When the Land meets the Sky: A Tail of Two Mages

Chapter 43 - The Future is Ours! (Pt. 1)

Esterra's POV

Once the funeral service for Trodaí was concluded, he was brought to and laid to rest in the garden of heroes. After his body was committed to his final resting place, everyone made their way to the royal palace for the memorial gala to celebrate our victory over the demons and to commemorate those we lost in the fight.

As I was sipping on a drink in the corner of the ball room, I suddenly noticed Yukio approach me, with intention it seemed. "Hey 'Terra. Can we talk outside for a moment?"

The crowd was making me feel quite claustrophobic, so this was as good an excuse to step out. "Sure," I responded. I had no idea what Yukio wanted to talk about either. Though his posture convinced me that it was rather important. Coming outside into the royal courtyard, the change in temperature was rather invigorating. It was the hour of twilight, and the night stars began to appear in the sky. I rested against a large stone slab, one of many decorations that littered the area. "Alright, Yukio. What did you want to discuss?" I asked.

Yukio's intentional stature slowly appeared more nervous. He took a deep breath then proceeded to speak. "Esterra, now that the battle is finally over, I wanted to talk to you properly."

I eyed him expectantly. "Yes? Don't leave me in suspense," I said with a shrug.

"Yes, sorry," he responded. "I've been waiting to say this for a long time, but I wanted to convey my feelings... for you."

My brow furled. This is not happening! "Yukio—" I started, trying to figure out what to say. I shook my head and continued. "There is nothing to discuss. Do not bring this up again," I said bluntly and uncharacteristically cold to him. I pushed myself off the stone slab and began to walk past Yukio and toward the castle. However, I was stopped short when Yukio grabbed my arm.

"No, Esterra! No more dodging the topic!" Yukio demanded with a raised voice. I could sense the gazes of other people in the courtyard facing our direction. "We need to have this talk! You keep avoiding me when I bring this up! You make this seem like a matter of life or death! Why?! Why do you shut me out?!

Feeling slightly embarrassed and vulnerable, I turned to him in anger. "How long have we known each other?!" I began to shout louder than Yukio did. "I would have thought you would have known me better by now! I have lived for two and a half millennia! For heaven's sake, I'm an immortal bird! I've fallen in love time and time again only to watch my lovers grow old and die, leaving me alone to grieve! I'm tired of grieving! The only way I can soothe this pain is by locking away my emotional bonds I have for people! This is the curse of being immortal!"

Yukio stood before me, appearing dejected. "So that's it then?" he said, calmer than I had expected. "All of our joys, our experiences. They were nothing more than a lie to avoid us getting close because of your immortality? Are you even listening to yourself?"

"Of course, I hear myself! Are you really that stupid?!" I nearly screamed at him. "You don't understand the pain I've endured. I was still a young child when my parents were murdered! Death and suffering revolve around me! How can you not see that, you ignorant, naïve fawn?!" I could feel tears start to flow as I tried my best to regain my composure. "Love after love. Loss after loss. This cannot keep happening to me. I'm sorry, but... it just can't."

Yukio and I stared at each other for a short while. I could tell he was fighting tears. He took a few steps back, slowly shaking his head. Then, before I knew it, he quickly turned and ran off.

"Yuki!" I called out to him, but my efforts were useless. I cursed myself for getting angry, but it couldn't be helped now. For now, I should leave him alone with his thoughts. I only hope that he planned to return home. But for now, all I could do was wipe away my tears, then decided to head back to the castle to meet up with Shay, Shino, and Rosetta.