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Lights and skyscrapers.
They were the familiar sights he could see from above. While the surrounding area was mostly half-built, the luxurious sights of the Golden Hour were still visible in the distance.
Caelus let out a smile as he brought up his phone to take a picture of the scenery.
“March is gonna love it when she sees this,” he spoke to himself as his thumb flicked the screen to scroll through the pictures he had taken.
“Caelus, over here!”
He turned and smiled at the silhouette of his new friend waving at him. Her long hair fluttered in the wind as she ran to the higher ground, prompting him to follow.
“Hey, wait up!” He pocketed his phone before running after the girl, “Firefly, slow down a little bit!”
She was out of his sight, but he could still hear her laugh. Of course, she would know where to go as it was around the area she claimed to be her secret base. If he couldn’t find her, then he knew where to look for her.
He went around the tall, unfinished buildings until the scene of a rising sun was visible in the distance.
“You can run pretty fast, y’know,” he laughed as he caught up to the figure in front of him, though she wasn’t moving. “Firefly?”
The figure turned, though instead of the new friend he had just made, he was greeted by another familiar face, “Who’s Firefly? Don’t tell me that you’re seeing someone else behind my back.”
“M-March?!” Caelus could see that the girl in front of him didn’t look too pleased as he glanced back. “Uh… I thought that you went to other Dreamscapes…?”
“What are you talking about, Caelus?” March put her hands on her hips. “Weren’t you showing me around the Golden Hour before dragging me here for sightseeing?”
He raised a brow. Was his mind playing tricks on him or had he just mistaken two different people?
“I… guess…?” His voice sounded hesitant even in his ears before he joined her on her side. “So… what do you think about the Golden Hour so far?”
“Aside from you telling me to spend my money trying every food vendor and game back there,” she eyed him with a sigh but followed with a gentle smile, “I like it. I didn’t expect you to be so good at finding scenic dating spots.”
He nodded slowly, “Yeah… I’ve had… someone who showed me around before.”
“Now’s not the time to be all so gloomy!” March grabbed his arm and pulled his unexpecting figure closer to her side as she had her camera raised in front of them. “Let’s take some pictures together!”
He nodded with a hum before struggling with a pose. The camera already clicked once before he could settle on one. As the device was still directed at them, the first thing to come to mind was having a peace sign as he could see from the corner of his eyes that March was leaning closer to him with a hand on the side of her face.
He had a familiar feeling of taking pictures together with someone, along with the eerie sensation of what was about to come.
The buildings around him faded, replaced by a blur of familiar blue color and familiar red eyes all around.
Caelus gasped and turned around to call out to her, but his voice was caught in his throat the moment he heard her camera hitting the floor tile with an echoed clack sound. A familiar sharp claw was right next to him, dripping with water as it pierced through March’s body.
“S-Sorry…”
Caelus’ eyes flew open as he woke up with a gasp.
“Aaah!”
He caught his breath, sitting up as he realized that he was in his hotel room in Penacony and on the couch.
“Don’t you scare a cute girl like that!”
He turned to his side, seeing that March was sitting right next to him on the couch with a clear look of fright on her face.
“March? What… are you doing here?” He let out a sigh as reality was slowly starting to sink in. “This… this is my room, isn’t it?”
She gave him a nod in response, “Uh-huh, but you let the door open so I came in to check on you.”
“The last time I did that with your room, you kicked me out pretty roughly,” he chuckled slightly but soon stopped with a sharp elbow on his arm. “Hey!”
“That was because I was picking between outfits to wear!” March responded with crossed arms, though her facial expression softened soon after. “But… are you sure you’re okay, Caelus?”
“W-What do you mean? I’m totally fine!” He quickly replied, but soon his vision turned a little blurry as he tried looking at her. “Just… just a little tired, that’s all…”
The girl slid closer to him without a word as her face showed concern. She raised her gloved hand to the side of his face and the cold touch made him jolt a little. Her thumb hovered over his eye before gently rubbing it.
“You’re crying,” she whispered as her hand remained on his face. “Did you have a nightmare just now?”
