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MEMORIES

The wind settled deep in the night, lastly washing over the tender high-rises surrounding the flying islands above . The picturesque scenery burned against the starlit sky, hundreds of shimmering flames flickering like fireflies . The world was all but quiet, yet on one of the balconies, isolated by a surrounding array, not a peep could be heard beyond soft breathing .

Hannah sat on a chair, gazing at the distant moon, one of her hands supporting her chin, the other caressing sleeping Aaria’s hair . The girl had remained awake for days and had crashed virtually the moment Hannah returned . The latter had a tender smile on her face as she glanced down, sighing right after . Gently lifting up the girl, she carried her into the bedroom and laid her down before returning, opening a bottle of wine .

She let the liquid churn down her throat and burn away through her lungs, seething her innards . The reality was rather elusive, she mused inwardly; though she had promised Lino to inform Eggor and Cae, she began deliberating on it the moment she saw their faces .

Chuckling bitterly, she shook and lowered her head . Whatever disposition she showed to the world, it seemed that she was still that same indecisive, slightly cowardly girl that she used to be in her youth . The world was hers, yet so were the fears .

The space opposite of her rippled all of a sudden as a figure walked out, surprising her . Alison stood garbed in an ordinary dress, her golden hair pulled behind her ears, a single flower decorating it . The gem-like blue eyes met hers squarely, curving in a slight smile . She had retained her perfectly youthful disposition, though Hannah didn’t know whether it was her natural aging, or using Qi . Even still, the elegance and the beauty that had been the mainstay of her life had both been elevated .

She gracefully sat across and casually took the wine bottle, filling a single glass she had taken seemingly out of nowhere, taking a sip .

"... Ella’s dead . " Hannah muttered subconsciously, as though the pressing mountain that was the burden forced the thought out of her mind and out into the world .

"... yeah . " Alison mumbled lowly, the blue in her eyes shimmering faintly as they grew teary . "Did you tell them?"

"I couldn’t..."

"... I’ll do it if you want . " Alison offered .

"No," Hannah shook her head, chuckling bitterly . "How can I offload it on my Junior Sister? I still have a backbone, Ally," she added . "No matter how hidden it is . "

"... let me at least be there with you . " Alison insisted, smiling weakly, stretching out her hand and grasping Hannah’s . "Lately, it feels, we’re of less and less help to you . "

"... it’s fine," Hannah smiled, grasping her hand back . "You’ve your own lives . "

"As do you . "

"And it’s to be an Empress . "

"No," Alison shook her head . "It’s just one small part of the whole . If I’m being honest," Alison took a deep breath before continuing . "I hold a tinge of resentment toward Lino for forcing so much on you . I can’t remember the last time the two of us had any fun together . All year-round, you’d be jumping around like a rabbit, putting out fires that should have been his to put out . "

"... I don’t," Hannah said, taking a sip of the wine . "While I may have an Empire to uphold, he had the entire world Ally . To be honest, having him as a husband is a wee bit exhausting . "

"A wee bit?" Alison chuckled . "That’s one way to put it . "

"..." a strange silence fell between the two for a moment before Alison broke it .

"I’ve remembered, by the way . "

"Remembered?" Hannah glanced at her quizzically .

"... the days at the orphanage . "

"... when?" Hannah asked in a low tone, feeling Alison’s grip tighten .

"When Elta left me," she replied, her smile weakening . "It all came surging back... like a tidal wave . "

"..."

"... do you think he hated me?" she glanced up, meeting Hannah’s shining, green eyes . "For forgetting?"

"... why would he?" Hannah smiled weakly . "If anything, he hated himself for being the reason you had to forget in the first place . "

"... when I remembered all the horrid things I told to him as you and Master dragged me away... I can’t imagine what he must have felt . " Alison said .

"Hey," Hannah’s voice turned gentle and warm as she moved the other hand and covered the Alison’s she was already holding . "Without you, he would have died back then, Ally . He knows that better than anyone . I remember, whenever he would talk about you, pain the likes of which I’ve rarely seen in him surfaced in his eyes . Bitterness, self-loathing, anger... he knows, as much as I do, there’s no greater sacrifice anyone, not me, not Ella, not Eggor, not anyone, has made for him than you . I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to hug you and to thank you for what you’ve done for him," Hannah’s voice cracked slightly as Alison’s lips began to tremble . "Because... every time I imagine my life without him... it’s the sort not worth living, Ally . "

"..."

"In his heart, you’ve reserved a palace that can never be replaced," Hannah smiled, tilting her head slightly as tears began streaming down her cheeks . "A corner reserved entirely for you . Because, without you, none of this, none of us as are now, would have been possible . Thank you... thank you so much..."

