"Ijekiel!" Athanasia called as Ijekiel is about to fall on the ground but Lucas was fast enough to catch him with his magic. Athanasia rushed onto Ijekiel to check his pulse, deeply worried that the silver-head might have been affected by the punishment.

"Is the old man's soul gone for good?" Lucas asked, walking towards them as he took his coat off to drape it over Athanasia's back, he also made a small incantation to heal some of her wounds. Her parents might kill him if they saw her looking like that.

Athanasia nodded with a sigh of relief after saying thanks to the older. She suddenly feels light after the healing spell that Lucas gave her. She wiped some of the tears that's starting to fall from her eyes. Now there will be no loops anymore. She can now live and see the future with her family.

Lucas noticed her look and smiled, patting her head. "Now we can have our future together..." He muttered.

Athanasia flinched, her face immediately became beet red, she immediately shook off his hand from her head and stuttered, "Y-You should heal Ijekiel first! Nicholas forced his soul into his body and used mana when he don't even have mana in him, it must have been hard."

"Easier said than done," Lucas complained, hissing seeing Ijekiel covered in bruises from the attacks that they gave him plus the overwhelming mana that's still in him. "This should take a while..."

"I thought that you are the best magician?" Athanasia said, taking it as a chance to tease the older, which was a success.

Lucas glared at Athanasia then back to Ijekiel. "You want this guy to be healed in a second? Then sure, but don't be complaining about the side-effects after this."

"... What-?"

"I'll make sure to make you regret what you said."

-

After healing Ijekiel, the two decided to sit down on the ground, tired as they waited for the side-effect that Lucas mentioned. They both sighed simultaneously.

"So? What do you want to do next?" Lucas asked, breaking the comfortable silence. He gave the younger a glance, tilting his head in wonder.

"Hm... I..." Athanasia shrugged, looking down on her feet. "I want to give up on my mana. I want to turn back time again where everyone forgets about the schemes that Nicholas did. And since Nicholas is now gone, he can't go back to that world that I'm gonna make. I feel bad for him and his family but I don't have the power to turn everything back to what it was."

Lucas smiled, nodding. "If that's what you think is right then I will support you."

"I hope so..." Athanasia smiled back. She took a deep breath, walking backward to give her some space to create a spell. "Here goes nothing..."

She snapped her fingers, a wide magic circle expanded from the ground glowing in blue and green. A familiar ticking sound echoed in her ears as she began to use the spell.

This will be the last.

She turned to Lucas who is standing beside Ijekiel who is still unconscious and floating. She smiled again.

"Find me."

What a familiar sound.

Where did I hear this?

Where am I going?

Ah...

This feels like going home...

"

Athy, dear! Come here, I have a surprise for you!"

5 years old Athanasia immediately got out of her seat and went out of the door where her mother was waiting for her to come. She jumped happily into her mother's arms.

"Ma!" She greeted.

"Hi, my little one!" Diana greeted back. She gently pulled out from the hug and faced her daughter. "You know since Ijekiel left to go to school in Arlanta, your dad and I decided to look for another friend so that you won't be lonely."

Athanasia beamed, her jeweled eyes brightening up than it already was. "Really?!"

"Yep! Come on now, dad and your new friend are waiting in the other room," Diana said, holding Athanasia's hand and leading her to the room. Athanasia happily followed her mom, excited about who is her new friend.

A minute after, they both arrived in the room, seeing two people sitting in the found in the middle of the room facing each other.

"Athy's here!!!" Athanasia announced, running towards her dad, hugging him just like what she did to her mom. "Pa!"

Claude smiled and accepted the hug and lifted her to let her sit on his lap. "You seemed energetic today, is something good happened to you today?"

Athanasia nodded happily. "Athy heard that she's going to have a new friend! Athy wants to meet them!"

Claude's expression turned sour and glanced at Diana who just smiled as if she knew nothing as she sat down beside him.

Claude sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I suppose your mom told you that."

"Yep!"

"Anyway~!" Diana clapped her hands as she sang. "Here's the new friend that I just talked to you about, Athy."

Athanasia turned her head to the couch across them. She blinked, seeing a little boy with black hair that came down to his shoulders and red eyes that's close to a ruby. The boy looked like he came from the streets due to his messy hair and ragged coat but somehow Athanasia thinks that this boy is kind.

"Hello princess," the boy greeted with a light bow, his smile somehow reminds Athanasia of the sun.

"His name is Lucas," Diana introduced. "Say hi sweetie."

Athanasia tilted her head, somethings bothering her ever since she laid her eyes over that boy, a boy with a simple yet ethereal name. She knows it sounds crazy and she's like 5 years old but...

Has she met him?

Lucas' smile never faded, waiting for the princess' sweet hello.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Hi! My name is Athanasia!"

--

5 more chapters to go ;-;

btw happy new year everyone!!!