Arc III: Epilogue

「 What makes life meaningful? 」

♦ ♦ ♦

She often pondered that question.

Was there anymore more beyond work, eat, and sleep?

She knew the answer. And it always leaves a bitter feeling every time her mind wandered aimlessly in the dead of the night.

She often observed the nobilities as she roamed the street with groceries in her arm. Smiling bitterly to herself, the girl would accept the fact that she would always remain a slave.

After all, she was an orphan. That was not an unusual occurrence for her village. Many of her friends were often adopted as slaves or sold as properties by many of the upper classes.

She had parents and a grandmother when she was young, but around the time she would have started school in her town, they were killed by an infectious epidemic. Eventually, she was brought to an orphanage and purchased by a rich merchant family.

Perhaps she did something so wrong in her past life to deserve all of this misfortune.

Yes. that must be right.

The world may be cruel and unjust, but she must have been an utterly horrible person in her previous life to deserve all of this. A notorious criminal? A serial killer? A wicked magician?

Or was it all of the above?

That must be it.

It was the only logical explanation.

She learned the concept of Karma at the local orphanage she was raised in for ten years.

The doctrine stated something like good people receives good while bad receive—

—Kicked in the face. Collapsed on the grass field with a thump.

"Quit spacing out and pick up those herbs, fucking dumb slave."

The leader growled as she laid down, clutching her face and grimacing in pain. This attack was not the first time.

"Y-Yes... Chief... S-sorry..."

"If I don't see a basketful of tarromin by sunset, then you will starve again tonight."

As he left her to join his family, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. She had been thinking too much again. If she did not ponder and emptied her mind, then these emotions would not have emerged. There was a moment of uneasy silence as a cold breeze drifted by, making the grass rustle across her face.

Why...?

She wanted to cry.

She wanted to explode.

She wanted to let her tears flow out.

But she must not. If she broke down here, then she would not be able to finish her duty.

In the distance, she could see the chief hugging his son and praising him lavishly. He told him how good of a boy he was and that he will become a strong, wise man one day.

The girl stood up shakily after the pain subsided to a more bearable amount. She continued the same old routine; picking what seemed to be an endless amount of herbs.

Helping the merchant household, which added up to around twenty people. Even if they worked her like a draft horse, she could only smile and accept it.

The abusive language was always constant, and if they felt like it, they would physically hit her once in a while too.

She was not fed nearly enough, nearly skin and bones under the dirty brown rags she wore.

Despite all the bruises and injuries, they seemed to heal at an inhuman speed. And that was when the merchants discovered that she possessed magic affinity. But they did not know how its potency until they arrived at their next destination: Temecula.

♦ ♦ ♦

Something must have happened when the merchants went inside Temecula.

Because she found herself kneeling in front of the King of Temecula. The families she was with were all slaughtered. Brutally by the group of magicians who showed no mercy, even for the women and children who begged.

"You're now under my care, little slave girl."

She thought the conditions would at least improve. Maybe she was saved. But no, it became even worse.

Countless of repressed memories that she forced herself to forget.

Experiments after experiments with the evil man called Zenpy. Sometimes, she would bleed from the dissection. Other times, she would be injected with the syringe, which would cost hallucination.

She felt like she was trapped in an eternal hell.

The grand healing magic became a curse.

♦ ♦ ♦

She did not remember much about the battle. It was as if her thoughts were hazy and some drug effect made it difficult for her to remember exactly what happened. It was like waking up from a dream. A bad dream.

Despite the muddled memory, she knew one thing was certain.

She cannot win even if she tried her best.

The two masked adventurers called Yin and Yang held back when they fought.

After her power was completely drained, she expected death. In fact, after years of abuse and hopelessness, she welcomed it. It was finally the end of her miserable life.

But the maid magician called Yin hugged her. Embracing her tightly in her arms.

The hug felt pleasant and comforting. And the girl could not help but latch back onto her, wanting to absorb all of her warmth. It was as if her body had secretly craved physical affection.

This was the very first time that physical contact did not hurt her.

And for some unknown reason, the mage cried too. Her face indicated that of pure kindness and the older brother brimmed the atmosphere with security.

No one has ever cried with her. Let alone for her.

She could still remember those words that still sparked warmth inside her heart, igniting the hope to a brighter future.

"I promise — as long as you believe in us, we will be there to protect you."

♦ ♦ ♦

Thanks to the doctors in white coats, her filthy blonde hair now glowed with a beautiful luster. Her emaciated features had regained their fullness. Her cracked lips were now a healthy pink. On the whole, she was attractive. Her overall looks were better described as a soft-spoken prettiness.

It truly was a miracle how healing-based magic could undo years of physical injuries. In fact, the doctors praised her innate magic potential as the key factor for rapid self-regeneration.

Two familiar figures walked into the room and stood beside the bed she laid in.

They took off their mask, revealing matching black-hair. On their face was filled with compassion. The boy had a crimson-red eye while the girl had navy-blue eyes and tied her hair in a side ponytail with a dainty red ribbon.

