Tale of the shaking flowers.
Repeated words not rewarded.
The longingly waited flower, withering.
Even if love doesn't come to you,
Who forgets it.
***
It was early in the morning.
Streams of people flowed into the sanctuary.
Some wore discolored shirts. Some wore dirtied armors. Some wore fine silk garments.
The hall was awfully quiet. Not even a whisper was made.
Mixing in with them, the grand sanctuary hall was in full display.
Massive white pillars stretched toward the vaulted ceiling. A handful of tall stained-glass windows stood between them, but they only let in faint light.
Even so, the hall wasn't dark.
A single shaft of sunlight poured down from the ceiling, forming a star upon the stone floor. Everyone's gazes were drawn upward.
High above, a large skylight had been built into the vaulted ceiling. Its platinum frame formed the emblem of Polaris, while the crystal-clear glass had been shaped with countless delicate patterns. Together, they gathered the morning sunlight into a single star below.
A divine spectacle.
Lowering one's head in reverence, the light fell directly upon the dais.
Standing there was Angela.
Behind her was a sole lectern. Nuns stood by its sides, forming a uniform chorus.
"Hhah..."
And a hymn rang out.
I couldn't make sense of the words. They were spoken in an archaic tone.
But it felt ethereal.
By the time I realized, the pews were already occupied. I instead headed to a corner to listen.
I wouldn't say that I had never been here before, but this was the first time I actually stayed.
The hymn lasted the whole morning.
***
Beneath the shade of a large tree, children gathered around.
"Sister Angela! I fell and hurt myself... Can you heal them?"
"I lost my toy again! Can you help me find it?"
"Let me see... It's not a bad injury, so I'll heal you right now, and we will all find Hans' toy together afterward. Alright, everyone?"
Angela was surrounded by kids. They loved her. When she was not busy helping the adults, kids would find her for all sorts of reasons.
I was simply admiring her from a distance. I had nothing better to do.
A light briefly lit up.
"Thank you so much, Sister Angela!"
"You should take care of yourself better. Ah, everyone, we will have a new friend today. Be nice to her, alright?"
Timidly approaching her, Kate walked forward by herself.
Her eyes were no longer covered.
"Hey, isn't that Kate?"
"She came outside!"
"Hey! Be nice to her! My mom said the Lodestar healed her!"
"Waaa! Really??"
Someone grabbed Kate's hand.
Another waved her over.
Within moments, she was swallowed by the crowd.
A divine Miracle. Sounds like something straight out of a fairytale.
Good for her.
"Everyone, Kate's joining us today, alright? Let's all help Hans find his toy together."
The children shouted loudly.
"Come on, Kate!"
"Let's go find Hans' toy!"
Kate hesitated for only a moment before following after them.
Angela watched them for a while.
Then she glanced ahead.
Our eyes locked for a moment.
I quickly averted my gaze.
I shouldn't stay here.
My lone footsteps echoed loudly throughout the hallway.
Tap-tap-tap.
Sunlight dimly shone through the quiet hallway.
Away from the noise, only my thoughts remained. Nevertheless, I was used to it. Being alone and this cold stone floor.
I stopped to look beyond the windows.
The deafening silence. The steady drop of water. The flickering lights. They reminded me of where I came from.
I wondered if I really wanted to leave.
I wondered if Angela wanted to leave.
...
Maybe I was not in my right mind. Angela already said what she wanted, so I'll wait for her.
Someday, for sure.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Someone was coming this way. I looked back.
It was Angela.
"...Why are you here? Shouldn't you be helping those kids?"
"..."
She just smiled.
"Don't worry, the other nuns will help the kids instead..."
"..?"
"Cain, how about we take a walk? I'll show you somewhere."
"Wait, why so suddenly—"
Before I could finish, Angela held my hand and dragged me away.
Dazed, I let myself be swept in by her momentum.
Her hair fluttered.
Just like back then.
Left. Right. She led me out of the church. I couldn't keep up. I stumbled over nothing and fell onto the grass.
Only then did she stop.
"Why?"
Again, a belated question.
Angela looked down at me.
She smiled.
"Because you looked lonely in that cell."
My eyes widened.
"That... I see."
And like being jolted awake, embarrassingly, I stood up and dusted off my clothes.
"So... where are we going?"
"My secret spot. Follow me."
Angela pushed through the flower field of the garden. Before long, the garden gave way to the forest.
I struggled to catch up with her. Her small figure vanished in and out of my sight.
