While I sat there crying, I felt my mental Bond with Min snapping, leaving me broken inside. "NO!" My sobs grew louder.
"You BASTARD! How COULD YOU!" I vaguely felt someone whispering what might have been comforting words, but I did not hear them. That same someone began singing something, a soft lullaby, lulling me slowly to sleep.
When I reawakened, I saw Saph there. "You okay?"
"N-" I coughed. "No. I-I'm not."
"I thought as much. Well, be careful. Don't die."
"Whatever." I stood up, getting out of bed, and walked slowly, carefully, to Min's room. I went and gathered all of the carvings he had made, lining the walls, filling several entire bookcases. The two from earlier lay on his bed. I floated behind me what I couldn't carry, and brought every carving to the war room. I set them down after pushing away the map.
I slowly sorted through them, setting aside all the carvings that weren't of me or me and Min. Then, I sorted those by the emotion they displayed. I went through the sad ones first and stopped looking once I felt like I was about to cry again. I put those off to the side as well. Then, I looked at the angry ones. After that, I looked at the one that appeared different than the others. It was of me, with a kind of aura around me. I realized it was me on the day I killed Asmodeus. I smiled softly and set it off to the side, on the other side of the table from the others.
Next, I looked at the happy ones. One of them was a carving of me with a big smile on my face and a crown of roses atop my head. I set it with the other one and a couple others. Then, I looked at the ones that didn't have me on them. Several were roses, in varying degrees of perfection, and I grabbed the perfect one, setting it with the others I liked. There was also one of just him and one of the castle. I put them with the ones I had picked for myself and picked them all up, taking them to my bedside table. I set them down, propping up the ones that couldn't stand on their own. I went back and took all the rest, taking them back to Min's room and putting them on the shelf. As I turned to leave, I saw something shiny on Min's bedside table.
I went over, curious, and gasped. It was a golden statuette of me with the rose crown. I carefully picked it up and brought it to my room, setting it on my vanity, next to the everlasting Dawn Rose Min had given me.
"Lady Nimi?" I turned and saw Saph standing in the doorway. "Are you okay?" I nodded, brushing away the tears that had threatened to spill.
"Yes."
"That's pretty." She walked over to the little golden statue.
"Yeah." I smiled softly. "It really is."
"What's your plan now?"
"I was thinking something along the lines of living in a shack near the ocean. I've always wanted to walk along the beach and dip my toes in the salty ocean water, breathing in the briny smell in the air."
"That's a good plan." Saph nodded. "I will miss you, my Queen."
"And I you." I smiled once more and began packing. I set the rose in a case made of wood and glass, all the carvings rest in a bag of their own. I packed up all my favorite dresses, and grabbed every one of the outfits with pants. I went back to Min's room and grabbed a couple of his masks. He did always like the idea of a masquerade ball, so he had tons of masks. The ones I grabbed were the least flamboyant. I grabbed all my weapons and left, going to the center of the maze. Saph followed along behind me the whole way, curious as to what was doing.
When I got to the very center, I went to one of the small breaks in the rose bushes. Inside was a door, one I used often for portal creation. I set down the small bag that held the carvings and the box with the rose. Those were the only things I had brought to the maze. I didn't trust the magic to keep them safe when transporting them through Space. I opened the door, also opening the portal, and I could see the view of an ocean from a cliff. "Goodbye Saph. Do tell the others where I've gone please."
"We're here already." Samu said. "Why must you leave?"
"I can't stay here."
"Alright. Goodbye, Nimi."
"Goodbye." I smiled and picked back up the items. "I'll leave the portal here."
"Thank you." Jina spoke up.
"Don't be strangers." I stepped through the portal backwards, a small smile on my face.
As soon as I was through, I used my magic to shut the door, standing in front of a huge door that looked Elven in it's design. The smile fell as soon as it shut and I summoned the stuff I had left in my room. I collapsed onto the ground, removing the rose. I carefully lifted it up, watching the color of the petals fade from white to yellow. The very same lightning-shade that Min's were when I first met him. "I will miss you, Love."
It was almost like I could hear him, speaking to me again. 'I miss you as well.' It sounded like.
I decided to begin working on my house, walking over to the forest. "Hello?" I called.
"Who's that?"
"I wanna meet them!"
"C'mon!" The wispy voices of Forest Nymphs spoke.
"Hello." I gave the three ladies who appeared a small bow. "I wish to build a house and would like to use your wood. May I?"
"She asked so nice! Yeah! Just don't take too much!"
"Of course." I smiled and carefully brought my hand up, uprooting about fifty small trees. "This should be enough. Thank you."
"Goodbye neighbor!" The Nymphs disappeared into the woods once more.
The trees were my favorite kind, the ones that shimmered in different colors. I conjured a durable axe and began chopping up the wood. I heard some of the Nymphs come out of the forest, watching me as I worked, and smiled. I began using magic to stand up the boards, as I summoned a hammer and nailed the boards together. I worked for about a hundred days and nights, not stopping for rest in that whole time.
Once the house was finished, I worked on the inside. I had to ask the Nymphs for more wood, unfortunately. "Of course you can!" The same one as last time said. "As long as we can join you in your home when we wish after you finish."
"I'll make a meal for all of us."
"Thanks!" Every Nymph there spoke together, a chorus of angelic voices.
I worked for only about fifty days this time, still without a break. When I finished, true to my word, I made a dinner for all of the Nymphs. I had heard Nymphs were vegetarians, so I planned accordingly.
One fun ability for the war map is they link. I can mark my spot on the map, and the others at the castle in Eternity can see it.
"Thanks for the food!" The Nymph said.
"What's your name?"
"Hm?"
"If we're to become friends, surely we should know each other's names."
"Ah. I'm Elidy."
"Lydia." I want to leave the past behind as much as I could. Besides, Hero Worship is not what I want here.
"That's a pretty name."
"Thanks. Yours is too."
"Thank you! I am so glad we're friends! You're so kind!"
"I as well." I hadn't realized it, but Elidy had subtly shifted from the common language to that of the Nymphs.
"You speak our language!"
"I do." I smiled. "Is that bad?"
"No. Just... New."
"Good new, or bad?"
"Good."
"Good." I smiled again and stood, drawing attention. "Thank you all for joining me here today. I would like to say something to everyone." I continued speaking in their tongue. "I will be staying here in your area. I hope I do not disturb anyone here." There were four types of Nymphs here, Forest, River, Air, and Sea. I hoped to befriend all of them in time.
"You won't!" One spoke up. By the teal shade of her hair and eyes, I could tell the one who spoke up was one of the Sea Nymphs.
"Yeah!" An Air, with white hair and stormy grey eyes.
"In fact, I'm sure we'll bother you!" River, with light blue hair and bright, plant green eyes.
"I won't. I'll stick to the trees." A Forest Nymph, one who clearly was pressured into joining the others. She had green hair that was slowly changing to reds, yellows and browns as it became Fall.
"Well, I'm excited to explore the area!" I grinned, looking into the faces of also grinning Nymphs.
"And I can't wait to show you!" Elidy was none of the four Nymph types I knew, instead she had pretty hair with what looked like splotches of color all over as well as some grass green surrounding each color spot.
"Mind if I ask, what kind of Nymph are you?" I asked when everyone else had left, later that night. She laughed and turned to me.
"Plains."
"I didn't know those existed."
"We do." She smiled. "And many more as well."
"I see. Well, good night."
"Good night." Elidy smiled once more and left.