Chapter Text
[Outer Ring Beltway - 04:07 PM - Present Day]
The road seemed to stretch out almost endlessly, with nothing but desert canyons and distant hollows decorating the view. The surroundings all felt the same, and it all started to blur for Wise.
His empty stare didn’t move from the road, his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His breath quivered as his brow furrowed. The day they were tracking down Remielle for that damn Porcelloy W-Engine. It was too much.
Wise took an exit from the beltway, he wanted to get away from it all with the only way he knew how, the only way’s he’s ever been able to find some semblance of comfort in this world. He told Belle he’d gone downtown to pick up new stock for the video store, but that was a blatant lie, and with it being well into the evening, she probably would be suspecting something.
The events that took place that day, he just couldn’t stop replaying in his head.
[Blazewood - 10: 01 AM - A Few Days Ago]
“Belle? Belle! Can you hear me?!” Wise desperately yelled into the comms.
“Second Assistant, it appears we’ve lost connection with Master as soon as they entered the Hollow, reconnection attempts have been unsuccessful.” Fairy’s monotone voice interjected.
“Dammit!” Wise cursed under his breath as he slammed the table, “Keep trying, Fairy.” He commanded. Truthfully, this was far from the first time something like this had happened, Belle had a knack for spiking her brother's cortisol levels from pulling off her proxy stunts alone. Wise could only let out an exasperated sigh as he leaned back and dragged his hands down his face in frustration staring at Fairy’s stagnant loading screen.
He stared blankly at the ceiling and took a deep breath. She’s a well experienced proxy now, he should trust her capabilities, but what kind of brother wouldn’t worry like this.
“When are you gonna stop doing this to me, Belle?” Wise muttered under his breath.
“Master has succeeded at defying unfavorable odds before, she is very capable.” Fairy added.
“I know she is, I know that better than anyone.” Wise replied whilst trying to reassure himself before facing the HDD again and switching his comms to another channel.
“Caesar, talk to me, how are things on your end?” He quickly re-focused his attention.
“Proxy! I’m seeing a lot of pale white in this hollow, I’m not used to it but, I think Lighter and I are holding up fine.” She responded
“Run into any hostiles?” Wise asked.
“Had to deal with some ethereals back there but we’re good, what’s the gameplan?” She asked.
“Belle and the others’ heat signal was last detected going deeper into the hollow, I’m analyzing the local carrot data right now, I’ll see if I can get some fissures for you,” Wise quickly explained.
“Second Assistant, the ether fluctuations within the hollow have spiked in unusual activity, the local carrot data analysis may be inaccurate, the navigation risk factor has risen by 72%.” Fairy firmly warned.
Wise clenched his fist and cursed under his breath. He needed the Sons of Calydon to catch up with his sister, but he was a seasoned proxy, and sending them through an unpredictable fissure was irresponsible and would only put them in more danger.
“Proxy? What’s your call?” Lighter asked through the comms, noticing he’d fallen silent for a little bit.
Wise’s lips quivered before giving in to a sigh, “...Fall back. Ether fluctuations just spiked, it’s too risky to send you in there.” He stated, “An exit fissure’s formed just south of you guys, it won’t stay open for long, get out of there, I’ll send you guys back in the hollow once things start to stabilize,”
Lighter sighed before looking at the abyss in front of them one more time, “Roger that.”
[Blazewood - 10: 59 AM - A Few Days Ago]
“Fairy, tell me you’ve got good news.” Wise requested.
“Negative. Route calculation and connection remains stagnant at 56%.” the AI replied.
Wise quickly pulled out a sheet of paper as he quickly scribbled possible exit routes with a pencil based on the very limited available carrot data. It was a futile attempt, the data was constantly changing faster than he could keep up, and he was nowhere near as fast as Fairy anyway.
“Wise! How’s it lookin’?” Caesar asked as she approached behind him with Lighter following not far behind, noticing the proxy’s visible distress.
Wise clenched his teeth, “I can’t reach her, Fairy’s been trying to re-establish a connection for almost an hour now, and the ether fluctuations still haven’t stabilized.”
