"You don't have to come with me, you know." I once again say to Vadei as I leaned back on the sofa after having finished my food. A quiet party surrounded us as she curled up in her flight jacket.
"I am only going as far as my home village, so you don't have to worry about me joining you all the way down south."
"It would be quite the trip..." I joke before I let out the sadness it brought to my mind. It would be quite the adventure indeed. I could've brought everyone down to my homeland and we could've saved Mom. They'd be heroes and get their dues. And, me and Nin would...
No... That was never me. That was always something the bracelet made me think. Yet, I still wanted it...
I never actually loved Nin but I wanted to feel like I did.
"So what is exactly your plan, Einervaene? I never did see you scream in delight as you suddenly realised it." Vadei asked me, her voice slightly muffled by her collar.
"I won't head home straight away. But, I think I have a place I can go." I explain to her as my mind fills with memories from when we were flying across the continent. To the time I felt the storm above the Anvil-Peak lash out against me. There was a power there that I might be able to use.
The power to save my mother and prove my heritage lay beyond that molten gold.
"I assume you are not going to tell me much more so you don't worry me..." Vadei comments as she picks up on why I was so brief.
"Yes, I suppose." I sigh before her hand reaches out for me.
"You'd worry me either way." she tells me with a grin that puts a smile on my face. At least for a moment.
"I will miss you all, you know." I then say.
"I will too... But, let me promise you something, Einervaene." Vadei begins to say before she straightens herself out.
"Go on."
"We will all meet again... Every single one of us. We'll all meet again in the future and do all kinds of stuff!" she lets out hopefully while I turn away.
"Yeah..." I let out knowing how foolish it was. The world was a big place, and, with our obligations in place. I could not see us ever coming back together. Our time at this academy might be all we ever had...
I just hated the fact so much of it was spent in varying states of misery... But that is also what made them such valuable friends. We went through all of it and we were still together at the end. Yet, I suppose, that killer who went after Larishazza finally broke our spirit.
"Promise me one thing, though, Einervaene..."
"Anything for you..." I tell her with a smile as this was probably going to be the next most important promise I would ever make.
"Stay my friend, even as we grow distant..." she says to me, clearly on the verge of tears.
"You'll always be my friend, Vadei." I tearfully tell her as I pull her in for a hug. And, I make sure to make the most of this hug even if I could likely get more later. As, well, this was it, we were both destined for vastly different lives now. She would return to her village, and me, I would go back to my future lands...
She was going to be a protector of one village, I would be the protector of hundreds.
"So... How far do you think you could go now? It's been quite some time since you did that sprint back when we were in my village." she suddenly asks as she tries to brighten the mood.
"I don't know, I never really considered it." I answer with a shrug as our hug breaks.
"Hm, I like to think you would just barely make it. What, with all the cakes you have been eating." she jokes before she pokes my tightly packed belly.
"Hey!" I snap as she laughs. Crossing my arms with an annoyed pout as she cackled at her joke. So, to get back at her, I sent a little jolt of electricity at her. Smiling as she suddenly turned on me with bared claws.
"You two! Over here!" Omb suddenly calls out as he gathers those he could before he sets something up.
"A picture?" I asked as I watched him manipulate Tiyanats pose.
"Yes, now, come! Hurry along!" he tells us as he finally finished sorting out his pupil's pose.
"Like this?" I ask before Liadanann pulls me in against her chest.
"More like this!" she clarifies as I smile up at her once I pushed past her breast.
"Dorm Forty-One!" Omb suddenly lets out on his own before the device goes off.
"Dorm Forty-One?" Vadei questions as she gets her self some space for her tail.
"Yeah, it's the one thing we all have in common." Omb chuckles as I suddenly remember that our home these past few years had a name of sorts.
"Oh, right..." I quietly let out, not wanting to be embarrassed by teasing because of it.
"Our dorm is better." Seigunfrei scoffs cockily as he reminds us of his Exceptional origins.
"Yet, we are all here, curious." Vadei tells him as she prods at his face.
"I suppose, so, huh?" he asks back as he blows some magic at her tail. But, as the pair got to playing about, I headed out towards the kitchen for a solitary moment. And, in a rare instance of actually wanting to drink the stuff. I poured myself a glass of alcohol.
"Don't force it." Tiyanat said as she walked in as if she were somehow not there at the same time.
"It's just one drink..." I sheepishly mutter as I push the filled glass away.
"Make sure it stays one, then, please?" she asks me. And, knowing how it went for here at the start of all of this. I took her advice and avoided the drink.
"When I get home... We should do something in an official capacity." I decide to joke.
"Bring about peace between our nations through the power of friendship?" she adds with a giggle.
"Yeah, our friendship will dominate the world!" I laugh out before going quiet. Turning towards the night sky outside for a moment as she went quiet as well.
"You won't ever come back to see any of us again, will you?" she then asks all of a sudden. And I froze up whilst continuing my wayward gaze.
"It is unlikely, no." I answer after what felt like an eternal shudder. A tremor of the worst kind rippled in my heart and I was quick to go quiet again. And when her hand touched my arm, it felt hotter than any bolt I could cast.
"Einervaene, as long as it is for a noble reason and cause. We can never fault you for it. If you can never leave your mother's side after you save her. Don't let memories of us eat away at you." she tells me with a saddened tone.
"There is this one thing I hated about coming here... You know..." I begin to say as my body and voice trembled with uncertainty.
"And what's that, Einervaene?"
"I hated being lonely... I lost everyone when I left my homeland. Not because they died, but because I was alone with no way to speak to them. I had no one to play with or laugh with. And, then, when I came here, I thought I would continue to be alone. As, you know... I... I was just some foreigner, I have this silly accent and strange customs and ideas but instead, people took me in... I got to know them and love them as friends. I wasn't alone anymore but now I have to say goodbye to all of them... I don't want to be alone again, Tiyanat."
"Oh, come here you. Don't you worry, you won't ever be alone again." my friend tells me as she hugs my trembling body. And hides my teary eyes.