Promise

"Where have you been?!"

Matias flinched, glancing away. "I-I… um… I was meeting with a friend…."

She raised an eyebrow. "A friend…? Who exactly… was this friend?"

Matias hesitated, thinking it over for a moment before responding. It was only now he realized that he only knew Fabian's first name. But he was aware that Fabian didn't know it either, so he didn't blame his friend. "U-Um… their name's Fabian…."

"Fabian?" His dad echoed. "What's his last name?"

"I-I don't know."

"What about his parents? Do you know them?"

"He…" He considered lying, but seeing the expressions his parents were giving him threatened him to tell the truth. "H-He doesn't… have parents…." There was silence in the room, as Matias's parents processed the sentence. The moment the gears clicked, the room immediately burst into shouting. Matias flinched, turning his head away from his parents' faces.

"You've been hanging out with some beggar on the street?!" His father shouted.

"I-I… no! I promise, F-Fabian's not like that!" Matias countered. "H-He's a really good friend, I promise. I've known him since I was eight…."

"Since you were eight, huh?" His mother let out an irritated sigh. "So? Those poor people would just use people like us for money! They don't know what work is."

"Fabian does!" Matias shouted, feeling his anger rise. "He works really hard!"

"Hard at what, exactly?!"

Matias went silent, which practically told them the answer. "Nothing good." His dad hissed. "Probably steals things."

Matias tugged at his shirt sleeve, continuing to stare at the floor. He really didn't want to continue this conversation, just wanting to leave. But he hardly believed he would be able to get out with just a tiny lecture. Despite that, there was complete silence once again. It made Matias wonder what was going to happen, anticipation filling him.

His mother took a step forward, slapping him across the cheek. "Your room. Now. You're grounded."

Matias's eyes widened. "H-Huh?"

"You heard me. You're grounded for three weeks." She pointed across the hallway. "Room. Now."

Matias stared at her with wide eyes, tears threatening to fall. He ran down the hallway, entering his room and slamming the door behind him. He slid down the wall, coming to sit in the fetal position on the floor. He was crying silently, not wanting to get in more trouble for crying. He was aware of just how bad Fabian's attachment problems were. He'd realized it the one time he didn't come to see the thief for three days. If he was missing for three weeks… he wasn't sure what would happen. And he didn't want to know.

Those three weeks were probably the most horrible time of his life. They dragged on for what felt like years, as stress and worry continuously filled his head. Matias was scared, terrified of the possibilities. What if he gets upset? What if he starts hating me? He fell backwards onto his bed, covering his eyes. What if he's just gone? That was the possibility he hated the most. The possibility that Fabian would have died.

Of course, having been grounded, he didn't know about the collapse in town. And of course, no one knew where he was. They all thought that Matias Dovel was dead. But he couldn't refute it, because he didn't know about it. No one bothered to ask anything about the Dovel family, since they weren't all too appreciated. However, Matias was the one exception in this family.

The three weeks finally passed. The moment his mother opened the door, Matias sprinted out and immediately left the house. He didn't bother to listen to what either of his parents said, wanting to locate Fabian first and explain what happened. When he came out of his house, the people in the streets stared at him with wide eyes. He didn't notice them, as his mind was tunneling on finding Fabian first. He glanced towards the clock, noticing it was close to the time where the two would meet at that tree.

He quickly ran out of the town, catching more and more of the same looks from the other people around town. Matias finally started noticing them, wondering what all the fuss was about. He neared the tree, looking around to see if he could spot something familiar.

Matias came to a complete stop when fully under the tree, circling around it. He didn't see Fabian anywhere. His glancing around became more frantic, desperate to spot his friend. Where is he? Did he go somewhere else because I haven't been showing up? Matias bit on his thumbnail, a small nervous habit that he had. Who should I ask? Maybe… maybe…. Matias's eyes widened, realizing there was something wrong. Who am I trying to think about? Weren't there some other people who would occasionally hang out with us two? He pulled at his hair, desperate to remember anything. Was there? I can't remember. Is my mind playing tricks on me?

He quickly shook the thoughts out of his head, running back into town. Matias ran through every single alleyway and street, trying to find any sign of Fabian. Desperation was filling him, to the point where he was hardly paying attention

"Hey!"

