Having endured a millennia longing for reunion, the time granted at the end of this thousand-year wait was nothing but a fleeting moment. A moment so brief it felt like just a passing flash, not even enough for a human to share.
The end of that moment was approaching.
There was little time left for warmth, for conversation, for recalling memories, or for listening to each other’s voices.
…Gulp.
Yet, it was promised to send her off with a smile until the very last. She couldn’t afford to shed tears like a fool. Cardi swallowed hard, staring at Gleria with determination in his eyes. He asked her, as she began to fade.
“Isn’t it time to tell me why you called me Armiel?”
“Only after more time has passed than you can truly comprehend?”
“…Are you saying you’ll tell me this centuries later?”
“Because truly, a thousand years has passed.”
2.
“You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”
At Cardi’s question, Gleria smiled.
Seriously, still using that excellent memory for trivial matters. Taking a deep breath to answer the question, Gleria closed her eyes and searched through her memories.
Why did she insist on his name being Armiel?
She remembered it was for a trivial reason.
She thought it’d be amusing to see Cardi’s reaction, so she called him that for fun. In any case, there wasn’t any grand reason behind it.
“It really was nothing special.”
“Think of the heart that waited a thousand years to hear that trivial reason.”
Gleria chuckled softly.
After taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth. As she spoke, she recalled a very distant past.
“Just, just because…”
Cardi van Armiel.
The head of the kingdom’s greatest tower and the only great mage of Arcadia, revered by all with a mix of awe and fear.
“You were such a remarkable person that nobody dared to challenge you… Everyone called you Cardi, right? No one could be unaware that you disliked your baptismal name.”
Master of the Ashen Tower.
Great Mage.
Lord Cardi. Sir Cardi.
Cardi, Cardi, Cardi…
“When I think about it, it makes sense. No one would want to fall out of your favor. What would be gained by upsetting your mood?”
“…Was I that authoritative?”
“Not exactly, but in any case…”
Gleria tilted her head.
Seemingly embarrassed, she fiddled with her hair while continuing.
“Seeing you like that made me think. With everyone calling you Cardi, if I called you Armiel… wouldn’t ‘Armiel’ be something I could claim for myself?”
“………”
“…Why do you look at me like that?”
“Gleria, you called me Armiel from the first time we met, didn’t you?”
“…Is that so?”
“………”
“…What? Do you want me to say I fell in love at first sight and wanted to be special to you from the very start? Seriously, do I have to say it out loud for you to understand?”
Seeing Gleria sulk a little, Cardi chuckled. To have waited a thousand years for such a response was both amusing and disappointing.
“I thought there was some special reason behind it…”
“Well, other reasons did come up later.”
“Other reasons?”
“After we started dating, you sometimes said things like? Our time is different. Someday I will leave your side. Things like that.”
“…I remember.”
“So I thought. After I’m gone, how will you remember me? How will you cherish the times we had together? In thinking about that, I came to a conclusion.”
Armiel, Gleria whispered.
“I thought it would be nice to have a name to remind you of me.”
Gleria smiled playfully.
“When you recall this baptismal name that was uniquely mine, you’d think of me. Even after I’m gone, you would be able to remember me.”
That’s what I thought.
Looking back now, it feels quite embarrassing.
Murmuring softly, Gleria brought her gaze back to Cardi.
“That’s the end of it. There’s no other reason.”
“…Is that so.”
“So, did it have meaning?”
“It did. A painfully profound one.”
Cardi smiled bitterly.
Armiel. The baptismal name that had been given to him.
In the past, Cardi had believed there was a special reason behind Gleria calling him that. Therefore, after the fall of Arcadia and when humanity established a new foundation… he named the tower ‘Armiel’ instead of Cardi.
The first master of the Ashen Tower, Armiel.
Everyone referred to him as Armiel.
Although Gleria explained it as a mere jest born from youthful affection, contrary to her intentions, the name ‘Armiel’ became a shackle for Cardi.
In search of answers, remembering the past where no one else seemed to hold the memories, the burden had fallen solely on him, while news of his fallen comrades continued to reach him.
That gnawed away at Cardi’s mind.
It sickened Cardi. The broken self had tried to let go numerous times and yearned to return the contract to nothing, yet…
“Lady Armiel.”
The mages of the tower.
Individuals from the royal family.
Mages seeking his guidance.
So many came to him.
“Lady Armiel?”
Each time the name was spoken, Cardi was forced to think of Gleria. He had to recall her smiling face as she called him Armiel. He had to remember her whispering, ‘I believe in you’ before being consumed by shadows.
Thus, he couldn’t give up.
He absolutely couldn’t let go.
Armiel. That name which now belonged solely to him was what held him up when he wanted to give up. It screamed at him not to stop.
“It was a dreadful curse.”
“Was it?”
“Yes. At the same time, it was also encouragement.”
A curse that kept him from losing this dream while simultaneously boosting him.
“Thanks to that, I managed to come this far.”
“Well then, it had meaning.”
Gleria laughed.
Cardi laughed as well. After a long bout of laughter, Gleria exhaled deeply. She slowly began to rise.
“Armiel.”
Cardi’s gaze faltered.
Gleria’s form was fading to the point of crumbling. Realizing the inevitable end was upon him, Cardi stood up quickly.
“It seems our time is up.”
Gleria smiled sadly.
There’s no helping it, she murmured, tilting her head. The strands of hair cascading down did not shine in the sunlight, rather it passed through her hair.
Fading. Becoming transparent. Disappearing.
He thought he was prepared for it, understood this conclusion awaited them, but still, under the approaching end, Cardi’s gaze shook. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly.
