The Fleeting Heart
The Town of Truce
January 4 of the year 325
Salamando's Day
Aura stood there silently within the sanctuary walls, watching as Seikou's form eventually disappeared into the night. She risked a glance down at her gloved hand, still partially held forward as he'd let go in his retreat, a trace of warmth still left, still felt, even through the glove.
Warmth...
The sudden silence that lay around her was an oddly-unwelcome
affinity to the place she'd taken up as her home for so long.
There were no voices, only the same quiet that she'd grown used
to for over two years. And yet, she wasn't satisfied with it.
Not tonight. She felt tired enough, ready to call an end to a
day that she had enjoyed far more than she'd ever willingly have
admitted.
An idle shiver coursed through her body as she turn sullenly
around, traipsing with echoing footsteps towards the statue at
the far end of the wall. The Goddess of Mana, as it were, or at
least, a most intricate likeness thereof, carved from some fancy
kind of stone. A silly aspect for those more fortunate than her,
she'd looked upon this single statue as more of a maternal figure
than anyone could believe. Aura stopped, looking up with semi-
wide eyes towards the Goddess's face, who only seemed to look
back at her with a stony, unseeing stare.
Was this.. your doing? Goddess.. did you really hear me? My prayers..?
She began to tremble, uncertain at that point in time as to why. A mistiness pervaded her irises, creating the illusion that she was ready to shed an unknown amount of tears at the drop of the hat. Maybe she was; she really didn't know, herself. It took her nearly a full handful of minutes before she finally realized what was wrong with her. Or rather, what wasn't.
She was happy. Completely, and without the same foreboding
regret that so often loomed in the back of her mind when she
risked allowing herself any positive emotions. She had to stop
herself from smiling at the thought of it, wondering suddenly if
this were one of those pleasant, so-called 'dreams' she'd only
heard rumors about. She felt real enough; the stare-off between
her and the Goddess of Mana's statue continued for what seemed
like a fortnight, before she finally broke and grinned openly,
the small threat of a tear shimmering at the base of her left
eye.
She would sleep peacefully, for once in her life.