"As for the other reason…" Anna began only to pause her gaze flickering to Jaylen briefly.
Anna tilted her head as she lightly tapped her finger on her chin and pondered how she would phrase this best to prevent a certain someone from going nuclear.
Jaylen's heart quickened as his mother hesitated. Why was she so careful with her words? Something gnawed at him—an inexplicable tension hanging in the air.
Emily and Adam upon noticing their mother deep in thought, glance at one another, their gaze conveying a silent message followed by a brief nod.
Adam firmly held Jaylen's shoulder, and leaned closer to him, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Listen, Jaylen... whatever Mom says, just don't lose it, alright?"
Adam fixed his gaze on Jaylen awaiting his response, his eyes etched with concern and worry.
Jaylen glanced at Adam from the corner of his eyes before looking at his mother again "I'll try Adam, but no promises"
"That's fine," Adam said before nodding towards Emily.
Getting an affirmative nod from Adam, she called out to their mother, her voice was unwavering, filled with quiet confidence underlined by her concern and worries for her brother. "Mother"
Snapping out of her thoughts Anna looked at Emily with a raised brow before lightly tapping her foot on the ground.
Getting her approval, Emily spoke serenely, "Mother, you can say what you need to say, but if I may ask is what you're about to say that bad?"
"It shouldn't be that bad at least to us and the family elders," Anna said after thinking about it a bit more.
Emily rolled her eyes, her arms crossing tightly over her chest as a soft huff escaped her lips while thinking 'Great so everyone that neglected, ridiculed, and treated him like shit'
Her lips curled in a faint smirk, though it lacked any real amusement, more a sarcastic acknowledgment of the unfairness she saw directed at Jaylen. She shifted her weight onto one leg, a sign of her growing irritation at the family's constant behavior.
"Alright, then Mother" she bit out, enunciating it with pointed clarity, as if the title itself were an accusation.
"What is this other reason exactly?" she hissed out
Adam sighed, shaking his head in quiet disbelief, unsure of what to say at Emily's mounting irritation, maybe he should have asked instead or let someone else ask but who?
Subaru was currently talking to Julia, if that's what you would call it, Subaru sat in seiza while facing down as Julia Stood over him reprimanding him.
While Lilith and Eleanor seemed not at all interested in anything else but their current conversation, Letting out a sigh Adam turned back towards his parents focusing intently on his mother's next words.
Anna hearing Emily's tone, furrowed her brows before She announced in an assertive tone, "Jaylen has formally been engaged to the second daughter of the Heartfall family"
The words hit Jaylen like a physical blow. His mind went blank for a split second, and then it was as if a bomb detonated inside his skull, ringing in his ears, every muscle tensing at once.
'Engaged?' The word echoed, fragmented, twisting in his head.
'Heartfall? Yuki...?' The explosion left nothing but chaos in its wake. His chest tightened, his breath shallow.
'How—when?' His pulse thundered in his ears. Memories surged, unbidden, and jagged. The last time he'd seen her—years ago. They were just children. How could this be happening?
And then, suddenly, the memory returned, sharp and vivid. The last time he'd seen her, in that quiet field... where everything had changed.
The heavy crash of something falling rang loud in his ears, dragging him back to that moment…
'Craaaack…'
'Boooom!'
The smoking tree groaned under its own weight, its blackened trunk giving way at last. Jaylen stood rooted in place, hollow-eyed, as the giant mass tilted, collapsing onto the scorched earth with a deafening thud. The sound rippled through the thick, acrid air, punctuating the unnatural silence that clung to the aftermath.
Every breath he took burned, the sharp scent of smoke and charred wood stinging his throat. The ground beneath his feet crunched with every step, brittle and lifeless beneath the weight of what had just transpired.
His body trembled, not from the fading heat but from something deeper—a relentless surge of confusion and helplessness as he made his way through the smoke. The air was thick, clinging to his skin, choking the sound out of the world. The silence felt… heavy.
His eyes moved frantically, scanning the environment for any sign of movement or figures in the smoke.
Suddenly, he noticed a darker shape within the swirling haze. Heart racing, he hurried toward it, and as he drew closer, the figure lying on the ground became unmistakable
"S-Sil" He whispered, the name escaping in a choked rasp, his throat tight with grief.
She lay there in silence's embrace, unmoving, her body still as if the world itself had quieted around her. Dark stains marred her once pristine dress, creeping outward like shadows against the earth, the faint scent of iron lingering in the air.
The ground beneath her was scorched, the marks of a recent struggle etched into the dirt, but no breath stirred her chest.
