CHAPTER 1 - Maturity

----1----

"Do you 'Kiyoshi', take your partner 'Atsuko' as your lover, to survive by her side

through the good and also the bad days?"

"Yes," I said with a shaky voice. It was as if the entire life of my last 19 years was being

stolen from me.

"Will you love 'Atsuko', your partner... 'Kiyoshi', forever?"

When the knight said these words, the nervousness just poured out of me. Atsuko still

had the opportunity to dump me at that point. She would never do that...or would she? I

thought. I was extremely worried about what she would answer, even though I could

already guess what her answer would be.

"Yes," she answered with a broad grin. The smell of lavender spread throughout the

hall. The flowers from the podium made her even more beautiful than she already

was. Is it because her eyes are also as red as the flowers? They resemble a ruby... I

thought. An extreme burden was lifted from one to the other. I was finally able to

breathe deeply after 6 minutes of agony. When my gaze wandered back to her, I knew

immediately how she felt.

You could see that she was happy. Pure ions of happiness shot out of my body... If this

term even exists... You could probably see the joy I was feeling at that moment. Every

single person could have seen it at first glance. But something was strange. It was as if

I had dreamed about all of this. But the thought disappeared faster than the knight

could continue.

"The Aphragon Church hereby recognizes the love pact... between 'Kiyoshi' and

'Atsuko'," the knight announced to the hall in a strong voice, but with brief hesitation.

The reactions of the people were like at a music festival. One after another, the people

lined up stood up and started clapping in rhythm. After a few minutes, the celebration

that we had arranged began. Every table, in the

hall was occupied, which meant that the cooking staff that I had paid couldn't work with

that many people. But I didn't let the little things spoil my day. I enjoyed the day to the

fullest, because it was the happiest day. I wanted to thank the knight who volunteered

to be my best man, but he was about to leave. Why is he in such a hurry... I should at

least thank him. I ran after him at a faster pace.

"Hey, wait a minute!" I shouted after him before he walked out the door to give me his

attention.

He stopped, but didn't turn around, so I walked past him.

"Thanks again for the help," I said, turning around so that he could look me straight in

the eyes. His eyes were hidden, however. "I don't know what we would have done

without you. If you want, you can of course join the party. Feel free to help yourself to

the food as well."

The shining iron helmet covered his face, and the breastplate, with the insignia of the

Aphragon Church, covered his body. His eyes were very difficult to see due to the

lighting conditions. But when I offered him to take part in the celebration, his response

was more unexpected than I thought

"It's all good, but I can't accept the offer. I still have something to do," he said in a

monotonous tone.

"Very well. Then be blessed," I said.

I rejoined the celebration, which continued uninterrupted during this interaction. The

celebration was, to be honest, nothing special. The only thing that stood out was

Atsuko. The person who has been with me since the 'Great Plague Expansion' and

swore her loyalty to me. Now that I think about it... The 'Great Plague Expansion' must have

broken out, east of Labrun 14 years ago. Good thing that's over now though.

With every step I took, the sun got lower and lower until it was barely visible. It was like

a time lapse in which time around me was moving ten times faster than I would have

liked. Before I knew it, Atsuko tapped me from the side as I was saying goodbye to the

guests.

"Hey, it's about time we go home too," she said, whereupon I turned my gaze to the

sky to make sure what time it was.

"That's right, you can see the stars shining up high," I answered her, with a drained and tired voice.

----2----

I took a deep breath and let the staff do the rest. I thought that all of this was not

enough to make this day perfect, which is why I suggested a detour before we got

home. I was looking for a place that matched her beauty. But there were two

conditions for this place to be met. She had to still be wearing her wedding dress, which

she did. Secondly, the moon had to shine upright on the surface, which it also did. All

conditions were therefore met. The only thing that still worried me was: Will she even

like it?

Each step was heavier than the last, but the burden would be lifted when we reached

the place. I was sure of that, because everything was coordinated with Atsuko. Just past

these bushes and trees... I thought.

"Atsuko... look," I told her as I pushed the bushes aside.

A narrow path opened up, surrounded by trees. The moon lit up the path, so there

were no stumbles. We walked along the path at a steady pace while she held my hand.

When we reached the end, Atsuko stopped with a big step.

