A story from 9 years ago,

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Are you alright?" the soft voice of the unfamiliar boy with black hair and black eyes made the girl who has violet hair and eyes lift her head, confused. "You can have this." he handed her his bread with a warm smile while looking at her.

She, who lived long on the streets couldn't be more grateful that someone gave her food.

"Is it delicious?" he asked to the 7 years old girl that is pale and skinny as she eat her food carefully.

". . . Yes." the girl nodded her head with a small smile plastered on her face.

"My name is Gaul. Do you have a name?"

". . . I think. . . It's Viola."

"That's a pretty name." Gaul smiled friendly at her as he sit beside her while looking at the sky above them.

"The sky is really pretty."

". . ."

"Sky is one of the best things that can be seen by everyone, no matter what is their status."

". . . sky?"

"It's above us. That blue sky." Gaul pointed above as Viola lift her head towards the direction where he's pointing at. "It's beautiful, right?" Gaul smiled warmly at her that is focusing her gaze towards the clear blue sky.

". . . pretty. . ."

By that time, they become closer with each other and always have their backs with on each other.

Until unexpected person joined in their little group.

-

"Glenn, you're not going to be punished? I mean, for meeting us like this?"

Glenn look at them with wide eyes while eating the bread he brought that he almost choke on it. "Don't worry Gaul. I erase all of their memories about me."

"Your magic is kind of dangerous. What if they never remember you back?"

"Don't worry about it. I can recover their memories in a blink of an eye." Glenn stated proudly as Viola and Gaul shared a worried look.

". . . If you say so."

"What's with that statement!" Glenn pouted as he turned his head towards Viola.

"Vio, he's hurting me!"

". . . I don't really understand which part of his words that made him hurt you. In addition, I think Gaul is right."

"You're so cold!"

"I'm not."

"Listen Viola, I'm going to marry you in the future and be a great Emperor!"

Gaul who heard that clapped his hands with a smile as Viola is focusing her gaze at the sky.

"The sky is pretty." she exclaimed calmly as Glenn's heart got pierce a thousand times.

"She just ignored me!"

"Why don't we go to the town's festival tonight?" Gaul asked with excitement as he turned his head towards Viola.

"It's a good idea! There's going to be a lot of fireworks!" Glenn added as his eyes lit up. Viola's eyes widened as she immediately nodded. "Anyways, shouldn't you be going anytime soon?" Gaul asked worriedly while looking at the sun that slowly goes down.

". . . You're right." Glenn stood up from the ground and wipe off the dirt he has on his suite. "See you two tomorrow!" Glenn waved happily as Gaul and Viola returned it by waving back at him.

-

". . . Huh?" Glenn asked with wide eyes while looking at Gaul.

". . . Glenn, listen. Viola is two years younger than us, she's still 7 years old. I want her to have a good life. She's like my own sister. That's why. . . could you find the two of us a better place to stay?" he asked desperately, as if a better place for Viola is something that matter the most in his life right now. ". . . I want the three of us to have a good life."

After hearing that, Glenn chuckled much to Gaul's confusion. "You don't have to tell me that. When I'm older enough, I want to take you in as my knights in training. How does being an Imperial Knight sounds?"

". . . but I'm a commoner."

"It doesn't matter as long as I got your back."

". . . If you really marries Vio in the future, I want to be her personal guard."

As if Gaul can see the future, with Viola as the Empress, Glenn as the Emperor, and himself as their right hand man.

Though it's easier said than done, he will work hard to achieve that future.

". . . Now that I think about it, what's your magic speciality, Gaul?"

". . . I can see scenes that will happen in the future. Though it gradually changes. I don't really understand how it works." Gaul explained as he sighed deeply.

Glenn turned back his head as looked at his necklace and he take it off from him as turned his head to Gaul while forming a wide smile.

"Here. I give this to you. Inside this necklace is where our promise lies. Me, you, and Vio. The three of us. Forever."

"Eh? Is it really alright?"

"Yeah."

". . . Thank you Glenn."

The moment their promise was created,

That little happy reality has to be crushed by the real reality.

-

Gaul walked around the town as he look around happily while holding some fruits for Viola and some of zinnias flowers.

"That's a pretty necklace you got there, boy."

Before Gaul could react, he was pinned down on the ground as all of his things for Viola scattered around the ground.

The man who pinned him down easily take off the necklace from him making Gaul's eyes widened in surprise.

"G-give it back!"

The man who observe the necklace, widened his eyes in surprise.

". . . Isn't this a star sapphire that the Crown Prince received from the first Empress when he was born!?"

"Really!? Then that worth a lot of money!"

"Give it back!" Gaul managed to escape from the grip of the man that pinned him down and running himself towards the man who has the necklace with the intention to snatch it back.

However, he is still a child.

That man easily kicked him him in the stomach as he got thrown into the side. His eyes twitch because of the pain as he tried his best to look up to be greeted by the man who is staring down at him with a smirk as the man blow another strike to his head making it bleed.

"We're just going to take this necklace, no need to get so worked up." the other man said casually while looking at Gaul who is powerless on the ground. The two men started to walk away from Gaul while laughing at him.

But Gaul feels no need to stop.

