t seem to look Seletapuran, with her pure white clothing - it was almost garish, the kind of pure white that blinded, like a wearable flashbang.

‘Probably a tourist, then.’

“Are you alright?” Kyle asked, reaching for the map on the floor that the tourist dropped. “I’m so sorry for bumping into you!”

“It’s alright, no harm done,” the tourist replied. Her voice was sweet yet foreign, and slender fingers also reached out to grasp the map.

What happened next was entirely accidental. Instead of grabbing the map, Kyle grabbed the girl’s hand - they were simultaneously reaching for the same object, after all, and she had reached it first. 

There was a pause. 

They both looked up and made eye contact with each other, and only now did Kyle properly get a look at her. White was evidently a running theme; a white summer dress with a short sleeved white dress jacket that bore a white rose. White porcelain skin, along with the white enamel of an easy happy-go-lucky smile. 

However, the most notable thing about her was her eyes. They were blue, sky-blue, and they called to him like the heavens did.

White and blue, like a cloud in the sky on a sunny day. Or an angel.

He couldn’t let go.

“Can you hear me?” Kyle snapped out of his trance, her soothing voice taking all of his attention. “Excuse me, could you let go of my hand now?” Her smile was now one of embarrassment.

Kyle looked down to see himself still holding on to the girl’s hand. He quickly withdrew it and scratched the back of his head, his face red from shame. Feelings of embarrassment equal to what he saw in the girl mixed with a desire to take her warm hand back in his, but he instantly thought better of it.

“Sorry for bumping into you,” Kyle apologized again. He gave the girl a proper look of shame this time, trying to seem less flustered than he was. The girl giggled with a smile, and his heart skipped a beat.

“It’s fine, really” she reassured him, “Though I'm…I am somewhat to blame as well, as I was not paying attention to where I was heading. I was trying to find my way around the city” she explained, pointing to the map she was holding. 

“So you’re a tourist?” Kyle voiced his suspicion, “Are you lost? Do you need help? Help getting somewhere, I mean. Though if you want help with anything else...” The girl looked away with a blush.

“Not exactly… I don’t really have a plan or destination in mind,” she confessed, “I just grabbed a tourist map and decided to explore the place. I don’t know where to go, or how to get there…”

“You just made an impromptu day out here, then? Wanted to see the sights?” Kyle asked skeptically. The girl awkwardly shrunk her shoulders. Still, Kyle couldn’t help but admire her. ‘She looks even cuter when she’s embarrassed.’

“I have an idea! I’ll accompany you as a tour guide,” Kyle suggested, perking up. The girl looked at him with confusion. “I was going to explore the city myself today anway and I could use some company. We could go together! Er, if you want. It’s entirely up to you, of course.” He finished with an earnest smile.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to impose,” the girl protested, “I can’t take away your time.” Kyle laughed.

“It’s alright, really. I’ve always wanted to explore the city. Sure, I did it with my family before but that was a long time ago and I was just following them wherever they wanted,” Kyle explained, thinking back to those times. “Having some company around my age would make it better. The exploration, that is.”

“Well, I am quite lost, and I don't have any idea of what places to visit.” The girl sighed before continuing, “And you do seem to know a lot about this place. I do wonder, though… why are you helping a stranger like me?”

Kyle just smiled at her. “Some people say ‘Strangers are just friends you haven’t met! ’ I’d like to think that quote could apply here,” he explained. The girl looked surprised at the mention of the word friend.

She giggled at his remark. “That’s so sweet. I bet you’re the type of person who has a lot of friends.” Kyle looked embarrassed at the girl’s remark.

“Another saying: ‘Were it so easy ’.” He recited the stilted cliche with as much pomp as he could muster. “It… hasn't been going that well for me, honestly.” The girl noticed the split second of sadness on Kyle’s face before he looked at her and grinned, “Though maybe it’ll change today. Would you like to be my friend?”

The girl was taken aback at his blunt statement. ‘A friend? I haven’t talked to my friends in a very long time. I guess this is an opportunity to make a new one,’ she thought to herself, hesitant yet excited at the prospect of finally having a new friend after losing her previous ones.

‘WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING?!’ Kyle screamed to himself internally. He wasn't the kind of person to say any of this stuff, and he could feel his stomach churning from sheer embarrassment, yet he continued to smile at the girl.

“Friends… okay, let’s give it a shot.” The girl flashed Kyle another angelic smile. She passed him the map, which he took. He took out his phone, opened it, and started rapidly typing.

“There are several good places to visit. The Selatapura Flyer and the Esplanade both look good. And of course you can’t miss the iconic National Theater when visiting here,” Kyle explained. The girl listened to him as they walked through the station.

“National Theater?” the girl asked. Kyle paused his ramblings and looked at her, her face showing curiosity and interest. 

“The Esplanade, Theatres on the Bay,” Kyle clarified, “It’s a performing arts theater that looks like a durian.” He showed a picture of the theater in question on his phone.

“It’s a pretty important place. Back in primary school, my school’s choir club won the national singing competition there,” Kyle explained as they waited for the train. The girl looked at him with awe.

“A national theater? Can we go there first?” Kyle smiled at the girl’s enthusiasm while looking at the overhead TV and its estimation of the train’s arrival time.

“Well, there are some places between here and the Esplanade, so we should visit them on our way there.” He presented additional places to visit, then asked, “Does that sound good?”

“That sounds great.” The train arrived, and they boarded. “I forgot to ask,” the girl began, “What was your name again?” she finished hesitantly. Kyle then realized that he hadn’t introduced himself.

“Oh! I’m sorry! Please forgive me for forgetting to introduce myself!” Kyle’s face turned red in embarrassment before he composed himself, “Well my name is Kyle, Kyle Solares. Hope we can become friends! Or stay friends. Or whatever!”

“Likewise… to all of those” the girl responded before offering her hand to him. Kyle took it and shook her hand.

‘A friend, huh?’ The girl reflected on her past and her many former friends . ‘I lost all of mine when I was put into this position because my father was next in line.’ She looked down with sadness in her eyes. ‘I wonder if I can meet them again in the future. Everyone now around me just treats me like someone who is above the-’ Her internal mumblings were interrupted by Kyle.

“Oh, sorry, what was it?” She looked at Kyle, now staring at her skeptically. “Was there something you were asking?”

“I asked what your name was,” Kyle repeated himself. “You forgot to introduce yourself; it looked like you were thinking about something. Is there a problem? Can… can I help?”

“My name?” the girl asked, confused. Her own confusion bewildered Kyle for a second.

“Yeah… Do you not know your own name or am I supposed to already know it?” Kyle asked jokingly.

‘He doesn’t know my name?’ the girl realized, ‘But isn’t the news of our arrival known at this poin- No, this is a chance.’

She flashed another smile as bright as the sun, Kyle freezing for a split second. “It’s Rosa,” she introduced herself, “Rosa Cossette Falcinelli.”

And so they went. With Kyle’s knowledge of the city, they traveled to the various tourist attractions around Seletapura. Kyle guided Rosa around, keeping her entertained and accompanying her. They went to the Seletapura Flyer, where they saw the whole of the city from a bird’s eye view. From there was a journey from Gardens by the Bay to Clase Quay. Rosa enjoyed her time, seeing so many different places and attractions, and Kyle was finally able to savor the place where he’d grown up on his own accord.

As the day came to a close, they finally arrived at the Esplanade. The sun reflecting off the structure’s windows gave it a sense of beauty, Rosa couldn’t help but be awestruck at the building.

“So, this is where performing arts competitions are held,” Rosa mumbled to herself.

“Only the important ones,” Kyle clarified as he approached her from behind. “The most recent one was the Seletapura Youth Festival. My high school got fourth place this year.”

“Unfortunate. It must be hard to win the festival more than once,” Rosa said. She climbed up the large flight of stairs that led to the Esplanade. Kyle followed her.

“You must be thinking of my primary school,” Kyle clarified once again, “They school won 3 times in my 6 years there.”

They entered the building, Rosa walking in front filled with excitement. Several visitors roamed around the shopping area. Rosa looked around and found the directory, studying it before turning to Kyle.

“Is there any way we can access the theatre?” Rosa asked. Kyle studied the directory himself as he thought about her question.

“I’m not so sure. You need tickets to see any performance and I don’t think you could just enter a theatre willy-nilly.” Kyle shrugged as Rosa continued to study the directory.

“There are several theatres here…” Rosa mumbled to herself before looking at it’s direction. There were several guards and lines there, which the main theatre lacked.

“It says here there are no performances for the main theatre.” Kyle read from  the Esplanade website on his phone. He looked at Rosa, fixated at the entrance to the theatre. “I’m gonna make a wild guess and say that you’re interested in some sort of performing art.”

Rosa broke out of her daze and blushed. Kyle laughed at her embarrassment, then looked around.  Spotting a coffee shop, he turned to her and tapped her shoulder.

“You want something to drink?” he asked. “I recommend a chocolate Frappuccino for this hot day.” He pointed to the coffee shop nearby.

She just nodded before returning to studying the directory. Kyle walked into the shop and went up to the cashier, ordering their drinks and waiting at the receiving area.  Then he spotted Rosa walk up to the guards and talk to them.

“Looks like your date is going well,” A barista commented with a smug grin. Kyle recoiled in embarrassment. 

“This isn’t a date!” Kyle blurted out, his face now a bright crimson, “This is just a trip between two friends who… just met a few hours ago..!” He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. The barista just laughed as she prepared their drinks. He spotted one of the drinks he bought, now finished and waiting on the counter, and quickly took a sip. His eyes darted around looking for anything to get him away from the situation 

“Ah, so a Linder date!” The barista concluded, smacking her fist into her palm. Kyle nearly choked on his drink and coughed violently. Once he cleared his throat, he looked at the barista, still blushing furiously.

“That’s even worse!” he exclaimed while banging his drink on the counter, splashing some of it onto his hand. “And I’m only 15! Why would I use Linder?!” The barista simply giggled and finished the rest of Kyle’s order. 

He looked away to hide his  embarrassment, then back at Rosa again to see her still talking to the guards. The guards seemed to be nervous around her, with one of them talking to his radio, before they eventually gave a short bow to Rosa and left Rosa to walk through the hallway and into the main theatre.  

‘What the hell?’ Kyle looked with confusion at the guards who were leaving. He took the two drinks he ordered and made his way to Rosa, who was now waiting for him standing by the door of the theater.

“Now I don’t know what you did to get those guards to leave, but is it really a good idea to come here?” Kyle walked up to her, drinks in hand. Rosa just smiled as she took one, thanked him, then opened the door and entered the theater with Kyle nervously following suit.

They entered the large and elegant theater, looking in awe at its beauty. Rosa quickly made her way to the stage. Kyle heard a door open and saw the same two guards there. He started to panic, but then realized that they were just standing there, observing them.

“What the hell…” Kyle couldn’t help but swear, confused. Rosa set herself in the middle of the stage, looking out to the empty seats in front of her. She took a deep breath, started to sing a tune, her voice filling the theater. Kyle watched in awe, amazed at her beautiful singing and elegant visage. The guards continued to observe them, albeit captivated by her as well. Kyle took out his phone and took several photos.

Rosa was in the heat of the moment, her eyes closed as she continued to sing. She imagined herself surrounded by her friends whom she had to leave behind. She continued to sing the tune she had sung her entire life. As she reached the end, she opened her eyes and saw the two guards watching her in amazement. She looked down to see Kyle watching her as well, with his jaw wide open.

“Now mind explaining to me how you got us access to the theater? And how do those two guards seem to not mind our intrusion?” Kyle asked. The pair exited the theater as the guards behind them returned to their position at the entrance.

“You could say I have some connections,” Rosa replied as she skipped happily forward. Her phone rang for a second before she took it out. She read a text she received, and her expression changed from satisfaction to worry. She looked at Kyle with a sad look.

“It looks like I have to go now,” she apologized, “I want to thank you for your hospitality.” She bowed before leaving. Kyle just watched as she turned to leave. 

“Um, wait!” Rosa stopped walking and turned back to look at him, her face showing a questioning look. “We’re still friends, right?” Kyle’s question took Rosa back, looking at him in bewilderment. 

“Of course we are!” She flashed a cute smile and tilted her head. Kyle sighed in relief and took out his phone.

“Mind telling me your NemoBook account?” He approached her and started to type on his phone. Rosa just looked at him with confusion.

“Nemobook?” Rosa asked skeptically. Kyle pointed to his phone which showed the application with his picture on it. 

“Do you have any social media accounts?” Kyle asked. Rosa shook her head. “Grundergram? Twitter? Anything?” Rosa just looked at him perplexed.

“I haven’t thought of making one,” Rosa admitted shyly. Kyle just looked at her in bewilderment before looking around and spotting a computer café.

“Well why don’t we make you one?” Kyle proposed as he pointed to the computer café. “I’d prefer to keep in touch with my friends.”

Rosa stared at him as he moved to the computer café,and he looked back to see her still standing there. He smiled and took her hand, dragging her into the café. After paying for one of the computers, they both sat on one of the stations and booted it up, and within a few minutes Kyle began the process to make an account for Rosa.

“All we need is a picture of you and for you to fill out the details.” Rosa typed her details as Kyle observed from behind her. She filled out as needed, selecting Erusea as her birth country among other things. She turned to Kyle once she was done.

“I don’t have any good pictures with me.” She browsed the images of her phone which looked very new. There weren’t that many pictures in them, and most of those depicted either scenery or her dog.

Kyle stood there for a second before an idea hit him. He took out his phone and connected it to the computer they were using. After a few seconds, an image popped up - Rosa singing in the theater. Kyle looked away shyly as Rosa stared at the image with disbelief.

“It’s perfect.” She continued setting up her account, but not before asking, “When did you take the picture, and why?”

“I have no clue. It was just a perfect moment to take.” Kyle scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Rosa giggled at his reply, his face turning a bright shade of red.

She continued to fill up the details of her account. After a few minutes, she completed the registration. With a satisfied sigh, she turned to Kyle who was on his phone. A few seconds later, Rosa got a notification on her new NemoBook account. It was a friend request from Kyle. 

“Just accept the friend request and we can keep in touch.” She clicked on the request and accepted it. A pop up appeared to confirm the request. 

“And just like that! We can message each other, video call or audio call whenever we can!” Rosa smiled at Kyle’s enthusiasm. 

As the sun settled, the pair walked along the path outside of the Esplanade that was by Gunther Bay. The scenery around them was beautiful, from the city skyline to the ocean extending outwards with the in-construction space elevator in perfect view. 

“Beautiful…” Rosa looked out to Gunther Bay with awe. “Beautiful emerald south sea water at Gunther Bay.” she said, seeming to remember something. Rosa  placed her hands on the railing, looking out to the bay. Kyle walked up beside her, opting to lean on the railings instead. 

“Thank you for helping me,” Rosa thanked Kyle as they looked out to the elevator, admiring the sunset. Kyle looked towards her with another smile. 

“I also want to thank you as well.” He turned and leaned onto the railing with a satisfied grin. “I finally have one thing I can vividly remember about this country. I’ve had my regrets, and one of them was not being grateful for the time I’ve spent  here.”

Rosa stared at him. She then sighed and gave a look of understanding. “To be pulled away from the life you had into another one you might not desire. I understand the feeling.” 

“May I ask you a question,” Rosa began with a solemn look, “What do you think of the Space Elevator?”

Kyle gave her a quizzical stare before going into deep thought with his hand on his chin. “Well for starters, the Space Elevator is an amazing piece of architecture. Its primary purpose to connect humanity to space is awe-inspiring and impressive.”

Rosa sighed before continuing, “Well yes, that is what it is at its core. But I mean what it represents and what it has caused. Ever since ex-president Vincent Harling began its construction, there have been issues and conflicts surrounding it.”

Kyle’s face morphed into an understanding expression as he came to a realisation. “You are an Erusean, so I guess it’s understandable as to why you have doubts about it.” He looked at the Space Elevator, his eyes unwavering, “There is a lot of Osean presence because of it, and they are too close to your country.”

He sighed before looking up in the air, the setting sun giving a beautiful orange hue to the sky. “I think the best we can all do is to have hope and work for a better future with what we have,” he glanced at Rosa who looked back at him, “But above all, have faith in people.”

They stood there in silence for a few seconds before Rosa pulled away from the railings. They faced each other one last time. Rosa gave a short bow followed by a smile. “Thank you for what you have done today.” She looked at home with a hopeful expression. “I hope one day we will see each other again!”

Kyle lay on his bed, staring at the picture of Rosa he took. He was tempted to send a message to Rosa but decided against it. He got up and left his room. His parents were on the couch watching the news. He went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water…

“Rosa Cossette D’Elise was… ”

Upon hearing the name, he stopped drinking from his glass and whipped his head to the Television. His parents were talking amongst themselves about the news, but Kyle’s attention was on the girl who was on TV. It was Rosa herself, a smile on her face and as she waved  to some off-screen group. 

