A blinding white light greeted her eyes once she opened them.
Amelia placed her hand over her eyes to decrease the brightness though it did not help at all. She groaned as she started to recognise her surroundings, the light got weaker as she felt more awake.
There were white spider lilies bloomed on the ground as far as her eyes could see. The skies were nothing but white. The only different colour was the person and gate that was painted grey.
"Ah… have you come and greet me?" A woman's gentle voice spoke up.
She sighed, "You make me sound like I like taking a trip here."
"Do you not?" She chuckled and kneeled beside her.
The woman's hair was grey and reached below her shoulders. She was wearing a mostly white long dress that covered her arms and legs. The collar until her shoulder blades part was grey in color. She wore a patterned veil that covered her face.
"Even you must have known my fondness for death, Lily." Amelia placed her hands on her stomach as she continued staring at the skies.
Her chuckle was quiet and gentle, "And you have not gotten bored of the same white skies, Hanamizuki."
She closed her eyes, "I do come up here often, so no I have not. Maybe I would eventually."
Lily sat in the field of spider lilies, making sure to not accidentally squash any of it, "And you know my name is not Lily."
"You stay here all your life. Besides, nobody said it was against the rules to nickname a personification." She said.
Lily shook her head, "You are a child that never grew up."
The side of her lips curled up to a smile, "Sounds about right."
Lily looked at the flowers and smiled, "Did you still remember what I first told you when you came up here?"
"You mean the things about flowers and life?" Amelia opened her eyes.
She placed a hand over her mouth and laughed, "Yes. Do you still remember it?"
Amelia glanced at her before speaking, "All flowers eventually withered, returning back to the soil they grew out of. New ones will replace them and the cycle continues."
"And it's not your time to be here. Your time will eventually come." Lily finished off her sentence.
She subconsciously sighed, "Do you truly wish upon your death that much? After all, your life is only starting."
Her words were sincere, not holding any lies within them. Her gaze emphasised it, a gentle pity and disappointment. She shook her head and watched in silence.
"Perhaps, who knows what will happen to those closest to me."
Lily placed a hand on her head, "But you do know, don't you? You already knew and continued to pursue it anyways."
Amelia closed her eyes again, "Say, do you believe in fate?"
"I'm not sure. Since to me, fate as a concept is foreign enough as it is." She blinked and tilted her head.
"Because I don't entirely believe in fate. Some people do like to blame it all up to fate, even if it's just consequences of yours or others actions, no matter how supernatural." She replied.
Lily removed her hand and smiled, "Are you saying that because of what befall them?"
Her eyes slowly opened, "Sounds about right."
She giggled, "I'm sure Aeon was aware of the risk too. After all, he wouldn't be so blind to people, no matter how much of a heart he has."
Amelia narrowed her eyes at the skies, "So you know about me and Aeon?"
She laughed, "Of course. Nothing can dodge from Her Majesty's eyes, not even me."
"What do you think that she would say?"
She tilted her head, "Why are you worried? There is no need for such concern with Her Majesty."
"But, your stay here is overdued. It's time for you to return."
Once she said that, Amelia could feel her surroundings getting foggy. She felt sleepy with her eyes slowly closing, plunging her into complete darkness. She could still hear Lily's voice as it echoed in her head.
"Don't come back to see me too early, alright?"
She could feel the sound of bees buzzing around her.
"Amelia!" Aeon kneeled and gripped her wrist.
She placed her other hand on his cheeks, smiling gently for a moment. She sighed and pinched her cheeks, blankly staring at both of their expressions.
"Are you two afraid that I'll just die?" She tilted her head.
Jeremy replied first, "Not exactly… But Aeon's mood got to me…"
She sighed again and pinched harder, "Don't worry someone else too much alright?"
Aeon chuckled gently and lessened his grip, "I'm sorry. I'll try not to."
She let go and stared at Aeon, "Tch, just be a little more mindful."
"I understand. I'll try my best." He placed a hand on his cheeks.
Jeremy looked back and forth at them, seemingly thinking about something. He looked to the door and back at them, Amelia catching his gaze once during that whole looking back and forth.
"I'm sorry Amy… I need to leave, I have something I need to do." Jeremy smiled politely.
She motioned him to go, "I understand."
