MOVING FORWARD

“Master… Master… I missed you so, so, so much!!!” a sobbing voice cried out in a small, yet proper and well-lit room. Lynne’s lips twitched slightly.

“Y-yes… me too-wait, when did I become this bastard’s master?!”

“Uwaa, how can you be so cold, master?!” the sobbing voice echoed. “Didn’t we bond beyond the binds of friendship?! That day when you rode me… aa!”

“Oi, don’t interpret it that vaguely!!” Lynne cried out as he glanced at his tied up leg; around it, a man entirely clad in black was hugging it tightly, while crying gargantuan tears.

“Ryuuk really missed you, though.” Parsia said, faintly smiling.

“Oh, so that’s what it was its name.” Lynne added, stroking his chin.

“… uwaa, you bastard! Did that day mean nothing to you?!”

“… tsk, there, there,” Lynne said as he stroked the Dragon’s head. “Feel better yet? If you do, let go already. You’re about to break my leg.”

“Why aren’t you dead?” a familiar voice echoed out, causing his lips to twitch again. A familiar monkey was sitting on the table in front of him, eating an apple.

“Did you want me to die?”

“Well, you know, it’s one way to repent for all your sins.”

“Sins your mother!! Why aren’t you dead then, huh?!” Lynne cried out.

“Oi, stop hitting me you bastard!! I’ll pull your hair out and feed it to the pigs!” the monkey cried right back.

“Hah, I know for a fact this place doesn’t rear pigs!” Lynne puffed his chest as he said.

“… actually…” Thalia mumbled.

“Oh, fuck off! Ugh, get off my head monkey, you stink!”

“It’s the stench of love.” the monkey said casually.

“Aah, where are the promised heavenly beauties?!” Lynne cried out, looking out the window with melancholy painted over his expression. “Where are the rivers of wine and mountains of pork? Where are the bouncing sights? Why are a Dragon and the monkey expressing their undying love to me? Is that how far ahead my charm has gone? Aah… how lonely it is at the peak…”

“You still haven’t given up on the heavenly beauties, eh?” Thalia asked slowly.

“Given up? Humph! How can I give up on such an amazing dream?” Lynne scoffed. “Imagine… going into a palace and there, right before my ass—I mean eyes, two rows of thousands of stark naked babes with eyes full of longing welcoming me… ‘Welcome back Master~~Would you like to eat… me? Or us?’ aah, just imagining it is almost making me drool…”

“Erase that ‘almost’.” Parsia chimed in, chuckling.

“Before you go off fulfilling a dream,” a lady clad in crimson suddenly leaned over from Lynne’s left and whispered softly into his ear. “You owe a sword through the heart.”

“… are you trying to instigate your murder or screwage?!” Lynne exclaimed as he pushed her away. “Besides, no can do. I’ve given up the murder. I learned that it really isn’t for me… it’s too filthy, too deranged… right now, I’m pursuing the pure path of hedonism.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Stop giving me a stink eye! And you, dragon-bastard, stop hugging my leg already! Can’t you hear the bones popping?!”

“… aah, master hates me… even though I missed him so much…”

“Missed your mother! Get out, all of you, get out! Why the hell are you guys housing monkeys and dragons?! You should let these beasts out into the wild, that’s where they belong!” Lynne exclaimed as she quickly shooed away the two dragons and the monkey, causing the room to fall into strange silence as only him, Thalia and Parsia remained.

“…”

“…”

“Wow, I imagined you two would be awkward,” Lynne said, smiling faintly as he picked up the apple and took a bite. “But damn. The air in the room is so stuffy you could almost package it into bottles and sell it.”

“… what happened to you?” Parsia asked after short silence.

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe the shit I went through,” Lynne sighed, looking rather despondent as he looked out through the window yet again. “At one point, my entire arm was chopped off! Luckily, it was my left, so I was still certain I would be able to do this and that, you know?”

