A Little Girl's Fairy Tale and Graves From His Past

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation

Crimster

Chapter 8: Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Eight: A Little Girl's Fairy Tale and Graves From His Past

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Re:Beginning: A Job-Filled Reincarnation | Chapter Eight: A Little Girl's Fairy Tale and Graves From His Past

>Sylphiette

From the day I was born, I knew I wasn't normal— it wasn't long after that I realized why. I was born with green hair. I didn't know at the time, but the reason my parents were worried for me was because of it.

It wasn't long after I could walk and go outside that the bullying started. I didn't know how to react to it. To be fair, I didn't know much at the time. My parents tried to talk to the kids—but they didn't listen. Then Father spoke to their parents—they kept coming at me even then.

My Father bought me shorts so I could run away more quickly. It helped, but only a little. Then he bought me a shirt with a hood so I could cover my hair. My life didn't seem to get any better.

I started to hate my hair.

I started to ask myself questions that a kid shouldn't be forced to. Why did those Superd demons have to go mad and become hated? Why did they have to have green hair? Why did that lousy guy Laplace have to have green hair?

Why did I have to have green hair?

I didn't know what to do with myself. If everyone hated the color green, what would I do when I got older? I thought I had nothing to look forward to.

Then I met Roxy Migurdia, and the life I knew changed.

My father met her in Ars, and they traveled together back to Buena. From what my father had told me, Miss Roxy was a mage and a good one at that. I didn't know much about Miss Roxy or magic, but I did know she wasn't afraid of me for my hair. She did get startled the first time she saw me, but after a moment, she managed to pull herself together.

After that, my life started to feel more worthwhile.

From then on, I could talk with someone who didn't hate me and who wasn't my family. Miss Roxy also had weird hair. It was blue because she was a demon. People looked at her differently for her hair, too, so I felt like I had someone who could, at the very least, understand me from then on.

Then I heard about a boy my age named Rudeus and how Miss Roxy was teaching him. The woman would gloat whenever she had the chance about how smart he was or how well he was doing.

To me, he seemed amazing.

Father told me Rudeus was also learning swordsmanship from his father, Lord Paul. Father told me he was good at that, too. Whenever I heard of Rudeus, they were only praises that followed. I knew without even meeting him that he was a fantastic person. But what caught my interest was when Miss Roxy told me about their first meeting. Apparently, he didn't even look at her hair.

What would he do if he met me? How would he react? Would he also not care about my hair? Would he not hate me? Those were the ideas that ran rampant in my head at the time.

I scrubbed those ideas, nonetheless. I knew in my heart that someone like me wouldn't even pique the interest of someone as great as him. He was destined for more incredible things, like the heroes in the tales my father always told me before bed.

He wouldn't bother with a bland girl with green hair.

I held that presumption for months after Miss Roxy's initial arrival. Until one day, I was being bullied.

It was a day like any other. That day, I tried to play outside but was intercepted shortly after I left. It was Somal and his buddies. They'd been the main perpetrators for most of my bullying. I thought I would be safe that day, considering I wasn't bringing my father his lunch. I was usually fast enough to run away whenever I wasn't carrying it before they got me, but not today. The bullying was similar to what they usually did. Throw mud at me while screaming at me to leave the village.

I live here too, you know. Besides, there isn't any other place I can run to. Those thoughts always made their way into my head during those times.

I wondered how long they would keep at it until a boy came out from nowhere and yelled at them. I was curious to know who he was. When I looked up, all I could see from my teary eyes was a light brown-haired boy. For a moment, I thought he looked like Lord Paul… For a second, I guiltily thought he might've been my unlikely prince. I thought he might just be Rudeus.

I quickly discarded that thought. There was no way this boy could be him. Rudeus wouldn't even bother with someone like me… That's what I thought until he summoned a raging fireball that dwarfed all of us in size.

He made Somal apologize to me and then had them run off. I was slightly scared. I didn't like fire; I burnt myself a year prior and had a scar on my hand because of it, but when I saw that inferno he summoned, all I could think about was how beautiful it was. I never thought that fire could be so pretty.

Deep in my heart, I think I knew then that this boy had to be the same Rudeus I had thought up. The only difference was that he was even more marvelous than I had imagined. He had saved me when I thought no one would. He was like a prince in a fairytale, and I, a green-haired girl that no one but my parents and a demon woman seemed to care for, was his improbable princess.

When he told me his name, it only told me what I had been thinking, but then he went and told me my hair was beautiful. He said my hair—the hair I hated was pretty and that I should take care of it.

