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Among the astonishing peculiarities related to the summoning of heroes from other worlds that arrived at the Kingdom of Askr, one more had recently been added. Kiran discovered they could summon the emblems from Elyos, those warrior spirits that resided within the famous rings that originated from that land, with a notable peculiarity: instead of manifesting as ethereal beings, they acquired a physical form, with everything that implied.
In the early spring of that year, one of the emblems was incorporated into the Order of Heroes, and, within days, he became incredibly popular among its peers, not only for its outstanding physical power but for the prestige of his legacy. That was the Emblem of Radiance, Ike, and, habituated to supporting the royalty of Solm in battle, did not deny his help to anyone who requested it, covering everything, from training sessions to challenges his summoner needed to complete.
It was a warm summer afternoon, at the end of July. After a long sparring session with a cheerful group of swimsuit-wearing heroes, the cerulean-haired man respectfully bid farewell to his peers and left that place, walking unaccompanied along the castle hallways.
As he moved his feet without a determined direction in his mind, unwanted feelings of irritability and exhaustion invaded him. He didn’t like feeling that way, but he couldn’t help it; coexisting with so many different people almost daily and almost only to fulfill the desires and needs of others, involuntarily drained his energy. Being a popular figure in the Order of Heroes was not something he enjoyed, but, thanks to his experience in Elyos, he knew it was something that could happen.
Approaching one of the divans distributed throughout the castle, the blue-glowing swordsman took a seat, sighed, and massaged his temples counterclockwise. His head was starting to hurt, something that, when he was an emblem in Solm, he could not experience; he needed a moment to clear his thoughts and decide what he should do after that short break.
- “Are you OK? It seems like something’s bothering you.” – a familiar voice asked him.
Surprised, Ike turned around and found a long, light blue-haired maiden standing to his right and looking at him with concern. She was his friend Azura, also known as “Song’s Reflection”, who arrived at Askr a couple of weeks after him.
He met her when she had been in the Order of Heroes for just a few days; his first impression of her was that she was a pretty and pleasant girl. Without even knowing the beautiful young, golden-eyed woman’s name, he approached her, introduced himself to her, and asked if he could invite her to ice cream; to his surprise, he received a positive answer. From that day on, they greeted each other affably every time they saw each other, and, if there was enough time, they chatted about trivial topics. They still didn’t know each other very well, but their mutual affinity was undeniable.
Though they knew, like everyone else who lived in Askr Castle, that a few of their variants were involved in romantic or friendship relationships, that being the case with their younger versions, what they felt for each other was independent of the situations of others; even when, essentially, Emblem and Song were the same persons as the rest of their namesakes, they were also individuals with their own ideas, likes, and experiences.
- “Good afternoon, Azura.” – finally, Ike answered her, trying to sound as calm as possible. – “Don’t worry about me. I’m OK. I’m just resting for a moment.” – unfortunately, his voice filtered his true state of mind.
- “…” – she saw through his words and knew he wasn’t telling her the truth. – “Come with me, please.”
- “Huh?” – he didn’t expect that request. – “Where do you want to take me?” – he questioned, slightly defensive.
- “It’s a surprise so I won’t tell you. But don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” – she spoke to him sincerely.
- “…” – as he already knew a little about her personality, he believed what she told him. – “OK.” – he stood up. – “Guide me to the place you want to take me.”
- “Thanks for trusting me.” – she offered him a tender smile and started to walk.
- “…” – the swordsman followed her, without saying a word.
At a slightly accelerated pace, they left the castle and headed toward the southern meadow, advancing silently for almost an hour; even when the sun was still shining in the sky, its warmness was decreasing. A light breeze, particularly typical of Askr summers, blew intermittently.
That variant of Azura, generally, moved where she needed to go on the back of a white mare, which she named “Snowflake” but since her friend did not have a mount, she chose to make the journey on foot. She wasn’t wearing shoes, but the ground didn’t hurt her soles.
The songstress, upon reaching a narrow and shallow stretch of the river that flowed into the southern forest lake, indicated to the swordsman they had reached their destination. On both sides of the riverbank, a bunch of peculiar violet flowers grew, which caught the cerulean-gazed man’s attention for a reason he could not explain.
- “What will we do here?” – Ike asked him, calmer, after being quiet for an hour. – “We’re not going to make flower crowns, right?”
- “Although the flowers growing on the riverbank are very cute, we didn’t come here to make flower crowns. Don’t worry.” – Azura gently smiled at him and, gathering her puffy cobalt blue skirt a little, stepped into the stream. – “What a relief! My skirt won’t get wet! I don’t need to hold it all the time.” – she sighed and freed her hands from the fabric. – “The water is chill! Come here, Ike!”
- “… Did you bring me to this part of the river so I could dip my feet in the water?” – he questioned, slightly annoyed, not knowing what to think about his friend’s plan.
- “Yes.” – she cheerfully nodded.
- “… Do I have to take off my boots?”
- “That’s the point.” – she winked her right eye at him.
- “… OK.” – with a stoic face, he gave in.