“…”

“…”

“What happened here?” Lynne asked, sighing. These two…

“… ah, right,” Parsia said as though he suddenly remembered something. “Thank you for helping us. You really saved us there.”

“… I doubt it,” Lynne said, smiling faintly. “You should have still lost, even with my help. So, the monkey arrived on time, eh?”

“… you knew he’d come?” Thalia asked.

“… I may be a cold bastard,” Lynne said, smiling. “But I wouldn’t let something I created be destroyed so easily. Especially if it would endanger the lives of my best friends.”

“…”

“…”

“You know,” after seeing that the two weren’t even able to look him in the eyes, Lynne spoke slowly. “When I first thought about coming here, I had full intention of jerking you guys around for at least a week. Yet, seeing you like this, I can’t even bring myself to do it.”

“… heh,” Parsia suddenly chuckled bitterly. “We’d probably feel better if you did.”

“It’s a bridge only you two have to cross,” Lynne said warmly. “If there’s a dam holding you back, I can’t be the one destroying it. Oh, right!” Lynne exclaimed as he suddenly shuffled through his innermost pocket and took out a small box, placing it in front of the two. “Although I was unable to attend your wedding, I was able to see it. It was rather beautiful, befitting of the King and Queen of the greatest Kingdom yet.”

“… what’s in the box?” Parsia asked awkwardly.

“It’s the last pill I ever concocted,” Lynne smiled widely. “In such vein, I named it Crowning Pearl. One side is azure blue, and the other is scarlet red. They’re technically two pills in one. Although transcending the boundary to the Divine Realm is impossible, the pill will allow you to bend Laws as though you were a Divine Magus. If, even with this, you manage to sink the Kingdom, I’ll seriously beat you guys up. Once you’re ready to let others herald the Kingdom forth, just feed them a drop of your blood, and they’ll gain the same ability.”

“…”

“…”

“Oi, don’t go abandoning my last effort! You guys, it took me almost four hours to concoct that bitch! If you don’t use it, I’ll shove it up both your asses so hard you’ll have to shit them out to pass them on!”

“… thank you.” Parsia said, sighing as he took the box and placed it into his pocket before getting up and walking toward the door. As he passed by Lynne, he paused for a moment and placed his hand on latter’s shoulder. “While I don’t know exactly what you did… I know that, without you, there’d be neither me nor Thalia, and there’d be no Kingdom known as Skyfire Paradise. I failed this soil as the King, but you upheld it. That’s something that will forever be known.”

“… wow, I didn’t think you’d get to be so good at kissing ass,” Lynne said as he smiled. “But, you’re wrong. I abandoned the Kingdom, while you stood at the frontlines when destruction came knocking on your doors. No citizen of the Kingdom can ask any more from their King.”

“…” Parsia said nothing as he glanced briefly at Lynne before leaving. In a room that was just recently filled to brim, only two remained. Thalia still had her head hung low, unable to look into Lynne’s eyes, while he looked at her with faint smile.

“… you look well.” Lynne said, breaking the silence.

“… thanks. You too.” Thalia replied, sighing deeply before lifting her head up and looking him into the eyes.

It was then that she realized something; although those eyes seemed familiar, they were also the eyes of a stranger. She couldn’t summarize their depth, see past the surface, and dwell into his thoughts as she was able to do before. They were of same color, of same make, the very same eyes that once looked at her lovingly… yet, they were also the eyes she’d never seen before. A peculiar feeling arose within her chest, but she pushed it back down almost instantly, steeling her will and not looking away.

“Good,” Lynne smiled lightly, nodding his head. “That’s the Thalia I know. Not a fickle maiden afraid to look into someone’s eyes.”

“… are you angry?” Thalia asked.

“No.” Lynne shook his head. “I have no right to be angry in the first place.”

“I told you I’d wait.”