"See you both later." He grabbed his phone and permit before dashing towards the door.
Aeon stared at his figure, wondering about his sudden reaction. She knocked him on the head and waved at Jeremy before he left. He placed his hand on his head and rubbed it.
"He has grown some, to be able to read the air." She muttered.
He simply blinked, "What?"
She shook her head, "Nothing."
"More importantly, you do have something you want to tell me." She crossed her arms.
He scratched the top of his head, "I sure do…"
"Why did you have to do that? Isn't there a much less drastic way of controlling him?" His free arm was outstretched as he spoke.
She looked down before looking back at him, "No. I couldn't reign him in like I always do. At that point, he already blocked out my voice."
He stood up and leaned forward, "But that's not the way of doing it."
"That's the only way left when Iris isn't here." She shifted her position and let her feet touched the floor.
He placed his hand on his chest, getting more emotional as he spoke, "Then you should've called Iris over."
Her eyebrows knitted, "There was not enough time."
"Then you should've just let me die!" He shouted.
A moment of silence. She closed her eyes whilst her eyebrows were knitted, she was merely frustrated that her point was not getting across him.
He was frustrated by her behaviour, even shouting out something he normally would not have. He deeply regretted it as soon as it came out of his mouth.
His points still stood tall despite the way he conveyed it.
"I can't let you die, no matter what." She opened her eyes and stared into his.
He could feel his emotions, choosing to hold himself back, "I can always revive, Amelia. But there is a point where yours will run out."
He lunged forward and gripped her shoulders, his face inches away from hers. She could feel the emotions in his voice, born out of pure fear and concern for her life.
Their interests conflicted, like it always did.
"I just… can't bear to see it…"
A stray tear fell off of his eye, his tone was shaking. She could feel him shaking, controlling his tears from streaming down his face. His head lowered and did not raise back up.
At the face of it all, she had nothing to say.
She was never good at consoling people since she was always straightforward. She did know what to say and what not to say, yet when it came to comforting people she had nothing to say.
It was too much to ask for something. So, she stayed silent.
She eventually spoke up, "Let's go home."
He wanted to say something but chose to keep it to himself, "Yeah."
They both went home by Amelia warping a portal from Jeremy's and Chrysan's house to Aeon's apartment. She walked first, letting him have some time to breathe. His head hung low while she stayed the same.
"Ah." A woman with brown rabbit ears stared at them.
"April?" He managed to hide his emotions from her.
April's black eyes met up with Aeon's, she was about to ask him something before he disappeared into his room. The sound of the door rougly swung close was heard by everyone, including Andrata who peeked out from her room.
Amelia was the only person left at the entrance so their attention turned to her instead.
"What… What happened?" April stared at the door.
Amelia opened the front door and motioned April to follow her. April turned around and stared at Andrata who just stared back at her. Although Andrata motioned her to follow Amelia and she returned to her room.
April wore her black with pink dots sports shoes and opened the door. She realised that Amelia was not waiting for her outside, so she leaned on the railing and looked above.
"Are you still not familiar with where I like to stay?" Amelia tilted her head.
She was on the rooftop, peeking her head out to let April see where she was. The sun behind them was setting, the skies turning into a mix of red and orange hue. The moon was becoming more visible.
April easily reached as she simply stood on the railing and jumped up. She used much more strength than needed to reach, though she had done it by intention. She was up in the air before flipping and landing.
"Energetic as always." She stared at April.
April chuckled, "Well, I wouldn't reach the moon if I'm not."
Amelia rolled her eyes and pat the empty space beside her, "Good thing I understood that."
April sat down with her legs crossed, "So, what happened?"
A chocolate bun appeared in her hands as she spoke, "I died."
She took a bite as April blinked, "That's… that's it?"
"If the reason why he seemed so upset, it's more than that. Me dying is the cherry on top." She mumbled as she chewed her food.
She raised her eyebrows, "O… kay?"
"To be honest I don't know how to respond to your short answers." She placed her hands on her legs.
Amelia turned her attention to her legs. She noticed the special bandage used to cover up her legs were fine, though the crutches looked worse for wear. Parts of it were broken and some had begun to rust.
"You need some maintenance on them." She stared back at the gradually dark skies.
April stared at the iron and laughed, "I sure do. Can you help me make an appointment?"
