Arsene ran without stopping and brought me to the land of Tamar.
Arsene stopped for a moment at the entrance to the land of Tamar, raised his head and looked at the purified area.
The shadow that had been covering the land of Tamar the whole time was cleared away.
This,
‘…What happened to father?’
Kendrick was unable to maintain his power, so his power was removed.
I grabbed Arsene’s fur with trembling hands.
Arsene also seemed to have noticed that something had happened to Kendrick, and he stared at the scene blankly for a moment before walking away again.
He seems to have decided that there was no time to waste.
I also held back the urge to cry and clearly remembered what I had to do.
I had a place to go. There is no time to delay. It was clear Kendrick wouldn’t want me to do that either.
Arsene slowed his pace and walked. The surroundings were quiet. It seemed like the world had stopped and there were only the two of us left.
Every time Arsene took a step, his back moved smoothly and my body shook slightly.
Arsene arrived in front of the huge tree and lowered his posture.
I got off Arsene’s back and looked up at the huge tree.
“…World Tree.”
And as soon as I saw the tree shriveled up, as if it was about to die at any moment, I knew what I had to do.
[Give your life to the tree, just like you did a long time ago.]
A familiar voice was heard once again. A soft breeze tickled my ears.
Arsene had already removed his wolf form and returned to the appearance I was familiar with, quietly looking down at me.
[Give your life to the tree.]
The strong vitality of a phoenix that comes back to life again and again. The will to run through the night to correct what happened in the past. The names of those you want to protect.
I took a step forward as if possessed.
I clearly knew what I had to do.
If Arsene hadn’t caught me, I would have immediately devoted the rest of my life to the tree.
Arsene grabbed my wrist with an expression as if he had something to say.
I looked back at Arsene with my wrist held by him.
The wind easily blew through Arsene’s silver hair, which stood out against the moonlight.
His eyes, which had always looked at me affectionately, were looking at me with an expression that almost made him cry.
“Linsy.”
Arsene called me slowly.
I turned completely around, faced Arsene, and looked up at him.
“Now give me a chance to ask. So that I know what you’re trying to do.”
Arsene gently squeezed my hand and placed it on his cheek.
Then he carefully put his cheek against my palm and kissed it lightly.
Arsene’s warmth was clearly felt in my hands.
However I couldn’t easily talk to Arsene.
Because I clearly saw what happened to me in the past when I made the same choice right here.
I disappeared on the spot.
If God had not brought me back to life, I probably would have disappeared forever and been forgotten by everyone.
So maybe this time too…
I didn’t want to show Arsene something like that.
[Don’t worry, my daughter.]
Then, a familiar voice once again gently touched me.
[I will give it back to you this time too.]
It was clearly the voice of God.
In that case, returning it back is probably…
‘It must be my life.’
I thought of the God who brought me back to life after I had disappeared in the past.
He will do whatever it takes to save me this time too. As it was in the past.
‘So, this is a very short separation.’
I’ll be back soon. Into Arsene’s arms.
That’s it then. If I can meet Arsene again, that’s okay with me.
I cupped Arsene’s cheeks with both hands and lifted my tiptoes to bring his face closer.
Arsene looked down at me as if he knew what I was going to do here.
I held Arsene’s cheek, looked clearly into his blue eyes, and spoke slowly.
“I’ll be right back.”
“….”
“I will come no matter what. Since you are waiting, I will come right away. I will come and tell you everything I couldn’t say.”
“Linsy…”
“I don’t care how long it takes, I will definitely come back to you. Arsene.”
Arsene hugged my waist. I could clearly feel Arsene’s large, strong hand wrapping around me trembling slightly.
“Linsy, I… I will wait for you.”
“….”
“No matter how long it takes. No matter what form you come in, I will wait for you.”
“Arsene.”
“Even if you become a different clan than a bird, and even if you don’t have the beautiful red hair you have now, I will be able to recognize you right away.”
Arsene’s voice continued for a long time without interruption.
I hugged Arsene’s neck. I could feel Arsene burying his face in my shoulder and crushing it.
“I’ll be right back, Arsene. Mmh? Really. I’ll be back soon.”
“Come right away. I’ll be waiting here, so you have to come soon.”
“…Yeah, okay. Arsene.”
I felt Arsene endlessly stroking my hair.
As I hugged my now grown up childhood friend and lover, I remembered the day I first met Arsene.
Arsene was very sharp and wary that he wouldn’t receive treatment from me.
Arsene manifested his power for the first time to protect me.
Even the look on his face when he confessed that he wished I had never left….
I turned my head and looked at Arsene’s face once, and kissed him.
I was holding Arsene’s cheeks in my hands.
