#whenarrowssing

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SLENDER FINGERS QUICKLY FLIPPED through the book at hand, being disinterested of its contents for the very first time in his entire life. It was meant to serve as distraction – a present of b e n e v o l e n c e, so to speak, to keep him entertained whilst relaxing lest he overtaxed himself right away. Indeed, he could certainly not say that his own body felt very familiar as of now, as he felt…rather strange. Astonishingly energetic and as light as the most pristine feather. The construct of his memories, a complex structure of many different threads all leading to a different scenery, image and emotion, made him feel both unbelievable old and far too young.

THERE WAS NO CONTRADICTION in what he remembered, however – this was at least as much as he had already told them as soon as he had been greeted with a warm and refreshing cup of tea upon arriving in the Rising Stones. Not that it had not stopped them to make him rest regardless after a brief and heartfelt reunion, even if he was fully aware that they were merely worried. Such thought alone, unexpected and yet appreciated by him, made his heart swell in  s h e e p i s h   p r i d e .

DISTANT MEMORIES OF THE VERY DAY when his body had first awakened in a much darker future had crossed his mind more than once ever since he had opened his eyes once again – for once glad to see familiar places which he seemed to remember like yesterday. The same dry flora betwixt the seemingly endless and yet hauntingly beautiful crystallizations of the ground’s surface, the many tents still adorning the landscape so close to the Crystal Tower’s entrance… It was like the time itself had stopped the moment he had sealed himself away; as if naught at changed. Besides  h i m, at least.

THIS TIME HE FELT MORE ALIVE - no longer imprisoned and chained to a  p r o m i s e  he had vowed to an ancient past of the forgotten. Suffice to say, albeit it was still too early for him to grasp his new role in this granted new life of his, yet washing away a fatigue he did not feel to begin with was far from what his heart desired.

                Would those whose hopes and dreams had weighted so heavily                 on his shoulders for so long finally be able to smile wholeheartedly                 again if they knew?                 If they knew what he had done – for the sake of all of them?

HIS BODY HAD LONG SHIFTED ITSELF towards the edge of the bed he was supposed to rest on, placing the book on the fresh blanket. It has been merely a few hours… A few hours without the numb  m a s k  of the Crystal Exarch, without the responsibility of an entire world resting on his shoulders alone. His very heart was throbbing as excitedly like the one of a boy once again; wild, free,  p u r e. And yet… one final task remained – one he could not postpone for too long. Alas he was not as foolish enough to imagine his absence would be left unnoticed. It was likely merely his imagination, but he had noticed that far too many pair of eyes had rested on him ever since he awakened. For good or bad. Perchance he could convince someone to accompany him, however? If they even let him step out of the door, that is.

HIS EARS INSTANTLY TWITCHED as soon as he heard the heavy door’s gentle cracking noise, expecting Tataru to ask him for  a n o t h e r  cup of tea and even more Archon loaf – which he could hardly deny, after all, albeit he dearly hoped this would not be the case this time. Two cups of tea already had been more than enough for the time being. Instead, however, he saw another familiar face entering. It was pure reflex, really, that his tail accidentally loudly hit the commode during a brief moment of anxiety and surprise, pondering if Daryl was angry at him. A g a i n.

PERCHANCE… he had chosen the wrong words when they last had the opportunity to speak in the First. Truly, with the little time and strength his crystalline body had left, he merely voiced what seemed only appropriate. G r a t i t u d e, for instance. Yet had he not been too reckless again, after all? Ere his memories ended, in his very final moments of his older self, he had indeed noticed the pearls of pure tears gathering inside her eyes.

             ❝I...❞  

HE BEGAN TO PHRASE AN APOLOGY, one which he had hoped not to make for quite some time, yet the words failed him. Ultimately, after all that had happened he was quite uncertain how to even address them.

          ❝My sincerest apology.             Well…‘Tis good to see my  p r o m i s e  fulfilled.❞  

Commission for @whenarrowssing

“I’m sure someone out there would buy yours.”

“Your friend is fine for now, I made sure that she was resting.” He knows it’s of little comfort to her, but there’s nothing he can do about it. Nothing he can do with it. He feels guilty over asking for salvation, to put this burden on someone close to his old childhood friend.... but there was naught else he could think of.

“You should rest as well.”

“A more efficient aether conversion system! Eliminating the need for physical ammunition was a promising first step, but I suspect with further tinkering, an even more potent aetheric bullet might be wholly plausible. The difficulty lies in-

You are GROUNDED