MASTER AND FRIEND

Atop an island floating in the midair, surrounded by beautiful scenery of flowery gardens and a lake, stood a massive, palace-like structure built out of white, marble stone. Divided into several, individual buildings which were connected by bridges and pathways in-between, it shimmered brightly underneath the burning sun. At its doorstep, Thalia and Yona walked hand in hand toward the main entrance, passing by many other girls who greeted them with a smile.

Right after the entrance to the building was a main hall, which spread into several hallways leading to other places inside. Thalia and Yona took one leading upstairs, to the third floor, which was decorated entirely by paintings hanging from the walls. Even now, after seeing it for who knows how many times, Thalia still couldn’t help but feel awe towards it.

“Alright Yona, thanks for escorting me.” Thalia said as the two arrived in front of plain, wooden doors.

“Eeh? I want to meet Master as well!”

“Some other time, ‘kay? Go see your friends first, it’s been a while right?”

“… fine. All that matters is that Sister came home.” Yona said reluctantly, letting go of Thalia’s hand and leaving. Before entering, Thalia took a deep breath, firming her expression.

Lady Ella quarters were rather simple, unlike the hallway leading up to it. Outside of the few vases with flowers and bookshelves, it only had a table, a few chairs and a bed. Window was opened fully, wind pulling curtains back and forth gently, as light shimmered through them, casting beautiful allure onto the rest of the room. Lady Ella sat in front of the window, a beautiful, porcelain cup in her hand as she slowly drank it, looking outside. Hearing the doors open, she turned around and saw Thalia, upon which she smiled widely.

“Ah, someone finally remembered me, huh?” she said in a soft voice, pushing the chair over after which Thalia sat on it.

“Sorry,” Thalia said, smiling apologetically. “I got… held up.”

“It’s fine,” Lady Ella said, pouring another cup of tea for Thalia. “Your sisters helped me with my loneliness.”

“… how have you been?” Thalia asked, taking a sip of the tea. “Ah, Reg’u Tea… I missed it. The only thing I’ve been drinking recently is a pounding wine…”

“Every day feels completely different,” Lady Ella said, smiling. “What about you?”

“… ugh, busy, for the most part.”

“I’ve heard,” Lady Ella chuckled. “He sure stirred up some big trouble.”

“Yeah,” Thalia said, smiling bitterly. “He’s like that.”

“You seem worried.” Lady Ella said, staring at Thalia for a moment before sighing. “Ah, well, I doubt you’ll tell me anything anyway, so I may as well not ask.”

“Sorry… how are others? Ino? Gyra? Seya?” Thalia asked.

“Most of them are also wandering the world,” Lady Ella said. “Looking for their own happiness.”

“We’re all grown-up already, huh?” Thalia said, looking through the window. “It feels like yesterday we were training atop that lake together. Time really flows quickly.”

“I heard you’re getting married,” Lady Ella said. “Congratulations.”

“Yeah… who would have thought I’d be the first one, huh?”

“No one.”

“Way to be blunt, Master.”

“It’s fine, no?”

“… yeah.”

“Ah, it’s stuffy here,” Lady Ella said, getting up. “Let’s go for a walk around the lake. Just like the old times.”

“Let’s.”

The two locked their arms together and left the building, being greeted by everyone on their way to the other side where the lake stood. The lake itself was crystalline clear, just as Thalia remembers it to be, as many young girls were currently training atop its surface, causing Thalia to feel slightly nostalgic.

“See?” Lady Ella said, smiling. “Nothing’s changed here.”

“Yeah. It’s best this way.”

“Ah, I forgot to congratulate you on breaking through. You’re living up to the name of the Second Disciple properly.”

“Ha ha, thanks,” Thalia said, laughing. “Right. How is he?” she asked, her tone carrying a hint of sadness.

“… still won’t leave his room,” Lady Ella said, sighing. “I’m getting slightly tired of it, to be honest.”

“Be patient. He’ll come out eventually.”

“I hope so.” Lady Ella said, shaking her head lightly. “Anyway, want to spend the night? Like the old times?”

“Can’t,” Thalia said, chuckling. “I have to be faithful now.”

“Ah, yeah, there’s that. I’m slightly jealous.”

“You should tell Lynne that,” Thalia said, smiling. “He’s quite cute when worried. Knowing him, though, he’d probably ask you to join us.”

“So he hasn’t changed, huh?”