Our first kiss was when we were young to show off to the elders, but now it was completely different from then.
Each other’s breath mingled. Arsene gently led me. I was helplessly led by Arsene.
Arsene, Arsene.
The kiss with my lover was so sweet and happy that I couldn’t come to my senses.
After sharing his breath with me for a long time, Arsene stopped his head slowly as if he was sorry.
I gave Arsene a light kiss on the corner of his mouth one last time, and then slowly got out of Arsene’s arms.
The touch that was wrapped around my waist lost its place and wandered in the air, and soon disappeared.
As I looked at Arsene and smiled, Arsene looked at me with a face that seemed as if he was about to cry.
I barely suppressed my desire to hug Arsene right now and looked up at the huge world tree in front of me.
The World Tree waved its huge branches as if it knew what I came here for.
I stood tall beneath the wind generated by the World Tree, looked at the huge tree, and thought about what I had to do.
“….I have to dedicate the rest of my life to it.”
The strong vitality and healing power of the phoenix that comes back again and again over several lifetimes.
God and this world needed it.
I carefully placed my hand on the base of the huge tree.
I felt an unidentifiable sound from deep within.
And that moment.
“What are you trying to do!!”
Georg’s screams were heard. Arsene and I turned our heads at the same time.
The huge bird almost collapsed and landed on the ground at Tamar, and Georg hurriedly got off the bird’s back and ran with a grotesquely distorted face.
“What are you doing, what are you trying to do!!!”
I looked at Georg dryly.
The culprit of all this.
The face of the person who made me stand here once again.
“I told you, Georg. You’ll never get what you want.”
Georg stopped in place. And he fell down on his knees with a look of despair on his face.
“Ah, no. You can’t!!”
I looked down at him in despair, then turned my gaze to the black, dead land of Tamar.
And once at the giant world tree.
And…
“Arsene.”
One look at Arsene, who has not taken his eyes off me this entire time.
I could see that Arsene’s deep blue eyes were filled with only me.
I stomped my feet in place and smiled brightly at Arsene.
So that Arsene will not be sad until the day we meet again.
“I’ll be right back, really!”
Pong—!
A larger amount of light green fog than usual spread out like a cloud and enveloped the area.
I opened my eyes in the fog.
And I flew up to the top of the huge tree, the highest point.
“No!!!”
Arsene ran without stopping and brought me to the land of Tamar.
Arsene stopped for a moment at the entrance to the land of Tamar, raised his head and looked at the purified area.
The shadow that had been covering the land of Tamar the whole time was cleared away.
This,
‘…What happened to father?’
Kendrick was unable to maintain his power, so his power was removed.
I grabbed Arsene’s fur with trembling hands.
Arsene also seemed to have noticed that something had happened to Kendrick, and he stared at the scene blankly for a moment before walking away again.
He seems to have decided that there was no time to waste.
I also held back the urge to cry and clearly remembered what I had to do.
I had a place to go. There is no time to delay. It was clear Kendrick wouldn’t want me to do that either.
Arsene slowed his pace and walked. The surroundings were quiet. It seemed like the world had stopped and there were only the two of us left.
Every time Arsene took a step, his back moved smoothly and my body shook slightly.
Arsene arrived in front of the huge tree and lowered his posture.
I got off Arsene’s back and looked up at the huge tree.
“…World Tree.”
And as soon as I saw the tree shriveled up, as if it was about to die at any moment, I knew what I had to do.
[Give your life to the tree, just like you did a long time ago.]
A familiar voice was heard once again. A soft breeze tickled my ears.
Arsene had already removed his wolf form and returned to the appearance I was familiar with, quietly looking down at me.
[Give your life to the tree.]
The strong vitality of a phoenix that comes back to life again and again. The will to run through the night to correct what happened in the past. The names of those you want to protect.
I took a step forward as if possessed.
I clearly knew what I had to do.
If Arsene hadn’t caught me, I would have immediately devoted the rest of my life to the tree.
Arsene grabbed my wrist with an expression as if he had something to say.
I looked back at Arsene with my wrist held by him.
The wind easily blew through Arsene’s silver hair, which stood out against the moonlight.
His eyes, which had always looked at me affectionately, were looking at me with an expression that almost made him cry.
“Linsy.”
Arsene called me slowly.
I turned completely around, faced Arsene, and looked up at him.
“Now give me a chance to ask. So that I know what you’re trying to do.”
Arsene gently squeezed my hand and placed it on his cheek.
Then he carefully put his cheek against my palm and kissed it lightly.
Arsene’s warmth was clearly felt in my hands.
However I couldn’t easily talk to Arsene.
