Nino's ghostly form held on to Yuki's as they traveled further away from their bodies. They crossed over to a different plane that served as a bridge, where the paths of those about to enter a new life, and the recently departed, intersect...
The absence of his body felt liberating. For the first time in his life, Nino finally had an idea of what it was like to be "thin air," and to have the tiniest parts of him dispersed in every which way. He finally knew what it was to be everywhere and yet nowhere all at once. But without a solid shape or form to anchor him, Nino had no point of reference; he could not tell up from down, or left from right, and without a solid body to contain him, there was nothing to prevent him from losing himself. Nino nearly joined the swirl of the colorful, translucent lights that glimmered invitingly around him. As he spent more time dallying among the spectres, Nino's ties binding him to his physical self began to unravel, and he was nearly swept toward the center of the huge vortex that swallowed wandering souls.
"Nino!" a familiar voice screamed in panic. "Keep yourself together! Remember who you are and hold on to that thought!" Yuki's voice rang clearly through the psychedelic haze and brought Nino back to his senses.
"What just happened?" Nino asked, confused but exhilarated as he gradually assumed a vague outline of himself.
"You almost died."
"Huh?! Does that normally happen around here?"
"I forgot to warn you. I'm sorry." Yuki replied, steadying her voice as she recovered from the scare of nearly losing her brother. "When you're not in your body, it's easy to forget who or what you are, because you don't have the weight of your physical form holding you down."
"What does my physical form have to do with it?"
"Your attachments; everything you identify with, and everything you identify yourself with...You don't really need food or air here, do you?”
"Ohhh... Monks preach about that all the time... reincarnation and stuff, who knew, huh? Anyway, what were the barriers for? Isn't it supposed to protect us from this?"
"The circle is there to see that our physical bodies don't come to any harm from things that go looking for bodies."
"That's just creepy." Nino replied, surprised that he almost died, and somewhat bemused to find that dying seemed like such a joyride compared to living.
"Well, it's not like you don't leave your body from time to time." Yuki explained, relishing the short break to prepare for another journey. "People do that sometimes when they dream, most just don't remember when they wake up. There's a string that ties you to your body, but if you stray too far, it'll break, if there's no soul the body dies. If your soul migrates to another existence, I'll have to go through another wild goose chase through parallel universes to locate you, and I don't have enough energy for another journey."
"Oh...So, it's like we're in a coma down there..."
"You can put it that way if you want. Both of us are really lucky you have a very strong sense of yourself; else I would have lost you. Anyway, now that we're here and now that you know, it's time for us to go to the next part of our journey. I'll be using the key here to reinforce our bonds with our bodies while we're away."
"Where are we going now?"
"It's not really something I could physically map..." Yuki answered "We're going to share memories. I'm going to share mine with you and hope it will trigger your recollection"
"Okay..." Nino replied, testing the knots that held their souls together.
"Don't worry, they're secure. It'll pull us back if we stray too far" Yuki reassured her brother. "I've done this before. Now, empty your mind, and focus on me..."
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at a place illuminated by a calming red-orange light that glowered softly like the embers of a dying fire. Looking around, Nino saw fine strands of differently colored threads being woven in with one another. It formed an intricate tapestry whose design evolved before his eyes. As he watched, he observed that some stray threads were snipped off as though they were singed, while some were magically lengthened as though the threads grew by themselves.
"Where are we?"
"We are looking at life...part of it, anyway. Those threads are people's lives. We're born, we share our lives with others, and then we all eventually die. We make up a tiny part of that tapestry." Yuki explained, “And we're here to see where we intersect. Our chords should be a little irregular, since I share a longer past with you than you currently do with me. I'm going to find it, and I'm asking you to help me by trying to remember anything that reminds you strongly of the past you shared with me before this life. With some luck it may trigger your memories and the irregularities will be smoothed out."
"How do I do that?" Nino examined his chord and tried to see where it fit within the tapestry, wondering what would happen if he could manage to untangle it somehow...
"Just think back Nino, try to remember..." Yuki's voice sounded distant as her ghostly form closed its eyes in concentration.
**************
Nino focused his thoughts on the odd and disturbing things that have bothered him lately: his dreams, the staff, Yuki, Ohno, Jun, Aiba, the flashing glyphs, and the magical door... He let his emotions float to the surface while his mind tried to form the connections between these objects, hoping to find the memory that would trigger a total recall...
Moments later, he felt Yuki's presence slip into his mental space.
Why am I not surprised? Yuki muttered. Well, Ohno it is then... Yuki said as she located the threads that twined her life with Ohno's and her brother's...