"No problem." She took another bite of the bun.
They watched in silence, admiring the lights that the streets admitted. Night life became more vibrant and lively as people hung out in bars, parties or restaurants. The half moon was completely visible for all to see.
"Say, can you mend your relationship with Aeon?" She glanced at her.
Amelia finished up her food and mumbled, "Mend? Elaborate on it."
She leaned back and placed her hands on the ground, "I know that you and Aeon don't have any grudges. Just that it's hard for both of you to see eye to eye sometimes."
"That's not your actual point." She shrugged.
April chuckled, "It's not."
Her tone changed seriously immediately as she continued, "I'm only asking you to take care of him as you go on."
"Why does it have to be me of all people? Couldn't you or Andrata do that?" She stared at her.
April replied, "Because he loves and cares about you, much more than both of us combined."
"I know you would know this as well, even if he would fight with you over Andrata and/or me, when in a situation where he had to choose who to save, he wouldn't hesitate in saving you first."
She stayed silent and did not say a word. April sighed and laid on the concrete, thinking that Amelia had not been considering it. She left shortly afterwards, leaving April alone on the rooftop.
"She's not blind. But…" She could not continue her train of thought.
She closed her eyes and soaked in her surroundings, "You are indeed too distant for any of us to even understand you."
Amelia returned back inside, walking right into Aeon's bedroom. The sound of the door slammed close gained his attention. He was wearing his shirt while Amelia was walking in, she did have her eyes closed so she would not see him.
"A… amelia?!" He nearly screamed her name.
She opened her eyes once she realised that he already wore his shirt, "Don't scream out loud. You're going to make others misunderstand us."
"Sorry…" He bowed before walking towards her.
He tilted his head, "Why did you come here suddenly?"
"I want to tell you something." She placed her hand on his chest.
"What is it?" He remained confused.
She pushed him around with one hand until she shoved him onto his bed. He sat on the edge of his bed, remained confused while having a pink tint on his cheeks. His eyes widened up slowly until his iris began to shake.
"Uh… can I help you…?" He stuttered while staring at her.
She did not reply to him, she only closed in on him. She placed both of her hands on his shoulders, her chest touching his until it was squeezed. His eyes had to look away just to not stare at it.
"Ha… Hana…?" The blush on his cheeks grew more visible.
She leaned in and kissed his nose. Her lips lingered there longer than needed which only made him more embarrassed. She eventually stopped but she did not move away.
"What is--"
He was cut off by her kissing him. She closed her eyes yet her cheeks turned pink. He was surprised by it all and was stunned, his hands gripping on the bed sheet. She moved away eventually, her eyes remained closed.
"I… love you." She opened her eyes slowly after.
He wrapped his right arm around her waist, placing his free hand on her cheek. He smiled gently and caressed her cheek with his thumb. The more she stared at Aeon, the more her face turned red.
"I thought I was going to wait another year at least." He chuckled softly as he placed his forehead on hers.
She pouted, "Hmph..."
He gave her a swift kiss, only lingering on her lips longer than he needed. She closed her eyes again as the tip of her ears turned red as well. He laughed loudly and ruffled her hair, a sense of happiness was felt around him.
"I do actually have somewhere to go." She mumbled while her eyes remained closed.
"You're not going to eat dinner with us?" He blinked and stopped ruffling her hair.
She shook her head and fixed her hair, "I'll have breakfast with you guys alright?"
He let her go, not before kissing her collarbone. Her face turned red immediately once she noticed what he did, her eyes widened up and left her mouth agape. She knocked him on the head afterwards.
"You still owe me something." He laughed again.
She knocked him on the head again which was much more painful than the one before. He placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. She pouted and left his room, slamming the door closed.
"A bad temper eh…?" He mumbled.
"This is going to take a while…"
She took some deep breaths before actually walking down the stairs. A black jacket materialised and draped around her shoulders. The blush on her face disappeared once she was walking somewhere.
Her figure disappeared into the crowd, warping to somewhere.
The streets were dark and gloomy even the moon was partially covered by the clouds. In a way it was symbolising that something was going to happen. The bunny tail ribbon could easily gain most people's attention excluding her dominating aura.
The neon sign lit up the streets, giving an unique life to it. Some people were drunk and puking in the alleyways, some people were eating spicy food while drinking and some were enjoying the atmosphere.