“He has,” Thalia said, looking up as she sighed. “So much, actually. You probably wouldn’t even recognize him.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”

“Ha ha, I don’t blame you. I’m quite the same.” Thalia said.

“Ah, remember this place?” Lady Ella suddenly stopped, pointing at the small peach tree nearby.

“Of course,” Thalia said, smiling. “I’d always run here when I felt depressed.”

“You made it really easy on us,” Lady Ella chuckled. “Knowing where to find you.”

“Yeah… I’ve caused you a lot of trouble in the past,” Thalia said. “Thank you for always taking care of me.”

“That’s what a Master-- no, a friend is for, right?”

“Yeah,” Thalia nodded lightly, smiling. “Anyway, how are the realms? There’s no doubt been some conflict recently.”

“It’s escalating,” Lady Ella said, sighing. “Even I had to send some of your Sisters to join the frontlines.”

“No way!”

“Yeah,” Lady Ella nodded. “So far, there have been nine major battles,” she continued. “Five of which we won, four of which we lost. The number of casualties has easily surpassed a million at this point…”

“… what the hell… I was certain it wouldn’t be this fast.”

“Our probing around probably startled them,” Lady Ella said. “There’s definitely something major they don’t want us to know about, and all their known, main realms are either completely sealed off or abandoned.”

“… if it’s that bad, maybe I should stay,” Thalia said, pondering for a moment. “Who knows what will happen next?”

“It’s fine,” Lady Ella said, chuckling. “Besides, the next major battle… you probably know where it will take place.”

“… True Dragon’s awakening?”

“Hm,” Lady Ella nodded. “There have already been some minor conflicts happening recently, and they’ll only escalate as the deadline draws near.”

“… aah, I’ve been so blind!” Thalia grunted in slight anger. “If I had known…”

“Ha ha, I’m telling you not to worry,” Lady Ella said, pinching her cheeks lightly. “We have it under control for now. Besides, later, even if you want to stay out of it, you won’t be able to so don’t worry.”

“Ugh, I wanna go back in time and slap Lynne’s head for stirring shit up.”

“Even if he didn’t, someone else would have,” Lady Ella said. “Our current situation was, in a way, only a matter of time. Perhaps we’re even lucky that we began fighting this early on. Whatever it is they’re hiding, it’s clear they didn’t want us to catch onto it. Whatever Lynne did to stir them up so much… perhaps we should be thanking him instead of blaming him.”

“… you’re as understanding as you’ve always been, huh?” Thalia said as the two came to a halt, looking at the peaceful lake in front of them glistening under the sun.

“Maybe you don’t know,” Lady Ella said. “But he’s been the talk amongst almost all major clans recently.”

“I figured he’d be after that display.”

“He’ll need you now more than ever,” Lady Ella said sternly. “So don’t doubt him unnecessarily.”

“… yes.”

“Thank you for bringing Yona back, by the way. I’ll make sure she stays, so don’t worry.”

“I feel as though the only thing you keep telling me is not to worry,” Thalia said, chuckling bitterly. “It’s pissing me off slightly, to be honest.”

“That’s because you worry too much. Just let nature take its course.”

“… if only I could do just that.”

“No one ever said it’s easy,” Lady Ella said. “It’s much easier to drown yourself in ceaseless worry, to always ponder and overthink. However, sometimes, no matter how much you think, you can’t predict certain things, or even people. During those times, you should just relax and observe. It’s one of the few joys in life that can never be taken away from you.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Ah, I should go back,” Lady Ella said as she let go of Thalia’s arm, smiling lightly. “Now that you’ve been taken away from me, I have to work hard to fill back that void.”

“Master…”

“Ha ha, I’m just kidding. As I said, you worry too much.” Lady Ella said as she turned around and slowly walked away. “Swing by once before you leave.”

“I will.”

Thalia watched the frail-looking figure slowly fade into the distance before she sat down and shifted her gaze onto the lake, her eyes slightly muddled. She sighed frustratingly, shaking her head as she looked up into the clear sky.

“To think so many things have changed…” she mumbled. “I really didn’t know anything.” she added, smiling bitterly, suddenly shifting her gaze towards the place where Lady Ella disappeared. “She can still see right through me just as easily, huh? I don’t know why, but it pisses me off… am I really that easy to read?”

Sitting there in silence, Thalia immersed herself in deep thought as day slowly got replaced by night. In the end, as her Master said, she didn’t resolve anything, just frustrated herself further, causing her night’s sleep to be restless and fragile, almost as though it was a reflection of what she was feeling deep down inside of her heart.