A/n: I'm going back to my old writings; 2k+ words since this book is post-manga lmao

❝ 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝚜𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎. ❞

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The gentle sound of Innocent Zero's magic fills his ears as he opens his eyes. The monsters are around him, still dead, but he's alive.

The reality hits him like a bullet as he immediately looks around to find a certain (hair colour) head. His body moves with urgency and his gaze finally lands on his side where the crimson cane is sleeping.

He observes her carefully to search for a sign of life. Her wrist is in his hand, his two fingers press on her pulse.

His wide eyes soften as his tensed shoulders relax, the female is cuddled in his arms.

"You're alive..."

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He's not sure about that.

"Doctor, what's her condition? Why is she not waking up?" Ryoh asks the doctor in charge, voicing out everyone's thoughts.

The doctor shakes his head. "I have no clue myself," he admits shamefully. "She's alive. Her heart is still beating. But..." he glances at the sleeping crimson cane in the ward room, making the others look at her. "It's like... her body is still alive, but her soul..."

Orter lowers his head, his hands clench into fists. What can he do...? She can't be dead...

Time won't affect a wandering soul.

The sentence in Flynn's book rings in his ears.

Innocent Zero turns back time for them to be alive again. Before he does so, (name) is dead. That means Fabian's half soul in her is already gone.

"Time won't affect a wandering soul..." Ryoh looks at him in confusion. "That means Fabian's half soul didn't come back to her. Her body is alive, but she has no soul inside her." Orter continues.

Rayne frowns as he furrows his eyebrows. "Then what do we do?" He asks, clueless.

Orter turns to Mash, who is silent from the start. "Call your father," he mutters to him. "Get him to turn her back when she's ten; before she dies for the first time. Her soul can return to her."

"But you just said time won't affect a soul," Ryoh comments. The desert cane glances at him before turning to the sleeping girl. "Time won't affect a wandering soul," he mutters.

"But her soul is caged in guilt."

His eyes widen as he snaps his head to the ravenette in the room who says the sentence simultaneously with him. Mash looks into his eyes, a stern determination flashes in them.

"I'll get him now."

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"You want me to get her soul when she's 10?"

"Yes." Mash nods his head. Innocent Zero hums, his wrists lock in a handcuff as he sits beside (name)'s hospital bed. He observes her figure; she's pale and looks dead; if she's not already.

He closes his eyes and sighs. "I'll make this quick so I can go back and get some sleep." He spreads his hand on (name)'s head as clock-shaped magic appears before the hour turns with an amazing speed.

Innocent Zero opens his eyes and clenches his fist, at the same time, (name)'s chest rises as if she's taking a really deep breath. She exhales slowly, just as her eyelids part gently, revealing a pair of (eye colour) eyes that are full of light, full of life.

(Name) wakes up and breaks down on the spot. Her ten years old soul is shocked to accept her recent memories, from Fabian's death until now.

Only Ryoh stays with her for the rest of the day. Everyone else has to leave, as it is the doctor's wish. (Name) needs time, and they understand that.

For the first three days, only Ryoh is allowed to visit her. Only then the others can come as she is starting to adjust the new memories.

Right now, Mash is walking back to his dorm with Finn, Lance and Dot.

"Mash, are you visiting (name)-san again today?" Finn asks softly as the ravenette hums, his hand pushing the door of his dorm open. "Yeah, I am-"

"What about we take a rest today?" They jump at Ryoh's voice as he suddenly appears out of nowhere, standing by the doorframe just as Mash pushes the door.

Finn holds his chest as he breathes heavily, Lance looks at him weirdly as Dot screams. Mash hushes all of them and stares at the light cane in wonder.

"Why?" He asks, slightly frowning at the fact that Ryoh is trying to not let them visit the crimson cane today. Ryoh shakes his head, "Don't get the wrong idea. Today is quite special," he smiles, making them raise an eyebrow.

"He's finally gonna visit her."

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Thirty minutes ago...

A sigh escapes his lips as he puts his pen down, his eye twitches with annoyance. "What are you doing here?" He asks the uninvited guest.

Ryoh grins and makes his way to him before sitting on his office table, only to be pushed down by a group of sand. "Just visiting ya," he says curtly. "Actually, nevermind. I'll get straight to the point. Orter, go and visit (name)."

