Chapter 53 - We, Six Years Later [3] - The Cardinal Sky

"He still hasn’t forgiven me yet..." Erina reflected, lying down on a couch in her office, which were meant for guests.

After Erina forcefully pulled her for a hug, she left after that.

As a figure of authority over Demiurge, she couldn’t afford to show any vulnerability, yet here she was, crying her heart out towards her long-lost brother.

"...But you've never changed, have you? Big brother." Erina buried her face in a pillow, trying to remember how Kuro's—no, how Aria's—body felt, so warm and soft.

Even after her desperate apology, she still hadn’t been completely forgiven, but that was okay.

It wouldn't be that simple, after all these years.

Feeling a little drowsy after crying for nearly ten minutes, she recalled the moment when they appeared—the day everything changed for her.

In a world where she was isolated and disconnected from her loved ones, Erina was forced to take on the mantle of a crown she never wanted;

Becoming the Head of the Historia family.

Due to her ability, <Soul Locus>, which allowed her to perceive souls, those around her were stained black with despair, greed, and malice.

Even at the end of the world, some individuals sought power for themselves, pushing her into the position because she was young and an easy target.

Erina was smart and confident, a genius who had been admitted to Arcadia early, in the same grade as the family's eldest, Bellerose.

She could handle government affairs just as well as her father.

But the responsibility that came with it during such a chaotic time was more than she had anticipated, putting her moral decisions on a slippery slope.

After a Pylon pierced Arcadia, the world was plunged into a sea of abhorrent creatures that were overwhelmingly powerful, leaving them unable to find a safe place to live for years.

Billions died worldwide, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction, and a solution was found only at the very end, with only 3% of the population remaining.

Yet the troubles did not stop there; more problems arose, creating a never-ending hell.

She couldn’t take it anymore; she longed for it all to end.

Erina could feel the souls around her, transformed into emotions in their purest form, unable to expel them as they were forcefully fed to her.

I don't want to do this anymore.

Please come back, everyone.

I miss you.

...

But no one answered.

Elenore and Camellia had gone missing after failing to reach the teleporter room in time.

Anemone also went missing, disappearing a few days after a Pylon pierced Arcadia without any notice.

Bellerose, who was supposed to be the head of the family, has been serving as an envoy to another nation, unable to return due to political reasons.

And her father... has not woken up since he came home.

At the age of 20, she became the youngest head of the Historia family, which meant she also had to become a member of the Grand Council.

She took on her father's responsibilities, which was overwhelming on its own.

Despite the heavy burden, she held on to the hope that they would all return someday and didn’t give up.

Every day, week, month, and year dragged on. She wanted it all to end.

This world was ending anyway. Why does she have to keep going?

Why did Bellerose, the eldest, whom she knew was alive, have to be sent to another nation just because she was chosen?

Why did Anemone, the youngest, disappear without a word, her gaze empty?

And why did Gael, her father, whom she had always looked up to, come home wounded and never woke up?

As she continued to fight this losing battle, she eventually lost her sense of self, becoming emptier over time.

She developed a new way to release the pent-up stress, using a device that altered her appearance.

This device was given to her and four others to help them hide their identities.

Even so, the circles under her eyes worsened, and she felt increasingly empty.

Nothing ever mattered to her; she was just a cog in a wheel, meant to fill her father's position and live up to the nation's expectations.

This cycle continued, again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again...

...

...until two silhouettes appeared beneath the tree she visited every day.

"A-Ah..." Erina gasped, struggling to breathe and unable to find her voice.

She didn't need to know what they looked like, as it was meaningless before her eyes.

One girl had brown hair and green eyes, a fiery soul that seemed to burn with determination.

The other girl had pale white hair with golden tips, possessing a black-and-white soul that remained unchanged.

Erina wanted to know if this was a dream; she even dug her nails into her flesh and bled to make sure it wasn't.

Under a blooming tree, the two of them basked under the azure blossom, their identities revealed before her.

Camellia, the third heir of the family that went missing two years ago.

And a mysterious woman besides her, whose identity was unknown... yet, the shape of her soul felt familiar.

"Who... is this person...?" Erina wondered, confused about whether this was a mere coincidence or something deeper.

Their souls were so eerily familiar that it seemed impossible.

—There was also someone she hadn't mentioned, her most precious person.

Kuro Historia, someone she had forsaken until the very end.

That day, if she had chosen to chase after him, would things have changed?

No, she didn’t want to answer that question, as she was well aware that nothing would change.

The point is... the girl's soul was similar to Kuro Historia.

Despite her overwhelming joy, she felt an equally overwhelming sense of dread and noticed that someone was missing.

"Elenore... where is she?" Her eyes frantically searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

Erina wanted answers. She needed to know what had happened to them and how another girl besides Elenore had escaped with Camellia.

But there was no time.

“Over here…!” a voice called out from a distance.

People had now noticed the two injured individuals beneath the tree, both heavily wounded.

Erina looked at the two of them.

They clung to each other's hands tightly. The girl with white hair squeezed the other's hand firmly.

Erina wanted to stay a little longer, but she knew she couldn’t linger there.

“I… I have to go.” Erina dashed toward them anyway, feeling the urgency to act before she leaves.

As she approached Camellia, Erina sat down beside her and held their hands, yearning to reassure herself that they were truly real.

"She's... she's really back..." she uttered in disbelief, struggling to accept reality.

Camellia, her sister... was alive.

