Mar 14, 2019
sangwoo :
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from India
seen from China
seen from Belarus
seen from China
seen from Russia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Poland
seen from United States
seen from Poland
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Poland
seen from Pakistan
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
sangwoo :
♠ - ♦ -🌹
He turned around, his line of worried sight broken just to face me. The twilight hair spilt over his eyes, only being brushed aside after he heaved his breath.
🌹 “Hey”
♠ “Hi, Rose. Oh, is your arm okay?”
“It’s fine, not the first time I’ve been struck with a sharp object in the same place.”
♠ “You saying it like it’s nothing is still worrying.”
🌹 “There’s more to be worried over, honestly. I can tell from here…”
Lou looks away, his finger twirling a strand of hair. His eyes trail back to the meeting room beside him. I feel compelled to look away as well, just to peek.
♠ “…I’m more worried for him if anything…He’s not the kind to simply stand there””
🌹 “Like a clueless child no less.”
♠ “Lost for words, I’m stunned. I don’t think he’s faced a loss this big. This isn’t like the ones before, we’re surrounded everywhere we go”
🌹 “He’ll be okay, Lou.”
♠ “You sure?”
🌹 “Positive”
I turned my head to Ai, only spotting the empty space beside us. I turned my head further, to see her besides the Joker-bound. They seemed to have stopped, head of the blonde in their hands while her own rubbed circles into their back.
Ai…she’s done well in the field so far. I’m proud of her, she’s grown quite a bit. Still…
This…this was only the start of her fight in this world. Significant scars on her back, arm and legs were the few traces of the battle from just now. They weren’t too deep, but it was a lot to patch up.
And the battle was a brief one too. Who knows how much more she might sustain if it went on for longer. If I weren’t here to drag her out in time…
And Jacques…
I never have seen them so in shambles. Hair a mess and tears welling up in their normally sparkling gold and lavender eyes. Yeah, what happened back in the house, it did happen. But seeing Fia’s bloodied body was nothing compared to the hundred from before.
The atmosphere feels heavier, with the heavy breathing echoing. One couldn’t breathe without it choking you in an iron fist.
♠ “…this one really shook us for good, hasn’t it?”
🌹 “Things are very much different now, we’ve been gone for too long. And it feels like just days”
Just as the sound of my sighs passed, sounds of clicking, clacking echoed. It bounced off the cave walls, turning all of our heads to further into caverns. With her flat heels from her burnt umber boots, a tall figure with sleek features ambled her way over to them. Her hands rested at her front, clasping ever so gently onto her long staff as if the object did not weigh anything in her palms. Her dress, dark cadmium cloth layered over pure white and black accents, was flowing behind her. The shape of her skirt was long enough to form a path behind her. Along with the dark red cape draped over her shoulders, under the curls of her long scarlet hair that outlined her chin like the frame of an artist’s finest work. Looking ahead to the group, the ethereal presence of a Hearts Sister already brought Lou a smile to his lips.
♠ “Miss Le Fond!”
♥ “Your highness.”
-To which Evequeline answered with a bow.
Lou scrunched his face for only a second. He wasn’t so keen on the royal salutations but he put on a smile anyway.
🔥 “Hey, Miss High Priestess, haven’t seen you in a while...” Ai greeted as well, tone as flat as ever
♥ “Me neither, little one. I’m glad to see you all safe and sound” She brushes her hair from her cream milky skin like it hasn’t been so groomed enough.
🌹 “Safe, yes. But not exactly sound.”
♥ “At least all of you did well to fend off the armies so we could retreat. We appreciated your efforts just in time.”
🌹 “Thanks, I guess.”
♥ “Do any of you need any medical attention? Or perhaps food, there should be plenty from the neighbouring town. Blessings upon them for being generous to let us stay in the vicinity.”
🔥 “I think some of us need a rest…just for a bit…”
♥ “Very well, come with me. I’ll bring you to the quarters”
Ai nodded, helping Jacques up from the wall to follow. I began to take a step forward before I realised I didn’t hear any steps behind me. Lou barely had moved from the entryway, his head back to looking longingly away.
🌹 “You want to stay?”
♠ “I don’t want to leave him yet.”
