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In the middle of the decaying castle's remains, the dawn's light pierced through the land's dust and the building's shattered walls. It shone throughout each and every corner of the broken windows and flooded the empty rooms with a pale shade of yellowish-white. The crumbled floorboards had lost their carvings, leaving only gaping holes in its once colorful surface.
The bitter scent of ashes and flames that burnt down the land lingered within the air. It never ceased to wither, unlike the broken throne, the shattered chandeliers, and everything else the castle once possessed. Destroyed by their one and only ruler, one who had taken over this kingdom long enough to watch it burn as he mocked his own creation.
Stirring up countless cataclysms just to slowly witness the empire's decay, the souls of the fallen soldiers sent out in battle stained in despair for being lost in what once seemed like hope. The hope for their comrades in battle, along with the kingdom, to witness their victory against the seemingly crude, devilish witches and sorcerers that infested their horrid spells within the land.
But of course, all of this was nothing but a mere puppet show presented for the king's liking.
The mages that had been given a title of horrendous deeds, framed for the actions that they've never intended to act upon. As if misguiding a flock of sheep to trample away small, innocent buds of weeds. The knights, who served the kingdom with all their power and might, were forced to die in vain, upon a battlefield that resembled a stage—for whoever had fought there would never achieve victory or loss. Only a loop, a script written by the hands of his own will, one that relentlessly repeated a cycle of endless despair.
In the end, this terrible disaster burnt each and every remaining trace of the empire to dust, upon a chevalier's discovery of the king's terrible deeds.
A knowing, yet wistful young mage who happened to capture the knight, came to unfold the secrets of the kingdom right after, one that the knight used to turn a blind eye to. How the tyrannical ruler weaved a hellish cataclysm just to overthrow the young mage that was once deemed a princess, just for her to flee to the land of the wizards, finding comfort in it before witnessing the truth behind her exile.
That was, before the two of them set themselves off in the final quest, their last mission to save whoever remained in the kingdom's land, at the very least.
While many rushed to find their loved ones and began to console them, others tried to find their friends or relatives. Some were found injured by the shards of debris and some were found dead beneath the remnants of the castle's walls, soon saved by the hands of the gentle, kind mage and the brave, heroic knight.
The townsfolk were afraid to lose one another, as if their very lives depended on it. Thankfully, the two of them were there to assure them of their safety.
However, it did not last quite long.
The next thing the young mage knew was that they were separated once again. But of course, she was content with their fleeting encounter. One that didn't even take a whole day's time, one that was merely for her own liking.
For she hid away her feelings for the knight, her old friend whom she loved so dearly.
The next morning, as the flames burnt out, amidst the piles of rubble and dust were traces of a sorcerer's presence, a broken staff lying somewhere beneath the formerly tall walls of the castle.
And there was the young wizard, Saki, her once clean shirt stained in dust, her cape torn from the rubble, edges of her cloak stained by a deep shade of crimson. Light crimson eyes shifted here and there, searching for her beloved knight that she had cherished so lovingly.
"Oh, 'm still alive and well!" she chided, happily waving her cloak back and forth. "I wonder how my dear knight is doing…"
Blindly stepping off to the vast land of emptiness, she led herself astray within the sea of crowds. Countless tents were built near the not-so-dangerous gaps of the ruins, now stocked with a decent supply of water and food. Some of the lands were still infested with debris, the villagers helping one another out of agony with their work.
There's no time for her to pay attention to all that, though.
"Hey, Hinomori!" she yelled, waving her hands around in the air. "Come and find me! I'm still alive, you know?"
Her voice came to break the silent atmosphere, or at least, that's what it seemed for her. As she continued calling out the name of her beloved knight, she couldn't even stop thinking of how her face would look if she found out that she's still alive and well after such a disaster. Just imagining her eyes go wide with tears before jumping in the mage's arms made her go a little too excited with herself.
Though, she knew, there's no way that Hinomori Shiho is going to do that in front of everyone else. She'd be too embarrassed to do so, anyway.
"Hinomori, where are you?" she continued her little act. "Are you trying to play hide and seek with me or something?"
Her voice echoed in the empty, abandoned castle, although no one seemed to notice even her appearance amidst the sea of crowds. The blonde started to run around the ruins as she continued to cry out her name, looking through each and every corner of the structure.