Matias froze on the spot, turning to the voice. He definitely recognized it, but he didn't remember who it belonged to. "Yes…?"

From the crowd of people, the young girl from three weeks ago walked up to him. "Hello, do you remember me?"

Matias nodded his head. "I do… what do you need?"

She hesitated for a moment, glancing away before looking back. "Um… well, first I'd like to introduce myself. M_My name's K-Karla…."

"Nice to meet you…." Matias was having a hard time keeping the disappointed out of his voice. "Sorry, I'm not in a great mood right now…."

Karla nodded her head. "I-I know… I'm just surprised… I thought you died."

"What?!" Matias shouted. "What do you mean?!"

Karla's eyes widened, slightly shocked. "D-Do you not know what happened?"

He shook his head. "I've been grounded for the past three weeks, I have no clue what's happened."

"O-Oh." Karla hesitated, glancing away. "I-I'm sorry…."

Matias frowned. "For what…?"

Karla winced, continuing to stare at the floor. "Y-Your friend, the purple haired one… I-I think he's gone…."

Matias's breathing hitched at that sentence, going silent for a second. "W-What…?"

Karla raised her hand to nose, as if trying to shield her face away. "I-I don't know, no one's seen him for several days. We all thought you died… a-and I'm pretty sure he took it the worst way possible."

"He…." Matias didn't finish his thought, covering his mouth. Did he really? I know how he felt, but he wouldn't, right? "Did he think I was dead?"

Karla nodded her head, finally having the courage to make eye contact again. "H-He did. He was the one who told me…."

Matias stared at Karla with a blank expression, finally connecting the dots. "Oh." He went silent, tilting his head to the floor. "I see. Thanks for telling me."

Karla rubbed her arm, taking a step away. "Y-You're welcome. I'm… going to go now." She turned away, leaving Matias with his thoughts. He stood there for a moment, before walking back towards the exit of town. Once again, he found himself underneath the tree, staring up at the leaves.

A gust of wind softly blew by, causing the leaves to rustle. Matias winced, finally feeling the tears he'd kept at bay spill out. He refused to start sobbing, wanting to keep the silence in this field. He never had admitted it before, but he'd become quite reliant on Fabian. Fabian was a person that was capable of making him more assertive, yet still keep his original personality. He was never forced to do anything, unlike what his parents did. And it was fun. It was fun to hang out with him. It was fun to watch Fabian mess around. It was… fun to be friends with him.

But it was lost, because Matias couldn't keep track of the time.

He sniffled, wiping at his eyes. But those tears refused to stop, as he dropped down into the grass, laying down on his side. He very clearly remembered this position, which left an empty feeling in his heart. He felt, so incredibly lonely now. He didn't know what to do, having lost that one important person in his life. What am I supposed to do? He wondered. I've lost my only friend, so what should I do? He let out a shaky sigh, gripping onto the grass.

There were soft footsteps on the grass, a shadow casting over him. "Are you okay?"

Matias titled his head to look towards the newcomer, spotting a girl about his age. Dirty blonde hair, a simple shirt and jacket. Dark blue eyes, and slightly tanned skin. He sat up, staring her up and down. "Who are you…?"