🌹 “Can’t fault you for that, I guess…Well, if you’re not leaving then so am I”
♠ “H-Huh?”
🌹 “Or do you perhaps want some alone time?”
♠ “O-Oh, uh, I don’t want you to push you away if you want to see Morgan after this. He’s your friend too, after all.”
🌹 “I’m fine with leaving you two love birds alone, you two could use it”
♠ “Ah, eh…it’s okay, I’m fine with you staying”
🌹 “Settles it then”
I turned back around, pressing my back again to the cave wall. Charcoal hair spilt over my shoulder, ice blue eyes looking back and forth between the stone floors and the source of the babble just beside me. Soft candlelight illuminating the space, warmness to contrast the chilling crawls up my spine. I could just hear the frosted words coming from the second-in-commands in the room, every piece of news they laid upon was another cut. I couldn’t imagine how Morgan must’ve been thinking. I could have a general silhouette formed in my head but it was too much of a blurry shadow than anything. He spent a day dancing under the glorious sun while the rest of the resistance caved into the fell step of the Rouge Kingdom. And so, they resorted to caves because of it. Looking over to Lou, I couldn’t fathom what ran in his head either. They let what they cared for be reduced to almost dust. Though unlike Morgan, I could try to sharpen the blurry silhouette.
🌹 “Lou…are you doing okay?”
♠ “Not really…I’m thinking over everything. How are we going to get the resources we need? How are we going to make out next move?… How the king is going to react to this…”
🌹 “He’s not going to be positive towards it, that’s for sure”
♠ “Obviously. I’m over him taking control of my life but…he’s definitely going to drag me back as soon as he knows I’ve returned from Earth”
🌹 “He won’t, we won’t let him at least”
♠ “…thanks, I really appreciate that”
🌹 “Hey, if that dick thinks he can just come to collect you and hurt you again, he’ll get it”
♠ “That’s at least a consolation in such trying times. Right now, I just want my focus on just one thing”
He turned back to the room, his lips tightly pressed together.
🌹 “Let me guess, him?”
♠ “I’m predictable, aren’t I? I just…I just want him to be okay. Level-headed at least through this. Maybe not now, but soon.”
“He better be. The resistance needs him to be, more than anything”
♠ “I just…am hoping for the best for him. All eyes are on him, after all.”
🌹 “I’m hoping too…but he’s confident. He’s clever and he’s crafty. I’m sure he’ll pull through. After all, you’ve seen how he is, haven’t you?”
Lou lifts his head, his sapphire eyes focused onto me. I could’ve sworn I saw the shines in the jewels return, glisten like the fragment of the stars they once were.
♠ “I have. And he impresses me more than anything. Yeah…he’ll be alright”
I feel the smile creep back to my face. At last a glimmer of hope, in this dreary dark cave. And soon, it becomes darker, the candlelight fading. With that, the steps of the people trotted right of the room. I had to pull Lou aside so he wouldn’t get trampled by them. Left and right, their scampers echoed. Their faces passed us both, all going in their separate directions. But none of their faces was the one we recognised. Lou peeled himself from the wall, head of the twilight peeking around back to the meeting room. And within it, was a space already attempting to thrive of flora.
The commander had already tossed his seeds around, with the flower vines crawling up the stone. And there he was, standing with papers scattered over the makeshift table of crates. Holding down the papers were the cutter of instruments strewn about. Sticks of chalk, callipers, compasses, rulers, quills and many, many pots of ink. A map was held up loosely by vines pressing the sheet of parchment against the wall. In the middle of the room, darting between each crate of the papers, was Morgan. Grassy green cape tossed aside, revealing his leather and black cloth under armour. Twirling his brunet hair, his head kept whipping to every possible direction. The mutterings under his breath were repeated and much faster than before. I turned to my side, seeing Lou helplessly watching as the commander raced past him multiple times. It wasn’t until I made a simple coughing sound that Morgan stopped for a second. Mere second to whip his head around and eye the prince and the earth dweller standing awkwardly in the entryway.
♦ “Oh hey, you two!”
♠ “Morrie, how did it already get so messy, the rest had just left the room-“
♦ “Can’t answer, trying to focus…Were you waiting outside this whole time?”
