Chapter 13 – The Warlock's Azalea
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Found it!
Little feet tiptoed as high as they could, the girl's tiny fingers finally clutching at the white pair of gloves on the shelf.
She smiled, "I got it!"
With that, she jumped off the chair, put her shoes back, and ran outside their humble cottage. Maybe if she could run fast enough, they could still catch up before Viin's 500th birthday party started!
Without looking elsewhere but up front, all the other cottages, trees, and slopes around the hills were as clear as day, even in the corner of her eyes.
She's the only one left here—everyone is already in the venue.
That just means she must hurry before they turn up late. All because she forgot to remind her father of his gloves...
She promptly shook her head.
It's fine. She could still make it—they can still make it before Viin starts the opening!
After racing along the hills, in one spot, just behind that one hill over there, her parents are waiting for her. She'll hand her father his white gloves, and her mother will help him wear them, and then she'll hold both their gloved but warm hands as they walk together to Viin's birthday party.
At least, that was the plan.
"Mama, papa! I got papa's gloves!"
The growing laughter from her dissipated; her arm stretched above her head, holding the white gloves proudly froze, and eventually, the gloves fell to the ground.
"M-mama...? Pa.. pa?"
With heedful steps, she approached her mother's all-time favorite pink and purple dress and dropped on her shining blank flats, with her black gloves and the string necklace her father always placed around her neck on top of the garments. Her father's golden monocle gifted by King Al sitting on the black boots, cloak, and clean tunic he polished weeks ago just for this day.
Showered over them and hiding underneath were dark bits of powder or dust.
The girl's trembling hands reached out to them, and her vision instantly blurred upon contact.
"A-ashes?"
When they said their kind rose from enchanted ashes, they said they could turn back if they ever attempted to share their enchantments with other races. And once they do, their ashes would no longer be enchanted.
But, they never said it would be this day, didn't they?
The girl wrapped her arms around the ashes on garments on the ground when a strong wind passed as if protecting the ashes from getting away.
When the soft surges of the wind calmed down, her fingers grabbed at the hems of both the garments, a handful of dark, magicless ashes in her fists. She pulled all the ashes and their clothes and things closer to her, tears soaking up her mother's necklace and the lenses of her father's monocle.
They also never said it would hurt this much.
"M-mama... papa..."
She must've gone deaf because all she could hear were people wailing. Or was that her? She gritted her teeth, forced her sobs in, and the loud wailing and screaming did not stop. It's all coming from ahead.
Ah, what a disaster.
Hugging her parents' ashes closer to her chest, she allowed her tears to flow as she closed her eyes and continued to sniff silently.
YOU ARE READING
The Warlock's Azalea (EDITING) ✔
FantasyCURRENTLY EDITING/REWRITING OFFLINE - The Warlock's Azalea: The Secret of the Enchanting Stone - Leaves and petals of different hues were falling around, and to her, in the middle of it all, was the soft gaze and gentle smile Aziel had for that one...
