Arcturus had remembered falling. He had recalled how Nova took on Souhait's dragon form before reverting back to his usual self. He had recollected how he grabbed the unconscious Nova and waited for his imminent death; he also realized how he smiled.
Why did I smile?
He felt as if he was drowning in a dark ocean. He didn't have the energy to move, so he closed his eyes. He felt empty, which made him wonder if this was a testament to him realizing he was truly dead. Nova wasn't with him.
Is he doing okay?
He wondered if Nova and Souhait would mourn his death. Would they cry? Be upset? While he wasn't sure about their emotions, he had a feeling they'd be looking for a new person to replace him. He couldn't help but to feel disappointed in himself for dying so abruptly before he could do anything helpful for them.
Speaking of which, what would happen to my wish? Would it be overturned? Permanent? He wanted to know, but he knew he could never because he was dead.
I'm sorry… He thought death was supposed to feel calm and peaceful, but he felt emotions other than those; he believed it was because he had died so abruptly. He thought he'd be fine with dying after his dream was accomplished, but he wasn't at all. There was so much he wanted to do with Nova and Souhait.
Negative thoughts welled up within him. When he realized this, he tried reaching for his journal, but his satchel wasn't with him. His eyes widened. Panic came to him. He needed his journal. It was filled with memories and hardwork. All of his feelings were inside it.
He remembered how he started journaling as a teenager; he only did it in order to sort out his troubling adolescent turmoil and then it became a habit. He started relying heavily on using his journal to help him remember important facts he had learned from books and his own thoughts about situations he dealt with. His journal was a treasure trove of knowledge. It was also the only thing that allowed a third party to learn about the truth of Nova.
Wait, if Nova and Souhait are going to find another person as a replacement, then that person would continue off where I left off in my journal. They're going to use my findings…
Such thoughts infuriated him. This was his hard work. No one was allowed to take it from him. With whatever strength he had, he reached a hand out towards a speck of light that he saw. He couldn't allow himself to die even if it came for him.
My journal, Nova and Souhait are all my treasures! They're mine! I won't let anyone else take what is mine. Even if they do a better job, I cannot allow it!
He felt his body being restored slowly. Both of his legs were coming back to him, allowing him to swim with all the strength he had; he needed to get back, even if he had to force himself to resurrect from the dead. His other arm was returning to him, so he swam as fast as he could to reach the light. In the water, he felt a spark of electricity within him, conducting him to keep going forward.
When he blinked, he found himself in his realm of desires taking in the shade of the apple tree. He heard voices and peered over to see Kori talking with an unfamiliar man in green. He stood up and grabbed Kori's arm because he was surprised to see him in his realm.
"Why are you here, Kori?"
"Arc…?" Kori looked as surprised as he was.
"How did you get here? Shouldn't your soul be in your earring?"
"I'm still bound to my earring, but helping you out is more of a priority for me. That is why Polaris here guided me here."
When Arcturus made eye contact with Polaris, the man bowed. Arcturus noted how elegant and polite he was. He then fixated back on Kori. Kori looked the same as he remembered. He looked so clean and untouched when his real body was battered, burnt and probably deep underwater. Seeing one of the lopped ears without an earring made Arcturus quiver his lips; he also noticed the snowflake mark where his earring used to be.
Arcturus placed his hands on Kori's shoulders. "Kori, I finally met Souhait. He's real."
"He is, indeed."
"I got my wish granted."
"I'm happy for you."
The way Kori was smiling at him broke his heart. He hadn't seen such a smile from him in such a long time. Just knowing that he lost his opportunity to make more smiles caused him to feel awful. He was alive and moving on while Kori could not move on from his current state despite being alive.
"Kori, there's something I want to say to you…"
"And that is…?"
Arcturus took a deep breath. "Thank you for everything." He didn't care if it sounded selfish. He just wanted to thank Kori because he didn't want to apologize anymore. If he apologized to him right now, Kori's sacrifice would be for naught. He was thankful that Kori had been a part of his life. He wouldn't be here without him.