Caesar stared at the proxy for a little while before putting her hand on his shoulder, “...Hey… she’s tough… she’ll make it…” Caesar softly reassured.
Wise stopped for a little bit and stared blankly at the monitors as he slowly let go of the pencil and paper, “...right… yeah…” he softly replied, though the doubt lingering in his mind still leaked through.
“She’s got us worried too, y’know…” Lighter added, “Everyone in the Sons of Calydon owe her one, we’re on standby all the way until this whole thing is over,” he said, trying to reassure both Wise and himself.
“Thanks…” was all that Wise could mutter.
“M…GER!!... GER!! MANAGER!!” a familiar glitched voice boomed through the comms.
Wise wasted no time before connecting himself on, “Billy! Come in! What’s going on!?” He barked.
“MANAGER GET US OUTTA HEREE!!” The intelligent construct yelled.
“We’ll be there in a sec, how’s Belle doing?” Wise asked worriedly.
“Uhh, I-I don’t know??? She hasn’t woken up no matter how many times I’ve shaken her! What were we supposed to do after that??” Cissia’s panic echoed through the comms.
‘She’s unconscious…?’ Wise thought as Cissia’s words sunk in.
“We… don’t know if her condition is stable, we have to get her out of the hollow now or we might lose her.” Promeia chimed in to answer the question.
The uncharacteristic hesitancy in her voice made Wise’s breath quiver, what happened to Belle? Is she still breathing? Is she okay? But he had to shove all of those questions aside until he could get them home safely, “Understood.” Wise firmly responded, “Caesar!”
“On it.” The overlord quickly responded as she and Lighter wasted no time before heading out to the hollow.
“Alright Fairy, patch me in.” Wise commanded the AI assistant, “Gosh, Belle, please just make it back…” Wise desperately whispered to himself, cursing himself for not being able to do anything besides sitting in this stupid chair and relying on the others to save her. What can he do, what was he supposed to do? And yet he still reluctantly lets his sister go on these irresponsible, dangerous, pointless missions with no clear end goal that only puts her at unnecessary risk and all he could do was watch as she constantly threw caution for her own life in the wind every time they had to investigate some godforsaken hollow. If anything, it only reminded him of his failure in keeping the last promise he made to their teacher on that one fateful night.
[Helios Academy Cafeteria - 12:42 AM - 11 Years Ago - The Night Before the Fall]
It was a peaceful night, though Wise for the life of him could not get himself to fall asleep. Insomnia was nothing new for the boy, but this time he felt a little bit hungry, so he took the chance to wander from his dorm and browse the fridge for a quick snack.
“Hmm…what should I…” he muttered, grazing his hands on all the different choices he had.
“Wise.” A stern voice called out to him from behind, causing him to flinch and slowly turn around and face the source of that voice.
“S-sorry, teacher… I-I uh *ahem*… I couldn’t sleep…” He tried to explain knowing all too well that that excuse wasn't gonna fly with her. He braced himself, expecting a long winding lecture on how staying up after hours was detrimental for his health, or how he should be more disciplined with his diet, but instead, he got a completely different response than what he expected.
“Eh… I understand… I’m sure it’s happened to all of us, heheh…” Carole responded, though not seeming too enthusiastic, “I’ve had my fair share of long nights too.”
Wise tried to awkwardly laugh along with her, it was extremely strange of her to brush this off so easily like that, but he wasn’t going to complain.
“You hungry? I… think there’s actually some of my leftover cheesecake in there, you can have it if you’d like.” She offered as she grabbed a small plastic bottle of coffee from the fridge.
“Uh… Th-thanks?” Wise nervously accepted ‘Strange… It’s usually “No sweets before bedtime!” why is she acting so off today?’ Wise questioned internally.
Carole silently stared at the boy with a solemn expression on her face before breaking the silence, “How’s um… How’s Belle doing?” She asked. “
“Oh, uhm… She’s doing fine, teacher!” He responded, “She’s been really excited about learning Hollow Data Studies lately!” Wise cheerfully explained.
