"... What kind of favor is it that you're taking so long to ask?"
Therese said it on purpose in a playful tone.
Eve smiled faintly. The sunlight pouring through the window illuminated that bright smile. A smile that was both bright and bitter; Therese, who had held her breath for a moment, approached Eve. Eve reached out her hand toward the approaching Therese. A wrinkled hand rested upon Eve's hand.
"Grandma."
“Yes, baby.”
"..."
Eve parted her lips. However, she could not bring herself to speak the words hidden beneath her tongue.
Eve parted her lips and forced a smile.
"The weather in the South is really nice."
"..."
Therese quietly gazed at her granddaughter's face. Eve, her gaze fixed on the window, looked extremely sad.
"The South is really warm. The sunshine, the wind, and the people are on a completely different level compared to the North."
"..."
"I haven't actually done anything for you..."
Eve's voice began to tremble. Therese silently stroked her granddaughter's hand.
"Grandma."
Eve, holding back her tears, slowly opened her mouth.
" ...You remember what I told you, right?"
"..."
"I said I saw Mom and Noelia in a past life."
Then Therese raised her gaze and looked at Eve.
"Aria told me I shouldn't do that, but before I knew it, I shouted, 'Mom!' And then our eyes met."
"... What."
Therese asked as if she couldn't believe it.
What she saw was Noelier's memory. Even if Eve cried out at the top of her lungs, the fragment of memory should not have been able to look at her.
But their eyes met.
It meant it wasn't a memory.
Therese shook her head. It was impossible.
She had never heard of such a thing. Even if it were possible, she could not know what the consequences would be.
“It’s your imagination.”
She retorted firmly. It was because she instinctively realized what Eve was going to say.
"Or maybe you're mistaken. Didn't that mermaid say the same thing? That it was the first time something like this had happened."
"... Grandma."
"You shouldn't bet everything on a slim chance. It might be irreversible."
Therese gripped Eve's hand tightly, as if she would never let go.
Eve lowered her head, looking alternately at the hand being held and Noelier's hand she was holding.
"...You said this before."
She slowly pulled her lips away.
"You said you regret harshly kicking Dad out."
"Eve."
"You waited for Dad... who wouldn't come back."
Therese slowly shook her head. Her blue eyes met in the air.
“I will be back.”
"..."
"I'm going to come back, wake Noel up, and walk into the wedding hall with Grandma."
"...Baby."
"I can't give up on Noel."
Eve's voice became wet.
“...No.”
Therese's face contorted. It was an anger she had never shown Eve before.
"Are you planning to bet everything on that possibility? It might not work. It's too dangerous!"
"... Grandma."
"Besides, what do you intend to do when you get there? Are you planning to steal the leader's heart yourself? Messing with the past causes the present to go awry. If you're not careful...!"
Therese stopped speaking. It took a little courage to utter the words swirling in her mouth.
"...Your very existence could disappear."
"..."
"Please, please, can't you think about it just one more time?"
Therese spoke pleadingly.
There are so many coincidences in the world. Her meeting her mother, and even the fact that their eyes met, could have been a coincidence.
If not that, it must be an imagination Eve made up. There were plenty of excuses to attach. If there wasn't one, I could have made one up.
"I don't want to lose anyone anymore. Please..."
The hand she was holding trembled. The blue eyes looking at her were filled with the fear of what might happen again.
"..."
Feeling as if tears were about to escape, Eve smiled.
"I promise, Grandma."
"..."
" I'll be back safely."
"..."
"We can't... just sit idly by like this."
She should have spoken more bravely, but her throat was choked up, and she couldn't continue speaking.
So Eve smiled. As a sign that she would keep her promise no matter what.
Upon seeing that smile, a fragment of a memory from the far reaches of Therese's mind surfaced.
It was the back view of the son she had driven out with her own hands.
Therese knows.
Eve will not stop.
Just as his son did, she will move forward to save her loved ones.
So, as a family member, I...
"...Okay."
You have to trust that choice.
"I'll be waiting."
"..."
"Are you sure you’ll come back?”
Her question was something she could not say to her son. Eve nodded.
“I promise.”
Therese's image was reflected in her clear, transparent eyes. She was reminded of his son, who had now faded even from her memory.
If there is anything different from the past, it is that the two of them made a promise while facing each other.
