On the continent of Pentaus, an orphan boy and privileged princess are struggling to make their star-crossed interests and love meet. While war is ongoing between the North and South Divisions, the country of Tochinokori remains in peace until one m...
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With the victory of the South Division and the peace temporarily restored in the continent of Pentaus, the country of what used to be Tochinokori still remained quite silent. The truth is, it never would be the exact same as it was before. The memories weren't broken but they could never be fully restored; they are left in the dense fog of the people's minds. Those memories would have never been built as strong as they were without the four who cherished them the most: Arwel Ghongzhou, Kobe Okilo, Miku Shirata, and of course, Ingrid Leino. While Ingrid is lost physically, her pure and innocent soul remained present.
"How are you holding up back there, friend?" Sir Alexander asked from the front of the horse carriage. They were on their way to Hiyake--the country that was east of Pentaus. Kobe has heard great things about Hiyake, but he was there for one thing, and that was to honor Ingrid's wish.
"Just fine," Kobe replied as he sat up. He held Ingrid's urn in his hands and stared at it for a long while before Alexander spoke again.
"So what's your plan after all this? Are you going to come back home?"
Kobe hesitated to reply and sat in silence for a good amount of time. "I don't know. I don't know if I could."
"What about your friends? Surely you'd want to be with them."
"I do, but..." Kobe sighed. "I can't. It just wouldn't be the same. I love Arwel and Miku so much. I trust them with my life. However, I just can't imagine how I'd survive with the fact that I watched someone I care about very much die in front of my eyes, as well as Miku coming very close to death. It hurt me to see Ingrid's eyes slowly fade out. It would hurt me more to live with someone that almost died in the hands of my best friend. I hope you understand that."
"Very much," Alexander replied. "I wish I could fully understand where you're coming from."
"What was your family like, Alexander?"
Alexander sighed and grinned. "It's been a very long time since I've seen them, I'll tell you that. They're still here, just far away. Now that I think about it, I've never thought about going to see them again. I've gotten too caught up in the work that I haven't had time to think about them. I just have this feeling that I know they're safe wherever they are. My brothers, sisters, friends, all of them. It's just the feeling of hope, you know?"
"Yeah," Kobe replied and looked down. "I knew that word."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing. It's fine."
The rest of the trip to Hiyake was dead silent after the remark made by Kobe. Sir Alexander honestly felt very sorry for him and what he had to go through; he could never relate and give him the help that he needs. He didn't try to stop Kobe from moving away, although it would be nice to have him back in the changing country of Tochinokori. Alexander and everybody else would have to accept the fact that Kobe may never come back from Hiyake and that was that--it would leave an empty feeling, but it couldn't be changed. Kobe has lost someone that was more important to him than his parents who abandoned him several years ago. He didn't want to admit that he hated the fact that Arwel would live a much happier life than him. Of course, he still loves Arwel and Miku with all his heart, but he didn't think that he could ever move away from the fact that he'd be left with that empty feeling.
"Alright. Here we are," Alexander said loud enough for Kobe to hear. He was snoozing in the back of the carriage.
Kobe stood up and climbed out of the carriage. He looked around him. Hiyake was much different than Tochinokori; instead of the majority of the area being markets and streets, he was surrounded by trees and many other beautiful plants. The air was warm and pleasant. In front of him, he could see a large road in the middle of the trees, with buildings and houses on both sides of the road. There were some people coming in and out of them, and some walking along the road.
"I guess this is it," Kobe said, without turning his back.
"Yeah... Oh! I forgot to give you this." Alexander reached underneath him and gave a large pouch of gold coins to Kobe. "That's for all your hard work around Tochinokori. It's also for the bravery that you've shown in the many years I've known you. It should last you a very long time. You deserve it."
Kobe smirked and looked at Alexander. "Thanks, Sir Alexander. I really appreciate it."
"And hey. If you ever decide to come back, don't hesitate to write me a letter. I'll come to get you as fast as possible."
"Thanks again."
Alexander turned his horses around and waved to Kobe. "We'll miss you, mighty Kobe Okilo," he said with a smile on his face. "I wish you the best of luck."
Kobe smiled brightly and waved back as Sir Alexander rode away. He stood there for a few seconds and took in a deep breath before walking into Hiyake. He quickly walked down the road, searching for the nearest shoreline that gave him a good view of the Sea of Voices. Hiyake and the three countries in the Frozen South, Jian, Kinji, and Vejare, is known to have the most beautiful and clear sight of the entire Sea of Voices, and Kobe couldn't wait to see it for himself. He climbed many stairs, ran past many people, and almost fell over several times while tripping on rocks.
The end result was well worth it for Kobe. He stopped, out of breath, as the scene itself was breathtaking. The morning sun reflected off of the water which made it glisten. The sound of the waves was very calming, as well as the rapid but peaceful winds. Kobe walked down to get closer to the water. Nobody was there to bother him while he was honoring Ingrid's wish. He held out the urn in front of him and stared at it for a while.
"This is for you, Ingrid," Kobe thought. "I'll miss you very much." With that thought, he twisted the lid off of the urn and tossed it up in the air. At that very moment, the wind seemed to have gained speed. The ashes that were caught in the wind carried into the Sea, as the urn fell back down and sunk in the water. Kobe looked at the water for a long moment then sat down.