“That’s… that’s good,” Carole couldn’t help but smile at her adoptive son’s cheerful remarks, but only for a fleeting moment before her expression turned into one of guilt and deep sadness, “Sorry, I… I haven’t been able to spend time with you two as of late,” She regretfully apologized while holding her neck.
“N-no, i-it’s okay, we both know you’ve been really busy!” Wise tried to reassure her. He noticed that her seemingly sad expression stayed for a little while longer, “Teacher?” Wise asked with a slight twinge of concern on his face.
“Ah, i-it’s nothing… have a good night, Wise.” She told him before quickly walking away.
“O-okay… you too, teacher…”
But before exiting the cafeteria, she stopped dead in her tracks and took a deep breath. “Wise?” She called out to him before turning around to face him.
“Yes?” Wise immediately responded, standing up straight.
Carole crouched down to look at her son eye to eye before hesitantly speaking, “I know this is all so sudden but… “ Her lips quivered, like she was unsure what to say, or what to reveal, rather. After staring into his eyes for a small moment, she finally spoke again, “There’s… something I need to ask of you.” She sternly requested.
Wise could only tilt his head and blink in curiosity waiting for what his teacher might say in anticipation.
Carole took a deep breath and gently rubbed her hand on his head before speaking, “Whatever happens to me… from now on…” She started, taking on a distinctly more serious yet still tender tone, “I… want you to promise me that… you’ll take care of your little sister for me, won’t you, Wise?”
“I… Of course I will!” Wise confidently stated, it was a strange request to make, on a seemingly random night of all times, but it was a no-brainer after all, he loved his sister dearly, so it was a promise he was more than willing to make.
“That’s good… She’s in your hands now.” Carole gave him a melancholic smile with misty eyes before giving him a tight hug, “Good night, Wise… I love you…” She told him with a barely noticeable shaky voice.
“I… love you too…”
[Blazewood - 11:30 AM - A Few Days Ago]
“Guys, what’s going on?! Where is she?!” Wise yelled in an almost demanding tone when the group had just returned from the hollow, approaching the huddled up mass surrounding the Sons of Calydon’s communal sofa.
Promeia had an uncomfortable twitch on her face, there was no easy way to break the news to him, “She’s… not in a good state right now.” was all that she dared to say to him.
“Move!” Wise barked as he quickly moved both Lighter and Caesar from his path to see his sister laid unconscious on the sofa, “Belle!” He cried out as he kneeled beside her to check for any signs of visible injury, “What happened back there?!” Wise asked frustratedly towards her companions who accompanied her.
“I-I don’t know! It just happened!! There was this huge coffin i-in the hollow, and Belle suddenly approached it without telling us!” Cissia stammered, “A-AND EVERYTHING WENT CRAZY!” She yelled, flailing her arms around.
“And then all this ether started flashing and pulling everything towards her! And then she fused with this mech we fought, i-it all happened so fast!” Billy desperately added.
“What?!” Wise snapped, trying to make sense of Billy and Cissia’s panicked explanations that were overlapping each other with no clear distinction, rhyme, or rhythm. He focused his attention back to his sister as he put a hand on her sweating forehead, “Oh no no no, she’s burning up, somebody go get a doctor, now!” Wise desperately commanded.
Trying to be the ever so helpful companion, Billy approached them and reached out his hand to offer Wise some help, “Okay okay, uhh.. Wh-what if we-”
“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH HER, YOU BUCKET OF BOLTS!” Wise lashed out as he shoved Billy with his bare hands a good few feet back causing him to fall over, “You were supposed to keep her safe!” His voice trembled as he gripped his sister’s hand, a clear aggression bleeding through his teeth. The sudden outburst caused the small crowd to take a step back and experience a loss of words for the type of demeanor they would never expect from Wise.
“Stop standing there- GO GET A DOCTOR!” Wise’s voice roared, snapping everyone out and causing them to focus on getting Belle help.
