When night fell, all went still. Shops closed their doors, and houses doused their lanterns. Quiet were the streets, and faint was the wind. The commute home would be a long one, but it was the most ideal end to such a bland day.
The most ideal end... but not for a certain young man.
Alone with no one else to witness his stride, Caelus stopped in front of a rusted gate. Overgrown vines hung from the bars, overtaking it in such a way that pushing it open proved to be difficult.
Seeing no other way to get in, Caelus leapt, his cloak following behind him in perfect synchronization. He landed on top of the gate, his foot right in between two spears. Their tips weren't even sharp anymore, perhaps eroded by time.
It was clear that this place hadn't been maintained for years, and that was only a minor observation compared to when he laid his eyes on the ruined manor beyond.
White walls rose from the ground as high as the vines could reach. Its edges and corners were outlined by gold, though they were dull and lackluster. The windows were sullied, not completely broken — just cracked.
The front door was slightly ajar. No traces of light, no signs of life. It was more like this place had seen war rather than simple neglect.
This place once belonged to House Luvelaine. It served as their estate in the capital of Vectis. Only a handful of times did they ever come here, and it was when his father had business with the emperor.
Caelus walked along the weathered stone path, his steps echoing in the night.
Suddenly, a rush of footsteps caught his ears.
He turned, and the moment he did, a flash of light consumed his surroundings. The sun was out, the birds fluttered about, and the street beyond the gate was filled with people going about their day.
The gate?
It was now pristine. Black, polished, and not a bit of rust in sight. The vines were gone, and that was the case for the manor as well. Unlike before, the windows gleamed, and the walls practically shone.
Everything was just like how he remembered. And what came next... he could recognize it instantly.
"Caelus!" shouted a young girl. "Get back here!"
"Haha~! Nope!" the young boy laughed. "I'm not falling for it twice!"
There, on the beautiful green grass, a pair of children were running around, playing. Well, only one of them was running. The other one was chasing.
"Falling for what?!" the girl cried out. "I just wanted to show you something in the backyard!"
"The last time I agreed to come with you, I got pushed into the pond! Don't you remember how angry Mother was?!"
"Yeah, but that was last time! I promise it's not another prank!"
"Nice try, Celine!"
Their laughter was the only thing he could hear. It warmed his heart, but it didn't take long for the cold to sink back in when he realized...
This is all just a dream of what once was.
Just as suddenly, the vision collapsed. The pleasant sunlight was no more, replaced by the bleak moonlight. The pristine manor was gone, and in its place were the remnants.
"To return to those times," he muttered. "A dream, yes. An impossible one, at that."
He continued his stride until he made it to the doorway. With just a small push, the front door creaked open. The faint moonlight poured in, giving just enough light to barely see. But for Caelus, who had spent the last five years in darkness, this much was nothing.
The moment he took the first step into the manor's cracked floor, the lights flickered on. Above him, a mesmerizing chandelier lit the entire room with relative ease. Marble columns outlined in golden lined up down an aisle, and on the other end was a staircase. Banners depicting a lavender flower hung from the railings of the mezzanine.
Anyone could walk in here and feel the magnificence of such sheer grandeur.
Just like before, he heard those voices again. The same two kids came barreling down the staircase. This time, they were dressed in respectable outfits meant for a ball, and their hairs were done to inspire attention.
"Hurry up, Celine!" the boy shouted, panic in his voice. "We're gonna be late!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she snapped. "Oh, Goddess Elysia... Mother's gonna kill us."
"Yeah, because of you! Why did I have to be tasked with escorting you when you take hours to do your hair?!"
"Hey! It wasn't me who did my hair! It was the maids!"
"But weren't you the one who told them that you didn't like the first one, so they needed to do it again? And the second one? And the third?!"
"...No comment."
When they reached the final step to the first floor, a lady in a maid's dress emerged from behind a column to meet them.
"Young Masters," she said, her voice sweet and polite. "It's about time."
The boy pointed at his sister.
"It was her fault! You have to believe me, Elena!"
"Eh?!" Celine exclaimed. "I told you, it wasn't me!"
The maid hovered a hand over her mouth and giggled.
"Now, now, let's not blame each other," she smiled. "The way I see it, both of you are late. That means My Lady will have to punish you both, regardless of the circumstances."
"I don't even know what that word means..." the boy grumbled.
"Me neither..." the girl chimed in.
"Hehe~ Let's not worry about it," the maid said. "Come. We're already tardy as it is. Let's not make it worse, hmm?"
As they disappeared beyond a nearby corridor, the lights faded. The grandeur of the lobby was replaced by its desolate counterpart.
Once again, it was just a dream.
"Elena..." Caelus mumbled. "I still remember the face you made when we were leaving the gates to join the war. Where did you run off to? If I knew, I'd go to assure you that Celine and I are alive and well."
With a heavy heart, Caelus ascended the staircase, careful not to step on the shallow tiles. He turned a few corners until he made it to a bedroom. Just like every other part of the building, it was forsaken.
Cobwebs hung from the ceiling. The floor was littered with broken glass, books, and toys. Ashes littered the area around the fireplace, as if the fire burned for so long that it eventually gave out on its own.
And just like every other time, the past wasn't willing to grace him with departure.
Sunlight poured into the room, mending the derelict state. Then, a sweet melody hummed in his ears.
Next to the lavish bed, the most beautiful woman was sitting on a stool, her arms leaning on the bed next to where the boy was resting. However, her face was blurred.
"Did you have fun today, my dear?" she asked, her voice filled with the care and love of a parent.
"Mhm! I did," the boy replied with a massive grin. "I wanna go out again. With you, Father, and Celine."
"And don't worry. We will eventually, but not any time soon. Now that our work here is done, we have to return to the estate tomorrow."
"Aww... Do we have to?"
"Well... I suppose I can try convincing your father to stay an extra day. I'm sure he won't deny the opportunity for another relaxing excursion."
The boy gasped.
"Really?!"
"Hehe~ Yes, of course, my dear. Anything for you and your sister."
The vision faded in an instant, and Caelus found himself standing next to the bed. There was a portrait sitting on the worn-out sheets, the glass frame completely shattered and scattered across the bed.
"Anything for us, huh?" Caelus muttered scornfully. "Liar."
Without intending to, he tossed the portrait aside, the bumps and cracks echoing in the empty corridor beyond. He stopped and looked at his hand, wondering what came over him just then.
Long has it been since he had forgotten his mother's face. There was no longer any reason to think about her, but lingering resentment was a difficult grudge to simply cast aside.
He marched for the door. Just as he was about to exit the room, something stopped him. Slowly, he tilted back toward the portrait.
"...Hah..."
After pondering for a moment, he ultimately decided to turn back. Carefully, he slid the photo out of the frame and carefully tucked it within his cloak.
Relics of the past may serve no purpose, but at the very least... he wasn't willing to abandon them. Not yet.