Chapter 12
Celebi Remembers
It had been such a fraught moment at the peak of Dark Ice Mountain that Nina hadn’t even thought about where the Teleport Gem would send them. In that moment, all she cared about was getting away from Primal Dialga, not caring where she ended up. All this time, for three hundred years, one of her greatest fears was Primal Dialga himself coming to snuff out her life. And just a few minutes ago, those fears had very nearly become reality.
But a quick scan of her surroundings told Nina that thankfully, they were no longer in the frigid wastes of Frozen Island. Instead, they appeared to be in a forest of some kind. Vegetation frozen mid-fall, the water stagnant with time’s cessation, floating rocks and cracked earth abound. Conifers shrouded the dark sky around them, with one having fallen and since was hollowed out to make a makeshift seat at. A dug-out pit indicated this place was used as a rest area, with leftover ash and cinders suggesting it had hosted its fair share of campfires.
More to Nina’s relief was the sight of everyone else safe and sound, with Dialga’s towering menace nowhere to be seen.
They’d made it out alive, just barely.
“Hoooooly hell, that was
close.” Robin panted, eyes wide with exhilaration. “Geez, I thought we’d had it there!”
“You can say that again.” Lifis slumped down next to a tree. “Gods, I might need a minute…”
“...If it weren’t for Skathi, we’d all be goners.” Nina looked up at the blackened sky, fluffing her tails behind her. “Above all, she’s the one to thank for our survival.”
“Yeah…Voice of Life, huh?” Robin said. “They did power up the Teleport Gem…it didn’t look like it was gonna fire until she worked her magic.”
The human opened her palm where she’d been holding the gem. But immediately her face fell when she looked at her hand.
“...Oh.”
Nina’s ears pricked.
“What’s the matter, Robin?”
“…It’s broken,” Robin murmured.
“Broken?”
Nina turned her head to the human, who held out the gem for the group to see. It had cracked in a few places, and shards fell out, some landing on the ground next to Robin’s boot.
“It got us one last use which saved our lives,” Lifis said, a wistful look on his face as he clenched his fist. “Let’s be grateful it could take that much. It’s what Pellehan would have wanted, for us to be alive and carry out our mission.”
“Pellehan…” Aega bit her lip, wings drooping as she landed on a nearby rock. “He always committed himself to our cause, and to serve me as best he could. It’s hard accepting that after all these years, that he’s really just gone…”
Both Lifis and Robin’s gazes fell to the floor, while Nina’s tails drooped behind her. The loss of an ally was not anyone’s idea of a fortunate outcome.
But if Skathi hadn’t intervened, could the outcome be worse? Nina found herself pondering.
If we had to lose either Aega and Pellehan, the choice couldn’t be more obvious. Yet we shouldn’t have had to lose anyone….
“...No. There’s no time to mourn,” Aega said, shaking her head. “We need to get to the Passage of Time as quickly as possible. The sooner this nightmare is over, the sooner we can reunite with everyone we’ve lost.”
“Exactly.” Robin got up from where she’d sat down to rest on a fallen log. “Death’s coming for us either way…but better we save the past than bow to misery here in the present.”
Aega’s wings buzzed as she got up from her rock.
“At least we need not worry about where the Teleport Gem dropped us.” The Celebi gestured around at the forest around them. “Look at where we ended up!”
Nina looked around her. Nothing seemed to stick out to her about this place, but she noted how Lifis and Robin’s eyes seem to light up at their surroundings.
“Well, isn’t that a stroke of luck?” Lifis remarked. “We’ve ended up exactly where we need to go.”
“Dusk Forest…” Robin smiled. “Practically the closest place I can call home here. Not that I ever really had one.”
The smile then turned to a partial frown, followed by a sigh.
“Man, wouldn’t it be great to have a place in the past like that?” she murmured. “Just somewhere to come back to every evening and put your feet up in front of a nice, warm fire?”
Nina had to admit it sounded like a rosy image, almost like when she’d spent evenings at Matrona’s house curled up near her stove all that time ago. The thought of going back to the past, just to have that reality again…
“...Probably not a luxury we’ll be able to afford once we go back to the past,” Lifis sighed, sounding disappointed. “We’ll likely be on the run almost from the start. Don’t you remember what Nina said about how Pokémon back then thought of the Time Gears?”
Nina’s tails drooped, knowing that the Grovyle had a point. Robin flinched and looked away.