There was a flash of light and the sensation of traveling through a long and winding tube, as though they were being sucked in by a vacuum. Before Nino knew it, he was back in the old kingdom, where he was sharing a joke with Yuki and Ohno while having a picnic in the vast meadows of the palace gardens. It was a lovely summer day, and Aiba was busy playing tag with wild mountain wolves, while Sho and Jun pored over a scroll while nibbling on a sandwich.
The six had grown closer ever since the dreadful summons that brought them together. Yuki felt like her family decided to adopt four more brothers to annoy her, and was convinced that she's aged ten years just by constantly having to deal with Aiba's hyperactive episodes, (not to mention his animal friends running all over the palace,) Jun's unpredictable mood swings and sometimes, explosive tantrums, and Nino's scheming, (which had grown more elaborate now that he had acquired unwitting accomplices in Aiba, Sho, and Ohno.)
The burden of saving their world had been taken off her shoulders and the King had insisted, along with everyone else during that meeting, that it was not possible for one person, with or without the aid of the key, to fend off a disaster which will inevitably come to every planet. They won't be able to save this world, not even if Yuki burned off enough of her life force for several incarnations to migrate its residents to another dimension. Even if they were able to, the imbalance would be quite severe and not everyone will be prepared to face what may lie waiting for them in another world. The King in his desperation hoped that by bringing the last and the most powerful of the magical ones together, a solution would come up. If not, the least they could do was offer a softer and more merciful death for its inhabitants.
The burden lay heavily upon the children who were barely out of their teens, yet they persisted. News of the seers' inability to conjure visions was hushed, and everyone in the kingdom was blissfully kept unaware of the fate that awaited their world. Vows of secrecy were kept, because no one had enough courage to break the terrible news to their loved ones. For years until that fateful day, they spent their time refining their magic and honing their skills, sometimes, conveniently forgetting the reason that lay behind it as love blossomed and friendships grew deeper.
As Yuki dug further into her own memories, Nino's own were awakened and weaved their way into Yuki's consciousness. One by one, Nino's memories flashed seamlessly before their eyes like a movie played on fast forward. It showed them as they aged and matured into the kingdom's most powerful mages and sorcerers. It also showed how they each grew closer to one another and gave them much to reflect upon as they watched how they interacted with one another, taking note of all the little things that they missed and the subtle hints that they dropped unconsciously. The siblings each discovered more about the other...
Even some things that they probably could have done without...
Like Nino's first kiss, (or rather, Ohno's) which was an awkward affair for Nino who stood behind Ohno, contemplating how to best approach the seer. Ohno was oblivious to his presence while he painted portraits and landscapes, happy that the awful visions were no longer getting in his way. In the end, Nino decided to forego all the formalities and awkward explanations that came with asking for a kiss. Coming up from behind, he cupped the artist's face in his hands, and leaned in to clumsily plant a wet, sloppy kiss upon his lips. Ohno, in his surprise dropped the paintbrush and the palette, and knocked down the canvas with his elbow. Minutes later, the small studio lay in shambles as the ruined canvas lay face down, spreading the wet paint all over the floor and on their clothes after Ohno decided to return the kiss, and two pairs of hands eagerly started exploring new territory underneath silk robes...
Nino. EW.
"Whaat?! You're in my memories, you're just jealous. But you know, if you only noticed that...
Noticed what?
Nothing. I'm not telling.
...It's not like I won't find out anyway...
The show went on, with Yuki, pretending not to see the... other things that happened between the lovers. (Apart from the very enthusiastic, public groping that caused Ohno to emit a small, surprised squeak, every so often...)
As they went further along, they saw how love bloomed between Sho and Aiba. They watched it evolve from its awkward beginnings of the subtle exchanges of hints and gestures, until Aiba grew more expressive of his affections, pulling the shy young monk out of his shell. Sho, who had been conflicted about his emotions for the flighty, yet charismatic wizard eventually, accepted the love that was freely offered and grew to be the most protective of Aiba out of all of them. Jun remained solitary and withdrawn for the most part, and the harshness of his tongue had mellowed down to a sincere scolding, more out of concern than anger for his friends. Although this didn't mean that he didn't occasionally utter the hurtful word or comment out of spite. Jun, after much coaxing and spending a lot of time with his newfound family, learned to place his complete faith in Nino and the rest, but he curiously kept to himself... there were just some things that he couldn't risk.
Nino and Yuki's recollections of Jun somehow diverged at this point. Through Nino's eyes, Yuki saw
Jun stealing glances at her when she wasn't looking, and looking at her wistfully, (or so it seemed,) whenever she turned away or left the room. Nino's eyes didn't miss the subtle shifts in Jun's face. He knew how much he tried to contain his happiness when Yuki was around and how much he tried to hide his disappointment whenever Yuki left. All Yuki saw, in the meantime, was a young man who was still awkwardly coming into himself and had a hard time trusting people completely, mostly due to his gifts. Seeing how conflicted Jun was, Nino waited for a time when he could catch Jun alone to confront him about his fears. Having spent some time with the empath, Nino had somehow figured out a way to hide his intent and was able to corner Jun successfully.
