Amelia kept her eyes fixed at her hands on the table. She stared at her palms as she tried to grasp something intangible.

“Amelia…” Meiko muttered from the opposite side of the table as her lips curved into a frown.

Amelia blinked once, twice. She kept her eyes fixed at her hands as if she were staring at the void. There was no end. There was no beginning. She felt like she was wandering through a thick fog where even her own feet could not be seen.

“I’m not really sure what to say but…” Meiko looked to the side with a hint of disgust. A disgust directed towards herself. “I really want to go home. But not like this… Even for me, it’s… too hard to bear.”

“…”

“But you know, I think there’s still another way. Maybe something that Celes did not know. A way for me to return without you doing that much…” Meiko gripped her arm. She bit her lips and imagined what lengths Amelia had to go through just for her to return home.

“A way even Celes did not know? It’s impossible. Definitely impossible.”

“We can’t say that for sure. I mean, there has to be another way.”

“Nonsense.”

“… Why? Why do readily believe what she says? She might even be manipulating you.”

“Celes was created by multiple Gods on behalf of their own life. In Origin, she is probably the closest being to omnipotence. So, if she wanted to do something, she would have done it without relying on probability. She wouldn’t rely on something as unstable as me.”

“You say that but…”

“Everything she said made sense, Meiko. Even you can’t deny it, can’t you?”

“… Right.” Meiko heaved a sigh. “But it doesn’t make sense that you’ll do all the work and I’ll do nothing. It’s… uncomfortable.”

“Be that as it may, there’s no other choice.”

“I’m sorry.”

Amelia raised her head and looked at Meiko’s figure curled to the side as if she were repenting for her sins.

“Meiko, I… can’t guarantee that I can return you to your home.”

“I know.”

“Won’t you just remain instead? At the least, we can give you status. A land to govern, maybe a new family. But you wouldn’t accept that, would you?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know how many years it will take me.”

Meiko expressed a bitter smile. “I know.”

“Still, do you want to go back?”

“Yes.” Meiko nodded.

“Even if there is a chance that you’ll remain encased for eternity?”

“Yes. At least, let me dream of my home while I sleep.”

“That dream will be nothing more than an illusion.”

“It’s better than seeing nothing but darkness; feeling nothing but loneliness.”

“I see.” Amelia snappily stood up and turned to face the forest behind her. “Meiko, I’ll do what I can, but I won’t guarantee you anything.”

“I know. Facing a God is… no laughing matter. You are risking your life for my selfish desire. I can accept any drawbacks, as long as it’s not my life.”

“…” Amelia shifted her sight to her feet. There she saw a sapling growing near the trunk of a tree. She crouched and brushed her fingers against the bright leaves sprouting from its thin branches.

“You know, Meiko, there were several times that I have hoped that my life will end earlier than anyone close to me.”

“That…” Meiko stood from her seat and approached Amelia’s side.

“I thought, maybe if everyone I loved has left the world, then I’d better be dead as well. It’s a wish of a fool. It’s a wish of a person who has little hope for its own future.”

“…”

“One time, I looked up to the future. I promised Kanna. I told her that one day I’ll stop being a Princess. I’ll stop being a Royal. I’ll stop being Amelia. The girl everyone knew will cease.”

Amelia recalled the words she exchanged with Kanna during the time she encased herself in Alabaster.

“I just really loathe the fact that everyone will die before me.” Amelia embraced herself and gripped her arms. “Just the thought of losing someone important to me is frightening. Just losing Grandfather was… too much. I don’t know if I can hold on. Not that now I’m losing my mortality little by little. Even there will come a time that I’ll lose Kanna. That’s just… how immortality works. No, that’s just me with a mortal’s mindset despite gradually turning into an immortal.”

“Do you… plan to end your life?”

“I used to. But I’m sure, Kanna will see through me and will remind me not to. That’s… just how she is.”

“Then?”

Amelia expressed a bitter smile.

“I plan to assassinate myself. Make up a tragedy and make it look like I died. It’s the only option I have to pretend that I’m still mortal. Since dying of old age or illness is far unlikely for me now. I can’t even tell if I’ll still grow at the rate of a regular human in terms of appearance or I’ll retain this form for the rest of my life.”

Amelia chuckled.

“Just think of it, anyone in pursuit of immortality will chase after me if in case they realize I barely looked different after passing the age of thirty. Some will probably claim that I was using a drug or something. Perhaps traded something to a demon to retain my physical appearance.”

“I can imagine that happening.”

“Haaah…” Amelia sighed. “Elaine will one day take over my rule in the Duchy. It might be hard but… she’ll probably do it on my behalf. Elaine is… too good of a sister.”

“…”

“So, Meiko. Even if I manage to seal you, I cannot guarantee you will come back for you. I might forget about you entirely and break your hopes. Will that be fine with you? Are you willing to bet your life on me?”

“I… don’t know. But what I’m sure of is… you’re the only option I have.”

“Right.”

“But at least before we come to that, I will help you. Maybe my limit will be ten years before you can seal me in peace. Before that time arrives, I’ll try my best to help you.” Meiko sat beside Amelia and stared at the sapling and smiled “But just in case… Just in case I reach the point of no return, please use me as you see fit.”