🌹 “Yes, we have”
♦ “Aww, that’s sweet. But uh- Chérie, Rose, you should probably sleep? It’s late out, isn’t it?”
♠ “And you?”
“Oh, I’ll be fine, I just gotta plan for our next move. The essence of time and all that. After all, our sources to the rest of the lands are cut off. We can’t receive any sort of help from the Noir kingdom without them being trampled too. I’ll uhh, brief you all in the morning once I have a solid plan in place-“
♠ “Morrie, how much you have to plan”
♦ “Uh…hmmm. Well…”
🌹 “Morgan.”
♦ “There’s a lot of aspects to consider, lots of options to play. But this is fine, this is fine, I can ma- Whoops!“
♠ “M-Morrie, careful! You’re rushing everywhere!”
🌹 “Jeez, Mona, what are you even doing?”
♦ “Just have to think, just have to think, it works better when I have plants around at least”
🌹 “Explains the seeds everywhere-“
♠ “But you should be sleeping, we have the morning to do something.”
♦ “But-“
🌹 “Okay, Morgan, calm down. You’re panicking. And it seems like you’re not thinking straight. Not really a benefit for planning”
♦ “No, I’m not? I’m fine, just let me work stuff out“
♠ “Morgan-“
♦ “I’ll be fine!”
🌹 “Morgan…”
♦ “It’s going to be fine, Just lea-“
***THWACk***
It…well wasn’t the best of choices to hit Morgan in the head with the hilt of my sword as he ducked away for parchment. And it didn’t help that Lou was standing there horrified, eyes widened as he stared at the unconscious body on the cave floor. Understandable reaction afterwards, though-
♠ “EST-IL MORT? QUEL GENRE DE MERDE AS-TU FAIT??”
🌹 “He’s fine…for now at least.”
♠ “Y-you sure???”
🌹 “As I much as I can be, it was just a blow to the head. Do you know where the sleeping quarters are?”
♠ “Yeah, I do. I think I passed his a few steps ago. Uhm...Are you going to-“
🌹 “Carry him? Yes”
As I said, I lifted him up and draped him over my shoulder like a rag doll. For someone taller than me, he’s to fireman carry, at least when the living daylights were forcefully smacked out of him. The Spades-bound simply gave him a head pat for reassurance, tousling his unkempt brunet hair before his steps lead me away. Heaving, I traversed down the caverns with him.
We all travelled deeper into the cave, me only being distracted by the stalactites looming over us. Normally, one would be amazed by the spacious caverns. Maybe by the flowing streams of the water through the walls and the like. But my mind was adrift elsewhere, wandering the spaces far beyond the cave. How could I not, as I twirl my charcoal black hair in my fingers? I would be here much longer than expected, not that I wanted to leave any of them behind. This resistance would need everything to get back on its feet.
Not before long, the stepping sound on the stone came to a halt, so did I. Lou stood just adjacent to the open entry to the quarters. Since it was a cave, after all, the “room” was an open floor plan, one could say. The considerably small beds were simple, strewn and strung together hay clumps packed together by whatever solid building scraps that were salvaged. Pillows were substituted with sacks of more straw and blankets were seemingly replaced with the crew’s rags. The floor was ornamented with few wooden boxes, filled with rations, a leather quiver of arrows and a crafted bow. The only other attractions were the unlit candle just beside the bed and the spilt sacks of seeds dumped so dispiritingly in the corner, with only some sprouting early. Overall, not something I was used to but what else did I even expect?
I hobbled my body over to the hay bed, dumping the body onto the golden pile. I sat down at the edge of the wooden frame, releasing and taking in a long deep breath. I could hear the planks creak as Lou gripped the frame next to me before settling on a seat. Us both sat in the silence that hung above us, like the haunting shadowy shapes of the spikes on the ceiling. I gulped the awkward tension down my throat, barely swallowing it just to say at least something to him.
“You should sleep first. I mean there’s not much of room to spare on this one, so I guess you can take this one”
♠ “R-right...”