***
Aria looked at Eve with a nervous expression.
She called her so calmly for some reason, so she wondered what was wrong...
If she had known Eve would do something this reckless, she would never have used her powers.
However, her eyes were filled with the determination to save Noelier.
In the end, Aria had no choice but to give up on persuasion.
"Listen carefully, Eve. First, we are going to enter the memories. Of course, the person presumed to be your mother did look at you, but we still cannot rule out the possibility."
"..."
"Above all, that memory belongs to the
first leader. It must absolutely not get entangled with the current reality. Simply put, it must not be revealed that Eve is not from the past."
Aria spoke once more with emphasis.
"Because if memories of the present get mixed with the past, you never know what might happen. You know what I mean, right?"
Eve nodded with a serious expression.
Aria let out a trembling breath. Closing her eyes and composing herself, she slowly opened them.
"Then, Eve, are you ready?"
"... Yes."
Eve, having answered, turned around and looked at Therese.
"Grandma."
"..."
Therese slowly nodded. She reached out her hand toward Eve.
A blue gem crystal appeared inside Eve's body.
With this and Grandmother's amplification magic, they would be able to stop Noelier's rampage even without Eve.
"Please take good care of them. As for Zion and Rachel..."
"Don't worry. I will take good care of them so you have nothing to worry about."
It was when Eve nodded and held hands with Aria.
The sound of a door opening was heard. The gazes of the three people turned toward the source of the sound.
The person who entered was the Western leader, Nilar.
She was about to say something, but sensing an ominous atmosphere, she closed her mouth.
'A mermaid who can see memories, a human King with amplification magic, and a leader on the verge of going berserk.'
And the woman who was thought to be the leader's partner.
'And what did she say she saw in the dragon's memory?'
The quick-witted Nilar immediately realized Eve's plan.
She smiled sweetly and approached them.
“Lady Eve.”
Nilar reached out his hand.
"Why don't you take this with you as well?"
An orange gem appeared in her palm.
"It is my magic. Simply put, it is the earth."
She continued.
"The earth refers not merely to land. It encompasses everything that exists. Though it is insufficient, if you take my magic stone, you will be able to endure a little longer in your memories."
As soon as Nilar finished speaking, an orange magic stone landed on her palm.
"... Thank you."
"It is truly an honor for you to take me in."
Eve, having left a message of thanks, turned around and looked at Aria.
She gathered everything she could take.
Nilar's land, Grandmother's amplification, and even Aria's spirit.
Now, the rest was up to her.
Aria, breathing heavily with a tense expression, approached her side. Their hands interlocked tightly, and their foreheads touched.
A chill seeped into her body. It was similar to when she had entered Noelier's memories.
It was when Eve slowly closed her eyes.
Bang!
“Sister!”
The sound of a door opening roughly was heard. Eve opened her eyes wide.
Rachel had a frantic look on her face, as if she were being chased by something.
Rachel's pupils widened upon spotting them.
Rachel ran to their side, but her vision was gradually blurring.
Rachel threw something she was holding in her hand. Something small and round, shining with gold. Eve reached out and caught it.
“Please find me!”
Rachel shouted beyond her fading vision.
"Please find me there! If that ring is there..."
Rachel's voice faded away like a fading ringing in her ears.
Rachel! Eve approached Rachel to hear more clearly, but the surrounding figures began to scatter chaotically.
Her fragmented vision crumbled like grains of sand. Memories turned to ash and were scattered by a wind blowing from somewhere. "Eve!" she heard someone shouting, but Eve could not answer.
Her vision turned black. From then on, everything was pitch black.
***
A shiver ran through me. I slowly opened my eyes.
'This is...'
I pulled myself together. Then, my vision slowly cleared.
The world was covered in white snow.
'What is this?'
That's not the scene I watched with Aria!
Flustered, I looked around.
It was a very familiar place.
This was the North.
'Why did I end up here?'
Am I dreaming because the magic went wrong? I pinched my cheek hard, feeling vivid pain. As I clutched my stinging cheek, something I had been holding fell onto the snow.
'This is...'
A small, round thing that shines with a golden color.
It was the ring Rachel gave me before I entered Noelier's memories.
And if my memory serves me right, this ring is...
Previous Next
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment