PHASE 87 - WHO'S NAME WAS IT?

It was Monday in the morning, and I'm here in my hometown in Mirose Grande. I was supposed to fetch Amy from the hospital before taking the bus to Dradecim.

I went to a special confinement room in the hospital, and as I thought, my childhood friend is there. She's with her tall blonde father. And the one on the bed is her mother, who is still in a coma.

If it wasn't for the electrocardiograph beeping sound, this room should've been in the depths of silence.

Her mother's name is Martha Fontaine von Noctis. She was sleeping soundly for years, and her condition is becoming worse. Her breathing patterns are heavier and irregular, which means she needs the help of powerful machines to keep her alive. And those medical expenses is one of the reasons why Amy's family almost went in bankruptcy.

The last time I saw her kicking is when I was in grade school. Amy's mom is kind of my crush since I was a kid. She looks the same as Lord Freya. Actually, I could easily mistake Freya as Amy's mom. But now, the poor woman's body is covered with bandages.

When Amy's father saw me, he tapped Amy who was caressing her mom's hand.

Amy waved goodbye to his father and even her unconscious mother.

"Dad. Mom. I'll be going."

<>

We're now on a moving bus to Dradecim. The bus engine is so noisy, and there are endless trees and buildings passing by.

Amy has been staring at her family picture on her phone for a while now. It was back then when Amy was a cute little five-year-old kid, being carried by her beautiful mother. And her father is on the background with a genuine smile.

I had the urge to cheer her up so I held her hand. Amy looked at me with tearful eyes, but then she forcefully shifted a smile and wiped her tears.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm randomly getting sentimental these past few days."

"It's fine." I said.

Suddenly, her mood changed to a new one. She pulled a folded letter from her bag and presented to me. I was about to read it but she explained everything anyway.

"The Aether Crusade is being hired to be a backup support in the incoming siege to the New Order Hideout. The raid will be conducted on December 21, and may last up to a week."

"Why are they ruining our Christmas vacation?" I coldly said with a cringe on my face.

"Because it's vacation. They purposely assigned it on that day so that it won't have any conflicts with Gate Guardians who have work or school."

I scanned the letter for any numerical figures, and I was astounded at the total payment! It seems that the holiday pays are tripled!

"Being a backup support means we'll just go into action when the first line of support screws up." Amy said. "Should we take this job? It feels a lot safer than our investigation work last time."

"So all we need to do is to sit back and relax until our paycheck arrives. Sounds good to me." I said with a naive smile and sparkling eyes.

"I texted Tiara, Key, and Heushac, and they said that they're willing to do it… Don't ask about Kristoff's side because his opinions and feelings don't matter." Amy looked away with a smirk.

This may be a great year-end bonus for us!

Not.

>>

I'm certainly dreaming again.

I'm back in the endless realm of ice. There is this giant crystal that contains a silhouette of a frozen woman. The Frozen Soul is still the same… but for some reason... it's different.

There are already some cracks on the ice crystal. And her telepathic singing is three times louder than before. I couldn't even hear my own footsteps right now. There was a sudden change of skies, from being snow blizzard white into blood red. And now, the crimson blood moon peeks at me.

I turned around and saw a thousand crosses erected in the blood-stained hill of snow. This field of ice is certainly a graveyard for the deaths of the incoming war. At the center of the crosses are full names of the dead.

The chilling breeze gives electricity to my bones. I'm extremely sweating even though I feel no heat or cold.

This is definitely a for the incoming Christmas.

I looked behind me, and there, I saw my comrades. Heushac, Key, and Kristoff. They all have these lifeless eyes which were overflowing with tears. I tried shouting their names or even shaking their shoulders, but they won't respond, as if they are mannequins.

It took me a while that their eyes are all fixated in a cross. This cross is different from the thousand others, for it bears no name in it. There are four white roses beside it, probably given by my friends.

Suddenly, I realized that I have been carrying a bouquet of heart-shaped red roses. My heart felt the sensation of being burned, and my lungs ache every time I exhale. For no reason at all, tears endlessly flowed from my eyes.

"Who...Who is this…" I muttered. Then the bouquet fell to the floor, scattering the red petals around us.

Reality shattered, which transported me into a different world.

<>

I was now in the grove of beginnings which was surrounded by forest covered with beautiful trees and shrubs that bears colorful tulips. The blue skies gave warmth to my heart as I enjoy the gentle natural breeze. I was standing at the center of a clear lake, but my feet refuse to sink into the clean waters.

And in front of me is a golden pillar of light.

I made a step further, making ripples on the water as I moved. Slowly, the pillar of light started to fade and revealed the silhouette of a woman. Her godly hums became softer as I approached her side.

But when our eyes met, she halted to produce her angelic voice.

"Welcome, my Prophet."

She is the physical embodiment of the word beauty. Her fair white skin, her hourglass shaped body, her sky-blue eyes, and her long blonde hair. She has an adorable face and flawless body like Tiara, but her eyes, heart, and soul feels a lot more like Lord Freya/Amy.

I can feel their merged aura on her.

She was completely bright and naked, hugging a platinum sword. The sharp edges of the blade, however, is made of diamond glass. The guard on its hilt looks like a crown with twelve edges pointed upward.

"I've been waiting for you… for a long time… my eternal love."

Her voice… Her voice is truly divine! Hearing it makes all the evil things stored in my heart go away. I can no longer feel any hatred in me.

"I hate to say this, but the time of judgment is near. Sooner or later, you will have to choose a path that you will take."

"Choose… a path… that I will take?" I muttered. "How am I supposed to decide…"

"Worry not, for every choice is the right choice. It is all up to you to prove that the decision you made is right." The woman said.

Suddenly, she pointed me the hilt of the glamorous platinum sword.

"Take this, and your destiny shall be forged. Everything will be fait accompli from now on. You will still face a lot of ordeals and suffer through despair. You will lose a precious soul that is dear to you. But at the end of the song, you will still have a magnificent ending with your love. Because of you… You have obtained the power to receive the ."

As soon as my hands touched the ultimate sword, it was converted into tiny dust that went up to the air.

"This is not the time we will truly meet. Until then…"

Reality broke itself, ending the most ambiguous I ever had.

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