⚜ return to sender ⚜ [exam]

Today was a brand new day in the Rose Garden. The streets as always, were bustling with life, everyone eager for whatever duties that they had to take care of for today. After a multitude of events, for once, the city seemed peaceful for once and Black Rose, has never been more grateful for this. Each member always had something new to deal with, whether it be personal matters or something that concerned the guild’s wellbeing as a whole. It always came down to something being destroyed and the town’s safety being at stake. Hikari had honestly grown tired of all the events because she had chosen to get herself involved with every situation that affected her guild. Today was a day where the holy mage was planning her break, and she intended to enjoy every moment that she could. However, life has a funny way of messing with nearly everyone it comes across, and the noblewoman was no exception. She had been able to hide the fact that she was nobility for a fairly long time, the only telling sign of her past heritage was her sword. Even then, it was a relic from her family that was hardly ever used. No one would be able to know who she was unless the Goddess who had given her magic had other plans with the current wielder. And the goddess of war was known for her tactics, to say the least.

Hikari would wake up in a hotel within the Rose Garden. It was step one of treating herself to a good day for once. She decided to take time off from doing jobs for a little as she had completed a fair amount of them back to back. Most of the people she had dealt with, she didn’t want to try dealing with for a little bit. Astrid was self explanatory. The holy mage felt like she had to tiptoe around what she said with her quite a bit, lest she hurt her feelings although, the white dragon slayer was getting slightly easier to deal with. It was still surprising to her that she was a Wizard Saint. That’s a title that Hikari wouldn’t mind getting one day. She was slowly getting stronger but it’d definitely be a while before she would get considered for a title. But, Astrid definitely was strong, but Hikari somewhat disliked her company. It definitely didn’t help that she had recently attacked the guild hall and severely hurt her guild master, although it seemed it hurt her more emotionally than physically. Someone else who was there who Hikari had recently done a job with was actually Astrid’s brother, Lucius. He definitely despised her. His colourful threat was somewhat frightening but it might be more frightening that the noblewoman has heard a lot worse threats than the ones that he said. But, it was pointless trying to get him to forgive Hikari for what she had said to Astrid, even if she was being dramatic with her reaction. Not that she wanted his forgiveness either because he had been responsible for the attack on the guild recently too. Harming innocent people. It was jarring he was related to a Wizard Saint with his behavior and mentality befitting of someone similar to a Coming Storm. Another person she had met along the way was Desireé. She sure was… colourful. It was rather hard to comment on a person who truly lived in the moment. Either way, the most interesting and somewhat sane person that the noblewoman had met recently was Erika. She was still somewhat unhinged but still seemed polite. Potentially one of the few sane people left in Fiore. Hikari wouldn’t mind becoming friends with her but with how dangerous Erika’s magic was and how threatened the holy mage felt, perhaps acquaintances would work best. Standing up off of her bed, the holy mage would walk to the bathroom to freshen up. She’d finally look up when she reached the mirror, and the shock almost caused the noblewoman to fall. She… reverted back. Touching her flowing chestnut coloured locks, she’d grasp the end of the counter of the bathroom to keep balance. She knew it was a limited appearance transformation but still, she thought she had a lot more time. It had been a while since she had seen what colour her eyes were meant to be. The holy mage had promised something to herself for when the spell wore off. She’d go back and see her family. She didn’t know why she made this promise, but she said when she had become strong enough, in terms of her magic and emotions. She thought she’d be going be her standards of when she was ready, but apparently, the one who had provided the spell had a different idea. Opening her palm, she’d cause a small surge of her magic to flicker. She felt stronger but she wasn’t sure if she could deal with the emotional weight of this. But, Hikari always keeps her promises. Ah, it’s becoming a habit to use that name. A member of the Santiais family always keeps to their word. And Lilium is no exception.