“The D’Elise Royal Family has left Seletapura after the conference on the International Space Elevator. What Erusea will do remains to be seen. Some fear a war might start but with the current divisions in the  Erusean Government, it might be some time before that happens. ”

As the news anchor reported the events of that day, Kyle couldn’t help but stare at the TV with absolute shock and disbelief. To think that girl he guided around the city was none other than the Princess of Erusea…

Kalangan, Democratic Republic of Verusa, May 2019

Kyle walked forward with a dead expression. It was another day of living in his birth country. He looked around him with a frustrated stare, rubbing his significantly thinner face. People around him spoke in an alien language, despite being of the same race as him. 

“Yo buddy, did you finish the assignment?” A young man of similar age called out to him in Verusan. Kyle turned to see his classmate approach him with a smile. Kyle just gave a deadpan look.

“You know I can’t understand that right?” Kyle snarked. His classmate laughed awkwardly and shrugged.

“Well. It is a bit hard for me to speak Osean, alright,” he explained with difficulty. 

Kyle sighed understandingly. “I know, I know.” He walked beside his classmate as they made their way to class. Kyle looked forward with a firm, but depressed expression. 

“Really, are you fine?” His classmate repeated his question from before, now with less difficulty and more sincerity. Kyle only sighed, understanding the implications behind the question. Kyle had always conveyed his desire to live elsewhere, his feeling that he did not truly belong to Verusa and yet was being forced to adapt to it. To them he was another Verusan from overseas. To some, he was a foreigner. To Kyle, he was in a society where he did not fit in. 

“I will be once I see Belle again, don’t need to be so worried, JB.” His reply was fast and straight to the point, with a hint of excitement. 

JB knew he wasn’t exactly friends with Kyle, but he also knew Kyle was struggling to find an identity of sorts. The pressure of being in a foreign land that he couldn’t integrate into combined with the toxic society of said land was breaking him down and rebuilding him, destroying the person he was before. How JB knew this…

“You need a drink,” JB said, a shit-eating grin splitting his face. It was known to people who knew Kyle that he would open up about the things bothering him when he was drunk. 

“And what? For you to record me doing dumb shit? No thank you!” Kyle rolled his eyes and reached out for his phone. ‘How much longer do I have to wear this mask?’ he thought to himself bitterly. JB, despite not exactly being his friend, was one of the people he trusted most. He knew how much Kyle wanted to act as his true self, even if he didn’t know that true self. 

‘Perhaps one day… I’ll find a place to belong and know who I should be.’ JB tapped his shoulder to point to someone. It was a beautiful girl who was looking for someone. Once she saw Kyle, she ran up to him with a smile. 

“There you are Kyle! I’ve been looking for you!” She exclaimed in Osean albeit with difficulty. Kyle smiled as he accompanied her, leaving JB to his own devices. 

“You know the truth right?” A voice asked him from behind. JB sighed as another teen approached him from behind. 

“I know. I want to tell him, but I’m worried how he will react.” JB clenched his fist in frustration. “Why would your ex-girlfriend, the girl everyone wants to date, pretend to be his girlfriend over a bet?!”

The girl they were talking about was the same girl that Kyle was talking to as they walked to class. “So do you have any plans this evening Belle? Say, do you want to go out?” Kyle asked. Belle gave him a sad look. 

“Sorry, I have another outing with my friends. Perhaps another time,” she responded in a disappointed tone. Kyle looked at her with understanding. 

As they walked to class, he continued to browse his phone. Something caught his attention, forcing him to stop. Belle looked at him with confusion. 

“Kyle? Are you alright?” She asked worriedly. 

‘The Kingdom of Erusea has declared war on the Osean Federation?’ That sentence kept on repeating in his mind. His mind flashed back to a time in Seletapura, a time where he had a purpose. He remembered a girl in white. A white rose. 

“A White Rose…”

ACE COMBAT: Wings of Faith

Chapter Text

Several weeks ago, the Lighthouse War ended with a ceasefire signed by Osean and Erusean representatives in Expo City on December 1, 2019. One of the attendees was Princess Rosa Cossette D’Elise, the last surviving member of the Erusean royal family. 

Following the ceasefire, Eruseans, Oseans and Useans took refuge at the International Space Elevator “Lighthouse”, where a provisional government was set up by the Osean Federation with Princess Cossette as their head. She worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of the refugees from the war she helped instigate. 

She acknowledged Erusea’s culpability for the war and led efforts to ensure a bright and peaceful future through the use of the Lighthouse...

IUN Assembly, Expo City, December 14, 2019

“The war has caused pointless bloodshed and the loss of innocent lives. The truth of the Lighthouse was revealed to me when I went there during Operation Daredevil.” From behind a podium, Rosa spoke to an assembly filled with politicians from various countries. 

“The Lighthouse was meant to be a symbol of peace. The mural that Vincent Harling had ordered to be placed at the Lighthouse showed me that. And thus I implore the rest of the world to see it as such as well.” The audience discussed among themselves with positivity, some nodding to show their agreement with the  princess’s words. 

“Harling created this Space Elevator as a beacon of hope. And in deference to his final wishes, I promise to fulfill its purpose. So I pray that the entire world will use the Lighthouse for Space Exploration, Peace and Hope!” As she exclaimed the last word, the audience stood up and clapped, cheering for the new Global Advocate of Peace who stood before them. 

Rosa looked around the assembly with awe and happiness, then sighed with relief and gave another heartwarming, hopeful smile to the assembly.  She’d finally used her words to inspire hope, just as Vincent Harling did during his time. 

But behind all that… all those hopeful speeches about a peaceful future… She didn’t know if she was hopeful about herself.

International Space Elevator “Lighthouse”, Gunther Bay, Usea, January 2020

Rosa walked through the area where construction for more housing complexes was taking place, a hard hat on her head and a clipboard in her hands. Behind her were other figures in formal wear as well as some men in black suits, the royal Erusean rose pinned to their coats.

The refugees saw the princess and enthusiastically waved to her. Some children cheered excitedly and ran to greet her. She returned their greeting with an infectious smile that soon spread to everyone else there.

Even though two months had passed since the end of the Lighthouse War, refugees continued to flock to the base of the Lighthouse from all over Usea.  A civil war between countries annexed by the Kingdom of Erusea had sparked an independence movement, but Rosa was more concerned with the refugees and the territory still considered part of Erusea. She wanted no part in opposing the independence movement, even expressing support for these fledgling nations.  All she desired was to pull Erusea back up on its feet - If there were others who didn’t want to be part of Erusea, it wasn’t her problem.

Refugees, soldiers, and volunteers helped distribute supplies as Rosa spoke to two men carrying large boxes filled with relief aid. “…and make sure everyone gets their share. The next supply drop will be from Emmeria, and will arrive in two days.”  Rosa wrote a note on her clipboard as the two men left, then continued walking through the refugee center, stopping every few feet to talk or help out as she did.

As the sun set over the glistening waters of Gunther Bay, Rosa continued with her tasks, now carrying a box accompanied by some children. She entered a large hall where more refugees were residing, placing the box she had with the others before turning to the children.

“Alright, there should be enough supplies for everyone. Make sure you all share them among each other!”  The children cheered in response before scattering about the hall.  Someone came up to the boxes and placed another one themselves. Rosa turned to see none other than Ionela A. Shilage, a young 15 year old girl with long black hair. Ionela glanced at Rosa before turning to leave. Rosa followed her. 

Ionela left the hall with Rosa in tow. Alma was outside as well,  waiting for her sister. Rosa stopped a few feet from them. “Ionela! How have you two been? I haven’t talked to either of you since the end of the war!” she nervously asked. Alma smiled and was about to respond until Ionela held her hand out to stop her. 

Ionela clenched her fist and whirled around, the look of betrayal and scorn in her eyes greeting Rosa in their first private meeting ever since the event at the drone factory control room. “Brave of you to face us after everything,” Ionela spat out venomously. Rosa was taken aback by her tone, which worried Alma. 

“Ionela…” Rosa could only whimper as Ionela continued to look at her with disgust. 

“Don’t give me that look Princess D’Elise, all this pain and suffering was partially your fault. I’ve lost so much and it pains me to see my grandfather in his sorry state all because he fought the war you fueled.” Ionela’s sharp tone caused Rosa to look away shamefully as tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. 

“Big sis…” Alma tried to grab her sister’s attention, but Ionela continued with her rant. 

“Look around you, ‘your highness’ !Everyone is here because of your foolishness,” Ionela gestured to their surroundings. “People have lost their homes, their families, their loved ones! For what, because of your naïveté  and incompetence? For your childish and immature ideals?!”

“Ionela, it wasn’t that easy—“ Rosa’s attempt to explain herself was interrupted as Ionela started to speak again. 

“I’m fairly certain it should have been easy! Perhaps if you had acted more maturely you would have avoided this conflict! You had a hand in this war, and don’t think this refugee assistance scheme will forgive you of your sins, the blood on your hands.” Ionela ended with a deep breath. “Let’s go Alma, forget about her.” She took Alma’s hand and walked away. 

Rosa stood there, a hurt expression on her face. “I… I just wanted what was best for Erusea… even for Shilage…” She wiped away her tears and walked off in the opposite direction. 

Ionela walked off with Alma on her tail. They entered a building where some more refugees were staying. “Ionela, wait!” Alma called out to her sister. Ionela turned to face her. “Why were you so mean to Rosa?” Alma asked. 

“Mean? Does it matter? She deserved it!” Ionela shot back. Alma looked worried, taking a few steps forward. “We lost everything because of her foolishness. Just look at Grandfather.” Ionela looked away from her sister before noticing her staring at something behind her and turned back. 

“Quite a commotion you caused outside, you dumbass.” It was Avril Mead, who was pushing Mihaly in a wheelchair. The two girls went up to their grandfather, who was wearing an expression of contemplation. 

“Grandpa? What are you doing here?” Ionela asked. Mihaly looked at her with a small yet noticeable smile. 

“I was talking to this young mechanic here. She’s from a line of pilots from Osea,” Mihaly responded. He then looked at her with a stern face. “We heard the commotion you had with the princess. I’m disappointed with you.”

Ionela took a step back, shocked, before composing herself and arguing, “But why? The princess was the cause of this war! How could you say that?!”

“That’s because she didn’t cause the war, you dumbass,” Avril retorted. She placed her hand on her hips as she gave an irritated look. “She’s just an 18-year old girl, she couldn’t exactly do much aside from giving speeches.”

“Speeches that fueled the war! She is just as guilty as everyone else!” Ionela shot back. Alma hid behind her grandfather as he stared at Ionela. 

“And she knows what she did, and more than anyone likely believes she is to blame. She probably blames herself the most for this mess,” Avril retorted. “She never wanted this bloodshed. Hell, she was manipulated into thinking the drones could provide a ‘clean’ war to prevent this. You want someone to blame? Blame the actual warmongers who manipulated her.”

“And it was my decision to continue fighting as well,” Mihaly said, with a look of guilt.. “I’m just to blame as much as those Radicals, all because of my ego…”

“Grandfather…” Ionela sighed with worry. 

“As I said to Three Strikes, I unleashed pure chaos upon this world just so I could keep my wings. And you and Alma supported me in doing so,” Mihaly looked at Ionela with a stern face, “So if one uses your childish logic, you would just be as guilty as I am.”

Ionela flinched at her grandfather’s words. Avril sighed before looking out to the sunset. “Everyone lost something in this war, some more than others…” She then turned to Ionela and spoke to her sternly, “So don’t think you are the only one who lost a lot.”

“And it would be wrong to say you have lost everything,” Mihaly continued, “As it stands, Shilage is now independent. Which means I’m now a politician, and you will be too in the future…”

“Wait, does that mean…” Ionela trailed off as she realized the implications of her grandfather’s words.

“Exactly. You will start your training to become the next leader of our nation. Ionela, once I am gone you will take the throne as Grand Duchess of Shilage.” Ionela looked at her grandfather with a shocked expression.

“Meaning that you will be on equal ground with Cossette, though I doubt you would swallow your pride to use her as a role model. She never had one in regards to her position,” Avril commented. The young mechanic then left the building, leaving the Shilage family to their own devices.

“Maybe you will finally understand the young princess once you take up the responsibility of our country. I was foolish to not have cared for it. I was too busy flying in the blue sky,” Mihaly said solemnly, looking up to the sky. 

Ionela sighed in frustration. Mihaly noticed it and called out to her, “It is a heavy burden to lead a country at such a young age. Leading a country is a heavy burden regardless. Perhaps your position will open up your eyes to the struggles of the princess…”

“She doesn’t deserve forgiveness!” Ionela exclaimed. Mihaly looked at his granddaughter disappointedly.

“No, it is I who doesn't deserve forgiveness…”

Residential area of the “Lighthouse”, Gunther Bay, Usea, January 2020

Rosa slept on a queen sized bed, tossing and turning in her sleep. She mumbled, seeming in distress…

“Papa, no, don’t go… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

The sounds of fighters… Singing her favorite melody… The Three Strikes… An astronaut in orange diving from the Space Elevator…

“NOOOOOO!” Rosa instantly arose in a cold sweat. She started to hyperventilate, looking at her surroundings. She realized she was back at the apartment the Seletapuran government gave her to temporarily reside in at the Space Elevator. 

She sat on the bed, looking at her shaking hands. Tears fell from her eyes, dropping onto her palms. “I… I…” She took a glance at her hip where a large scar resided. The scar gave her painful memories, prompting her to clench her fists before crying her heart out, as her anguished wails filled her room.

She sat there sobbing, all alone with no one to rely on. She looked up for a moment, checking the clock on the wall. “3 in the morning…” Getting out of her bed, she changed out of her sleeping wear into her casual clothes, compromising on a long-sleeved blouse and brown pants.

Rosa strolled along the path under the Space Elevator. She was walking emotionlessly, her zombie-like expression covered by the shadows of her bangs. She eventually reached the end of the path. It was a viewing area facing towards the ocean. She leaned on the railing, contemplating on her thoughts with tears falling from her eyes. She started to sob quietly, her soft cries filling the atmosphere. 

“Why am I still here? After all I’ve done, why do I deserve to live…” She remembered the events of Operation Daredevil, the drones, the explosions, when she jumped off the elevator, the Ravens flying in, the pain she felt when a missile from the Ravens exploded next to her. She gripped the railing hard, her hands turning white. 

“President Harling…” she whimpered the name of her predecessor, the one who died because of a war she supported. “What should I do…”

“Everything I’ve done is for peace like you did, Mr Harling… but given the effects of what I’ve done, am I right? Should I really be the one to succeed you?”  She continued her pleas, talking to no one but herself in the dark night. The light from the moon’s reflection illuminated the surrounding area as well as casting a white line down through the water.

She looked up at the space elevator, its enormous size making her feel insignificant. A moment of realisation struck her. “The Space Elevator was the last place he was at before he died. Perhaps he left some sort of hint behind, anything to guide me.” She made her way from the shore to the facilities of the space elevator on her own, as the soft footsteps from her shoes filled the night.

International Space Elevator “Lighthouse”, Central Security room

Rosa stared at the numerous screens in front of her. She watched each screen intensely, looking for something or anything. The screen showed various angles of a certain deceased ex-president. The security guard who was in charge of the night shift watched her curiously.

“What exactly are you looking for, Your Highness?” He asked skeptically. Rosa turned to him and flashed him a sad smile.

“Answers, hints, anything…” She said sadly. “The war might be over, but suffering and pain still happen all around us. I seek answers and guidance to solve it. Maybe Harling left something behind. He was better suited for the job I have to take, even if we hold the same goals.”

He shrugged before returning to his computer screen, shifting the video views every few seconds for Rosa. The screen kept switching until something caught Rosa’s eye. 

“Can you rewind the tape on screen 16?” She asked. The guard scrolled back and replayed the tape. The tape showed Harling looking into a laptop of some sort. Another man entered the frame and ushered him away, leaving the laptop. Seconds later, Eruseans soldiers came into view and looked around. 

“You think he did something with that laptop?” The guard asked. Rosa nodded slightly and continued to watch other screens that showed videos of what happened afterwards. 

“A lot of people looked up to you, your highness,” the guard began, “You united a large portion of Usea for your cause. Many people believed in your ideals of peace.”

Rosa felt her heart ache as the guard continued to speak solemnly. “Not to say the war was justified in any way, but the riots and violence over the Space Elevator years ago left their mark. Was the war the right thing to do? Never. But neither was Osea right with how they handled the Space Elevator. I bet Harling felt the same way.”