[The Chasm Memorial Site - 04:32 PM - Present Day]
Wise locked the doors to the business car before strolling down the all-too-familiar path of the memorial site. Deliberately slowing down his steps to take in the fresh air, he finally reached the usual spot after a little while. The comforting sight of a small wire fence decorated with pictures and ribbons, reminders of those who were lost during the tragedy of the Old Capital.
Wise took a deep breath as he got down to sit on the dusty Outer Ring ground, leaning his back against the fence, “Hi, teacher…” He muttered, “Sorry I… haven’t visited in a little while…”
Wise grew up as Belle’s sole guardian with no other support system, with all these responsibilities suddenly thrust upon him that were not originally his despite the fact that he was only a child, no less, as the world continued to hate them for a crime they never committed. He had no choice but to abandon his own childhood for the sake of hers, to keep that one last promise.
But in the end, he still needed some place to run to. He could never let Belle know about his own struggles when he was supposed to be the one she relied on and trusted the most. He needed some quiet place alone where he wouldn’t be judged for all his failures, somewhere he could pour all his thoughts out without any real consequences, somewhere he could just… talk, really talk. All these years, the Chasm Memorial site miles away from town was the only place that gave him that.
He made a habit of coming here alone to talk to their teacher, or at least pretend to. It was stupid, he knew it was stupid. He knew his words would never reach her but these little moments were the only thing that gave him some form of comfort from his cruel reality.
“Things have been… complicated, to say the least…” He started, “Belle seems happy that we might be getting somewhere with finding you.” Wise explained with an ever so slight smile appearing on his face that quickly faded as soon as it showed.
“But I… I don’t know…” Wise admitted, “It’s just… There’s been so much going on, I… I-I don’t know what to believe anymore… Now, they’re gonna send us to Roscaelifer, some… godforsaken city in the sky wherever that is to cure this headache condition she has.” Wise added with a frustrated tone, “It’s just… one thing after another and… I don’t know if it’ll ever stop…” He sighed, “I haven’t had much faith as of late… I-I mean, will we ever really find you? Or… A-are you even alive at all??” his breath quivered.
“But Belle, she’s… she’s incredible…” He gushed, showing a more pronounced smile, “Throughout all of this, she’s saved so many people and… she’s changed so many lives for the better…” Wise added, “Gosh, you’d be so proud of her… She’s grown so much, she’s so… brave, smart, talented, yet I… I haven’t changed at all…”
Wise promised to take care of his little sister no matter what happened, yet, it always became more demanding as time went on. Now, she’d recklessly throw any regard for her life every time she entered a hollow, and her brother could only helplessly watch and hope she returns in one piece, every single time. Every time she needed saving, Wise was never the one to do it, she always had to rely on someone else: Zhu Yuan, Lycaon, Yixuan Shifu, you name it, but he was never the one to save her when she needed it. So Wise always asked himself the uncomfortable question: when there’s no one else to save her, would he be able to do it? Would he be able to keep his promise when he’s asked to save his sister?
[Main Road No.7 of the Minerva Quarter - 11:47 AM - 11 Years Ago - The Day of the Fall]
“Oh no no no no,” Wise muttered as he scattered around the courtyard desperately looking for his sister. Amidst all the chaos, the ethereals, the earthquakes, the fires, they were separated. There was no sign of their teacher anywhere, but he was already surrounded by panicking crowds and ethereals at every angle.
He needed to focus on finding Belle for now, “Hey! I’m looking for my sister! Have you seen her?!” He asked the rushing passersby who just ignored him, “She’s about this tall! Blue hair, a-and she’s wearing the same uniform as me!” He kept trying to ask the panicking crowd but to no avail.
It was then he realized he could only rely on himself, and so he desperately tried to call out to her himself, “BELLE!! WHERE ARE YOU?!”
This wasn’t gonna work, especially when his little voice was drowned by the screaming crowd, so he had to figure where she would be. He desperately looked around until his eyes landed on one place in particular: The dessert shop she liked to buy from. Wise wasted no time as he darted there as fast as his small legs could push him, with victims being taken mere feet away from him ‘Please be okay, please be okay!’ he worried.