"...bold." The desert cane mutters. "But I refuse."

"Why so?"

He pushes his glasses to the bridge of his nose gently before lowering his gaze onto the paper in front of him. "...I don't know." He replies curtly.

Ryoh softens his eyes as he takes a proper seat in front of him. "If you're afraid that your presence might break her, don't be. She has already gotten used to ours. I'm sure she's just waiting for your turn," he says reassuringly.

Orter doesn't reply. Instead, he takes out a book from his coat and hands it to the light cane, who stares at it in confusion. He takes the book and reads the first page, only to widen his eyes in shock.

"Orter, this is..."

He nods his head. "This is the book that you told me." He confirms Ryoh's wonder. "How did you get it?" He asks with curiosity.

"I didn't get it," The desert cane shakes his head as he lowers his eyelids, the memories of two years ago flash in his mind. "I had it from the start. The owner of the book; Flynn Prudence, gave it to me himself."

That catches him off guard. "You've met Flynn?" He asks, flabbergasted as Orter nods his head. "I'd say it was a coincidence, but knowing that he had the power of a foresighter, now I doubt it." He glances at the book before closing his eyes. "You should give it to her. You said there is an important message in the book for her."

Ryoh stays silent as he reads the prologue of the book with a hint of longing in his eyes. Slowly, he closes the book and pushes it back to the desert cane.

"No, you give it to her." He says nonchalantly. "You have read the book, right? That means you know more things about both Fabian and Flynn than me, and even (name). So you must have found out what the message is already."

Furrowing his eyebrows, he sighs. "I told you I won't visit her," Ryoh smiles, his eyes soften at the desert cane. "Flynn gave you the book himself," he mutters. "He wanted you to be the one who passed the message to her. Not anyone else," he lowers his gaze and lands on the book.

"Go, Orter. Don't make her wait anymore."

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His steps halt as he reaches out for the doorknob, only to hesitate. His mind ponders, what will her reaction be? Will she smile? Will she cry? He just hates those possibilities.

Does she miss him?

He sure does. Not like he's gonna admit it.

Taking a deep breath, he pushes the door open, bracing himself for her reaction.

...silence.

He blinks his eyes, deadpanning at the sight of her sleeping figure. What did he expect? She should be resting at this hour.

He heaves out a sigh, not sure if it's a sigh of relief or disappointment as he walks to the hospital bed. His eyes stare at her peaceful face, his hand reaches out to brush her cheek, but retreats.

However, a pale hand catches his wrist, simultaneously catching him off guard. The warm, smaller hand brings his palm to caress the crimson cane's cheek as her eyelids open, revealing a pair of (eye colour) eyes.

"I'm starting to wonder when you'll come," the smooth voice mutters, her soft tone makes his heart skip a beat. "How have you been, Orter?" A smile plasters on her lips.

Orter stares into those eyes, innocent, pure. Those eyes belong to a ten-year-old (name), a child. He feels like he's making a sin just by falling in love with those eyes again.

Suddenly, a small burst of a tiny group of sand in front of his face snaps him out of his thoughts. He looks at the crimson cane with slightly wide eyes, but she just smiles at him. He clears his throat as he retreats his hand, the light reflects on his glasses, preventing her from seeing his eyes.

"I'm doing good," he replies curtly. "How have you been?" He asks her back.

She chuckles and rubs the back of her neck. "Better than before." She says reassuringly as she sits up. "I'm still adjusting with these memories, so please excuse me if I'm acting childishly." She scratches her cheek sheepishly.

He shakes his head, "I don't mind," if it's you, I won't mind at all. He keeps the sentence to himself. She gives him a closed-eye smile and nods her thanks before opening them.

"Anyways," he murmurs as he takes out the book he brings with him from his coat and hands it to her. "Ryoh asked me to give this book to you. He said there's an important message from your brothers in it."

(Name) stares at the book for a while before shifting her position, moving slightly to the side. "I don't like to read, so read for me." She says nonchalantly as she pats the space beside her, urging him to sit by her side.

Orter stares at her, dumbfounded, but sighs and obliques nonetheless. He carefully sits beside her on the hospital bed and flips the book open.

"What's the title?" The crimson cane asks, her eyes observing the book curiously as the desert cane reads the words engraved on the book cover.

"Her."