He stood up and handed her a USB stick. “All the clips of the day Harling was killed and a week prior are all here. Look at them as you need.” He gave her a small smile as she took the stick. “I suggest finding that laptop Harling used. All ISEV devices are directly connected to the Space Elevator. Means that they all have constant connection even from halfway across the planet. Maybe he tried to upload something before he died.”

Rosa opened the door and peeked into the room where Harling had left the laptop. The room was still in a state of disarray. She looked up and spotted the camera that she had been looking through several minutes ago. She gave it a slight wave which prompted the camera to nod slowly. 

Rosa noticed the laptop which had a small red light beeping softly. She took a nearby charger and plugged it into the laptop. She sat down and turned it on.

“What did you leave behind, Mr Harling..?” she asked herself as she browsed through the contents of the laptop. Something caught her eye and piqued her curiosity. 

“Several video files? They seem to be recorded on the laptop’s camera.” She opened the video file and found herself face to face with Vincent Harling himself. 

“Is this on? Ah alright, the lights are blinking. If anyone finds this, then you know me as Vincent Harling, Osea’s ex-President and the one who started the Space Elevator program.”

Tears started to drop from Rosa’s eyes again as she watched Harling’s video. “Mr Harling…”

“I’m currently trapped at the International Space Elevator after Erusean forces seized control while I was visiting. Colonel Johnson of the Osean Ground Defense Force is acting as my bodyguard until we can escape.” Harling looked up with caution before returning to the screen. “It has been 3 weeks since the declaration of war from the Kingdom of Erusea. It’s a miracle that we haven’t been captured yet.”

He gave a dejected sigh and continued, “The unfortunate harsh reality I have been reflecting over the past few days is that the Space Elevator is the root of this war, of this chaos. Yet my intention for it was never for conflict. On the contrary, the purpose of this Elevator is for peace itself.”

“When I first proposed the construction of the Elevator, I wanted to show people that progress can be made. The Lighthouse was supposed to help end all the economic struggles of Usea. The strike of the Ulysses asteroid has made a significant impact on Usea. The refugees, destroyed homes, especially the energy crisis...” Harling rubbed his face with his two hands, showing signs of fatigue.

“With the Lighthouse, it could, no, it will solve the issues that have plagued the continent for years. It will provide power to resolve the energy crisis and allow reconstruction efforts to accelerate. They can help with the refugee crisis that caused the Continental War in the first place.”

Rosa cringed at the mention of the previous war her country started. She could only put her head down in shame as she continued to listen to Harling’s recording. 

“But most importantly, the Lighthouse was meant to unite and save humanity,” Harling with pleading eyes stared directly at the camera. “As we speak a group of brave astronauts launched from this elevator launched 7 years ago are tasked with intercepting another large asteroid making its way to our planet.”

Rosa realised who he was talking about. “Is he referring to the group of astronauts who arrived after the drones were destroyed?”

“The Lighthouse was going to unite people all over the world, to get everyone to cooperate to innovate and invent technologies to protect us from future Ulysses’ as well as to show people that we can be united. That we can leave the past filled with bloodshed and aim high towards a future where we will be at peace…” The video ended and the next video played. Harling appeared once again who seemed to be running.

“I have yet to finish what I was going to say. These patrols are getting more frequent,” Harling said, the exhaustion clear in his tone. “Where was I? Oh yeah, the Lighthouse… Its purpose was to be a beacon for peace, yet people see it as a tower of conflict and I understand why…”

“The Arsenal Birds ‘Liberty’ and ‘Justice’ were never supposed to exist. They were never meant to use the Lighthouse as their power source… or to strike fear into Usea. When I proposed the project to the world, the two self-sufficient drone carriers were never part of the project. It was added after I had left office. My close friend, current President Thomas Harper, was against weaponizing the Lighthouse. But in the end, Congress went through with the project…” Harling gave a short depressed chuckle, “No wonder my friend Nikanor was supportive of Erusea’s declaration of war… It’s no different than when the Arkbird was weaponized for the Circum-Pacific War…”

“From the start, I knew that the Erusean royal family would be wary and hesitant in regards to the Lighthouse and I wanted to show them that it would mean no harm, especially to Princess Cossette,” Harling smiled sadly as he looked away.

Rosa froze when she heard Harling mention her name. “Mr Harling… what does he mean?”

“I knew they were concerned with the intentions of my country and I wanted to prove that they had nothing to worry about, I wanted to show them that it could even help their nation! But in the end, the Arsenal Birds only gave off the wrong message, a message that the Lighthouse is there to control and threaten Usea with the Arsenal Birds enforcing it with an iron grip…” Harling looked down in shame. Some rough shuffling was heard before the video ended.

Another video played and it was Harling who was clutching his upper arm. “Got hit by a stray bullet, but otherwise I’m fine,” he said as he leaned back against a wall. “In the previous video, I mentioned the current Erusean Royal Family, specifically Princess Cossette.”

Rosa held her breath as she listened closely, and her hand shook nervously.

“I saw how Princess Cossette influenced and changed her nation ever since the D’Elise family became the new Royal Family. From what I’ve gathered, King Arno was a commoner who was thrust into his position because of circumstances beyond his control. Many people don’t see him to be an effective leader, no offense to the man, he tried his best for his country,” Harling gave a short sigh. 

“But Princess Cossette? I can’t help but look up to her myself. She is a kind, genuine and idealistic young woman who wanted nothing more than the best for her people. A kindred spirit who has the potential to become a great leader. The only thing holding her back is inexperience. If she had more, then perhaps she would have avoided making the same mistakes as I have by letting this war go on. By letting this war occur, it will bring nothing more than pain and suffering, even with the ‘clean’ drone strikes.” Harling could only look down in disappointment.

“I can understand her reasoning, the fear of the Arsenal Birds, the clean drone strikes, maybe such things would have brought less bloodshed. But no matter what one does, war is war and it will bring about destruction no matter what you do about it… I thought back in the past that a military reduction would bring about less conflict, but in the end, it only made us vulnerable and lives were lost. I believe that there is a balance, we can’t afford to be tempted with weapons of mass destruction but at the same time we need to be able to defend ourselves…”

At this point, Rosa was sobbing. Her heart had been shattered into a million pieces of guilt and sadness, yet she was alone with this message as the last thing addressed to her…

“Princess Cossette, if by any chance you see this message, I want you to know that I never meant any ill-intent to your country. I never wanted us to be enemies and I wished we could have met face to face. And I hope after this war, you will remain a kindred spirit who will have learned from your mistakes just as I had before. This world is constantly in conflict, but more people like you and me can work together to hopefully, one day, create a peaceful world built on trust and understanding…”

Harling then had a moment of realisation, as if he had just remembered something. “In my lifetime, I have seen many wars. In each war, there will always be one individual or a group of them who will single-handedly end it. Many of them flew for peace and will end the war for the sake of it, though there are exceptions. But ending a war is different from maintaining peace. It is up to people like me to step in once these individuals have fulfilled their roles, and I hope you can become one of these like-minded individuals to help maintain the peace these others have risked their lives for, Princess Cossette…” Harling trailed off as the video ended.

Rosa sat there silently shedding tears, before she finally cried her heart out once again. Her emotions finally overcame her, overwhelming her like a broken dam. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She could only apologize profusely to no one in particular, her emotions simply telling her that she had to. As she continued to cry, another video played.

The sound of Harling’s bloody coughing was the first thing that came from the video. Then the video panned to show Harling in a bloodied state, a gunshot wound near his stomach. He gave a short chuckle before going into another coughing fit. “June 6th, how ironic. To be saved on the day humanity committed an inhuman act… That is if I make it out of here alive.”

Gunfire was audible in the background. “I guess Johnson is holding them off, I might as well make this quick. In the event that this video is found, it means the worst has happened. I want to use this opportunity to thank those who have helped me and supported me, to thank the unsung heroes who saved me before. To the Kingdom of Erusea, the Erusean royal family, and Princess Cossette, I hope you understand the consequences of this war and seek to end it. I know none of you wanted this conflict and have strived for peace, so take the chance to walk away from this…” Harling gave another bloodied cough.

“To my family, my wife Christina and daughter Edel, I’m sorry I could not come back home. I foolishly focused on ensuring peace for both of you but never took the time to enjoy that peace with you.” Harling started to shed tears as he smiled sadly.

“Christina, you have always been there for me. You were my pillar of support when I was in office and without you, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today…” He wiped away some tears and looked up towards the source of gunshots that were louder now.

He looked towards the camera directly and smiled, “And Edel? Remember our promise okay? Be a good girl and help mommy when she needs it. Daddy loves you so much. I love you, my little lily.” The sound of a door bursting open and Johnson came into the frame.

“Mr Harling, we need to go! NOW!” Johnson picked Harling up and brought the injured man out of the room. The video continued to play, only showing the same background that was behind Harling before he left…

Rosa sat there silently, tears falling down from her face like a waterfall. The emotional turmoil she had just gone through had drained all her energy. Wordlessly, she took the laptop along with its other components and quietly left the room.

International Space Elevator “Lighthouse”, Gunther Bay, Usea, February 2020

On February 1st, a memorial gathering was held for Vincent Harling. A large number of people gathered to pay respects to the fallen Peace Advocate. Several notable figures were present as well, Rosa being one of them. The memorial was led by Christina Harling, Vincent Harling’s wife. A statue of the Arkbird using the Lighthouse as a stand was erected at the park near the space elevator. 

After the memorial, a meeting was held at a room in the ISEV. Rosa was there along with Yuktobania’s Minister Mentor Seryozha Viktrovich Nikanor, Osea’s President Thomas Harper, and Harling’s family: Christina and Edelgard Harling.

The group watched the final video message. Christina cried softly while her daughter Edelgard clutched to her mother. Nikanor shed some tears himself while Harper could only look down in sadness. Rosa sat there, her bangs covering her eyes and her fists clenched. 

“I love you, my lily.” As the video ended, Christina brought her daughter into a hug, who started to cry. The young girl gripped hard on her mother’s dress as tears streamed down her face. Nikanor wiped away some tears as he got up and placed a comforting hand on the widow’s shoulder.

Nikanor stood up and approached Harling’s widow and daughter to comfort them as Harper went to the laptop to turn it off. The two men stayed with them as Rosa got up and left the room silently. 

Rosa leaned on the railing of a balcony, silently deep in her thoughts. Watching the video had made her depressed again. ‘Is Harling truly right about me? I escalated the war with my speeches and my country is paying the price for it, but it won’t help those who have suffered. Can I really advocate for peace like he did?’ she questioned herself. 

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Christina Harling approaching. Rosa stiffened  as the woman stopped in front of her. “I was wondering where you left, your Highness.” Christina gave a short bow. 

“I apologise for my sudden disappearance. I was feeling rather unwell,” Rosa replied shyly. The older woman flashed her a reassuring smile.

"It's alright, your highness," Christina responded kindly, her gentle, almost motherly, demeanor warming Rosa's heart. She turned to Rosa and continued. "Is it alright if we drop the formalities? I mean no disrespect, but I think it would do both of us good if we could just have a friendly talk together without such honorifics. Unless, of course, your highness prefers otherwise?"

Rosa was taken aback by her request, but after studying the older woman for a few seconds she realised she meant no grudge. ‘How could she act so kindly towards me… I haven’t even apologised yet.’ Rosa expected her to look at her with scorn, just as Ionela had several days ago. 

“I’d appreciate that, honestly.” Rosa accepted her request before turning away while the woman sighed in relief.

“Oh yeah, I hope I don’t come off as blunt but I wanted to ask about your eye,” Christina asked. “I heard that you jumped off the space elevator and got injured during the battle. I remember seeing news reports of your injuries and you were wearing an eyepatch.”

“Oh that! A missile hit a nearby coalition plane and its shrapnel barely glazed my eyes. Temporarily blinded an eye with damage to my cornea. It only recently healed so I ditched the eyepatch I wore.” Rosa explained, garnering a relieved smile from the woman. 

“I’m glad to hear you are feeling better. Edelgard told me that you had pretty eyes. It would be a shame to lose one of them.” Christina  giggled at her daughter’s comment, earning a blush from Rosa.

“I hope you feel better now, hopefully your injuries weren’t too bad,” the woman expressed her worry to the Erusean princess, the latter giving a reassuring smile once again. 

“To be quite honest, my injuries at the time were horrible. My face was messed up, my helmet blew off because I didn’t secure it properly. I was only alive thanks to the emergency parachute after the primary one was blown off. I had a large piece of shrapnel embedded into my gut even.” The last part got a gasp of shock from the widow. 

“Good lord, how are you still alive?!” The widow’s shock only earned a giggle from Rosa, who took out a necklace of sorts from her neck. It was a small golden scepter with the Erusean rose embedded in the middle. 

“I’m just lucky I suppose. Very very lucky…” Rosa looked downcast for a moment before perking up to show the woman her necklace. “I had the shrapnel embedded into me melted and turned into this necklace as a good luck charm. And… as a reminder of how close I nearly came to losing my life.”

“That’s quite a beautiful piece there. And it gives me relief that you are still here today and looking healthy despite what has happened.” Christina studied the necklace for a short minute before Rosa tucked it away. 

They stood there for several seconds before Rosa turned to the older woman and looked at her with both confidence and guilt. “On behalf of the Kingdom of Erusea and my people, I would like to apologise for the war and all the bloodshed we caused. I know this apology is not enough, but I hope our nations can work together for a better future.” She ended her apology with a curtsy.

Rosa felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Christina with her hand on her shoulder and a motherly smile on her face. She was taken aback once again, but this time from her gentleness. Rosa could not understand why the older widow was so kind to her. She reminded her of her own mother. “It’s alright, Rosa. There is no need to be nervous. I accept your apology. I’m glad that the war has ended and our nations can work together towards peace, just as you wanted.” 

"My husband always told me and our little girl that we should not judge someone by what they did, but by what they will do. We should not condemn someone because of the mistakes they've made, but instead we should give them a chance to redeem themselves, to be better than who they were before. Which is why I believe that I am making the right choice by giving you this.” Christina took out a small flash drive with a smile and extended her hand to give it to Rosa. “It’s a copy of all Harling’s videos into one video file rather than separate files. It was quite tedious to edit, based on what Harper said.” 

Rosa hesitantly took the drive from Christina. “I want to thank you for finding my husband’s videos.  It meant a lot to me and my daughter.” Christina turned to leave but Rosa stood there. Her hand holding the drive started to shake as her bangs fell to obscure her eyes. 

“Why..” she choked out, “Why are you being so kind to me?” Tears started to fall from her face as she trembled.

Christina stopped and turned to look at Rosa. She was saddened and confused seeing the young girl cry. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?” She approached the crying girl cautiously. 

Rosa clutched the drive near her chest, her face showing sorrow, confusion and desperation. “Why are you being so kind to me! It’s my fault that this war started! I killed your husband, I killed so many people! Their blood is on my hands!” She hyperventilated for a few seconds. “So why…”

“Because hate is what starts wars in the first place.” Rosa’s eyes widened and she looked up to Christina, who had a heartwarming smile on her face. “And I can’t hate someone who has a good heart such as yourself.” She placed a gentle hand back on Rosa’s shoulder, stopping her from shaking.

“I see so much of my husband in you, your pure heart, and your desire to do the right thing. What he said in his messages were not lies. I can see that,” she assured Rosa with a smile. “There is a huge difference between being responsible and being the one who pulled the trigger. Sure, you are partially responsible, but their deaths are not uniquely on your hands. People used you for their selfish hatred and desires.”

“Harling blamed himself for the deaths that occurred during the Circum-Pacific War…” Christina walked to the railing and watched the beautiful sunset with Rosa. “He was ashamed that the Arkbird, a symbol of peace just like the space elevator, was militarised and used to cause death and destruction. He vowed that such a thing would never happen again, yet the Arsenal Birds were built,” she sighed as she turned to lean back on the railing. Rosa wiped away her tears as she listened.

“Being a leader is never easy. When my husband first started out, he was like you. Constantly doubting himself and trying his best. He was only in his early 40s when he first took office but even then he was not prepared.” She smiled sadly at the memory before looking at Rosa reassuringly, “Yet here you are, a mere teenager with the weight of the country on your shoulders. Even as a figurehead princess you did so much for your people. And now you have to bear that responsibility.”

“My father was never suited to be a king,” Rosa croaked out, “My family was never meant to be royalty… I lost so much before and now I have nothing…” She clenched the drive even harder. Christina placed her hands on the grieving princess. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what it feels to lose everything,” she tried to comfort Rosa. “But to Erusea, you are all that is left. Your country needs you, they can’t lose you as well.” She slowly pulled Rosa into a hug.

“I can’t imagine walking on this path alone, as Harling said my support for him had helped him when he was in office. All I can hope is that you find someone who will be your root of happiness.” At that point, Rosa broke down into tears and hugged Christina tightly. They stood there for what seemed like eternity, the young princess letting her once confident and elegant persona break down into a heartbroken and overwhelmed girl.