“Listen to yourself, Meiko. You are entrusting your life to a stranger.” Amelia knitted her brows.

“I can answer your doubt all day and my answer won’t change.” Meiko grabbed Amelia’s hand. “And it’s not like I can’t trust you. We… can build it up slowly. And there’s Kanna. I think we might get along.”

“You best not make too many memories or you’ll regret it at the time you have to be sealed.”

Meiko shook her head. “If there’s one thing I have been enjoying after arriving in this world, it’s meeting people who don’t have to force me to do anything. And because this is a new world for me, it’ll be a memorable experience before I return.”

“Time.”

“Time?”

“If by chance I manage to locate the world you live in, I’ll need to know when you existed.”

“Ah, right. It makes sense.” Meiko chuckled. “Maybe after you become a godlike being, you can read my memory and… maybe trace from there. But I don’t know. Even what Celes told us are hard to comprehend. All those stuff about realms, Gods, time, soul and whatnot. Frankly, most of it went over my head.”

“I know what you mean.”

“But that does not matter right now, right? It’s not like were cramming those events in a few months or years. We don’t have to answer what we can’t right now. Even according to Celes, at your growth rate right now, it will take more than just a few decades.”

Amelia looked at Meiko. “I can’t believe you are willing to bet on all this.”

“It’s not like I’m betting at a zero percent chance, right?”

“No. What I meant was that you are betting on it way too quickly. You have just learned who Celes was. You learned how you can return home. You learned that I’m partly no longer human. And yet… your mind is decided.”

“Well… Kanna has been telling me about you a lot. And… from who Kanna is I can’t really see her befriending someone who is actually bad.”

“You know nothing.”

“Yeah, probably.” Meiko released Amelia’s hand and stood up. “Still, I trust Kanna’s judgment. I also trust Mola’s judgment. I can’t see them following you if you were the exact opposite of a good person.”

Amelia stood up and dusted her dress.

“Compared to Celes, I’m nothing more but like this sapling here.”

Meiko expressed a wry smile. “I think so too.”

“Still, will you work with me?”

Meiko nodded. “I’m willing to entrust my life to you.”

“I might not be able to keep your memories intact.”

“That’s… part of the risk.”

Amelia heaved a sigh and reached out her hand. “In that case, I’ll try but I won’t promise.”

Meiko reached for Amelia’s hand. “It’s my gamble. I may not be good at it, but I’m willing to trust you, Amelia.”

[I believe you two are done?] Celes’s voice echoed around the forest.

“Yes. Please take us back. Mola might be panicking now that we vanished due to some unknown reason.”

[Amelia, like I said earlier, it will not be an easy task.]

Amelia smiled. “It’s not like it’s a contract or a promise anyway.”

“Don’t say that!”

Amelia chuckled. “Besides, Meiko is right. I don’t have to mind what I can’t answer right now. It’s a bad habit, but I need to keep reminding myself I can’t resolve everything in one go.”

[… Well then.]

“Just where the hell did you two go?!”

“What’s done is done, Mola.”

“Don’t tell me that!” Mola shouted once more.

“We just spoke with each other, Mola. We just… transferred to somewhere you can’t see or hear.”

“You too, Meiko! Don’t give me that! We agreed that both of you will speak to each other in that room!”

“Just give it, Mola. Just think of it that it’s too private that we can’t have prying ears,” Amelia said.

“That hurts me a little, you know?! Can’t you really trust me that I won’t eavesdrop?!”

Amelia chuckled. “Anyway, Mola, just leave it. There’s no point in arguing what is done. For now, both of you can return.”

“Wait, what? You aren’t coming with us?” Mola said. “Weren’t you going to do something back in our base?”

“I changed my mind. I need to keep track of Evelyn. That girl is… unpredictable even for me.”

Mola sighed. “Fine, fine. Anyway, let’s go. I want to have a rest.”

She’s tired… Amelia’s is definitely tired…

Meiko’s thoughts ran around as her eyes peered through the window during the night.

I can’t think of any reason why she’ll tell me all of her plans in the far future other than that… I guess even those who lived life as a Royal has problems too.

Still, I can’t believe what that Celes said. I guess what she said was true but… just for a Hero to get back we need to face the God who sent them? In that case, Amelia has to face the God that sent me here? That’s absurd…

But it makes sense. It’s like a person threw something away and then someone comes knocking on their door and says ‘this is yours, take it back’. But if ever I managed to return, then, the God of my world will need to die. At least, that’s what Celes said. But what will be the drawbacks? Will the world I live in still be safe after that?

Ahh. I really can’t understand. Why do they want to destroy Origin anyway? Was their hate that deeply rooted? Are Gods really as petty as Celes said? But from the sound of it… it’s like Celes wants Amelia to turn into someone who can hunt down Gods? Well, it’s true that Amelia isn’t bounded by being Origin’s guardian.

However, it’s frightening. It’s frightening that something is planted within us and we can’t take it out… Are the Gods that desperate? Do they really want to manifest in Origin and knock Celes out of the picture? Ahh… There’s too much information that was suddenly revealed to me. I can’t make heads or tails about them.

“Aaaaaah!” Meiko ruffled her hair in frustration. “I’ll just have to trust Amelia.”