Shards of War: Eclipsian Secrets

Chapter 67

Matsu was roused from his sleep by the persistent shaking of his sisters. He groaned, half-buried under the covers, feeling the weight of exhaustion still clinging to him. "What is it?" he mumbled, barely coherent, his voice muffled by his pillow.

Iyomei and Khamenei giggled softly, their smiles wide. "We got a package," Khamenei said, nudging him more. "From Calie and Marie."

That got his attention. Matsu blinked a few times, shaking off his sleepiness as he sat up. "What?" he asked, now more awake, surprised by the news. He threw his feet over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes. The thought of hearing from Calie and Marie—after what felt like an eternity without much contact—quickly pushed the sleep away. He followed his sisters out of the room, heading towards the living room, curiosity growing with each step.

When they got there, his eyes landed on a plain cardboard box sitting on the coffee table. On top of it, a note was taped, written in Calie's familiar handwriting. Matsu sat down, his heart beating a little faster as he picked up the note. His sisters hovered nearby, watching intently.

"She says they wanted to give me something to get their minds off of me," Matsu said aloud as he read the note. It made him smile, but also tugged at his heart. He missed them, and knowing they were still thinking of him despite the limited contact meant more than he could express.

With a deep breath, he set the note aside and opened the box. Inside, nestled carefully between soft packing material, were two artifact cores—Hikari and Haruki's, unmistakable in their unique design. Matsu's eyes widened in disbelief. These weren't just any ordinary items; they were deeply personal, almost sacred to the three of them. Seeing them here, sent to him as a gesture, made him pause for a moment, overwhelmed.

But that wasn't all. Underneath the cores was a book, plain and unassuming on the outside. Matsu picked it up, feeling the weight of it in his hands. He flipped it open, his eyes widening as he realized what it contained: a collection of sketches, some rough and playful, others detailed and almost lifelike. Each one was of him, Calie, Marie, and their friends, capturing moments from their lives.

The sketches were unmistakably a mix of both Calie and Marie's handiwork. Matsu could easily tell whose was whose. Marie's sketches, though full of charm and personality, had a slightly more abstract style, less focused on detail and more on capturing the emotion of a moment. Calie's, on the other hand, were stunningly realistic, each stroke precise and detailed, almost like photographs in their accuracy.

He laughed softly as he flipped through the pages, recognizing the memories in each sketch. There was one of him and Calie laughing over some ridiculous joke, another of him and Marie quietly sitting together, and countless others of their close friends. It was as if each page was a piece of their lives, immortalized in ink.

"They really went all out," Matsu murmured, touched. His fingers lingered on a sketch of the three of them together, the two girls standing beside him with big, carefree smiles. He could almost hear their laughter echoing from the page.

Iyomei and Khamenei watched him with knowing smiles. "They miss you a lot, huh?" Khamenei said softly.

Matsu nodded, feeling a lump form in his throat. "Yeah, they do. And I miss them too."

But as he sat there, holding the book, something shifted inside him. This gift wasn't just about nostalgia or missing each other. It was a reminder that even in their separation, they were still connected, still thinking of one another, still supporting each other's growth. The artifact cores, the sketches—these weren't just objects. They were symbols of how they were all moving forward, even if it felt hard sometimes.

Matsu closed the book and set it down gently. He glanced at his sisters, who were watching him with a mix of understanding and support. "They're amazing, aren't they?" he said, smiling softly.