Chapter Text
Wind Archer has an empty fireplace in his home. It stands empty, devoid of any wood, devoid of any flame.
Well, he had an empty fireplace.
He used to never allow a fire in his house, let alone in the forest. It was fire’s nature to destroy, after all. He had sworn to himself to protect the forest and all those living within it. To welcome fire into his home would be the welcome danger.
But look where he is.
Embers sit there now, glowing with a warmth that, while not a replacement of his beloved, was warmth nonetheless. The golden glow of the flame flickers in his tiny home, the brightest light of them all, it roars throughout the night.
It had been Fire Spirit’s idea initially.
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Fire Spirit had to return to Dragon Valley. That much was certain, but for how long, well, no one could say.
“It’s going to be cold without you.”
And he didn’t mean just the temperature. That bright smile of his, no matter how crooked or lopsided, brought a spark in his chest that nothing and no one else could.
The fiery guardian leans in, leaving a gentle kiss on the other’s lips.
Warm. It was his very being, after all.
“I know, you can’t live without me!
How could anyone?”
The silence falls between them, the air thick with it. His smile shakes, and it turns more soft, more genuine.
“How about this?
When I’m back home, I feel the breeze and think of you. Maybe you could use that fireplace of yours?”
“I know nothing can compare to my brilliance,”
His laugh bubbles out.
“But it’ll keep you company, at least!”
Wind Archer smiles slightly.
“I’ll do just that.”
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Yes. This little flame, although not his beloved, would be close enough for now.
A smile crosses his face, and his cheeks burn a little from it.
Until he returns, this flame will be his little light and his warmth.
He didn’t regret welcoming fire into his home, for that fire had brought him a joy he could find nowhere else.
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Wind Archer sits alone before the fireplace, the golden glow the only light in his cold and lonely little home.
It was cold without Fire Spirit. But this flame will do.
It has to.
Although dimmer than Fire Spirit, it was still light. His only light, because the rest of his home was shrouded in shadows.
And now, he sits close to the fire, because after all, there’s no other warmth here and he has to take what he can get.
The fire no longer roars, it flickers faintly, but it kills the overwhelming and deafening silence.
Staring at the fire, he feels no warmth bubble inside of him, and no smile crosses his face. Not anymore.
The red bead sitting in the flames stares back at him, the cracks apparent despite how hard he had tried to put it back together, to bring him back.
Wind Archer’s throat felt tight, as though he couldn’t breathe.
Ironic. He could only choke out a sob.
He’s not coming back. Not this time. Not ever.
But…
Wind Archer reaches his hand into the fire, running his hand against the surface of the bead.
If he can’t be warm any longer, he will make sure that his beloved is.