Warning! Sensitive topics ahead!

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❝ 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐. ❞
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Orter halts his steps when a familiar long blonde hair catches his eyes. He stands two feet behind the light cane as he adjusts his glasses.

"Why is it that you want to see me?" He asks. "Be quick, I still need to train those brats."

Ryoh smiles at him as he chuckles. "You have Lance and Dot under your training, right?" Orter frowns at his cover. "Yes. Now get straight to the point, Ryoh. I don't like wasting my time." He says sternly.

The light cane lets out a sigh. "I need your help." That makes the desert cane raise an eyebrow. "You love books, so maybe you're interested."

"Maybe."

Ryoh chuckles awkwardly. "I need you to find me a book." Orter blinks his eyes, out of all requests he can think of, this is not one of them. "I know nothing about it, but I did read the prologue and the first chapter."

"How come?" Orter asks, genuinely confused. How come he has read the prologue and the first chapter if he doesn't even know the title of the book?

"I read it before it was published. A friend of mine wrote it," Ryoh explains. "He didn't get to finish it, so his younger brother did. That makes the book written by two authors. It only has one copy though, so it might be hard to find it."

Orter hums as he crosses his arms. "What's that book about?" He asks, a few books have already come across his mind.

"I don't really know how the story is written. I don't know if it has dialogue or not. But the prologue is about this one girl. She's not the main character because it's from another person's point of view. The prologue is a poet written about that girl." The light cane explains in detail.

The desert cane nods his head, the amount of the books that come to his mind decreasing. "I have some in my mind. I will try to find it." He nods his head. "But why do you need the book? About a girl that doesn't even exist at that?"

If Ryoh is searching for some magic books, he can understand it. But a story book about a girl? He can't see the reason behind it.

However, Ryoh's answer is not in his expectations.

"She exists," he mutters, a soft smile on his face. "Do you know the late soul cane?"

Orter raises an eyebrow at the mention of the divine visionary that was dead six years ago. "If I'm not mistaken, his name is Fabian, am I right?" He asks for confirmation.

The light cane nods his head. "He was a good friend of mine," he smiles softly. "He was one of the authors of the book. And the girl in the story is his younger sister," he reveals.

"Do you want me to find this book because you want to find his sister?" Orter guesses, but Ryoh shakes his head. "I already found her." He mutters. "But that book contains a message for her. I want her to know that message."

The desert cane hums before lowering his eyelids, his eyes bore on him. "What makes you think I'll bother myself for that girl?" He asks, and Ryoh knows that he's being tested.

"Once you know who she is, you might want to help." He smirks, making Orter raise an eyebrow. "Even if you still don't want to, please, I beg you."

His pleading almost catches the desert cane off guard. Ryoh lowers his head, eye closed, "The guilt is killing me," He breathes out, tremors in his voice. "She told me not to, but the guilt is haunting me that I start hallucinating."

I swear this book can win the most time skip award-

Domina is awake. Well, was.

He passed out again when the first thing he saw right after he opened his eyes was a certain crimson cane. Is he scared of her? No.

Then why did he faint again?

Because he thought she was a ghost. Her face has become paler than before. As pale as a dead corpse.

And she feels bad. That's why she's asking Meliadoul to give her some spare blood so she can look humane again and the poor guy won't be scared to see her.

"(Name), what the hell did you do that you get this pale?" Meliadoul asks as she laughs nervously. "Uh-... nothing?"

The older female frowns before she grabs the crimson cane's wrist and pulls her sleeve up, earning a gasp from the younger one. Meliadoul furrows her eyebrows at the old and new cuts on (name)'s arm, "(Name), what is this?" She asks as the latter looks away.

Her lips purse into a thin line as she retreats her arm. "It's... nothing." She mutters softly. Meliadoul lets out a sigh before grabbing a great amount of bandages needed and gently tucks on (name)'s sleeve, carefully not to hurt her any further than she already does.

"We've talked about this, (name)..." Meliadoul mutters, opening her eyes. "If you feel alone, come to me. Don't do this to yourself. You can die, (name)," she says in sorrow as she wraps the crimson cane's arm gently. The cloth that once white and pure is immediately drenched with red. That sight makes the older female's frown darken. "If you're not comfortable with me, you can always come to Ryoh. He would be more than pleased to help his best friend's sister," she continues.

Receiving no reply, she cups (name)'s cheek to make her look into her eyes. "Please, (name). Fabian won't like to see you like this. Flynn too," hearing the two painfully familiar names, the crimson cane furrows her eyebrows.

No words escape her lips, instead, a muffled sob reaches Meliadoul's ears that makes her immediately bring the younger girl into her embrace. She runs her hand through (name)'s hair gently, words of comfort escaping her lips without end.

"Shh, it's okay..." (name) buries her face into the older female's chest and she grips her shirt tightly, her breath hitches as Meliadoul keeps whispering comfort words into her ears.

Two years ago, when Ryoh came to her in a hurry, with an unconscious (name) in his arms, to say that she was shocked is an understatement.

That was the first time Meliadoul saw her. Unconscious, pale, dying.

She immediately let him bring her in. Ryoh looked devastated, an image of him that she had never seen before.

After treating the young girl, she had a talk with him. She needed to know what happened that (name) ended up in that condition.

It took Ryoh a lot to spill it.

"She attempted suicide,"

And it took a breath for Meliadoul to swallow it.

That night was the first time she saw the light cane, the narcissist, broke down in front of her. No, he didn't cry, but he looked like he had lost his light.

(Name) is his best friend's younger sister. Fabian asked him to take care of her and Flynn.

He failed to save Fabian, then he failed to take care of Flynn. And he almost lost (name) too.

He just couldn't help but ask for Meliadoul's assistance. (Name) is a girl, and he couldn't understand her quite well. Fortunately, with her help, he managed to cheer (name) up.

It took a whole year to do so, though. One year of (name) cutting her arms, one year of her having insomnia, one year of her living her life like a living corpse.

Fortunately she recovered from all the stress and she managed to escape those suicidal thoughts.

But now she's back to the start. Why? Meliadoul thought she had succeeded in saving the poor girl. But without her knowledge, she...

"I-It's really nothing, Mrs Meliadoul," (name) mutters, wiping her tears away. After about fifteen minutes of crying, she finally calms herself down. "I just feel pressured, that's all..."

Meliadoul furrows her eyebrows in disbelief. "That's not nothing, (name). What kind of pressure do you feel that you start cutting yourself again?" She asks softly. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me, dear, I don't want to force you." She caresses (name)'s cheek gently.

(Name) smiles softly at her. "Mash-"

"Oh, I'll kill him-"

"No! Don't kill him! He did nothing wrong!" (Name) freaks out. "It's just that Mash reminds me of Flynn... they're awfully similar, you know?" She lowers her head, her gaze glues on the ground. "Because of that, I keep seeing Flynn in him. I don't know if he's haunting me for revenge or I am just hallucinating but-" she takes a deep breath. "I can't bear it anymore. Sorry, Mrs Meliadoul..."

The said female looks at the (hair colour) haired girl in front of her sadly. "Don't be, (name). You're a human, after all." She rests her hand on (name)'s shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. "But please, don't hurt yourself. You have me and Ryoh. If not us, you can go to Mash, right? He reminds you of Flynn, so maybe you can confront him? He might help you," she suggests.

(Name) nods her head. "I'll try to talk to him some day," she smiles softly.

A/n: Domina deserves better, if you think otherwise, argue with a wall.

That's why the next chapter will be full of him :D