Until I could see her no more.
"Angela?"
There was no response. But I could still hear her footsteps in the distance.
I wandered deeper and deeper, growing more restless with each step.
I could see a blinding light, and then...
I opened my eyes to a lakeside bordered by a tall reedbed.
"What the..."
Whsh.
Tiny ripples spread across the lake.
Splash!
"!?"
My face was splashed with water.
Angela was already standing knee-deep in the water, smiling mischievously at me.
Angela ran away, slipping into the reedbed.
"...Pfft. Ahaha! What are you doing, Angela?"
Rustle, rustle.
"I'm coming after you!"
I reached out my hand, barely passing by hers.
Splish. Splash.
"Cain!"
"Angela!"
Drip.
Drip.
Water fell from the reeds into the lake.
Swish... Swish...
Water parted around unseen footsteps.
My foot sank.
I pulled.
It refused to come free immediately.
I stopped.
And waited.
Ssss...
The wind brushed through the reedbed and my dampened shoulders.
Cold.
Rustle... Rustle...
"Angela?"
...
...
Behind—
Swish!
"Wah!"
"H-Huh?"
"Ha, try to catch me!"
"You... Come back here!"
Shff!
I cut through the reedbed, awkwardly forcing my way after her.
Sqush. Squish. Sqush.
Then I saw a golden light.
"Angela!"
"Cain—"
WHUMP! SPLASH!
We collided and fell down. Completely soaked.
"Ha... haha..."
"Pftt, uegh, what is so funny about this? So, this is the place?"
The afternoon sank into the lake, dyeing the lake in an orange hue.
"The view is great, but my clothes are goners..."
"You should have just taken your clothes off. Like me!"
"Wait what?"
Only now did I realize that Angela barely wore anything. Just one pure white dress on her.
"..."
"Oh, Cain. You don't need to be so embarrassed. Should I go hide in the reedbed again?"
"That's... Whatever, why are we here anyway?"
"Why? To play, of course."
"...We're not kids."
"But I am. For the rest of today, that is."
I was speechless. I could barely look up to her anyway.
"That was fun, Cain. That really was."
"Well... No problem, I guess."
"Let's do that again sometime."
"Hell no."
Angela burst out laughing again.
I let out a sigh.
"Why is there a huge forest with a huge lake in the city anyway? How did you find this?"
"I found it by accident long ago..."
Angela trailed her hands through the water before lifting a small pool in her palms.
"So long..."
Plink... Plink...
Droplets slipped through the gaps between her fingers.
Angela inched closer and closer, far too close for comfort.
"Hey, Cain. May I ask something?"
"What is it?"
"It must be lonely, right? Fighting all by yourself."
"...Maybe."
"Hey, Cain."
"Yes?"
"You like lemonade? I used to be quite good at making them."
"Where does that even come from?"
"Cain."
"Say it."
"Nothing."
"??"
"Aha~"
Time passes.
I told her about me.
She told me about her.
And when the afternoon melted into the water, she stood up.
Angela held her hand out.
"Let's leave this city."
"When? Now?"
"Yes."
"That's a bit too..."
Now I was the one hesitating.
Angela smirked at me.
I smiled in defeat and clasped her hand.
"That's... unfair!"
"Ah—"
A gentle pull.
Angela fell.
A sharp crack of water.
And for that moment, she just lay there.
She just smiled at me.
I just gazed at her.
I just felt sleepy.
***
"Hah... Hah..."
"Made it..."
"Can I take a look at it?"
"Of course."
"Wow, it looks tasty."
"It's fortunate that the bakery still works during the Sabbath Day."
"Yeah, almost all stores are closed. It's so quiet."
"Yes, it is indeed quiet."
"..."
"..."
"It's getting dark..."
"Let's race back then. What do you think?"
"Fine, try catching up with me!"
"Ah, wait for me~."
"Come on, I know a shortcut. Follow me."
"I will."
"Faster, Ange— Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there."
"You don't need to run so fast—"
"!!!"
"Cain!?"
"Gh—!!"
"—!"
"D-Damn you! RUN, Angela!"
"N—"
"Stay back! Bastard... Attacking us out of nowhere..."
"—"
"Fuck.. Blood loss..."
"..."
"...Angela?"
"Ah..."
"What are you— Where did you get that!?"
"...It's alright. Everything will be fine. I'll heal you..."
"I-Is that guy..."
"..."
"...dead?"