25 fulfilled wish

The statue in the middle of the room loomed over the young boy. It stood around five meters tall. At its base, there were the words, "There is no way to train your heart to be invulnerable," and atop its head was a strange-looking pair of goggles. The walls around the statue were mostly cone-shaped, giving enough room for the statue not to touch the roof by a foot or two.

- Raziel pov -

Staring up, my body still in pain, my eyes wide and my mind racing with thoughts about what this means. But before I could wrap my mind around it, I saw it. A small platform stood unharmed by time, with a pair of gloves atop it.

I took a few steps forward, now staring at this weapon used by a character in an anime I once watched in the past. My past life flashed through my eyes. I once hated the simple things in life, acting like I was behind everyone. Now, all I want is to go back to sitting on a hill, smoking a joint with my mate.

"Fuck..." Wiping the tears building up in my eyes, I took a deep sigh.

Picking up the gloves and placing them on, I tightened the straps to make sure they fit well and weren't too loose. I figured the last person to use them was a grown man. I pointed my finger out and a wire shot out, with no control.

"I see now. So the movements of my hands and possibly my arms or body give certain effects. Sigh, this is going to take some mastering." Saying this, Raziel started to walk around the statue and saw an old leather book on the ground.

The book had the words "Cross Tails Battle Book" written on the front of it. As I picked it up, excitement rushed through my body at the thought of having a cheat book for how to use my new-found weapon.

Inside, there were torn-out pages and all the writing had faded away. The book was unusable. I stood there for a couple of seconds, my mind going blank as I tried to comprehend what was going on. Then, without saying a word, I just threw it into my bag.

- 3rd pov -

A few days ago, three children Roy, Mia, and Melvine walked through the snow towards the village. Large plumes of smoke rose from the village as they walked even faster, their minds heavy after what they had just gone through.

"What's happened here?" Mia asked while looking around.

"I have no clue, maybe a Grimm tried to attack again and the guards messed it up," Roy said, with some sweat rolling down his face.

Before they could go any further, a voice behind them made all of them jump in fear. Akari stood there, staring towards the children. Her whole body was tense, as if anything would set her off.

"Where is he?" Akari asked, her voice cold as she walked closer to the children.

"What happened!?" Melvine blurted out before answering Akari's question.

"Grimm attack. You're safe as long as I am here. Now, where is Raziel, the boy who just came into the village?" Akari said, now standing right in front of them.

"He—" Mia started to speak up, but Roy interrupted her.

"We don't know… I thought he was here. Please keep us safe from the Grimm, Miss. I'm scared," Roy said, trying to keep his cool.

"I see," Akari said, trying to hide her worry.

"You three will wait in that building. DO NOT leave it, and lock the door behind yourselves. There's food and water. I'll be back in a day and keep looking for him in the village," Akari said, walking off.

Five days passed, and the sight of Raziel stumbling through the snow could be seen as the snowfall was heavy, blocking most of his view. Ahead was the village, still and unmoving, with no life inside, no search party. Akari never came, but since they didn't come for him, he would look for them, for her.

Raziel walked through the village, seeing nothing, no footsteps, and no signs of life. The only thing he saw was the whole village ripped up. It was in a state of ruin, as if a war was fought there.

Walking towards the tavern, he saw it was the only building in an okay state. As he opened the door, the snow rushed in. He walked in, closing the door behind himself, and looked around. He saw cut-up clothes all over the floor, as if they had just vanished. Seeing this, he rushed up the stairs into his and her room, seeing it open.

The bed was made and the room was clean, as if untouched by the chaos of the outside. On the table was a used candle and a letter. Raziel walked up to it, picked it up, sat on the bed, and opened the sealed note.

My dearest Raziel,

I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I couldn't find you. I don't know if I can ever forgive myself. You were my light in this cold world. I promised myself that I would always protect you, but I can't even do that. Even if I can't find you, I can't believe that you would die out here. I know you.

Even if you couldn't tell me, I don't hate that you hid something from me. I wish you could have trusted me with it. I guess it's too late now. I have taken a few survivors under my wing, and I plan to pass them on to someone who can do my job better than I can.

You know my home that I told you about when you were younger? I plan to go there and live my life out in peace. I can't do this kind of thing anymore. So if you ever see this, please know that I will see you soon, yeah? Promise me that.

Raziel sat there, staring at the note for longer than he knew. Tears fell onto the paper as he was left alone in this cold room, this cold world.