She wondered why her life had to be this way. Every time she looked in the mirror, every time she looked at that face reflected in the glass, a feeling of disgust and hatred seemed to fill her heart. She no longer remembers the face she used to have. She no longer remembers her true self. In this life and in others, she asks herself that question over and over again.
'Who am I?'
With the passing of time she has lost her identity and has lived as a slave to the ideals of her people. A country girl with a tragic destiny.
"You will be the one to bring back King Arthur..."
That was what she was supposed to do, that was her mission and she thought she had to fulfill that, but now all that felt empty.
She walked through the fog looking for an answer, looking for salvation. Even in the depths of her broken heart, she still wants to live, but the face that was reflected in the puddle of rain that suddenly contrasted with the fog prevented her from seeking that salvation.
When she looked at that face, she saw someone who was not her, and it led her to wonder:
'Who are you?'
She repeated herself inside her mind as she saw her own face in the water. So she kept walking, hiding her face with the hood of her cloak, with a distressed expression that simply showed how she felt at that moment. The sky was dark in the middle of a gloomy afternoon of rain and cold.
Her lips let out a couple of words that were drowned out by the sound of the cold rain that drenched her cloak.
"This day is so Gray."
Just like her name...
-London, United Kingdom-
Teacher El-Melloi II's classes are over and she's headed back home. No doubt she learned more today than yesterday and that is quite good for her training as a Magus. The Clock Tower keeps that man quite busy, so she always decides to wait for him at home with a nice dinner on the table.
Yes, her name is Sakura, but her last name is not the same as it was back then. She has been living in London with her adoptive father for ten years now and life has been pretty good since that day, but despite that peace that surrounds her, there are many worries attacking her mind.
There was something that aroused her anger in specific, but that will be something that will be explored later, because now Sakura has to leave this school to get home. This school is the same school that once belonged to Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, but since the latter himself passed away, the latter's younger sister asked Waver to take over as one of the Lords of the Clock Tower. There are also other requests that he has to fulfill, but thinking too much about that made Sakura feel headaches.
So, erasing all that from her mind, she hurried to leave the place. However, before she approached the door, she found a blonde girl waiting for her. She, looking at her, smiled with hidden intentions and approached.
"... Sister?"
Sakura whispered, to which Reines, at ease with what she had just heard, took her by the hand and looked her in the eyes.
"Good afternoon, little sister. I'll take you home."
"Uh..."
Sakura didn't know how to respond, but that brief silence was as if she was agreeing to this herself. Reines then walked her to the car and together they prepared to leave.
The main reason why Sakura didn't say anything is quite simple. This is not the first time Reines has come to pick her up from her father's school. In fact, Miss Archisorte herself was always excited to have something like a sister, so she was always looking for a reason to approach Sakura.
"So, have you decided yet?"
As the car sped up, Reines picked up a cookie and popped it into her mouth.
Sakura, on her side, took one of the cookies confidently and shook her head.
"I'm not going to go live in your mansion."
"Why? You always refuse my offer. Living in my house, you'll be much better off than living with my dear brother."
"You always look for a way to annoy my father every day you have free. However, I have already turned down the offer. If I don't stand by my father, then he will do something stupid again, which will not only make a fool of him, but of the whole El-Melloi family. I know he's not the most trustworthy person around, and that even people in the neighborhood look down on him because of his crude and talkative attitude, but he's not someone who deserves to suffer for a bad decision."
"Haa... how noble of you."
"Besides, I promised myself that I would take care of my father as well as he took care of me in the past."
"I know that already. You never tire of repeating it. But it makes me sad that my little sister distances herself from me so much. You should hang out with me more. We can enjoy an afternoon of shopping and eating sweets to soothe our hearts."
"I won't accept. I know you have other intentions."
"Fufufu. You know me so well. Now tell me, how big have those two weapons of mass destruction you're carrying there grown? Those things should already be considered a new high grade spell, right?"
Sakura looks out the window trying to hide her embarrassment. Reines is obviously talking about Sakura's breasts, a somewhat sensitive subject for her because lately all the fat she consumes goes to her upper chest. Well, at the end of it all her body is still that of a developing woman. Just like Reines, both of them will continue to grow a little more....
"Shut up..."
She said. This adorable response made Reines giggle. Sakura's embarrassment and shyness was something very appealing from her point of view. Though it was obvious at a glance that some of Waver's habits had rubbed off on this girl. The Sakura from before wouldn't have been able to shut Reines up, which Waver tends to do quite often.
"Anyway. I'll drop you off at your apartment and I'll go find my brother. I have some things to talk to him about. He might be home late."
"Okay..."
***
From then on, the hours passed normally. Sakura already had dinner ready, it was only necessary for her father to come home. Although, as Reines said before, it seemed that he would be late in arriving.
With nothing to do, Sakura approached the table and sat on one of the chairs. This house was still the same as the one Melvin gave them ten years ago. In fact, the place had already received some remodeling, which added a basement to study magic more efficiently.