She paused for a second. "My name's Miracle!" She smiled, sticking her hand out. "What's your name?"

~~~~~~~~~

Matias sighed, staring up at the sky. It'd been seven years since Fabian went missing, making him about twenty-years-old at this point. He didn't live with his parents anymore. Thank God. He thought to himself, crossing his arms.

"Matias!" Miracle shouted out to him. "Good morning!"

Matias glanced to his side, giving Miracle a soft smile. "Good morning…."

Miracle stopped, looking him up and down. "Where'd you get that jacket?"

Matias shrugged. "I thought it looked nice… so I got it." It was a dark blue with a white gradient, something similar to snow. There were bits of fluff lining the edges of the jacket, giving the illusion it was a winter coat. It was actually quite light, much to Matias's liking.

Miracle smiled. "It suits you!" She came and sat down on the bench next to him. "So, what's the plan today?"

"I don't know… why don't you think of something?" Matias offered.

"Sure!" Miracle hummed, tapping her lip. "We could go on a walk, if you want to. Or-"

"Miracle!" Matias recognized that voice, seeing Miracle's mother running towards her. "C'mon, we've got a job to do!"

Miracle sighed. "Sorry, Matias. We'll have to leave this 'till later." She stood up, giving a wave goodbye. "See you later!"

Matias nodded, giving a wave back. "Goodbye…."

Miracle ran after her parents, leaving Matias alone. He sighed, deciding to take a walk around the town. His mood had definitely improved over the years. It's been a while since I went to that place, I'll go take a look. Matias turned around, changing his direction towards the exit of the town. It was a very familiar path, as he hardly had to focus on walking to his destination.

Despite finally getting over his grief, he still felt incredibly sad whenever he visited the tree outside of his town. However, he enjoyed the feeling of nostalgia, reminding him of just how enjoyable it had been those years ago. However, this day, someone got there before him. Matias hesitated at the bottom of the hill, spotting the back of a person. They were staring up at the tree, having rather long hair. Who is that? No one comes out here….

They sighed, staying silent. He assumed it was a girl, with how long their hair was. "Hm… well isn't this place familiar…." Their voice proved otherwise, clearly belonging to that of a guy. Matias felt slightly embarrassed at his assumption. They laughed to themselves, but there was something slightly sad behind that laughter. "God, I miss you…." They fell into the grass, laying on their side. "Why does this seem so lonely… being here by myself…."

Matias walked up the hill, glancing down at the stranger. "Hello…."

The stranger blinked at him for a moment, before sitting up quickly. "Why hello there! Nice to meet you!" They jumped up from the grass, placing a smile on his face. "Who are you? What brings you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Matias smiled softly. "People don't typically come up here…."

The stranger nodded their head. "Yeah, I know! I used to come here all the time as a kid!"

Matias frowned, wondering who exactly this was. It was a bit unclear to him. He stared at them, taking in their features. Long, purple hair. A black jacket, lavender shirt. And teal eyes. "Hey, you're staring awfully long at my face…." They teased.

Matias flinched, looking away and feeling embarrassed. "S-Sorry… I was just trying to see if I recognized you…."

"Hm…. I dunno, kinda seems like you're lying to me!"

"I-I'm not!" Matias retorted.

He laughed, waving his hand. "Relax, I'm just messing with you!" They stuck their hand out. "Anyways, my name's Fabian! Nice to meet you!"

Matias froze immediately, going silent. Fabian stared at Matias, raising an eyebrow with confusion. "Uh… you okay?" Matias hesitated for a second, wondering what exactly he should do. On impulse, he threw himself forwards, bringing Fabian into a hug. "Hey!" The two fell to the ground, landing in the grass. Fabian squirmed around slightly, not understanding what was happening. "Hey, I appreciate the gesture and all, but I don't really know you…?"

"Fabian…." Matias started. "That's a lie…."

Fabian went silent, thinking through it. His breath caught for a second, seeming to come to a small conclusion. "What's… what's your name…?"

"It's Matias."

