After the meeting at the Nyxellia temple, Rinoa quietly returned to the Sanctum, driven by one purpose: to deliver a request for spirit severance.
Tension hung in the air as the temple leaders were thrown into a frenzy. The minor spirit that accompanied her shimmered softly with a bluish-green luminescence, gliding around Rinoa like a vigilant guardian. Its ethereal movements were akin to a delicate dance, gracefully preventing anyone from approaching her, creating a protective barrier of tranquility. For an entire week, Rinoa embraced silence, uttering not a word nor penning a thought. Instead, she found herself lost in the vastness of the starry night sky, which felt increasingly remote, the distance amplifying the hollowness within her.
Then, on the seventh night, as the last glimmers of spiritual fires flickered into darkness and the air grew fragile like charred tissue, Rinoa stepped into the cool night. She made her way to the enchanted forest where Fitran awaited her, the gentle sound of rustling leaves creating a soothing melody, and the earthy scent of damp soil infusing the atmosphere with a sense of magic.
"You came, even though the world still calls your name," Fitran said softly, a glimmer of hope illuminating his eyes.
"I never chose that name. They bestowed it upon me like an oppressive burden, not a true calling," Rinoa replied, her tone resolute yet laced with emotion, her eyes alight with fierce determination.
"I've read your letter," Fitran said, concern etching his features. "If you come with me, they will turn against you. You know this," he urged, the weight of his worry evident in his voice.
Rinoa gazed into Fitran's eyes with intense determination, her expression a poignant blend of pain and resolve. "They hate me even when I remain silent. It's better to be despised as a human than to be worshipped as a puppet," she declared, her voice quivering yet unwavering, as if the very spirits around her were lending strength to her words.
"Moreover, I can't seem to let you be alone for some reason. My heart swells with joy whenever I'm near you," Rinoa continued, placing a delicate hand over her chest, the gesture both tender and vulnerable. A gentle smile graced her lips, maintaining an emotional distance while revealing an undeniable longing that hung in the air like mist.
"I don't know what you're doing, but I have feelings, Fitran," she confessed, her soft voice a tantalizing whisper, yet each word resonated with a quiet firmness that echoed her heart's depth.
"How did you get hurt? How do you protect me? There are so many things I can't find the courage to say. I ....
"Rinoa," Fitran replied, softly stroking her cheek, his warm fingers gliding over her delicate skin, creating a soothing sensation that rippled through the stillness of the night.
Rinoa pressed his hand against her cheek, her gaze aflame with fierce resolve, though a flicker of vulnerability lingered in her eyes—a starlight shimmering against the darkness that enveloped them.
"I can't lose you, Fitran," she asserted, her voice imbued with both strength and emotion, tears beginning to glisten in her eyes as the moonlight danced across her features, casting beautiful shadows that intertwined between them.
"This comes from the deepest part of my heart, and I am not lying about this feeling," Rinoa continued, her voice resonating with a sincerity that wrapped around each word like a gentle embrace, layered with hope as it filled the still night air.
Fitran then pressed his forehead against Rinoa's, his touch soft yet electrifying, as if bridging an invisible chasm between their souls. The calmness of her presence enveloped him like a warm blanket, while the whispers of nocturnal insects serenaded the night, and the rich aroma of damp leaves intensified the magic of the moment.
"You're not feverish, are you?!" Fitran exclaimed, his voice a buoyant mixture of joy and concern, his eyes gleaming with an innocent curiosity that sparkled like the stars above.
Rinoa felt a tempest of emotions churning within her, a potent urge to be frustrated with Fitran's playful antics. Yet, tonight was different; an irresistible force urged her to surrender, to wilt like a delicate flower steeped in moonlight, where tiny spirits twinkled like dancing stars around her, their gentle winks offering solace.
