“Lista!” Antonella came running towards me, embracing me tightly in her arms.
I was only gone from the academe for a whole day but it felt like a thousand years. My heart felt warm upon seeing my worried friends. Monk Amon was also in the dorm room. The other girls in the dormitory were also waiting with them in the lebensraum but upon seeing that I have come back alive, they sighed in relief, patted my back and went back to their own rooms, giving us our own privacy.
Antonella broke the hug but she was still clinging to me.
“Where is Johannes?” asked Monk Amon. I stiffened and took a deep breath.
“Mayo is checking his condition right now, he was out of the critical condition according to Mayo but he still hasn’t woken up.”
“What happened to the captain? What happened to you?” Kimi could not help but ask. She emphasized her last question.
Who would not wonder if the strongest mahò user in the academe was now unconscious after a fight? That would only mean a big threat has arrived. Also my disappearance and now I suddenly appear with the captain who was searching for me immobile.
I glanced at Monk Amon and she shook her head meaning I could not tell about what happened.
“I—“
“We should probably go and check on the captain,” Joanna suddenly intervened. She looked at me and smiled. I felt relieved that I was able to avoid answering their question.
Although Antonella nodded at Joanna’s statement I know she was still not done about the matters concerning my sudden disappearance. Kimi and Euna were also the same. They look at me with worried eyes and questions but they understood my silence and too it as an answer instead.
“Let us go,” Monk Amon said as she goes nearer to the door. I remembered the flashbacks I had. The young monk who was following the goddess happily and argues with the hero, she was a lively youth. It was not quite different from how she is right now, except the youthfulness was gone. There was a tired but unyielding glint in her eyes. She was someone who was still fighting.
‘Ma!’ a telepathic voice suddenly called out.
“Quinn,” I spoke.
The others looked at me wondering what I said. I ignored their weird looks and talked to Quinn again. He was gone all throughout my disappearance.
“Quinn, where were you?”
‘My connection was disrupted ma, I could not materialize, I was stuck in foreign memories.’
“Foreign memories? Don’t tell me…”
‘I was Chaos,’ Quinn confirmed the theories I have formed in my head. That just made me wonder if…
“Lista, let us go now,” Monk Amon called out once again.
“Alright,”
‘But Quinn, are you sure you were Chaos?’ I ask him telepathically.
‘Yes… I remembered it all now, I died after… after my master died,” Quinn said, his voice was slowly faltering.
‘Your master, is she the goddess of the wind?’
‘You are my master,’ Quinn voiced out.
“We are here,” Monk Amon said. We are standing on the office of the Aces.
Quinn has gone silent again, so I decided to clear everything with him later. As we stood outside the door opened and revealed Lucianna who was about to go outside. When she saw us standing outside, she bowed at Monk Amon and when her eyes laid on me her expression soured.
“You! Why are you always bringing disasters?” she accusingly pointed me.
The girls were shocked when they heard how Lucianna talked to me.
“What are you talking about vice-captain?” Antonella asked, ready to defend me at any cost.
“Ha! You didn’t know. That damsel got kidnapped and made the captain go rescue her, now do you know what state the captain is in? He won’t even wake up!” Lucianna blurted out.
Her eyes sparkled because of the tears that were attempting to fall. She hissed at me and turned her back to us completely going out of the room.
I sighed when Antonella and the other’s eyes were focused on me.
“You, you really were kidnapped?” Kim’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
“These things you shall know when time comes,” Monk Amon interfered with her question.
“Young ladies, this is far more dangerous than you think, please wait until Listarte is ready to tell you,” Monk Amon conveyed in a calm tone but it was clear that she was telling them to not ask more.
“But—“ Kimi wanted to protest but Joanna held her hand. Antonella was still looking at me, there was no trace of comfort in her face.
‘Ma, Pa is awake,’ Quinn suddenly spoke. My senses became alert and forgetting all that is currently happening I ran inside.
Just in time, I saw Johann opening his eyes. Our eyes met and a smile showed on his face.
A tear fell from my eye and I ran towards him tightly embracing him.
He chuckled and brushed my hair, “Moria,”
“Harlequin, I’m sorry,” I said. Upon hearing this, he stiffened. I hugged him tighter and his body slowly relaxed.
“You’re back,” he whispered in my ear.
“You’ve done well,” I whispered back as I caressed his cheeks. We stared at each other’s eyes. The familiar intimate gaze felt nostalgic.
“When did you remember?” he asked while playing with my white hair. The tips were beginning to show shades of blue.
“The ender heart triggered it,” I replied.
“Which reminds me, where is the second milieus executive?” Johann asked, his voice expressing wariness.
“She escaped. When I fired spells at her I was constantly feeling the pain in my head. Every time she attempts to manipulate me, the effects would be the triggering of my memories. I had a hard time focusing on destroying her, but the last straw was when were drained with mana. The domain started to falter and the moment she found an opening, her acquaintance, that girl named night got her out. They disappeared into thin air then vanishing together with the artificial night they made.” I explained to Johann.
“Are you upset?” I further asked.
“Why would I? I failed to protect you again, I should be upset with myself,” he said, full of remorse on his face.
“You did not fail, Harlequin,” I reminded him. I placed my forehead on his as if embedding every word in his head.
“Ehem,” somebody faked a cough.
I was startled by it, so I quickly moved away from Johann. That is when I saw Lalia.
“Lalia!” I exclaimed and went to embrace her.
Lalia was surprised by my action that she did not know what to do. Her hands hang in the air behind my back.
“You’re still with Harlequin, I see,” I said with a soft melodic voice, just like how I the goddess of the wind speak. Lalia’s eyes widened.
“Y-you,” she stepped backwards while holding his head. She groaned and her knees felt weak.
Her head was down as she continued to groan in pain. This was the same as what happened to me. Are our memories all affected? But that doesn’t seem to be the case with Johann.
When Lalia raised her head, her eyes were tears stained.
“Goddess… why did I not recognize you?” she said tearfully, she was apologetic in every way and was blaming herself for not remembering me.
“It’s because of the rule of this world, all beings are affected.” Johann explained.
“When Moria died 100 years ago…” Johann stopped speaking for a moment and he took a deep breath as if talking about this drains him. Talking about the death of his love must be very painful.
“…she really vanished from this world, but she, you told me you’ll be back,” he said, looking at me.
I could recall everything he was talking about, I could already recall that I was the goddess of the wind.