Strings

The bird glares at me.

I mean if the roles were reversed I would be glaring too. Perhaps it's because she finds herself unable to read my soul like a good ol' cliché internet novel or something. How cute.

"How would the universe bend for you if you aren't even the sky or the earth?" The bird's voice grows coarser.

"Because I am the very root in which this universe is created." I smile. "But regardless of who I am, I don't intend to return to the past. Moving on is just another aspect in life."

The bird glares at me, and slowly disappears.

Her last words hit me harder than expected.

"No matter how hard the human's knife, the red string will still remain tied."

That pesky little girl.

"So? What shall we do?" Felix stares at the both of us.

"I'm not leaving with you two that's for sure," I grin.

"You're real bold for defying the eclipse you know?"

"Yeah and you're real funny for being blessed halfway through your life," I shrug.

"You-!"

"Alright alright," Felix sighs. "How about visiting us once a week?"

"Once a month." I glare.

"Once every two weeks." he stares.

"Twice a month." Albert cuts the two of us off. "You aren't expected to do anything, you can just... hang around..."

"Mew," Magi paws at my leg and I smile.

"Did something happen?"

"Meoow," She paws at me, and I follow her to the back.

"Ah the garden."

Felix and Albert follow closely behind, and I close the door so that they can't enter.

"Oi!!'

"Calm down these flowers are just sensitive to people," I grumble.

My crystal roses have bloomed. There's a moonstone, a sunstone, and then a lunar eclipse gem. Three flowers, all three seeds were given to me by Albert before we got divorced. These flowers were too pretty to give up.

But then thinking of the fact that this is a fanfiction written by 13-year-old, specific crystal roses are able to reverse the effects of intentional memory loss, even if it was from a contract. And considering that these are sunstones, moonstones, and lunar eclipse stones, the chances of Albert remembering what we used to be is incredibly high since I sealed our previous contract with an eclipse gem.

Memory loss? Never heard of her girl </3

I stare at the flower. It was glowing. Perhaps because Albert was there. Crystal roses had a bunch of uses too. Once a cultivator, always a cultivator.

A vine creeps up behind me and latches onto my arm. My witch's vine, crow roses, were hungry.

"I'll feed you eventually."

I lock the door to the flowers, and I return to the living room.

"What happened?"

"Crystal plants were acting out." I smile. "Do one of you cultivate them? I heard they only react to a cultivator."

"Yeah," Albert smiles. "I do. I was told that I cultivated them for someone special in my life."

"I see," I hum. Perhaps the Eclipse had some insight. "Are you looking for her?"

"Assuming that the Eclipse is correct, you must've been that someone important in my life." Albert looks at me. "Which is why both Eclipse and I are hell-bent on dragging you to my estate."

"I'm currently residing in Louvremont next to Phoenicia," I hum. "I enjoy the rural life here. Even if I am some duchy's only child, there's no reason for you to be the one to return me there. If they wanted me back, they would've sent people long ago."

The Prince stares at me. "I will use force-"

"OOh kinky," I smile at him. "What will you do next? Become a predator?"

Felix hides his laugh from beside us.

"Miss witch."

"Crysta." I correct him.

"Crysta. I hope you understand that you're being ordered by the eclipse herself."

I smile at him. "And? I'm the blessed of her parents, not her. I stand above you in respect, but not in scarcity. I bow down to no one."

Hard truth.

"You said you'd come and visit twice a month." Albert stares.

"I never agreed to it. I left before I came." I hum.

Albert sighs and Felix thinks about it.

I smile knowingly. Even if the Sun and the Moon were to attempt to have me follow their daughter's words, there would still be no change. The eclipse is too weak to stay long-term, and with a wipe of my hand, the world could change. If I ever get back that is. But even if I don't, I would be on the same term as she is.

"How about this," Felix smiles. "We come visit you once a month."

"Hah?"

"If you don't trust us in your house, feel free to visit us while we stay at Duke Hades' residence." Albert stares at me. "I will send a letter each time-"

"No need." I grumble. "I have no intention of seeing you at all-"

"Why not." Albert stares at me. "You know, I find it incredibly confusing how you refuse to talk to a prince while people would be swooning over me-"

"Because I don't like the royal family." I glare.

"That-"

"You royals think that you can just go into war to overthrow a sibling, waste the lives of your precious soldiers, burn villages to the ground, and then let the new emperor go onto the throne?!" I yell. "Do you know how many people suffer because most of their food goes to the army?! If you still let the witches remain and speed up crop growth and produce more than enough like previous wars then the villages wouldn't suffer as much! The royal family treats their subjects like pawns on a chess board! You don't care about how much they suffer as long as you get the glory!!"

The prince stares at me, eyes wide, heart running.

I had written in the war, but before I left, I made sure that Zach would be able to kill Terence within the first two months if everything went according to plan. I knew what Terence would be doing, yet Zach still chose to end the war when he reached Louvremont.

"Your highness." I stare at him. "Do not send letters to me, but I will visit you when I deem the time to be right. I will not bring shame upon you since you are blessed by the eclipse, but I will not be doing anything as you wish."

He stares at me, and then sighs. "Then I await your response."

Felix glances at me, and he speaks. "Even the flames of the sun could never cut those strings."

The red strings of fate.

A joke I implemented into the story.

How ironic.