It was clear that people were here to enjoy themselves and have fun.
Amelia walked into one of the shops, closing the door behind her. The bar was full as there was a football match going on. Some people were cheering on their favourite team as they drank and ate, the smell of beer heavy in the air.
There was a bouncer standing next to a door. They took a look at her and opened the door for her, letting her pass through without asking anything. She walk past a few doors before opening one up.
The room was lit up by a few neon pink lights, letting it remain dim by intention. There was a long table with a L-shaped sofa curved around it. There was a long counter near the side of the door with various glasses on it.
"I can't believe I agree to come to such a place."
Cyliam placed his mask down on the table, his eyebrows knitted and narrowed his eyes at her.
"Well, you still came anyway." She sat down some distance away from him.
She tilted her head and stared at him, "Do you want some drinks?"
He shrugged and leaned on the seat, "Sure. I want Long Island Iced Tea."
She moved to take the phone and contact the bar, "A Long Island Ice Tea and Martini please, for Room 11."
She placed the phone back and sat back on her seat. He ruffled his hair for a moment before placing his fist on his knee, clearly frustrated at something. She crossed her legs while sitting there.
"What do you need from me?" He said while shaking his head.
She placed her arm on top of the couch, "I'll tell you once we have a sip or two."
"You're trying to get me drunk, are you?" He glared at her.
"Let's see." A smirk appeared on her lips.
After a moment, someone sent in the drinks, placing it on the table. They left quickly once it was placed, walking away from the progressively tensed air. He still glared at her while she took her drink and sipped it.
"I can assure you that you won't die here." Her fingers lifted and swirled the glass.
He slowly leaned over and grabbed the glass, drinking some of it while never losing his eye contact with her. The slight smirk remained on her face as she stared back at him.
"If you didn't want to be here, then why are you here?" She stared at the swirling glass.
He did not answer her, the tall glass remained on his hand. He looked at the alcohol as he thought about what she said and wondered why he agreed to be here again. He sighed and swirled it.
"You know you can leave anytime you like, right?" She glanced at him.
She extended her free hand to the door, "No one is trying to stop you from doing anything you felt like."
He glared at her who was still smirking while staring back. He shook his head and stayed silent. The silence persisted for a while before she continued, taking his silence as agreement.
"I'm here to talk about business." She took another sip of her alcohol.
He raised his eyebrows, "Business? What business do I even have with you?"
"I mean by doing business with you." She extended her glass towards him.
He drank some of it before answering, "What do you need from me?"
"To make some deal with you." She swirled it again, smiling in satisfaction.
He narrowed his eyes, his guard remained up, "Do you mean by the staves and Salem?"
"So you knew that Liu Yue and his gang helped me out?" She tilted her head before laughing for a bit.
He clicked his tongue, "After a while, yes. They are mercenaries so I'm not surprised by their actions."
He leaned in and continued, "You however, are hard to tell. Now, tell me what you want."
"Good thing you know my style."
She finished her drink and placed the empty glass on the table. She placed her elbow on her thighs, placing her chin in her palm. The smile on her face never went away, laughing at him having to chat with his nemesis.
"Like I say. A deal. If you agree to do your part, then I'll do mine as well."
She continued, "I want you to help me."
His eyes widened up once he heard what she said, "Come again?"
"I thought I'm being clear. I want you to give me a hand." She laughed lightly.
"Why does it have to be me?" He questioned.
She smiled with her eyes closed, "Because I have the upper hand. And also doing something on my end."
"Doing what?"
She opened her eyes, "Not telling."
He took another sip, "So what do I get from helping you?"
"The staves, maybe Salem. And something I can't tell you." She counted with her fingers.
He huffed, "Is it necessary for you to keep so much information from me?"
"It's necessary. The reason why I can't tell you well… it's my thing."
He closed his eyes and leaned on the sofa, thinking about her words. He swirled the glass in his hands, the sound of crowd cheering filled up the entire bar. She began to hum while waiting, leaning back on it as well.
"Fine. I'll agree to your deal." He answered with his eyes closed.
She chuckled loudly, "Thank you then."
"There is more why you're here. Of course, I'll eventually explain to you what you need to do."
"Questions, first." She leaned closer to him.