However, her call didn't seem to alert the young knight nor any other soul. No matter how loud she would shout her name, no one answered.
What was happening?
Saki slammed her palms on one of the building's slabs and shouted once more, only for the silence to greet her cry once again.
"Hinomori Shiho! Where the hell are you?!"
A sigh escaped her as she retreated back to the place where she first stood. The broken staff that struck the earth's surface before her was still there, its handle wrapped in a thin sheen of dirt and matted with dust. She then sat next to it and turned her gaze to the townsfolk that passed by.
Ah, if only they knew where she was.
Wait.
Why, that's a wonderful idea. The young lady could ask the others if they've seen her, no? Now, go ahead, Saki. Ask them where that beloved knight of yours is.
As she stood up from her place on the ground, she began to scurry through the crowd, asking each and every one of them the same-sounding question. Yet, no one knew where she was and no one cared to give her any information. Hell, they didn't even reply to her words.
"Excuse me, have you seen this girl? She looks the same age as I am, and… Ah."
The sorcerer approached a group of young boys, only for her to not get any kind of reaction from them. One of them even asked the others to walk away, ignoring the desperate mage.
She then walked over to an old lady whom she could only assume to be a maid and again repeated the question to her. But of course, the lady stayed silent, soon trotting away from the wizard's sight.
"Damn it," Saki spat out. "How come has no one seen her anywhere?"
Angered, Saki gritted her teeth, a grunt from her throat as the wind carried a familiar voice. The voice she had been longing to hear for so long. The voice she had always adored and treasured with a great amount of love and affection.
The voice of her dear friend, her one and only knight.
"Saki!"
She's... here!
Happiness, joy, excitement and gratefulness whelmed Saki's little heart, allowing her to almost forget the surroundings, the people, the environment, and all the other hardships she went through at that moment. Even with the weight of her own cloak on her shoulders, she quickly dashed towards the source of the chevalier's sound.
The young lady before the mage was clad in her usual bluish-white attire, a pristine cape adorned in gold drooped over her clothed body. Her loose silvery strands were tied in a small ponytail, a white ribbon still hanging loosely from it. It swayed ever so beautifully in the dawn's breeze, letting it reach up to the girl's rosy cheeks.
"Hinomori! Thank the gods you're alright!"
Her shouts and excited speech pierced through the air, happiness dancing in her loud voice.
"Come on, now! Come here!"
The wizard continued to say her name repeatedly, arms wide open to embrace her beloved. A content laugh escaped her lips, her yelling ringing through the now joyful atmosphere.
On the other hand, the chevalier's eyes grew watery with unshed tears as she didn't stop running and running. Even if her arms weren't stretched out to greet the blonde, a voice in the mage's innocent, unblemished heart told herself that she would hold her tight, happy tears spilling out of both their eyes. They would be caressing one another's features, reuniting beneath the dawning light's soft, gentle breeze. Almost like a scene from countless romantic scripts, mashed into one filled with more emotion than ever.
"Saki… Saki!"
"Hinomori!"
From how close they were, Saki could finally reach the knight and pull her into her arms, only for her to run past with tears leaking out from her viridescent eyes. Her arms are now spread wide like hers, but...
Why wouldn't Hinomori embrace her? Why can't they hold onto one another tightly, hugging in the middle of the remnants of the castle?
"S-Saki!"
She shouted, her voice raspy and trembling with each step she took. Heavy breaths escaped her lips, soon held back by the gritting of her teeth. But even so, it wasn't enough to stop the despair that somehow overcame that heart of hers.
"Hinomori…? I'm… right here…"
But of course, the knight ignored her call, running towards what seemed like a ruined pillar before her eyes.
Curious, she followed her beloved's footsteps, seeing the squire throw away the small pieces of stone that covered the area next to the broken staff. As some of the townspeople helped her lift a large fragment of the ruined walls, what was revealed was surprising, almost shocking for one to see.
A corpse laid beneath the pile of rubble, her magnificent yellowish hair gleaming with the morning's glow. Her eyes clenched shut, the side of her face scraped by a small chunk of the castle's wall. Her clothing was disheveled, the cape that she wore being torn with stains of crimson dying the edges of the cloak's fabric.
Why does it look so similar to the mage herself?