🌹 “Is…something wrong? He’s going to be fine when he wakes up, Lou”
♠ “It’s not that, it’s…just now…”
🌹 “That was…a whiplash to witness, yeah”
♠ “Normally, yeah, I do care a lot for his well-being and safety. But now, that conviction feels…heightened. Like more, a lot more, after seeing that”
“He might just need some rest, he did just come back after the dance and fighting off the Rouge Armies. Just be with him when he wakes. After all, I don’t know anyone else he might like to see first thing in the morning”
♠ “What? No, I’m sure there are more people he’d like to see once he wakes. You're his friend, he’d like to see you. I think? Or Jacques, the two became closer since he was tasked with the resistance. Oh, Ai? They seem like buddies”
🌹 “No- Lou-, you know why it's you he wants to see. Specifically you.”
…
♠ “Oh it's because I kissed him”
I didn’t even notice my hand automatically on my forehead for just a second as he finally pieced it together.
“He loves you, Lou. You're technically his boyfriend now, ohmygod-“
♠ “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m still getting used to that! The whole love thing, I still don’t get much of it”
🌹 “It’s okay. If it helps, I can guess that you’ve loved him for a long time. Just took you a while to realise it, no?”
♠ “I suppose, that’s right…And I think he's loved me for a long time as well, so it shouldn’t be so different from the usual.”
🌹 “Just go sleep with him, you goof”
♠ “Okay, okay, I’m getting to that.”
🌹 “Night, you two”
♠ “Au revoir à demain!”
Stood up from the wooden plank frame, I made my way over to the exit whilst my hand fluttered a wave goodbye. And with that, I resided back to the caverns amongst the drops of shimmering water that dotted the walls like precious stones from a mine. I couldn’t help but feel the need to touch them, excavate them as if they were the gems they appeared to be. My breaths were nothing but cold clouds that brushed my face as I navigated the caverns. I couldn’t help but brush my hand through my charcoal hair again, to be lost in the sea of the thoughts again. I didn’t even know where my legs decided to drag me to whilst my mind ventured elsewhere. Still, I couldn’t think of much else.
What happened earlier, and what happened before that…
Now that I thought more into it, there weren’t many good options to pick before the resistance could crawl out of the corner they were thrown into.
It was already unexpected enough that some of the Hearts-bound still were within the control of the king, driving them away was already a hassle in it of itself.
Even the High Priestess of the Hearts couldn’t have expected their betrayal of their fellow sisters and brothers, as she said.
I could only wonder as I wandered the cavern. To find me back to the meeting room before long. The room was still the cluttered mess as we had left it. I heaved a sigh. If he were to come back here in the morning, then I suppose he’d prefer it to be clean. Was a good thing that at least magic worked in this world, I thought as I snapped my fingers. I watched the pens pick themselves up and marched into a collective neat pile on the cracked open crates. The ink pots lifted from the ground, the spilt darkness from those pots too. They arranged themselves in their spot in between the orderly dancing chalk and rolling pencils. I picked up the parchments with the scribbled letters on my own. I took my sweet time with those, using that time to look upon the written scratches on them. I didn’t expect such disorder sprayed across the page like a half-assed toss of salt into the pan. But the words and diagrams I could make out were nothing short of fascinating. Lists of notes of tiny details, in such tiny handwriting. The small drawings on the sides were illegible at best but they were a treat nonetheless into the commander’s head. Taking the papers and neatly packing them together, I set the pile aside. As I did, I noticed the streaks of green crawl up the stone. They moved so quickly on their own, but their frail forms couldn’t reach so far ahead. I touched a vine, letting it slither past my finger.
♠ “MOOOOORRRRRRRRIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
I whipped my head around, hearing the ever familiar voice and nickname reverberating just behind her
🌹 “Lou?”
♠ “ROSE! ROSE! WHERE’S MORGAN?”
🌹 “He’s, uh, not here. Wait, did he just disappear?”
♠ “He did, he did! I just woke up and he was just GONE. And he left his card with me, that breaks the first rule of the Card-bounds. AND HE NEVER BREAKS THAT.”
🌹 “Well shit, I don’t know if the guy can catch a break-“
♠ “I thought so too, that’s why I ran over here. You haven’t seen him in here?”
