William Von Ainsworth, that was his name.
I came to know about it after I mustered my courage and asked for his name. Strange, it was such a good name, how did I forget it? How could I possibly forget the name of the person, who extended his hand to me when I needed it the most?
Okay! This time, I will not forget his name. I will remember it with all of my heart!
“Big Brother, when are we going to leave?” I asked. “I don’t have much luggage with me, so we can leave anytime.”
Big Brother, Ian, and Princess Sidonie looked at me at the same time.
Um? Why are the three of you looking at me like that? Isn’t it a given that I will follow Big Brother wherever he goes?
From what I could gather from our earlier conversation, he was planning to climb a tower named Babylon. This was the first time that I had heard about such a place, but that didn’t matter. As long as I was with Big Brother, any place we went would be wonderful!
“We?” Big Brother looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. “Sorry, Chiffon. I will not be taking you with me either.”
I tilted my head in confusion, because I thought that I misheard Big Brother’s words.
“You’re not taking me?” I asked.
“No,” Big Brother answered. “Stay here in the academy with Ian and Sidonie. They will look after you while I’m away.”
I didn’t know what expression I was making, nor did I care. Only Big Brother’s rejection echoed in my mind.
‘Why? I’ve been a good girl. I did everything right. Why are you leaving me behind?’
These were the things that I wanted to say out loud, but I wasn’t able to do it. I felt light headed, and Big Brother’s next words made me feel as if the ground under my feet was being torn apart.
‘Did he say that he is going to be away for a month? What will I do then? Wait for him to return? What if he doesn’t return? What if he just leaves me behind?’
‘Am I going to be abandoned once again? No! I didn’t want to be alone! I don’t want to be alone!’
It was at that precise moment when I felt a gaping hole inside my heart. This was similar to the feeling I had when my mother died. This was the feeling of parting with someone forever.
“Big Brother, you’re going to leave me?” I asked in a desperate attempt to convince Big Brother to take me with him to the Tower of Babylon. “You’re going to leave me alone?”
I watched as Big Brother wiped away the tears in my eyes, and assured me that Ian and Princess Sidonie would look after me.
But, I didn’t want them to look after me. I only want to be with Big Brother.
My mother once told me what falling in love felt like. She said that love was a feeling that makes you feel that you were unable to live without that person by your side. Being apart from the one you love would make your heart ache.
Simply put, it was a painful experience.
Yes. It is very painful. Right now, I feel like my heart is breaking.
‘I don’t want Big Brother to leave me,’ I thought. Deep inside, I know that there was only one thing that I could do in order to make Big Brother and I stay by each other’s side forever.
Yes. There was only one way.
Just thinking about it made me feel hungry.
‘Big Brother… I want to eat you…’
That was the last thought in my head before Big Brother grabbed hold of me and took me to a place I hadn’t seen before.
The place was very beautiful. There was a house near the sea, and it gave me a very relaxing feeling.
‘Um? Big Brother? Where are you going? Why are you running away? Don’t run. Let me just take a bite, I promise it won’t hurt!’
When I came around, I couldn’t see anything. I thought I still had my eyes closed, so I opened them wide.
But, nothing changed.
Darkness…
Darkness as far as I could see…
It was one of the saddest things in my memories…
I didn’t know how long I stayed in that dark, and lonely world.
It could have been a few minutes.
It could have been hours.
Days…
Months…
Perhaps, even years had passed.
I wanted to lay down, close my eyes, and just sleep forever. Maybe the next time I opened my eyes, I would be with my mother again. I missed her terribly. If possible, I wanted to be with her again.
As I was about to lay down on the ground, I saw light in the distance. The light was very small, just like the light of a candle that could disappear at any moment.
‘It must be an illusion,’ I thought. ‘I should just lie down and sleep.’
However, the light expanded and it was drawing closer to me.
When I saw that familiar red hair, and those beautiful green eyes filled with worry, I felt like crying.
That’s what I did.
I cried.
Not long after that, I found myself enclosed in a tight embrace.
It felt warm, it felt nice, it felt safe, it felt like love.
“Big Brother, please, don’t leave me,” I pleaded. My voice sounded very weak because I felt really exhausted. In fact, if Big Brother wasn’t supporting me, I would definitely collapse on the ground due to how weak my knees were.
“I promise that I’ll be a good girl, so, please, don’t leave me behind.” I held him as tightly as I could, but I didn’t have enough strength. I could feel my grip weakening, and my consciousness was failing me.
Just before I closed my eyes to sleep, I heard Big Brother’s words that were filled with tenderness.
“Okay. I won’t leave you behind. I promise,” Big Brother replied. I could feel his embrace getting tighter. It was as if he was unwilling to let me go.
‘Big Brother, I think I am really in love with you.’
That was the last thing I thought before I fell asleep in his embrace.
—–
The Guardian who was observing Chiffon from the Heavens smiled. He could tell that the pink-haired girl was at the last phase of her Heart Devil. The red crystal floating above her chest was now littered with cracks.
The light inside it was very bright. Bright enough to illuminate the desolate plane where he currently resided.
The Final Phase of the Heart Devil was to make the person feel very happy, at least, for a brief period of time.
When that happiness reached a turning point, that was when the Heart Devil would strike, and shatter that happiness into a thousand pieces.
The Guardian pointed his finger, and a red beam of light shot out from its tip. This beam hit Chiffon’s red crystal and made it glow brighter.
The Guardian was multiplying the power of the Heart Devil, to ensure that when Chiffon’s heart finally broke, her body and soul would completely belong to him.