Regardless, she could see the younger one of them both sobbing into the cold body's chest, her small hands clinging onto the body's tattered cloak. Weeps and cries shook her figure, leading the crowd around them to believe she was distraught. Her tears, which wouldn't be contained anymore, slowly dripped onto the dirtied cloth, some of it falling on the hem of her shirt.
"God damn me, Saki," she choked out, wiping away her never ending stream of tears. "I-I never meant to leave you here…"
"H-hey!" the blonde yelled out. "I'm still alive! I'm… right here! Behind you!"
No way.
This can't be happening.
It's not like she's dead or anything, right?
The blonde mage behind her, who had watched the whole scene silently, gazed at the princess with a worried look. In her eyes were a glint of concern, one that was supposed to comfort her and make her feel better.
"Don't cry, now! I-I'll treat you to some good tea if you don't cry! Just like back then, remember?"
Panicking, Saki gently patted her back, but Shiho didn't even bother to turn around. Within her despaired state of mind, she continued to bury her face in the corpse's now frail figure, an occasional sob erupting from her lips as she tried to suppress it with such force.
A loving sigh came forth out of the sorcerer's mouth. And so, she crouched down to embrace her dearest, but...
Her arms.
They weren't even able to wrap themselves around her. Instead, it went through her, making Saki unable to hug her beloved. She tried again and again, but it remained the same.
The Tenma Saki everyone knew was no longer alive.
That annoyingly mischievous mage whom the knight once served before she fled into a world of witchcraft, was, in fact, gone forever.
The corpse her knight held was her own one. It's Saki's body. She died. She's gone.
However, the mage refused to say goodbye just yet, recalling her old memories, the moments of what had happened the night before. And of course, the memories of simpler times.
Many, many years before all of this was to happen, precisely when she was but a child, little Shiho had promised to protect her dear Saki, while she did the same thing, too. The young knight swore to look over her, to watch over her, to never let anything happen to her. She promised to never lose her, and she promised to stay by her side until the end. She wouldn't allow her to be harmed, nor to be left astray in this world. She is too precious, too dear to the young knight. And although that might sound like a childish act, it was a promise she once made, and she pledged to hold onto it for all eternity.
"Tenma-san, Tenma-san!"
"Hm? What is it, Shiho-chan?" the princess turned around joyfully, running towards her dear friend. "Also, just call me Saki! There's no need to replace my name with all that!"
"Saki…?"
"There you go! Now, what do you want to tell me?"
"I-I want… to protect you forever!"
She exclaimed with the deepest sincerity, her voice loud and high like that of a child. The princess then tilted her head, approaching the squire closer and closer until their foreheads bumped onto one another.
"Huh? What do you mean, Shiho-chan?"
Her rosy eyes widened with curiosity, leaning closer onto the other's figure.
"Ah… When I grow up, I want to be a knight and protect you from harm! I'll never let anyone hurt you, and I'll keep you safe, until the end of time! Hehe!"
Gloriously yelling out those words to the skies, she let out a childish giggle and wrapped her arms around the other, practically soaking the princess in her warmth.
"Really? Shiho-chan would... protect me?"
"Of course! I want to be with you, always! I'll watch over you forever, and I will never, ever leave you alone!"
"Then, I'll do that, too!" Saki happily exclaimed as she gripped the younger's palm with her fingers. "I'll protect Shiho-chan away from harm! I'll stay with you forever, too!"
The two of them then giggled joyfully, like the innocent children that they were, as the knight and the princess embraced one another's forms together.
And of course, their word was kept for so long, long enough that it doesn't matter.
The last time it still applied, however, was the day the castle burnt to ashes for the first time. The day where Shiho first found out of the king's terrible deeds, even as the building's flames consumed her frail body. That day, as the flames reached the tops of the royal buildings, destroying everything in sight, the squire remained lost beneath the fire's hold, the smoke blinding her senses. The princess she was obliged to protect ran out of her grasp, and her dearest friends had left her alone in that very place. Consumed by the blazing shades of red and gold, as if swallowing the entirety of her body.
No one was there to save her. Only a small wish inside of her heart was strong enough to break God's will.
"If anyone wills to bestow life upon me…"
She paused, coughs emerging from her throat as she sobbed.
"Then, please, allow me to live through another time with my dear one."
