"It"s the tower!"

Freyja shouted, standing before a stone tower with over a hundred floors, aurradiating orbs floating around. The guards bowed before them, and graciously welcomed them inside. This made Freyja chuckle, recalling how different it was, the first time she"s been there. When she first met her friend Alaric, she forced her way in the tower, instantly making her a criminal. Even so, Alaric saved her and from there, they became friends. "Ah… how nostalgic."

"ALARIC!!!"

Freyja"s voice echoed around the room. And there, a young man, clad in a white sorcerer"s robe, aged twenty-four, stood, with his bewildered sapphire eyes. Freyja immediately noticed how long his wavy, golden hair grew. Tears falling from his eyes, he dropped the books in his hand and ran straight towards the girl. He took her in his arms and tightly embraced her. "Is it really you!? Is it really you Freyja!?" He asked, over and over, his body trembling. Freyja couldn"t help but shed tears of joy. She hugged him back and nodded to his questions. Kirin watched them with apprehending eyes, but soon turned to a smile.

Freyja has been missing for almost six years. They weren"t even sure if she was still alive. And now that she"s back, the relief was beyond imagination.

"Wow… you grew your hair long Alaric." Freyja ran her fingers through his long golden hair. "It"s beautiful!" She complemented with eyes sparkling in awe. Alaric sighed at ease, that even after such a long time, Freyja hasn"t changed a bit. Her usual expressions, her voice, her preferences and everything about her are exactly the same. Heck, even her height almost stayed the same. He laughed, wiping his tears off his eyes. "You"re the same as ever Freyja."

Freyja grinned, holding the young man"s hands. "I"m back."

~o0o~

"Congratulations! Who could have thought that the third celestial guardian is sealed in your previous world?" Alaric��s attendants served them milk tea and the cakes Freyja loved so much. To open the gates of Celestia, Freyja must find all five celestial guardians, the elite guards of the ruling monarch of Celestia. She found two, Astrid and Aria six years ago, and back in her previous world, she found another one, Avice. Now, she"s only left with two guardians to find.

"By the way…How is Keon? Is he alright?" Freyja remembered Kirin"s younger brother Keon, who betrayed his own family for her sake. She can"t help but feel worried ever since she regained her memories about him.

"He"s dead. Probably." Kirin flatly replied, which made Freyja drop her cup. "He can"t be!" The sound of breaking porcelain pales in comparison to her voice. "When you disappeared, only Alaric and I escaped. In desperation and panic, Ahrin went after Keon for betraying the Aethelmaer family. He tried to run, but was drawn to a corner. He was far too exhausted to even fight against seven platoons."

Kirin recalled the time when his little brother jumped off a cliff. "Instead of dying in the hands of Ahrin, he jumped off a cliff and drowned himself to death." Kirin explained.

"This is where you are, Freyja?" Keon said looking down the deep blue sea and its violent waves crashing against boulders. "Then let"s go together."

Kirin didn"t dare mention his brother"s last words, knowing it will create more unwelcome stir in Freyja"s heart. He understands that she deserves to know the truth, but feels that it is not yet the time for that. Alaric thought the same.

"But we all know that he may still be alive." Alaric interrupted, "He is an Aethelmaer, it"s impossible for him to die with just THAT."

Freyja nodded. "Of course, he should be… he should be alive somewhere." Freyja knows she sounded like she"s in denial. But she didn"t care.

"Even if that were true, he"s better off being "dead" for his sake. So, let"s not think too much about Keon for now. You know what I mean." Kirin added, hoping for a peaceful life for his brother.

Alaric sighed, "Now Freyja, it"s your turn to explain things. Aneurin said you"re dead. He even threw your body into the ocean, didn"t he? Plus, he chopped off your hand as proof. So, how did you manage to survive all that?"

Freyja nodded, "He"s telling the truth. I remember that sword buried in my chest. Everything went blurry. Then, I saw my own blood. The pain was… excruciating, to say the least. I can"t even put it to words. His aura creeping into my body and making it worse." Recalling the incident made Freyja shiver. "I knew that it"s impossible for me to live in that state. I can clearly remember accepting my death. The next thing I remember is under water. I was not even sure that time if I am still alive or not, but it"s cold and dark and there"s someone from under there who saved me."

"From underwater?"