Lilium would gather her clothes and change into them. Even her clothes felt different. She had been living as a completely new person for the past two years. To be honest, she had felt like that she was lying to everyone around her. After gathering her things, she would travel to the train station. She wasn’t quite ready to go to the final destination quite yet, and there was things she had to get from somewhere else first. Boarding the first train of the day to Hargeon Town, the holy mage would sigh quite deeply as she sat down. Leaning on the wall next to her seat, she’d view the changing scenery and examine all that was happening. It was quite a bit to take in. A week ago, she wouldn’t have even gone to the first destination, so where on Earthland was all this confidence coming from. She felt like she was lying to herself. The Black Rose member would fall asleep on the train, and gently wake up a few moments before arriving at her destinations. Getting up, the noble woman would walk directly in the direction of the forest. Most locals knew the forest was somewhat dangerous so she carried her sword in her sheath, next to her hip. The holy mage would walk to an empty clearing, and would tuck a strand of hair that was flowing in the breeze behind her ear. Walking through the grass, she’d find a rather large tree. It had grown a fair bit since the last time that she was here. Trees usually grow slowly, but this one seemed to be an exception. At the base of the tree, was a small crevice. Reaching into it, Lilium would grasp a sealed box. Brushing off the dirt and dust, she’d summon a portal to the Treasury. Out of it, the end of a key would begin to exit the dimension. Grabbing it, the holy mage would put the key into the lock.

Within it, there would be some clothes, a map, and a brooch. It was her identity as a Santiais. She didn’t want to keep it on her person for a very long time as it was fairly iconic symbol in terms of the world of nobility. Changing by warping the clothes on her, she’d smile rather sadly. They were a perfect fit but she still misses her old clothes. Teleporting them to the vault, she’d pull out a mahogany cloak and would put it on her. It felt right to be able to hide within the fabric. Pinning it in place with her brooch on her chest, the woman would let the cloak flow in the wind as she prepared to take the train. Walking to the station, she’d notice a couple of the older folks in the town would look at the brooch in shock. She knew her family was well known, but they were a distance away from Hargeon. They must have grown in influence in the time that she was gone. Or everyone knew they had a run away heiress. Boarding the train to Minstrel, Lilium would look at the changing scenery once again. Remembering all her hardships after arriving to Hargeon. Nearly starving, broke and not much clothes to wear. She thought of just dying right there. It wouldn’t have been hard. The town was bustling with bad people at the time. Instead, she played her luck with the rumor there was a golden orb in the church on the outskirts of town. It was rather close to the open clearing, but it wasn’t the time to visit it yet. She almost died trying to get the orb. She had gotten injured climbing up to it and was bleeding rather badly. After obtaining the orb, she got her first glimpse of the Vault. It was there where she met Athena, the owner of it. She explained her story to the Goddess and she granted her many things. A magic, a new name, and her new appearance. Although, in order to receive this, Lilium had to make a promise. To tie up her story with family. To cut any loose ties and receive closure, whether it was good or bad. Clutching her brooch, she would take a deep breath as the train stopped. This was it this time.

Stepping off the train, she’d look at her home. Minstrel really had changed. Lilium always said that powdered wigs were out of style. And lo and behold, they had grown out of the phase of wearing them. Walking through the streets, she noticed how even the poorer citizens seemed well off. There was a gate near the center of the city, dividing the classes. It was near impossible to sneak to the other side, going from rich to poor. But if you were powerful enough, no one was legally allowed to stop you. One of the guards looked at Lilium and was ready to stop her. “Are you really trying to get to the Other Side in that get up?” She looked up at him, and his face visibly paled as he noticed her brooch. Many times the guard has seen illegitimate recreations of the Santiais family crest, but he had only seen the true crest from the original family. Most of Minstrel had heard the story of her. She was an important heiress who managed to escape the grasp of the Santiais family. They were a strict household in the day. She was the only child who managed to get away. A lot believed the story as false, but Lilium was the living proof for the story to be true. The heiress looked at him, with her piercing hazel glare. He shuddered as he said into his lacrima. O-open the gates. Stepping in front of the main gate, the holy mage would look to the sky as they opened. She needed to prepare herself. Upon looking at the gates, she noticed a crowd had slowly gathered on the other side. Full of wide eyes, fear and shock. Exhaling, Lilium would take off her hood, her chestnut hair flowing behind her. Some gasps were heard and many people cleared a path so that the noble woman could walk to her ‘home’. It was rather far from the gate, as the further away from the gate that one was, the more influential that you were. It took a good ten minutes but most nobles had gazed at Lilium, in shock that the urban legend behind her was true. She saw some familiar faces, people that she had know in her sheltered childhood, but never really met. They were now married and her age. The glare on her face harshened slightly as she found it rather disgusting. They were forced into marriage and they didn’t even love each other. It was similar circumstances to how she was born, and look what happened with her. Reaching the double door entrance of the mansion, the holy mage would exhale. It was now or never.

