"I'll be fine, Rey."
Esme's response was smooth, a clear suppression of her true feelings.
It was almost as if both sides were putting on a mask to hide their natural emotions and dispositions. Rey thought they were mere distractions, so he shoved all his ambivalent thoughts aside to focus on the more relevant matters. As for Esme, she didn't want to overwhelm herself with all the emotions she was experiencing at the moment, so she bottled them down.
As such, the two were in a deadlock.
"Besides, you might need me to access the Oracle, right? How could I avoid such an important task just because I'm uncomfortable."
"Well… that's true…"
After this, there was an awkward silence—as if the two no longer had anything to say.
"I want to apologize for your—"
"Sorry about A—"
Both of them spoke at the same time, interrupting each other. They paused, stared at each other in silence, and then burst out laughing.
It was the purest, most liberating laugh that either of them had experienced in so long.
"You go first." Esme smiled, pointing at him, but Rey shook his head.
"Ladies first."
"Precisely why I said you should go first."
"H-hey! What's that supposed to mean?" He yelled out, slightly flustered.
Another series of laughter echoed in the hall, though this time Esme's voice was noticeably louder than Rey's. She was clearly having a good time, and these surging emotions showed just how much she missed him.
… How much he meant to her.
'If you hadn't saved me back then, Rey… if you hadn't helped me grow strong and meet my people, I wouldn't be where I am today.'
Esme was glad.
She had never been so happy in all her life.
'Not only am I accepted by my people as a leader, but you are back… and I can actually help you.' She gave Rey a sweet smile. 'I owe you everything, Rey.'
Of course, she wouldn't just blurt those words out.
That would make things awkward again.
"Fine… I'll go first." Rey sighed, accepting his role as the 'lady'. "I wanted to apologize once again for what happened to your mother. I took the decision out of your hands and sacrificed your mom to—"
"No… there's no need to apologize for that." Esme sighed, cutting him off before he finished his statement.
"You made the right call back then, and I can see that now."
She had been blinded by so much that she didn't realize it, or rather… she didn't want to realize it. However, what would she have done in his position? He already went through so much effort to save her and ensure she was completely safe.
He also saved her people.
"I had no right to be mad at you, so please… don't apologize now." She smiled sweetly. "Gosh, I can't believe you kept that in your mind all this time."
"I… never forgot."
"…."
Esme's cheeks turned red as she heard those words.
Despite her best attempts to forget Rey and the feelings she had towards him, it seemed impossible to do. She wanted to blurt out her unfiltered emotions, but she chose to be quiet instead.
Confessing now would only ruin the condolence she was about to give.
"Sorry… about Alicia." She mumbled. "I know she meant a lot to you… and you loved her."
Esme swallowed her emotions and placed her hand on his shoulder, encouraging him as a friend would. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched Rey's face break down and tears fall from his moist eyes.
"Thank you… Esme."
"Anytime, Rey."
The two hugged, both having tears fall from their faces as they received comfort in each other's embrace. Silence reigned supreme, and even if it was for that single moment… the two of them felt like they used to in the past.
'Master…' Ater watched all of this in silence, deciding to stand outside in order not to interrupt what was happening.
He had some thoughts on the matter, but for both their sakes, he decided not to say anything.
'It really is a shame, but… I should keep this to myself.'
This was for the sake of his Master, as well as for the sake of H'Trae. If his suspicions were wrong, then it would be of no consequence, and if he happened to be unfortunately right, only he would have to bear the burden of knowledge.
'We've come too close to fail now… and time is not on our side.'
They had to hurry now.
********
[The Next Day]
"Looks like everyone is ready…"
Rey stood at the forefront of the crowd, with Ater at his right and the Fairy King at his left. Esme stood behind him, with the rest of the army trailing right behind her.
There were a total of a hundred thousand in their ranks, consisting primarily of Giants and Machines: both sides which were most immune to the corrosive effects of Miasma. The Giants wore armor and wielded weapons provided to them by the Dwarves, and the Machines were piloted by the very same Dwarves.
Due to the interference of the Miasma in the location they were heading to, the Dwarves had to manually pilot their mechanical constructs. In total, their force were incredibly large and well-prepared for the conflict up ahead.
'The goal is to break through the ranks of the army so we can make it to the Shrine. Afterward, Ater, Fairy King, Esme, and I will enter the Domain Of God where The Oracle dwells, while the rest of our army holds the fort and destroys the rest of the enemies while we get what we want there.'
Once they returned, some of them would go back to the Fairy World in preparation for the next phase of their plans, while the others would begin purifying the Eastern Continent in order to make it habitable for life again.
This would be their first step at establishing a stronghold outside the Fairy World.
"Let's go!"
The veil of the Fairy World parted, instantly letting Rey and the army he gathered pour out like ants rushing out of an anthill. Their numbers seemed innumerable as they charged up ahead, the leaving the Fairy Kingdom in a flash.
"Are you sure the Veil will hold even if you're not around?" Rey asked the Fairy King as the two flew alongside each other.
"Yeah! I left Fae with temporary authority over the place, and as you know… she is the strongest of the Fairies. She should be able to maintain the barrier until we return. Even if the barrier gets attacked by those Undead, it poses no problem."
"Alright… fair enough."
"More importantly, are you fine? I hope those pair of wings are serving you well…"
Rey forced a smile, looking at the Fairy wings behind him that allowed him to keep up with the Fairy King, Ater, and Esme. It looked a little strange to him, but he endured it regardless.
"It's fine."
The army had a lot of ground to cover, so there was room for a bit of idle chatter.
However, that soon stopped the moment they looked ahead and saw dark clouds floating in the sky. The grounds were pitch black, showing the contamination of Miasma on the world, and the seemingly irreparable damage it had caused.
Esme gritted her teeth as she saw this, with Rey noticing it.
"Don't worry…" He smiled calmly, his confidence soaring even as the group neared the wave darkness.
"We're going to take back this land."