“The promise that I will live?”
“Yes, I wanted to know if you want me to complete the promise.”
“…?”
“You will live, but for Eternity.”
Neo’s uplifted mood was plunged into the depths of an icy ocean. He realized he hadn’t been able to help Elizabeth.
Sure, he was trying to save her, but she would be forced to live for Eternity. If he was to believe Ava, Elizabeth would never die after consuming the Everwitch Violet.
He could use his Concept to ‘kill’ her. Though that didn’t change the fact that he had failed to find a no-risk method for Elizabeth.
Neo bit his lips. He never succeeded. Every time when it counted, he failed to make a change.
“Are you alright, Miss Guardian Fairy?”
Elizabeth held Neo’s hand and squeezed it lightly after sensing his downcast mood.
He smiled, trying to put up a front.
“I’ve never been better than now, child,” he said. “Now, do you want me to save you? Or would you rather that I do not do that?”
Elizabeth didn’t answer immediately.
She seemed to be in deep thought.
Neo was a bit surprised when he didn’t sense malicious emotions from her.
“Are you not angry at me?”
“For what?”
“I tricked you. I told you I would save you, but now, I came to tell you that there is a condition attached. “
“That doesn’t change how I feel. I’m happy that Miss Guardian Fairy came to meet me again.”
Again, Neo was surprised to see her—the Tyrant—talk so innocently.
He wondered if she would act the same in real life after he revealed he had been the ‘Miss Guardian Fairy’, not that he was planning to do that.
“What… is Eternity?” she asked after thinking about it for a long time. “Is it something scary?”
“Eternity isn’t scary or comforting. It’s All-Consuming.”
Neo could’ve sugar-coated his words.
He should’ve sugar-coated his words.
But he wanted Elizabeth to know what Eternity was. Receiving a ‘yes’ from her to save her wouldn’t matter if he had to trick her by lying about Eternity.
“All-Consuming?”
“As long as you have a desire, you will find Eternity beautiful.
“When you have nothing left, no goal, no aspiration, Eternity will become a cage.”
Neo continued.
“That’s why Eternity is All-Consuming.
“You have to keep giving it your goals to devour.
“As long as your mountain of goals doesn’t end, Eternity will be a peaceful voyage.
“And when your mountain of goals is completely devoured, and Eternity has nothing left to eat, it will turn to you and feast on you instead,” Neo explained.
He wondered if his explanation was hard to understand for Elizabeth.
“Do you want to live for Eternity, child?”
Elizabeth thought about the answer. She fiddled with Neo’s hand and pondered over his words.
“I have a goal,” she said. “I want to live. To see happiness. To see what lies beyond the world I’ve been forced to live.
“I want to meet my daughter and hug her. I want to meet Neo and thank him. I want to meet Master and tell her I was happy to have someone like her in my life, and…”
She stopped.
A lump seemed to have formed in her throat.
Neo waited for her.
“I want to meet Clara and Paul and apologize to them.”
“You didn’t do anything—”
“I wronged them,” Elizabeth said, not waiting for Neo to speak. “I trusted my decisions and believed my choices were the best.
“I thought I had seen the cruelty of the world, and only by returning cruelty to it would they let my children and I live in peace.
“I thought absolute violence was the answer to all questions.”
She took a deep breath and said,
“I forced my choices on my children and my people. It was my fault. That’s why I need to apologize.”
Neo remained silent.
It was Elizabeth’s choice, and she had clearly put a lot of thought into it.
“And after everything, I want to travel.”
“Travel?”
“Yes, Master used to tell me that the world is vast and there are a lot of things to see, things that would amaze me, and maybe make me happy.
“I couldn’t do that before.
“There was no time for it. I was the Queen of my country.
“But I think I can do it now,” she said.
Neo froze when he heard her.
If Elizabeth wanted to travel, why hadn’t she done that after she left her country and instead came to the Academy?
She did that for Neo and Amelia.
Since the beginning, Elizabeth only lived for others.
Only now was she starting to live for herself.
“I have heard your choice, child.”
Neo patted her head and decided to return to the outside world.
Just before he disappeared, Elizabeth held his hand tightly and stopped him from leaving.
“Will we meet again?” she asked.
“I will always watch over you and protect you.”
He had, of course, no intention of revealing he was the Guardian Fairy. Nobody liked to expose their true selves. He doubted Elizabeth would want him to see her past.
“That wasn’t what I asked—”
His figure broke into countless fragments of light.
Elizabeth tried to grab them and stop him, but he left.
Neo opened his eyes with a groan.
“What did she say?” Zera asked from the side.
“We can use the Everwitch Violet,” Neo answered.
He grabbed the flower.
“You know how to use it?” Zera questioned.
“Somewhat,” he replied honestly. “I need to pull out the flower’s essence and insert it into her. I don’t know what to do after that.”
“I see.” Zera nodded. “I don’t know how to use the flower either. If Ava was here, maybe that could’ve changed.
“But you are alone in this now.”
Neo nodded.
He held the flower in his hand, and pulled it’s essence out with his Will.
The flower started to wilt while a purple mass of misty energy condensed in the air.