Sunlight cut through the heavy fog, not super bright, but just enough to light up the morning in the city of Aldamire—the city currently holding their group of five. Mornings like this were honestly perfect for a stroll.
It was a nice thought, but for Yujin, it was easier said than done. Just accompanying little Yuna earlier had left his legs shaking. But sitting around the inn all day sounded like a boring brand of torture.
The young man sat on the edge of a fountain in a quiet park, not too far from the inn. That way, if his stamina hit zero, he could just head straight back.
"So boring..." he muttered. The boredom was eating him alive, feeling way worse than a physical beating.
Then, an idea popped into his head: he could head to the city square to kill some time, or maybe even walk past the fortress gates to see the natural morning fog.
Tch, what a pain. He lifted his head. He had a new goal now, even if it was pretty pointless. But hey, anything was better than this mind-numbing boredom.
"The others are busy anyway. Either with documents, Yuna, or whatever. No one should find out about this." A faint smirk formed on his lips.
He started walking slowly but surely, leaving the empty park behind. Aldamire’s city square was always packed. Aside from being the heart of the city, this place had plenty of perks other towns lacked.
No wonder Hana was so busy. "Alright, where should I check out first?" Yujin placed his hands behind his head. His wounds didn't even hurt that much anymore. His pain sensitivity had dropped significantly, all thanks to Hana’s constant care.
Not only that, she had given him some pocket money! Well, it wasn't a crazy amount, just a small pouch of silver coins.
"Use this for whatever you need in Aldamire. And… don't forget to save some for Yuna's needs. I trust you, Yujin," she had said.
"That girl is way too nice. No wonder everyone likes her." As he browsed the market, a specific vendor caught his eye.
A crystal-blue ribbon. It instantly reminded him of Yuna. Hmm, I wonder if this would look good on her? He bought the ribbon for a few copper coins without hesitating. No harm in trying, right?
After slipping the ribbon into his cloak pocket, Yujin kept walking through the crowded market. The smell of freshly baked bread, rustic spices, and the loud chatter of merchants slowly washed away his lingering boredom.
"Sweet bread! Warm sweet bread with fresh berry jam! Straight out of the oven!"
The shout from a corner stall made Yujin stop in his tracks. His eyes landed right on a row of small tarts glazed with shiny red jam.
Sweet cakes with fruit jam... Yujin thought. His mind flashed back to this morning, when little Yuna mentioned how much she loved cakes with jam.
Yujin felt the pouch of silver Hana gave him at his waist. "Yuna's needs, huh? I guess this counts," he whispered with a small smile.
He walked up to the stall. The vendor, a chubby middle-aged man, greeted him warmly. "Morning, young man! Want to try the best sweet bread in Aldamire? Guaranteed to brighten up your foggy day!"
"Can I get one small tart with strawberry jam on top, Mister? And... just give me a few regular loaves of whole-wheat bread to take back," Yujin said, pulling a few coins from his pouch.
"You got it! Coming right up!" The vendor laughed heartily, quickly wrapping Yujin's order in a thick brown paper bag.
As he handed over the coins and took the warm bag, Yujin took a deep breath of the aroma. A small sense of satisfaction washed over him. At least his boring morning walk turned out to be useful for cheering up his little sister back at the inn.
However, just as Yujin turned around to head back, his eyes caught a flash of a very familiar dark blue cloak among the crowd watching a street performance.
"Wait... isn't that Yuna?" he muttered, completely stunned.
The girl hadn't noticed him yet. She looked totally lost in the middle of the crowded city. Remembering how shy Yuna usually was, it made sense that she'd be overwhelmed.
He walked over to her as she stood in the middle of the crowd. Reaching out, he tapped her shoulder.
"Kyaah?!" Her crystal-blue eyes widened as a hand suddenly touched her shoulder.
That reaction...
"Hey, calm down. It's just me, Yujin. The guy you met in the Nerthvale forest." Yujin raised his hands, trying to reassure this grown-up Yuna that he wasn't a threat.
Her eyes grew wide as her gaze locked with his. A tiny spark of excitement flashed in her blue eyes. "B-Brother Yujin?"
She turned around to face him fully. "Why are you here?" She tilted her head curiously. "And... why are you covered in bandages?"
"A-Ah, this..." Reflexively, he pulled his cloak sleeve down to hide the bandages on his arm. "It's nothing. I mean, you know Aethelgard isn't exactly the safest place, right?" Yujin said, his voice shaking a bit. He purposely looked away. "Anyway... what are you doing here? Do you have errands or something?" Yujin tried to change the subject.
Yuna's eyes widened slightly, but she replied with a sweet smile. "No, I'm just taking a walk. I happened to be bored too. Do you want to walk with me, Brother Yujin? Just around the city square is fine with me." Her tone was incredibly gentle and... kinda clingy?
Yujin nodded in agreement. Without wasting a second, Yuna grabbed Yujin's hand to pull him along. He caught a quick glimpse of her wrist—she was still wearing the white rubber bracelet he had given her back then, even though they barely knew each other at the time.
"Come on, there are a few places I really want to check out with you," she said, smiling excitedly. She sounded so full of energy.
Yujin could only give in, letting her drag him through the market crowd. Yuna's grip felt warm, but for some reason, it made Yujin's brain overthink so hard it felt like it was going to explode. His eyes kept staring at the white rubber bracelet bouncing on her wrist as they walked. And besides... the way she talks to me... why does it feel so close? Like we've been together for a really long time?