Christina spotted her daughter peeking from the doorway and motioned to the little girl to step forward. As Rosa let go of the older woman, she noticed Edelgard looking at her with curious yet determined eyes.

“I don’t understand a lot of things. I don’t understand the work Papa and you have to do. But I understand that Papa isn’t coming back because of his work and that you and Papa have the same dreams.” Edelgard looked at Rosa with an idealistic smile, “So please protect Papa’s dreams while I study hard so that I can become strong and smart just like you and Papa, to help you protect the dreams you and papa have!”

“Of course… Of course!” Rosa said cheerfully despite being in tears. The little girl then hugged her, and Rosa reciprocated. Two Oseans in suits came in and called for the mother and daughter. The two bid their farewells as Rosa stood there crying. As soon as the Oseans left, Rosa wiped her tears and ran off in the other direction.

International Space Elevator “Lighthouse”, Gunther Bay, Usea

Rosa arrived at the base of the space elevator. She looked up to the elevator in awe, the structure never ceasing to amaze the young princess. Instinctively she raised her arm and formed an airplane sign with her hand outstretched towards the blue sky. She closed her eyes and savoured the environment, the sea breeze, the sounds of ocean waves, the busy life of the space elevator.

Taking a deep breath, she asked no one in particular, almost like a prayer, “Can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Your Highness.”

Rosa turned to see a man behind her. The man had messy brown hair of modest length and wore a white hoodie with blue jeans and black boots. Over his hoodie was a blue Osean fighter pilot jacket with the initials J. LINKS and a yellow wolf’s head gripping a revolver in its mouth as a patch on his shoulder. What stood out was the word TRIGGER written on a ribbon under the wolf’s head. Rosa instantly realised the man before her and looked at him with a shocked, somewhat fearful expression.

“Y-you are…” Rosa stuttered as she pointed to the emblem on the man’s jacket. The man looked at his emblem before giving her a reassuring smile.

“Not sure how I should feel about a princess instantly knowing my alias at first glance, but I think a proper introduction is in order,” the man said with a smile. “I’m Captain Jack “Trigger” Links of the OADF, commander of the Long Range Strategic Strike Group’s Strider Squadron.” Jack gave a playful salute.

When Rosa first heard about Trigger from Avril, she expected a fearsome person who wouldn’t think twice about harming her or her fellow Eruseans. But the person before her seemed to be nothing more than a well-meaning young man. Nonetheless, she acted cautiously around him. 

Jack stifled a giggle as he noticed how carefully Rosa was acting towards him. “I can assure you, Your Highness, that I mean no ill-intent towards you. Not to mention I’m not in a fighter jet and you are the last person I would want to hurt,” he said as he smiled at her reassuringly.

“No ill-intent towards me? Not the first time this happened…” Rosa grimaced as she looked at Jack guiltily. Jack noticed the change of tone in her voice, realising something was wrong.

“What do you mean by that?” Jack asked. Rosa could only look at Jack with sad eyes.

“I mean this isn’t the first time meeting a particular Osean and expecting them to hate me, only to be proven wrong by their gentle heart.” Rosa gave a short but sad laugh as she relaxed her shoulders.

“I know what you went through, Mr. Links, Avril explained it to me. Being accused of killing Harling, being sent to a penal unit where your life was treated as being worth next to nothing. All the pain and misery was caused by my foolishness. So I can’t understand why you would act so kind and gentle towards me.” Tears fell from Rosa’s eyes, making it clear that she still hadn’t  felt any better since her talk with Christina a few hours ago.

“It’s true that you are partially responsible for the entire conflict. But even so,” Rosa’s eyes widened and she looked to Jack who was giving her a gentle and gentle smile, “Even so, you were the one who inspired me to continue living.”

Rosa’s eyes widened once more as she looked at Jack who was smiling sheepishly. She could not believe her ears when the man known as “Three Strikes” told her that she was an inspiration for him. “May I ask why?” she asked nervously.

“As you know, I was sent to a penal unit under the guise of murdering Harling, a hero and peace advocate just like you... My time in the penal unit was dark and dangerous. I joined the OADF to become a pilot to protect someone close to me,” Jack took out a photo of him and a girl with auburn hair, “All I wanted was to fly to keep her safe from harm. In the penal unit, I had wondered if she would hate me for ‘killing’ Harling. At that point, I had lost hope, lost the will to fight and live.”

“But you,” he looked at Rosa once again with hopeful eyes as he kept away the photo in his jacket, “I heard your speeches in my cell. They were inspiring, and I could feel the conviction for your cause in them. That cause may have been the wrong one and you were being used as a pawn in the game of political chess. But nonetheless, I was inspired by you. You showed me a beacon of light in my darkest moments.”

Jack took Rosa’s hands and held them gently. She could feel his rough hands that were hardened through great strife, yet were gentle and caring. “You inspired me to continue fighting, to make it back home so that I could see and reconcile with the person I cared deeply for. Thanks to you, I became inspired to come back to Audrey… The woman I love.”

Jack, with Rosa’s hand in his, gave them a firm handshake as he looked at her with sincere eyes, “Once again, thank you, Princess Rosa, for being a beacon of light in the darkest times. Some may say I’m that beacon and not you, but perspectives differ for everyone.”

It was at that point that Jack heard a woman call him. Rosa and Jack turned to the source of the call, spotting the same auburn haired woman in the picture Jack took out. She was waving towards Jack as she ran towards them. Jack rushed to the woman and she jumped into his arms. He spun her around as they held each other lovingly. Rosa couldn’t help but feel envious of the couple.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, your highness,” The woman turned to Rosa as Jack held her in his arms, “My name is Audrey Burne, and Jack has told me about you. A little bit too much for my liking.” She said the last part jokingly, earning some laughs from Jack and Rosa.

Audrey saw through Rosa’s laughing exterior and noticed the rather envious and depressed stare Rosa was giving them. She let go of Jack and made her way to the princess. She took Rosa’s hands and clasped it with her own. “Thank you. If it weren’t for you, Jack wouldn’t be able to come home to me. You continue to inspire hope into the hearts of many people. There are plenty of people who support you. You can count on me and Jack to be two of them.”

Rosa finally gave a small but genuine smile as she nodded. Audrey smiled at her once more before leaving Rosa, her arms locked with Jack’s. But just before they left, Audrey turned and called to Rosa, “Oh and Princess Rosa? I hope you find someone who will inspire and love you just as I have to Trigger.”

“While many countries from the international community are currently hesitant to fully commit to negotiations with us, we still have significant support for the Usean Restoration Project. With the ISEV providing revenue we can expect most of Usea to be self-sustainable by late 2021. Once we reach that point we can focus on restoring Erusea, or at least what’s left of it after the independence movement,” an Erusean woman said in front of a meeting board filled with Useans in suits, with Rosa sitting in the head seat wearing her typical white blouse and brown pants.

“The current issue involves a united terrorist group who has allied with Free Erusea and both forces are still running about Usea, but we have several PMCs assisting the IUN to suppress them. Furthermore, Erusean and Osean forces are mobilizing alongside the PMCs to deal with the threats,” a man in a formal military uniform reported. It earned some worried whispers but otherwise everyone looked calm when the man assured them that the threat will be dealt with. 

Rosa then stood up and addressed the meeting. “We will have many more countries to take note of because of the independence movement. Nonetheless, we should focus on helping those in need. Defense might be an issue but with the volunteer armed air force of the IUN it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If that is all, the meeting is adjourned.” The people at the meeting board stood up and left as Rosa ended the meeting. Peace might have been achieved, but there was still a long way to go. 

Rosa and the woman were the last in the meeting hall. The woman turned to Rosa. “You seem to be focusing on helping the victims rather than our people. Why is that?” She asked skeptically.

“I want to help everyone, not just those at the ISEV. Our country caused this war and we have to help the people affected by it to show that we really did not mean for such horrible events to occur. Perhaps helping others first and not ourselves is a form of reckoning for our people. But nonetheless I want the entirety of Usea and Erusea to flourish in a peaceful world,” Rosa explained as she sighed solemnly, the stress of her job taking a toll on the young princess. The woman looked at Rosa pityingly, as before her was an overwhelmed girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders, barely keeping her head above the water.

“Well then, I shall take my leave. But please, your highness, get ample rest.” The woman left, leaving Rosa alone with her laptop, the same laptop that she found Harling’s videos in. She packed up her things and made her way to her apartment.

Rosa entered her apartment and placed her small bag on the table before flopping herself onto the bed. Her tiredness took away any remaining energy she had, and she lay on her bed silently. Her thoughts wandered to her job and the conflict that had ended just mere months ago, but she didn't want to preoccupy her thoughts with that. She then remembered something and looked at the bag that held her laptop. The same laptop that was directly connected to the Lighthouse.

“If I remember correctly, the satellite debris in orbit has been cleaned enough to allow some new satellites to be operational and reconnect the world. Though the ISEV is the main connection.” She made her way to the study table and opened her laptop. With a few clicks she found the website she had just remembered. 

“Nemobook… I think I remember my password.” With a couple of taps on the keyboard, she opened her account and saw one person online, her only Nemobook friend. She hesitantly hovered the mouse on the call button for a few seconds, eventually clicking on it and sending a call. The screen went to call mode and there was a short, metallic ringing. The call was picked up and Rosa sat there silently, before hearing some humming from the other side.

“...Can you hear me?”

“ I… Yes, I can hear you… ”

Chapter Text

“Speaking Verusan”
“Speaking Osean (English) and/or Erusean”
'Thoughts'

Solares residence, Kalangan, Democratic Republic of Verusa, February 2020

“You are a Verusan! You should embrace it and act like one!”

“It’s disrespectful to talk like that to your elders, even if you can only speak in Osean.”

“Stop being such a loner! You won’t succeed in life if you don’t interact with people around you! The internet won’t help you with that, your online friends are not real. We are your flesh and blood, so you should accept that!”

“Continue on this path of rejecting us and you will fail. You have an obligation to your family, your nation, so stop being so selfish! Only we can help you in your life!”

“You aren’t in Seletapura anymore, accept the present and move on from the past. If you want to continue, forget about them, about the past. They are gone forever and Verusa is your future now.”

“You were born into this world from us, from Verusa. You will accept that and become what you are, a Verusan. THIS IS YOUR FATE !!”

Kyle instantly opened his eyes, breaking out in a cold sweat. He laid on his bed silently, breathing heavily from his nightmare. He took a quick glance at his alarm clock, and realised it was time for him to get up. He sat up at the edge of his bed, gripping the bed sheets frustratedly. He looked at his old Seletapuran NCC uniform on a torso mannequin at the side of the room, showing its various patches and small medals he had earned in his time in NCC. 

He stood up and went to the windows. He swung the blinds open to show the neighbourhood, where Verusans were going about their morning routine. ‘I’m not a Verusan. I was raised elsewhere, and now they beat down my individuality for their status quo’ Kyle thought to himself, as he held back tears. He glanced at a photo frame that showed him and his batch of fellow NCC Cadets with the number ‘2015’ signed on it. In the picture he smiled in his uniform, standing proudly with his fellow cadets. Kyle took the photo and stared at a mirror. Rather than reflecting the same proud young teen, all he saw was a depressed, lanky and disappointing young man.

Kyle gave a depressed sigh as he clenched his fist. ‘What happened to me? So much bullshit has happened for the past 5 years… The once proud and passionate Cadet Staff Sergeant Kyle Solares is nothing more than a depressed, weak and pathetic dumbass…’ He placed back the photo frame, the face in the mirror showing frustration.

He had always felt like this for the past 5 years. Migrating from Seletapura, a country he was raised in and practically loved, to Verusa, the nation he may have been born in but held no feelings towards. The door to his room opened and his mother entered the room.

“Kyle, did you hear your father calling you? He needs the toolkit you borrowed,” his mother nonchalantly asked him as she held a spatula in her hand. She noticed the glare her son was giving her and responded similarly. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked in Verusan once again, unhappy with the ‘disrespectful’ look her son was giving her.

Kyle immediately took a second to compose himself. “Could you at least knock before coming in?” He asked meekly. His mother folded her arms and gave him a scolding stare.

“Knock? What knock? This is not your house and don’t talk to me like that. We already had a conversation about not talking to others like that. I didn’t raise you to be disrespectful. Ayia, what happened to my kind and caring son?” Her sharp tongue caused him to flinch, but internally he wished he could stand his ground.

“I’m sorry, I just got up and I’m not properly dressed-” His mother cut him off indignantly. 

“Ayia saying sorry again? You always say sorry, don’t say sorry when you aren’t sorry. Do actions rather than words, Understand?” She gave him another indignant stare. 

“Yes, I understand,” Kyle responded. His mother just stared at him harder. “Yes.” His mother sighed as she took a step outside.

“Ayia, only acting like a proper respectable person when people get mad at you.” She left the room, allowing Kyle to let go of his breath and flop to his bed. He laid on his bed for a minute or two, energy drained from him despite waking up fine in the morning.

Sacred Seraph University, Angelo City, Democratic Republic of Verusa

Kyle hummed a song while listening to his music through his earphones as he walked through the open area of his university.  As the song ended he paused the music player and continued to walk. 

Around him he observed the daily lives of Verusans, from the joyful customers of street food to the exaggerated but fun conversations people had in their native language. But once in a while a student would notice Kyle and gossip with the person next to them while looking at him. He simply sighed and continued to walk through the college grounds. 

He spotted a group of people he was familiar with and approached them nervously. Once the group noticed him, their conversation died down and they all looked at him awkwardly. “Hey, uhhh, have you guys finished the group project yet?” Kyle asked nervously. The group looked amongst themselves until one of them translated his question in Verusan to the others.

“We still doing research. Talking to professor on what we find. We finish by tomorrow,” one of them responded in broken Osean, their Verusan accent painfully obvious. Kyle cringed internally. 

“But the submission is in two days, only myself and one other group have finished it,” Kyle pointed out. Some of the members rolled their eyes as one of them awkwardly smiled.

“We talking to professor. We fine. We finish before submission. We work hard on the project,” the one who smiled reassured Kyle. Kyle sighed before leaving.

“At least we worked hard on this group project. He did it alone, must have cheated somehow like everyone says,” one of the members mused, earning some laughter as Kyle walked away. But he heard and understood their words.

‘Everyone just acts like they are working hard and they get rewarded. Meanwhile I’m here struggling because of a language and cultural barrier.’ He clenched his fist as he continued to walk away. He spotted several posters promoting a language class. ‘ Belkan, Sapin, Aurelian, Erusean .’ The last language gave him some flashbacks, flashes of a beautiful blonde girl.

“Heh, maybe I’ll take Erusean classes.” Giving a short laugh, he made his way to his locker where he spotted a pair of students waiting for him. They glanced Kyle and gave worried looks.

“JB, Daniel, you made it!” JB nonchalantly waved a hello as Daniel gave Kyle a bag full of cleaning supplies.

“Looks like it happened again,” Daniel commented. Kyle took the supplies and sighed. He opened his locker and took out empty soap bottles and restocked them with the supplies Daniel gave him. “How long do you think we have to keep quiet about this? I know a lot of the faculty have connections to your parents so you can’t buy these things without being spotted, but can’t they help?”

“You know he can’t do that,” JB butted in, “They would make a big mess out of this and Kyle will be blamed despite being the victim. For once I’m not proud of our culture.” 

“My ex-girlfriend and her friends really fucked you over…” Daniel said shamefully. Kyle only gave him a sympathetic stare and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It's alright, they aren’t wrong when they say it’s my fault. I don’t understand the language or culture,” Kyle sighed as he finished sorting through his locker.

“Yeah and people took advantage of that, nothing like taking advantage of the struggling and earnest person. Then again I’m guilty of doing that myself.” JB ran his hand in his hair in frustration.

“Piece of advice, be proud of your culture, take the good parts to heart and improve on the bad parts,” Kyle advised. “Being in Seletapura where there were many different cultures showed me multiple perspectives. One shouldn’t be ashamed of their culture. Culture tends to be a derivative of one’s home.”

“What about you?” Daniel asked, “What about your culture?”

Kyle stood there silently. He finished fixing his locker before responding, “I have to find a home first. My heart yearns for one. Home is what makes a person’s culture and character. I’ve yet to find who I am…”

“Well, good luck on finding your home, culture and who you are,” JB reassured him before giving him a grin, “But we know who Kyle really is, not Kyle Solares.” He pointed to the blue sky, prompting Kyle to look up.

“You love the sky. That is who you are, someone who loves the blue sky.” Daniel finished. The two gave their goodbyes before leaving Kyle at his locker.

‘Guess not all Verusans are the same. Perhaps there is hope for this country,’ Kyle thought to himself as he fixed his locker. He heard footsteps and looked to spot one of his professors approaching him.

