Alethea is a kind-hearted girl carrying the weight of the Magic Dimension on her shoulders. Read as she tries to find her place in a world full of chaos, while she herself is anything but. Adjusting to a life filled with danger when all she wants is...
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Alethea's POV:
As I walked through the courtyard, the weight of failure settled heavily on my heart. Flora and Tecna flanked me, their quiet presence a silent reminder that we were in this together, yet the sting of our shared defeat was undeniable. We had returned to Alfea after our mission at Cloud Tower, still feeling the dull ache of our injuries. But the real pain came from knowing we had failed to protect the Codex. Lord Darkar was now one step closer to unleashing his reign of darkness.
Tecna was talking beside me, her voice calm and measured, but her words were a blur in my mind. I couldn't stop replaying everything that had gone wrong. Maybe if I'd used my Charmix more effectively... maybe we could have kept the Codex safe. The failed convergence weighed on me the most, a stark reminder of how out of sync we were.
"Alethea...?" Tecna's voice broke through my thoughts, but I barely registered it.
I bit my lip, lost in a cycle of doubt and guilt. Why hadn't I been stronger? Why couldn't I have done more?
"Alethea!" Tecna called again, her voice firmer this time, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts.
I blinked, glancing at her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Tecna... What did you say?"
She frowned, concern softening her expression. "You've been really quiet. Are you okay?"
Before I could answer, Flora gently rested her hand on my arm. Her warm, comforting smile made me feel a bit better. "We're here for you, you know," she said softly, her kindness wrapping around me like a gentle breeze.
I hesitated, wanting to open up, to share the burden of guilt that had been eating away at me. But before I could speak, Timmy came rushing up to us, his usual eager grin lighting up his face. "Hey, everyone! What a coincidence!"
Tecna stiffened slightly at his arrival, her demeanor cool and distant. Timmy had been focused more on his tech during the mission than on fighting, and I knew it still bothered her.
"I was just doing some maintenance work," he began, launching into his usual enthusiasm for all things tech-related. Then, as if remembering something, he turned to me. "Oh! Alethea, Miss Faragonda wants to see you."
I frowned, curiosity stirring within me. "Did she say why?"
Timmy shook his head, though his eyes gleamed with curiosity. "No, just that she needs to talk to you."
Before I could ask more, Tecna cut in with a dismissive wave. "That's nice, Timmy." Her voice was clipped as she walked away, not sparing him another glance.
Timmy's face fell, his confidence faltering. "I... I'm not very good at this," he muttered under his breath, clearly disheartened by Tecna's reaction.
Feeling a pang of sympathy, I gently placed a hand on his shoulder and offered him a kind smile. "Just be honest with her. She'll come around," I said softly, hoping to lift his spirits.
