The Knights Himura

#37: The Soul's Encore

As soon as Tsukiko arrived back at Aurelia's shop, Lily tugged on her sleeve. "C'mon, Tsuki!"

"G-gimme a second!" Tsukiko almost fell over as she was dragged toward a door.

On the other side, Aurelia was sitting in the middle of a rather flat, plain place. As soon as Tsukiko looked around, she realized how far away she was from any sort of civilization. The place around her was vast and empty, but not completely featureless.

It was a hilly area, with a few round trees. Aurelia was planted on a park bench, across from an incredibly simple fountain.

There was a stone path around the fountain. It extended off into the infinite, disappearing into far, green distance.

The vast and wide grassy hills were too perfect. They weren't bumps, but huge waves of earth covered in swaying blades of beautiful grass.

Tsukiko looked into the distance and saw nothing. There were no cities, or villages, or even an end to the hills. They just went up and up, so far they formed the horizon.

A lamp post hung above from a pole next to the bench. There were two light bulbs in square glass cases. These provided most of the light, save for the big, white moon in the sky.

It seemed a bit strange. Tsukiko felt as if she remembered the place, but she wasn't quite sure from where. Maybe she had dreamt of it or had made it up in the middle of an idle daydream.

She stood in deep thought for a while, letting the gentle wind run past her face. It took her a bit to remember that her visit to the strange place had a purpose.

"Tsukiko?" Aurelia turned to wave.

"Uhmm." Tsuki kept scanning the vacuum as she sat down next to the blonde woman.

"Is everything alright?" Aurelia asked with a slight chuckle.

"It's night time. Is it safe out here?" Tsuki turned to the dim, stretched part of the concrete path.

"Everything is fine, trust me." Aurelia smiled.

Lily sat down, squeezing next to Tsukiko. "It's really pretty in the day!"

"How far do these paths go?" Tsuki mumbled.

"It is only an illusion. This place was built to look like it existed in its own world. There's something magical about this place. It seems deeply familiar, like a place almost everyone knows, but never visits. When I come here, it is to reminisce." Aurelia had an oddly somber and serious tone to her.

"Yeah, it feels so... cozy." Tsuki stared out into the distance.

"I think of it like an escape. It's very easy to forget what is happening around you when you come here. I think it is necessary for all people to have an escape. Even you stop to play video games from time to time." Aurelia smiled.

"Jeez, how do you know things like that?" Tsuki turned slightly red.

"Or why you forget your mission so easily when you are with your friends." Aurelia smiled.

"Yeah, I keep getting distracted." Tsuki frowned.

"No, no. That is precisely what you want to happen." Aurelia shook her head.

"Huh?"

"At times, love is like a candle. Let it cool, and it waxes over and becomes solid once more. Keep the flame lit, and progress is made."

"What's that have to do with me?" Tsukiko focused on her words.

"If you had abandoned everything and everyone to seek revenge on the man that hurt you, you would not be here now. How do you think Fumiko would have felt, had you left her behind in that hospital?" Aurelia seemed to glow with happiness.