That's all he really did, and that's all I needed.

I started to like my hair a little bit after that. All because one boy said he thought it looked pretty. That's all it took, but maybe it meant so much more because it was the same Rudeus I had heard of.

Whenever we talked after that, he'd look at me with so much empathy that I couldn't find myself not trusting the boy. It reminded me of how my father would look at me or how my mother did. It made me feel warm inside. When he said he wanted to be friends, I thought I had been dreaming. Fortunately for me, I wasn't. I was so happy that I couldn't express it adequately. So I cried. I thought he wouldn't like a girl who would cry at the drop of a hat, but it didn't bother him, and I didn't do it for long.

We ran around and played for a while after that. He even brought me to a lone hill with a big tree where he liked to play—a nice place was what I thought it was. The only things surrounding it were other trees, plains, and a few fields farther away.

He told me that this was our place from now on. A place where we could play—I'm almost positive that being as happy as I was then was dangerous, but I didn't let it bother me. However, I did let my desire overtake me just a little. As I asked Rudeus if he could teach me magic.

It was stupid of me. I figured I had overstepped my boundaries, but I did it anyway to ask the one friend I had such a ridiculous question. I thought he would say he couldn't or that I wasn't good enough. Neither was said. Instead, he voiced his sympathy and accepted my proposal. From then on, the life I had dreaded since birth became one where I was happy to wake up the following day. All because of one boy that I thought I would never meet.

The following months were the best times I've had so far. I became Miss Roxy's student, just like Rudeus was. I even learned that Rudeus was teaching her a few things. They had a relationship that was very similar to a give-and-take. No matter how amazing I thought Rudeus was, he kept seeming more and more so every passing day. He didn't seem to struggle or waver. When the bullies came to pick a fight with us, he'd blow them off. Whenever I worked with magic, he'd be able to pinpoint what my problem was. He could do things with magic that I couldn't even dream of. Whenever he cast spells, it was like I was looking at a painting. If I wasn't grateful to just be able to talk to him, I'd probably be jealous of how good he was.

However, I noticed one thing about the boy. Sometimes during the day, he'd become despondent, almost like he was in deep thought. It usually happened whenever he praised me for doing something right or patted me on the head. He liked doing that last one a lot; it wasn't like I didn't like it. But for some reason, he thought it necessary to put distance between us whenever we got too close. I knew he wouldn't tell me why if I asked him, so I didn't push. I was lucky enough to be his friend.

That was how my months went, and now my days would change slightly. Today, Rudy's graduating from Master Roxy's teachings. From what Master had said, he'd be a water saint-tier magician before the day's end. Of course, I didn't have to wait long for the two of them to come to pick me up with their horse, Caravaggio. He was a good horse; Lord Paul seemed to take good care of him.

When they stopped infront of me, Rudy waved his hand, which held a wand. "Look what I got, Sylphie!"

"Did Master make that for you?" It was something I had never seen before. It was very evidently a wand, that much I could tell from looking at it. It had a very distinct red jewel that sat at the end of it.

"I'll give it to you after we're done." Rudy's statement didn't go unnoticed by our teacher, who just sighed at his words.

"I'll make you one too, Sylphie—" She grinned awkwardly. "I may have forgotten to give one to Rudeus earlier in our teaching. It's sorta tradition to give your student that can cast beginner-tier spells a wand to help them, but it may have slipped my mind because you're both so skilled already."

After explaining the situation, she grabbed my hand to hoist me onto the horse's back. She sat me between herself and Rudy. I felt self-conscious when he grabbed me, but I think he noticed, so he withdrew.

He doesn't have to act so cold. It's not that I minded it that much.

"The location I found is a little ways away. So it'll take about an hour to get there." Our teacher told us, and I nodded; apparently, saint-level magic was perilous—at least, that's how Rudy described it to me.

It was like this how we made our way toward wherever our teacher decided to do the ceremony. We were far from any field I knew of, and the only thing in sight was grass that seemingly stretched endlessly across the land, only breaking from the Red Dragon Mountains far off into the distance.

We all dismounted Caravaggio, and as Miss Roxy tied him to a tree nearby, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen from now on. Rudy would graduate, but I would still be under our Master's mentorship. Would he even bother with me anymore? What would become of the friend I made?

"Rudy, what will you do once you're done being taught by Master Roxy?" This was a worry I had carried with me for the past day.