The brooch was the key to the door. Only those who had the brooch were allowed to get in without waiting. Placing the brooch in the door, she heard some disbelief in the crowd of nobles behind her. Hearing a click, the woman would take back her brooch. Opening the door, the crowd would silently disperse as the Santiais were waiting for their unruly daughter. There was a rush of emotions from the woman. Seeing her mom and dad again. It was annoying to say the least. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. There was so much she wanted to say but it didn’t come out. Her father had smiled sadly alongside her mother. He’d open his hand to her. She would march her way over to her parents. Her sword tightly gripped within her hand. She was ready to unsheathe it and her parents were not flinching. Why weren’t they moving? These weren’t the people who tortured her. Something had changed. Hearing a child’s voice, Lilium’s eyes would widen as she saw a little girl behind her parents. Her hand was shaking and she didn’t take out her sword. They… had grown past her. Hurt was evident in the face of the former heiress. Did they really not care about her? No… they did but something was different. “It’s good to see you again. I wasn’t sure whether we’d ever see you again, but I’m glad I get to see you again. We… have a lot to tell you.” The little girl with hazel eyes ran up to her mother, confirming Lilium’s suspicions. Her father would hold out his hand, offering to guide the way. Not really thinking, the Black Rose mage, would grab his hand, tightly clutching it. Everything felt like it went blank. She didn’t know what to do. She let her dad guide her to the table, while her mother and their child went to the kitchen. Sitting down, a maid that had watched Lilium grow when she still lived there, provided tea for them. Looking at her father, quietly, with her voice full of pain, When? He thought to consider the time it’s been since they had their new child, he would say, Two years. Those two words stung greatly. It was a year after Lilium had ran away. Did they really give up on finding her that soon. It was true. They really didn’t care about her. Tears forming in her eyes, she quickly wiped them away as she sipped her tea. It tasted just like how she remembered. Plenty of sugar. She looked at the maid who smiled gently at her. Looking at the liquid in the cup and say quietly, Did you give up after a year?. Her father sighed and frowned, looking into his cup as well. Like father, like daughter they say. We didn’t give up. We realized we did you wrong and you deserved what was good for you. We want you to be happy. Pausing, he would look at his daughter, saying, We love you after all. Those words. Why did they come so late. They were much too late to even sway her heart. But, tears fell anyways. Rushing up, the chair behind her would fall. Her eyes would be closed shut, but when they re-opened, they would have changed from hazel to gold and were glowing with gold energy. Angel wings made of her magic were forming on her back, her cloak would fall off as the wings spread themselves out, revealing her magic. Her father’s eyes widened. You say this now! OF ALL TIMES! Feathers of gold magic were swirling around the room as her mother came in and the child peaked into the room. BOTH OF YOU! WHY WASN’T THIS SAID INSTEAD OF LOCKING ME IN MY ROOM FOR BASICALLY FOURTEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE! Her mother didn’t look at her as her father tried to speak, We do. We were trying to uphold family traditions, but realized it’s what caused you to run so we changed for Bella’s sake. Bella. That’s what her sister’s name was. She got blessed with a life that Lilium yearned for and it was from the parents who caused her endless suffering. Crying, the holy mage would rub her eyes as she spoke once more. You were both much too late to say that. It’s too late to fix what you’ve broken despite what you think. Flying over to Bella, Lilium would look at her and tap her on the forehead, endowing her with magic. This would let her know if anything happened to her. She may be jealous of the girl but she wants to know if her parents fall back into old habits. It was a unspoken bond between siblings as much as she was jealous. Looking at her father again, she’d say, Don’t mess this one up. You already have one broken beyond repair. Teleporting to the Vault, she’d disappear in a golden flash.

She’d sit where she teleported, surrounded by treasures. It was rather depressing. She thought she’d get closure, but now she felt even more empty than when she left. Looking at the floor, she’d let tears fall as she tucked her head between her knees. The glowing treasures of Vault slightly dimmed as she looked down but she wouldn’t notice that, nor the hooded man in the distance. But right now, the holy mage was lost and didn’t know where to go. Cries were echoed within the Vault but no one was there to listen. She was truly alone.