As he quickly opened and closed the glass doors behind him, he heard the cries of a little girl coming from behind the counter, cries he’d recognize anywhere, “Belle?! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!” Wise asked as he immediately rushed to see her.
“Wise… I… I’m so scared!” The girl bawled her eyes out as she looked at him, “Wise, I-I… I don’t wanna die!” She cried, tears streaming down her face.
“Belle, look at me- LOOK AT ME!” Wise firmly said as he grabbed both sides of her face to look at him, “I’ll take care of you, you’re not gonna die here, alright? C’mon, we gotta go!” Wise added as he pulled her arms.
“Ow!” She yelped, “I-I… I can’t! M-my leg hurts!” She exclaimed, and lo and behold, a moderate scar grazed on her left shin.
Wise took a deep breath as he tried to formulate a plan to get them out of there, but he didn’t have many options to begin with, “Um… H-here, I’ll carry you!” Wise suggested as he crouched and turned his back to his sister for her to get on.
As she moved to try to get on his back, Belle yelped once more, “Ah!” before immediately rubbing this scar on her shin, “I-It still hurts, Wise!” She cried, “I-I can’t… I can’t do this!”
“Belle, listen to me, I know it hurts but you’ll have to be tough for me so we can find a way outta here, okay?” Wise reassured, “Hey! you’ll have to trust me on this, you trust me, right?”
“I… I don’t know if I can do this.” Belle responded.
“Hey! It’s gonna be okay!, th-this is just like Hollow Data studies, r-right?” Wise tried to convince her, “All we gotta do is try to find a way outta here,” He added, “I’ll do all the walking and… a-and you can be my proxy, right? W-we’ll make this fun, okay?” He desperately tried to cheer her up, “you can do this, Belle.”
After Wise gave that analogy, it seemed that Belle was more open to finding a way out together, “O-okay, Wise, I… I trust you.” The girl nervously answered as she wiped her tears. Steeling her nerve, she groaned in pain as she climbed onto Wise’s back, “O-Ow!”
“Okay, all good back there?” He asked.
“M-mmhm!” She nervously replied.
[The Chasm Memorial Site - 04: 37 PM - Present Day]
When the Old Capital fell, he’d seen it all, everyone he knew, his friends, people he considered family: impaled, mutilated, burned alive, mutated into ethereals, not a single day goes by without the possibility of Belle sharing the same fate if she keeps going down this path.
But unfortunately, Belle wanted this, she wanted to chase this impossible quest for truth, to achieve that grand goal of clearing their teacher’s name and confronting their past where Wise initially wanted to just leave it all behind.
[New Eridu Uptown Apartments - 08:21 PM - 2 Years Ago]
The two siblings sat at the dinner table of their cramped apartment, as Wise had just finished cooking a rare nice hearty meal for the both of them.
“Orange Chicken by yours truly,” Wise playfully bragged as he set the plates down, “I uh… found the recipe on a mom’s meal prep blog on Inter-Knot,” he bashfully admitted.
“Heheheh, thanks, Wise!” Belle exclaimed as she started to dig into her brother’s cooking.
After a few spoonfuls, Belle cheerfully talked to him with a mouthful of food about something that apparently just couldn’t wait until after dinner.
“So, Wise, I-I’ve been thinking about this for a while…” She started.
“Hm?” Wise wondered what could make his sister so excited, a new upcoming movie? A new guitar accessory? A new trendy shop opening at Lumina Square?.
“I’ve been looking into it and… There’s… an entire underground network of proxies on the Inter-Knot, anyone with an account can dive straight into commissions given they’re qualified.” Belle explained.
“Wise, this… might be the chance we’ve been looking for!” She exclaimed.
‘Proxy work…? Going… back into the hollows?’ Wise thought uncomfortably.
“We have the skills, Wise! I-if we use this as a chance to investigate the Hollow, we can clear our teacher’s name! A-all we gotta do is re-engineer the Hollow Deep Dive System and-”
“No.” Wise firmly denied, “We’re not going back.”
