330 Is it my fault?
Winter Break Arc
---
(POV: Akashic Records)
Lumiere soared through the expansive skies, tears streaming down his face, as memories of Ravenna's infectious smile flooded his mind. The pain in his chest grew unbearable, causing him to clutch his heart with one trembling hand.
"Ravenna... why did you..." he paused. "No, you idiot, of course she had to, she didn't have a choice..." he whispered.
Lost in his grief, Lumiere failed to notice the looming forest below.
Suddenly, his wings faltered, and he crashed through the thick canopy, plummeting into the frozen embrace of the snow-covered ground.
Coughs racked his body as he fought to catch his breath.
Twigs and icy wounds etched across his battered form, but the wounds slowly began to heal via his [Accelerated Regeneration].
"D... Did I do... Even one thing for her..."
From his point of view, all he did was initially trying to keep her hidden from the populace.
Afraid her abilities would go out of control and cause a mass death.
"Was I... Was I really able to make her feel happy...?"
He coughed, cold mist rushing from his mouth as he did.
"No..."
He coughed again.
"I didn't make her happy at all... Nothing, I didn't do anything..."
His cries became even more miserable, more tears rolled out of his eyes but slowly froze on his face given the intense temperatures. His words were caught in his throat, unable to express himself or his feelings.
"Tommorow, next week, maybe some other time... I was saying all that— I'm sorry, I just never thought you'd be gone... This quickly..."
He coughed.
"It just didn't seem possible.."
And even if he wanted to make her happy and fulfill her wishes, he couldn't, he wasn?t going to get another chance.
As Lumiere lay buried in the snowy depths, his eyes closed, his will to move flickering like a dying ember. Hours passed, seemingly stretching on for an eternity, until a man wielding an axe approached the outskirts of the forest.
"Time to hop down some wood, it's getting a little chilly back at the cabin.."
He marched in the snow.
"Now, what to ch..."
His eyes widened in panic as he caught sight of Lumiere's seemingly lifeless form.
"Is she... dead?" he stuttered, his trembling voice riddled with uncertainty.
Dropping his trusty axe, the man hurriedly rushed towards Lumiere, his heart pounded. He was more scared than concerned. Leaning in close, he called out, "Kid? Kid, are you still in there?"
Silence hung in the air, thick with an anxious tension.
"Holy crap, she might actually be dead," the man muttered, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
Just as despair began to settle in the man's heart, Lumiere's purple eyes shot open, startling them both. Rising from his snowy burial grounds, he shook off the remnants of the suffocating snow, despair was evident in every deliberate movement. Hands nonchalantly hooked into the pockets of his coat jacket, Lumiere walked forward, his steps calm amidst the wintry landscape.
Concern etched onto his face, the man cautiously approached Lumiere once more, unable to hide his worry. "Are you okay, kid?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
Lumiere's lips curled into a faint smile as he reassured the man, "Yeah, don't worry about it."
With a swift fluid motion, Lumiere's black bat-like wings unfurled from his back, stretching out majestically.
The man's eyes widened as he fell back around the time Lumiere took off to the skies once again.
"What in the world is she...?"
He continued to watch Lumiere as he flew higher and higher until he vanished into the thick snowstorm in the upper atmospheric region. There, everything was white.
...
Soon after, Lumiere arrived back in Argentia, his wings carrying him effortlessly through the sky. As he descended, a sudden bout of turbulence caused him to lose control, and he crashed unceremoniously into a soft bed of snow. Rolling uncontrollably until he collided with a massive rock.
His right arm twisted at an unnatural angle, yet he didn't wince in pain or scream— due to being consumed by the overwhelming sorrow that plagued his mind, he paid no attention to the broken limb.
"I... Should get up..." he told himself.
Still his body didn't want to.
"Get up, already..."
Slowly pushing himself up from the snowy ground, Lumiere's eyes glanced to the side, catching sight of a woman and her young son staring at him in shock, their mouths agape.
Raising an eyebrow, Lumiere muttered with a hint of indifference, "Hm?"
The woman's hand quivered as she pointed to his shattered arm, and he finally acknowledged the severity of the injury.
