CHAPTER 25: Let Us Redeem Ourselves

The next day, she was all better as well, drank her medicine and ate heartily.

And before they depart for their next destination, the other four spoke to her.

"Don't apologize," before they could speak, she stopped them.

"I already told you millions of times, you can feel whatever you want, speak whatever you want and I won't stop you. Because I do have my own feelings and emotions that you have no right to stop."

"Our relationship will it ever be mended?" Willow slowly asked her.

She was more inclined in supporting Drake and being a bit colder than the rest towards Saphira because of her own emotion.

But she knew Hunter was right last night and the night before.

"Who knows?" Saphira replied.

"I still treat you as my friends, I still treat you as my precious ones. That's what I know."

She didn't wait for their reactions before stretching and leaving to prepare for their departure.

Hunter watched Drake, who also left silently, hoping that what he said has at the very least remained in his heart.

"She treats us as her friends but in the end our prejudice caused her to end up being cold not even listening to us," Nixon chuckled bitterly.

Even when he and Stormie wanted to make amends with her, she spoke the same words.

She never told them anything that would at the very least allow them to properly apologize to her.

"She received so much negative things from us, I guess treating us as her friends..."

Stormie added but she didn't continue because all of them are already aware of what she wanted to say.

*****

Their days continued and Saphira acted the same way as before.

The heavy atmosphere surrounding them slowly dissipated with her laughs and smiles and her nonchalant attitude.

From time to time she would look pale and all she would say was that she used too much of her ability. All they could think of was because her beast had died and it might be a negative effect when the inborn beast died.

They would encounter dead forests that was enveloped with miasma and all they could do was sigh and eradicate the demonic beasts staying in there.

Saphira would look at these forests silently for a good while before they depart.

But no one knows what she was thinking or if she was praying for it.

They let her do as she please before they will walk ahead.

Drake's attitude towards her mellowed after Hunter's beating.

But he still remained distant from her.

Hunter tried asking her why she had kept quiet about so many things and all her replies were, "That wouldn't change anything."

He gave up soon after because it was very obvious that she really didn't want to talk more about it or to elaborate what had happened back then.

She acted the same but at the same time she acted differently.

She became distant with the others other than Hunter as compared to when they just met again.

Seeing as they were close to the Empire, Stormie could no longer hold it in.

"Saphira we really need to talk."

Saphira looked at her and together with her was Nixon and Ridge.

Willow felt it was better this way, that they interact but the distance was still there since she is more inclined in being on Drake's side.

And among them the most that Drake interacted with was Willow as well.

Though he still treat the rest as his friends but because of the change in him after his brother's death, the interaction was no longer just like in the past where they would always laugh around when resting or in vacation.

"I told you, you can feel whatever you want but can't I do the same?" she asked looking at them.

"Please let us redeem ourselves to you. It is true we had our prejudice but Hunter was right, we have completely forgotten just how injured you were back then," Nixon sincerely said towards her.

Saphira looked away and sighed.

"What do you want to hear from me then? Please don't include me for what my sister did? I wasn't the one who killed them? Should I beg all of you to treat me the same way as before?"

She smiled bitterly, "I sincerely treat you still as my friends I will protect you and support you no matter what. But can't I at least have this much pride left in me? The pride that I can go on without begging anyone to give me attention?"

"That is why we want to speak with you, don't do that. We were the ones in the wrong, she was your sister yes but just as you said, you are not her. Sorry, we really are sorry. Sorry for making it even harder for you after we had just met," Ridge removed his glasses and bowed at her.

Nixon and Stormie informed him of her words while they are thinking of ways to make up for everything towards her.

Nixon followed and then Stormie.

Saphira sighed, "I told you, I may have been angry but not anymore. Yes I was angry when I heard your words on that day. I am telling you this not because I am completely fine because the pain is still here, that I still can't be trusted by my friends."

She looked at the three of them then at Willow and lastly at Drake.

"I am very much hurt but if I don't let it go, won't I be the one suffering? Won't I still be the one in pain right now? I distanced myself from you not because I lied about you still being precious to me. But instead because I am saving myself from getting hurt even more."

She bit her lower lip and nodded her head before continuing.

"Because what I don't want to happen the most is for me to end up hating you for causing me too much pain. Hating you to the point of no return, I don't want the negative emotions in my heart to consume me as a person."

Drake was hit by her words, because his hatred had been consuming him as a person causing the changes in his personality.

On the other hand, Stormie thought for a bit before speaking up, "We will do better. The pain of what happened back then will never be erased but we can only look forward right? We will do better then."

She was speaking not only about herself but she knew Nixon and Ridge felt the same way. Because the three of them have talked about it.

Willow, well, they understood that her feelings for Drake is what is causing her to act a bit cold towards Saphira, that she was hurting for Drake as well.

But what about the three of them?

She never blamed them for anything, not when she gets hurt or not when she had to do things on her own because they didn't listen to her.

Then can't they do better as well?

Can't they be better childhood friends as well?

Saphira took a deep breath, "Then if you can trust me, I really would feel better."

She looked awkward in replying to their serious apology.

She can seriously let it go, that is the most she had learned after the tragedy. She can let it go and accept that she was angry, that she was hurt and be done with it.

She just needed time and to distance herself for a bit in order to properly heal.

And to properly accept the negative feelings she had towards them.

They are called ugliness, the negative feeling one person have.

Hatred, anger, distrust, jealousy and more.

They are ugliness that some couldn't fully accept they had them.

They are ugliness once contained too much will cause a different harm on that person.

A harm called darkness that will slowly eat them up until they are turned into someone who only wants destruction.

But by accepting everything, facing it and acepting that that was the type of person you are.

Those negative feelings will become a part of you and it will not turn to darkness.

She was doing just this by distancing herself in order to accept what she already had but they came to her first with sincerity that she didn't expect and somehow she feels awkward.

As she was used to accepting things, being confronted this way, caused her to act differently.

Because one way of removing that darkness is by the other person to speak with you through their hearts and for the both of you to confront the negative emotions between the two fo you.

Stormie smiled widely before rushing and hugging her, "I promise I will trust you from now on and I won't let anything more to cloud my decisions."

"Hmmm," was all she could reply before patting her back.

'It is because you never blamed them nor cursed at them. Because of your broad understanding, they were able to see just how narrow their visions had been. It was you who helped them grow Saphira. You really did great,' Hunter complimented her in his mind while smiling at her.

And somehow Saphira understood what his eyes are saying that she could only blink before smiling in defeat.

~~~~~

"To think that your personality alone is what allowed you to nip off that little darkness in them. I wonder how much more you can do as you grow even more. I can't wait, I just can't wait to the day that we are to finally see each other face to face."

After a pause.

"And for you to be able to understand the essence of everything so fast. Commendable indeed, remarkable."

~~~~~