An Aside.

After that night, my world once again had been changed by her. She who was my savior became something much more in the course of a night. We woke up together in the morning, and by breakfast I felt a renewed sense of determination. I made us tea and we sat together by a fire. She offered me some food and I gladly accepted. It was a quiet morning, but nice. Kae glanced at me and stared for a few moments without saying a word. I tilted my head in response, wondering if perhaps I had done something wrong. 

"Is everything okay..?" I asked her, praying that I hadn't upset her. She laughed suddenly, reaching forward and patting my head. I felt my cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment. "W-what?" 

"Nothing. Sorry.. I was just thinking about how alive you look now. When we first met you barely seemed like you were there. Your eyes were empty… But now when I look at them they seem so bright, almost like they are shining. It just makes me happy, that is all." I didn't know how to respond to that. My heart skipped a beat and I looked down. "Sorry, is that embarrassing?" She laughed a bit again. 

"Yes it is, actually." I pouted a bit, but after a second I sighed and smiled up at her. "To be truthful, before I met you… I wasn't alive. I was an empty shell of a person. I didn't even care that I was dying, or that my life had been wasted. That is until I met you." I reached forward and took her hands and held them tightly. "When I saw you for the first time… It was like I breathed for the first time. I saw color, a light. The joy you have brought to my life cannot be measured." I looked at her with a smile. "I am forever thankful that I got to meet you, Kae. " 

Kae laughed so beautifully after that. Her eyes shone like the stars in the sky, and her smile made my heart feel warm and full. Everything about her was so incredible, it was hard to not get swept up in the moment. 

"That is rather sweet of you to say. I really did not do that much though. In the end, it was all thanks to the hero.. It's been a long road to get here, Elize. Everyday the chaos continues to grow and injustice in the world runs rampant. To be honest with you, when we first started out I had no idea of how important this would be to the world. I just thought we were saving our little tribe.. But now I understand just what is at stake." She looked up towards the sky then, reaching her hand upwards. "There was so much about this world that we had so little idea about… It is truly a miracle that everything has worked out so well. So I am thankful that you have become a part of that journey. I am human, and there is only so much I can do. Having you by my side however makes me feel like I can do so much more.. That I can actually save people, make a difference. That is to say, I really hope we can continue to work together for a better future." I smiled back at her, leaning my head against her shoulder. I was just happy to be there for her. Life seemed so simple and happy during these moments, it was almost hard to believe that I had ever not been so happy.

"There is one thing I am curious about, Elize. Your magic, it is so potent. Do you know how that came to be?" Kae tilted her head cutely to the side so she could better look at me. 

"My magic..? Honestly I know so little about it. I didn't even realize it was something I could do until it happened. It feels natural, though. So perhaps I was always made to do this." I sat up slightly and looked at my hand. "It feels warm, I liked using it.. But it was also scary. Like It could consume me if I am not careful. Does that make sense?" 

Kaeru suddenly glanced to the side of her, as if someone had said something. She then moved her gaze back to me with a far more serious expression. I wasn't sure if it scared me or not, but I did not like seeing her like this. 

"You should be careful, then. Don't use too much of it." Her words didn't sound like her own. It sounded like someone else, someone who knew way more about this than Kae did. I didn't like it, not one bit. I would do anything for her of course. I would never use that magic again if she asked. However something felt wrong about this conversation. The sudden turn felt as if she wasn't speaking to me any more. Someone else was there. I narrowed my eyes and looked behind her, hoping to see something or someone. Of course, no one was there. But I could almost see someone. It was like a faint shimmer against the sunlight, a small glimpse into something unseeable. 

"Did someone tell you that?"I asked her not to be aggressive towards her of course. However if something was controlling her, bothering her.. I had little qualms about killing it. Kae seemed surprised by this statement, moving back and going quiet for a moment. It was enough for me to confirm that something more was happening than what I knew. It was just a matter of deciding whether or not that this 'more' was a threat to her or not. 

"I… Honestly, I am surprised you noticed. You are aware that I have a connection to a spirit, right? That is why I have these marks, and why I was given command to begin with. Most cannot see him but, the spirit I am bound to can speak to me. He is a bit more knowledgeable with certain things than I am." Kae said as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I was not sure how to process that. 

"Wait so you can talk to a spirit..? For real?" I asked, staring at the spot I was certain the spirit was. "I suppose that makes sense…" I found myself getting jealous. This stupid spirit clearly got to spend a lot more time with Kae… That seemed mildly unfair. "I will try to be better about watching my magic." 

"Thank you Elize. I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything." Kae pat my head again, this time leaning in and giving me a kiss on my forehead. "You know, you are really adorable sometimes. You don't have to be jealous of him. Trust me." 

"Okay. I will trust you then." I said, smiling up at her happily. "That being said, I am curious… our goal is to defeat the chaos, right?" 

"Yes. Why?" 

"Well… we are not heading to the source of chaos. That is way up north. We are heading south. Why is that? I didn't even think about that until now but… I am not sure I really get it." 

Kaeru smiled then, however it seemed like there was far more behind that smile than normal. She knew something big. I wasn't sure I wanted to know, now that I had asked. 

"We are going to get the spirit of the sun to help us. Exciting, isn't it?" 

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