“Wh…What…?” Belle muttered as she abruptly froze her hands, “What do you mean?” Belle asked, left speechless by a response she was not at all expecting.
“It’s been 9 years, Belle, I don’t think chasing that is worth it anymore,” Wise reasoned, “Besides, we… have everything we need, there’s food on the table, a roof above our heads, plus, our… savings for the video store are coming along quite nicely,” he added, “We can have a normal life now, Belle…”
“How… how could you say that?” Belle questioned, taken aback by her brother’s statement, “Are you content with just sitting here and pretending everything’s okay?” Belle reasoned, “-when our teacher is wrongfully blamed for the deaths of thousands??” she raised her voice as she got up from her seat.
“Belle, it’s not…worth risking your life for something that isn’t even certain, you’ve seen what the hollows can do to people, I can’t… let you do this to yourself, please. We can be happy with the way things are!” Wise responded while raising his voice as well, giving a desperate plea to stay for his sister.
“Is that worth lying to ourselves for!? Helios is where we come from, You’re just… running away from everything?!”
“Why am I not enough for you!?” Wise asked desperately, “I’ve tried my best to get a job to support us, to keep us fed, I-I’m sorry I can’t give you everything we had back at the academy but please stay with me…” Wise pleaded, “Our teacher wanted us to live a happy life, she’d want you to be safe…” He would never let them go back there, for both their sakes, it was too much.
“I know, Wise, but…” Belle trailed off, “In all of her work, she wanted to give the world hope, despite this uncertain and bleak reality,” She tried to reason, “We have the capability to… continue her work, especially if we can clear her name,” she added, “We can do it together, Wise! Just like how we faced the fall of the Old Capital together-”
“YOU WERE A MESS WHEN THE OLD CAPITAL FELL!” Wise snapped as he got up from his seat, “your whole mental state was unstable, you couldn’t take care of yourself, you could barely say a sentence without bawling your eyes out!” Wise yelled, “ We’ve made it… so far to finally be able to move away from that point in our lives, to be able to live without being shamed for our history,” Wise reasoned, “Wh-what if something happens, and I can’t be there to protect you?! Do you really wanna go back to being the Children of the Devil?!”
What followed was only uncomfortable deafening silence. That last comment made Belle take a step back and glare at her brother, “...You too, Wise…?” She asked in disbelief. The look on her face was hard to describe: Anger? Sadness? Disgust? Betrayal?, yet for Wise, it was impossible to forget, “Is that… is that really what you think of her now?” Belle asked like she could break down any second with tears welling up in her eyes, “She raised us and you’re abandoning her?!”
“Belle… that’s not…” Wise tried to backtrack but the damage had already been done.
“HOW COULD YOU?!” She lashed out as she smashed her glass against the wall behind him, tears streaming down her face.
Wise couldn’t find the words to come out of his mouth, never had his sister ever looked and spoke to him with such resentment and anger.
“Belle, I-” He tried to call her back, but to no avail. The girl had already left their cramped apartment and slammed the door.
Wise didn’t have many options: chase after her? Try to reason again? It all seemed useless now. He could only clench his fists and slam the dinner table in frustration.
[The Chasm Memorial Site - 05: 04 PM - Present Day]
Of course, the rest was history. Wise would eventually choose to support his sister in this new strange journey, just like he always would, but he’d take the utmost precaution and safeguards possible to ensure her safety, but his protection could only go so far. Soon, her capabilities grew far beyond than Wise could ever keep up with, and for a time, he was proud, he was happy that she could find something that could give her such drive and purpose. But then, the risks grew larger with time and progress, and his power to look after her in the hollow grew weaker. Getting kidnapped, corrupted by miasma, fusing with an ethereal. It felt like a ticking time bomb until something in the hollow can cause Wise to lose his sister, and he’ll be powerless to stop it. But that was the promise he made to their teacher. If something happened to Belle, he had only himself to blame.
