Anna was a thin girl with pale hands and a face. She might be mistaken as one if one saw her beside a few white sticks. However, what was special about her was her deep blue hair. Its color was so unusual that one couldn’t help but stare at it the same way they would stare at a starry sky.
Yurirl once called it ‘the only shade of blue,’ which made her blush. At that time, Lyle felt jealous and realized that the three might be more than just friends.
It all started when the two walked into her room after she recovered fully. The runic card was enough to take the water out of her body and fix whatever damage happened to her lungs. Thus, she smiled when the two walked in, mesmerizing them.
“Are you two my heroes?” asked the blue-haired girl with a sweet smile that didn’t remotely suggest her near-death experience. She tried to stand, but her father wanted to stop her. “I need to thank them properly.”
“There is no need to thank us,” said Yurirl, stepping forward and gesturing toward Lyle. “Lyle and I are the ones responsible for the accident. You have been thrown into the river by our attacks.”
Lyle remembers the last two words in his hazy memory: our attacks. Yurirl never lies, so he is convinced that his actions set the disaster in place. It made Lyle step forward and raise his hand, creating a small gale of wind atop it.
“This is my ability, and I threw you into the river. Whatever I need to do to make amends, I have no problem with it.”
Anna was silent as she stared at the two with her big, navy-blue eyes. However, her smile never disappeared, even when the two revealed the truth. Her reaction was similar to her father’s, minus the crying. The two stared at each other with confusion.
“I also want to admit something,” said Anna as she got out of bed and tried to stand. “I was the one who got too close to the edge because I wanted to see the fight better. It was a mesmerizing sight to see the wind dancing.”
“It was dangerous,” rebuked Zonas Mantra sternly, ensuring that Lyle knew his actions’ real gravity. “Power can allude a person off the right path, and how you use it to make all the difference.”
“Yet, it was a beautiful power,” said Anna, walking toward Lyle and holding his hand. “Would you show it to me again, Lyle Mantra?” asked the girl with a grin that showed her dimples.
“If that is what it takes to forgive me,” said Lyle in reflex. Anna smiled before looking at Yurirl and grabbing his hand too.
“The boy who took me out of the water and the one who took the water out of me,” said Anna as she pulled them closer. “I’ll be selfish and ask something to forgive you: hang out with me for a year.”
“Anna…” muttered Kain with a choked voice, and remembering it, Lyle realized that he was holding back tears. He learned of the reason later.
Although a year was long, and the two had no idea what this hanging would involve, they had to agree. So, then, starting that day, Anna visited the orphanage every day, and the two had to keep her company.
At first, it was awkward between the three since none of them had interacted with the others before. However, Anna was the walking embodiment of curiosity. She asked about everything and every little detail of their lives.
Yurirl was quiet, so he didn’t say much, even when Anna bombarded him with questions about his past. On the other hand, Lyle got close to her in no time. After all, he was easy to annoy.
The three kids didn’t get close until a particular incident when a new gang tried to approach Anna while she was watching the two kids fight. Yurirl and Lyle fought them and won in the end, but not without wounds.
Anna cried that day; it was the first time her smile had disappeared. She held on to their bodies as she cried, and the next thing they knew, their wounds were gone.
“This is the only good thing about my body,” said Anna after she calmed down to explain. “My life is fading because my body is not strong enough to contain it. So, he would be revitalized whenever someone gets close to me.”
It was indeed a curse, and while it healed their wounds, it left a bitter aftertaste to use her life to recover. Thus, from that day one, the two avoided her whenever they had injuries, and she chased after them.
Days turned to weeks, and the months raced past them. The three became inseparable, known throughout the capital for never leaving each other’s side. Every day, they would explore new places or find new things to do together.
The promise the two made to Anna bound them together, making them close without them realizing it. After a few months of meeting, her birthday came, and the two sat down to know what the best gift would be.
“We can work together on a gift,” said Yurirl with a serious, pondering expression. “I have a few ideas, but none would make her happier than she always is.”
“I already know what to gift her,” said Lyle at the time, and he glanced at Yurirl in a way that said he wouldn’t share the gift. After all, a few days ago, Yurirl called her hair ‘the only shade of blue,’ making her blush.
“Then, let’s see who makes her the happiest,” said Yurirl with a smile. Lyle smiled, too, since this turned into another one of their rivalries. “You can give it in the morning, and I will take the evening. Does that sound fair?”
“Fair.”
After that, the day of the birthday came, and Lyle sat down outside the orphanage to welcome her. As soon as she arrived, she skipped steps toward him, greeted him, and looked for Yurirl.
“We decided to split the day,” said Lyle with a smile. “I’ll give you my gift in the morning, and he will give you his in the evening. We need to hurry.”
“Hmmm, not even a surprise?” asked Anna with a smile before grinning. “Where are you going to take me, Master of Wind?”
“I’ll make you ride the wind you love,” said Lyle before offering his hand. Anna was confused but took it anyway. He pulled her toward his embrace in one bold move, and the two started to levitate. “Hold on to your dress.”
Lyle trained for weeks before this to master his ability. He wanted her to remember his powers well, so he trained himself to carry them out of the city.
“We are flying!” shouted Anna with surprise as she looked around. The two left the ground and soared into the sky, protected by Lyle’s wind while they carried them. “This is one of my dreams, Lyle!”
“This is not even the real gift, Anna,” said Lyle as he hugged her tighter, and the two soared away from the city. “We are going toward a hill I found the other day, and I’m sure you will like it.”
Soon, the two left the city and passed over the trenches around it. The forests around Helios were dangerous, but Lyle made this trip several times to ensure it was safe. Furthermore, the hill wasn’t far.
“That is…” muttered Anna as she caught sight of the hill in question, filled with cherry trees spraying their petals. On its summit was a giant cherry tree that painted the world pink.
“Hold on tight because we are landing,” said Lyle as he dove toward the summit, and Anna giggled as the wind made her blue hair flutter. Lyle slowed down as the ground got close, and the two landed safely.
It was a pond beside the tree, covered in pink cherry petals. Anna gasped in surprise as she took a few steps toward the pond, her navy-blue eyes glistering with happiness.
“This is the best gift I ever received, Lyle,” said Anna as she turned around, but he wasn’t done. Lyle raised his hands, and the wind swirled around them, carrying the cherry petals high in the air. The world turned into nothing but pink, mesmerizing the girl he liked.
“I wanted to show you that my ability can do more than just harm,” said Lyle as he reached into his bag while Anna watched the pink petals with awe. “And that whatever it harmed could be fixed.”
Anna turned around with confusion to see Lyle carrying a book, which she needed a few moments to recognize. It was leatherbound with no words engraved on it.
“This fell into the stream the day we met, and I needed months to fix it. After that, I realized what it was and knew it would be the perfect gift.”
“My mother’s diary,” whispered Anna blankly as tears suddenly streamed down her face. “I thought that I lost that forever.”
“After I knew what it was, I was confused about how you could forgive us,” said Lyle. “If I wanted that forgiveness, then I needed to fix the things I did wrong, right?”
“You did more than enough,” said Anna as she received the book with adoration. “I never thought I could be this happy, Lyle. Thank you,” she said while hugging the book. “This is the last thing my mother left me and the only thing I could remember her by.”