"Why am I feeling this confused?" Rinoa pondered, her gaze drifting to the moonlight filtering through the leafy canopy overhead, painting ethereal patterns on the ground. "Should I continue to resist these feelings? Isn't anger just a thief of my energy? Perhaps it is time to release my emotions and embrace the enchanting chaos within."
For a fleeting moment, Rinoa envisioned their togetherness, a vivid tapestry woven with laughter and playful banter that filled the air with warmth. "Fitran," she whispered softly within her heart, the name carrying a weight of longing. "Why do you have to act like this? Can't you see how deeply I long for you to understand my feelings? Why is it so agonizing to put into words what resides in my heart?" She took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp night air in an effort to calm the tempest of emotions swirling within her. "Every second feels increasingly painful, burdened by the weight of secrets I'm forced to keep."
Rinoa closed her eyes, desperately trying to visualize a release from her emotional chains. "I want to be free, like a bird soaring high above the clouds, unencumbered by doubts and fears. Yet here I stand, ensnared in this labyrinth of confusion. Will I finally be understood, or will I become like the wind, drifting aimlessly and alone?"
Despite the shimmering lights of the night, she felt an aching loneliness envelop her. "If there is one thing I could ever wish for, it would be to experience love without the burden of pain. Love should spark joy, not sorrow." She opened her eyes, her gaze lingering on the vast, starry expanse above, each twinkling star a beacon of hope. "I will approach Fitran, perhaps imbued with a renewed spirit, ready to express and declare the depths of my feelings. Regardless of the outcome, my only desire is to be truthful with myself."
With a burgeoning determination, Rinoa smiled at her reflection in the shimmering night. "Let this night be a witness to my metamorphosis. No longer will I allow anything to hold me back. No matter how this journey unfolds, I stand ready to embrace all its consequences."
Fitran remained silent, a quiet witness to Rinoa's emotional turmoil, the air thick with an unspoken connection between them. He pondered whether the stirring within him was a result of fragmented memories resurfacing, echoing past lives, or if it stemmed from the profound gift of the memory of heaven. As he gazed at Rinoa, she seemed to be morphing back into a version of her former self, a beauty that brought him joy yet left him feeling ensnared in the enchantment of the moment.
Rinoa smiled, her eyes shimmering like moonlight cascading over a tranquil lake. "And are you brave enough to be the rain dancing above me, reviving all the hidden memories?" she asked softly, her voice quivering like a delicate leaf caught in the gentle embrace of a night breeze, as if they were mere characters in an unwritten legend. The forest surrounding them vibrated with the playful chorus of cicadas intertwined with the stillness of the night, while the rich, earthy scent of damp leaves wrapped around them, forging a cocoon of intimacy.
Fitran responded, "Only if you promise, Rinoa, not to let the morning dew erase our footprints. We will walk together, like leaves yearning for the wind." He fixed his gaze upon her, a hopeful crease forming on his brow; as their eyes locked, his heart began to pulse in a rhythm laced with anticipation, acutely aware of the tension hanging in the humid air.
Their conversation flowed like a gentle stream, ebbing and flowing with shared thoughts and hopes, until the dawn broke, illuminating the forest floor with the soft, golden touch of sunlight.
However, the next day, Rinoa transformed back into her familiar self, her face etched with a stormy anger, and her sharp gaze seemed to pierce through Fitran's very soul. The anger she felt towards him was a constant companion, yet beneath that tempest lay an unspoken longing, a yearning that crept silently through her heart.
The weight of Rinoa's choice to leave the Avatar lingered heavily in her heart, a painful truth that ignited an internal conflict between the two worlds she had forsaken. Once radiant and imbued with unfathomable strength, her spirit now found itself imprisoned by waves of doubt and a bittersweet nostalgia.
As the night deepened, minor spirits that had once dwelled alongside Rinoa began to gather around her, resembling delicate, shimmering white petals enveloping her in a soft embrace, their forms illuminated against the velvety darkness. They vibrated gently, echoing the whispers of the wind that carried the fresh, earthy aroma of forest leaves. Some attempted to share soft, soothing words, their voices drifting like gentle melodies in the cool night air.