Fabian immediately pushed the both of them up, grabbing Matias's hands and staring directly into his eyes. He slowly inched close, to the point their noses were touching. "R-Really? This… this isn't a prank, right?"

Matias laughed. "No, Fabian. If it was, how would I know about your childhood best friend?"

Fabian pulled away, letting go of Matias's hands and staring at the ground. He smiled slightly, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. "I-I'm not hallucinating, r-right?"

Matias sighed, feeling tears of his own start to develop. "N-No, you're not. I promise."

Fabian smiled, before he couldn't hold back his emotions. The dam broke, as Fabian remade the hug, and started sobbing. Matias returned the hug, as he started crying himself. There wasn't a word spoken, as they both allowed the other to cry it all out before trying to speak to one another.

Despite all the sobbing, the two were probably the happiest they could have been in the past couple of years. They were so co-dependant on one another, it was only natural this was the reaction to being reunited again. Fabian's cries died down fast, as he finally started speaking. "I thought you died…." He mumbled into Matias's chest, not raising his head up to make eye contact.

"I thought you did too…."

Fabian laughed, shaking his head. "Like you could ever kill me off…." He sniffled, before taking his head out of Matias's shirt. "So what happened? Why were you gone for so long?"

"Before I tell you, can you promise not to kill anyone?"

Fabian smiled. "Nope!"

Matias sighed. "Okay then…. I got grounded for staying out so late."

Fabian paused. "That can't be all there is to it. There's a little more, right?"

Matias nodded. "I told them I was hanging out with you, and they found out you were a thief. They didn't really approve of me hanging out with someone like that…."

Fabian frowned. "Oh… I thought you got crushed under some rubble."

"I know… Karla told me." Matias explained.

"Karla?"

"The girl that you helped find her ring."

"Oh! Her! Right," Fabian nodded. "God, it was just two misunderstandings? How upsetting…."

"I know, right?"

Fabian went silent, before he smiled and stood up. "Welp, depressing stuff over! It's been, what, seven years? We need to catch up! So, what have you been doing, Maimai?"

Matias smiled slightly at the nickname, however feeling equally embarrassed by it as well. "Ah, well, I moved out of my parents' house."

Fabian gasped. "Oh yay! That means I can make you move in with me!"

"What?"

"Not really, I don't own a house." Fabian pointed to the bag he had. "I'm actually a traveling apothecary!"

"Really?" Matias asked, slightly surprised. "I never would have thought you'd become something like that…."

Fabian snickered. "Well, let's just say a certain friend of mine made me wanna help people."

"Oh yeah? And who exactly was this friend?" Matias asked, slightly confident.

"I dunno! You should have met them!" Fabian said, tauntingly. "You would have liked them."

Matias frowned, keeping up with this bit. "Dang, I really wish I knew who they were."

Fabian laughed, bonking Matias's on the head. "It's you, silly! Stop being such a dummy!"

Matias huffed. "I knew it was me! I was just acting along!"

"Hehehe, maybe we should become duo actors! I bet we could pull it off!" Fabian grabbed Matias's hand. "Anyways, c'mon! Give me a tour! I haven't been here for a while, I wanna see if anything's changed!"

Matias smiled. "I can't exactly lead if you're the one dragging me."

Fabian gave a smug smile, letting go of Matias's hand. "Since when were you this confident?"

"Took after you, I guess." Matias shrugged, grabbing Fabian's hand. "Anyways, there hasn't been much that's changed, but we can go take a look around."

Fabian nodded. "Alrighty, take me around! This is our little 'friendship' date." Matias didn't exactly know what to think of the comment, not entirely sure if it was a lie or not. He decided to think about it later, wanting to focus on what was currently happening. His best friend, whom he thought was dead, was standing right next to him. Nothing had changed between them, as nostalgia filled the both of them.

It was such a familiar feeling, to be around each other again. A sense of comfort, a sense of knowing and calmness. Matias smiled to himself, seeing that things were starting to get better. Fabian laughed, a bright smile coming upon his face as well. He was feeling a lot better now, having found his best friend. Things really were looking up for them.