"Brother Yujin, look over there!" Yuna's shout snapped him out of his thoughts. She was pointing at a silver accessory shop by the edge of the square. "Let's go inside! I just remembered I wanted to buy an accessory."
Yujin paused. He just let out a soft chuckle, a smile forming on his lips. "Alright, let's go."
Once again, she excitedly pulled his hand. She didn't hide her smile at all, as if this was a moment she had been waiting for a very long time.
Inside, Yujin just silently watched Yuna look around happily. She went on and on talking about whatever caught her eye. But despite his silence, the heavy feeling in his chest somehow cleared up. Maybe I'm just imagining things.
When they walked out, Yuna was wearing a new obsidian necklace around her neck. "Come on, Brother Yujin, there's still another place I want to visit. You don't mind, right?"
Yujin just nodded, wearing a smile he didn't even realize was there. Seeing this older Yuna so full of life felt exactly like the little Yuna. They just looked like different people. After all, there was no way the Yuna right here was the little kid from the inn. What kind of crazy theory would that be?
Yujin ended up spending his entire morning walking around the square with Yuna. Strangely enough, the wounds on his body didn't sting at all. It felt like he was completely healed, even though the leftover bandages were still peeking out from under his cloak.
Their steps eventually brought them to the clock tower at the edge of the square, where the Aldamire fog was starting to thin out under the rising sun. Yuna suddenly stopped walking, causing Yujin to halt beside her.
She turned around, looking straight at Yujin with her new obsidian necklace resting beautifully on her neck. Her smile softened, but her blue eyes suddenly showed a deep, profound longing.
"Thank you, Brother Yujin," Yuna said softly, her voice almost a whisper in the morning breeze. "It's been such a long time since we just walked together like this, just the two of us. It feels like... all the weight on my shoulders just disappeared."
Yujin raised an eyebrow, feeling like something was off. "A long time? Didn't we just—"
"Brother Yujin," Yuna cut him off gently, stepping a bit closer until the scent of her perfume—like wild roses—drifted toward him. "Promise me, okay? No matter what happens later... you have to stay alive. Don't ever leave me all alone again."
Thump.
For some reason, those words felt incredibly heavy and full of sadness, making Yujin's chest ache all over again. It wasn't from his physical wounds, but from a sudden, terrible gut feeling.
Before Yujin could say anything back, his eyes caught a glimpse of Hana walking hurriedly across the square, looking like she was searching for someone.
Yujin reflexively looked over at Hana for just a second. But the moment he turned back to look at Yuna...
She was gone.
The warm grip on his hand vanished into thin air, leaving behind a cold emptiness. Where Yuna had just been standing, there was only a single flower petal sitting on the damp pavement.
"Yuna...?" Yujin looked around frantically, scanning the crowd in the square. For some reason, it felt like he had just lost someone incredibly precious. And without even realizing it, a tear slipped down his dry cheek.
Unfortunately, the figure in the dark blue cloak had completely evaporated along with the morning fog of Aldamire.
His shaking right hand slowly reached into his cloak pocket, touching the small crystal-blue ribbon still neatly kept inside.
Then, he noticed a letter on the ground. It was neatly folded, looking like it was meant for someone very special. Yujin opened it, revealing words that left him completely bewildered.
My dear Brother Yujin,
Thank you for spending your precious time with me. Honestly, I feel so happy and grateful. There's actually something I want to tell you, but I guess it's not time yet. Oh, and I'm still around, okay! You don't have to be sad. It's not my time to disappear from this world yet.
Thank you once again. I hope we'll meet again someday. Whether that's a promise or just a maybe. Or maybe not at all.
— Yuna
The letter only talked about older Yuna's feelings. It didn't leave a single clue that could help him process what had just happened. It was completely bizarre. A mix of relief and tightness tangled up in his chest. It felt like he had just woken up from a long, beautiful dream.
"Yujin! Oh my gosh, there you are!"
The familiar voice calling his name from a distance broke Yujin's train of thought. He jolted, quickly wiping the trace of a tear from his cheek with his sleeve before Hana could get any closer.
Hana ran up to him, slightly out of breath. Her face showed a mix of relief and worry. "I've been looking everywhere for you! The inn guard said you walked out at the crack of dawn. Your wounds aren't fully healed yet, Yujin."
Yujin tried to force his face back into his usual flat expression, even though his heart was still racing. "I just got bored sitting in the park, Hana. So I came out to get some fresh air."
Hana shook her head in resignation, and then her eyes shifted to the brown paper bag and the folded letter Yujin was holding. "Huh? Did you go shopping? And... what's that letter?"
"It's nothing, just a flyer from an accessory shop from earlier," Yujin lied quickly, folding older Yuna's letter and slipping it deep into his cloak, right next to the crystal-blue ribbon. He then held out the brown paper bag in front of Hana's face. "Here. I bought some whole-wheat bread for you guys to snack on. And... another strawberry tart for Yuna."
Hearing the little girl's name, Hana's smile instantly brightened. "Wow, Yuna is going to love this! Coincidentally, she just woke up and immediately asked for you. Let's head back to the inn. Aurelia and Kaien must be waiting."
Yujin just nodded quietly. He turned around, walking side by side with Hana away from the Aldamire square clock tower.
Before taking another step, Yujin took one last look behind him. He stared at the spot where the figure in the dark blue cloak had stood and smiled so cutely at him. The fog was starting to roll in again just like before. The raw sunlight was completely gone.
Damn, this whole thing is almost driving me crazy.