It was foolish enough for her to make that wish, considering that it never really came true after all this time. The new 'life' she wished for was nothing but the hands of fate blinding her for her own sake. The princess she served wasn't her dear one, and the knights she fought alongside weren't the ones she ever knew.
Everything was different. Far different from how it all used to be.
How did she find out about all of this?
Someone revealed it to her.
An old friend. Her loved one. A sweet, caring princess turned into that of a cold-hearted beast. Her shadow loomed over the knight's figure, towering over her beneath the evening's hold. As she uttered what once seemed like the mindless ramblings of a madman, she continued her act, clumps and strings of bright red smoke gathering around the two.
This pathetic knight, who was supposed to capture this terrifying mage, has fallen prey into the words of the seemingly deceitful lady. Whether it was the truth or not, she found herself wrapped in the sweet temptation of her sayings, blinded from 'reality' and reaching into a 'fantasy'.
"So, Hinomori, do you believe me, now?"
A finger trailed up the chevalier's chin, her body quivering from her sudden touch right after she uttered what seemed like the mindless ramblings of a madman.
"Do you, foolish knight?"
"... I-I don't know, but–"
"Nonsense!" The blonde shouted, loud enough to silence the knight in her spell's grasp. "How dare you speak in such a manner to the one who saved you from those rotten beings."
She opened her mouth once again, her words dancing upon the flames of hatred and disbelief the pair felt for one another. How deceiving this witch was and how stoic this knight appeared to be—was, in fact, the problem. For what the witch had uttered was the truth, the bitter taste of reality falling into her hands.
Yet again, the chevalier remained silent, without any coherent thought in mind.
All she wanted was to have her back.
The old Saki she knew.
Her dear princess, now stood before her, waltzing by the threads of bloodthirst and misfortune, wishing for Shiho's mere existence to either wilt by her hands or to join her in this maddening state. To hold her once again, or to destroy her for an eternity to never lay eyes upon her ever again.
"My exile, and that fire… it was all their fault!" the wizard exclaimed, her mighty voice surprising the knight as she spoke, pointing at the kingdom as they fought beneath her gaze. "Everything… everything I could remember… was their doing."
From the tower, she could see countless fallen chevaliers laying down, dead on the ground as the king stood so triumphantly behind them on his balcony. Witnessing the flames of destruction, on this very day as the empire burned to ashes. Even so, she knew, after this day and onwards, those who seek salvation and shelter from the king that they deemed a godly being would still praise him and follow his footsteps, every single time.
Now, however, that doesn't seem to apply anymore. The entire kingdom and its castle was now burning brighter than ever before. The flames grew higher, an even more terrible sight compared to the day she forcefully exiled herself and sealed her being away from ever laying a finger on the empire. What she could see now was a sea of ashes and flames, blinding whoever came close to the burning castle.
Even if she could show all of this to the squire as she spoke, she wasn't sure that the young knight would believe her words.
And so, she decided to let her free. To break the chains that bound her from moving within the tower, without letting her out until she says exactly so.
"Come," she murmured, lending a hand to the young chevalier. "Witness his destruction with your bare eyes, my knight. I'd like you to come here and see for yourself."
What Shiho expected was far, far different than what she saw now.
She could see nothing but fire and ashes becoming one. The villagers, the knights, even the maids and butlers who once served the kingdom, scattered out of the building. Some were fortunate enough to make it out, while the rest died in the smoky rooms of the crumbling structure. Even if one was to escape the building, that doesn't mean they'll be safe for long. Another building might even collapse on their tattered forms.
All of that simply brought her to tears.
A knot tied itself behind her neck, not letting a single word come out of her tongue. Her throat strangled itself in agony, her heart aching with pity for those who stood beneath the feet of the castle.
"So," the blonde sighed, her voice rasped with the same feelings as the knight's feeble soul. "Do you believe me now?"
A weak nod came out of her as she slowly turned her back, her teary eyes now meeting the other's sharp gaze.
"Good." She patted the knight's cheek, fondly caressing it and brushing away her tears. "You're free to go now. Feel free to stay here for longer, though."
"A-actually," the younger one of the two suddenly spoke up. "Can you… do me a favor?"
And so, the night before today finally came.