The moment came when Jun was alone in the library, poring over the scrolls that Sho had given him to study while he was out in the city doing his usual rounds and offering help where he was needed. Aiba went back home for a short visit to his family, while Ohno had taken up sculpting and was busy perfecting his new craft. This left only him and Yuki, who was busy practicing spells with the Key, inside the castle. Seeing that there were no obstacles in sight, Nino approached Jun and sat down on the chair directly across from him...
"I know why you're here and I think I know what you want. But please, whatever it is, just don't say anything." Jun said, refusing to meet Nino's gaze.
"I don't see why not." Nino replied "I have no idea what you see in my sister, but she doesn't bite. Well, she steals my food, hides my toys, and has a really mean streak, but she's not that bad. Besides, I think she could do with a boyfriend, it'd keep her attention away from me." Nino joked.
"Nino, please..." Jun begged, whispering softly, his eyes seemingly focused on the pieces of parchment littered on the table although his mind hardly registered anything.
"Why don't you give it a chance, Jun? It could turn out well..."
"Because... I don't have one. She doesn't feel the same. The only thing on her mind is the training. She's just as stubborn as you, and she's still clinging on to that false hope that we'll all be saved... How can I possibly compete with that?" Jun's voice broke, his eyes never leaving the parchment scattered all over the table.
"That's a bigger reason for you to interfere, save her from herself!"
Jun just shook his head "I... tried plenty of times, but she doesn't even notice. I think I'm nothing more than a little brother to her. It's best if I just gave it up completely... The only thing I could really do is to support her from the sidelines..."
****
Jun... I never knew...
Well, now you do...So give up on Sho, will you?
****
Several things clicked into place for Yuki. This was the reason why they always ended up together somehow. Nino, along with Sho and Aiba had planned most of their encounters and had set up most of their "dates," (which had all gone wrong, or ended up being group activities,) and in each instance, Yuki only saw Jun as an adorable, though oftentimes grouchy little brother, while Jun was visibly enthused with every chance he got to spend time with Yuki, (even though he tried his hardest to hide it.) Yuki had missed the point when Jun had grown into a mature young man and was now starting to look at him with new eyes. She was a little saddened to know how easily Jun gave up on her and pushed his emotions aside, but there wasn't much time for that, she would handle it once they got back...
Meanwhile, things moved on more smoothly in Nino's mind, and it seemed as though he was taking his time with his memories, remembering them as they happened, but looking at them through a different perspective. The scene had changed, and he was now alone with Ohno, hidden somewhere in the woods, in a secret place that only the two of them knew about. It was late in the afternoon, and they had taken some time off from the rigid training to indulge Ohno and his inexplicable love for fishing. Nino had snuck away some ale and was preparing to enjoy the day's catch as it roasted under the small fire that he made. The day progressed with both of them ending up more intoxicated than they originally intended, so they decided to prolong their stay until they were sober enough to go home. Ohno's cheeks flushed bright red as he giggled and babbled a lot of disjointed thoughts that made no sense whatsoever, while Nino giggled in return and loudly declared his love as he cuddled Ohno and named him his wife forever and ever. In the midst of their drunken exchanges, Ohno paused and suddenly grew quiet...
"Nino... “Ohno whispered, "I have something to tell you..." Ohno's face was scrunched up in confusion, and he was nervously fidgeting with his shirt.
"What is it?" Nino whispered back, "and why are we whispering?"
"I have something to tell you, it's a veeeeeeeery big secret!" Ohno replied, still whispering and looking around as though something may come out of the bushes.
"What? I like secrets! Tell me!"
"I had one vision, but I didn't tell anyone!"
"What? Tell me!"
"I saw us... in weird clothes, in a strange world where there was no magic."
"No magic? It must be pretty boring there..."
"It's true. I saw you too but you didn't even know who I was. It was like I couldn't even move, or shout or hold you. Jun was there too, and Aiba and Yuki."
"What about Sho?"
"I don't know. I didn't see him... It was so strange."
Nino's drunkenness had suddenly worn off at Ohno's revelation. Ohno didn't seem to notice this and kept rambling on about this other world where there were no wands, no magic, and where tiny people talked and moved around inside small boxes with really small houses.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Because... nobody else saw the same thing. I thought it wasn't a vision" Ohno replied quietly. "But I saw it again and again. Maybe I just wanted to believe it."
Nino and Ohno stayed quiet for a while, and after a few more minutes, decided that they were sober enough and went their way home. Both remained quiet and contemplative throughout the whole journey. Nino took Ohno's revelation seriously and was already formulating a scheme on how to make that vision come true...
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