“And I never took it to heart,” Lynne said. “I was truly a coward back then. I can’t even laugh at my former self properly. I got up and left, leaving behind vague intentions. What fool would wait?”

“… I didn’t know whether you were even alive.” Thalia said.

“Hm.” Lynne nodded.

“Where you were… what you were doing… did you still think of me…”

“Hm.”

“And then, Y’se came back… she came back alone… and I still didn’t know what you were doing…”

“Hm.”

“I’m not blameless.” Thalia said as her eyes grew red. “I’m even selfish. It hurts that you seem so indifferent right now. Yet, I know I have no right to be hurt.”

“…”

“Sometime along the way… I realized that the memory of you made me weak.” she said, chuckling bitterly. “Whatever I was in the past, I at least welcomed anything head-on. I braved any storm, crashed against any wall, bore any and all which came my way. But, then, one morning, I found myself unable to get off the bed. And I thought to myself: is this really me? Is this the me who hadn’t even surrendered when she was entirely abandoned?” Lynne remained silent and kept his eyes locked with hers, his expression as still as water. “In the end… I never found the answer. I can’t say you made me weak… because you also made me strong. Heh… even in my wildest dreams, this wasn’t what I wanted to tell you after reuniting…”

“…”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” she asked after the room remained silent for a few minutes while the two stared at each other.

“Because… you said it all,” Lynne said, smiling. For some reason, Thalia found herself hating that smile. She didn’t understand it; she didn’t grasp it. It wasn’t the smile of a man she once fell in love with. “I’ve learned that… life is a long road, Thalia. A very, very long road… however short in years it may seem. Along that road, there’ll be numerous stops, packed with countless people. And in that mass, we’d be lucky to find one or two that stand out. That join our own journey and follow along our own road. Looking back… I was beyond lucky, because I’ve met not just one or two… but countless people who were willing to abandon their own roads and follow along mine. Yet, I never as much glanced back at them to thank them. All along… they thinned out. One by one, they turned into shadows latched onto my mind. Bit by bit, I felt my shoulders growing weaker, the heart of mine which I believed to be as steady as water wavering… thoughts shifting… in the end, when I needed someone to pull me back, you were there. You pushed me forward with all your might. However… when you needed me, I was nowhere to be found. I left. I abandoned all those who walked my path, and embarked onto an entirely different one. Whether right or wrong… is irrelevant… because I’ve learned that there is no right or wrong. You said you weren’t blameless… but it has nothing to do with blame.” Lynne paused for a moment as he leaned over and patted her head, smiling gently. “You’re you, no matter the time, no matter the place. Don’t doubt you heart over someone like me.”

“…”

“Besides, if you think back, this was inevitable.” Lynne’s tone suddenly changed to playful, startling Thalia slightly.

“Eh? Inevitable?” Thalia mumbled, tilting her head.

“Of course! Don’t you remember? If Parsia didn’t have that stinking wife of his back then—“

“—She sacrificed herself to protect this place.”

“—that amazing, benevolent, saintly wife of his back then,” Lynne coughed as he corrected himself. “You’d have never strayed from your own road onto mine.”

“…”

“For better or worse,” Lynne said as he got up. “Ours was a story that withstood many tides and braved many storms… but, even the greatest ships, even those which sailed the entirety of the waters, can sink. Nothing is impervious to that simple reality. Not you, not me, not anyone else. Rather than looking back and wondering ‘what if’, look forward and wonder how to never let it happen again. He’s a good man. No, he’s a great man. I can’t say that you two were meant to be as I don’t believe it, but I can say that you two found each other after a long time of looking elsewhere. Isn’t that far more romantic than saying something dumb like ‘you were fated to be’?” Lynne was already at the doors as he paused for a moment and turned back, smiling refreshingly. “We’re all writers of our own stories. You’ve already started a new chapter, Thalia. No, perhaps you’ve started a new book entirely. Don’t go back trying to rewrite and relive past glories. Life means more than silly memories.”