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She's crying again.

Orter runs his fingers through her hair gently as she buries her face at the crook of his neck. He sighs for the nth time that day, but her muffled sobs prevent him from feeling annoyed.

"Idiots..." she mumbles, her breath tickles his neck. "They are idiots."

The desert cane nods his head softly. "Yes, they are." He hums, "But so are you."

(Name) pulls away and glares at him with teary eyes. "I'm not! At least I'm alive until today!" She exclaims shakily.

Orter bores his eyes at her before pushing her head back onto his shoulder. "Whatever you say," he mutters. "Now cry all you want. Don't hold back anymore."

"I'm not..." she sniffles. "What's with you today? You're acting differently than I remember," she asks as he loosens his hold on her head, allowing her to pull back to look at him.

"Does it matter anymore?" He takes a gentle hold of her chin and tips her head to face him. "Do you not want me to treat you like this?"

Blinking in surprise, (name) stiffens as her pale skin paints a shade of red. She turns her head to the side and covers her face with her hands. "W-What's with you...?" The question muffles through her hands.

"Nothing." He replies curtly. "I should get off before anyone comes in-"

Just as he says that, the door is pushed open. A loud gasp escapes Ryoh's lips as he steps in, followed by Mash, Finn, Lance, Dot and Lemon.

"Orter! How bold-"

He is cut off by a pillow hitting him straight on his pretty face. "Shut up, you narcissist bastard." (Name) irks.

Orter gets off the bed as he sighs. This is the thing he wanted to avoid, but seems like fate hates him.

"I was just reading her a book," he deadpans. "Nothing more." (Name) nods her agreement as she huffs.

Then, more visitors come into her ward. The visionaries, and even the students from Walkis. Domina grins as he raises his hand to greet her.

"Yo, sensei! How are you feeling?" He asks cheekily as (name) cringes. "Don't call me that. It makes me sound old," she mutters.

"Aren't you, though?" He teases.

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"...alright, I'm kidding. Don't take it too far," he deadpans at her silence.

"How are you, (name)?" Sophina asks softly as she approaches her bed. "I hope you adapt with your current memories." She offers her a smile.

(Name) nods her head and returns the smile, "So far, I can accept it." She assures her.

She then feels a warm hand placed on her head. She looks up to see the sword cane, who stares down at her with a soft gaze. She flashes him a teasing grin, which he returns with a soft smile. He ruffles her hair for a moment before retreating.

Orter decides to excuse himself to go to the washroom and leaves the ward alone. He washes his face, which he feels quite warm since (name) cried on his shoulder.

Wiping the remaining water off his face, his eyes land on the mirror in front of him, which reflects a familiar figure.

Slightly startled, he turns around to look at the magicless teen. "...what is it?" He asks after realising that Mash is there not to do his business, instead he just stares at him.

Mash hums before looking around, making sure that no one is there except him and the desert cane. "Someone wants to talk to you," he mutters. "Would you mind?"

"Is it important?" Despite the expected words, Mash notices the softer tone. 'Is he finally accepting me?'

[Maybe. Who knows?]

"I think it is." Mash replies curtly.

[It is important, Mash.]

He hums, nodding his head. "Yes, he said it is important." Orter raises an eyebrow but shrugs the oddness off. "Then be quick." He says firmly.

"Right," Mash nods his head again as his eyelids lower, before closing them completely. The desert cane frowns at the waste of time. "Well? Call him over."

"I am here."

Orter stiffens at the familiar voice. He wants to look around to find the owner, but the voice comes from the teen in front of him.

Plus, the owner of the voice is dead.

Mash opens his eyes, revealing a pair of crimson eyes that Orter can never forget. His raven hair has a shade of white at the tip.

"Hello, Mr. Bookworm."

Mash- no, Flynn greets him.

"...Flynn Prudence," the desert cane breathes out as the younger teen smiles. "I'm glad you remember me." He chuckles.

The smile looks weird on Mash's face. But not in a bad way, Orter has to admit.

"So how's the book?" Flynn asks as he leans against the washroom's sink, making himself comfortable. "It was an odd one." Orter replies, adjusting his glasses. "But so far, I think it's good."

Flynn grins, showing his teeth. "Honestly, I have nothing more to say. I just want to meet you face-to-face again, that's all." He admits cheekily.