If there was a button to make everything go back to the way it was and have them live a normal life without Phaethon, he would press it in an instant. But taking away Phaethon would mean taking away all the lives Belle had saved, all the friends she’d made, and all the hope she gave to them, all just so they could live a life without this burden. It was cowardly and pathetically selfish, and Wise knew that. A good brother would support his sister’s efforts to light up the world, a good brother would be able to protect his sister in whatever situation. Maybe Wise just wasn’t that: A good brother.
“Why am I not enough for her…?” Wise’s question lingered, but this time it was directed more to himself than her.
“I… I don’t know what to do…” Wise’s voice broke, “I’m sorry I… I want to keep my promise, I-I really am trying!” Wise desperately tried to reassure thin air, “Why couldn’t you have just left me with something?! anything?!” Wise yelled in frustration before quickly falling into silence.
“I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean it like that, teacher…” He calmed himself down, before taking a deep yet shaky breath.
“I wish I wasn’t… useless… like this…” He cursed, “Belle deserves so much more than anything I could ever give her… not this… selfish brother.” Wise’s voice started to crack, “You took care of us all these years so easily… and I can’t… I can’t even keep Belle happy with my own way.” Wise sobbed, his eyes starting to water, “I’m sorry…*sniff* I’m sorry I can’t… I can’t take care of her like you did, I can’t take care of her the way you asked me to because I… I’m not you, mom…” Wise sniffled, “... I’m not you…”
“I’m sorry… for all of it…”
[Random Play - 11:31 PM - Present Day]
Wise parked the business car in the usual spot. He unlocked the door to the counter at the first floor to see a completely dark video store.
‘Everyone must be asleep already’ Wise thought as he checked the time on his phone. He took one final look around the first floor and noticed a bunch of takeout boxes littered on the ground, “Of course.” Wise sighed, likely Belle and Cissia’s doing since he wasn’t there to cook for them tonight.
Wise quickly packed up the garbage and threw it into the outside bin before going back inside and climbing up the stairs towards his bedroom. Barely having any energy left in him to function, he desperately needed at least 5 hours of shuteye to reset his system.
As he opened the door to his bedroom, the lights suddenly flashed on and confetti poppers were blasted directly at his face, shocking him wide awake.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRO!!!”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WISE!!”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANAGER!!”
“EHN-NAH NAH!”
All at the same time.
“...huh?” was all that he could say as he blinked repeatedly, trying to process what was happening.
“HUH?!” The realization set in, “I-Is it really my birthday?!” Wise asked in shock as he pulled out his phone to confirm that it was in fact, his birthday, “Am I really getting that forgetful?” he asked in concern for his own memory.
“Happy 23rd Birthday, Wise!” Belle giggled as she cheerfully congratulated her brother.
“Geez, Wise, did you really have to make us wait that long in the dark?!” Cissia complained, “How dare you make me starve for your perfectly delectable birthday cake!” She exclaimed as she presented her jazz hands gesturing to a nice round chocolate cake set on Wise’s coffee table.
“You guys got me a birthday cake?” Wise asked, “H-how much did it cost?”
“Relax, Wise! I paid for it with my own personal savings,” Belle bragged.
“You… you did?” Wise asked, sounding a bit touched.
“Oh, c’mon! Enough with the sappy stuff, let’s just go and eat the cake! That’s what everyone here wants to do, right?!” Cissia chirped.
“Good thing you got here when you did, If you took any longer, she would’ve eaten it by herself,” Belle joked.
“Behold, Manager!” Billy was the first to bestow a present, “In honor of solidifying your title as an honorary Starlight Knight, I present you with an immaculate replica of the legendary red scarf! Almost as good as the real thing!” He exclaimed as he shoved a long red cloth bundled up in his hands, with a few rips to make it look cool with some wear and tear.
“Oh! Uh… thanks, Billy,” Wise said as he grabbed and examined the scarf to look at it from a few different angles, “I-is this your signature??” Wise asked as he gestured toward the black scribble on the scarf.
“‘Course it is!” Billy proudly replied, “That way, you can brag to all your friends! Lighter’s scarf also has my signature too on the inside, y’know!”
“Thanks, Billy,” Wise chuckled, “I’ll be sure to wear it next time I see any Starlight Knight movies in theatres,”
“My turn! My turn!” Cissia exclaimed, “Here!” She chirped as she shoved a book right in front of him.