"You're finally awake, feeling better?"

"I g-guess..."

"I'm glad to hear that," The beautiful maiden sat on the bed and spoke warmly, "What's your name?"

"I-I don't have one..."

"That's quite troublesome."

"Um... what's your name?"

"I'm Amae, and this is my partner, Onii. Those are our real names. We don't go by Yin and Yang when we don't wear our masks."

"It'll be our little secret," The young man called Onii smirked. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"I promise..."

"So what did the others call you before?"

"There's lazy pig, useless human—"

"—Okay stop!" Amae shushed her lips with her fingers and patted her head tenderly. "How about I give you a name?"

A name...?

Amae shut her eyes. Her skin appeared smooth, beautiful and shined like pearls under the charming light. After a brief moment, she spoke with a confident voice:

"Mirai."

"M-Mirai..." The girl muttered her name for the first time. "Mirai..."

"Yes, that's right!" Amae nodded as the girl felt an indescribable sense of happiness inside. "It means future. That there is a bright future waiting for you."

Mirai's lip bloomed into a beaming smile as tears trickled down her cheek. She was not even aware until Amae wiped tenderly with a handkerchief. She loved the name. It was such a beautiful name. For the first time, she had something that belonged solely to her and no one else could ever take it away.

"Mirai, I want to give you this," Amae unwinded her ribbon, in the process, loosening her side-ponytail into beautiful black waves. Mirai could only admire the opulent quality of the accessory as Amae placed it in her hand.

This must have cost a fortune.

"This item is「Ribbon of Harmony」. It will help you with magic control and plus, it looks super cute with your blonde hair. Here's to our new friendship!"

Friendship.

Her heart trembled happily at that sound of that word.

"T-thank you..."

Mirai grasped tightly to the ribbon. It was the token to their new friendship.

"Our good friend, the one wearing the maid costume, will take care of you now. Although it won't be easy with the mental trauma you went through, we know she has a team of doctors and therapists that can provide you with the best care."

No... Mirai did not want her saviors to leave. She wanted to get to know them more. If it were possible, she wanted to be with Onii and Amae from now on.

At the very least, she did not want to be alone again.

"D-don't leave..." She held onto the hems of Amae's white dress. "P-please..."

Amae had a troubled expression on her face as Onii walked forward and smiled warmly.

"Mirai. It truly is a beautiful name, befitting for someone with great potential. I can tell that from our battle that you were indeed strong, but if you stay with us, you won't be able to become stronger and learn how to properly control your magic. That's why we are entrusting you to Mari."

"B-but... I don't want you to leave me forever."

"Who says we are leaving forever?"

Amae patted Mirai's head, avoiding the gray glowing halo above her head as that was a sensitive part of Heavenlights.

"We'll still visit you from time to time. But in order to provide what's best for you, we think that it's better for you to first learn how to control your power."

"And if I can control my power, will I be able to see you two again... Amae and Onii?"

"Of course," Amae took the dainty ribbon and tied her hair into a side ponytail. Mirai was happy that she looked like her hero. "Just remember that we are always right by your side if you ever miss us."

"We want you to create a future for yourself. Do you have anything you want to do?"

Mirai took a second before it came into her mind.

"I want to help those who are like me, specifically those without a family. I want to be able to protect them."

"That's a beautiful goal." Oni nodded in reverence, "Mirai, train and become a great magician."

Amae chimed in with a strong emphasis, "Then use those power to protect your dreams."

And together, the two siblings joined hands together, as if they were a couple, and declared in a voice that she will always remember:

"We will be rooting for you, Mirai!"

♦ ♦ ♦

Mirai stood in the conference room by herself. On one hand, she held her AI and on the other were the documents that Swindle had left on the table. The meeting was long over but she told the fellow 'S-ranks' that she wanted some alone time.

However, her real intention was something else.

Mirai put her AI down on the table and tied her hair into a side ponytail with the signature-red ribbon. She thought back to that fateful day. Through the classified information, she was happy to learned many of their achievements that Onii and Amae have not disclosed to her before.

What makes life meaningful?

Perhaps it meant meeting people that changed her entire world.

For her, those people were the two siblings; Onii and Amae. Also known as Yin and Yang.

She would have never known a beautiful future like this, where she can attend school, have a group of friends and enjoy a normal life, existed for her.

This was a future where she was allowed to be happy. A future where she could pursue her own goals. A future where she could experience the good things in life like delicious food, basic shelter and the beautiful smiles of the children at the local orphanage she worked at.

She thought how they had pulled her from the depths of hell and ultimately, saved her from an inevitable demise.

Mirai muttered「Arclight」, as the documents engulfed itself in a blinding heatless flame before disappearing into untraceable ashes. If she could not associate with Onii and Amae at school because of their current mission and hidden identity as Hero-tier adventurers, then she will do whatever it takes to help them from behind the scenes, even if it meant fighting against her current classmates.

With a smile as bright as the future, Mirai shut the door behind her, along with it, her past of being a slave.