Because I clearly saw what happened to me in the past when I made the same choice right here.
I disappeared on the spot.
If God had not brought me back to life, I probably would have disappeared forever and been forgotten by everyone.
So maybe this time too…
I didn’t want to show Arsene something like that.
[Don’t worry, my daughter.]
Then, a familiar voice once again gently touched me.
[I will give it back to you this time too.]
It was clearly the voice of God.
In that case, returning it back is probably…
‘It must be my life.’
I thought of the God who brought me back to life after I had disappeared in the past.
He will do whatever it takes to save me this time too. As it was in the past.
‘So, this is a very short separation.’
I’ll be back soon. Into Arsene’s arms.
That’s it then. If I can meet Arsene again, that’s okay with me.
I cupped Arsene’s cheeks with both hands and lifted my tiptoes to bring his face closer.
Arsene looked down at me as if he knew what I was going to do here.
I held Arsene’s cheek, looked clearly into his blue eyes, and spoke slowly.
“I’ll be right back.”
“….”
“I will come no matter what. Since you are waiting, I will come right away. I will come and tell you everything I couldn’t say.”
“Linsy…”
“I don’t care how long it takes, I will definitely come back to you. Arsene.”
Arsene hugged my waist. I could clearly feel Arsene’s large, strong hand wrapping around me trembling slightly.
“Linsy, I… I will wait for you.”
“….”
“No matter how long it takes. No matter what form you come in, I will wait for you.”
“Arsene.”
“Even if you become a different clan than a bird, and even if you don’t have the beautiful red hair you have now, I will be able to recognize you right away.”
Arsene’s voice continued for a long time without interruption.
I hugged Arsene’s neck. I could feel Arsene burying his face in my shoulder and crushing it.
“I’ll be right back, Arsene. Mmh? Really. I’ll be back soon.”
“Come right away. I’ll be waiting here, so you have to come soon.”
“…Yeah, okay. Arsene.”
I felt Arsene endlessly stroking my hair.
As I hugged my now grown up childhood friend and lover, I remembered the day I first met Arsene.
Arsene was very sharp and wary that he wouldn’t receive treatment from me.
Arsene manifested his power for the first time to protect me.
Even the look on his face when he confessed that he wished I had never left….
I turned my head and looked at Arsene’s face once, and kissed him.
I was holding Arsene’s cheeks in my hands.
Our first kiss was when we were young to show off to the elders, but now it was completely different from then.
Each other’s breath mingled. Arsene gently led me. I was helplessly led by Arsene.
Arsene, Arsene.
The kiss with my lover was so sweet and happy that I couldn’t come to my senses.
After sharing his breath with me for a long time, Arsene stopped his head slowly as if he was sorry.
I gave Arsene a light kiss on the corner of his mouth one last time, and then slowly got out of Arsene’s arms.
The touch that was wrapped around my waist lost its place and wandered in the air, and soon disappeared.
As I looked at Arsene and smiled, Arsene looked at me with a face that seemed as if he was about to cry.
I barely suppressed my desire to hug Arsene right now and looked up at the huge world tree in front of me.
The World Tree waved its huge branches as if it knew what I came here for.
I stood tall beneath the wind generated by the World Tree, looked at the huge tree, and thought about what I had to do.
“….I have to dedicate the rest of my life to it.”
The strong vitality and healing power of the phoenix that comes back again and again over several lifetimes.
God and this world needed it.
I carefully placed my hand on the base of the huge tree.
I felt an unidentifiable sound from deep within.
And that moment.
“What are you trying to do!!”
Georg’s screams were heard. Arsene and I turned our heads at the same time.
The huge bird almost collapsed and landed on the ground at Tamar, and Georg hurriedly got off the bird’s back and ran with a grotesquely distorted face.
“What are you doing, what are you trying to do!!!”
I looked at Georg dryly.
The culprit of all this.
The face of the person who made me stand here once again.
“I told you, Georg. You’ll never get what you want.”
Georg stopped in place. And he fell down on his knees with a look of despair on his face.
“Ah, no. You can’t!!”
I looked down at him in despair, then turned my gaze to the black, dead land of Tamar.
And once at the giant world tree.
And…
“Arsene.”
One look at Arsene, who has not taken his eyes off me this entire time.
I could see that Arsene’s deep blue eyes were filled with only me.
I stomped my feet in place and smiled brightly at Arsene.
So that Arsene will not be sad until the day we meet again.
“I’ll be right back, really!”
Pong—!
A larger amount of light green fog than usual spread out like a cloud and enveloped the area.
I opened my eyes in the fog.
And I flew up to the top of the huge tree, the highest point.
“No!!!”