The night where the castle collapsed with its tumbling walls, destroyed by a ruinous force that seemed to originate from yet another ses of flames. The night where they were left with no choice but to flee or to die, either from getting slain by the villainous king's flames or from the fragments of the shattered castle raining down upon their bodies.
And the mage, who had once abandoned her word to keep her beloved Shiho safe, did exactly as she wished. The broken promise was now nothing but a blooming truth. Separating from the knight to lead herself astray within the flames, just to save more and more of the men and the women trapped inside. While Shiho herself seemed to be doing a great job escorting them, a hole in her heart continued to consume her, little by little.
Saki wasn't there with her.
Tenma Saki, the heinous mage, who had dived deep into the sea of flames, wished for nothing but salvation from whoever may bestow such a thing upon her selfish being. After abandoning her lifelong friend in exchange for safety, she wanted to at least spend her final moments, or in this case, her last night, with the one she really loved. Aside from the kingdom's orders, she wanted to experience one night with her, back to back, acquiring and giving salvation to the souls of the innocent.
Saki didn't care about her own safety, nor the fact that her life could be lost in the process. As long as her old childhood promise was fulfilled, never to be broken by the end of the day.
To stay with one another until death does them part.
As the mage ran across the night's shadows, a staff in her scarred hand, a loud, thunderous cry escaped her as her hand scraped itself onto a piece of crumbling wall. It landed a blow on her bleeding palm, piercing through the threads of red with a deep scratch. Even then, she continued to flee the castle, attempting to escape the horrendous echoes of the shattering glass and stone.
Did she ever make it out?
Saki rushed to leave the building, running behind those whom she had saved, the tumbling structure continued to collapse behind her slightly wounded body. The wonderful thought of reuniting with her dear knight once she successfully climbed out of the ruins encouraged her need to flee. Her warm embrace greeting the sorcerer's aching figure, whelming her heart with joy and gratefulness. Holding onto the chevalier's form, lightly chuckling with content and happiness.
Such lovely fantasies.
However, it wasn't long before the castle's ruined walls crushed against her body, the adamant desire to meet her once again only left in her dying heart. Shards of glass cut through her skin, blood covering the fabric of her cloak with stains of crimson. That messy attire of hers that she had just so valiantly wore did little to protect herself against the debris of the castle's collapsing walls. A piece of the glass soon scraped her face, stinging her once radiant, yet bloodied cheek.
And lastly, her own staff, one she had treasured so dearly along with all her possessions, struck the earth's surface as the last of her voice echoed through the crumbling ruins of the castle.
"Hinomori..."
Her soul had passed on. And yet, she couldn't accept that fact. Just so she could reunite with her beloved, she tried her very best to forget her death, just to see her one last time, smiling.
Perhaps, that was never to be fulfilled in the end.
The sound of the knight's cries then alerted her from her sorrowful trance. The girl's hands clutched the cloak's fabric tighter, hiding her sobs from anyone who would hear. As soon as the crowd left, however, the knight weeped with sheer despair. Looking down at the corpse of her gallant savior, her face lost its serenity. More of her tears caked her own visage, soon darkening the soil beneath the body as it fell onto the ground.
"I'm sorry, Saki. I wasn't able to save you…"
On the other hand, the mage's face contorted with sorrow, eyes twitching away from Shiho and glancing at the deathly corpse. She then turned to face the silver-haired lady once again, a hand coming to rest itself on the young lady's light grayish locks.
"Don't worry about it, my knight," she murmured beneath the sun's rays, stroking her hair. "It's alright. You're still alive, and that's all that matters for me."
Even if the girl cannot hear her words, she was sure that they'll reach her somehow. She then continued to caress her before she crouched down once more, her hand lightly stroking her back. And as the knight's cries ceased, she slowly brought a soft, yet bittersweet smile onto her face.
"Saki," the chevalier suddenly said. "I love you… more than anything else in this world."
Something sounded of her mumbling, a confession she has held deep within her heart for quite a long time. Yet, here she was, in the embrace of the fallen sorcerer, that confession spoken aloud, loud enough for the spirit to notice.
A delicate, gentle smile appeared upon Saki's face, hearing her beloved chevalier's words. A faint chuckle then emitted from her, lips opening to utter a reply.
"I love you, too," she happily uttered out. "More than I love anyone else in the universe."