The King's Beloved

[Music Recommendation: "Bound By Fate" by Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Cross OST) - available in Spotify or Youtube] ~ Please listen to it in a loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this scene ~

Ducis couldn't believe his ears. As if a large torn that had been rooted deep in his heart was removed, he sobbed. His guilt from all those years… washed away in a single moment.

"Protecting… sniff… Yes, protecting," Ducis smiled despite the tears in his eyes. Then, he bowed his head and softly whispered, "Thank you… master."

Elliot chuckled and patted Ducis' head.

"No. Thank YOU for protecting me all those years. If it weren't for that, I doubt I would have survived and be who I am today."

Ducis gentle sobs turned to wailing. 

"Uhh… Hey, I didn't say that to make you cry. It's supposed to be uplifting."

They all laughed at him for crying like a baby—the Guardian of Time and Space himself. Lunaflora laughed the hardest, but she embraced him after and tried to calm him down.

"There, there," Lunaflora gently patted his back. "It's okay. You must feel proud of your baby Elliot growing so maturely. I completely understand. You did well in raising him alone. Great job, Ducis."

"Sniff… sniff… But I didn't even do anything. He was just naturally a good kid. And he was a brat until Rania came. So it's all because of Rania."

"Huh? Me?" Rania was surprised. Waving her hands, gesturing disagreement, she continued, "No, it's not me. It's the trials of the Guardians. We learned a lot from there and I believe it made a really great impact in our hearts."

"Are we just gonna point fingers here?" Lunaflora squinted her eyes. "Let's just say it's all because of everyone, okay? Or better yet, blame the Supreme since He orchestrated all this. Turning the bad things that happened, into good ones. Right?"

Everyone chuckled. "Right."

"Okay, end of discussion," Lunaflora nodded approvingly. 

"Yes," Elliot agreed. "And everyone, thank you very much for sharing what you know. Everything is now clear to me. But it won't stop there. We need to take action to correct the errors of the past."

With serious expressions, everyone nodded their heads.

"And I think we should start with the person who's responsible for all of this. Along with his army of Exsorbeos."

Hearing that, a raging anger boiled in their hearts. They didn't even need to nod to show their approval. Their eyes alone screamed out justice.

"But before that," Ducis interrupted, "there's another thing we need to do first."

Lunaflora flinched. "Right. About that… there is one last thing. Actually, two last things. First, Elliot, you still need to complete the 12 Gates."

"But isn't this more urgent?"

"It is, but there's something more urgent."

Everyone was surprised.

"The Twelfth Gate… it's closing."

"What?!" Rania and Elliot chorused.

"Why is it closing? And why now?"

"I think it's related to Amare," Lunaflora sighed. "She is the sole Guardian of Love—the Guardian that governs Light. Her realm has long been desolate ever since… the day we sealed her. And a realm is only born with the power of the one who created it."

"If that's the case, how is it that your realm survived? You're the Guardian of Grace, right? And Ducis never mentioned any problem with the Spring of Flora."

"That's because even if I was in my fairy form, as Luna, I was unconsciously supplying it with my powers. That's why I was at a constant lack of spiritual energy, and always hungry, he-he," Lunaflora laughed awkwardly. "But for Amare's realm, it's different. She's supposed to supply it with Light spiritual energy but… she hasn't done that for a very long time now."

"I see…"

"Then who supplied it with spiritual energy before? Way back when you all didn't know yet that Amare was a Guardian?"

Ducis and Lunaflora's expression turned heavy.

"It might sound weird but… we really don't know much about the Guardian of Love.  Amare was my best friend but still, I didn't know everything about her. She never told me anything. Either that, or she, too, didn't know she was a Guardian until she awakened."

"In that case we must hurry! Before the Twelfth Gate closes!" Rania pressed on. "Let's go there now!"

"We really should but… it's locked as well. Ducis and I noticed when we came back from my realm. I checked on Amare's realm and the portal was locked."

"Then how do we—"

"There is something I have in mind," Ducis added, "but I'm not sure if I'm correct."

"What is it?"

Ducis then turned to Selena.

"You… I felt something familiar in you, that's why I included you here."

Selena flinched, completely bewildered by everything. She was just suddenly invited to a trip towards the Magi's past she never heard of, with a bunch of people she didn't know—except for Rania, Clavis, Illuminaire, and the king, and now, she was being pointed at as if she was a culprit of something. Looking at it objectively, she should be like Azalea—someone with no relation at all to everything that was going on.

"A-ahmm… what did I do?" she asked, perplexed.

"You're right!" Lunaflora exclaimed, and her eyes widened. "There is something familiar! Why didn't I notice it sooner?"

Then, she walked closer towards Selena. Once face to face with her, she aimed her hand near her stomach. Lunaflora gasped.

"Ducis, does this mean—"

"Yes, that's what I'm thinking, too."

"Are you talking about the half core inside her?" Clavis asked, concerned about his beloved fiancée's well-being. "Will you be taking it out of her?"

Ducis and Lunaflora were surprised.

"So you knew about it, too?"

"Yes. But if you're planning on doing that, isn't it dangerous?"

Ducis fell silent.

"Extracting a core… it is very dangerous indeed. Just like what that Exsorbeo did."

"I have it, too!" Lunaflora added. "The other half of that core… Well, to be exact, it's not even half—it's a quarter. Just like the one inside you is also quarter. And I think if we can extract it… maybe, just maybe, we will find more answers."

"The problem is… How do we extract it without harming the both of you?"

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