For the first time in two years, she smiled brightly and cried tears of joy, overwhelmed with happiness that she hadn’t given up hope.

That day, the spark of hope returned to her eyes.

—A miracle.

...

—Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!

"To think it really was big brother Kuro..." She couldn't believe it.

If it weren't for her ability and her constant check-ups with Aria when she trusted her doubts, she might not have noticed it.

The final nail in the coffin came during the court proceedings when she spoke a familiar name.

"Mmm..." Nuzzling the pillow against her face, emotions began to stir within her once again.

"Elenore..." Erina blinked, feeling tears welling up at the mention of her name.

She hadn't always been a crybaby.

Now that she was a woman in her twenties, she needed to control her emotions to maintain her dignity as the head of her household.

However, the events of the past few weeks were too much, and she longed to share the news with Bellerose.

For now, she decided to close her eyes and hoped for a happy dream.

"I'll make sure you'll look in my way once more, big brother..." She mumbled to herself and smiled.

Even though Kuro—or Aria now—had left, she was determined to do whatever it took to make amends.

She won't expect herself to be by Aria's side at all, that's fine as well.

"I hope I'll be able to call you 'big brother' one day... hehe." she wished eagerly, tightly hugging the pillow to her chest before closing her eyes.

...

"Or big sister? Little sister?" Erina thought aloud, confused about what to consider her now.

For the next five minutes, her mind went blank as she contemplated this topic after overexerting herself.

She couldn't sleep at all after that.

"Achoo…! Why do I have goosebumps all over my body?" I sneezed loudly.

I sat down on a bench, trying to relax as I thought about what to do next.

After she had forcefully pulled me into an embrace and left afterwards, I found myself wandering aimlessly, doing whatever, really.

...No, I still hadn’t considered forgiving her yet.

My emotions were unstable, and I couldn't figure out how to handle them moving forward.

I may have forgiven Camellia, no longer having any ill will towards her, probably because we had travelled together with our lives on the line...

But what about Erina?

Is a simple "sorry" enough to put everything behind us? Do I also need to punch Erina in the face to truly forgive her?

Even if that were the case, it would probably make me question my decisions, so let's forget that idea.

Part of me wants to forgive her since she wasn’t the one who instigated the harsh treatment I received.

But at the same time, I want to keep my distance from her, as recalling those days is anything but pleasant.

Hmm...

...

Eh! I don't know! I guess I'll just not think about her for now if I still dislike her!

I don’t need to dwell on it too much, really.

Am I being petty? Yes, that’s exactly what it is.

Now that I’m finally in a place where I can live and enjoy some good food for once, I can appreciate that privilege now that I’ve been deemed not guilty.

Instead of dragging out a family feud, I might as well move forward and see what I can do… wait.

At that moment, something clicked within me as I watched the sunset.

...I'm homeless.

The hospital I had been staying at was destroyed, and I left Erina's office, who was practically my only... guardian, when she used to be a quack doctor.

But I can’t just go back to her, begging for a place to stay, can I?

“…What the hell do I do now?” I tilted my head in confusion.

I have lived in the wilderness for so long that I’ve entirely forgotten how society works. I don’t even have any money.

“Do I just… make my own shelter?” I sat down on a bench, trying to figure out what to do from here.

Besides forming objects and clothes, can I also create a shelter?

I feel like I can, but that thought seems… really sad for some reason.

Contemplating with my hands on my chin, I closed my eyes until I heard a familiar voice.

“Aria!!!” she shouted, running toward me.

"Camellia? Are you okay?" I asked, worried because she had been teleported somewhere else due to Erina's abilities.

Before she even greeted me when she saw me sitting down on a bench,

—Glomp!

She began to knead my cheeks with a straight face.

"Mweh? Whaft are yu doing?" I struggled to say, my voice muffled as she continued to knead my cheeks.

"Nothing, just wanted to see if you're okay."

"Mu?"

...Are my cheeks that soft?

"Camellia, I don't think this is supposed to check if I'm okay."

"I know. That's an excuse."

"I'm starting to think everything you do to me is an excuse."

"It's your fault."

"On what exactly?!"

Without paying attention to me, she kept kneading my cheeks, completely ignoring my protest.

We hadn't met much since we escaped, and when we finally had time to reunite, a woman had barged in and forcefully separated us.

"Haaah~! I'm all recharged now!" Camellia wiped the sweat off her forehead, looking satisfied.

"I should start charging you whenever you do that... hmm?" I shook my head, then a thought suddenly popped into my mind.

"Ah, right! Aria, the person you met earlier... did they mention their name?!" Camellia went straight to the point, as if this was the reason she came running to me.

I thought she would be furious when teleported, but she looked more worried... as if she realized who she was.

Before I answered, I stood up, placed my hands on her shoulders, and looked at her with a serious expression.

“H-Huh? Aria...?!” She stared at me, her face flushed.

“Camellia, do you... do you...!” I mustered the courage to say what I had been wanting to express.

It was something important—something that could change our lives together.

"W-Wait, isn't this too early—"

“Do you have a place I can stay?” I knelt down and pleaded.

...

“Yeah... I do…” she replied quietly, nodding her head. Her face was red, as if she thought I meant something else.

Oblivious to her intentions, my eyes lit up in response, like a child who had just received good news.

“Thank you, Camellia!” I smiled with pure, radiant innocence.

“Ugh...” She buried her face in her hands, disappointed in herself.