He glared at her, smile never fading, "Who told you about the demon from the other side of the world?"
"That…" He could not answer her.
She tilted her head again, "So you have to keep your mouth shut?"
She continued while he drank the rest of his alcohol, "It's correct to assume that it's the same person that pushed you this far, right?"
He slammed it on the table, "I want another."
She giggled and walked to the phone, ordering another set of alcohol for both of them. She placed it back and leaned on the wall, crossing her arms and staring at him.
His frustration was the most she needed to get out of him.
"I have… two people in mind. Since you're not telling me, I suppose I have to figure it out myself." She shrugged.
He spoke while gritting his teeth, "Why are you so interested in knowing?"
"Because it concerns me."
He nearly screamed and stood up, "It concerns me as well, what you indeed to do."
"What do I intend to do hmm~?" She tilted her head and smirked.
He glared at her, "Is my answer worth anything to you?"
"If you hadn't been so worked up, probably not. But now that you are, it means something." She chuckled lightly.
A server had passed through the door, though she raised her hand and motioned them to get out. Cyliam's control was hanging by a thread, he might have decided to kill her where she stood.
"Is it because of the people involved? Or was it simply because of what you wanted to hide?"
He began to walk out of the room, "It's not any of your problem."
"Or what is it because the ways they convinced you of such? Especially talking about her." She continued anyway.
He stood still and glared at her, this time fire was lit in his eyes. She continued to smirk, not caring at all that he was within strike distance.
"You of all people should never say that, in front of me." His hand curled up into a fist.
Her eyes turned dull, "Even I'm not allowed to know the truth, teach?"
He answered her while slamming the door close, "Not even you, Amelia."
She sighed while standing in the room, letting the sounds of crowd cheering filled up the space. She stared at the neon lights, thoughts running through her head. She was taking in the little information she could have.
"Hmm… thinking about it over~?"
The area around her scattered like flower petals, turning into blue clear skies and flower fields. The skies looked never-ending and were limitless, no one knew where it began and stopped.
"You---" She was cut off.
"Hello there Hana~." Asura waved at her with his usual smile.
He walked close to her and dragged her by the wrist. He pulled her until their chest was touching. He raised her arm above his shoulder, pulling her face closer to his.
"You look cute." He winked while staring at the ribbon.
She narrowed her eyes, "Thank you. But you do need something from me."
He chuckled, "Why of course. You forgot about something…"
"But you don't need to grip my wrist." She maintained eye contact with him.
He let go of her immediately and raised both his hands, "Sorry~."
He sat on the ground with his legs crossed. The smile on his face never faded, his eyes only grew much excited about it. She reluctantly lied down and placed her head on his lap, staring upwards at the skies.
"How long do I have to stay here?" She closed her eyes.
He adjusted her ponytail so it felt more comfortable, "Until I'm done talking with you."
"This is going to take a while, isn't it?" She sighed and placed her hands on her stomach.
He played with the ribbon, "Aww, do you not like talking to me~?"
"Do I look like I liked talking to you?" She scoffed.
He giggled, "Right~ Sorry sorry."
"You seriously decided that you just wanted to kill Aeon." She glanced at him.
He tilted his head, laughing gently, "I just can't contain that feeling of jealousy. I want to get rid of that feeling, so I decided to kill him, even if I knew that I couldn't do it."
He continued, "Is there ever a need to kill yourself to stop me? Like what Aeon had said, you could've chosen another way to do it."
She could not answer him and remained silent. He leaned in closer and gripped her chin with his fingers, a smile widened on his lips. She knew exactly why he was smiling like that yet she could not do anything, since she was not sure what she could do.
"Is it because you just wanted to die?" He laughed in front of her face.
"If that's it, you should've just died instead."
She glared at him, "Aeon would've died if I took another way. It'll be too long for Iris to calm you down, or take you somewhere else."
"But you knew that he was going to die."
She shook her head, "No. I had a hunch that you might kill him, but I did not expect it so early."
"Are you sure that you're not bloodthirsty, just wanted to see what colour of blood coming off of Aeon?" His head blocked her view.
The clear blue skies never changed in colour, the flowers on the ground swayed with the gentle breeze. No matter how much the desire of death coloured their feelings, nothing around them would change.