“Y-Yeah, I know. But a girl can dream, can’t she?” The human looked away, but even while hiding her face, Nina could hear the hurt in her voice as clear as day.
The Ninetales, herself still saddened, saw fit to cheer Robin up, and nudged her side gently. Even if she still felt awkward letting out her emotions more, she did feel more comfortable among these four to do so.
“You’ll be affording countless others that dream,” she reminded. “They won’t have to live as vagabonds in a doomed land like this one.”
“That’s…true, I guess,” Robin said, smiling slightly. In return, she brought her hand to Nina’s head and…stroked her ear.
Wh-What? The Ninetales froze at the gesture, and Lifis and Aega gazed at the human with questioning looks.
“What?” Robin stopped mid-stroke.
“...Never mind.” Lifis shook his head. “Let’s just get through here. At the end of this place is the Passage of Time, and through there…our destiny.”
“Yeah…bygone days, here we come.” Robin’s smile grew as she pulled her hand back to her side. “Time to chuck this nightmare in the trash where it belongs!”
Without waiting, Robin started down the path, into the Mystery Dungeon that lay before them.
“Wait.” Aega watched her go, confusion crossing her face. “Won’t she need weapons?”
“...Right, her bow got broken....” Lifis muttered, recalling what happened up on Dark Ice Mountain’s summit. “Hey! Robin! Wait up!”
He then darted off into the Mystery Dungeon after her.
“They’re good partners, the two of them,” Aega murmured, as Nina made her way up to her. Together, the two made their own way into Dusk Forest.
But right before they entered, Nina caught the lightest of whispers from the Celebi.
“I’m gonna miss them…”
As the group made their way into Dusk Forest’s Mystery Dungeon, Nina could’ve sworn there was something in the air that gave a hint of mysticism about the place. It was as though there was something ethereal nature about this forest that even time’s collapse could not entirely bury.
… Had she been here sometime long ago? If she had, it certainly hadn’t been called ‘Dusk Forest’, but she couldn’t remember what it used to be. A part of her felt foolish for forgetting. Even if it was a long time ago, she definitely remembered her father talking about some magical forest in this corner of the Grass Continent, and her child self had been in awe over it.
But now wasn’t the right time to try and wrack her brain for those long-lost details. Many ferals constantly threw ailments around in this place, with crazed Mismagius and Jumpluff past every twist and turn throwing the team into disarray with their spores and hexes alike. Even the sight of Celebi, their guardian, failed to placate them.
At one point, a Mothim cast its Sleep Powder over Robin, making the human slump to the ground in unconsciousness. A blast of fire from Nina followed up by a flurry of slashes from Lifis and the feral crumpled to the ground in a series of pained chitters.
Lifis fished a chesto berry out of Robin’s bag and fed it to her, grasping her chin as her eyes fluttered open.
“Up and at ‘em, partner,” he said.
“U-Urgh…D-Damn spores…” Robin let out a yawn as she got to her feet.
“We can sleep when we get to the past,” the Grovyle went on, dusting himself down.
“Oh, you can bet I’ll sleep when we do,” Robin replied, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “After everything we’ve gone through, I’ll be having one
serious nap when we get there. Hopefully in a nice comfy bed and not a cold, forest floor like this one!”
“Rather bold words to say in front of said forest’s guardian.” Nina cocked her head. “You know, if you are going to be fugitives in the past, you might need to tone down your attitude, Robin.”
“Whatever.” The human rolled her eyes, as though she’d been told it a million times. There wasn’t time to follow up her rebuttal, though; a Gabite had honed in on them, claws brandished.
“Behind me, Robin,” Lifis ordered, clenching his fists as his Leaf Blades glowed. “I’ve got this.”
“I’m not useless, you know!” Robin argued, before she began rifling through the bag. “Come on, there’s gotta be something in here…”
Nina jumped in, firing a Shadow Ball at the dragon. A sharp hiss drew from the Gabite as it slashed at Lifis. The Grovyle grunted as the hit grazed his side, but deftly slashed at his opponent. One good slam into him knocked the Gabite back a good bit.
Nina readied a Flamethrower, but as she did so, Robin suddenly ran in front of her with three iron thorns in hand.
“Take
this!” She threw one, and it struck true, hitting the Gabite square on the forehead. She threw another, and with a snarl muffled by the earth it fell upon, the feral was out for the count.
“...Thanks for the save,” Lifis said, before his gaze fell to the lone iron thorn remaining. “Don’t get too throw-happy with those. We need them to last.”
