He took deep breaths and smiled because another one of his problems had been solved. With the pillars and the magic tower by his side, no one can contest his position or his authority. He laughed as he turned around and returned to his desk to continue with his work.
The position of high mage was then removed and the office was vacated. Whatever the work of the high mage was, it was now the work of the Pillars of light. Life continued as if the massacre of the House of Altair did not happen.
Cygnus woke up in an unfamiliar environment. He silently sat up from where he was lying and looked around with lifeless eyes. He was inside a hut and was lying on a hard bamboo bed that was only covered with a ragged brown cloth that was rough to the touch.
The inside of the hut was simple with only a table and a long seat on the side. There was nothing much to see inside the place and he did not have the drive to stand up and leave. His mind was still on that day of fire and chaos.
He heard the pitter-patter of footsteps that probably belonged to a child followed by a gasp. He was in no mood to even look at the person who arrived as he wallowed in sorrow at the destruction of his family and death of the people he cared for. He was such a useless person for not being able to protect them and for even being alive.
Cygnus thought that he should have died too. His life has no meaning now. There was nothing for him to do now. Everything in his vision started to become gray.
"Brother!" Small hands coiled around his frail body and the warmth that he thought he forgot returned. The small and sweet voice that was familiar to him echoed in his mind.
Cygnus stared at the child in his arms and the tears in his eyes couldn't stop from falling. His shaking arms hesitated for a moment because he thought that it must have been a dream. But, the warmth in his body wouldn't lie.
His arms tightly embraced the warm body of his sister. He thought he lost it all and yet here she was, his precious sister in his arms warm and alive. The colors that faded away started to take over as his tears fell down.
He could also feel the tears that were wetting his clothes and hear the hiccups from the child in his arms. They embraced each other and stayed in that position for a while until Cygnus gently separated himself to look at his sister. He looked at her from head to toe and finally smiled because his sister was alive and well.
"Elara, my dear sister." He lowered his head and let his forehead touch hers. "I thought I lost you too."
"I'm here brother and I will never leave your side. I thought you were not going to wake up forever. I was anxious because you won't open your eyes. I was so scared." Elara embraced him again and Cygnus gently patted her back.
"I'm awake now and I won't leave you ever again. I will protect you no matter what happens, Elara." He comforted his sister and gently stroked her back to let her know that he was there.
They relished in the feeling of each other's heartbeats. It was indeed a miracle that both of them survived. He thought that he and Elara would die. At the thought of that, his fists clenched because of his father and mother.
Not long after their reconciliation, Cygnus finally had the energy to look around and to see where they were. He had never seen such a house in Lunaira so his first thought was they were in a different kingdom. He looked at his sister and she was only grinning widely towards him.
"Come brother! You should see outside! This place is really different from where we used to live!" Elara tugged at his brother's hand.
Cygnus nodded so he got out of the bed and let his sister pull him towards the door. He stepped out and was a bit blinded by how bright the sun was. Once his eyes adjusted, he finally saw what his sister was referring to as beautiful.
Outside of that simple hut was a vast flower garden that was full of colorful flowers. From reds, to blues, to purples, to yellows, to whites and many more, every color of a flower one could imagine was in that field. He could also feel that the air was fresh and cool to the skin. Very different to the capital city.
He looked around and saw that there were people in that flower field. He could see them harvesting the flowers and putting them in a bundle. There were also a lot of children playing and running around. It was a very different scene from what he used to witness in Lumiere.
The siblings were finally noticed by a lady who had just gotten back from harvesting some vegetables they could sell and cook later that day. She approached them and gently called out Elara's name. At the voice, Cygnus stiffened as his grip on his sister's hand tightened.
He looked at the direction where the voice came from and saw a woman who was walking towards them. By instinct, he pulled his sister and pushed her behind him. The woman noticed the apprehension in the child's eyes and stopped from approaching him.
She could see how he looked at her like she was an enemy. Instead of frowning, the woman figured out that she should approach them carefully as she had learned that Elara could use magic. She was sure that the older brother would be able to do so and she did not want him blowing off because of her.
"I am Hannah and I am the person who has been taking care of your sister. That house where you have been sleeping is my property. You don't have to be apprehensive because of me." The woman who called herself Hannah explained.
Cygnus did not believe her as he took a step back together with his sister. Elara noticed that her brother was being unfriendly. Cygnus felt a tug behind him and when he turned around, he saw that his sister was frowning at him.
"Why are you being bad to Hannah?" Elara had her forehead crinkled as she tried her best to give her brother a glare. "She's been good to me and has been taking care of me. She even took care of you!"
"Elara, I-" He was cut off when the child suddenly ran towards the woman and gave her a hug.
Elara looked back and pointed at her brother. "Now, brother, you should be friendly to Hannah." She then crossed her hands in front of her and pouted at him.
Cygnus sighed and took a second look at the woman for a long time before he sighed again and took the initiative to move towards them. He stood in front of the woman and gave her a ninety-degree bow. "I apologize for my rudeness and I am deeply grateful to you for taking care of me and my sister. This will be forever etched in my heart and will carry your generosity for the rest of my life."
Hannah was taken aback by the sudden gesture so she hurriedly held the boy's shoulder and let him stand up straight. "You don't need to do that. You sister is simply an angel and you were badly injured that I couldn't just ignore you and leave you behind. I even thought that you weren't going to survive."
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