With the fading voice, he left. Thalia remained seated, staring at the closed, wooden doors, and the chair where he just sat. Even now, she couldn’t recognize his figure properly. She knew that she’ll never understand what he went through to cause such a change. She knew she’ll never learn what transpired after he left that day. She knew that she’ll never again get to see the scarred side of his soul. She suddenly smiled and glanced back through the window, holding up her chin with her hand. Her smile was free, refreshing, reminiscent in a way. Yet, at the same time, forward-oriented.

Meanwhile, Lynne found himself in the hallway where Parsia waited, leaned against one of the pillars. Looking at him, Lynne truly felt like he was looking at a proper King; the air around him, his expression, his gaze… they all exuded the air of someone who ruled over masses. He realized that that was something he always lacked. That he was never truly a King.

“Stop looking so handsome,” Lynne said as he walked over and smiled. “Even I may fall in love with you.”

“… heh, be my guest.”

“… wow, that’s not the retort I was expecting.”

“How is she?” Parsia asked with solemn expression.

“Yours.”

“… when did we start talking goods here?” Parsia said, creasing his brows.

“Ha ha, aah, you really are something else,” Lynne laughed as he stopped in front of him and smiled. “Treat her well, you bastard.”

“… what will you do?” Parsia asked. “If you have no place to stay, you know that you’re always welcome to stay here. Take anything you want and live any way you want. I can even post the Kingdom-wide announcement about the handsome man searching for heavenly beauties to serve him naked.”

“… as tempting as that sounds,” Lynne said as he looked down the hallway where the exit to the Palace was. “I’ve already got a place to stay. I think. Well, she had enough time to arrange it. I hope…”

“Will you visit us?” Parsia asked.

“Of course!” Lynne exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. “But, as you can see, I’m kind of a mortal now. So it’s not like I can just warp in and out as I wish.”

“… do you regret it?” Parsia asked.

“I regret many things in my life,” Lynne said, his expression turning somber for a moment. “Too numerous to count. But this? I haven’t felt this free in a long, long time. I feel like I’m suddenly sixteen again,” Lynne’s lips curled up in a free, elusive smile. “Running through the back alleys, searching for new brothels, looking for new ways to spend my dad’s money out of childish spite… I haven’t felt this way for far too long… so long that I’d nearly forgotten it all. Thank you,” Lynne said as he looked at the stunned Parsia. “For everything you’ve done. You’re a friend I never truly deserved.”

“…”

“Well then,” footsteps slowly echoed as Lynne began walking toward the exit. “See ya’.” he waved slowly as he departed. Parsia stared at the fading shadow for a long while before smiling lightly and turning around, walking back into the room where Thalia was currently drinking some wine.

“He left?” she asked.

“Ah, you know him. Comes and goes like a storm.” Parsia replied, sitting down and joining her.

“… indeed he does.”

“You hungry?” Parsia asked.

“Well, I’m not full.” Thalia replied, smiling.

“Well, we can’t have that, can we? Hmm… let’s see. We had boar last night. How about chicken?”

“Chicken sounds wonderful.”

“Hm, we can also open one the last few remaining bottles of Heavenly Ale. It’s a special occasion, after all.”

“Ah, just mentioning it is almost getting me drunk… even if I have to upturn the world, I’ll find Y’se and force her to get us more. I don’t think I can live without that.”

“… you damn drunkard.”

“Bleh, like you’re any better!”

Meanwhile, Lynne soon found himself standing in front of a bronze statue displaying a youth of heroic disposition. He couldn’t help but chuckle lightly as he averted his gaze and stepping forward, only to be stopped by familiar faces. Right before him, two Dragons, the monkey and the bird were waiting. They said nothing; the monkey leapt on one shoulder, the bird leapt onto the other, while two Dragons stuck to his sides. Lynne sighed as his shoulders sank lightly before taking a step forward.

“Let’s go home, then.”