"I'll start training underneath my father in earnest—most likely." I couldn't help but wonder if that was his way of telling me he didn't plan on playing with me anymore. "I'll still help you occasionally, and I promise I'll still play with you—I just think I'll be busier from now on." He looked like he was in deep thought.

"Aren't you busier right now since you do both? Wouldn't you be less busy after no longer being taught by Master?"

"Haha—you might be right about that." The way he said it didn't seem like he bought that.

"This is a good place for this, don't you think, Rudy?" Miss Roxy came over to us once she finished tying Caravaggio in place.

"I wouldn't know, Master. You're the one that knows how to cast the spell." It was always weird to me that Rudy could talk to adults like he did. More often than not, Miss Roxy would ask him something, and he'd give her a longer-than-necessary answer than she originally wanted. Rudy was wise for his age; that was plain as day.

"Don't go getting cheeky now." She flicked him on the forehead. "I'm going to demonstrate the spell, 'Cumulonimbus'. After I dispel it, I'll have you do the same, but hold it for an hour instead. That's the passing mark for this exam. I can only cast this once, so you'll have to memorize it and replicate it after seeing it once… Understand, Rudy?" Rudeus seemed preoccupied with staring at our Master's legs.

I learned Rudeus was something called a pervert a little after I met him—at least, that's how Master Roxy described him. I had to ask her what that meant, but I was left confused because that wasn't anything like Rudeus acted around me.

"Do you want me to hit you again?" Miss Roxy leaned down to face her student.

"I'll do my best!" That didn't really answer her question, Rudy.

"Haah—I love my job." She dryly remarked, "OK, then. Here goes!" She stepped a few paces away from both of us.

The atmosphere changed when she made it far enough away. Our master was going to show us something not just anyone could see. It was a spell Rudeus would have to replicate. One I would have to copy eventually as well. The girl raised her staff into the air as she started the chant. "Grand spirit of water and imperial prince of lightning who ascends the heavens, grant my wish and bring about a savage blessing."

Her hair whipped chaotically from the wind. The sky that was previously a lush soft blue was enveloped in greyish mountainous clouds in a moment. "Display your might to insignificant beings. Strike awe with a blow of your divine hammer on the anvil and cover the land in water!" It was mesmerizing watching her control a spell of this size.

As soon as I thought that the rain started. The clouds sparred nothing in their path as they drenched all of us in a moment. "Ah, Rain! Sweep all else away and expel everything—" I wasn't ready for what would come if I believed this was all her spell could muster. "Cumulonimbus!"

Everything seemed to stop for a moment. I looked to see Rudy's face—and all it seemed to show was astonishment. He looked so happy at that moment that I wondered if someone could feel as jealous of a storm as I was. A moment later, everything resumed. What I thought was the peak of the spell was but a premonition of what was to come, and in a split second, I was blown away. However, a hand grabbed me—Rudy's hand, and even as the downpour swept away everything in its path, he clung to me. He was unmoving in the face of a storm such as this. He didn't falter even in the face of saint-rank magic. Instead, he relished the moment, and I, too, couldn't help but be entranced, both by the storm and the boy infront of me who held my hand in such a firm grip I'd almost confuse him for an older man.

Rudy is amazing.

The moment was cut short when lightning struck behind us, and a pained neigh echoed through the air. This was enough for Miss Roxy's attention to wane and the spell to dispel. The aftermath of the lightning was made clear. As Caravaggio had been struck—or maybe more appropriately speaking—the tree he was tied to. Miss Roxy rightfully panicked; even I knew what the implication of Lord Paul's favorite horse being killed would bring… A not-so-happy Lord Paul.

We rushed over, and Miss Roxy was the first to reach the motionless animal. I could see its faintly rising chest, so at the very least, it was still breathing. Rudy and I had unmingled from each other in the process of running. He didn't seem the least bit worried about our contact. I, however, couldn't say the same for myself.

Miss Roxy kneeled down infront of Caravaggio. A green glow encompassed the both of them. "Of course, I would do something like this when trying my hardest to look cool—" She stared at Rudeus with a weak grin. "Please don't tell your father." After Miss Roxy returned the horse from death's door with a healing spell, she grimaced at the thought of the repercussions.

"I won't spill this to anyone, Master." Rudeus signed with his hands as if to seal his lips. "You shouldn't take this as a failure. I think you should take it that you learned a lesson." Miss Roxy pouted. It was entertaining how easily Rudeus got under the skin of our teacher.