"Yes. He refused to tell me who he is, but he said he can only save me this once. He said that I"d shed off my human body and that he would help me regain my original celestial body. I don"t really remember much after that, I"m sure he said much more. When I woke up, I found myself back in that previous world where I was originally sent by my mother."

"That person resurrected you then, but how could he possess such power?" Alaric cupped his chin while thinking, "Wait! Don"t tell me he"s …"

Freyja shook her head, "I don"t know. But Avice said he might be a celestial guardian. Astrid and Aria said the same thing. Maybe someday, I will find myself going back to the Aethelmaer manor."

When Freyja mentioned the "Aethelmaer Manor," Alaric recalled the time when he accidentally saw an old portrait that looked so much like Kirin in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the manor. Since then, he has been secretly looking for clues as to who that person may be, keeping it even from Kirin. Freyja remembered the horror when they were desperately trying to escape the mansion. But the most disturbed one is Kirin, for keeping a secret oblivious to both Freyja and Alaric. That Kirin, is actually the same man who betrayed Celestia, who killed her father. Even if he has no recollection of it, the strong dark aura he was born with is enough evidence. Even so, the fear inside Kirin is tremendous, that he intends to take that secret to his grave. For the past six years, it seems that Kirin has mastered shoving that disturbing fact off his mind, concentrating on looking for Freyja and how to reunite with her.

"By the way," Freyja"s cheerful voice broke through the tense air. "Avice was sealed by a frightening dark aura. You see, the dark aura used the form of a little girl! And guess what, that little girl is my past self!"

Freyja just nodded in response to their surprised faces. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"She is the real owner of the human body I took, to survive. And you know, it was very hard to fight her, I almost lost it. But then, Van, Scarlet and Aya were there to help me," She continued, "And so… Avice…." Freyja continued to talk cheerfully, and Alaric listened carefully to her stories, occasionally taking notes for his rune researches. Kirin, on the other hand, has his mind preoccupied with something else that he"d just look at Freyja with blank eyes. "K-Kirin? What"s the matter?" Freyja noticed his unusual behavior. Kirin denied it, and the day went on without him saying anything about it to her.

~o0o~

Night came, and Kirin found himself knocking on Freyja"s window. Freyja in an instant, opened the window for him "What"s wrong?" Kirin smiled as he took her hand and led her out to the balcony. The two of them gazed at the night sky, just like the how they used to six years ago. "You know Kirin," Freyja, broke the silence. "Back then it was really, really difficult. Sure, there were not much aura users, but I didn"t know that having no memories of you can be so painful, I"d rather get stabbed by Aneurin." She laughed. "So, Kirin, you have no idea how glad I am to remember you again. Thank you. Whenever I felt like giving up, I always thought of that silver haired man in my memories, and then I"d feel better. Even when you"re in another world you still ended up taking care of me." Freyja chuckled, her face bright red.

"Your name is Leriouge Aethelmaer, the champion of the rebellion against the royal family of Celestia. The one who ordered the princess" death and the one who ended the Alfiore Kinju"s life."

Kirin"s tight clench could crush the rails of the balcony. Kirin managed to hide his anxiousness from Freyja. He didn"t want to hide things from her, but this is one secret he just couldn"t find himself telling her about. He is terrified that Freyja will despise him if she knew.

"Kirin, are you worried about something?" All that Kirin could do was to look at her. Then, with trembling hands, he embraced her tight. "W-what"s the matter?" The surprised girl felt her hurting arms because of Kirin"s tight grip.

"It doesn"t matter!" Kirin came up with a decision. He will hide Leriouge"s ident.i.ty forever, if that is how he can stay with her.

"It"s alright… whatever that is…" Freyja hugged him back, feeling his embrace loosen a bit.

"Freyja, I want to ask you something, I want you to give me an honest reply." Freyja felt her heart race. "Kirin?"

"If…" Kirin stuttered, "If I happen to be… to be someone really evil in the past… If I… I was someone who committed a grave crime… would you… hate me?"

Freyja"s eyes widened. She has never seen him this vulnerable before. "I…" Freyja looked away with a red face, "I can never hate you. No matter who you were, or what you become in the future. I will never hate you… I can"t." She said, squeezing his hands. Freyja wanted to ask what"s bothering Kirin, but felt that it"s something he didn"t want to talk about. She didn"t want to make him uncomfortable, more than he already is. So, she decided to wait until Kirin tells her himself. Freyja squeezed Kirin"s hands, giving him all the a.s.surance, she could.

