[65.3] Goodbye, My Precious Friend

I arrived on the doorstep of my room at the Palace and silently pushed open the door. The wooden door creaked eerily, revealing a room bathed in moonlight. Zephyr lay curled up on my bed in his fox form still fast asleep. His soft fur shined as the moon glazed over him.

I stepped over to him quietly and sat down on the bed beside him.

Feeling the bed move, Zephyr grogily opened his eyes, "...Reika?"

I stared down at my charcoal hands, "Zephyr… We've been together for a while, haven't we?"

Zephyr changed back to his human form and rubbed his sleepy eyes. Since he was still half asleep, his ears and tail were still present. He hummed, "Yeah… I guess?"

"Do you remember… The first time we met?"

"Hm? You mean when you released me from that sealing stone?"

"Yeah… That."

"Of course, I remember." He turned to face me with half-open eyes, "But why are you bringing it up?"

I smiled despite my inner emotions, "That place… Your happy place… It was really nice."

"Oh." He flushed, "T-That was where I met Hazel-Er… Alora."

"Zephyr…" I let out a sigh and placed my forehead against his, "Thank you so much…"

"F-For what?"

"For everything… But mostly… For being my friend. My best friend… And… I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

I bit down on my lip, "I hope you'll forgive me."

I entered into his mind forcibly, arriving at the cavern chamber I had visited before. It was just as peaceful as before. Vines hung down from the ceiling lining the cracks in the walls. A small hole let in a beam of light, revealing a solid stone slab with moss growing over it.

In the center of the room was a single blood-red gem.

Zephyr's panicked voice echoed throughout the chamber, "R-Reika!? What are you doing!?"

I went to the alluring gem and reached for it.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! REIKA! STOP!!!"

I wrapped my hand around it, "Zephyr… I'm so very, very sorry."

"NO! DON'T!!! PLEASE! REIKA!"

My eyes gazed at the name written on the surface of the gem, solidifying the contract we had between us.

"REIKA!? PLEASE!"

I felt guilt choke my throat, "-You're better off without me."

"REIKA! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! I-I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!!!"

I used my thumb to brush away my name engraved on it, using the heat from my hands to do so.

Zephyr burst out screaming as if in agony, "NOOOOO! STOP! PLEASE!"

A single tear escaped my cheek as the final letter of my name disappeared.

The room trembled as Zephyr's screams echoed throughout it.

I was pulled out of his mind and took a step away from him. He fell off the bed reaching for me as tears rushed down his cheeks, "REIKA PLEASE!"

He grabbed onto my feet in pitiful desperation, "PLEASE DON'T ABANDON ME! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE! I PROMISE I WILL BE BETTER!"

"Zephyr-"

"-I PROMISE I WILL GIVE YOU MY CHICKEN! PLEASE! I WILL EAT ALL THE SPICY FOOD YOU WANT ME TO! I WILL DO ANYTHING! YOU CAN CALL ME A CAT! YOU CAN TREAT ME HOWEVER YOU'D LIKE!!! JUST PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"

I let out a pained sigh and bent down to him, "Zephyr…"

He sobbed as he held onto my clothes, wrinkling them and dampening them with his own tears, "Please Reika… I-I can't let you leave… You're my best friend… Y-You… "

My heart was shattered as his cries pierced into me.

I cupped his cheeks in my hands, "It'll be better for you if I'm gone-"

"-No! No, it won't be! Please, Reika! I need you!"

"There, there." I held onto him gently and rubbed his back to soothe him. I whispered a spell in his ear, "Somnum~"

His body slumped into my embrace, "Hm… Reika… I'm…"

"Shh… Go to sleep…"

"Hmm… Reika…" His eyes were slowly fluttering closed, "You can't… You can't leave me… Please… You are the only one I have left…"

I bit down on my lip, "It will be okay."

"Reika… I… Lo….."

I listened to his final whisper before he finally drifted to sleep. I struggled to place him back on the bed and gently covered him up with the blanket. As he slept, I tucked a strand of his unkempt hair behind his ear.

I forced on a smile as tears rushed down my cheeks, "You were the best friend someone like me could ever have… I didn't deserve you…. So, please… Please live the rest of your life in happiness."

I forced myself to turn away from him and opened the window. Just as I prepared to jump out, I glanced back at him one last time. I saw the tears on his cheeks shine in the moonlight.

I abruptly jumped out of the window, afraid that if I stayed any longer, I would change my mind.

I landed in the snowbank below and created my ice chunk. As soon as it formed, I was shocked to see smoke pouring off of the ice as if the ice chunk could actually be on fire.

If I use this, it will be like I'm sending smoke signals.

I could easily be tracked…

I guess that means I can only walk…

I used my invisibility to go past the guards without being caught. Once I was past the stronghold of the Palace, I found myself in the once glorious Odalis Capital. I walked in the stillness of the night, through the ruins of the streets I once knew.

There was absolutely no life on those roads.

No people.

No plants.

Not even a single mouse.

It was as if everyone, and everything, was hiding from the Monster that had almost ended all life on the entire continent.

Eventually…

I arrived at my destination.

A lone cottage lay without being touched at all from the destruction of Vira and the decay of…

Me.

And how had it survived intact? Simply because-

I reached out and knocked.

There were a few slamming noises coming from inside as the individual rushed to the door. A voice asked from behind it, "Who is it?!"

"Reika."

The door opened abruptly and I was met with-

I forced on a bitter smile, "Hello, Hazel."

The only person who could protect anything against Vira or me…

Hazel.

I stepped around her and went inside, "Is this your new place? It's-"

I sucked the following words back into my throat.

Around the room, silver hair was strewn about as if it were spider webs.

Opaque eyes stared down at me from the ceiling.

Lene hung upside down, grinning ear to ear, "Mother is home! Time for a story!!!"

Her hair wrapped around me as she dropped from the ceiling.

Hazel's expression grew harsh and she tried to unwind the hair from around me, "Lene! I told you! It's dinner time! It's not story time!"

She whined pitifully, "B-But Mother is finally here! It's time for a story!"

Hazel grew firm, "If you don't eat, then Reika is going to leave and you won't get ANY stories!"

"B-But!"

"Eat!"

"O-Okay…"

Lene sauntered off to the table and sat down with a somber expression.

I watched her in surprise, "W-Why… Why is Lene here?"

Hazel went to the kitchen to grab the dinner plate, "Hm? Oh. She didn't have anyone else to watch over her, I guess. Rose died and then Moni-"

Hazel paused for a moment.

I looked at her and realized something important.

Has Hazel always known Felix was Moni?

"I'm sorry, Reika…" Hazel placed a dinner plate in front of Lene and helped her hands find the utensils, "Moni… We have a very complicated relationship. I gave him a deadly wound and killed his Master, and he cursed me which led to my death. When I returned as Hazel, I found out he was hiding as Felix. I couldn't tell you who he was because… Well, I don't know why. At first, I was worried he would tell Zephyr and you that I was Alora."

So she did know.

Then the entire time she was so harsh with Felix…

It was actually because she hated Moni?

"...And after we found out you were Alora?"

She let out a sigh, "Then after that, I was worried none of you would believe me if I told you Felix was Moni."

I lowered my gaze, "...I see."

I can't blame her for that.

Everything that happened to her…

Everything that made her look like a villain…

None of us ever took her side.

We never believed in her innocence.

Hazel glanced away uncomfortably, "S-So… What did you come here for?"

"...I believe you."

Hazel looked up from the dinner plate with wide eyes, "W-What did you say?"

I met her gaze, "I believe you."

"B-Believe? Believe what?"

"I believe you when you said you didn't kill Rose. I believe that you truly loved Zephyr and never tried to hurt him. I believe you when you said you didn't trick him into getting sealed. I believe you when you said you didn't mean to hurt me. Everything you've ever said, I believe you."

Her eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to make sense of my sudden words, "R-Reika… I don't… I don't understand. Why are you-"

I smiled bitterly, "So could you please take care of Zephyr for me while I'm gone?"

Lene tried to push off her vegetables, but Hazel quickly slapped them back onto her plate as she spoke, "Take care of him? Why would I-"

"-Because I can't anymore."

Hazel froze, no longer slapping back the vegetables onto Lene's plate.

Lene giggled and sunk her teeth into the meat, completely unaware of the stiff atmosphere.

I watched Lene with a slight smile, "Hazel… I should have treated you better… You were always trying to warn me all this time, weren't you?"

Her expression worsened, "Reika… About that-"

I turned around and went back to the door, "He's alone now… If you tell him I sent you… He will welcome you back. I should know… Back then… I was so desperate to not be alone I would take anyone… And since you give him the affection he needs-"

Hazel went to follow me, "Reika! What are you talking about-"

My eyes turned harsh, "But I'm not going to let him get treated like I was. If you EVER hurt him, I will rip out your guts and feed them to the birds."

Hazel pulled back from me, shocked by my threat. Seeing that she didn't intend to stop me, I exited her house, leaving her behind in shocked silence.