The wind brushed harshly against my skin as I soar higher to the skies, the creeping feeling of his gaze still lingers in my skin. Quinn has also felt it, the overwhelming pressure the enemy emits.
“What are you planning to do?” Beside me Johann struggled to fight against the pressure of the wind, my eyes rounded when I realized he was with me.
I was too hasty, when I felt that gaze I moved on instinct, and my instinct was telling me to run away from that place immediately. I ordered Quinn to halt and the wind quickly calmed down, we were higher up in the skies, we were not able to see what was on the ground anymore.
What I saw up here was a familiar scene, I once saw this in my memories, that time I was with him, “Harlequin,” the name suddenly came out of my mouth.
“Moria?” there was wonder in his voice but I could hear the joy by my mere utterance of that name.
“The Grand Arch Wizard has fully resurrected,”
“Yes,” he nodded as if he knew all along.
“We need to defeat him before he could even grow. We need to destroy him, this time without any trace left,”
Before he could wield the chain of destruction once again, I need to put an end to him. But it would be hard to reach him with all those milieus executives guarding him.
“Can he still use the chain of destruction even when the realm is gone?”
“The realm was never gone Johann, it’s just asleep. The Gaearandys, the sacred world tree would not let the balance of the world get destroyed. Maybe that is the reason why the tree woke me up, to destroy the evil wizard. That is my purpose, and I will fulfill it with my life.”
Johann’s face was grim when I turned to him and a shadow of guilt passed by me. I knew he was sensitive when it was about my life so maybe I should not carelessly mention anything about it.
“Don’t worry Johann, this time I would make sure that you could return to your world, before I completely disappear.” I beamed a smile to reassure that everything will be fine.
“Can you listen to my wish?” he said out of nowhere
“Hmm? A wish? Okay, let’s hear it,” his head was still bowed down and I could not see his expression.
I moved closer to him and held his chin to clearly see his face, but I immediately regretted that move the moment I saw his face.
Johann was on the verge of tears. His hands were tightly clenched as if he was suppressing something inside him.
“I wish you would stay by my side, only by my side. Forget everything, your responsibility as a goddess, your responsibility of returning me to my world, just… just stay by my side. I only need you. I love you Moria. In the past, until now.”
A tear fell from his eyes, it felt cold against my finger. My heart swelled upon seeing his pain stricken face.
Then another surge energy coming from below came, my eyes quickly averted towards its direction.
‘Quinn, quickly,’ I ordered Quinn to go the source of the surge immediately.
But I was caught off guard when I did not move with Quinn, I could feel the shock from Quinn when he noticed I was falling down instead of being at his back. Johann had gripped my wrist as he let his body fall from Quinn’s back. I know I could control this fall using the wind, after all I could fly, and Johann knows that too, he could fly too. But why is he…
“Just choose me Moria,” his voice was tired. And I knew, those years he was waiting, those were not so that he could return to his world, it was because of me. And now he was about to lose me again, and he could not take it anymore. He was tired.
Johann was falling in a quick speed but his eyes never left mine, I reached out for his hands but every time I do, he kept on slipping away. He was not holding unto me anymore. What made it all come to this? He was all okay earlier!
“Johann! Hold my hand,” I shouted at him, I could see already the green shades of the tress on the forest, we were near the ground. If Johann still doesn’t fly, or hold my hand, he would…
This would easily be resolved if I trap him in my air bubble, but I know this is not what he wants. And our time was running out. I glanced at the source of the energy surge and back at him. He wants me to choose.
I closed my eyes and resolved myself.
“Harlequin! I won’t run away!” there was the pain again, that expression on his face was the same expression I last saw in my memories. In the memories of the goddess when she vanished.
“But I promise, I won’t leave you alone. So please, hold my hand,” he was about to reach out his hand but he clenched it back and he tilted his head sideways refusing to meet my eyes.
For some reason I was starting to get annoyed. Why do I feel like he was acting like a spoiled aristocrat brat?
“Alright! You don’t want to hold my hand? Then it’s a shame I wanted to tell you something very important. I was saving this sweet confession but okay, just let your dumb self fall!” I blurted out. I stopped free falling and floated in the air I crossed my arms and like he did, refused to look at him.
But inside me, I was dead worried that he would continue falling. What if he doesn’t get what I mean? But then again I was my worries were useless, the brat captain of the aces was already by my side, floating effortlessly.
“So what is it you want to say to me? A confession you say? And it’s sweet?” he taunted me. A smile etched in his face.
I was astounded. Where was the poor lonely Johannes Harlequin earlier?
An explosion shook a part of the forest, my attention was once again diverted to that direction. I searched for Quinn because I could not detect his presence in me. He did not follow me anymore when I was falling and that was odd.
“Quinn…’ I called. But there was nothing. I searched the wind, enhanced my senses. and there I saw it. Quinn was with Yahya and Lalia. I accusingly looked at Johann.
And another explosion occurred. I began to feel panicky. i was about to just leave Johann and join in the battle happening in the forest when I was stopped by Johann again. His expression was stern.
“What is it that you wanted to tell me Moria? Your time is running.”
Another explosion. And I felt the creeping black energy, the ender getting closer. It was getting its range wider.
“Don’t you need to win a battle Moria?” Johann pressured me.
“Okay! I love you! Both when I was a goddess and now, as I am, as a common wizling. I have always loved you and it pains me to leave you. So please… don’t act like you are the only one hurting because of this situation. Now, could you please let go of me?”
I could feel the frown on my forehead and I could not bring myself to look at him. I felt his grip tighten.
“Alright, I got my answer. Now let us go fight some evil wizlings,”
“What?” I asked, looking at him impossibly.
“You love me and I love you. That’s enough for me,” he beamed at me and once again I was astounded.
“Nice work Harly, now we could finally go to that battle right?”
A spirit appeared beside Johann, it was a wizling wearing a huge armor and wields a huge sword. I recognized him from my memories. It was Valencia.
I smiled at him as I recognized him he looked surprised when I did. Then he cleared his throat.
“Greetings to the goddess of the wind,” he greeted me.
“Magandang umaga,” I greeted back.
Johann summoned the other spirits together with the two ladies who was guarding Quinn, but they were more like playing with him.
Then I also prepared myself. In this battle, I am fighting as the guardian of this land.
Moria, the goddess of the wind.