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#
It's been **two years** since that crazy battle with General Strange.
I'm now **22 years old**.
...Time flew by like a blink, but somehow every day felt endless too.
Sometimes, when I'm alone, I catch myself thinking:
*"When will Firehair come back?"*
It's been *years*. Maybe... she *forgot about me*? Maybe she moved on...?
I felt a little sad inside, but I didn't have the luxury to sit around feeling sorry for myself.
No time for love. No time for daydreaming.
Only time to **train**.
---
Every day, every night —
**Training.**
Until my hands split open and bled.
Until my arms were too heavy to lift.
Until my legs trembled under my own weight.
My hands bled so much that sometimes I couldn't even hold my sword.
But I kept swinging.
I kept pushing until I collapsed.
I became *paranoid* after what happened with General Strange.
What if something **stronger** came next time?
What if my father wasn't around?
*Would I be able to protect my people?*
The answer was clear: **No. Not yet.**
And that scared me more than death itself.
---
**Umar**... she was always there.
She would quietly sit by the edge of the training field, watching me.
Sometimes she brought food and water .
Sometimes, she would just sit — eyes filled with worry.
But she never tried to stop me.
She never scolded me.
She never judged.
She just stayed beside me — even when I was a bloody, sweaty, stubborn mess.
Sometimes, when I collapsed from exhaustion, I'd catch her frowning, concern flashing in her glowing eyes...
But she never said anything.
She just helped me stand back up.
She just **supported me**.
Silently.
Loyally.
---
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Aethonix had been thriving.
Our **military morale** was sky-high.
We kept **expanding**, claiming land deep into the jungles, battling monstrous apex predators and building new villages.
My *little brother* and *sister* — now both **16** — acted like typical teenagers... and gods, they were a pain in my ass.
My sister always hung out with her friends, wearing ridiculous amounts of jewelry.
She literally sparkled like a damn Christmas tree.
My brother?
Brooo...
One day he tried killing some giant insects by burning them.
He accidentally set half the forest on fire.
Yeah.
I *whooped his ass* that day.
(And made him replant every single tree. Karma, baby.)
Give him a lecture about "don't burn down the kingdom, idiot."
...Boys, am I right?
---
**The City itself changed, too.**
I ordered a **grand golden-sprinkled palace** to be built for me and my family.
(If you're royalty, you gotta live like royalty, right?)
They even built **churches**.
Huge statues of me, my parents, my siblings —
Aurorians actually *kneel and pray* to them.
*Brooo... it was so awkward.*
Like, imagine walking down the street and people are bowing down to a golden version of your face.
I wanted to die of second-hand embarrassment.
---
But no matter how much things grew around me…
Every night, lying in my gigantic, stupidly luxurious bed, I stared at the ceiling
**My heart still felt a little empty.**
I kept wondering:
*"Where are you, Firehair?"*
*"Why haven't you come back?"*
Was it because she found someone else?
Was it because she didn't care anymore?
No, no.
I shook those stupid thoughts away.
But then I'd smack myself mentally.
Firehair wasn't the type to just "ghost" people.
She was probably off saving worlds, battling gods, maybe even rebuilding galaxies.
*She's the host of the Phoenix Force, bro.*
She's basically immortal.
Even if she died, she would come back stronger.
There's no way anything bad happened.
Still...
It hurt a little.
---
One night, after an exhausting training session, I saw **Umar** sitting alone by the gardens, her hand clutching her head.
My instincts kicked in —
I rushed to her.
"**Umar!** What's wrong?!"
She *shoved me away,* yelling:
"**Don't come near me!**"
Then suddenly —
She collapsed.
---
I picked her up instantly and rushed her to the palace healers.
They said,
> "My young King, she's experiencing trauma... It's not physical — it's emotional, spiritual … some of her **lost memories** might be trying to return. She is Fine. But it may take time."
I sat by her bedside every single day after that.
I barely slept.
I barely ate.
I just waited, hoping she'd wake up.
Sometimes I talked to her even if she couldn't hear me.
Sometimes I just sat there and stared at her...
Silently hoping she would wake up.
I miss hearing you scold me for training too much..."
"**Please be okay, Umar...**"
---
Weeks passed.
She still didn't open her eyes.
I kept training in the mornings, but every night...
I'd come back and sit silently beside her.
The palace felt... emptier without her walking and complaining about the food being "too dry."
---
One night, a few weeks later —
I was lying on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
That's when I heard a soft noise.
Tap. Tap.
I jolted up.
My instincts kicked in.
I grabbed the dagger under my pillow and
I turned my head toward the window.
prepared to fight—
But when I looked—
And there she was.
**Umar.**
Standing in the moonlight, barefoot, her Dark hair glowing faintly, her purple eyes misty.
---
"...Umar?" I whispered.
She nodded and stepped inside.
"I'm awake," she said softly.
I rushed to her, grinning stupidly. "You're awake! You're—"
Before I could finish, she laughed lightly.
"**Thank you...**" she whispered.
She smiled ... but there was a sadness
> "Thank you for giving me a chance to feel peace... and happiness... even if I didn't deserve it."
I sat up, confused.
"**You remember who you are now?**"
She didn't answer.
She just stared at me with those eyes that looked so ancient... so heartbroken.
Then—
In a blink, she teleported onto my bed.
She cupped my face gently with both hands...
...and **kissed me**.
---
It wasn't a rushed kiss.
It wasn't a goodbye.
It was a *thank you*.
It was *an apology*.
It was *a silent promise*.
Her lips were warm, soft —
And I could feel her whole soul inside that one kiss.
It was desperate.
Messy.
Full of sadness, gratitude... and something that tasted almost like goodbye.
But just as fast —
She pulled away.
Standing back at the window, she smiled with tears in her eyes.
> "I have someone to kill first… before I can come home."
Dark black energy flared around her like wings of smoke.
---
I sat there, stunned.
"**Damn... scary and hot.**" I mumbled like an idiot.
And then —
*pop* —
She was gone.
Leaving nothing but the smell of lilacs and the ghost of her kiss.
---
I stood there alone, staring at the empty window, feeling like someone punched a hole through my chest.
I slumped down onto my bed.
"...brooo," I muttered.
"Why do girls always leave me after kissing me?
Why can't they just...
Stay?"
First Firehair...
Now Umar...
Maybe I really am cursed.
---
# To be continued...
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