"When I returned," Freyja said, "I don"t know why but, time hasn"t pa.s.sed a bit. They all told me that everything was just a dream, that you are not real. They said you"re just a figment of my imagination. And it"s really hard, since I didn"t have anything to prove that you aren"t." Freyja felt her chest tighten, remembering the days without Kirin by her side. She squeezed his hand and placed it on her left chest. "I even wished that I should have died that time. I almost wanted to give up. I went to school, studied hard all because I want to be strong and see you again!" Freyja"s tears rolled down her cheeks, as she gazed at Kirin"s moonlit face.

"The moment I woke up and I couldn"t find you… I hated the world. I was so lonely I even hurt the owner of my human body! I made her a monster! I always found myself calling your name! In happiness, in sorrow, pain, surprise, everything! I did my best, with Van, Skar and Aya to search for anything that might lead me back to you. And that"s when I realized that…" Freyja felt her emotions overflow. "That…" She blushed hard, her heart pounding like crazy. But she learned her lesson. She may never be able to say these words again. She"s so afraid she"d wake up the next day and Kirin is gone again. "…That… that Kirin is …. The one most important to me! There is no way I can live in a world without you. There is no way I can hate you!" She exclaimed with a wince. "I lo—"

Freyja stopped. Silence filled the air. His swift a.s.sa.s.sin hands held her face onto his and with his cold lips, he kissed her deeply. Freyja"s eyes widened, surprised. She felt her heart thump faster and faster, her body is frozen. Slowly, she gasped for breath.

"THAT WAS—" She covered her mouth out of reflex and embarra.s.sment. "What did he do!?" She thought, feeling blood rush into her face. Freyja has always dreamed of Kirin reciprocating her feelings, but she never expected it to be THAT fast. He gently pulled her hands away from her face and again, he kissed her. This time, more pa.s.sionately. Freyja closed her eyes, feeling his warmth flow through her entire body. Her hands moved on its own, wrapping around his neck, pulling him down to her, deepening their connection. After quite a while, they both gasped for breath and their lips unwillingly parted.

"Promise me Freyja." Kirin whispered in her ear. "Promise me that you"ll stay with me forever, no matter what." At first, she was too surprised to reply, however, after a short while, she was able to put her feelings into words once again. "Yes, of course!" She swore, wrapping his arms around him, "Forever…" Kirin"s warmth shrouded her. She felt extremely nostalgic, having felt years without him by her side. Freyja could die right now. She has never felt so peaceful and warm before. "In my entire life, I"ve felt so uncertain about everything…" She thought, "But now, I"ve never felt more certain."

The entire night pa.s.sed, and the two didn"t let go of each other. Freyja soon fell asleep peacefully, with Kirin"s arms wrapped around her.

~o0o~

It was a rather awkward morning. Alaric, Freyja and Kirin were quietly having breakfast, even though most of the meals prepared were Freyja"s favorites. "Um…" Alaric finally had the courage to ask, "Did something happen?"

Freyja and Kirin"s face turned beet red. Freyja instantly denied Alaric"s suspicions. "Nothing, I just feel a bit nauseous, that"s all. Oh! Probably because I"m tired, but I"m fine now!" While Freyja explained suspiciously, Kirin kept quiet. Alaric narrowed his eyes, looking at Kirin.

"Excuse me…" One of the guild"s elite rune masters, Elena, stepped into the dining hall with a couple of scrolls in her hands. "Oh, is she your sister Lord Kirin?" Elena noticed the little girl Freyja sitting beside Kirin. "You must be Lord Alaric"s friends, welcome." She smiled at them and giggled. Freyja shook her head. "No, I"m Kirin"s…." Freyja paused with a blush, remembering what happened last night, "I... I"m his stud—"

"She"s my lover."

Alaric almost choked to death, hearing Kirin say that with a straight face. Even Freyja was stunned, not expecting that he would publicly announce such a thing. "I am!?"

"And why are you surprised!?" Kirin grunted. Noticing Alaric"s shock, he smirked and continued. "Last night, didn"t we—" Freyja jumped onto Kirin and covered his mouth with all of her might. "You don"t say that!"