His eyes snapped in frustration and pain as he use the remaining strength he has left to lift his body. And when he did, he grab the nearest sharp branch he could have as his own weapon.

He charge against one of the men without them knowing and stab their back with it as deep as he can that resulted the man's scream of pain.

Using that opportunity to snatch away the necklace they stole from him.

"You brat!" the man who yelped in pain punch his bleeding head, giving him a rough landing as his body hit the ground harshly only to give him more damage.

"Give the necklace back brat!" the man trample all over Gaul's head giving him more damage as more blood starts to run down his face.

Gaul tried to lift himself once again but due to the amount of pain and the headache he has, he failed to do so and can only grip the necklace harder on his palm.

". . . It seems that I won't be giving you any lunch today, Vio."

The sound of footsteps the man has made him narrowed his eyes painfully, afraid of what's to come.

But suddenly, a certain familiar figure rushed towards the scene as his eyes widened in surprised.

". . . V-Vio. . . !"

Viola stand in from of him, who bravely shielded him from the men. She who discover the zinnias flowers who is splatter on the ground only to be drown by the colour of blood made her eyebrow twitch as she gulp.

"Get off you bitch!"

A harsh blow was sent to her face, causing her to fell on the ground. The other man pulled her hair harshly.

Gaul see the future, where the man will take out a knife in his pocket with his other hand to stab Viola.

And he refuse to let that happen.

Even though he was deeply injured, he lift up his body without much effort as if he was never injured in the first place.

He run towards Viola and at that moment, the man take out a knife in his pocket with his other hand, getting ready to stab Viola.

"Die!"

But instead of Viola who was stabbed, the knife pierce right through Gaul's stomach while shielding Viola from being stabbed making Viola widened her eyes in surprise.

". . .Gaul!"

His body dropped on the ground as blood starts to run outside his body, making him weaker and weaker.

Tears starts to stream down on Viola's eyes as she witnessed the scene occurred in front of her.

The man who hold her hair let go of her making her dropped on the ground harshly.

Gaul who lies bloody and battered, he remained strong but it's useless. In that situation, he asked to himself why Viola had saved him.

He slowly close his eyes from the tiredness he felt while holding back the pain.

Before he close his eyes, once again, he saw the future.

The future where he happily imagined before, immediately crashed into pieces.

There is no knight with the name of Gaul.

Not only his image that cracks, even Viola and Glenn's image were cracked.

The image of the three of them fell into pieces.

"Let's go before someone find-" before the man could finish his sentence, his head got separated from his body as if someone has slashed it from behind.

The man's blood splashed right on Viola as she look at the man with wide eyes, terrified. She trembled from fear as she turned her head only to find Glenn.

The sight of Gaul and Viola twists Glenn's face in agony.

With his magic speciality, demonic powers, Glenn kill the two of them by slicing one's head and taking out one's heart as he trample over them.

His nail was longer and sharper. His pupil was black with red sclera.

In an instant, the small battle is over by the nine year old boy.

After that killing the two man, his demonic eyes starts to shed uncontrollably tears. Despite his trembling and bloody self, he run towards the two of them that is on his reach.

Despair filled him more the moment Viola look at him with a painful expression while holding Gaul's cold hand.

"He's cold!" Viola cried helplessly while looking at Glenn. "Glenn! What are we going to do? He's not waking up!" Viola crawled as she grab on Glenn's suite hopelessly. Tears stream down her eyes without end. "His heart wasn't beating! Gaul's. . ."

With the sight of Viola desperately trying to tell Glenn, Glenn cover his mouth with his hand, trying to hold back his tears.

"Gaul's heart wasn't beating!"

Glenn's heart was beating faster than it should, it's like his heart ripped into pieces. He clench his fist slightly while looking at Viola who looked like a mess and blood all over her like him and Gaul.

Turning his head towards Gaul, he immediately looked down. Didn't even dare to look at his corpse.

He doesn't want her to be like this, it's painful for him to see.

It's really painful to the point he feels like to rip his own heart.

He give in to his knees as he look at Viola and raise his hand to slowly embrace her.

He immediately broke the hug and try his best to form a small smile. ". . . Vio," he cracked our halfheartedly while stroking her violet hair as he form the warmest smile he could ever form.

"Please forget about me. . . and Gaul."

Glenn doesn't want her to forget about their childhood memories but he doesn't want her to suffer by the painful memories.

It's the best for the three of them after all.

After erasing himself and Gaul from Viola's memories, he take back the necklace on Gaul's grip. He left the place waiting for someone to find the unconscious 7 years old girl, the death of the 9 years old boy, and 2 corpses of men.

Right after he erase Viola's memories, Glenn met the personified of past Viola with her memories of him and Gaul who just passed away. The two of them express their gratitude towards Glenn as they held hands and disappear on his sight.

The Emperor aware that Glenn used his power to erase himself from the knights and workers memories including the Emperor.

That's why he was punished and unable to go outside for the time being.

But before he knew it, 2 years later Viola was taken into the Univers Dukedom as the long lost daughter.

". . . at least she can eat without worrying too much and will get warm every winter."

As it says,

It's actually a simple story between three childhood friends.

A sad reality.