"I love you, Kiyoshi..." she said with her mouth wide open. It was as if she had just seen a

ghost - or rather a living corpse. But this expression immediately changed into

something more indescribable. You could see that she was holding back her tears. This

sight immediately burned itself into my brain.

A meter-long meadow of flowers appeared before us. However, only one type of flower

was blooming: Alpine crocus. The meadow was not only unique because of its flowers.

The second condition played a major role. The moon shone on the flowers, making

them shine like stars. It was as if my hopes were gathered in one place. She let go of

my hand and ran onto the meadow, laughing. She stopped at the center and looked at

the moon. This time, I was left breathless, not her. The first condition exceeded my

expectations. The dress glittered like a starry sky because of the moon. I could never

have forgotten that moment. Only one thought floated through my mind. How beautiful...

Before I could say anything, Atsuko did. She turned energetically to me and her eyes

shone with joy. You could see how extremely happy she was. It was as if she was falling

in love with me again.

"What are you waiting for? Come to me!" she shouted in an overeager tone. Her grin

was hard to beat. The atmosphere engulfed everything around her and colored her more

beautifully than the blue of the sea. In this mood, even the wounds of a man who had

experienced nothing but suffering would heal. Deep psychological wounds.

I ran to her as if it was my destiny. Everything was too perfect... It was as if I had only

lived for this moment. As I stood next to her, she grabbed my hand and started

laughing uncontrollably again. It was not the laughter of someone who had just heard

a joke. It was the laughter of someone who had just discovered love. Tears gathered in

her eyes, but they did not flow. Love leads to unknown feelings that people cannot

prepare for. They hit you without warning and then leave again. That is exactly how we

both felt. We started to spin. It was like the spinning of a carousel. I suddenly felt dizzy

and we fell. We lay on our backs on the grass, and the impact caused broken flowers to

fly through the air. I looked at the moon as the flowers slowly fell down. What did I do

to deserve this unforgettable moment... I thought. We enjoyed the moment without

speaking. The scenery could easily have come out of a painting.

"Did you know... that stars are just accumulations of gas?" she suddenly asked me. I

replied with a simple "hm?" and she continued.

"You would think that the stars have nothing in common with us humans. But they are

much more similar to us than they seem. We, like the stars, are just a collection of

chained moments - or memories. These memories are what make us human," she

said.

I was speechless. This little sentence, full of philosophical ideas, fascinated me. The

atmosphere adapted to us, which made me tired.

"We should go slowly..." I said. Deep down, I could have just lain here forever and

listened to Atsuko speak. It was like a balm for my ears. But as contradictory as it

seemed, all moments were fleeting... I thought.

----3----

I supported myself with my arms as I lifted myself up from the meadow and looked

down at Atsuko. I held out my hand to her, which she took without saying a word and

pulled herself up with some strength. Suddenly I was overcome by the feeling of

impending doom, which is why I looked around in fear. The goosebumps started on

my arms and rose up to my neck. I already had this feeling during the Great Plague Expansion. It can't mean anything good... I thought.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Atsuko asked me. She tapped me on the shoulder, and for

some reason it calmed me down. I looked at her when suddenly a figure appeared

behind her. Before I could warn her, something shiny pierced her back. It was a sword.

The tip of the sword pierced her body and peeked out of her. I was speechless, and

didn't know any better. The figure let go of the sword's handle while it was still in

Atsuko's chest. Deep red blood dripped from the tip of the sword and colored some

flowers. I couldn't get a single word out of me, but I looked up at her. She fell to the

ground, but I caught her. Her eyes lost their shine with every drop of blood.

"Atsuko! We just promised each other that we would never separate! You can't do this

to me! I beg you..." I shouted at her without hesitation. But it seemed that my words no

longer reached her. It was too late... She was lying in my arms when she died. My

emotions were building up so much that I could no longer suppress them. I let out a

pitiful scream. The figure disappeared with slow, yet pain-ridden steps. The tears that

flowed from me bounced off her cheek. Suddenly a colorless aura surrounded me. It

was invisible to the human eye, but I felt it as it briefly blinded me. It was as if fate was

trying to spare me the sight of Atusko's corpse. At that point, I didn't know how much

more the pain would develop.