The End of a Dream

A favor.

When one owes another.

And the girl had finally asked for it.

Tacitus looked into her eyes.

He can't even see anything in her eyes this time. No playfulness, no anger, no sadness-it was just...her eyes. It was as serious as one can be.

What will she ask?

It did not take long for him to figure it out.

"I want you to come out with me tonight, and listen to me. There's something I want to tell you," Charmeine said slowly. She enunciated each word carefully, as if afraid Tacitus misunderstood something.

Just like an explosion, countless theories formed in his head right at that moment. His gift and curse of thinking triggered immediately.

'Did she know the dream was ending? Was this all truly a coincidence? Did the Lord God Almighty foreseen such a thing?'

No matter what he thought, regrettably, when all is said and done, he did owe her a favor. Alas, he shall follow it through to the end. Even if it's a favor that he abhors and regrets.

Within a span of a few seconds, Tacitus was at war with himself. As he thought and thought, as his self-named curse continued rolling out theories here and there, a voice whispered near his ear,

"I'll wait outside for a few minutes, so just prepare whatever is necessary."

Taking a step back, Charmeine turned her eyes and looked at the sleeping girl on the bed. Even now, Rin was softly breathing, her body mostly still. The blonde girl looked at the sleeping little girl for a short moment before silently walked outside the room, and into the hall.

"..."

When he made sure Charmeine was gone entirely, Tacitus turned back around to Rin. The person in question appeared to be resting, lying in a deep slumber.

Leaning over, he softly brushed a strand of hair that was on her face. When he did so, Rin scrunched her face and slightly turned her head away.

Tacitus began whispering. To her or to himself, no one really knew.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I'm sorry...sorry that I can't be here with you any longer. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise. Even if this was a dream, I want this dream to last forever. Who wouldn't want a dream to last forever. But I know it won't. It never lasts forever, as I have tried so, so many times. So, please..."

Tacitus gripped his hands into fists, slightly shaking as he bent his forehead down, and touched the little gir''s forehead.

"Please...live happily, as I've always wanted you to do. Even in a dream, you will always run through the sea of gold, free and happy."

Then, the boy, slowly and silently, walked out of the room. Each step he took, the wooden floorboards slightly creaking. Before closing the door, he looked at Rin one last time. The moonlight shined through the window, illuminating the small sleeping figure's body in the shadows.

Looking at her, Tacitus couldn't help but give his farewell to his beloved little sister.

"...goodbye, Rin. I will always treasure these memories forever, even if it was a dream."

He then silently closed the door behind him, never looking back.

...

The sleeping figure opened her eyes, and tears began to well up within them. The figure then grabbed the blanket tightly, shaking silently.

...

The sad boy hid his sadness inside himself as he followed the girl through the dark forest, slightly illuminated by the light. The two shuffled through the woods, and each step the two made, the leaves and branches cracked or snapped.

As Tacitus looked down at his feed, he unconsciously listening to the girl's slow, soft humming. Looking up, he saw the Charmeines hair swayed left and right. Like a ghost, the blonde girl seemed to be floating through the forest.

Although it was dark, he was able to see thanks to the small amount of light the moonlight gives off, although the treetop blocks most of it.

'When did she start humming? Was it just as we arrived at the entrance of the forest?'

Tacitus stared blankly at her back, but nonetheless decided to listen to her singing voice. Looking down, even he can't help but sway along with her humming. As he continued to listen, he wasn't surprised that it was actually more than adequate than he had thought.

Thankfully, during their journey through the night, there was no conversation. There was nothing to interfere with their moment of tranquility. Nothing seemed to try to stop them.

The world seemed to stop time just for them.

The two children only silently walked. One humming, and one listening.

Strange as it is, Tacitus never thought a single thought, only listening to the humming as he walked through the silent forest. His curse seemed to have turned off, and he reveled in it. He even closed his eyes, and he heard each step they made. Each breath. Each breeze.

Truly, it was an experience worth experiencing.

The experience of being in a world only for them stopped, as they both arrived at the same field Tacitus was at earlier with Rin.

Counting, it was the fourth time since he's been here, but it was only during the day while the sun was up. At night, it was an entirely new world.

The moonlight was mostly covered by the dark clouds in the sky. The wheat fields, once a bright golden sea, each rustle being blown in a direction by a gust of wind. Now it was dark, but the wind was still there, as a breeze blew across the sea of wheat. The field of wheat rustled, swishing.

Ahead of them, in the distance, was a small rising hill with the same lonely tree that stood alone amidst the field.

As he took in the sight, Charmeine slowly walked forward. She looked straight ahead, and continued to hum, as if she was in her own world, forgetting that she was the one who had brought him here.

Tacitus quietly followed behind her.

Shuffling through the waist-high field of wheat, he looked ahead at the blonde girl. The wheat seemed to part ways before her, and she slowly walked forward. Finally, they arrived at the top of the hill.

Almost directly underneath the tree, all of a sudden, Charmeine turned around, and looked down on him.

Tacitus, walking up the hill, returned the stare. They both quietly wordlessly looked at each other. A breeze drifting by them, unnoticed.

Then, after a number of seconds, the blonde girl opened her mouth.

"Hey, don't you think this is all a dream?"

As she spoke, a breeze blew by, ruffling her long, untied hair and her white dress. The clouds, at that moment, mysteriously parted, letting the bright moon shine its light on her, illuminating her hair and dress. As the wind was strong, the blonde girl pulled a strand of hair back behind her ear. The scene seemed to have come straight out from a polished painting.

A masterpiece of a painting.

Tacitus' twitched.

'Did she conjure this moment? Every breeze, every cloud? I know the dream is about the end, but is this truly a coincidence?'

So the boy only looked down, and thought. Charmeine remained silent, waiting for his response as she looked at him from above.