~~~~~~~

Fabian hesitated, slowly walking up to the base of the tree. The storm was still going on in the background, but the earthquake had settled already. He didn't know how to explain, and was afraid of what might happen.

"Fabian…." Matias started. "Why…?"

Fabian bit his lip, trying to think before trying to explain. "Okay, Matias, I know this looks bad but-"

"No, I don't care if it looks bad, I want to know why!" He shouted, raising a sword. Fabian glanced at the blade with worry. They never talked about it often, but Matias was actually quite skilled with a sword. Fabian really only had one safety net, but he wasn't nearly confident enough to fight Matias. "Give me an answer, before I have to do something I'll regret."

Fabian sighed, taking a small step backwards. "Okay, do you happen to know Hydema?"

"Yes, I do."

"This was caused by her." Fabian explained. "I may have added to the disaster, but I had to do it. If it happened for no reason, there would be more panic, and they may start disbelieving in the gods, and that'll cause issues in itself, to where we'd lose both Heaven and Hell, which would result in both of us dying and-"

"Hold on, slow down." Matias said, seeming slightly overwhelmed. "Fabian, I still don't know what exactly you are."

Fabian hesitated. "I'm… well… God, I guess… even if the title is hardly accurate…."

"Have you always been?"

Fabian nodded quickly. "Yes… I'm sorry I never told you…."

Matias lowered the sword slightly. "So… what's the reasoning?"

"I'm afraid that if I just let the natural disasters happen, and let people die without a reason, people would stop believing in me and Hydema. Which would result in us dying, as well as the people mainly associating with us. As well as Heaven and Hell to be taken out, which would just cause the entire world to be thrown into chaos." Fabian intertwined his fingers. "So, I had to take credit. In order to make sure that didn't happen."

Matias frowned. "Really…?"

"Mhm." Fabian nodded. "I'm guessing that Hydema planned for me to do this, and is wanting to take me out. Maybe… I'm not entirely sure…."

Matias hesitated. "Hydema is trying to kill you?"

"I'm not sure." Fabian replied. "So, I'm wanting to try and drag her out, some way, somehow. If I put myself in a vulnerable enough spot, then maybe she'll come out of Hell to come kill me."

"That's…." Matias hesitated. "Is there anyone helping you?"

Fabian nodded. "Two people."

Matias went silent, thinking for a moment. He glanced down at the sword in his hand, before glancing back towards the town. He sighed, dropping the sword in the grass. "Fabian… is there any way I can help you?"

Fabian's eyes widened. "What?"

"I want to help." Matias restated. "I don't want you to feel alone on this. There's only so much help you can get from two people. I know three isn't exactly all that many more, but I want to help out." He hesitated, before making direct eye contact with Fabian. "I'm your best friend, I should be the one helping you out. Because, didn't we make a promise?"

Fabian blinked, clearly not expecting this response. "Really… that promise doesn't really work in this context…."

"I think it does." Matias smiled softly. "If I'm down here, wouldn't that make me part of the people against you?"

Fabian shrugged. "If that's how you see it." He laughed, shaking his head. "Well, I'm going to ask you some odd questions then. Answer truthfully, will you?"

Matias nodded. "Send them at me."

"Matias... are you okay with the fact that you'll never be normal again?"

Matias nodded. "I am."

"Do you promise to follow my orders, no matter how drastic they may seem?"

"I will."

"Are you okay with the fact that you may never see someone that you care about again?"

Matias paused at that question. "If it's you, then I think I'll be okay."

Fabian hesitated, not realizing just how happy that comment made him feel. A small smile spread across his face. "Will you devote yourself to the betterment of humanity?"

Matias nodded. "Yes."

Fabian stepped forwards, coming face to face with Matias. A playful smile came across his face, knowing there was practically no point in asking this question. "Alright. Last one. Do you promise to never betray me?"

Matias laughed. "You're wanting to be extra cryptic here?"

Fabian laughed as well. "Just answer the question!"

"Of course." Fabian sighed, grabbing Matias's hand.

"Well then, Matias…." Fabian wiped at his eyes, feeling a few tears threaten to fall from his eyes. "Welcome to Heaven." He flew upwards, flying towards the clouds. He dodge through some of the ones that had more lightning in them, hoping he wasn't making Matias motion sick. He sped towards the clouds, quickly drawing the circle required to reach his destination. Fabian narrowly dodged a stray bolt of lightning, before successfully reaching it through the portal.

He let out a sigh of relief, dropping backwards into the clouds. Matias sat there, staring at his newfound wings. "Hehe, are you happy now?"

Matias smiled. "Well, I get to hang out with you more often now, right?"

Fabian blinked, before he laughed. "Is that really your priority right now?" He shook his head, sitting up. "God, you're such a dork."

"Referring to yourself there."

Fabian caught himself, letting out a groan. "Okay, listen! I'm just used to saying it!"

Matias laughed, scooting over. "Hey, at least with these I can do this." He covered Fabian up with the wings, almost like a blanket. "Comfy."

Fabian blushed slightly, pushing Matias off of him. "Priorities! I've gotta go introduce you to Lucas! I can introduce you to the other person some other time, they aren't here." Fabian stood up, reaching his hand. "It'll be like old times, 'kay?"

Matias smiled, taking Fabian's hand. "Is that a promise?"

Fabian smiled. "Of course."