"Oh my, forgive me. Anyway, I came here to deliver these doc.u.ments Lord Alaric. Lord Arphad is urgently in need of your help." Elena handed the scrolls over to Alaric, which turned out to be maps and diplomatic doc.u.ments from a kingdom called Haia. "There seems to be quite a disruption of aura coming from the western continent, in the Kingdom of Haia." Elena explained with a very serious expression on her face, "If the disruption continues, our runes and spells will be greatly affected…. I"m sorry to interrupt your journey but…"

"Miss Elena, can you please explain what"s happening? Disruption? What"s going on?" Freyja was gone for quite a long time, she badly wanted to know what"s going on in that world.

"You see, Haia is a powerful land of sorcerers. Compared to us, their sorcerer population is much larger, and their art is practiced in a larger scale. They are even called "the magic kingdom" since it is the seat of all sorcery in this world." Alaric explained,

"They gained such a reputation because of a crystal, that is said to be the source of their aura… to be honest, we do not know exactly what that is since Haia is a closed country. They do not allow foreigners inside! However, they do allow amba.s.sadors from time to time." Elena continued, "It was a peaceful country so their secrecy was never an issue before. But lately, we detected large waves of energy gushes coming from Haia. Those gushes of energy were unusually strong that they disrupt the normal flows of runes in the nearby countries."

"But isn"t Haia too far away from here?" Freyja asked, pointing to a map hanging on the wall. "How come the gushes reach here?"

"That"s the problem. We don"t know what they are doing. Some are saying that they are preparing for a war… since it is said that they"ve always wanted to expand their territories. Others are saying that they are performing some kind of ritual, I don"t know." Elena replied, "Since the guild is an ally, we opted to send an amba.s.sador and at the same time, investigate covertly what"s going on in Haia."

"You forgot one thing," Kirin interrupted, "Haia is a major ally of the Aethelmaer family. You remember those dark aurinfused soldiers? They were probably "made" in Haia."

"In any case, the rulers of Haia only allow high profile amba.s.sadors, to make sure that there are no spies. That"s why we have no other choice but to send Lord Alaric."

Alaric sighed in disappointment. He wanted to go with Freyja first thing, but he"s stuck with this errand. "I guess I"ll be leaving the group for a while."

"What do you mean?" Freyja asked, "We"re going with you Alaric! We can"t possibly let you go alone on such a dangerous mission."

"WHAT!?" Kirin and Alaric were both surprised, "What about the celestial guardians?"

"That"s alright, we don"t even have clues yet." Freyja grinned. "Miss Elena, it"s alright if we go, right?"

"WHAT THE h.e.l.l!?" Kirin scolded, twisting the girl"s left ear. "We"d get sidetracked again. It"s not like it"s THAT dangerous, you don"t have to worry too much about him. He can handle this on his own!"

"Come on Kirin, we have to help Alaric. Besides, we haven"t gone to the west continent before. Who knows, maybe we can find the guardian there?" Freyja wins with her ultimate stubbornness of course. Kirin sighed and conceded. "Fine, just hurry up with the errand Ala—"

"Thank you, Freyja..." Alaric sweetly smiled at the girl, and planted a kiss on the back of her hand. "…you really are my savior." Freyja blushed. "Um… you"re welcome?"

"Now we have to prepare…. It"ll be a long, TROUBLESOME journey." Kirin glared at the smirking Alaric before turning his back and returned to his room and both Freyja and Alaric did the same. "Let"s go!"

~o0o~

Late at the night before their departure for Haia, Kirin secretly went to the guild masters" room by himself.

"Lord Kirin, you must be here for the drug, am I right?" Arphad greeted, expecting him all along. Although Kirin did not disclose everything to the old man, still, he knows no other who can craft a medicine that could suppress Leriouge in him. Lately, he"s been feeling a presence from within him, clouding his mind, filling him with strange memories about a kingdom which he suspected to be Celestia. Fearing that he might lose to his other self, he asked for the help of the Rune Master Arphad to create a potion that will keep his sanity intact.

"This potion is the strongest and most potent I can ever make. It can suppress any magic or curse with a single drop. However, bear in mind that its effectiveness is still dependent on the magnitude of the spell within you, so please do not be too reliant on this." Arphad is unaware of the real purpose why Kirin asked for such a medicine, however, as a rune master, he gave everything he could for a desperate client. "And don"t worry, Alaric, Freyja and all the others do not know, and will NEVER know about this."

"Thank you Arphad. You have my deepest grat.i.tude." Kirin now took the bottle from the guild master and immediately hid it in a compartment in his backpack. With another goodbye bow, he left.

~ o 0 o ~