“Mr Solares, I have some good news,” He took a folder he was carrying and gave it to Kyle, “Your extra credit research paper was just enough to pull your grades to a passing grade.” He ended with a smile as Kyle took it.

Kyle heaved a sigh of relief, good news finally reaching him. Yet he still felt weary and looked at his professor cautiously. “I expected you to fail me sir,” Kyle inquired, “I did fail a lot of my quizzes.”

“True,” The professor agreed, “But you did pull back up in later quizzes. I can understand that you are still struggling in this country and environment, so I gave you a second chance to redeem yourself and you did so spectacularly. Those explanations on the composite materials used by stealth aircraft and the systematic integration of RAM coating on the materials was splendid!”

“Well a lot of people would think otherwise. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors? I don’t understand why you aren’t treating me like a delinquent,” Kyle asked shamefully. The professor simply dismissed him.

“What matters is that people work hard to succeed in life, no matter what obstacles are in their path. Hard work and opportunity are what make people successful, and I desire to give my students the opportunity they need, all they have to do is actually put in the work.” He finished with a smile.

Kyle sighed despite agreeing with his words. He closed his locker, revealing it to be vandalised with paint. The words there were in Verusan. His professor spotted it and was instantly alarmed, yet Kyle just took the cleaning supplies and started to clean  his locker.

“Oh my god what happened here?!” His professor exclaimed. He took a good look at the words and translated them, “Cheater? Fraud? Disrespectful Osean Speaking Bastard? Good lord, why is this here?!”

“Not the first time this happened,” Kyle nonchalantly said as he continued cleaning his locker, quickly removing the paint. Some students looked at him and gossiped amongst themselves. His professor ushered them away as he scratched his head while watching Kyle clean.

“Have you tried to bring this up with the faculty? Or even the school?” His professor asked worriedly.

“It would only cause more trouble. Language barrier and all,” Kyle replied emotionlessly, “As far as I’m concerned, anything I say is a lie and people won’t believe me. If someone wanted to help me, they would need to understand me first and vice versa.” He wiped the locker with a wet rag.

“And it’s not like the faculty would actually work to help me.They’d just pretend to look like they are.” The professor stayed silent as his student continued to clean his locker. With nothing else to say, he patted Kyle’s shoulder reassuringly before leaving.

Solares residence, Kalangan, Democratic Republic of Verusa

As the sun set on the horizon, Kyle had returned home only to be confronted by his parents. He sat on the couch in front of them as they showed him a tablet with a picture of him cleaning his locker.

"Why didn’t you tell us about this?” His mother hysterically asked, “This is embarrassing and you are suffering from this! Do your professors know?!” Kyle did not budge from his downcast state. 

“Just one. As far as I’m concerned, it’s nothing,” Kyle reassured them but this did not ease his parents.

“What did you do for this to happen? Is it because of Belle?” his father asked. Kyle flinched at his question but his father didn’t care. 

“I’ve already told you many times, I did not cheat on her. She did and she only ‘dated’ me as a prank!” Kyle protested. His parents sighed frustratedly.

“We know that! But this is a big issue! Why didn’t you tell us in the first place?” His mother ranted, “We can do something about this and stop this!”

“I can’t do that! This is something I need to solve on my own!” Kyle protested. “That is exactly why these rumors even came about!”

Despite defending himself, his mother became enraged. “Here you go, becoming that mean loner again! Stop being so disrespectful! Your disrespect is what is giving you failing grades, your professors won’t pass you with that attitude! We are your flesh and blood, not only should you respect us but we are here to help you! You need us, no man is an island and you won’t survive if you keep acting like that!”  

“That’s exactly the problem,” Kyle fired back, “These rumors are calling me incapable, a fraud, and everything else. I need to handle this on my own or it won’t stop!”

“How dare you! We are your parents, we are supposed to help you and you must listen to and respect us! This happened because of your attitude, you should accept your Verusan Blood! Forget about Seletapura or whatever dream you have, you are in Verusa so accept that!” His father calmly, yet fiercely said. Kyle meekly cowered back into the couch. 

“This situation hurts us, you know that? Our own son is suffering, and we feel three times your pain , because we are your parents, your own flesh and blood, you came from us. So we feel your pain even more.” His mother was on the verge of tears, prompting his father to comfort her.

Kyle was taken aback by such a claim. He felt his heart clench at the implications of his mother’s words. ‘So my feelings are nothing compared to theirs? And it’s my fault?’ His face blackened as he clenched his fist.

He stood up from the couch and made his way upstairs. His father was offended and called out to him, “Where are you going? We aren’t done talking, we need to point out your incessant Osean talking, why won’t you speak Verusan like you are supposed to, like a respectable person?!”

“I’m tired Pa, I want to go to bed, it's getting late.” Kyle’s voice sounded flat, like the energy had been sucked out from it, “If you can really fix this then go ahead, I’m done.” His father was about to protest but Kyle had already retreated into his room.

As Kyle entered his room and locked his door, he could hear his parents argue amongst themselves. But that did not matter to him as tears streamed down his face, quietly splashing on the floor. He launched himself onto his bed and cried into it, his voice muffled by his pillow. 

‘I have no one left. I lost my friends back in Seletapura, my online best friend is probably dead because of the war. No one understands me here.’ He cried harder into his pillow. As he fell into a deep sleep, he cried out one last time…

“Is there anyone out there who will help me… Will be there for me… Can anyone hear me?”

The soft sound of beeping stirred Kyle awake as he laid in bed. Feeling rather weary, he looked to the digital clock on his bedside drawer. “3am… What’s going on?” he mumbled half asleep. He drowsily looked at the source of the beeping, staring at his laptop for a few seconds.

Suddenly he got up and scrambled to his laptop. ‘Is this?! Please be who I think it is!’ He opened his laptop and looked through his programs. After a few seconds he sighed disappointedly. ‘No it’s not from him. I wonder if he is really alive…’ He stared at the last message on a chatting program.

“‘Air raid alarms are going off, I need to get in the air. Talk to you again!’ That was your last message buddy, I miss you,” he mumbled to himself as a tear fell from his face. However the beeping did not stop.

“Don’t tell me… Who the hell would call on Nemobook at this time of the night?” he frustratedly asked himself as he clicked on his laptop. Upon opening Nemobook, the first post he saw was his ex-girlfriend Belle with a group selfie of her friends and new boyfriend. 

“Belle… Great, the comments are referring to me.” Despite not understanding the comments on her post, he saw his name pop up several times. He was about to close his laptop until he realised someone was still requesting a call.

“Who the hell is calling me-” He stopped mid sentence when he read the name of the person calling him. “Rosa Cossette Falcinelli…” He sat there silently as he processed this. He had sudden flashbacks of a long forgotten day that was supposed to be memorable for him. It ended with her earnest smile as the Seletapuran skyline was behind her.

He sat there hesitantly, as the cursor on his laptop was above the ‘accept call’ button. After what seemed like eternity, he accepted the call. The call was connecting for a few seconds before it got through.

“...Can you hear me?” Her voice came through the call. Kyle sat there stunned when he heard her voice, the same voice of a princess who inspired millions of people. The voice of a person he thought he would never see again, even if the last time they saw each other was their first time.

Hesitantly, he responded, “I.. Yes, I can hear you.”

Back in Seletapura, Rosa sighed in relief as she heard the voice of her friend she had almost forgotten, the last friend she made, and perhaps her last friend period. “Hello there,” she greeted the call.

Kyle laughed internally, he would have greeted back with a pop culture reference but he felt Rosa’s tone was depressed, so he cautiously proceeded with the call.

“Hello again,” he responded simply.  “Kyle Solares here… Nice to hear from you again, Rosa Cossette Falcinelli. Or do you  go by a different name?” he asked. Rosa realised what he was asking and sighed tiredly.

“Sorry about that, it was simply a safety precaution back then,” she explained , “But if you must know my real name, it would be Rosa Cossette D’Elise.” She held her breath as Kyle took several seconds to absorb the revelation. 

“So you really are the Princess of Erusea,” he replied with awe, “It’s nice to finally talk to you again, Your Highness.” 

Rosa was taken aback by his friendly tone, as she had fully expected him to become overwhelmed and tense, not that she minded. “Same here, how have you been?”

Kyle was about to respond with his typical dismissive answer, but refrained from doing so. Rosa noticed his hesitation and called out to him, “Is there something wrong?”

“No no, nothing’s wrong, Your Highness. Was just sleepy as it’s quite late here, or early,” he joked. 

“Oh no! Did I call during a bad time?” She asked nervously. 

“It’s no big deal, I’m used to talking to friends from across the world. Plus it’s the weekend tomorrow so I can stay up late,” he reassured her. 

“If you say so,” she trailed off, “But you still haven’t given me an answer to my question. How have you been?”

Kyle sat there contemplating on how to respond. He had considered his usual fake reassurance but he felt that Rosa wouldn’t fall for it. 

“I’d be lying if I said I was fine,” Kyle confessed. Rosa felt the pain in his voice as he continued, “It’s something I automatically say when questions like that are directed at me.”

“That’s awful, what’s the issue? What’s wrong?” Rosa asked with concern. Her sincere voice made Kyle’s heart skip a beat.

Despite finding her earnest question to be enchanting, he snapped out of it. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? I mean… You are the princess of a country that was, debatably, defeated in the latest war. My problems are nothing compared to what you are going through-”

“Please, stop.” Rosa cut him off, sounding like she was at the verge of tears, “I know what I’ve done, the sins I have committed. I hate them, but I’m responsible for so many deaths yet people still look up to me. I have done so much wrong that I shouldn’t even be alive.”

Kyle smacked his hands on his table. While not loud enough for anyone to wake up, it was enough to startle Rosa. “Don’t say that! Never say that… I’ve seen your speeches, just because you are partially responsible doesn’t mean you have to take all the blame. I don’t know what happened in that war, but if there is one thing I know, it’s that you are a kind and amazing person. You have a pure heart and have inspired millions of people.” 

He took a deep breath before slumping into his chair, “You have the power and ability to make a difference, especially compared to me. I’m just worthless… I have nothing of value.” They stayed silent, the sounds of crickets in the night the only thing audible. 

“I guess we are both in  the same boat,” Rosa began, “Is it safe to assume you don’t have anyone to trust? Anyone to be there for you?”

“Technically yes, I’m with my family. But I’m not close to them. If anything they add to my list of personal issues that affect me. Man, I'm really in a fucked up situation.” He ended with a sad laugh that was reciprocated by Rosa. 

“I lost my father in the war, I lost my friends when I became a princess years ago, and I lost my last two friends when they blamed me for their grandfather’s suffering. And now I have to run my country that has been devastated by two wars, but I’m not even allowed to lead it due to Erusea’s constitution.” Her voice cracked as she let some tears fall from her face.

“I know that feeling of being alone in this world. I had lost someone close to me as well, even if he was on the other side of the world. Or at least I assume he’s gone…” Kyle took a glance at the chatroom tab on the bottom of his screen, giving a depressed sigh.

“Who was he?” Rosa asked. Kyle hesitated for a second before responding.

“He was an Osean pilot for the OADF, and I looked up to him as I wanted to be a pilot. He was assigned to the IUN-PKF in Usea…” he trailed off. Rosa covered her mouth in shock.

“Kyle… I’m so sorry.” Rosa could only apologise, realising that another person was suffering because of her mistakes.

“Please, Your Highness,” Kyle pleaded, “Don’t blame yourself for this. He was a soldier, a pilot. He flew because there was someone close to him that he wanted to protect. True soldiers don't fight because they hate what’s in front of them, but because they want to protect something they love. And I know that you made those speeches with a similar mindset.” His reassurance calmed Rosa down, earning a small smile from her despite him not being able to see it. 

“I guess we both don’t have anyone,  we have to shoulder our burdens all alone.” Rosa gave a short sigh.

“Well you have an actual burden to carry, the weight of the world is practically on your shoulders. I’d say you need as much help as you can get,” Kyle said pityingly. 

Rosa shook her head and spoke, “Just because my burdens are much more serious than yours doesn’t diminish your own. Everyone is fighting their own battles, and maybe they are the only ones who can fight them. And perhaps only you can fight the battles you face.”

Her words inspired the young man, words of grace and kindness that he has never heard before.  It had been some time since he saw genuine kindness, not given to him out of pity. “What about this? We both open up ourselves and pour whatever is in our hearts out to each other. That Osean pilot I used to speak to, I would just rant to him and he would listen, most of the time to reassure me as well. Sometimes having a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to can do wonders.”

“I don’t know...” Rosa was naturally hesitant, but Kyle turned on his camera, showing Rosa his earnest face.

“Face to face makes it easier. I promise you this will make you feel better. And if you want, I can reveal my issues as well.” He smiled at her reassuringly. Rosa turned on her camera as well, allowing Kyle to look at her. Despite the rather low resolution, Kyle was still taken aback by her beauty.

“I guess I should start from the beginning…”

For hours till sunrise, they allowed themselves to be vulnerable and talked about their own issues. Two kindred souls with their own burdens found solace in their words. 

Rosa revealed her story during the Lighthouse War, from her manipulation by the radicals, to realising what the Lighthouse really meant. She told him the words various people had given her, ranging from her confrontation with Ionela to the supportive words of Harling, his wife, and Trigger. Kyle could only reassure her that she wasn’t a bad person, and that she wasn’t alone anymore.

Kyle revealed the harsh 5 years he has been through, from leaving Seletapura to the overbearing society he lived in due to his blood. The emotions he felt as he wondered if he was truly worth it because he wasn’t like his ethnicity broke Rosa’s heart. She pitied him when he told her of the rumors of him being a fraud because people took advantage of his lack of understanding of the language and culture. How he felt hopeless in a place he didn’t belong in.

The sun’s rays entered Kyle’s bedroom but he paid no mind to them. He was focused on Rosa, talking to her as they video chatted. Both teens were emotionally exhausted as wet tissues piled up on both ends. 

“I still regret what I’ve done, and I’m doing everything in my power to make amends. I don’t know if people will ever forgive me, but I want to strive for peace. Harling believed I can succeed him, and I’ll do everything in my power to not let him down,” Rosa said with conviction in her voice.

Kyle smiled as he saw her feeling better. “And I promise you that I will be here to support you in any way I can. I may not be physically there, but just give me a call. Sometimes even moral support can go a long way.”

She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you Kyle. It’s been some time since I was able to act like myself. Your support means so much to me.”

“What are friends for, Your Highness?” He gave her a beaming smile. She was slightly taken aback from his words but composed herself quickly.

“And I want to do the same for you. I know what it feels like to be alone, so whatever you are going through, just know I’m here for you.” She gave a yawn as Kyle’s alarm clock started beeping.

“Is it late over there?” Kyle asked. Rosa simply nodded as she yawned into her mouth.

“I have political stuff to do tomorrow, it’s gonna be another busy day.”

“I understand, goodnight, Your Highness. If you ever feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to give me a call.” 

“But before I go, can I ask you to simply refer to me as ‘Rosa’ instead of my title? I think that’s much more appropriate given how casually we’ve been talking,” Rosa pointed out as she giggled softly. 

Kyle’s eyes widened for a brief moment before he gave her a soft and understanding expression. “If that’s what you ask from me, I’ll be sure to do it.” 

“Thank you. Goodnight, Kyle.”

“Goodnight, Rosa.”

As the call ended, both sat at their respective seats. They felt a huge weight finally lifted off their shoulders. They sat there in awe, thinking about how a simple conversation with a friend from across the world gave them the strength to continue their journey. 

‘A kindred soul like myself, I promise I’ll provide any support I can,’ they both thought to themselves. As Rosa went to bed, Kyle continued with his day with newfound purpose.

Sacred Seraph University, Angelo City, Democratic Republic of Verusa, February 2020

As another school week started, Kyle was called to the guidance counselor as his parents had confronted the school about the issue from the past week. On his way to the counselor’s office, he heard more gossip directed towards him but he paid no mind to it. As he sat in front of the counselor, he only thought of Rosa.

“We are investigating the causes of this vandalism, though I wonder why you did not report this in the first place.” The counselor looked at some notes as he spoke fluent Osean for Kyle to understand, yet his Verusan accent made it difficult for Kyle to decipher.

“It was a personal issue that the school doesn’t need to involve themselves with. I’m sure it would have stopped had it been left alone,” Kyle responded, staring at him with boredom. The counselor gave him an irritated and slightly furious scowl. Kyle sighed as he realised why he was being given such a look.

‘Right, didn’t say “respectful Verusan terms”. God, can they cut me some slack? I’m the one being harassed.’ His thoughts caused him to roll his eyes as the counselor looked at his notes once again.

“Anyway, we will investigate these issues so you are free to go.” Kyle stood up and bowed before leaving. As he closed the door behind him, he stood by the door for a few seconds.

“The disrespect that Osean speaker showed. Now he has given us more work to do. Damn his parents' connection to the faculty.” Kyle sighed as he walked away and made his way to the cafeteria.

‘Work? What do you mean more work? People just look like they are working hard and are praised for it. At least those working hard are praised regardless.’ He gave an annoyed grunt as he walked off. As he turned a corner, he spotted a group of students chatting amongst themselves. He spotted his ex-girlfriend Belle and her new boyfriend, Dexter.

The pair spotted Kyle, prompting Belle to make a disgusted face and look away. Dexter smiled smugly and exclaimed, “Well if it isn’t the fraud? How are you doing, cheater?”

Kyle stayed silent. ‘Of all the people to be fluent in Osean, it had to be this asshole.’ His silence seemed to tick Dexter off.

“Well I heard that your mommy and daddy whined to the faculty that they knew about some problems you have. Hah, even with your personal problems you cheat to solve them.” His smug proclamation earned some laughs from people watching, but it only caused Kyle to clench his fist.

Belle approached Dexter and dramatically placed her hand on her heart. “Let’s leave Dexter. My heart aches looking at the man I gave my heart to only for him to throw it away.” Her overly-dramatic acting made Kyle cringe but everyone else bought it. The people around him gave Kyle the stink eye as a result.

“You don’t have to worry, my love. Unlike this heartless man, I won’t betray your-” He was interrupted by a message ringtone coming from Kyle’s phone. He took it out and read the message. It was from Rosa, which made Kyle forget about the moment.

Rosa: Time zones are kinda weird. But I just wanted to send a good morning message before I continue my political work.  

Kyle instantly beamed and swiftly texted her back while walking away from the commotion. The group were confused as Dexter tried to regain his attention.

Kyle: Well Seletapura is 18 hours faster so our day is about to end while you start on the next day XD

Rosa: Is that so? It’s currently 10 in the morning, February 6

Kyle: 4 P.M., February 5

Rosa: Your classes are in the evening right?

Kyle: Yep, so it means we will be working at the same time.

Kyle smiled as he chatted with Rosa while walking, he was more relaxed compared to his past unsure and nervous self. He stopped for a second to type out something but noticed the same poster for language classes he saw the other day.

Rosa: We can talk in my mornings and afternoons, which would be the same time as your afternoons and evening respectively.

Kyle stood there hesitantly before taking the poster and rapidly typing a message to Rosa.

Kyle: If this isn’t too much to ask… Can you help me learn Erusean? 

Rosa was taken aback by Kyle’s request. Her secretary beside her in the car that was driving Rosa to the ISEV briefed her on some issues that would come up in her meeting with ISEV delegates as she read a file on her other hand. She took note of his report before continuing with her chat.

Rosa: Why do you want to learn Erusean?

Kyle: So when I go to Erusea to visit you, I won’t be lost :P

Rosa giggled at his reason, but also remembered his situation, the story he shared the other day. He wanted to be understood, and desired to learn her language. She smiled as she typed into her new phone.

Rosa: I’d be honoured to. You should be honoured as well, to be taught the language of a nation by their princess.

Kyle: Princess or not, you are Rosa. I know you would accept it.

As they chatted for whatever remaining time they had, they smiled earnestly, finally being able to feel happiness after a period of hardship.

Two Years Later

In the span of two years, under the unofficial leadership of Princess Rosa Cossette D’Elise, Erusea’s de facto Head of State, the remaining portions of the Kingdom of Erusea have recovered substantially and the terrorist group Free Erusea has gone underground thanks to the efforts of the remnant Erusean Military with assistance from the IUN. 40% of Erusea’s territory gained independence during the Erusean Civil War after the end of the Lighthouse War and are recognised as fully fledged states and countries. Rosa with the pure goodness in her heart has been vocal about her support for these thriving nations despite Erusea’s current state. Her pleas have gained the support of the international community, independent nations and the Erusean people themselves.

However, the effects of the Lighthouse War were still felt up to this day despite continuous work from the Erusean High Congress, a reformed government system that supports the monarchy. Unfortunately, Erusea’s laws against female sovereigns meant that she could not be recognised as official head of state by both the country and international communities. Due to the lack of a head of state, the High Congress has all the legal power, yet Rosa was still in charge of the country and government. 

Erusea’s economy and territory still suffer from the effects of the Lighthouse War, but thanks to Princess Cossette’s work and the benefit of the ISEV, recovery has been substantial. However many believed that it would have been faster had Rosa been permitted to ascend the throne and not be held back by outdated laws. Nonetheless, the path to recovery and a cosmopolitan world both Harling and the princess dreamed was slowly, but surely, becoming a reality.

Royal Palace, Farbanti, Kingdom of Erusea, May 2022

Rosa sat in the assembly hall, a place she had visited almost every day as Erusea’s de facto head of state. She was presiding over a session of the High Congress. She sat in a chair that was lower and to the side of the centrally located golden Sovereign’s Throne, which would allow the seated monarch a clear view of the entire room. However, her lack of formal authority meant she was not allowed to sit on the throne, and it had been empty for two years. As several senators gave briefings over political matters, Rosa paid attention to them, taking note of important points as needed.

“The Housing Development Board has reported that the housing reconstruction project is several weeks ahead of schedule, thanks to several Osean and Emmerian construction firms.” Rosa noticed the looks of irritation from several senators at the mention of Osea. She sighed silently, tired of the stigma these politicians gave to Osea.

As the previous senator returned to his seat, another took his place at the table and began with her own report. “Erusea’s Per Capita GDP has reached acceptable levels, its highest since the Ulysses fall. Thanks to Princess Cossette’s proposal on an FDI collaboration with Seletapura, we have established a decent trade checkpoint at Farbanti. With this we indirectly benefit from the ISEV.” 

While the senators were ecstatic and conversed amongst themselves, Rosa felt guilty. She felt ashamed for benefiting over the very same thing she had wanted to destroy and saw as a source of strife for her country. However, she thought back to some words Kyle told her before. 

“You shouldn’t feel guilty for taking a second chance from those you wronged. You may have escalated a war over the elevator, but that doesn’t mean you have to punish yourself by preventing yourself from becoming better.”

Rosa snapped out of her thoughts when the senator finished with his report. She stood up from her seat. “Thank you for the reports. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for your support. Now before we end the meeting, are there any more concerns?”

A senator raised his hand. “There is one issue that I think a lot of people here are concerned about. It’s the Leasath diplomats who came here several days ago.” The senators started to murmur among themselves as several of them looked at Rosa irritatedly. 

Rosa felt herself backed into a corner. “Leasath has been an ally of Erusea for some time now. Both our countries have suffered and I think both Erusea and Leasath can help each other-“she tried to explain herself before being interrupted. 

“Your Highness, while your kindness and desire for a better future for everyone, even those outside of Erusea, is inspiring, you must understand that Erusea itself still hasn’t recovered from the two wars that we have lost. We cannot divert any resources to help some country that was plundered by their own foolish leader.” The senator gave Rosa an intense stare. “And I wouldn’t want that for Erusea either.”

Rosa felt her heart stabbed at his words. Several senators whispered among themselves nervously, some looking at Rosa with pity. The senator composed himself. “I apologize for my words, but we have to make the right decision here. I move that we immediately terminate the diplomatic talks.” 

Rosa sighed and stood up, unconsciously clutching her skirts in frustration. “Very well. All in favor of closing diplomatic talks with Leasath, please raise your hand.” Many senators raised their hands, with the majority winning. 

Rosa’s shoulders slumped back for a bit and she had a disappointed look on her face. She gathered herself for a second before continuing, “If that is the last issue at hand, then this meeting is adjourned.” 

As Rosa left the room, the same senator from earlier approached her from behind. “Senator Alexander Stern, is there anything you need?” She still felt hurt from his words earlier. 

Alexander scratched his blonde hair, embarrassed. “I just wanted to apologize for my words at the meeting. But you must understand why I had to do it. Our country is suffering greatly, and while Leasath is suffering we as well we cannot afford to divert any of our resources to help.”

Rosa turned away from him to hide her frustration. “I know that, but I can’t just turn my back on people who need help.” She turned to face him once again. “Especially when they are in the same boat as us.”

Alexander looked at the princess pityingly. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before continuing, “I understand what you are trying to say, but please remember  that your people matter first and foremost. I know you are trying to fill in the late Vincent Harling’s shoes but how can you do that when you can’t even take care of your own people?”

Rosa sighed, agreeing with his words. “I know… this responsibility is a heavy burden…” She gave Alexander a thankful look. “Thank you, Senator Stern.”

He gave her a smile. “Please, just call me Alex.”

Rosa’s phone sounded off prompting her to check it. She saw another message from Kyle and instantly brightened up. “I have to get back to the royal office to continue work. I’ll see you at the next meeting, Alex.” She quickly left Alex to his own devices. Alex could only look at her with a smile. 

Rosa walked through the halls of the Royal Palace that were still under repair from the Lighthouse War, scaffolding all around and some walls still having exposed concrete. Several staff approached Rosa and walked with her as they briefed Rosa on various political concerns. Eventually she reached her destination, the Throne Room. It was a large circular room that Rosa had worked in for the past 2 years, with an office at the back of the room which played  a similar role to the Oval Office in Osea. It was located on top of the palace itself, having large windows with a view  out to the city instead of walls. However, Rosa felt it to be a gilded cage, literally and figuratively.

The throne room was much more opulent than the assembly hall, and while she could sit in the ornate Royal Throne with its intricate marble engravings and heavy padded cushions, her status as only de facto head of state made her feel inadequate to be seated there. Instead, she mostly worked at an unassuming desk in the back. She sat at her desk and started with her work, which mostly consisted of hours of reading reports and signing them.

As Rosa attended to her duties for what seemed like eternity, she received a conference call. She answered it and a medium sized TV on the wall turned on, showing none other than President Harper. “Princess Cossette, how are you doing today?” he asked. It was no secret that Rosa was communicating with Harling’s protégé; the young princess needed all the lessons and advice to lead her country that was still recovering from two wars.

“I’m doing quite well, President Harper. Unfortunately, I have to report that the High Congress vetoed any political talks with Leasath,” she reported disappointedly, switching from Erusean to Osean for Harper to understand. Harper looked at her sadly as she gave a depressed sigh.

“A shame, but I understand why they chose this path. I tried to warn you when you volunteered to help the last time we talked.” Harper understood what Rosa felt, seeing as Harling chose her to be his successor as an Advocate of Peace. Because of that, he had promised Harling that he would guide her to the best of his abilities. But sometimes he wished Harling had not placed such a huge responsibility on her shoulders, not because he was envious that Harling chose her, but rather he pitied her as she must bear the burden of such a huge responsibility at such a young age.

“I know, but I just can’t stand seeing another country suffer the same fate as Erusea. Harling would have done the same thing, right?” She asked with hope.

“Under normal circumstances he would, but he would have also looked at the state of Erusea and told you to refrain from helping. This is one of the responsibilities of a leader, knowing when to put your country first over anything else,” Harper explained. Rosa sighed as she looked out to the view of the city through the large windows.

“You are a young and aspiring leader. Harling and people all over the world believe you can bring about a peaceful and cosmopolitan world. However, it is not an easy task. For someone your age to take the mantle of a leader of a country is no easy feat. What you need is experience and the will to be able to withstand all that comes your way.” Harper’s inspiring words eased Rosa’s overwhelmed mind. 

“Not everyone is suited to be a leader, just like my father…” she thought back to her father whom she missed dearly. 

“But you are suited to be one. In just 2 years you have done so much more than when Erusea was a republic, especially as an unrecognized leader. That speaks volumes of what you are capable of.” Harper gave her a reassuring grin. She gave him a thankful smile before composing herself.

“Just keep your head high, your highness. Keep this up and you will stand among the greatest leaders of the world, on the stage Harling once stood on. You will stand on that stage in his stead.” With his final words, he bid his goodbye before logging off. Rosa gave a deep sigh, allowing her to relax for a while.

‘Am I really capable of that? After all I did during the Lighthouse War?’ Rosa’s thoughts were interrupted when her ISEV laptop started to ring. She looked at it and saw Kyle giving her another video call. She instantly beamed and answered it.

Solares residence, Kalangan, Democratic Republic of Verusa

Kyle sat at his computer table while drying his wet hair from a shower. He had just finished his evening workout, a new habit he had picked up 8 months ago. He was calling Rosa, expecting her to pick up. Ever since reestablishing contact with each other two years ago, video chats between them had become a daily occurrence unless they were not able to access their devices.

The video call was answered, and Kyle was greeted by the sight of Rosa working diligently with a smile, expecting another talk with him. Rosa noticed the call and was about to greet him, but he beat her to the punch. “Good Evening, Miss Cossette. How has your day been?” he asked in fluent Erusean.

Rosa was taken aback, pleasantly surprised by his words. She gave a short giggle. “My day has been splendid, Mr Solares. How do you do on this fine day?” She replied in Erusean as well. They both gave a short laugh.

“Ah the same as usual. Job seeking and helping out my family when they ask me for it,” he replied in Erusean once again. Ever since Kyle started taking Erusean classes 2 years ago, he had asked Rosa to help him learn the language and as time progressed, their conversations transitioned from Osean to Erusean.

“Oh yeah, your graduation was several weeks ago. You graduated from Aeronautical Engineering, correct?” Kyle nodded at her question.

“Yep. Currently I’m looking at various PMC companies around the world. I’ve got my eyes on a couple of Pilot Privateer Corps.” Kyle glanced at the numerous pamphlets of various PMCs on his desk. 

“That name sounds familiar. I think they were one of the PMCs that helped the IUN a few months back.” Rosa recalled the recent terrorist attack by Free Erusea.

“Yep, I had planned to join as a fighter pilot, but that isn’t possible.” Kyle gave her a small bittersweet laugh.

Rosa’s face fell into concern. “What do you mean? Isn’t it your dream to become a fighter pilot?” She questioned. Kyle’s face fell and he became more subdued.

“Most of the PMCs require ex-fighter pilots. I’m only a fresh graduate with no flight experience. My dad had planned to send me to flight school to become a commercial pilot but,” he gave a look of disappointment, “I don’t want to be a commercial pilot. It’s not my passion, but this is what I signed up for when I started college.”

Rosa could sympathise with him, she had wanted to be a singer back in the day but that was nothing more than a dream now. She gave a sympathetic look at his crestfallen face. 

“Nonetheless, I am an engineering graduate so if I can’t fly a plane, I’ll work on them.” Kyle gave some of his aircraft models a look before grabbing an F-22 with custom colors and played around with it.

“What do you mean?” Rosa asked skeptically. Kyle sighed before setting down the model.

“I could just be some mechanic working on Raptors or an ordinance supervisor for Warthogs. I dunno, but I have an engineering license so I’m sure I could help out,” he gave Rosa a smile, causing her heart to skip a beat, “And if it will help with protecting your dream of a peaceful world, it will be all worth it.”

Rosa blushed at his claim. She looked at his earnest smile, finding no lies in it. “But… Kyle, what is it really you want? What do you want to do with your life?” She asked sincerely. 

Kyle sat there silently before answering, “I want to fly in the blue sky and protect people. I want to join the military of a nation I could call home and protect their sky. And after talking to you for two years, I want to protect the peaceful world you want to create.”

“And Verusa?” Rosa trailed off.

“I bear no ill feelings towards Verusa, but I do not consider it to be my home, my nation, or a place I can resonate with.” Kyle’s firm stance convinced Rosa of his determination and desire to find his place in the world.

“You want to be like those aces of the past. Protectors and liberators, free in the sky.” She trailed off as Kyle gave her a determined look. 

“Unfortunately, my situation does not give me the opportunity to achieve this dream. Such is life.” Despite the depressing facts he presented, he kept a hopeful image. “I’ll become a fighter pilot and make a difference in this world as Kyle, not Kyle Solares from Verusa. As my own person, away from my predetermined choices I have no control over.”

“And I will be here to provide encouragement, just as you have for me,” Rosa gave an encouraging smile, earning a blush from Kyle.

“Well, that’s enough from me. What about your day?” 

“Well, I have some bad news about diplomatic talks, but much more good news for Erusea.” Once again, the princess and a boy separated by distance and position talked to each other as close friends, providing a supportive shoulder to one another as they had for the past two years.

Chapter Text

“Speaking Verusan”
“Speaking Osean and/or Erusean”

Solares residence, Kalangan, Democratic Republic of Verusa, May 2022

The late afternoon sun’s rays shone into Kyle’s room as he filled out a form on his desk, which was covered in newspapers, pamphlets, and business cards. He had been job hunting for the past few days. A bachelor’s degree certificate was among the stack of papers before him.

‘I’ve already sent job applications to various PMCs. This is the last.’ He gave a hard stare at the last form. It was an application form for General Resource.

‘I know they are unlikely to accept a fresh grad, but I still hope they hire me as an engineer. I really want to work on their aircraft.’ He gave a satisfied sigh before placing the form in a scanner.

“Kyle! Get down here! Your father’s colleagues and our family will be here soon!” his mother called from downstairs. Kyle twitched in annoyance as he started to fix his desk. As he took his certificate, he stopped for a moment and stared at it.

‘I wish I could have been a fighter pilot… I wonder how Jack is doing, if he made it out alive.’ He cleared his thoughts and finished fixing his room.

Kyle sat at the dinner table amongst his cousins. The young group conversed amongst themselves as the adults sat adjacent to them at another table. While Kyle enjoyed his time with his cousins, he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with the presence of his father’s colleagues, all who were mechanics in the aviation industry.

“ Elder Brother Kyle has the right idea, people who use suppressors in Siege are men of culture” one of his cousins said with an OK hand symbol and a satisfied grunt. Kyle laughed along with the rest of them.

“The damage reduction sucks so I have to compensate with aim. Then again, they don’t know where you are coming from if you miss.” He gave a short giggle that was reciprocated by the other cousins.

“Hey Kyle!” One of his father’s colleagues called to him, “Congratulations from graduating college!” Everyone gave a round of applause as they congratulated him. Kyle sat there, confused,  until one of his cousins translated for him. 

“Ah, thank you very much. I look forward to entering the aviation industry. Currently job hunting, so it’s gonna take a while before I get started.” He gave a fake smile to cover up the sadness that lurked at the back of his mind. 

“Can’t wait. Your grades seem to be slightly above average but you are Sinclair Solares’ son. I’m sure you will be a valuable asset to VAES if you ever work there.” Kyle felt his heart sting at his father’s words as the rest of the colleagues laughed.

“Come on now. This is MY son we are talking about, he’s a Solares and will succeed like me! A successful father and son duo working in the same company would be great!” his father boasted, earning a chorus of cheers from his colleagues.

‘Solares my fucking ass. You always talked about how gramps was only a truck driver to support you going to school, only for you to get mediocre grades. No offense to gramps, he’s actually cool.’ Kyle clenched his fist in anger as he watched his parents enjoy themselves.

“Though I have to ask, weren’t you going to be a pilot? Did you change your mind?” another colleague asked. They looked at Kyle who, despite giving a neutral look, was frustrated at the question.

“Of course! It’s still his dream, and he's gonna become both a pilot and an engineer, a rather impressive plan,” his father excitedly explained, earning impressed gasps from the others.

“Imagine my son, in a crisp white pilot shirt with black pants, a captain of an airbus, beautiful stewardesses around him-” his mother was interrupted when Kyle stood up.

 “I have no intention of being a commercial pilot,” he said neutrally. He looked up to see the colleagues and his family members stared at him in surprise, with his parents giving him a cold hard stare.

“Please excuse me from the table.” Kyle composed himself and left for his bedroom. The table was silent for a few seconds before his father gave a short cough.

“Sorry about Kyle, he’s grumpy with his job hunting as of late.” Everyone else shrugged and continued with their dinner. However, he gave an angry glare as Kyle went to his room. His cousins brushed his actions off and finished their meals before going to Kyle’s room.

Kyle shifted some small tables in his room as he grumpily reflected on the conversation. ‘Destined to live in the shadow of Solares and Verusa. I hate this.’ His cousins entered the room with their stuff.

“Looks like you got the tables ready, let’s get this 5 stack on the road!” They cheered in excitement and prepared themselves for some video games. One of Kyle’s older cousins approached him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“You’ll get a job soon enough. Took me some time to land one after I graduated 2 years ago. Understandable too, given the state of the world,” the older cousin reassured him. He took his things and set them up on one of the tables, leaving Kyle to sigh as he joined the group.

Royal Palace, Farbanti, Kingdom of Erusea

Rosa sat at her desk in the back of the throne room signing away papers and documents. She hummed a tune happily as she continued her work. As she finished signing the last document, she took the papers in front of her and tapped them on the desk to straighten them out. She heard a knock on the door.

“Please enter.” A pair of senators entered the throne room and gave a short bow.

“We are honored by your summons, Your Highness,” one of the senators greeted, “How can we be of assistance?” They two approached Rosa as she fixed her posture and set aside the documents she held.

“Thank you for coming, Senator Dubois, Senator Mercier. Both of you are well versed in immigration and military recruitment, correct? I was wondering if you could give me a basic rundown of immigration and recruitment in the context of our military’s current state, as a refresher,” Rosa asked.

The two senators glanced at each other in confusion, surprised at the seemingly random question from the princess. 

“A rather odd question, your highness,” Dubois commented, “but one it is my pleasure to answer. To get an Erusean citizenship without being born in Erusea or from Erusean parents, you can marry an Erusean, which allows you to get it after 4 years together and a test to show some knowledge of the Erusean language. Without marriage, it's five years and harder tests.”

“Are there any exceptions?” Rosa asked. Dubois took several seconds to think.

“Some exceptions include being a refugee, having served the Erusean military or the military of an ally of Erusea in wartime, or having made exceptional contributions to the country. If you obtain a high-level diploma or have made important contributions to the world, such as being a renowned scientist, it takes 2 years to get it” he responded. Rosa sat still for a few seconds, thinking.

“I understand that our laws prevent me from becoming Queen and thus I have much more limited powers compared to an officially recognized head of state.” She took a breath in anticipation before looking up with a pleading face. “My question is that as Princess of Erusea and de facto head of state, is there any way I can bypass aspects of the immigration requirements for one person?”

“Your Highness, you must understand that these laws exist, just like any other law, to help govern our citizens. And while I understand the frustration of not being recognised for your efforts, for I firmly believe that you have done nothing but help our nation, laws cannot be changed instantly. Perhaps a male could become a king and abolish the law, but it would take a long time for it to happen unless there is overwhelming support for it.” Dubois gave her a rigid stare.

“Thus as a mere de facto head of state, your authority has been severely limited and the High Congress holds much more power than was intended, causing a power imbalance.” Rosa could only look down sadly.

“However,” Dubois continued, “Getting an accelerated citizenship for someone, while odd and something that may raise questions, is completely within your power. Had your father still been alive, all you would have to do is get his permission. But since you are the Crown Princess regardless, this is a nonexistent issue.” Rosa sat up straight excitedly, beaming at his answer.

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said as she took a pen and paper from her desk. “I understand there are requirements for this so if you could tell them to me, I would  like them as soon as I can.” She gave them to Dubois who could only chuckle as he started to write the requirements.

“Senator Mercier, I understand our military hasn’t recovered since the Lighthouse War. Has recruitment been affected because of it?” Rosa looked at the other senator as he contemplated.

“Somewhat. After the First Continental War, our military’s infrastructure was severely limited. While we managed to recover enough for the Lighthouse War, it was not complete, hence our reliance on unmanned drones. You know the result of that.” Mercier regretted saying the last part as he saw Rosa giving a guilty look.

“Our navy is one small fleet with the aircraft carrier Formidable as its flagship, two battlecruisers, five destroyers and one heavy cruiser. The Army is our only branch that has some semblance of its original operating structure.” He listed with his fingers as Dubois finished his count and gave it to Rosa.

“And our Air Force?” Rosa asked hesitantly. 

“They took the worst hit. We lost a significant portion of our air force during both wars and the independence movement of our territories took most of the rest. This prompted us to hire PMCs, but with the PMCs leaving our air defense is practically non-existent.” Rosa gave a look of worried contemplation.

“Over the past few months, we have been able to procure more fighters to form a sort of purely defensive air force  rather than a full one like in the past. Our major issue  is a lack of pilots, we lost a lot during the Continental War and our reliance on drones during the Lighthouse War meant a shortage of combat experience.” Rosa took a few seconds to absorb the information she was being told.

“Shortage of pilots? Sounds like a large issue, is recruitment and requirements the same?” Rosa asked once again. Mercier nodded.

“Yes, to apply for the air force, one needs to have a bachelor’s degree and be a citizen of Erusea between the ages of 18 to 28,” he explained, before realizing something. “Would the person you are helping become a citizen have an interest in joining the air force?”

“You could say that,” Rosa responded hesitantly. “Are there any other issues in regards to the pilot shortage?”

“Yes, actually. To make up for the shortage, training has been accelerated, not reduced. Cadets will have a harder workload to ensure they graduate faster. So rather than the typical 2 years, it would be 15 months, or even faster depending on the speed of the class,” Mercier replied, still confused at the princess’ sudden interest in the matter.

“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened,” Dubois interjected. “If you remember, Mihaly A. Shilage was a nobleman of Shilage before we annexed it. Despite the fact that the King back then allowed him to keep his noble status, he applied for the air force like any ordinary citizen and earned a spot in the academy by the order of the King.” 

Dubois gave her a supportive smile. “Who knows, maybe the person Princess Cossette chose would be our next ‘King of the Skies’. The Royal Family has the uncanny ability to choose pilots of such caliber.”

Rosa giggled softly before looking down, reminiscing. “Not really. There is just someone I want to help achieve his dream.”

“If I may ask, your highness, what is that dream?” Mercier asked. Dubois looked at Rosa curiously as well.

“To fly in the deep blue sky, as well as to protect my dreams of peace…”

Solares residence, Kalangan, Democratic Republic of Verusa

Kyle and his cousins celebrated amongst themselves, having won another online match. As they helped fix the tables in Kyle’s room, Kyle noticed an email notification on his laptop. Glancing around to make sure everyone else was focused on fixing the tables, he opened it to see  it had been sent from General Resource.

He read the email a few more times before sighing sadly and closing the tab. ‘Rejected by General Resource. Not surprising. Guess I was never meant to serve in the military, much less become a fighter pilot.’ He looked out to the night sky with a depressed stare. ‘Sorry Rosa, guess I can’t help in protecting your dreams.’

His aunt opened the door and popped her head in.. “Alright kids, time for us to get going!” The kids gave a chorus of acknowledgement before leaving the room. Kyle tagged along to send them off.

As Kyle and his family waved his relatives goodbye, his father talked to his colleagues. Some of them looked at Kyle questioningly. 

“Are you sure Kyle is going to continue with his career? You provided a very successful path for him in Verusa, but didn’t he want to migrate elsewhere?” His father sighed when the question was presented to him. 

“He will be fine. Despite my support and providing him with p opportunities, he still worked hard to finish his studies. He is just stubborn, thinking he can immediately jump to success.” He gave a short, embarrassed laugh as most of his colleagues nodded in agreement. 

“Doesn’t he want to be a fighter pilot? Don’t they earn significantly less than commercial pilots? He would live comfortably as someone with one of the highest paying jobs in the world. I don’t understand why he can’t listen to you,” one of the colleagues asked skeptically. Kyle’s father simply shrugged and continued with their conversation. 

Kyle heard the last part and felt anger swell up in him once again. ' The Verusan Air Force doesn’t pay well, and I don’t want to serve this country anyway. I want to join…’ his thoughts trailed off as he realized he had no place to go. 

Kyle turned to return to his room, feeling inadequate with his situation, as his father continued his time with his colleagues. He glanced at the clock and lightened up just a little bit, as it was almost time for his daily talk with Rosa. “I should get upstairs and finish my night routine before she calls,” he said to himself.  He quickly made his way up to his room to take a shower. 

Minutes passed and Kyle sat at his desk as he went through some files on his computer. He sent Rosa a call and was waiting for her to pick up. A notification popped up on his computer indicating a new email. He opened the email as he wiped his wet hair. “Even the General Resource Guardian Mercenaries rejected me...” Kyle slumped into his chair as he wondered what he would do next.

The door suddenly slammed open and his parents entered angrily. Kyle nearly jumped out of his seat from the shock. “We need to talk about your attitude again. You know it was rude what you did during dinner?” His mother pointed at him with disdain in her voice.

Kyle stood up and took a step back. “I’m afraid I don’t understand how correcting them on my goals is considered rude.” His response only riled them even further.

“How dare you!” Kyle’s mother slapped him him with a hard blow to the face, bruising his cheek. 

“Ow! Stop that please!” Kyle begged between strikes, which only further agitated his mother. Her strikes grew more violent and she began to pinch as well, drawing blood from his arms. 

“I don’t remember raising you to be like this! It’s rude to act like you know better than those older than you!” She took one of his books and slapped him hard in the head, forcing him out of his chair. He was already sobbing as he desperately tried to protect himself from the abuse of his mother, while his father simply watched from the sideline. 

“Gah! Please stop! I’m begging you!” The more Kyle tried to shield himself, the further the attacks intensified. The woman continued her assault, slapping him with his book on one hand and pinching him with the other as if he were a toddler. 

His mother became even more agitated as he continued begging and crying. “If you were trying to prove you were better, then you failed. All you did was show that you are a mean person who doesn’t respect or follow your parents! You are at fault here, stop acting like a little girl, you are a man for crying out loud!”

“What do you mean by that?” Kyle asked in between sniffles. The last statement had made his mind run wild with suspected implications, but he wanted to hear it from his mother, even if he knew she’d say it in the worst way possible. 

“Do I have to speak Osean for you to understand something so simple? You are a Verusan!,” His mother went up to him and pinched his arm once again, drawing out a little more blood, “It’s simple. You haven't proven anything, you think you are so capable but really, without us you are nothing. We are your flesh and blood, your parents, we know better than you because of our experience and you will only be successful because of us. A good person would listen to their parents because their parents gave them life. And you… the disrespect from you is astounding, and you will never get anywhere in life if you keep this up.”

His mother took a step back with a furious look on her face. Kyle sat there, silently sobbing and cradling his injured arm. His mother spotted the email he was reading and took a quick glance. “Trying to apply outside of Verusa and look at what happened, rejected like a fool. Why don’t you strive to be a better person and follow your parents? Maybe you would be worth a damn.”

His mother turned to leave, leaving him and his father in the room. “Look I’m sorry if your mother is being frustrating again but you went too far today. Just because you graduated doesn’t mean you will immediately become successful. We are both trying to support you so you can get to where you want to go, but you have to face the fact that you are in Verusa and that you are a Verusan.” His father looked at him apologetically, yet held no guilt in his face. 

Before he left, he turned to him and continued. “Also, stop crying. Only girls cry, and you are a boy so act like it. And whatever physical pain you feel can’t compare to the emotional pain you mother and I feel when we do this to you.”

As he sat there alone, Kyle continued to cry. Tears fell onto his clenched fist as he felt his world crumble around him. ‘Fate is a cruel mistress. No matter how hard I work, I will be bound to this destiny given to me because of the blood I was born into…’

He tried to get up from the floor, only to fall onto his knees and bang his fist before slumping. More tears fell from his face as he lay there, unable to do anything aside from letting his emotions pour out. The seething pain on his arms only made things worse. 

“Can you hear me?” Kyle’s eyes widened as he heard an Erusean sentence come from the speaker of his laptop. He got up instantly and looked at his laptop to see the same email his mother saw, but the tab for his video calls was opened. He clicked on it to be greeted by Rosa giving him a reassuring smile. 

“I heard everything. As soon as I answered the call I heard your mother sounding angry, so I muted myself and listened. Sorry for eavesdropping,” she quickly apologized. 

“Nah it’s okay.” Kyle wiped the tears from his eyes. “Glad to talk again. How was your day?” 

“Kyle, I want to talk about this. Your parents have no right to put you down so much and limit what you can do in your life, or to heartlessly attack you.” She gave him a hard stare.“No one deserves to be put down because they are striving for their dreams. Everyone is meant to decide their future, no one else can do it for them.”

“I wish I could, Rosa. I wish I could.” More tears fell from Kyle’s eyes, earning him a look of pity from Rosa. “But there is nothing I can do here. I’m stuck in this country under them, with no way of leaving this place. I’ve tried looking for jobs outside of Verusa, but as a fresh graduate from a country that isn’t even recognized by international standards, I have no chance of leaving.”

He picked the book that his mother attacked him with. It was a book titled ‘ Air Combat and Dogfighting ’ with  an Emmerian F-15E on the cover. “In the end, all the work I’ve done was only for my family’s benefit. They have controlled my destiny from the moment I was born.”

“Then how did your father leave and bring you to Seletapura?” Rosa asked. Kyle only scoffed and wiped away more tears. 

“Just like any Verusan. Was hired as foreign talent after a successful career here in Verusa. Just shows how difficult it is to progress initially as a fresh graduate,” he explained, sniffing. Rosa contemplated for a second. 

“So, he knows you want to leave and wants you to do the same as he did, even if it means preventing you from doing what you really want to do.” She took a couple of seconds to process his explanation, before giving a deep sigh. 