"Oh," he remarked nonchalantly.
In an instant, Lumiere's hand began to glow with a soft, ethereal light, and the bones cracked back into place, mending the arm as if it had never been broken.
"Thank you," Lumiere said calmly before turning to resume his journey.
As he walked, the snow crunching softly beneath his feet, he felt the weight of desolation pressing 04:26
against his soul, obscuring his vision of anything beyond the snow-covered landscape and the distant structures that stood before him.
"It's all so white..."
Suddenly, a voice pierced through the silence, cutting through the thick veil of his thoughts.
"Excuse me, sir!"
Lumiere's steps faltered for a moment, but he resisted the urge to glance back.
Determined to keep moving forward, he trudged on, his eyes focused solely on the path ahead. Yet, the woman's voice persisted, a mix of urgency and desperation lacing her words.
"Wait! Please!"
"Tch."
Reluctantly, Lumiere turned his head, his eyes meeting the familiar face of the woman from the small boutique he had visited before. Her brows furrowed with concern as she approached him, catching her breath. "We were just about to close, but I'm so glad I ran into you," she explained, panting slightly. "You said you were coming to collect the dress, so I already packed it."
She rushed into the store and came back out with the said item.
"Here," she said, quickly handing him the neatly wrapped package.
Lumiere accepted the neatly wrapped package from the woman, his fingers brushing against her trembling hand. "Thank you," he murmured. But as she started to thank him for his patronage and express her hope for his return, Lumiere had already turned, not sparing her a second look.
With his heart heavy and his mind clouded by sorrow, he continued his lonesome journey, each step taking him closer to the Dragons' Gate.
As he arrived at the majestic gate, its towering structure standing as a bridge to the university, Lumiere sighed.
Passing through its grand arches, he found himself back on campus, surrounded by the bustling energy that permeated the air.
Despite the vibrant commotion around him, Lumiere kept his gaze averted, his eyes focused solely on the path before him.
"It's so noisy..." he said.
Suddenly, a voice called out his name, cutting through the ocean of noise and capturing his attention. Lumiere's steps faltered, his heart skipping a beat as he turned towards the source. There, standing before him, was Lucretia, her slender figure emanating her usual business personality.
"Aha! I found you, Lumiere!" she exclaimed, a proud smile tugging at the corners of her lips, her violet eyes careful to conceal her worry and concern.
Lumiere walked past her, his eyes glazed with a distant sorrow.
He acted like he didn't see her.
But actually, he didn't care enough to look.
Lucretia watched him in silence for a moment, her smile fading as her eyes carried disappointment. She then turned to him.
"I heard you were seen walking with a strange woman all over campus," she began. "You should know that only individuals affiliated with Aldnoah Magic University are allowed on campus, 'mister professor'. No one else."
Silence followed her words as Lumiere's grip tightened around the package he held close to his chest, his knuckles turning white with pent-up frustration.
Easily, Simone noticed this.
"Lady Lucretia, maybe this isn't the right time to..."
Lucretia was adamant.
She continued, her voice laden with bitterness, her hands finding their way to her hips. "It makes sense in the end," she remarked. "You break every rule when it comes to romance. Today it's Professor Lucilia, the next it's Professor Stellaria, and the day after it's your so-called 'personal assistant', Anastasia. Don't you have any shame?"
Her words shot him at the worst possible moment.
Lumiere squeezed the package even more. He was trying to suppress his anger, but nothing was working.
"That'll be all," Simone bowed her head. "Lady Lucretia, we really should take our leave..."
"But why?" she asked ignorantly.
Her eyes darted back to Lumiere and narrowed. "I haven't finished telling him the truth..."
And then finally, he spoke...
"The truth..."
"Huh?" Lucretia uttered.
Lumiere glared at her. "The truth is I don't care about you enough to stand her and talk trash, so why don't you go kill yourself..."
Lucretia was shook to her core.
Calmly, Lumiere took his leave.
"Well, goodbye then."
Visit freewe𝑏n(o)vel.𝑐𝘰𝑚 for the best novel reading experience