He shook his head and took her hand off his face as he rubbed his eyes. Sure enough, he could feel damp tears on his face.
“Are you… still thinking about Firefly?” Caelus immediately turned to her, “You said to me before going to bed that you made a new friend whom you couldn’t protect. Was that friend Firefly?”
“But I never mentioned her name to you.”
“You mentioned her name when you were asleep,” March was frowning as her hand rested on top of his. “I just had a hunch, that’s all. Especially when I’ve never seen you look so defeated and distraught.”
“Do I look that bad?” He tried laughing it off, but the pink-haired girl wasn’t buying it. “I guess… I never expected to bond with a new person so fast only to lose them soon after.”
She snuggled closer, resting her head on his shoulder, “Do you want to talk about it to me?”
He shook his head.
“Alright, I won’t force you if you don’t want to talk,” she let out a sigh. “It’s just that you’ve done a lot for me that I want to do something for you in return. If you want to talk to me about your troubles, I don’t mind spending my time listening to you.”
It was Caelus’ turn to sigh. He closed his eyes as the memory of the different dreams came back to his mind.
Of how he failed to prevent Firefly from being stabbed by that monster. Of how he dreamed of a similar scenario with March. He wasn’t planning for that to happen to her too, not if he could help it.
Caelus stirred from his position, bringing March into a tight embrace. He put his chin on her shoulder, closing his eyes as he tried whispering to her ear without choking on his own words.
“Stay with me,” he breathed out. “Please.”
He could feel her hands on his back as she returned the hug, “I’m here, don’t worry.”
He slightly pushed her to see her face bearing a sad smile, “This really isn’t a dream, right? That you’re still here with me in reality, not in a dream.”
“We’re in the actual hotel, silly,” she gave him a playful hit on the shoulder before leaning closer to give him a quick kiss on the lips. “Feeling better?”
He didn’t say a word as he replied with a nod and a smile. In turn, March returned his smile and clung to his side, staying with him as he asked.
“I’ll keep you safe, March. I don’t… want the same thing to happen to you too on my watch,” he lightly tapped her hand before she grabbed his hand and shook her head.
“We’ll watch each other’s backs, so we don’t have to see anyone getting stabbed again,” March whispered in response, finding comfort beside him. “Promise me you won’t do anything risky.”
Hearing her words, he knew what she had actually meant.
His free hand found itself on his chest, where he remembered being stabbed by Cocolia back in Belobog. Of course, he wasn’t the only one who had to see someone precious to them being stabbed.
“I promise,” he nodded and put his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll continue trailblazing together, always.”
The bright light of the rising sun reflected on the screen of the phone as he gazed at the picture he had just taken.
“The picture turns out great, don’t you think?”
The flowing silver hair obstructed his vision as he was greeted with a gentle smile.
“Right, but I know someone who can take better pictures,” Caelus’ lips curved into a smile before handing the phone back to its owner. “Here, Firefly. I don’t know what would happen if someone loses their stuff in the Dreamscape and I don’t plan on knowing about it too soon.”
The girl chuckled as she took her phone from his hand, “Ah, I think you mentioned Miss March 7th before you gave me the idea of a picture together. You looked very happy whenever you mentioned her in our conversations.”
“She’s a special friend,” he nodded in response. “She can be a little sassy, but I can tell she’s a very nice person.”
“I-I see…” He caught a brief downcast expression on her which she quickly masked with a smile. “In that case, why don’t you take a few pictures of this place for her?”
“You don’t mind?” Caelus took out his own phone and booted up the camera app. “I mean, it’s your secret base after all.”
Firefly shook her head with a smile, “Not at all! Moreover, I’d like to meet her someday too. If she is as you mentioned, I feel like I can get along with her well enough.”
“Sure, she’ll be happy to make a new friend too,” he turned around and raised his phone, taking a good shot of the rising sun in the distance. “She’ll probably make the experience one of her favorites on her journey to find her past.”
“That’s… good,” she sighed with a smile still on her face, though barely. “Would the two of you be traveling again as part of the Nameless?”
“Always have and always will. I’ll promise to her that I’ll stay by her side, no matter who she was in the past.”