He scoffed again, "I am you, you are me. We are one and the same, even if I have my very own thoughts and sentience."
"What a monster you are."
Despite him showing her in his human form, she could feel his jaw opening up and showing his canine teeth. Visible breaths coming from out of it with drools dripping down the field.
"Now you're going to kill me too?" She stared into his eyes.
It was like a mirror, watching your own reflection. However, this reflection was something that someone would not be willing to stare at or face. It was a darker side that desired corpses beneath her feet.
He sighed and let go, "No no, I'm just joking with you~."
Luckily, her chin was not hurt or bruised. She continued to glare at him, lifting herself up and grabbed her own chin. She moved her head around to check whether it was fine.
"No one jokes by threatening to kill them." Her eyes narrowed at him.
He waved his hand and dragged her back down to his lap by her ponytail. She was surprised at what he had suddenly done though she did not struggle much. She never lost eye contact with him.
"Get on your topic." She slowly relaxed.
He took the ribbon off, freeing her hair, "Okay~."
"The two people you have in mind, guessing who gave a push and construction to the cults, are Falak and Foxglove." He wrapped the ribbon around his wrist.
She nodded, "Yes. Both of them have the most concrete reason."
"Hmmm… one a God and one who had been alive for so long." He looked at it.
"God of Chaos, Falak. One with the ability to cause long lasting friction and wars with his words alone. Foxglove, a now demon that had lived so long yet continued to seek power." He chuckled loudly and looked back at her.
She spoke calmly, "They both shared the style of manipulation, emotions. Emotions to them are the best/worst way to control someone. Those are what Falak's snakes are, people whose souls he took due to their deals."
She continued, "Fox himself loves to mess with me while Falak simply a child messing with whoever he thinks it's interesting. To them, people are toys. So anything they could do to see a show, they would do it."
"Which is why it's a little hard to tell who it is. Their manipulation and reasoning overlap, that's why it's hard to tell. Cyliam definitely has his own reason for not telling it but it also extends to them as well."
He leaned in, the feeling of the smile never changed, "You still have a lot of things to check hmm?"
"I sure do." She closed her eyes.
She placed her hands on her body, "Now, onto the next. What else do you want to talk about?"
"Just something about Iris." He chuckled deeply.
Her eyebrows knitted, "What about Iris now?"
"You want to check up with Iris right, in a bit?"
She raised her eyebrows, "Then? Be direct about it."
He laughed loudly and shook his head, "Nothing. You will know later."
He placed his hand over her eyes, blocking her view of anything. She began to struggle once she saw his hand, his head lowered very close to her. Her hands gripped on his wrist and tried to get out.
"Relax."
Her lips felt something. Her eyes widened under his hand, he could still feel her panicked reaction. He kissed her passionately, not sure how long his lips had on hers.
She could feel her body going limp, her eyes slowly closing. Her muscles began to relax, her hold on his wrist loosened. He eventually moved away while she was unaware of the expression on his face.
Her ruffled her hair and spoke gently, "I'm just taking you to Iris. Have a good nap~."
Darkness consumed her and her vision. She could physically feel it around her yet not being able to know how far it went. She was somewhat comforted as her muscles were relaxed, this calmed her down more than his words would.
Time passed like a butterfly, flying across the skies by its own rhythm.
Eventually she would feel her eyelids, choosing to lift them up. A warm light blinded her vision, turning it into a sharp white for moments. She groaned as she became more aware and awake.
She knew this aura, one that told her there was nothing to fear.
"I'll be here when you need me."
Her voice was gentle, speaking with motherly care. She was back facing Amelia, sitting on a chair sorting out some scrolls. There was an undeniable feeling of trust that made people naturally unafraid of her.
She stood up and turned around, smiling at Amelia while saying, "I'm Iris, Messenger of the Dead, at your service."
"Was there a need to introduce yourself that way?" Amelia got up from the couch.
Iris's work area looked like a traditional library, the one that Amelia had at her residence. There were more varieties of things placed on the wooden shelves, crystal balls, scrolls, books and capsules.
Where Amelia was laying at was divided, there was a platform above her head that had another set of couches and coffee table. A window shined the light into the room, lighting it with moonlight and the warm light bulbs.