"Okay, okay, enough of the sweet talk—you're up, Rudy. I'll guard Sylphie and Caravaggio, so don't worry about us." After she healed Caravaggio, she stood back up and patted Rudy's back in an effort for him to move. "Do your best. I'd expect nothing less from my pupil." A bitter smile flashed across her face.

He looked back for a second, a smile formed across his lips in kind, and he walked forward into the open plain, wand in hand and at the ready. "Sylphie, stay close to me." With her free hand, Miss Roxy pulled me closer to her. "Envelop me in the earth's magnificent armor—Earth Fortress!" Instantly, a dome of rock encased us.

It was dark inside the dome; the only light was through a crack Miss Roxy had most likely left open to supervise her student. "Did you shorten that incantation, Master?"

"I've been practicing." The woman gave me a smug grin as she responded. Rudy told me that because we were younger, it was easier to not use incantations. I didn't quite understand why, but it might be the same reason we can increase our total mana. The same could not be said for our master, however, as she struggled to even shorten an incantation, let alone wholly be rid of it.

It was like her to never give in, no matter the obstacles. "You're also amazing, Master Roxy."

"What's with the also ." She replied with a bitter tone. I may have made her angry accidentally.

"Sorry—do you think Rudy can do it?" I looked at the boy still walking away from the 'Earth Fortress' Miss Roxy and I were encircled in. He always walked so purposefully that you would never guess he was my age.

"Do what…? The spell?" Her tone made me believe she found what I was asking ridiculous. "He won't have a problem. He's Rudeus Greyrat, after all—he's a natural." She held a bitter expression. "You should watch and see if you can get any insight." She put her hand on my back. "Cause I know I'll be."

I looked back to the crack in the barrier, and I found Rudeus already forming the clouds. For some reason or another, we needed to do it once with the incantation before we could cast a spell without the incantation. What Rudeus was doing now was similar to getting a feel for something. I had done it before, so that was the only way I could describe it. Though from where we were, I couldn't hear anything he said.

What he was doing now differed from what I had seen our Master do. The wind she produced was strong enough to knock me off my feet. But now, the winds he was conjuring seemed fast enough to split someone in two if they were unguarded. The rain pounded against our shelter as if it meant to breach it. Lightning flashed one after the other in a seemingly endless assault on the land as thunder sounded from the sky and vibrated my very bones.

Overwhelming. That was the straightforward word that described what infront of me was.

The magic that consumed the land seemed nothing like the Cumulonimbus our teacher had shown us minutes prior. It was almost alien in its intensity. It spanned for miles; it most likely reached Buena even from here.

"See, Sylphie? Whenever Rudeus does something he enjoys, he gets a little carried away… I never mentioned making it bigger than my demonstration, though." Miss Roxy didn't seem fazed by the impossible sight infront of us. Even though what was happening was something neither of us had probably seen. The Earthen Fortress bucked against the winds and rain as if to shatter at any moment but held firm. There should be no way the simple 'Earth Fortress' around us could withstand what was happening outside of it.

Was Rudeus controlling the storm to avoid hurting us?

Even with all the rain obscuring my vision, I could still see him. He was waving his wand high, seemingly unperturbed by the maelstrom around him. He didn't move or buckle underneath the rain or flinch from the lightning that struck close to him. All I could see was that same stupidly big smile on his face as he seemed to frolic in the rain.

He loved magic; maybe that was why I wanted to learn it. I wanted to understand why he liked it so much, and I could get closer to him by doing so. That was my hope.

If I wanted to be strong like Rudeus was. I needed to get much, much stronger than I was right now.

An hour of a seemingly endless storm passed, and the earthen dome Miss Roxy had constructed was pulled down. The tree behind us had fallen. The dips in the plains had become lakes of rainwater, and the ground lightning had struck was evident. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Rudeus walked back towards the two of us and asked a question to which we all knew the answer. "So, did I pass, Master?" He seemed almost humble in asking the question, even though we all saw what he just did.

Miss Roxy gave him an honest smile, "With flying colors, Rudy." She ruffled his hair. "You are now a certified saint-level water mage; congratulations." Her tone might have been monotonous, but you could tell she was happy with one glance at the grin on her face.

"Congrats, Rudy!" I leaped towards him and wrapped my arms around him. My father always told me that hugging someone made them feel good, but he froze starkly stiff when I made contact.

"S-Sylphie?!" He let out a surprised yelp. I heard Miss Roxy laugh behind me when I did it. Then, I pulled away from the shocked boy for a moment.