Kori's eyes widened. He started blinking a lot faster than he normally did. His eyes were darting left and right. His lips quivered. Kori suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't deserve any words of gratitude…"
"Kori?"
"I could've accompanied you when you had escaped the airship. I could've changed into my rabbit form, but I chose not to. I stayed behind because I was afraid of losing my purpose–of why I exist as a Shiftie."
Arcturus raised an eyebrow. "Why would you be afraid of that?"
"Sayaka and I thought that we could prove to Nathaniel that we aren't perfect beings if we were to stay behind. We Shifties were created to be absolutely perfect; any signs of free will meant imperfection. Serving our purpose means perfection. That was why we stayed behind. We wanted to prove that we were truly imperfect beings in the end."
It was as if the guilt he had felt after he escaped the airship had dissipated. He learned that there was no need to feel that way. He just wished that Kori could've explained everything to him beforehand. He didn't mind that Kori was imperfect; in fact, Kori's imperfections were beautiful to him. He felt grateful that Kori was so thoughtful towards him until the end.
He took Kori's hands and looked him straight in the eyes. "Thank you."
The troubled countenance Kori had before changed. It was as if he now understood that he deserved words of gratitude. Kori's eyes glistened. Arcturus's eyes widened as he saw tears trickling down his cheeks with a smile plastered on his face.
He gripped his hands tighter. He felt happy that Kori was able to cry, but it also made him feel troubled. "Kori, I want to stay by Nova and Souhait's side…" No matter how much he wanted Kori to stay, he needed to wake up. He made a promise to them and he fully intended on keeping it.
"Please do so. They need you."
"But I won't ever forget you."
"I won't either."
As his grip loosened, it felt as if one aspect of his life was leaving him. Kori's smile never disappeared as he turned around and approached Polaris. Polaris snapped his fingers and a portal appeared. Before stepping foot, Kori turned around once again. "Good luck out there."
Arcturus nodded; Kori entered the portal and it closed, disappearing from his sight. He was all alone now. He laid down underneath the shade, hoping to return to reality soon. The cool feeling made him drowsy, as he closed his eyes and drifted off into slumber.
~
His senses were coming back to him. He felt something hard against his back and something soft against his stomach. His hands gripped onto something he couldn't identify from his eyes being closed. His ears were aching, but he could hear muffled sounds. He smelled something rather putrid, which caused him to open his eyes.
Arcturus had recognized he was inside Sirius as the sight of the barrier greeted him; the lights of the buildings were reflected onto the top, making it look like specks of stars that decorated the night sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold after waking up from having a nice dream about Kori.
He sat up. He scanned the vicinity to see that he was in a garbage dump. The stench was bothering him relentlessly to the point that he had to cover his nose. He noticed that Nova was unconscious next to him; he looked rather peaceful sleeping amidst being in a dump. He looked rather battered and was naked from top to bottom. Arcturus quickly took off his coat and placed it over him.
Worry surged into him; he needed to get out of here before soldiers and Shifties discovered them. Arcturus felt the sensation on his hands reverting back to normal. As he stood up, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He quickly turned to see who it belonged to: a young woman with strawberry blonde hair tied in pigtails spoke to him, but he couldn't hear what she was saying; her voice was muffled to his aching ears. What caught his attention was the red earring on her right ear; her ears were long like an animal's. She was a Shiftie, which caused Arcturus to become panicked. He instinctively huddled over Nova, so that she wouldn't take him away.
The Shiftie woman was rather expressive compared to the usual Shiftie. She didn't seem keen on taking Nova. She looked as if she was pondering about something before she reached a hand out to him; she smiled at him.
A Combat Shiftie extending her hand out to him was abnormal. They usually were the most dangerous, but this woman was far from it. He could tell that she wasn't going to hurt them and that he could trust her.
He had two choices: take her hand or wander around an unknown area defenseless and with Nova unconscious. He wouldn't know where this woman would take him and he knew that wandering around on his own would be more dangerous given his unfamiliarity of this area. He was tired, hurt and odorous. Nova also needed a place to rest more comfortably. Both choices were dangerous at the end, but he wanted to take the one that would lead to less risks for both of them. He made up his mind.
He took her hand.