Brynhildr Aria

Epilogue: Stargazing

Epilogue: Stargazing

Two months later...

I awoke in a cold, dark room, the only warm thing being the Kamui I was lying on top of. He held me tight in his arms, almost like a child holding a teddy bear. Seishirou sleeping was such a peaceful sight. He gently snored, his lungs moving up and down as I rested upon his great chest. I pressed my ear against him, listening to his slow, steady heartbeat. A bit of drool dribbled from the corner of his mouth. It was almost funny. When he showed off his fury, he was the most terrifying creature in the universe. But when he was sleeping, he looked like a little boy. I had to admit, it was kind of...cute.

Kosagi and Kuina were snuggled up next to him, clinging to each other and sleeping soundly like sisters. Well, I supposed we were all sisters, in our own way. Even Amamiko...I wonder how she would feel if she decided to turn away from Master Sigmund and come with us, to experience the Earth for herself. Just thinking about it made my chest hurt, but at least I could take comfort in the fact that I killed Sigmund and saved her from an eternity of misery.

Slowly, so as to not wake anyone, I crawled out of bed and got dressed in my winter clothes to the sounds of the crackling fire in the fireplace. I prepared myself for the bitter cold and headed out of the cabin alone. It was early morning, so the sun hadn't come up yet. Darkness pierced the woods. Seasons passed, and swirling snow enveloped the silent forest.

We had to leave London after the Kamui's invasion and the Admirabilis' descent. The entire country- no, the entire world- was in a state of emergency because of it. After all, it would have been the end of the world...had we not stopped it. Time passed so quickly...it had already been two months since that fateful night. When the Admirabilis exploded, its ashes were scattered into the wind. It was as though snowflakes were falling into a pitch-black sea. Not a trace of it was left behind. Although everyone saw what happened, no one could say for sure why it happened...no one except for us.

I trekked across the snow-covered nighttime forest, heading down the long, winding trail to reach the coastline. After the initial shock of the invasion moved on, humanity began to rebuild like the resilient creatures they were. We visited London a few days ago, and in just two short months, much of the city had been rebuilt. But the bottomless pit still remained, to forever stay as a testament to what happened that day.

Because we could no longer stay there without being caught by authorities, we left civilization behind and headed out into the English wilderness, where we discovered an old, abandoned cabin in the forest. We made it our new home, and although it had no electricity and we had to fend for ourselves, we were making do. Living off the land...it wasn't all bad. If anything, I was thankful to finally have a place to call home, a real home, no matter how dismal it might have been.

When I made it to the beach, I gazed out over the ocean, staring into the horizon. The sea...as always, even in winter, even when the clouds were dark gray and snow constantly fell...it was always beautiful. Calm waves gently lapped at the rocky shore. I lightly plucked at the white bandages wrapped around my neck.

I thought about Elijah. If he had survived...if he were here with us now...what would he think? He suffered so much, being snatched away from his family and everything he'd ever known to be thrown into a game of death...only to suffer even more when he finally returned home and realized he had no home to go back to. He worked so hard to reclaim his freedom, but as soon as he got it back...he gave it away...for us. But if I were in his position, if it was to protect the people I cared about...I would have done the same. In that way...he was telling the truth. I really was just like him.

Just behind me, I caught the sound of crunching gravel. I tipped back on my heels and turned to meet eyes with Seishirou. The icy sea breeze ruffled his hair and flowed back his coat.

"As expected, I knew I'd be able to find you here."

"Wha...what are you doing here?" I asked. The Kamui chuckled. "I should be asking you the same question. I woke up because I noticed my warm little pillow was gone. You always come here when you're thinking. What thoughts could you have going on in that busy little mind of yours so early in the morning, hmm? Is it too secret to share with me?"

"It's...nothing," I muttered. "I just wanted to come here, that's all. I like this place." I paused for a moment. I tilted my head to the night sky, taking in the infinite expanse of the universe twinkling across the pitch-black horizon, shining like diamonds amongst galaxies, pools of ink spilling into the darkness, where the constellation of Aquarius sang out among the sea of stars. I didn't know how I recognized it so quickly. I just did. I supposed in some strange way, I still had an attachment to Ventricosus, the home planet I had never known. Imagining that alien world in the dark depths of my mind...it was beautiful. "Seishirou, do you think...we'll ever be the powerful race we once were?"

He shrugged. "That's anyone's guess. There could be Kamui and Brynhildr somewhere else, out there in the universe. Only time will tell, I suppose. But if it were...it would be better if people like me weren't in charge. Master Sigmund may have gone mad with power, but in the end, I can't really blame him. He was tasked with shouldering the entire fate of the Kamui. Anyone would crack under that pressure. I won't ever forgive him for what he did, but...I do understand how he struggled. Plus, it's not like I'm innocent either. I've taken so many lives, even tricked people into taking their own...I decimated countless races all because I was in a selfish race to sustain myself. So even if everyone else died, I would still live on, to be the last Kamui in the universe. It's people like me who are the real monsters, not you."

I didn't want to be reminded of that. I despised thinking about it. Fighting my tears, I threw my arms around Seishirou's midriff and hugged him tightly. "Don't say that! Don't ever talk about that, ever! Just thinking about what I did that day...what I said...I can't stand it!"

Seishirou exchanged the embrace, stroking my dark blue hair. "Okay then. I won't. But there is one thing I will tell you..." He craned his head down, his warm breaths tickling the shell of my ear, and he whispered, "I love you." I choked back tears. "I love you too...Seishirou." He pushed his forearms against my bottom and lifted me up to his face, where his soft lips met mine.

A magical tingle shot down my spine. I draped my arms around his broad shoulders like curtains. I never wanted to let go. I never wanted this to end. If time just stopped right now...I would be fine with that.

I leaned down to his ear and whispered to him in return, "Whatever happens...wherever we go...I want to keep holding your hand...I want to be with you forever..."

And so came an end to the painful dark fantasy of pure love.

The End...

April 26th, 2018.

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Copyright (C) Alexandria Francetic 2018