“Yes,
Dad, I hear you.” Robin’s snark threw Aega into a fit of giggles, while Nina also fought a growing grin upon her muzzle.
Lifis could only shake his head at his partner’s antics, but even he couldn’t resist a wry smile.
“Well, come on then,
kid. Let’s get going.” The Grovyle beckoned his hand as he continued down the path before them.
“H-Hey! That’s not how that’s meant to work!” Robin cried. She chased after him, remaining iron thorn in hand in case an enemy jumped them.
“Hee hee hee! They can be so silly sometimes.” Aega was still giggling at their antics, as she buzzed her wings after the two. “Say, if Lifis is the dad and Robin the kid, does that make me the mom?”
Nina, at the rear, resisted a splutter at that remark, before pulling a face.
“That’s a…weird thought,” she replied. “Maybe best not to give that any mind.”
“I wasn’t. But that’s Robin for you, always making weird remarks.” Aega shrugged. “She’s funny. I like having her around. And she and Lifis make a great team too!”
“Mmm. They do, indeed.” Nina continued walking, leaping over a stray root. “By the way, you should know something about Lifis.”
“Oh?” Immediately, Aega’s attention was piqued. “What about him?”
Nina considered her words, and how best to break it to the Celebi. If she was a deity of time, and long-lived…then no doubt she’d know the pain of parting too. The Ninetales looked over at Aega, deciding to come out with it.
“Well, firstly - and please answer honestly,” she said. “Do you have feelings for Lifis?”
Aega froze in shock midair, where her wings suddenly fluttered out of alignment and she fought to right herself.
“...Did Robin tell you that?” she murmured. “Because, uh…y-yeah, it’s sorta like that. A-And I know…I know what that will mean soon, when you all leave for the past and I have to stay here as a failsafe.”
The Celebi looked down at the grey grass, with her face fallen as she bit her lip.
“I’ll tell him before we go through, I promise. Skathi told me the same thing.”
“Oh, did she?” Nina’ ears pricked; she hadn’t expected. But at least it would make the next part a lot easier when Aega knew the gist of it already.
“Lifis was getting agitated about you back on Dark Ice Mountain. He told us about his feelings for you, and we both said you and him need to be open with each other about them before you part ways.”
Nina’s tails flicked behind her, as a serious look crossed her face.
“Please don’t put this off any longer than you have to, Aega. I’ve suffered many losses over the last three hundred years, and the worst deaths were always the ones cut short too soon. Trust me…it’s an unbearable feeling where your words remain unsaid.”
The Ninetales looked off to the side, tails wilting as she was reminded of all the people she’d lost over the years. Part of why she’d been the lone Ashen Fox for all those years was to not have to bear that sort of pain again. If there wasn’t anyone for her to be close to, there would be no one to take advantage of her and stab her in the back. No one to hold her back in a world where it was already normally a struggle just to stay alive and out of Shuranabi’s grasp.
…And no one to weep for when the cruel world inevitably caught up with them.
Perhaps she’d been a fool to have ever thought that it could work. Yes, she’d become physically stronger than the meek Vulpix she used to be, but emotionally? She only had to think back to the whole episode outside Abundant Pass to see how much she’d truly changed…
And had she really gained anything from it all? At least back in the day, she’d confide in others and trust them. There were good people around back in Treasure Town, and even as the world fell apart with time’s collapse, good folks still would have existed. Did she really need to feign aloofness and isolate herself all these years, believing nothing could be done?
Robin, Lifis and Aega were living proof that she could’ve taken a different approach. None of them were happy - how could anyone be happy in this hellscape? - but at least they had a partnership, links beyond that, and motivation that kept them going. Upon falling into this world, Robin could easily have chosen to just live like her. But ultimately she didn’t; she’d found Lifis and became embroiled in the cause to erase this timeline and create a new one, with the hope Nina had never been afforded for most of her life.
“...I will, Nina. I will tell him, I promise.”
Aega’s voice snapped the Ninetales out of her thoughts. The Celebi’s face seemed to twinge with sympathy; perhaps she’d caught the sadness shoring up onto Nina.
She twitched in discomfort at that, tails fluffing; she didn’t enjoy the thought of being scrutinised by a Legend like Aega.
A change of subject was in order, and the recent thoughts of Robin did remind Nina that she didn’t have all the facts regarding the human’s side of things. Maybe Aega could help her fill in the gaps.