“No? I didn’t see anyone in here since I came in. If he teleported here, I couldn’t have known though. The place was a mess”
♠ “Oh no, what if he teleported to somewhere dangerous? WITHOUT BACKUP!?”
🌹 “I don’t think he'd run away, not when we need him now. So he shouldn’t be far…but this is a cave.”
♠ “Right, right…”
🌹 “Okay, I’m going to teleport around the cave and see where-“
♠ “Wait…wait, I think I know he might be.”
🌹 “You do? Already?”
♠ “Remember what he said in here? When he was panicking?”
🌹 “When there were seeds everywhere…”
♠ “Can you teleport us to outside the cave, I know where a bunch of them are.”
I nodded, placing a hand on the Jack of Spades’ small shoulders and snapping my fingers with the other. A blink later, and the sky was open to us. The darkness above us, painted with blue and pale white streaks of midnight across the clouds. The soft luminance of the moon, coupled with the splatter and splash of the stars across the canvas. But it was no time to be distracted by the night sky just yet. Not even by the soft winds whistling by or the lights of the night owls in the town just far off in the distance. Not when my arm was already being dragged away to the west. Crinkling the grass beneath our feet as Lou led me away, I heaved my short breaths trying to keep up. For someone so small, he was fast on his feet. And it didn’t take long before we reached a forested area. It wasn’t too heavy with trees, but the ones that did grow there were taller than what I've seen before. They could pierce the painted sky above us so easily. Their branches stretching far and wide, hugging the spaces below in the gentle shade. I didn’t even notice the trees were here. Nor did I notice the rustling of leaves just behind us. It was only when the arrow had flown past us, stabbing the trunk of the tree in a flash that I realised he was here already.
♠ “MORRIE!”
Out from the side of another lumbering tower of nature, the aforementioned poked his head out
♦ “Oh, shoot, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
🌹 “I thought you were a good shot, Mona”
♦ “I am, I am! I wasn’t going to kill both of you with that, I’m not that crazy!”
🌹 “Okay, dude chill-“
♠ “You were already going to kill me with worry… Running off without me knowing, really?”
♦ “I thought you were tired, guess not. Heh, I suck at even guesswork.”
♠ “Morrie, what's wrong, you're not…like this. You don’t disappear without warning…you don’t just leave your things like your card out…And you don’t just leave me like that…”
♦ “Chérie, I’m fine, I just…I just can't stop thinking-“
🌹 “About the Rouge kingdom? About what they did.”
♦ “…yeah”
🌹 “Morgan, none of it was your fault-“
♦ “THEN WHO ELSE JUST LEFT THE RESISTANCE TO FALL APART LIKE THIS? I let my self get too comfortable in Earth, I let everyone be defenceless and look what happened. I got complacent. I lost almost everyone. I’m a horrible leader, Rose, now everything is has gone to shit.”
Lou backed up, shoulders dropped and sapphire eyes widened. I still stood rooted to the ground, though my feet were willing to back away too.
🌹 “Morgan…you did all you could from Earth. It was a quiet period, no?”
♦ “Quiet doesn’t mean peaceful, I should’ve known that. I should've known more. Instead, I’m a reckless idiot who abandoned everyone…”
🌹 “There's no use beating yourself over your mistake, Morgan. If you weren’t a good leader then, be a good leader now. And trust me, you are one.”
♠ “Morrie, she’s right…and please don’t worry, we’re still here.”
♦ “I …I lost half of them, what if I lose you all too…”
♠ “You won’t, we’ll all be here. We’re not going to leave you…I won’t ever leave. I promised that to you, didn’t I?”
♦ “…that you'd stay with me, even against your father’s wish?”
♠ “Even against the world…Morrie, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll win this war together. I’ve seen you do amazing things, even as only an Ace. Even before you were bound! So I know…you’ll do great.”
♦ “…chérie…”
The Diamond-bound let out a heavy breath, making his steps towards Lou and ruffling his twilight hair. Pressing his forehead to his, I knew I could see the gentle smile peeking through.
♦ “I love you”
♠ “I love you too, Morrie.”