“It’s nice to finally have a conversation again. It’s nice to see your face again after so long. I could never imagine having such a chance…”
Unlike Cardi, who could find no words, Gleria continued to speak. Yet her voice grew increasingly tremulous.
“Being able to see you again, truly…”
Her voice tinged with moisture.
Gleria lowered her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her lips quivered.
“Really, I was happy.”
But eventually, Gleria lifted her head.
With tears flowing down, she smiled at Cardi as if to say she wanted to send him off with a smile.
“Did you feel the same?”
“Of course.”
Cardi replied.
In a shaky voice, pressing the corner of his eyes, he forced a smile.
“Why even ask if it’s obvious?”
“Even if it’s obvious, sometimes it’s important to say it aloud. It’s the last time, isn’t it?”
What were his last words to leave behind?
The thought didn’t take long. Cardi opened his mouth.
“Gleria.”
“Yes, Armiel.”
“I love you. In the past, and also in the future.”
Cardi, who had never uttered such direct words before.
Petty and cold on the subject, and utterly incompetent when it came to proper confessions… Cardi, who was so lacking in romance, made Gleria smile brilliantly.
“Me too.”
In that final moment, she beamed.
With sunlight pouring down on her, she showed the brightest smile.
“Goodbye, Cardi.”
The wind began to blow.
With the wind, Gleria’s form scattered. Her body and soul disintegrated into the air. Reaching for the drifting motes of light, Cardi knew full well that nothing would be caught in his grip.
…It’s impossible to grasp the passing winds.
The fleeting moment that stayed by his side left for somewhere he could no longer pursue. Cardi’s eyes shimmered at the sparkling motes. His lips trembled. Cardi finally bowed his head.
A breeze blew across the field.
In that blowing wind, Cardi crumbled.
On his knees, Cardi groaned.
Determined to send her off gracefully to the very last, yet imagining this scenario over and over in his head was futile…
Thud, plop.
Eventually, tears began to flow.
Feelings that had built up over hundreds of years, emotions long suppressed came surging forth. An elf who had lived without knowing emotion now unleashed everything.
“Thank you, Armiel.”
“Just call me Cardi. I don’t particularly like that baptismal name.”
“I prefer it this way.”
Thoughts flashed through his mind of the countless years gone by. Moments shared with Gleria crossed his mind like a blur. The time she spent by his side flowed away quickly.
“From today, I am Cardi van Armiel, and since I don’t like my baptismal name, you’ll call me Cardi.”
“Got it, Armiel-sensei.”
“Are you actually listening to me?”
The time he became her mentor.
“To everyone, I’m just a saint and an apostle of the God. So what am I? No one sees me as Gleria, the one who isn’t just Gleria Bel Armias. I…”
“Why would you think you don’t exist?”
“…Huh?”
“Just like mages are wont to do, I don’t see you as some divine being. To me, you’re just a ordinary human who can do a bit more than others.”
“…That’s a lie.”
“Did I ever treat you like a saint? In my eyes, you’re just an annoying kid.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Why? Do you want to be treated like an adult? Then get your holy arts together first. What good is it to fret without being able to do something as simple as this?”
“Hey, I’ll be an adult next year! I’m already a grown-up. Looking at the surface, the age gap between us isn’t that big, right? I hardly think I’m at an age to be treated like a kid…”
“Stop the nonsense.”
The times he taught her, the moments he listened to her stories.
“Are you saying that was a confession? No way, right?”
“………”
“Wow, what am I supposed to do with this person? It’s truly maddening! Who confesses like that…!”
“So, is it a yes or a no?”
“I don’t want to. I really don’t. I can’t accept such a confession. Wait, where are you going? I haven’t finished talking yet.”
“I said no, didn’t I?”
“Why are you so bothersome… Ugh, whatever. I knew what kind of person you were all along.”
“…Why grab my collar?”
“Watch closely. This is how you confess.”
The moments they became lovers.
“I have to take care of this idiot.”
“Ow! Why do you hit me, Armiel!”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me by that baptismal name? This must be the 3752nd time. I feel like I’ve been saying only that for nearly ten years.”
“Then just give it up!”
“You should give it up. Elves never give up.”
The day they set out on their journey.
“I’m scared. What if the salvation I’m seeking isn’t really salvation? I’m so frustrated that I can’t save them. Am I on the right path?”
“It’s okay if you’re wrong. I’ll fix it.”
“You?”
“Yes. I followed you for that reason.”
“Well then, I’ll trust you.”
The day they made a promise.
“I’m sorry, Armiel.”
The day he lost her.
The day a thousand-year journey began.
“You’re still very much you.”
“………”
“Didn’t Armiel say? Don’t lose sight of what’s right. Don’t forget your path. If you forget…”
“I will find the answer.”
“If you remember your promise, then I won’t forget mine. I will…”
“Then I’ll wait.”
In the end, he could never let her go.
On that day, he renewed their promise once again. Many memories flowed by, settling on a single thought at the end.
“I was happy to meet you again.”
“Goodbye, Cardi.”
Not Armiel, but Cardi.
At the very end, only then did she call him by his name. Savoring that voice, now unable to hear it, Cardi broke into sobs.
—————.
Screams, moans, cries.
As he spewed out everything he had endured, Cardi lifted his head. Emotions mixed and turned into a chaotic mess as he reached out toward the fading motes of light.
Everything is disappearing.
The landscape, the light, the breeze that lingered beside him, all crumbled to dust. Gazing at the collapsing hillside, Cardi wept but desperately forced a smile. He wanted to send her off with a smile, even in the end.
“Goodbye, Gleria.”
Goodbye, my eternity.