Not entirely convinced that that activity could help him feel better, the glowing swordsman took off his boots and placed himself on the left side of the golden-eyed songstress, keeping a distance of half a meter between them. The stream water was crystal clear and flowed slowly, barely covering the ankles of those staying there.
He couldn’t deny that dipping his feet in the river was a refreshing experience, but he still didn’t understand how doing that could soothe his feelings; he was still tense and overwhelmed, even when he was next to someone he trusted in a remote and peaceful place.
- “Maybe I’m just guessing, but from your earlier expression, I think you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, and you’re not feeling very well emotionally, right?” – Azura turned to see him. – “Is that how you feel, Ike?”
- “… Maybe.” – he responded reluctantly.
- “…”
- “…”
- “Close your eyes, please.” – she kindly asked him. – “Don’t think about anything, and let your senses relax. That’s what I do when I’m irritated and overwhelmed. I think spending some quiet time at the river might help you.” – her gaze reflected sincere concern for him. – “Could you try it, please?”
- “… OK.” – he sighed, unable to deny something to her golden eyes, and obeyed her request.
The luminous swordsman attempted to do what the songstress asked him but could not avoid being in a state of hypervigilance, as he did when he was summoned to the battles in Elyos; a part of him continued to picture himself as if he were an intangible being, and not as a man who was alive, whose physical and emotional state could be affected by different factors.
- “I must relax my senses. I need to relax my senses.” – Ike thought, unable to see. – “How do I relax my senses? I have no idea! Relaxing is harder than it seems!” – he sighed, frustrated. – “But I must try. I told Azura I would try.” – he nodded. – “I could start to relax if I analyze what I feel right now. Let’s see…” – he tried to focus. – “I feel the water of the stream touching my bare feet. The water is cool and still flowing. I feel its mild current.” – he lowered his shoulders slightly. – “I also feel the sunlight. As more than half of the afternoon has passed, its heat is not suffocating. I like it.” – a light summer breeze caressed his head. – “There is a little wind. I can feel it running over my face, my hair, and the skin of my arms. It doesn’t announce a storm. It’s just the summer wind.” – his eardrums started to vibrate. – “I hear something very close to here. It’s so beautiful, but it’s not the chirping of birds. It sounds like…” – he couldn’t longer resist his curiosity and opened his eyes.
Beside him, he found Azura, with her eyes closed, humming an unknown song as she swayed slightly without moving her feet, with a delighted expression. She looked relaxed and peaceful, and the melody of her song without lyrics reflected her feelings perfectly. She sang and moved as if there was no one else in the world, besides her… except, of course, that wasn’t the case.
A minute after Ike set his gaze on her, the songstress’ intuition told her someone was watching her. Obeying her hunch, she opened her golden eyes, turned her face, and noticed the blue-haired swordsman was silently looking at her, listening to her in wonder; it was the first time he heard her singing, and couldn’t believe that even humming, her voice was that spectacular.
After realizing her accidental show had an audience, a noticeable blush tainted her pale cheeks.
- “Oh, this is so embarrassing! I’m sorry! I made you lose focus!” – she placed her right hand over her burning face. – “When I feel extremely relaxed, I start humming as if it were a reflex action. That’s how I know I already feel better. It’s an old habit, something I’ve done since I was a young girl.” – she gulped. – “Sorry for start singing without telling you first. I…”
- “Your singing didn’t bother me.” – he interrupted her. – “Actually, I was enjoying it a lot.” – after admitting it, he felt a peculiar tickling in his chest. – “Although your song didn’t have lyrics, I perceived your calm and cheer by listening only to your voice. It was quite pleasant.” – the tickling intensified.
- “… Did you like it?” – the red hue over her cheekbones faded. – “So, can I continue singing? Don’t you have a problem with that?” – a gleam of hope filled her gaze.
- “Please, keep singing.” – he offered her the first smile his lips had drawn that day. – “I love the sound of your voice.” – the tickling in his chest reappeared.
- “…” – again, she noted how heat inundated her face. – “Thank you, Ike! I will sing for you!” – her grin was radiant. – “Would you like to hear a particular song?”
- “Sing whatever you want.” – he slowly nodded. – “Sing something that makes you happy.”
- “Yes!” – she closed her eyes and, louder, resumed her humming.
- “…” – he also closed his eyes, smiling softly, as he listened to her gorgeous voice.
With Azura’s sweet singing in the background, the cerulean-haired man, whose mood had improved greatly, returned to focusing on what he was feeling, including his interaction with the elements around him. The summer breeze, again, caressed his head and, like a child on a windy day, he opened his right hand to feel the wind between his fingers... but, to his surprise, the air was not the only thing that his hand caught.
Without either of them having done it deliberately, the swordsman and the songstress’ hands met for a moment and released them a second later; it was the first time they physically touched each other and, without her stopping singing, they held their hands again, instinctively intertwining them. Her magnificent voice seemed even more joyful as she took the blue-eyed man’s wide, warm hand, and a new hint of shyness seeped through the notes of her song.