“How did you find Robin?” she asked.
“Robin? Oh, she stumbled into here not long after she appeared in this world about a year or so ago,” Aega replied. “She had gotten in a few scrapes with the ferals in here, and she was worse for wear. Lifis was by her side, and brought her to me to heal her wounds.”
A smile then grew on Aega’s face. “I still remember the first words she greeted me with when she saw me. ‘
Wh-What are you…? Some kind of…onion fairy?’
”
Nina stifled a guffaw. That sounded like something Robin would say, alright. Aega in turn let out a titter at the memory.
“Lifis became offended, of course. ‘
This onion fairy just saved your life, you know!’” The Celebi mimicked Lifis’s deeper voice, which just so happened to be in earshot of said Grovyle. He turned around and looked at her with puzzlement.
“Are you talking about when we found Robin?” he asked. Said human was just beside him, by the set of stairs in front of them, and .
“Yes! But we are firm friends now, are we not?” Aega gazed sweetly at Robin, who squirmed and looked away. Nina spotted a hint of red on the human’s cheeks.
“Yeah…At least you’re pretty casual for a Legendary,” Robin muttered. “If you’d been stuck up, I don’t think I’d have gotten far here.”
“Oh, so humans like a bit of casual behaviour from a Legend, mmmm?” A smirk crossed Aega’s face. “Maybe the other Legends could take notes instead of demanding respect all the time.”
“...Let’s not dwell on business like that.” Lifis began to ascend the stairs. “Let’s just keep going.”
The others got the message and ascended the stairs to the next floor. A Jumpluff awaited them there, ambushing them with an Energy Ball Unfortunately, Robin was right in the line of fire, and she was thrown back from its force.
“Ack!” She clutched her side. “Oh, screw you!”
“I’ve got this.” Aega brought her hands above her head, before rocks lifted from the earth and she flung them at the Jumpluff. “Behave!”
Lifis leapt forward and slammed into the Jumpluff like a blur. Leaping out of the way, that left room for Nina to fire a Flamethrower at the wild ‘mon, who collapsed in front of them, singed and writhing from the pain. She spat some more embers on the feral for good measure, as the group began their search for the stairs.
“So, anyway,” Aega continued, picking up the conversation’s dropped baton. “I was not expecting a human, certainly not one who hadn’t become a Pokémon! But Pellehan was with me at the time, and he was quite excited by the advent of a human appearing before us. He said it was a sign that the solution to undoing time’s collapse was in our grasp, and immediately he began formulating plans involving you two.” She gestured to Lifis and Robin as she spoke the last part.
“Before long, he came up with the idea of you two travelling back in time to create a new state of the world, instead of trying to fix this one,” the Celebi went on. “It’s…a risky plan, admittedly. But Pellehan knew that we couldn’t continue like this forever, living in this darkness for countless more generations. Skathi confirmed it herself, that this world is coming apart at the seams anyhow.”
“But surely not everyone was fine with this fate?” Nina frowned at Aega’s words. “No one truly
wants to die in the end, do they?”
“Oh, of course.” Aega grimly nodded. “When Pellehan’s planetary investigation team spoke to many Pokémon throughout the world, many of them were apprehensive. But nearly all of them agreed that something had to change about this perpetual darkness. They all would make that sacrifice for change…all while, Shuranabi would not.”
An angry frown then crossed Aega’s face, her fist shaking in anger.
“He would gladly hold the world hostage in this state if it meant he could live! He might give off a bravado of confidence, but he’s a coward through and through.”
“Damn right,” Nina growled, hackles raising in fury. “Can’t wait until we get back to the past and be rid of him.”
That response drew something of a questionable silence among the three of them. A Mismagius was in the distance, so Nina couldn’t focus on that, but after a takedown, she definitely noticed an awkwardness between her teammates.
“Yes…about that.” Aega’s wings fluttered with a new anxiety, as Nina’s ears pricked at her words.
Don’t tell me…Would that scum honestly try and…?!
“...Shuranabi’s crafty. And he has Primal Dialga by his side. If he knows of our plan to get back to the past - which might well be the case knowing him…”
Those words caused a look of horrified realisation to cross both Robin and Lifis’s faces, as they realised what the Celebi was getting at.
