359. Odysseus, 9

(Rose)

I sat there for a long time, looking at the sky ever changing, above a quiet city.

I was sitting on the highest rooftop, where I had face Judge a few hours ago.

Now I was just there, breathing quietly, filling my eyes with sights of this land and this nice looking sky. Fresh air, above the lingering curse of the dead below.

Breathing peacefully, just being myself as I wish to be for a moment.

I saw a bird flying toward me in the sky, soon followed by another.

The giant crow and the blue bird landed further on this rooftop, close to me.

Bleue and Ana folded their wings and walked to see me as I sat there, enjoying the soft wind on my skin.

B - Rose?

I looked at her and smiled. She was feeling a little uneasy.

Probably because my hair and my skin had lost all pigmentation. I was now pale as a ghost, with thinner blond to white hair floating around my head. Too much light released does that to me.

B - What happened?

R - It's over. Judge is gone. He was still much weaker than I expected. So I was able to take care of it in the end.

B - Your hair...

R - It keeps me light.

I grin. She admits her defeat and comes to hug me before sitting next to me.

B - Ana told me she saw you fight. That you were flying with wings of light?

R - You know how she always exaggerate things.

A - Not true. Rose can fly! With light!

R - I'm just teasing you Ana. Look over there.

The widest building ahead of us has its façade covered with soot and marks of blaze.

R - That was the traces of me burning Judge to ashes. And yes, once my awareness had shifted away from my body to focus on handling the surrounding ambient power, I was able to float over it for a while... It was a little like dreaming awake. Everything obeyed me, but I mostly wanted to wake up rapidly.

B - So the artefact was pointless.

R - No. It's still stronger, easier and safer to use. You should know.

Bleue came back with a glowing shard, using it to fly to me in a rush.

I open her hand and drop something inside. A copper ring.

B - That's...

R - Another wish stone. A summoning stone. The kind which tried to exist in the real world, with the identity of the judge you invented. Its mortal body is gone, but its spore probably still exists inside that ring. Like a flower returning into its seed. It's dormant again. One day, if you wish so, you can awake it again, preferably giving it a new persona to incarnate. It will still only be an imitation, but it will look just as real.

Bleue holds onto the ring. I was surprised to see it remain after the explosion of light, but now it's mostly empty. Our weird accident won't happen again.

B - I'm still surprised, you were able to fight like Licht just like that.

R - I told you you should trust me.

B - Why don't you keep such power available all the time?

I shut her up with a soft kiss. Lips pressed lightly for a few seconds.

I remember asking the same question to Blume before.

R - Because I want to live as a human first of all. I don't want to exist solely as a daiûa. I just want to live as myself, not extend and grow a power over the world. And also, that would attract the unwanted attention of other beings-like-her, whom certainly will be stronger than I am.

I don't want to enter a competition in that jungle. I'm wise enough to know that would be extremely dangerous.

Bleue had forgotten about that. She remembers.

Also, the longer I would stay in this inhuman state, I could tell the higher the chance I just would lose myself there was. I could forget my humanity and my body if I wasn't careful.

I don't want that.

R - So... Let's go bloom some flowers, shall we?

Bleue's face began to beam again.

~

As we travelled toward the coast again, Bleue rewrote my own tale, making a hero of me.

I had defeated Judge, a god like being, in his own tower above hell.

I had prevailed over the lord of the dead in his own land. Using the powers I had found visiting both heaven and hell, I defeated the Judge ruling over all.

B - You're my legend Rose. And you didn't sacrifice yourself like I feared you would. You came to me, bleached head to toes, but alive.

R - Of course. I love you. And I love this world, and my life in it. No matter what I am in nature, my identity is clear.

B - You're my beloved Rose.

R - Exactly.

To Bleue, I'm now a hero of legends though. Or rather, I will inspire her that way even further.

As long as it's a hero and not a god, I'm fine with that.

We're reaching the sea from a different side. The landscape has completely changed since we left home.

In the distance, beyond forests, we can see the ruins of large harbour cities. There's a fair chance we could find there what we were looking for in this land.

Sweet dreams, and new flowers to bloom.

~