- “Azura’s hand is small and delicate, just like her. I don’t want to let her go.” – Ike thought as he noticed his heartbeat rate increased. – “I can hear my heart. It’s pounding hard, but it’s different than when it accelerates during a workout. These heartbeats are much more pleasant.” – he noticed that, although the sunlight’s intensity had decreased, his cheeks and ears were heating up quickly. – “Huh?” – he ran his free hand over his face, confirming the increase in his body temperature. – “I’m blushing. And again, I feel that tickling in my chest! What is this feeling?” – he reflected for a moment, and when he understood it, a shy laugh left his lips. – “This is for Azura, right? Azura makes me feel all this. By holding her hand, hearing her voice, seeing her smile, witnessing her kindness… I feel alive.” – he subtly chuckled. – “I was an ethereal being for so long that I had forgotten what it was like to be truly alive. Life may not always be pleasant, but moments like this make it worth it.” – he serenely sighed. – “I’m no longer a real emblem, and I think I will never be one, again, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be an emblem again.” – he gently squeezed the hand he was holding and received the same response. – “Having met Azura and feeling so many things when we’re together, is wonderful. I want to stay by her side as long as I can.”
Still with their hands intertwined, the swordsman and the songstress remained standing, with their soles submerged in the stream, for a few more minutes until she stopped her singing. They opened their eyes, and their gazes met again, giving each other sincere smiles and releasing their hands without making a fuss for having held hands. The sky was starting to turn warm colors, and it was their signal to return to Askr Castle since the trip to return there would take them an hour.
- “How do you feel?” – Azura asked him with great interest. – “Was it useful for you to come to the stream?”
- “Yes.” – Ike gently nodded. – “I feel much calmer. I hope to feel this way for many more days.”
- “I’m so glad to know it! And, if you experience harshness and irritability again, you can return to this place whenever you want.” – she added.
- “With you?”
- “Sure! Just look for me, and we’ll come to the stream together.” – she tenderly grinned at him. – “I would love to go with you, not just to the stream but any other place.”
- “Thank you so much for helping me when I was not feeling well, Azura.” – he stood before her. – “I will never forget this day nor everything you did for me. Thank you.” – instinctively, he brought his lips to her right cheek and, as a sincere token of gratitude, planted a small kiss.
- “…” – her golden eyes seemed to widen, not believing what had just happened. – “You don’t need to thank me. I just wanted to make you feel good.” – her right hand stroked her flushing cheek. – “On the contrary. Thanks for trusting me and for saying you liked my voice. I truly appreciate it.” – she stretched her face a little and kissed him in the same place he kissed her.
- “…” – the tickling in his chest and the blush on his face returned intensely. – “Hehe…” – he placed his left hand on his nape, smiling shyly. – “I didn’t do something extraordinary.” – he raised his gaze and looked at the color of the sky. – “I think we should go now. It will be dusk soon, and it would be unwise to be outside the castle after sunset.”
- “You could light our path with your blue glow.” – she suggested, amused.
- “Hehehe!” – he couldn’t avoid laughing. – “This faint shine isn’t compared to the one I emitted when I was in Solm, but I don’t miss gleaming that way.” – he opened and closed his right hand. – “I like myself better as I am now.”
- “As long as you’re fine with it, it’s enough.” – she concluded with a warm smile and started walking back toward the riverbank.
Back on dry land, Ike put his socks and boots back on. As he finished adjusting them, Azura approached a dense group of violet flowers and took two improvised bouquets; the flowers didn’t have a distinctive perfume, but their color and texture were rather attractive and flashy.
- “I’m going to take a sample of these plants to the castle and ask a healer to help me identify them. Most of them know about herbalism, so we’ll soon know what species these flowers are.” – she extended her right hand and offered her friend the other bouquet. – “These are for you, Ike.”
- “…” – after his initial astonishment, he grinned at her and nodded. – “Thanks!” – he delicately took the gift and carefully looked at its thin, purple petals. – “This is the first time someone has gifted me flowers. They’re lovely.” – he felt his cheeks blush again. – “I already want to know what their name are so I can always keep it in mind.” – he looked for her gaze, finding her before him. – “Thank you so much, Azura!” – his smile was brilliant.
- “Thanks to you.” – she reciprocated his gesture and offered him her right hand. – “Let’s go back to the castle. If we hurry, we can make it to dinner time.” – a reddish tint also colored her face. – “And, if you want to, we could have dinner together, but I will understand if…”
- “I would love to.” – he took her hand, intertwined them, and, without haste, they started to walk toward the north, side by side.
As they advanced through the meadow, the light blue-haired lady, feeling happy about the lovely afternoon she shared with the cerulean-eyed man, started to hum a cheerful melody, knowing her companion would not mind listening to her. However, nothing prepared her for when, a few minutes into her song, a male voice joined her, attempting to follow her song.
- “Don’t you mind if I sing, too?” – Ike asked her when he noticed Azura stopped to listen to him. – “You’ll see…”
- “Sing with me!” – she offered him a beautiful smile and gently squeezed his hand. – “The song I was humming goes like this…”
After taking a moment to coordinate the rhythm and melody of their song, the swordsman and the songstress united their voices in a single chorus, without a defined lyric.
- “♪ Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na… Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na… ♪” – they continued singing while holding hands until they gazed at the Askr Castle, with the outside torches already lit, knowing they had already started serving dinner.
The End.