“Oh! Is this uhh.. Is this a cookbook?” Wise hesitantly asked.
“That’s right! 72 recipes to impress guests at any party!” She read aloud the title of the book, “Tell ya what, cause I’m so nice, why I don’t I give you a favour and help you out by being your personal food critic! That way, I can help you test all these recipes before you even serve them to any guests!” She offered.
“Oh wow… Thanks, Cissia,” Wise replied with a flat yet amused tone as he accepted her present, seeing right through her intentions, especially with this gift choice.
Wise then set aside both presents from his friends on his coffee table before Belle tapped him on his shoulder.
“Hey! Happy Birthday, Wise!” She exclaimed as she handed him a light blue folded apron.
He grabbed and opened the apron to get a better view of how it’d look in its entirety, “Belle, why does it say ‘Mama’?” Wise questioned.
“W-Well, I couldn’t find any that said ‘Big Brother’ so… I had to settle for the next best thing!” Belle nervously tried to reason as she butted her two index fingers together, “I-I wanted to get you a new apron anyway since your old one was getting greasy as hell…” she complained.
“And it goes well with your new cookbook! Aren’t we so thoughtful?” Cissia added.
“Alright, alright,” Wise conceded as he put his gifts together.
“Wise…” Belle called out, “I… I know you’ve been worrying about me a lot lately, "she added with a slightly more serious tone, “I’m sorry I keep making you worry…”
“It’s alright, Belle…” He replied, “As long as you’re okay in the end-” He added before getting cut off by a sudden hug from her.
“But… I’m happy that you’re always by my side as Phaethon,” She added, “I could never imagine having to go on this journey without you, Wise, and I would never dream of doing it with anyone other than you.” She softly said as she tightened her hug.
“...What…?” Wise muttered in disbelief.
“Wise... Maybe I don’t say this enough but… thank you for always taking care of me, for everything… You’re… the best brother I could have ever asked for.” Belle added
Wise found himself gradually losing control over his own face. He was already barely holding it together after all those words, ‘Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry! you’re not gonna cry! Especially not in front of her!’ Wise internally commanded himself, clearly feeling the curl of his mouth and the moisture in his eyes.
“I love you…”
“I-I love you too… *sniff*”
As soon as she heard that sniff, Belle immediately pulled back from her hug to look at her brother, “Oh my god, Wise, are you… are you crying??”
“...n-no?” Wise squeaked rather unconvincingly.
In classic Belle fashion, she immediately burst out laughing, switching from serious to goblin mode the millisecond she can tease her brother on something.
“It’s okay, manager! Even Starlight Knights cry too, sometimes!” Billy tried to reassure him in a tone that made it seem like he was about to cry too somehow despite being an intelligent construct.
“Oh, c’mon man! Not cool! If you cry, you’re gonna make me cry, too!” Cissia chimed in with a shaky voice.
“S-sorry, I… I got a little carried away there… heheh…” Wise tried to laugh it off to distract from the fact that he was just overwhelmed right now, “Thanks, guys…” He muttered as he sniffled and wiped away his tears, “You… you really didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me… *sniff*”
For the first time in a while, Wise didn’t restrain his emotions in front of his sister. He always had to be her reliable older brother, so he always made sure she could see him as someone capable, someone who always knew what to do, someone she can rely on. So he couldn’t let her see him struggle like this, for her sake.
Belle might never know the true extent of how much her brother’s emotions are hidden from her, she might never know how much those words truly meant to him. But maybe he can let this facade slide. Just this once.
And so with that quiet acceptance, Wise let himself truly feel his emotions. With a stuffy red nose and streams of tears running along his face, he formed the widest, most genuine smile he’d ever flashed in a long time.
Belle was happy to be Phaethon, happier than she would've been in a "normal" life. But most importantly, she was happy that she could share this journey with Wise, the one person she cared and cherished the most her whole life. So maybe taking care of her meant doing his best to be Phaethon alongside her.