“...He might decide to do the same himself.” A dark frown crossed Lifis’s face. “...Shit, he would do that, wouldn’t he? Travelling to the past to foil our plans there…”
“...I don’t even want to
think what he could cook up once he’s in the past.” Robin grimaced, with a flash of dismay at the possibility of what they were reckoning. “Damn it! Just when I thought he could be out of our hair!”
“And he’s a master manipulator too,” Nina murmured, a dark pit forming in her stomach. There were all manner of things he could do once in the past, but chief among them, a dark thought struck her.
He could well try to play on the Wigglytuff Guild’s feelings and turn them on us. No doubt they and the authorities will be hounding our scent every step of the way, but if he tries to weaponise and manipulate them…
A chill went down her spine.
Seems we might not be safe from him just yet, if he does take that leap.
An uncomfortable silence descended over the group, interspersed with a quick takedown of a Jumpluff and Mismagius pair. The thoughts of what Shuranabi could possibly do had killed the jubilant mood, and even Robin’s cheerful demeanour had faltered, with her throw of a blast seed far more forceful than normal.
It needed to be broken. And luckily, Nina happened to spot Aega looking at Lifis, a pensive look on the Celebi’s face.
The Ninetales caught her eye, and mouthed, “Go for it.”
Aega nodded and cleared her throat.
“By the way…Lifis.” Aega’s words drew the Grovyle’s attention. “There’s something I need to tell you. B-Before you go.”
Lifis’s eyes widened, as though remembering what he had promised on his own end.
“I have something to tell you too,” he said. “We’ll do it at the rest spot. You know the one.”
“Right. Onward we go.” Aega murmured. Her buzzing wings betrayed a jumpiness she felt in the moment, as observed by Nina.
But the Ninetales found herself gladdened by the exchange.
Good. At least their feelings won’t remain unsaid.
It took some more floors of combat with wild Pokémon and annoying traps - Robin had been spun around by a Spin Trap and had to be shouldered by Lifis for a while - but eventually the team reached the rest area around the Dungeon’s midpoint.
Lifis felt quite tense, his stomach pooling in anxiety as the team continued through the Dungeon. The occasional glance at Aega told him that she was just as nervous as he was from their promise to talk. The occasional words of encouragement from Robin helped the Grovyle, as did Nina’s to Aega’s. Not that it didn’t prevent the shaky tension from either side, but when they reached the midpoint, just before the ascent up a plateau within the forest itself…
The Grovyle felt ready to speak, and stepped forward to Aega as soon as they’d laid their bags down.
A waterfall frozen in time was their backdrop, its water stagnant as it ever was. Lifis and Aega stood opposite each other, the silence quickly proving uncomfortable as both sides pondered on their words. Robin and Nina stood off to the side, watching them.
“We can leave you two be,” the human volunteered. “If you two want some alone time.”
“No.” Lifis shook his head. “We don’t need that. Maybe I would’ve said before it would be a private moment, but…” He looked back at Aega. “It doesn’t matter too much now.”
He stood there, as Aega moved forward to him, pressing her fingers together.
“My dear Lifis…” she began. “I am sorry I have not been more upfront about my feelings for you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lifis said. “You still mean the world to me, Aega. And even when we go back to the past, you’ll still be there in my mind.”
“And mine too. I just…I just wish we had more time.” Aega’s lip began to quiver. “I knew this would happen, that we would part ways like this…”
She moved closer, as Lifis extended a hand gently for her. She held onto it tightly.
“I’m a deity of time! I’ve gotten used to seeing those close to me come and go over the years. But you…you’re different, Lifis. Y-You and Robin,” the Celebi croaked. “You two and Pellehan gave me hope for the first time in decades with a plan actually might work! I-I’ve wanted something,
anything, to get out of these dark times. B-But…”
Aega stopped for a moment, collecting her spiralling emotions. Lifis kept silent, letting her speak her thoughts as his heart panged with concern for the Celebi.
“But…?” he asked, tilting his head.
“...I-I just wish I could be there…to be with you.” A tear fell down Aega’s cheek. “M-Maybe Skathi was wrong and you don’t need me as a failsafe! Maybe I can go with you to the past!”
“Aega…” Lifis gave her a sad look, as he put his other hand in hers. “We both know that’s not-”
“Wh-What if you win? Wh-What if you get the Time Gears? Wh-What if you do restore the past?!” Aega continued, all while becoming more torn up. “I-If you do and I just remain here, we won’t be able to…to…!”
Her tears flowed and dripped onto the dark grass. That Aega was quickly too overcome by her emotion to utter her words correctly was enough to make Lifis silently embrace her.