"I'm gonna make sure I catch up to you!" I wanted to be strong like Rudeus. I wanted to be like the boy infront of me.

He looked me squarely in the eyes. A light blush on his cheeks as he did so and a look of confusion across his face. "Uhh—Okay…? Good luck." We held eye contact as we stood there, wholly drenched by the cold rain, and he gave me a slightly awkward smile.

We left on Caravaggio after that. A comfortable silence fell on us. We first went to Rudeus's house to inform Lady Zenith and Lord Paul about Rudeus's graduation and ascension to a saint-ranked water mage. They were ecstatic—especially Lord Paul, oddly enough. Thought that was probably because he could instruct his son on the sword without interruption.

Lord Paul hoisted his son as Lady Zenith cheered for him. Lady Lilia watched from a distance with a smile on her face. Seeing that we weren't needed there, Miss Roxy and I left them so they could boast about Rudeus without interruptions. It was his moment at the end of it all.

Miss Roxy and I walked to my home in comfortable silence. She spoke before we came in sight of my house. "Did you mean what you said back there, Sylphie? About catching up to Rudy?" She seemed to be hung up on that point.

"I think—" I paused as we were walking. The setting sun let a warm hue over the horizon.

What do I want to do? It was a question vital to me, yet one I hadn't asked myself.

"I think I want to be someone that can stand next to Rudy—I want to be able to stand next to him." I pondered on what to say. I felt that if I screwed up now, I wouldn't be able to turn back. "I don't care if it's in a year or in ten. I just want to be able to be there for him. He's done so much for me that it wouldn't feel right if I couldn't help him." That sounded— right. That was something I wanted.

"Rudeus is a one-in-a-lifetime prodigy, you know? I can't think of one person alive who could match up to the pace he's been making. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say he compares to legends like—and I'm not even overexaggerating, the first Water God Reidar or the Demon God Laplace…" She looked at me with downtrodden eyes. "That's just how good he is." She breathed and crouched beside me to look me in the eyes. "Sylphie, please understand that I'm not trying to be mean here. But I would be surprised if you could match up to even one-tenth of what Rudeus can do—I'm sure you noticed, but that spell back there wasn't just a simple 'Cumulonimbus'. It was something much more significant than just that. Something I don't even know." She had a bitter smile. It was like she thought she had failed her student.

"I don't care." She looked at me with an analyzing gaze. As if to decipher what I meant. "I won't stop until I can help Rudy. I don't care how long it'll take!" I mustered as much courage as I had. "I'll try my absolute hardest to be someone that can stand next to Rudy! Even if it takes me my whole life!" My hands were bound tightly into fists. This was something I had to say—this was what I wanted!

We both stood there quietly.

Now that I was thinking about what I was saying, wasn't this a confession? No, that wasn't quite right. This wasn't like when the prince confessed his love for the princess, and they'd marry and live happily ever after. I wanted to help Rudy—to protect him. He was like a big brother who'd always be there to help me so far. I didn't know what he was to me, but that was fine. This was what I wanted, after all.

I'd expected Miss Roxy to laugh at me or to tell me to stop dreaming, but she didn't laugh at me or tell me otherwise. Instead, she looked at me with a severe gaze, even if she had a bemused grin on her lips as if to say you have no idea what you're saying. She stood up, stretched out, and patted my head like Rudy would do whenever I did something good. "Then you've got your work cut out for you, little girly." Her tone was a mocking one. "Good thing you've got Roxy Migurdia to teach you everything she knows."

Now, who was the conceited one?

I was going to try my hardest for this goal. My life may get in the way, or how I see the world might change. My feelings for Rudy may vary, but I won't regret doing what I am right now. I'm going to work hard so I can stand next to Rudeus. So I can be just like the boy I admire.

>Rudeus<

When I opened my eyes, all I felt was the chill of a winter afternoon.

I was walking when I came too—passing by a gate I had seen repeatedly. Ah, right. I was checking up on my father. I haven't been to his grave in a while. The graveyard in Sharia hadn't changed much over the years. Sure, the number of gravestones increased with time, but it was still the same old place I'd come to every now and then to update my father on the happenings of our family.

It was never hard to find Paul's grave; it was right infront of the entrance anyways, but what wasn't expected was someone else to be by it… It was a girl with blue hair, a long braid, and a big hat on top of her head. "Roxy? What're you doing here—" I didn't finish what I said as I knew in my heart that the girl infront of me wasn't who I called out to.

