A voice echoed through that distant memory.
"Believe me, Mother."
The words were different, yet the feeling behind them was exactly the same.
Her violet eyes remained fixed on Yuuta as she tried to understand why her chest suddenly felt so heavy. The more she looked at him, the more he reminded her of someone she had almost forgotten.
Someone she had forced herself to forget.
Those memories had haunted her for years. Every time she allowed herself to think about them, the pain returned as fresh as the day it had been carved into her heart. It was easier to bury them, easier to pretend they no longer existed.
Yet no matter how deeply she buried them, they always found a way back.
She erased that Memory just to forget those Pain.
As soon as she did,
Yuuta's voice echoed in her mind once more.
"I want to learn aura," Yuuta said, his voice steady despite the weight of the words. "So I can protect you."
Erza stared at him.