I felt a little guilty for being an audience to the two, simply standing there with arms crossed and a smile spread across my face. But I wouldn’t lie by saying I wasn’t heart warmed by the sight. I was going to step away, snap my fingers back to the cave. But-
♠ “Hey, c’moooon, you get a hug too”
🌹 “Wh-, Who me?”
Before I had much more to retort with, the winds “mysteriously” pushed me to the pair. A little too forcefully, as I crashed both of them to the grassy dirt. The night was less quiet now, filled with our laughter erupting all so suddenly in our hug pile. It was strange really, to be so happy now. With whatever to be scheduled tomorrow. But none of us was going to complain after all. It was a good night. A good night which we were happy enough to sleep through once we finished our pile
---
> Next morning
Towa no Quon ending theme - Reckless by Lazy
Kyoukai no Kanata Ending Theme - Daisy
KAmiYU - REASON
Romaji lyrics
Be my reason Subete ga ima Be my flowered future Ugokidasu Be my reason Kimi no soba de Be my flowered future Kanjou no namae nante Iidaseba kira ga nai kedo Kimi no me ga sakube no nara Honnou de kikiwakeru (Trust) Tsukimatou (Trust) Soko ni aru Hikari mo yami mo Tsunagari dasu Piisu no you ni Ryuu ga aru kara Guuzen demo Nariyuki demo Shijitai deai ni kawatteeiku Kokoro no ondo go Sukoshi zutsu agaru ne Misekake ja nai kake waki mo nai Honto no jibun no mama de Eranda basho ni tatteru koto Kimi ni tsutaetai yo Be my reason By your side Be my flowered future
English lyrics
Be my reason Everything depends on it right now Be my flowered future I get going Be my reason By your side Be my flowered future If we ever talk about feelings There'll be no end to it But if your eyes ever cry out I would instinctively recognize it (Trust) I follow you around (Trust) It's over there But the light and darkness They begin to connect Like puzzle pieces Because there is a reason Whether it happened by chance or by design It will change into the encounter that I want to believe in The temperature of my heart Rises little by little I'm not pretending, nor am I hiding anything I'm just being myself I want to tell you That I'm standing in the place I've chosen Be my reason By your side Be my flowered future
"And only then the fear of weakness shall be shattered, all the darkness, vanquished, at the mercy of those who were brave enough to face them, and bring peace."
As soon as Toy shattered his own mirror, the spectator revealed itself, and approached to the golem-stallion. <Child!> she had called out. <Come to me. Come to me and let us rid this shadow from it's haunting,> her voice rung around, a gentle voice that would fill the minds of everyone within the arena. Her voice had no precise tone, but it left a feeling like one would have when they were exposed to the sunlight after being in the cold for so long. Her voice was warm, like the sun itself.
It approached towards the golem, and placed a gentle kiss atop his muzzle. Her figure dissolved into a thin, glowing mist of white and a pale gold, shrouding the stallion's body before it become one with him.
Toy's shoulder blades cracked and out bursted two sets of white wings, shining bright, and a unicorn's horn emerged from his forehead. His eyes took a white glow as the fusion completed itself, merging the figure and Toy into one being.
"You shall torment these souls NO MORE, WRAEN!" his jaw opened on it's own and let forth a fierce roar, bolting up to the sky as a trail of golden light followed him. His wings of light opened up on his sides as he illuminated the sky, turning it into a mixture of pale yellow, and baby blue. The melted hooves crackled with white energy.
"I CAST YOU BACK TO THE SHADOWS WHENCE YOU CAME!"
The sky tear into a white beam of light as the body of Toy took a dive towards what "he" had called Wraen. The armored shadow got up to it's feet and let a roar, but Toy kept descending, energy crackling through the air like lightning. "No," Wraen whispered, now with fear in it's voice. "No. No! NO! YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BEAT ME! I AM-"
The hooves of Toy rammed against the armored chest of Wraen, shattering the thing's entire body into tiny fragments. Like black, broken pieces of glass, Wraen's remnants scattered around, it's agonized howl echoing, then fading away.
As Wraen was destroyed, and Toy landed onto the platform where Wraen sat, the spectators within the colosseum vanished into thin air. The white figure that imbued Toy pulled itself away, the wings and horn on Toy vanishing, leaving Toy as how he was before.