Edging a bit closer, he reached out, hoping he could stir her from her slumber.
"SIl! Jaylen!" A voice yelled breaking through the smoke.
Jaylen's hand paused as he lifted his gaze toward the figure running in his direction, her voice easily recognizable. "Yuki..."
Upon arriving in front of Jaylen, Yuki scanned him up and down before her eyes fell on Sil's still figure. Her eyes grew wide as she screamed, "Sil!"
Pushing past Jaylen, Yuki knelt before Sil, scooping her up onto her lap. Her hands traced Sil's body, searching for any sign of life. "No, no, no," she whispered, her voice breaking.
"Come on, Sil. Please." Tears welled in her eyes, her fingers pressing harder as if sheer will could bring Sil back.
"Yuki," began Jaylen, his hand slowly reaching toward Yuki in an attempt to console her.
'Smack!'
"Huh?" he uttered, his eyes widening in disbelief, a mix of confusion and shock freezing him in place.
"Don't you dare touch me!" Yuki yelled through gritted teeth, her eyes lit ablaze by a myriad of emotions as she glared at him
Jaylen didn't know what to say. He was taken aback by the look in her eyes. How could she look at him like that? They were both seven, yet she looked at him like she was ready to kill him. But why?
"You're probably wondering why, huh," gently setting Sil down, Yuki stood and turned to face Jaylen. Her voice her voice a quiet storm
She took a slow step toward him, her gaze piercing, she wasn't shouting anymore, but somehow, her quiet words felt worse. "It's because this is your fault, Jaylen."
She gestured towards his clothes, which not only showed barely any signs of a fight but also lacked any trace of blood, found in abundance on Sil's dress.
She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, frustration making her gestures harsh. "You just... you just stood there! You were supposed to help her! You should've done something!"
Jaylen opened his mouth to counter or just say something in his defense but couldn't as she continued.
Her small fists clenched at her sides, trembling as the weight of her emotions threatened to spill over. "We were supposed to be friends, Jaylen! We promised we'd protect each other! But you let Sil—"
Her voice cracked, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the pain. "You didn't even try!"
She opened her eyes, glaring at him through the tears. "How could you just watch?"
Her words played like a broken record in his mind, his chest tightened at the thought, as the memory slowly began to fade. That same guilt clung to him now, just as heavy as it had been back then. He clenched his fists, but no words came.
As he blinked, his surroundings slowly came back into focus. The burning tree faded, replaced by the quiet stillness of the hall. Emily's voice pulled him back fully, though the weight of the past still lingered on his shoulders.
"Jaylen?"
"Are you okay?" Her voice was warm and soothing as she looked at him with eyes full of concern.
"Hmm yeah, I'm fine" Jaylen responded his mind still foggy.
Shaking his head clear, Jaylen looked around noticing the Hall was now empty except for him and Emily, "Where is everyone?"
Seeing he was fine Emily smiled brightly as she responded "While you were lost in thought Mother explained the reason behind your engagement before ending the meeting"
"I see…" he acknowledged with a nod, his gaze thoughtful. "What was the reason?"
"Well..." she began, biting her lip as if unsure how to proceed.
"It's fine, Emily, I can handle it," he said, straightening his posture, he offered a small smile to ease her worry.
"Alright, It was said your generation is the year of prodigies. So it was decided that it would be good for the four families to unite to face the threats we are facing"
"Wait so does that mean?" his eyes opened wide in shock as realized what that meant. "Does that mean Brandon and Sarah?"
"Yep the Astros and the Eliodoro families have done the same with those two" Emily confirmed we a nod of her head
'No way, Brandon and Sarah. I knew they always liked each other like me and Yuki used to but wow I never thought their families would let them.' Jaylen thought as he remembered the intricate details of each of the two families
The Eliodoro family was stricter and had a more kingdom-like hierarchy and hands-on approach to ruling their regions.
On the other hand, the Astros family was full of humans skilled in magic but had more unsavory rumors such as being human extremists which is most true when you look at who the head was.
So it was surprising that both families allowed the engagement.
"Wait, but there has to be more to it than that, right?" he said, shaking his head as if refusing to accept the simple explanation.
"I don't know, If you want answers try asking the people involved when you go to the academy," Emily said as she motioned for him to follow her out of the main hall
Jaylen sighed, his mind still racing. "I guess I'll find out more at the academy," he muttered, though he didn't feel ready. Not for Yuki. Not for whatever this meant.
He just hoped that Yuki or one of his other friends could provide answers to any of his lingering questions and reveal the truth hidden from him.