Yet, none dared to intervene, respecting the weight of her silent struggle.
Because they knew: sincere desires resonate as the highest of prayers within the realm of spirits.
In that moment, they recognized with expressions of profound reverence that Rinoa's departure was not an act of betrayal, but rather an embodiment of the purest harmony: the courageous choice to relinquish a role that no longer resonated with her soul.
With a resolute grip, she grasped Fitran's hand—not as a savior grasping the saved, but as two kindred souls striving to escape the decaying confines of a corrupt order.
From a distance, the last minor spirits floated gently upward, their ethereal light shimmering like fading stars against the backdrop of the encroaching night.
"Farewell, the one who hears us," echoed their whisper, barely audible yet profound in its sincerity.
Rinoa responded with a smile, a tapestry woven from threads of longing and resolve, her heart a canvas painted with emotions too complex for mere words.
"I will not let go of this hand," Rinoa declared, her eyes aflame with fierce determination, igniting a spark of defiance in the shadows.
"You promised me we would go to Gamma, remember?" she continued, a playful grin dancing on her lips, laced with an eerie desire, as if her smile held the secrets to a mystery waiting to be unveiled.
"Yes! But could we wait a few days? There is something I must take care of first," Fitran replied, his face brightening with a wide smile, though the flicker of concern in his eyes betrayed the gravity of his thoughts.
Fitran longed for this moment more than anything else in the world—each word exchanged felt like a melody in a grand romance, unfolding softly around them. The soft rustle of leaves whispered secrets of the night, a serene silence enveloping them where power, authority, and wealth dwindled into nothingness. All he desired was to live this life with Rinoa, basking in the warmth of her presence, as comforting as the stars shining brightly in the tranquil night sky.
"Rinoa," Fitran thought to himself, "do you feel the same? With each fleeting second, I sense an invisible thread drawing us closer. It feels as though this enchanting moment is crafting a private haven just for us, sheltered from the bustling crowd and the clamor of the outside world. How wondrous it would be to spend our days here, weaving our stories and dreams together, letting our laughter echo beneath the soft glow of the moonlight."
He continued his inner monologue,"Your smiles illuminate the shadows lingering in my heart. I yearn to share everything with you—my hopes, my fears, the intricate tapestry of dreams I guard so closely. I envision a life where we wander the quaint streets of the village, the gentle wind playfully ruffling our hair as we laugh and run, unburdened by the weight of the world." He gazed at Rinoa, lost in the beauty of what could be, imagining their fingers interlaced, hearts intertwined.
"Perhaps," Fitran whispered softly to himself, "true love is the most precious gem of all. Maybe strength and power pale in comparison to the profound connection we share. By loving and being loved, I might unearth the real strength that lies dormant within me."
He could feel a smile blossom in his thoughts,"If I can make you laugh, if I can protect you—even if it's only with sweet words and warm embraces—that would be more than enough. Rinoa, you are my star, and I will fight to ensure you shine forever."
Fitran sensed the gentle breath of the night caressing him, as if the very essence of the darkness understood the depth of his feelings. The cool air wrapped around him like a comforting blanket, and with renewed determination, he whispered, "Come, I will lead us on this adventure, and with you by my side, I will never feel alone again."
While the kingdom was in turmoil over the Avatar's departure, and the nobles spread rumors of betrayal,
Rinoa and Fitran remained hidden, their whereabouts a mystery. In the cool night forest, the symphony of nature echoed all around them; the rustling of leaves danced along with the sweet songs of insects, creating a melody that seemed eagerly to await their presence. No traces were left behind, no statements given. The rich, earthy scent of damp foliage filled the air, adding an enchanting depth to the atmosphere.
Only one message was inscribed on the outer wall of the Harmony Temple by an unknown spirit:
"Get Married"