On the bottom side, there was a long L-shaped couch, where Amelia was laying at, a few additional shelves with memorabilia on it. There was a door in between them, though she was not sure where it led to.
Iris placed her hand on her face and laughed, "My form of entertainment."
Iris's black hair was mostly tied up into a braided bun that had visible braids, the rest were straightened. She wore a long-sleeved embroidered light red frilly dress, her turquoise shoes were pointed toe.
"I don't understand your entertainment." She sighed.
She placed her hands together and spoke, "My apologies. You came to seek my help, correct?"
Amelia's head hung low, "Right, I'll tell you what it is once you stop being so polite to me."
She chuckled gently and walked closer, "Do you hate it?"
Amelia extended her left hand, "I just find it particularly annoying today."
She bowed before taking her hand in hers, "I'm sorry about that. I'll stop soon."
Iris closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths. Her surroundings became dark with visions appearing in front of her. She noticed that there were rips and tears in the space, they were quite new since the feel was different.
Even so, they were slowly closing up by themselves.
Iris stared at it for a while before nodding, a gentle expression was on her face. She looked relaxed despite knowing what the rips and tears meant for Amelia. She felt her surroundings changing back into her working space.
Amelia stared back at her, "How is it?"
She placed her fingers on her chin and tilted her head, "It looks really bad. But don't worry, it will be fine. They are healing on their own so there is nothing much to worry about."
"Asura…" Amelia closed her mouth and groaned.
Iris laughed lightly, "Nope, the most I can do is calm him down. There is nothing I could do about his desires."
"It's fine then, I suppose I just have to live with it." Her eyebrows knitted while speaking.
Iris's expression remained the same, "You're just worried about Aeon, aren't you?"
She did not reply to her, Iris chose to keep speaking, "Ah, how are you two lately? Relationship wise. Are there any new developments?"
Amelia laid back on the couch, "So you knew about his crush on me?"
Iris turned around and continued doing her work, she still talked to her, "I have been for a while. He likes expressing concern for you aside from Andrata and April."
She looked down, "Ah really now?"
She turned around and glanced at her, "It is hard to believe?"
"Not at all. Just that I didn't know he liked talking about me."
Iris chuckled, standing up and placing the scrolls onto the shelves, "I thought you both have a pretty good relationship."
"I mean, I did confess to him." She mumbled under her breath.
Iris tilted her head, halting and staring at her, "What is it?"
She shook her head, "Nothing of your concern."
"Really now?" Her gentle laughter rang in the room.
She picked up the book from the table, the book itself did not look anything different from a fantasy novel book cover anyhow minimalistic. Somehow she always held it in her hands or always near her, fitting with her image along with her hair style.
She flipped open it and stopped at a certain page.
She read it carefully and sat beside her, "A certainly interesting person."
"Cyliam?" Amelia leaned on the couch with her eyes closed.
She nodded, "Yes. He is an interesting person."
"Would you mind sharing with me some details about him?"
A light snicker was heard, "I protect anyone and everyone's privacy. I can only answer you yes and no."
She let out a breath and started to ask, "Did he find Noir before that entire incident?"
"Yes."
"Was he manipulated into making the cult?"
"Yes and no."
Her eyes opened and continued asking, "Was he going to die soon?"
"That's... a secret. I can't tell you."
She leaned forward and placed her chin on her fist, "So you do know it after all."
Iris smiled, "I do. I always have. Yours as well."
They remained silent as Amelia stared at her while Iris continued to read the page. Amelia suddenly started laughing, somehow Iris did not question or mind that she was laughing out of nowhere.
Iris always understood her better than anyone else, even with a reaction that felt peculiar if anything.
"Some people do want to know when they will die. But I want them to make the decisions for themselves, if they do want to know when they will die. Because not everyone can take the truth, and not everyone has good intentions after knowing it."
She closed the book with one hand and stood up, walking to the table with a tranquil smile on her lips. She walked slowly, her hand with it raised higher, the free arm was placed behind her back.
"Same with you. Something will truly end someday. You are never actually the one making the decision, when even you know the decision has already been made."
She turned around, "That is simply how life is."
The room went back into silence, Iris continued to do some of her work while the book was on the table. She stared at her back, it felt like a mother doing her best to cheer up her children. Her lips subconsciously curled up to a smile.
"That's how fate is eh?"