The desert cane hums, "Does Ryoh know about this?" Flynn nods his head. "I confronted him yesterday. And damn, it's scary how much he cried." He sighs, his hand running through Mash's raven hair as a smile creeps across his lips.

"It's good to know how much people care about you." He mutters, a hint of sorrow and longing evident in his voice.

"Now that you mentioned it, (name) doesn't hate you." Orter murmurs. "She loves you more than anything."

A dry chuckle escapes his lips, "I know, I know. Ryoh told me the same," he stares up on the ceiling. "I regret it, okay?" The pain in his voice doesn't go unnoticed by the desert cane.

"But it's fine, since she's happy now." He grins again, and Orter finds himself liking that smile.

"I have a question," the desert cane mutters. "How come you can possess Mash?"

Flynn chuckles and pushes himself up so he sits on the sink. "I know you would ask that. Anyways, remember the month I took to write the book?" Orter nods his head. "I honestly almost gave up on it. With the silent treatment from my sister and the disappearance of my magic, it took me a lot of strength to finish the book." He smiles in sorrow. "But a week before we met again, I ran away from home, and that's when I met Mash. He was in the forest, training to strengthen his muscles."

The teen looks down at his hand that is full of muscles, the ones that Mash has been working on. "He doesn't look like it, but he was so lonely. I understand him. His adopted father didn't want the public to know his existence because he's unmarked, and my sister hid me from the public for my safety. We were in the same situation." He smiles, remembering those memories. "He gave his muscles names and talked to them from time to time. That's both funny and sad, considering he did that because he had no one."

Orter stares at him as he recalls that one time Mash talked to his muscles before he started the Divine Visionary Selection Exam. He, indeed, feels slightly guilty.

"So, the important thing I want to talk to you is that I want you to accept him." Flynn mutters, finally getting to the point. "Accept this kid, Orter. He deserves to live peacefully too. Plus, he did everything to save the world, didn't he?"

Orter lets out a sigh as he leans against the sink at Flynn's side. "I already accepted him. He saved the world, and he also saved (name). There's no reason for me to be against him anymore."

That makes Flynn sigh in relief. "Gee, I'm quite panicked there. You're so strict with your law, so I'm afraid you won't accept him." He breathes out softly as Orter deadpans, "I'm not heartless."

"I never said you're heartless," the younger male argues. "If you're heartless, my sister won't like you."

Those sentences catch him off guard as the moment when (name) said he was a kind person comes into his mind. He lets out a scoff, that ends up sounds like a chuckle as he runs his fingers through his hair.

"You really are her brother," he mutters as Flynn shrugs. "Well, like sister, like brother." He grins. "Alright, I think I should go before they get suspicious. You and Mash have been here for quite some time, you know?"

"Wait." The desert cane interrupts him. "There's another thing I've been wondering about."

"Go on," the teen urges.

Orter narrows his eyes as he relaxes his clenched fists. "Why is it that... you saw nothing about my future? Is there anything wrong?" He asks warily.

Flynn blinks his eyes once, twice, and thrice before bursting out into a hearty laugh, which makes the desert cane cringes. "You're still worrying about that?" He wipes the happy tears at the corner of his eye. "Alright, how bad of me to laugh. Sorry."

"Then what does it mean?" Orter asks, his patience getting thinner.

"Not telling ya- I'M KIDDING DON'T STUFF YOUR SAND IN THIS POOR KID'S MOUTH-"

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Flynn clears his throat as he sweatdrops. "Gee, I can't even joke with you." He whines. "If you really want to know, ask Ryoh then. He'll definitely tell you."

The desert cane frowns, "Why can't you say it now?" He asks, unhappy with the unwanted answer.

"Because you're too damn dense to realise that- I'M JOKING!" Flynn jumps onto the sink, avoiding the group of sand coming his way. "Just ask him! I don't want to tell you here!"

Sighing in defeat, Orter retreats his sand and puts his wand back into his coat. "Fine," he hums, and Flynn jumps back down. "Make sure it's worth it."

"Well, I think it is." The teen grins as he taps Mash's clothes, removing the dust from it. "Alright, this is goodbye." He reaches out his hand to the desert cane, who stares at him for a while before averting his gaze on him.

"You won't come back after this?"

"I can choose