"..." a dam inside Alison’s heart cracked as she began sobbing, running over to the other side of the table and thrusting her head into Hannah’s lap . The latter embraced her gently, holding the trembling body as though it was made out of glass . The golden hair spilled over Hannah’s blue dress like the morning sun spills over the sky, breathtaking to behold .

"Tsk," a click of the tongue startled the two as they turned to the other side of the balcony where a figured draped in tight leather stood leaning against the concrete fence . "Are you two kids? What are you doing, bawling your eyes in the middle of the night?"

"—come," Hannah extended one of her arms, her lips stretching out into a beaming smile . "If you don’t, I’ll make an imperial decree nicknaming you a flat-chested pig . "

"..." Lucky looked at Hannah dubiously for a moment before sighing, shaking her head and smiling helplessly, walking over and joining a rather cramped threeway hug . While Hannah and Alison still sobbed for a while, she hid a stealthy smile of her lips . It seemed to her, at that moment, that the decades of bone-breaking struggles, heart-wrenching pains, and soul-ripping agonies... was all worth it, just for now . For this .

The three remained embraced for a little while longer before pulling away, sitting around the table, drinking wine in silence . The reddened eyes spoke volumes to the bleeding, yet continuously healing, hearts .

Hannah gazed over the two women sitting with her, realizing that without Lino, she most likely would have never met them . Rather, whichever way she looked, he was the catalyst for everything that orbited her life; the friends and foes she made along the line, the changes she experienced, the lifelong stories that were still unfolding . The vastly foolish boy hellbent on revenge had cornered the world in his palms, yet she hardly cared for that; in her mind, Lino’s greatest achievement, perhaps, was forming the core of their little group, most of which were already fast-asleep, resting after the restless few days .

"... we should hold a small gathering one of these days," Hannah said . "Just us gals . We can invite Val, Seya, Xia, Namia, Lyn, Litha, Elta, Reli, Alana, Ayla, Edith, Ava... everyone . "

"Oh? The gossiping event of the era?" Lucky mumbled . "Count me in . "

"Oh, speaking of gossiping!" Alison seemed to liven up all of a sudden . "You won’t believe who I saw together just a few hours ago!"

"Who?" Lucky and Hannah asked .

"Ty and Lyn!"

"What?!" Lucky exclaimed, far more surprised than Hannah . "She confessed?!"

"She confessed?!" Hannah exclaimed even louder . "Didn’t he?"

"Eh? He fancied her?" Lucky quizzed .

"... what? Did his fawning really get to your head?" Alison asked with a slightly dubious gaze, causing Lucky to feel dripped in a cold sweat for a moment . "He was clearly using you to get a reaction out of her . Don’t tell me his flattery felt real nice, huh?"

"N-no, of course not," Lucky quickly denied . "That brat? Psh . What flattery? He was just annoying . Fuck him . "

"... oh wow," Hannah mumbled . "You throw people under the wagons faster than booze from the wagon . "

"... how long have you been thinking up that one?" Lucky asked, noticing Hannah’s proud expression .

"I stole it from Lino, actually," Hannah shrugged . "He sometimes sleep-talks, just listing one terrible pun after another . It’s like a treasure trove . "

"... wow, talk about desperate..."

"Oh, shut it," Hannah rolled her eyes at Lucky, taking a sip of the wine . "Good for them, still . First Seya and Avon, then Rio and Xia, now Lyn and Ty . If we can convince them to hold their weddings on the same date, we can throw the biggest celebration the world has ever seen . "

"Eight months of non-stop drinking, dancing, and screaming!" Lucky exclaimed . "Let’s fuckin’ do it!"

"Oi, hold your horses . What do you mean by eight months of non-stop drinking? Do you want to kill us all?" Alison rolled her eyes .

"Tsk, just because you’re a lightweight doesn’t mean the rest of us are . " Lucky said .

"... I’m fairly certain only you, Hannah and Lino could endure that without dying . And I’m twice as certain you’d still end up crippled for life afterwards . " Alison retorted .

"... fine, fine, fine, we won’t do eight months . We’ll do seven!"

"We first have to ensure they don’t break up, though," Hannah said, stroking her chin like a master tactician all of a sudden . "Ladies, start brainstorming . "

"..." Alison observed the serious two with a faintly bemused, but more so terrified expression . It was almost impossible for her to figure out whether they were just fooling around, or were genuinely serious; what’s worse, her gut feeling leaned onto the latter . The two were certainly insane enough to pull it off – she was well-aware of it .