“I don’t want to leave you, Lifis!” Aega wailed, as her tears fell onto the Grovyle’s grassy scales. “I-I am sorry! I cannot be brave like you and Robin! I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!”
“Shhh shhh. It’s alright.” Lifis caressed her back, as he hugged her tight to comfort her. “To tell you the truth…I’m not brave either. And nor is Robin.”
Aega gave only a barrage of sniffles, but looked up at the Grovyle with tear-stained eyes, as if in shock at his words.
“But you, Aega? Staying back alone here in the big bad present, with Shuranabi and his Sableye hunting you down? That’s braver than I could ever hope to be.”
He hugged her closer, bringing a claw to gently caress against her cheek. It caught one of the Celebi’s tears streaming down her face.
“I don’t want to leave you either. But…this is no place to love someone. We have no future here in the present.” Lifis could feel his own breath hitching, his heart twisting with the same emotional pain the Celebi was wracked with. “If only there was another way…maybe an afterplace. You know, up in the stars with the Original One?”
“...S-Skathi did say.” Aega swallowed, attempting to speak through her tears. “Th-That after this is all over, that the Original One might p-permit our souls to be together. F-For all we’re doing for the world.”
“Skathi said that?” Lifis blinked in surprise. “...I guess that’s good news. But one way or another…we’ll see each other again.”
The Grovyle took a deep breath, before a determined look crossed his face.
“I’ll even vow it right here and now,” he insisted. “This won’t be the last time we see each other.”
Aega looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise, before she hugged him tighter.
“...Please be safe,” she said, with a hint of pleading. “I-If you and Robin don’t save the world, I’ll time travel to the past and smite you myself.”
Lifis couldn’t help but chuckle at that remark. She was getting some of her old self back, at least.
“We’ll do our best. I can’t promise we won’t get roughed up.” A sad smile crossed his face. “But…by hook or by crook, we’ll get the Time Gears and fix the past. I can promise you that much. And then after, when we all disappear…maybe we’ll be reunited again.”
“Lifis…oh, my dear Lifis.” Aega drew back her hug, and looked up at the Grovyle. Her tears had stopped flowing, and she was able to muster a serene smile again…
Along with a knowing glint in her eye. Lifis caught it, and curiously tilted his head at her.
“Aega? What are you-?”
Before he could react, she leaned in closely and…
Lifis felt her lips on his cheek.
He stiffened in an instant.
D-Did she just…?!
The shy yet knowing and giddy look upon her face indicated as such.
“We might not get another chance,” was her simple reply. “Might as well do it now.”
Might as well do it now.
Lifis felt a resonance with those words. Nina’s words from Dark Ice Mountain came back to him, and he found himself compelled to return the favour.
He leaned in…and kissed her back.
He happened to hear a squee from behind him, from a certain human he knew well. He didn’t turn back to look at his audience; all that mattered was the love in front of him.
Aega felt soft. But she was always light, given her small stature. There was always a feeling when he got close to her and made remarks of fondness that he was treading upon sacred ground. As though it were out of reach for a common ‘mon like him.
But if she was alright with it, and if the Voice of Life gave her blessing…then Lifis would take that chance.
He wanted to remain with her for a bit longer, to bask in the glory of what they’d gotten off their chest. Alas, a look to the barren trees all around him reminded Lifis of something he’d said earlier.
This is no place to make a future.
Maybe in another time, they would have a land of bounty to revel in. But for now, there were timelines to correct and erase.
Lifis turned around from Aega, back to Robin and Nina. The former had a giddy look on her face, and a warm smile graced Nina’s muzzle.
“
That’s my partner!” Robin held out her hand and clapped it against her partner’s claws. “You two are cute together, really. Don’t bother hiding it.”
“Congratulations for letting your feelings known,” Nina said, tails swishing behind her happily. “May we head to the past with no regrets.”
“None at all.” Lifis returned the smile. After getting those words off his chest, suddenly it was like the burdens had been lifted from his shoulders.
And judging by the lack of anxiety in Aega’s flight and her smiling face, it seemed she shared that freedom of burden as well.
“Come on, let’s go.” Aega buzzed ahead of the group. “The past will not mend itself. Not much longer now till we reach the Passage of Time.”
And so the four continued forward, deeper into the Dusk Forest.
All of them had their heads held high and burdens free.
Right then and there, it felt as if there was nothing that could take that moment away from them.
