A door swung open and closed behind me.
The scape of a wide forest stretching as far as the horizon went peeked out of the window while the walls of wood inside the grand chamber that were shaped to accommodate the entirety of the alliance stretched up high.
Just like in every other world, with the help of the dwarves and the dryads, the world of the elves too housed a gateway that served as the eyes of the Worlds Alliance, and the gateway of connection between the worlds.
A World Tree.
As soon as I had stepped through the portal, I rushed through the chambers to avoid each and every surveillance device along the way and straight toward the room that I had asked Noa about.
A room where now, on the desk that likely belonged to the one who had one of the biggest pulls in the entire World's Alliance, sat a small little being.
Her hair a shade of platinum blonde, her dress a dazzling emerald, her legs crossed and her head tilted to the side.
With wings that slightly stretched to the back, facing me like the sun faced the skies in the morning.
Was the being that I shared my soul with. One person whose death meant mine, whose joy meant mine, whose sorrow meant mine.
My soulmate.
"You're here," she said.
"Must have been long five years, I am surprised you remember me."
"I've been tied up for a good seven thousand, these five I was just asleep."
A grin left me as I stretched my arms.
Flying off the desk, the small fairy rushed straight ahead and wrapped her small hands around my neck.
"I am home."
"Welcome back."
The two of us snorted and broke into laughter at the same time, her hands still wrapped around mine.
"How do they play out this cliche?"
"I don't know! That's one corny dialogue, right? But it signifies normalcy."
Titania laughed more and so did I. With her still hanging around my neck, I leaned back and fell on the couch facing the head table of the room.
My partner seemed in no mood to let go. It had just been five years, but it felt like it was even longer. It was, well, a thousand years for me, maybe that was why.
"I almost don't recognize you," she said. "You've grown… insane…"
"Evil King material?"
"You're going to join my chuuni league, Eugy?"
"Anything for you."
"Hah… Evil King Material then. But to be honest I can't even fathom the depths of your strength right now."
Titania stayed like that for a few more minutes before sighing and perching herself neatly on my shoulder. She pecked my cheeks lightly before placing her head on it.
"You were asleep for five years?" I asked.
"I could hear everything. You better hide from Lethe."
"That bad?"
"That bad."
Even Na-Ri had warned me about going back to meeting Lethe. But well, I had no plans of doing that.
"I actually passed her by outside."
Titania reeled back and narrowed her eyes.
"You passed her by?"
I nodded.
"Eugy, did you train too much? Do you just have muscle in your brain now?"
Rude much? I did it on purpose.
"Or don't tell me, did you finally realize all the love in your heart for me."
I crossed my arms and closed my eyes.
"In vain, I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you, Elizabeth."
"Name's Titania, you cunt."
We shared another laugh and leaned back on the chair.
Ah… Every moment with my goofy little soulmate here was a moment I cherished. It felt as if the silence in my brain from a thousand years of running and the last few days of mourning for my mentor and my friend had become something light.
Dying.
All those battles.
Facing the King of the Outer Gods himself. So much had happened.
It seemed I had gotten far too serious, far too involved, far too disturbed. Alone they meant nothing, together they seemed to be clouding my mind.
But the moment I met Titania again it felt as if a magic spell blew it all away and brought a sunny field out in my mind.
There was something more yet.
My mind was calm, but my heart wasn't.
There was someone I longed to see yet.
"I can sense her."
"I can too…"
Titania smirked. I could sense my fairy too, her stature as the Queen of Evil and her strength was nothing to scoff at. She may as well have been able to defeat Invasion Navy all on her own that very day.
"I still say hide."
"It's fine."
"She'll kill you."
"World be damned then, I'll die by her hands. You'll give me company anyway."
It was then.
The door of the room opened.
I gently turned to the side and saw the flutter of a light purple veil, very similar to the one she wore all those years back. Thinking of it now, even her room was designed much the same.
Her hands that moved with grace, her hair that had grown longer yet. She seemed to have grown taller and more mature too.
Frozen like a statue, when she did not move like this the best of sculptors would take their lives in shame. A thousand sleepless nights must not have been enough for the gods to make someone like her.
Standing there at the door was the person who eased the pain in my heart.
She said not another word. Gently, she stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her.
I stood up once more and knelt in front of her.
"In the theater of the underground district—"
"Ravel, pavane."
"Where did we stay."
"The room in under the Acacia's estate?"
"The game score?"
"Was I not the one losing by seven matches?"
"The piece?"
"Valse Romantique."
My love tightened her grip on my hand. The memories we had shared together. I was the only one in the whole wide world who remembered any of it.
Anything about Lethe from before the Demon King Balam died, I was the only one.
"Guard," she said.
"My lady," I answered.
"You left me," she said. "You left me alone. What was that last day? A goodbye, was that your idea of one? The first I heard of you was people rushing to me saying you were gone. That you had left me behind."
"My lady."
"Five years. I care not for a ruined world, I care not if those Outer Gods come and wreak havoc on everything around, what is the point of any of it without you? And yet you left me with this worthless world and left me all alone—"
"Lethe."
Tears dripped from her face.
"The little fairy was gone… everyone said you won't come back… even those friends of yours said you had died, even your own mother said you're dead… I was the only one who held on hope… for minute after minute for five whole years…"
"Marry me."
"How… how could you leave me alone—What?"
Lethe stopped.
Thinking of it now, it seemed as if I was diverting her attention.
But that wasn't the case. Even as she blamed me so, my love for her only grew stronger.
Until I couldn't keep it within me anymore.
As I said it again.
"Lethe Acacia, will you marry me?"
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