As a minute passed, Tacitus finally answered her, looking back up.

"I do think this is a dream."

Saying that, Tacitus looked sad as he thought back to the sleeping little girl.

"So you also think this is a dream?" Charmeine smiled, and she looked as sad as him. "All dreams, by definition, end when the dreamer awakes. Who is the dreamer, and who is the actor?"

"..."

Tacitus only looked at her face. Her eyes, her smile-they told so many untold things to him.

'Why is she sad? Isn't this dream supposed to be just a forgettable dream? Why ask these questions in this dream?'

A dream can never last. He has experienced this firsthand.

Charmeine seemed to have figured out that she was going off topic, as the blonde girl shook her head.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to ramble on. I also didn't ask you to come here in the dead of night to answer those questions. I asked you to come out here with me during this beautiful night, because I wanted to make..." Charmeine paused, and looked down on her feet.

"A promise."

Silence descended upon the two. The boy's eyes looked into her eyes. Or tried to. The girl only looked at her feet, shuffling almost in embarrassment.

He was confused.

"A...promise?"

The blonde girl nodded, her eyes eyeing a piece of grass between her feet.

"Yes, a promise. A promise that will last until the end of our lives...and perhaps even beyond."

"...what is this promise?" Tacitus asked, almost carefully.

"From this day forth, we'll always be companions, walking side by side. In our worst times, we would help each other, never leaving the other behind. To never let one fall, to rise to the stars together."

Charmeine suddenly looked up at him, and held out her hand, her face holding all her sincerity.

"If the prophecy is true, and the Calamities are arriving, then we'll need as much help as possible to protect ourselves. That's why I want to make this promise between us."

Tacitus shook his head, even more confused than before. A promise from her of all people? What about him made Charmeine feel like making a promise with him? Shouldn't she make a promise with Lucius instead?

He was the hero, and Tacitus was the-

"..."

No matter what he thought, he was obliged to answer her seriously. So Tacitus looked up at her with as much seriousness instilled in his eyes as possible.

"If I do promise, then it's a promise I'll always remember, keep and cherish...even until death. So...what if you break this promise?"

A promise has to be made, with the two sides having a certain amount of trust towards each other. Otherwise, it would be pointless.

Charmeine looked at him, and he couldn't help but stare back at those eyes.

There, in her eyes was a gaze that spoke more than thousands of words, yet none of them were ever spoken out, nor will be spoken.

That was not what Tacitus paid attention to. Instead, it was the meaning in her eyes. They seemed to hold very old memories, many of which were full of sadness and despair. Yet, she firmly holds a determination he once had in them.

'Why is that so?' he thought, curious.

"I shall never break my promise," she said with such finality, Tacitus couldn't even reproach her for the absoluteness of those words.

The blonde girl looked up at the sky. Its dreamy, glittering, dazzling lights seemed to be shining upon her. As if something special is occurring right here and now.

"It is true, however, that many people can make promises on a whim, yet never see these promises with sincerity...but even so..."

Charmeine looked at him again, confidence and integrity filling her every being.

"...let's cast that aside, and make a promise that'll last for a thousand years."

Tacitus truly tried to discern her intentions. He really did. Alas, he saw none of the calm, light joking presence she once had around her.

She was genuinely serious.

At the corner of his vision, the world around him seemed to have started fading away, signifying the end of this dream. As time was almost up, Tacitus finally made his decision.

He started walking up the hill. Every step he took, it feels as if he was walking up the stairway to heaven. Reaching the top, standing an arms length away from her, he slowly reached out his hand, and hesitated. Charmeine didn't seem to mind, as she kept holding out her hand.

After a second, he finally fully reached out his hand, and grabbed hers firmly. He then whispered.

"I promise."

Like a flower blooming, the blonde girl's face turned into one of relief, and for the first time, she truly gave him a pure heartfelt smile, one he has never seen in his memories nor past life.

Tacitus turned his head, letting go of her hand in order to look away from her. It was too blinding for him. Too trusting.

While he looked away, he heard a whisper. Fortunately, he was able to hear it.

"Thrice was said, heard, and witnessed. May those watching us know that our pact has been made," a voice whispered, and the sounds of clasping hands together were heard.

Tacitus didn't make any sort of remarks as they stood in companionable silence. As he was thinking about the weight of another impossible promise, he suddenly thought of something.

He turned to look back at Charmeine, who was holding her hands together as if in prayer. The girl spoke amidst the companionable silence.

"Goodnight, Tacitus," she finally said, turning around and looking up at the starry night sky. Whether it was coincidence or not, it was indeed time for him to leave.

He turned around, and began walking away, before stopping, looking back at her. Her wishful face, swaying dress, and blonde hair illuminated by the moon...

Tacitus hesitated, but he still opened his mouth. Just before the dream ended, he spoke his last farewell.

"...goodnight, Char."

Charmeine's eyes widened, gasping, and almost had whiplash as she turned her head around. Before she could even say a word, a gray fog suddenly appeared out of nowhere, enveloping them and their vision.

The fog consumed the land, and with their arrival, dissolved the world that is a dream, making the dreamer wake into the harsh reality that is life.

...

Floating through the foggy void, Tacitus-no, Amor kept remembering the memories he had of that dream.

The memory where he ran with Rin through the field of flowers, enjoying their freedom.

The memory where he lovingly looked at Rin, sleeping in the shadows.

The memory of looking at her for the final time and giving his farewell.

Then there was the last, final memory, where a blonde girl looked at him. With sadness hidden within her gaze, she looked at him underneath the clear starry sky, surrounded by a sea of wheat.

That scene, which seemed to have come out from a painting, was firmly embedded inside his memories.

He closed his eyes, wishing he could erase the last final memory. The memory that he was unfortunately enamored with.

As well as that promise.