She had rushed back to her house. Her home. The place she felt safest.
But her home only served as a reminder. She grew up with her grandfather due to a lack of housing. But once Fishy was able to bring affordable housing into the area, that changed. The independence she always wanted quickly came to her. She was always close to him, as his house was only a few doors down. Inside her house was several photographs created using magic. Memories of her and her grandfather displayed the growth of the city. From the construction of the first houses to the finished school. A tiny hospital to a full ward.
All pictures were filled with smiles as the executives changed the lives of those around them. And in the side of these images, with a goofy smile, was Fishy.
But before she could reminisce, three quick knocks echoed on her front door in the middle of the night.
She already knew who it was, and even if she didn't they had already let themself in.
"What do you want?" Clara asked as she turned her head away from Fishy, not wanting him to see her red eyes.
"I feel like I'm in her place more than mine." He said as he kept up a carefree smile.
"If you've got nothing to say then you can leave."
"I wanted to save your grandfather… and I wish I could have."
"Just leave me alone."
"It was my ignorance that got him killed."
"Just go…" Clara said as she wanted to collapse with defeat.
"I'm sorry… We can't bring him back."
There was silence. A long one as Fishy anxiously waited for a response. It was like Clara was analysing each word, trying to understand its meaning. But she had heard them loud and clear ever since the funeral.
An infrequent sniff filled her dim candle-lit room.
But she couldn't take her eyes away from the pictures of her smiling grandfather. But as she continued to look down at them, she could see how frail he was becoming in each one.
"He knew he would die… When he told me he was a celestial I was shocked, and then he spoke about my parents and I was angry. I don't know anything about the world. I thought I knew it all, but I was just as foolish as you were."
"Clara…" Fishy opened his mouth but was quickly shut down.
"You were right." She said, "I'm weak. My magic is far weaker than yours. My sword skills will never be as good as Ziu. I'm not good at anything."
"Come on, we both know that isn't true. And, as we know, just because I'm strong doesn't mean I'm perfect. You even said it yourself."
"Sorry…" She muttered.
"But your other words hurt me more… It's true I was a random person who happened to stumble into this place. I could have stumbled across any old city, but not all of them would have accepted me. This place did. You were all poor and starving, living atop a giant nest of a murderous creature. And yet, your grandfather welcomed me. I was taken away from my family. But after coming here, I consider this place my family. I have a younger sister, and when I was building this place I tried to create it with her in mind. I wanted a place she would want to live in."
"Why did you never mention her before?"
"Because I'm like you. I don't open up to people about certain things because I'm scared."
"Where is she now?" Clara asked.
"She's gone," Fishy said, having accepted he may never see her again.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. There's nothing we can change about it."
"Was she as skilled as magic as you are?"
"Something like that…" A little laugh escaped Fishy's mouth as a melancholy air washed over him. "I still wonder what she's doing every now and then."
"It'd be nice to meet her," Clara said, unknowing to Fishy's sorrow.
"Yes, it would…" He said to himself.
"Well, anyway," Clara said, "Sorry about what happened at the meeting."
"Oh!" Fishy suddenly remembered. "That's why I stopped by. I wanted to tell you what I told the others, so listen up."
"Alright," Clara said as the mood between the two of them returned quicker than it left.
"We are going to fight Tanba, and also the church. We are going to fight the world."
"What do you mean?"
"We're going to build a kingdom. We're going to create a name for ourselves and claim a seat at the table where all the leaders meet. We are going to fight politically and right. I'm going to become a king."