"It's very quiet when he's not around..."
Truly she has grown accustomed to hearing the man's complaints. The constant sighs and criticisms of that "adorable little sister" that constantly came out. Waver was having a very stressful time these days. That's why Sakura was taking care of household things to lighten her father's load a bit.
"I guess those are the consequences of being a Lord."
Without trying to give the matter any more thought, she wandered into the basement and grabbed some of the books on the shelves.
Although Waver told her that it wasn't necessary for her to study elemental summoning magic, she really wanted to learn. Thus, with the earring hanging from her right ear, she wanted to summon Toru back.
'It's still difficult'
Thus the hours passed.
***
When Waver arrived by opening the door and leaving the coat and scarf hanging on the coat rack, he noticed that on the dining table was the food Sakura prepared for him, but she was nowhere to be seen. This man was already in his thirties. His hair was quite long and his clothes made him look more eccentric than usual. His look was somewhat stern, but when he saw the food on the table he softened.
"It's already too late to be studying."
He deduced that Sakura was in the basement studying. So he went down there to make sure, but when he opened the metal door to the basement, he frowned when he saw Sakura sleeping with her face in a book.
When he saw the books she was studying he smiled slightly.
'I don't blame you. In your place I would have done the same thing'
He touched her shoulder and spoke to wake her up.
'You should go to sleep in your bed. If you fall asleep like that, the next day your back will hurt."
Sakura opened her eyes and saw Waver. She rubbed her eyelids trying to wake up and stood up.
"Father...?"
"Hi. Go to sleep. I have to talk to you early tomorrow morning. And no, you didn't do anything wrong. In fact, it's a little disturbing that you've never done any mischief or gotten into trouble."
"I have to maintain your reputation..."
"My reputation is dirty enough as it is without you having to worry."
"Oh, well. Good night then."
"Good night."
Sakura went up to her room half asleep and Waver could only see the earring she wears in her ear. The same earring that Toru wore in his left ear. Then he remembered what he talked to Reines a few hours ago.
'There is someone who wants to bring back King Arthur...'
The information he has is more than enough to make him think. Considering that there are only a few months left until the War for the Holy Grail begins, he wants to throw himself into that war to fulfill his wish. That's where that person who is being used as the king's 'meat' comes in.
'If I can find that person, I can use them to my advantage in the war.'
At least that's what he thought at the time, but he's also deeply curious as to how they plan to revive that person. Maybe that will give him some ideas on how to find Iskandar.
-The next morning-
Waver found himself in front of his adopted daughter to brief her. Sitting across from each other, he already had in mind what to say and that was related to what he talked to Reines the night before.
So, clearing his throat, he began.
"I'm going to be out of London for a while. I'm going to Wales to pick up someone in a distant village. I think that person will be useful to me for some plans I have in mind."
Sakura was already aware that her father wanted to participate in Heaven's Feel. So she quickly deduced that this might be one of the preparations he's making based on that.
"Then I'll go with you. Letting you go alone to a faraway place will only get you into trouble."
"Hey, what crazy idea do you have of me, you don't need to go with me. I don't know if time has made you taller or more brazen, huh."
"I'm only like this because it's you. You're my father, I'm not going to let you walk away from me too and abandon me."
"So that's why."
Waver folded his arms and thought. Refuting Sakura's word is impossible, for when she sets out to do something, she doesn't lose sight of her goal.
"Well, I'll take you. It's not like I have any other choice. It's just a round trip that won't take that long, but you sure are insistent."
"So, when do we leave?"
"You didn't listen to anything I said..."
Sakura was still a child to this man, but that wasn't such a bad thing. He thought that feeling this way was how a real father felt about seeing his daughter. Sure, he still thought he was too young to have children, but that didn't matter now, since in front of him is Sakura.
"It doesn't matter..."
In all this strange, magical world, this daily life together with this little girl was an escape from all that stress. A good life despite the hardships.
-In a faraway village in Wales-
Suicidal thoughts from time to time filled her mind, but then she thought that, by taking her own life, she might come back as a ghost and never fully die. That terrified her.
Now, being surrounded by the thick fog and the numerous graves all around her, she felt as if this was a kind of symbolic "death".
"... It's cold..."
This cemetery is too lonely and cold. When everyone is asleep, she guards the graves from looters.
"What a pathetic brat."
Despite the silence, an animated voice echoed near the girl. She frowned, but said nothing about it....
"Sometimes it's too depressing to listen to your sighs, child."
The girl, named Gray, whose face was hidden by the hood of her cloak, closed her emerald-green eyes and pulled a birdcage from her cloak. She raised the cage high and began to shake it.
At that moment, whatever was inside that cage began to whine in that animated voice.
"Hey, wait! No! Ahhhhhhh!"
Tonight will be a long night for her.....
To be continued...