"Why weren't you there, Father?" Father? I wasn't—Aqua Hertia lay next to the figure. I could see from here that she was wearing my old robe and had Roxy's old disheveled hat on her head.

There was only one person it could be. "Lara?" The name slipped out of my throat. I knew it was her. It could only be her. "Is—Is that really you, Lara? I haven't seen you in so long. Ah—how have you been?" My speech came out in a stuttered nonsense. I was excited to see my daughter. It had been so long. I was just happy to know that she was okay.

"So what? You're just going to ask how I've been—just like that?" The girl's tone came off as annoyed. Almost angry even.

"What do you mean, Lara? I haven't seen you in years. Of course, I'll ask you how you've been doing. I'm your father!" She was leaning over next to my father's grave. Not on it, by it . I could clearly see the names on the tombstones.

Lilia Greyrat, Paul Greyrat, Zenith Greyrat, and—Rudeus Greyrat…? Lara stood over none of these, even my grave—my grave…? She leaned over the one next to mine.

She stood over one for Roxy M. Greyrat.

This… No, I—this can't—what?

"Why weren't you there, Dad? Why didn't you save Mom?" I could tell from just listening to her how deep the sadness in her heart went. She sounded just like her, but I could never hear her at the end of it all. So, I had no idea what she sounded like before I died, but still. I knew it was her.

"I—I was gone… I couldn't be there—you know I couldn't be there. You left for your mission—your goal! I—I had done mine. I was done. I was—I'm a human. I don't have a long life. I couldn't be there—" I just kept speaking. As if I was searching for an answer that I could believe.

"If you were there, she wouldn't have died." Her voice seethed, "Why weren't you there? You could've found a way if you tried!" It didn't even seem like a question anymore. It was more like a seething remark than anything. I had never heard her sound like this—never heard one of my children sound like this. So full of hate…

She turned toward me, and I felt like crying.

She had the exact look Orsted would have when talking about the Man-God. But this was Lara talking to me—talking to her father.

I couldn't bring myself to chastise her and couldn't bear to hear her words. At this moment, I felt just like the man I had used to be back when. I don't know what, but something about the verbal abuse of my family was too much for me to handle. "Lara… Please—just stop… I couldn't—" 'I couldn't do anything,' was what I wanted to say, but I stopped myself.

"You could've… You could've been stronger. You should've been stronger! You were stronger!" Her retorts left me with no options or retreats. I just wanted to cry.

"I couldn't have—" …I could have… I know I could have. I could've been like that future me, studied magic even harder, and learned time magic. In theory, I could've found a way to be there to fight Laplace. I could've found a way to foolproof our plan. Why didn't I bother? Why had the thought never crossed my mind? Why didn't I do more?

"I just—I was—happy to die with everyone by my side. I was done. I thought I did enough." I fell to my knees; I found no strength in my legs. All I found strength in was crying into the pavement underneath me.

I left that world because I believed I had done enough. I knew this was a nightmare, but I couldn't pry myself from it even then. Lara would never speak like this, but maybe this was how she thought of me at the end. Having a useless father like me might have made her sick.

I was a failure. I failed. In the end, I was powerless—useless.

Footsteps closed in from infront of me. I didn't want to look up—I shouldn't have looked up…

The precious little girl my beloved Roxy gave me. The one we brought to see her grandparents. The last bird to leave the nest, who I thought may end up like her old man, but who decided to become someone greater by leaving the house, was standing infront of me. Lara was there, the underneath of her eyes red and puffy from crying. Her face contorted into a sad frown, and her eyes shined with hatred. The little girl that left my house wasn't there. The daughter I loved was no longer there. "You didn't do enough, Father." She didn't shout, nor did she raise her voice. It was more akin to a cursed whisper. She simply admonished me, her voice laced with hate. "I hate you." Tears fell from her eyes.

Then, my vision went black, and when I opened my eyes, I felt the chill of a winter afternoon.

Notes:

Author's Note: With that we have chapter eight. This chapter basically marks the midpoint of this arc. Kind weird right? Roxy hasn't even left Buena yet, but she still has her work cut out for her by teaching Sylphiette. From here on we'll be seeing developments in Buena that aren't canon. Of course I endeavor to not have any ridiculous things happen in this story that wouldn't match up with the character's behaviors or events that don't make sense. From here on, however you'll be seeing the things that I particularly enjoyed writing.

With that I'll see you in the next chapter. Of course all feedback is greatly appreciated as always.