“I can understand their desire to provide you the same path your father was presented with. But after your mother’s cruel words and attacks, I don’t think she has any right to dictate your life like that.” She gave him a firm stare before flashing an encouraging smile, “And I know how much your goal of being a fighter pilot means to you.”

Kyle gave a short nod as he placed the book he held back on the shelf. He sat there silently, still feeling depressed after the confrontation. Rosa felt saddened by his expression and wanted nothing more than to give him a hug, despite being halfway across the world. “Do you have injuries? You should clean them up.”

Kyle shook his head as he rubbed his arms, trying to cover up spots of blood and bruises. “I’ll just leave them alone. If I try to treat them, they just lecture me and make fun of me, calling me ‘overacting’ or whatever.”

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a fighter pilot. To be a soldier who can protect people. At first, I was inspired by the many sacrifices heroes of the past made, that maybe if I gave my life to protect something it would give meaning to it.” He held his head low as he reminisced. 

“Then I read about aces in the past. Garuda Team, the Ghosts of Razgriz, the Grim Reaper. They became more than heroes, but at the end, they flew because of their beliefs. The belief of a more peaceful world for everyone.” He looked up to Rosa and gave her a bittersweet smile. 

“It didn’t matter to me who I would serve, as long as I could fly beyond the heavens to protect people. It’s why I tried to sign up for General Resource. Being part of a group that worked to defend a dream of a peaceful world. Your dream.” Rosa blushed at him, though the back of her mind was relieved that he was not accepted by General Resource. 

“My dream?” She asked, flustered. Kyle nodded. 

“People like you, Nikanor, and Harling. Those who wanted to create a more peaceful world, advocates of peace. I know Harling chose you to succeed him, and I had hoped I would be able to fly for such a cause ever since we first talked again two years ago,” he explained. He rubbed his eyes and reached for a cloth next to him.

“Now, I have to accept the fact that I was never meant to have wings. But dear god, it’s all I ever wanted!” He banged his fist on the table. Rosa stared at him for several seconds before taking a deep breath. 

“Hey, Kyle. Don’t you want to fly with wings that will help you soar beyond the skies?” Kyle perked up with a small gasp, looking at Rosa’s smiling face. He gave her a short nod. 

“Then can you help me fulfill a selfish request?” She tapped into her keyboard for a few seconds before Kyle received an email. “These are requirements for you to fill.”

“What requirements?” Kyle asked. 

“For us to finally meet once again, and even more for the future.”

Royal Palace, Farbanti, Kingdom of Erusea, May 2022

Rosa walked back to her throne room with several staff members who were presenting some documents and giving her a rundown of various policies. Once the staff finished their explanations, they gave short bows and asked to be dismissed. Rosa thanked them and allowed them to leave. Just as she was nearing the door to the throne room, she was greeted by Senator Alexander Stern.

“Senator Stern, what brings you here?” Rosa asked.

“Well… I don’t really have any important reason to be here.” The man shrugged. “Rather I was curious, and wanted to ask about something.”

Rosa tilted her head. “What is it?”

“It’s about your friend who you wanted to give an accelerated citizenship,” he explained. Rosa’s face fell into a worried expression.

“Is there a problem in regards to it? How did you know about this? Wait, could a scandal arise from it?” Rosa stammered with concern. Alexander dismissed it with a wave.

“No, no, everything is fine. It’s more of a personal curiosity. Who is the young man? When will he arrive in Erusea? I know I might be overstepping boundaries by asking you about your personal life, if you actually have had one after becoming Princess.” Rosa couldn’t help but be irritated with his last sentence, though she understood why he would think that. The chance for a normal life had been robbed from her by her newfound royal status, and she had barely had the chance to socialize, much less with people around her age.

“He’s a friend I met a long time ago; we have been pen pals for years now. He should be arriving within the week, he just needs to deal with some issues at his place,” she answered while shyly looking away.

Alexander noticed her bashful expression and smiled softly. “I can tell this man means a lot to you.” Rosa dithered embarrassingly and failed to give a proper response, earning a chuckle from the man.

She coughed and took a second to compose herself. “Y-yeah, he’s someone close to me. I guess it’s because he’s the only person close to me now.” She looked down, seeming troubled, “Perhaps it's selfish of me to use my power to help him get here, but he wanted to leave the place that was nothing more than a cage for him, and I know what that feels like.”

“I think it’s okay to be selfish if it won’t hurt or affect anyone. Though if you want to stay with him, what would happen if he chose a different path? Let's say he found a nice woman in Farbanti and married her?” Alex expected another embarrassed expression from her, but instead Rosa began to contemplate with a serious look. She placed her hand on her chest before shaking her head to regain her composure.

“Well, I hope the lucky woman would choose me as her maid of honor.” She gave a strained laugh, but in the back of her mind she dreaded such a thought. She couldn’t understand why she felt so afraid when thinking of Kyle with someone else. Alex merely looked at her with concern, before asking to be excused and leaving.

Solares residence, Kalangan, Democratic Republic of Verusa

The sound of a printer was the only one heard in the clean and crisp atmosphere of Kyle’s bedroom. He was packing up a suitcase with his belongings and clothes as the evening sunlight filled the room. 

He looked at his desk where a box of a scale model kit of an X-02 Wyvern was, along with a letter with the Royal Erusean family seal on it. He gave a small smile as he took the printed paper, a flight ticket to Erusea. 

‘This is a large commitment I’m making. I’m finally leaving this family behind to find my place in this world,’ he thought to himself as he closed his suitcase. He took the letter and opened it, showing a visa and a personal letter from Rosa. 

‘Thanks to Rosa, I was able to pass the proficiency test in order to be eligible for citizenship in Erusea. All I have to do is get there.’ With firm determination, he grabbed his things and opened the door. He looked back to his bedroom which still had plenty of things such as his model kits and PC. But these had been bought by his parents, and it didn’t feel right to take them. 

As he made his way to the door, he noticed his mother was sitting at the table preparing some food. She spotted Kyle with his suitcase and bag and raised an eyebrow. “Where are you going? It’s getting late and we have to pick up your brother from Argento tomorrow.”

Kyle took a deep breath before looking at his mother in the eyes and said, “I’m leaving. I’m leaving to find my place in this world and choose my own destiny.” His mother stared at him in shock and dropped an uncooked spring roll. 

She quickly stood up from her chair, tipping it over. “Are you out of your mind?! Where do you expect to go with how you are now! And don’t give me your bullshit ‘Osean philosophy’ or whatever! You have an obligation to your family and you are abandoning us?!”

Kyle felt scared, but he clenched his fist, braced for the impending lecture, and stood his ground. “I’ve already told you I want to leave Verusa! I’m not gonna stay here doing what you want me to do! It’s my life and I decide what I’m gonna do with it!”

“How dare you! I’m your mother and you are my son! You owe me your life as I brought you into this world along with your father. And after all we provided and gave you, all the opportunity to succeed and this is how you repay us?!” his mother screeched, yet Kyle did not falter. 

“I’m eternally grateful to you for raising me, but even I have my limits. I won’t have my soul weighted down by some legacy and blood I do not care for, much less a blood that thinks they are allowed to harm me for their personal gain!” Despite feeling fear inside, he stood his ground knowing that he had an opportunity within his grasp. 

His mother gave him a furious stare before smiling smugly. “I see what this is about, it’s about what happened when your father’s colleagues were here. You think that you can do better than your father? Than any of them? Don’t be foolish.”  

“No it’s not. I’m doing this because I want to and you can’t stop me.” At this point Kyle was already in his mother’s face, a bead of sweat slowly dropping from his forehead. 

His mother scoffed and walked back to the table. He clenched his fists on some papers before turning back. “If you want to be stubborn, fine. You can walk out that door but the door will always be opened for you. But the moment you walk back in, you will do exactly as this family tells you to do, even if it means giving up your dreams and friends, giving up your life to us. Well, that’s assuming you have friends.”  

Kyle continued to stare down at his mother, who was giving him a smug look. At that point, he braced himself and turned his back on her. His mother’s smug look fell and she took a step forward. “Don’t you turn your back on me!”

“I choose to do so,” he turned his head to look at his mother one last time, “Because your terms clearly show that you have no faith in me. So I’m done trying to prove to you that I deserved that faith.” He walked out the door into the starry night sky. 

As he walked down the dark boulevard, he took out his phone and typed a message. 

Kyle: Jack, if you did survive the Lighthouse War, I want you to know that I’m finally grasping the future I’ve always desired. Thanks for having faith in me for all this time. See you in the sky.  

He looked into the stars one last time before continuing his journey.

Airspace over Farbanti, Kingdom of Erusea, June 2022

Kyle stared out of the window in the plane. To him the past few hours felt like a trance, and he could still not believe that he had finally broken free from the shackles of his family. In his hands was a tourist magazine of Erusea, but he knew he wasn’t visiting as a tourist. 

He spotted an Erusean stewardess approaching and raised his hand to get her attention. “Excuse me, do you know where the nearest Erusean citizenship and immigration office is?” he asked in fluent Erusean. The stewardess was surprised at his fluency, given that he was a foreigner. 

“The nearest immigration office is an hour drive from the airport,” she answered in a similar fashion. Intrigued, she decided to strike up a short conversation. “You are quite fluent in Erusean, though there are some spotty pronunciations here and there and obvious accent. You must have had a good teacher.”

Kyle scratched the back of his head embarrassingly. “Yeah! My teacher was really good! Eheh,” he shyly responded. 

‘Oh god, I wonder how she would react if she knew that Rosa was my teacher.’ He looked away awkwardly as a small sweat drop appeared on his head. A ray of sunlight blinded him for a sec prompting him to look out the window. 

His eyes widened and his breath was taken away from him as he looked at the beautiful Farbanti skyline from thousands of feet in the air. The setting sun that was just beginning to dip below the horizon  gave it a glistening glow as the light reflected from the numerous windows of the buildings. The unique Erusean architecture was completely foreign yet elegant to him. The orange glow of the environment seemed fitting as it was the color of Erusea. Kyle was utterly captivated by the scenery and for once in his life, he felt like he was home. 

‘Farbanti. Rosa’s city. This is the new home I’ll be in. It’s so beautiful.’ He placed a hand on the window, still entranced by the alluring view. He continued to look at the city until his eyes laid upon the crater nearby. 

He recognised the crater, the crash site of a Ulysses fragment. He gave a shocked gasp at the ruins, a sharp contrast to what he saw earlier. He gave a somber sigh as he stared at the submerged buildings of the ruined city. 

“The ruined section of the city is a constant reminder of the day our nation started to crumble,” the stewardess began, “Many before us have tried to keep our nation from falling but their means did not justify the end. Many of us fell victim to the lies of ultranationalistic politicians who said they wanted nothing more than for our nation to recover and stand proud. But in the end, many even believed in their blatant lies of recovering with force.”

“One of which was the Princess,” Kyle added. The stewardess nodded at his inclusion.

“Erusea and its people have suffered so much, all we want is to end our suffering and for our future generations to be happy. We may be proud of our nation but that doesn’t mean we wanted to make others suffer.” Kyle looked at the stewardess in pity. 

“What do you think of the Princess?” Kyle couldn’t help but ask. 

“We all support Her Royal Highness. Ever since she became our Princess she has helped numerous citizens. During the Lighthouse war she was a beacon of hope and inspiration. Like many of us, she was manipulated and lied to by the radicals. When she came back from the final battle at the Lighthouse and revealed its true purpose, many of us were skeptical but as time went on, we all regretted what we had done.” She gave a somber look as she thought back to the past. 

“We have nothing but trust in her leadership, but unfortunately our constitution is sexist and the old politicians in the High Congress are holding her back. The people want her to take her rightful place as Queen, but those ancient power-hungry bastards are just too afraid.” Kyle winced as the stewardess’ somber look turned to a scowl.  

“ Attention all passengers and flight crew. We will be landing in a few minutes. ” The stewardess left to prepare for the landing, leaving Kyle to his thoughts and the view.

Farbanti International Airport, Farbanti, Kingdom of Erusea

As Kyle walked out of the arrival hall, he studied his surroundings. The busy street of the airport arrival and pick up area was a new view to him, yet somehow also nostalgic. He studied the map of Farbanti that he had picked up. 

“Okay so the Immigration and Citizenship Office is an hour's drive from here, so I should find a cab.” He made his way to the taxi station while overhearing various conversations from the people around him. Despite everyone around him speaking Erusean, he could understand them as if they were speaking Osean. 

“Are you Kyle Solares?” A voice behind him asked. He looked up from his map and turned around to see…

“A maid? What the hell is going on?” Kyle looked at the woman before him, confused. She was a woman of average height with a braided bun similar to Rosa’s. She had auburn bangs that covered her left eye. She gave him a deadpan stare. 

“Fluent Erusean but odd accent, stature of a Verusan. Am I correct to assume you are Kyle Solares?” Kyle felt mildly uncomfortable with the woman’s bluntness, but nonetheless he nodded. 

“Yeah that’s me. Who are you, exactly?” Kyle asked. The maid gave a short bow before introducing herself. 

“My name is Sheffield Madeira. I’m the head maid for the D’Elise family. Princess Cossette has sent me to pick you up and help you for today with settling in.” Kyle nodded as Sheffield motioned him to follow her, taken aback at the mere sight of a maid assisting him upon arriving in a new country. 

Kyle followed her to one of the parking lots where a black sedan was parked. “Place your things at the back.” She entered the driver’s seat and opened the trunk. Kyle placed his luggage in the sedan at the back before boarding the car. 

“So, Ms. Madeira, how long have you been Rosa’s maid?” Kyle asked, trying to strike up a conversation. Sheffield raised an eyebrow as she looked at him from the rear view mirror. 

“Ever since the government changed to a monarchy. The D’Elise family was a distant branch royal family before Erusea became a Federal Republic. Princess Cossette’s father was the cousin of the king at that time, earning them the status of a noble family, and I was assigned as their maid when that happened.” Sheffield didn’t bat an eye as she answered him while she drove. 

“I’ve read about it before. Rosa’s family became the new royal family when the previous one died in a single car crash. All of them just happened to be in the same convoy at the time.” Kyle pointed out, earning a nod from Sheffield. 

“A word of advice, refrain from addressing Her Highness so casually. She is still a member of the royal family and the de facto head of state.” She gave him a side stare when they reached the stoplight. 

“Ah, sorry about that. I’ve been friends with Rosa for a while now, we kinda talk to each other casually.” Kyle scratched his head. 

Sheffield sighed and gave him a smile. “I completely understand. Princess Cossette seems to care a lot about you. When she instructed me to help you, she seemed very nervous and excited. I can tell your friendship with her means a lot to her,” she explained sincerely. 

She turned her attention to the road as the stop light turned green. “First things first, Her Highness has instructed me to help you with setting yourself up in Erusea, and we need to go to the Immigration and Citizenship Office to have you take your oath.” Kyle nodded at her explanation. Kyle looked out the window and spotted an Erusean Air Force recruitment centre. Normally he would have sighed with longing when he passed by an Air Force recruitment centre, but he remembered why he was here. 

“You’ll sign up for the draft by the end of the day. We just need to set up your identity, documents and everything else before you can finally be part of this country,” Sheffield reassured him. Despite her standoffish and aloof look, she was gentle. To some degree she reminded him of Rosa. 

“Thank you Ms Madeira.” He gave a short bow from his seat.

She looked at him from the rear view mirror once again. She gave a short sigh before speaking, “If you can bring happiness to Princess Cossette, please do so.”

Rosa looked out to the peaceful night in her bedroom’s large window. The night skyline of Farbanti kept her in a trance. She gave a small smile, satisfied with her work today. 

As she took a small folder from the table beside her, her bedroom door opened for Sheffield to enter with tea. “Your Highness, here is your evening tea.” She placed the tea on the table, prompting Rosa to give her a nod of appreciation. 

“It’s beautiful. This is the city I grew up in all my life and I want nothing more than to see it bloom like this everyday,” Rosa began as she gave a solemn look. 

“And you are working everyday to make that desire a reality,” Sheffield reassured her. 

“Am I selfish? For wanting this and,” she paused for a moment, “bringing a friend here by using my power?”

Sheffield shook her head. “What you did was help someone find their place in this world. If it meant being here in our country, then so be it.”

She poured out a cup of tea for Rosa. “He should be on the bus with new enlistees going to the Air Force boot camp. The credentials he gave them look promising,” she explained. Rosa gave a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you, Sheffield.” She took a sip from her tea and continued to watch the evening skyline.

Kyle stepped out of the bus and felt the chilling night air as he marched into the file of enlistees in front of the Air Force boot camp building. Drill sergeants were shouting orders, but to him it was second nature. As he looked up to the moon, he couldn’t help but smile despite the intense pressure from the shouting. 

‘Thank you Rosa, for this life-changing chance.’