Both Rino and Nana were already asleep, their fight a while ago still did a lot on their bodies and sleep is what they needed. After arriving in the checkpoint, they instantly fell asleep.

"Why are you asking me?" Eureka replied.

She was standing outside looking around checking their surroundings if that man have sent more people.

"You should be sleeping right?" Raven asked once again as he approach her.

"I have to wake up, the prince seems to be having some emotional troubles. He felt responsible for everything and that won't do him any good. He felt that he's too weak for having such body. But we can't choose what type of fate was given to us when we were born. We can only live it to the fullest and slowly change it as we grow up."

"Something tugged in me when he said that they never should have woken up, I suddenly remembered that fragile girl in that rain, the one you asked, who she was. Her reply was she was someone who never should have been born."

"Eureka."

"Don't worry, that girl have grown up and right now, she knows that no one can love her more than how much she can love herself. I habe accepted it already and that is why I had to wake up and tell him that he too should accept whatever was given to him. That's the only favor we could give to ourselves."

"Here," Raven handed her a blanket.

"The weather is a bit chilly at night. I don't know where you went but this changes in weather should be new to you right now. You can't be too relaxed no matter how strong you become."

"*chuckles* It feels like my 25 years past by me in a flash. I arrived when I was just 13, I had to get used to everything, to the people, to the nature, to the custom, I had to get used to it in a year at the same time I had to persuade Kaoru to let me enroll in the academy. Then there comes my life in the academy, I thought 3 years was long, who would have thought that in just a blink of an eye. It was the graduation ceremony. Another 3 years and I became a captain. So much have happened, I became a part of your group, I tried to runaway from all the feelings by lying, I met Azusa, then that kidnapping case."

She faced him, "I was really happy then, when I saw all of you upon waking up, just like that our time pa.s.sed and another 2 years went by. Then we had to go to Archic kingdom and back. Your trainings took us a year, and then I had to leave. I just didn't think that I would end up leaving for 2 years. Just like that and 25 years gone by, my life was truly a roller coaster, isn't it?"

"That was what had happened for 12 years. Tell me, how was your life for 13 years?" Raven asked seriously.

"The same as how I always said. Death, destruction, blood, rotting bodies. Nothing but chaos. I only have vague memories of having Zu cook meals just as I wake up, then there was Ao who would always train me. I don't know, I can feel their care and love but I know that I am stopping them from really loving me. They know that I have to return to my family. Then that day came, I really couldn't put two and two together back then but I still persevered thinking that I could still meet them once everything ends. And yet, they left, dying while I was not there."

"I was lost, I was lost for a while. But those guys who loves pestering me, actually helped me recover. So really I thank you. Thank you for being there while everythings dark for me. You who always supports me when I'm at my lowest, who appears whenever I am at my weakest. And those guys who always make my day to day life colorful by just happily enjoying the time we spent together."

She genuinely smiled at him, a sad and happy one combined in that single smile.

"I... have no words for that surprise of yours," Raven said honestly.

"You don't have to say anything. You listened and that's more than enough. I have to sleep now. You... should be happy with the princess."

Raven looked at her, but seeing how her facial expression suddenly changed he returned his look to their surroundings.

A long silence enveloped them. The night wind and the rustling of trees accompanied them. It was so quiet but at the same time it was calming.

"I really don't get you lot no matter how much I try to think and come up with some answers, it is still confusing," Eureka spoke, this time in a different tone.

"What do you mean?"

"She always answers vaguely, she hides so many things, and yet here you are still trusting her allowing her to live the way she wanted. I really don't get you, humans."

"She did everything she could for the kingdom yet she never asked anything in return, she did not ask for fame or treasures, that's why this is all we can do, we can only let her keep them and still trust her. But as you must have witnessed, she had been slowly saying everything, slowly revealing the things she was keeping and feeling as well. Waiting is not that difficult at all."

After a pause, "But I somehow understand her. Why she didn't want to tell her family. No one could suddenly just up and say, 'Hi I am actually your daughter, I was taken when I was a new born and was returned 13 years later.', You also need courage to say those words. At the same time you will have all those what ifs, what if they can't accept me, what if they never actually wanted me, what if they wouldn't accept me. There are so many what ifs. No matter how tough you portray yourself, those thoughts will never disappear. No human will be able to erase those feelings completely, you can seal them yes, but they were still there."

"Then let me tell you something."

"I don't think-"

"Just listen will you," she snapped at him.

"It's those eyes."

Raven furrowed his brows by this confusing sentence.

"Her reasons for being blind has a deeper reason, and it is those eyes. She hated seeing other people's eyes. She didn't want to see them pitying her and hurting for her. You might all think that you're looking at her like how someone who knows something would look but in the depths of your eyes, there's pity and pain. For you to even cry for her, do you know how much you have made her feel guilty. She said that she didn't want to hurt people but she just keeps doing it. Back in that future, everyone was the same, they look at her with those eyes. At such a tender age, those who were dying looked at her with pity, as if saying, 'Now that I'm dying what will happen to this little girl? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I couldn't live longer and be there for you.' If you're really sorry then why didn't you become even stronger to live longer? That's why she hates it, she hates seeing other people's eyes."

"That is also why, she had asked Kaoru to seal your memories of who she is, because she can feel that the way you look at her changed and became the same as those whom she grew up with."

"She is the kindest human I've seen. At the same time she is the most sensitive. She didn't want to hurt those whom she treasure even if it means that she would get hurt in the end. No let me add another, she is also the most stupid for being hurt even now."

She stood up, "Nothings gonna happen there's no more presence around here. We all should rest and return to the kingdom in order to report to the king and do what she had planned."

She didn't look back and went straight inside. Raven silently sat there for a while before going in himself.

*****

"We shall be attacking their kingdom now."

"Lord? But you said we would stick with our plans," Silver replied.

"I just came up with a brilliant idea. They have sent most of their generals away. Which means that they are short of people who can fight. If we attack now we can kill more. She might be strong but she can't protect everything," he then laughed afer saying this.

"Then I shall bring our knights to their kingdom and attack. Who should I bring with me?"

"Just bring Violet, we have lost five without me realizing it. We need to look for more before we annihilate this world."

"Understood, my lord," Silver replied respectfully before leaving.