As Gildimir was about to enter Arkadon's library, Akious came rushing out with a gaggle of machines huddled close behind him.
"Hello Akious!" Celestia exclaimed warmly.
"Celestia, Gildimir!" he shouted back, arms spread wide as he hugged them both at the same time. "What a pleasure. I feel like it's been ages."
"Well, you've been busy," Gildimir replied with a shrug. "After three hundred years, how many volumes has it been?"
"We're on volume seventy four now!" he answered, face beaming with pride. "But if you'll excuse me, I have to teach a new class how to project themselves and I don't want to be late for their first day."
"Of course," Celestia said with a rub to Akious' arm. "Is Arkadon in his study?"
"Last I saw him," smiled Akious.
"Excellent," Gildimir smiled in return. "Take care!"
Gildimir watched as Akious led his proteges off towards the neighboring lecture hall. There, he would teach them the ability he himself discovered. The ability to project their consciousness directly into the Anoran Sea. The discovery allowed for direct observation of the Anora and their dreams, as well as the ability to tap into the emotional energy within the Sea.
Harnessing the ability on a daily basis, Arkadon and Akious had spent the past three centuries cataloging the various dreams shared among the Anora. Many would repeat or circle back as they spread from one flock to another. Publishing their findings on a regular basis, the ebb and flow of trending dreams was all the rage at dinner parties and gatherings. It also made Arkadon and Akious the most respected and sought after of machines in all of Oduin.
As such, the library was packed with visitors. Many were combing through various copies of the dreamscape volumes. Others were using the space to talk and meet and discuss various theories about the Anora. Pushing through the crowd and making their way to the rear of the library, a page recognized Gildimir and Celestia and allowed them up the back stairs. Reaching the door of the study, Celestia was the first to enter, laughing at something Gildimir said about how she walked as she stepped through the doorway.
From the entrance, the study appeared to be empty. The balcony door was open, allowing a gentle breeze to shift the papers on Arkadon's desk. Entering the room proper, Gildimir and Celestia walked around the desk and stacks of books. Turning to look at the balcony itself, Celestia was the first to see him.
Alone, Arkadon was sitting on ground with his back against the balcony's stone railing. Legs arched, his arms were wrapped around them and his head was down against his knees as his body heaved. Sprinting to his side, Arkadon had no idea Celestia was there until her hand was on his arm.
"What's wrong, my dear?" she asked without warning. Head darting up in surprise, his face was covered in tears.
"Nothing," he answered with a dismissive wave as he wiped his face clear. "It's fine. I'm fine."
"You're not fine," she chided. "No one who lies about crying alone in their room is fine."
As Gildimir joined them on the balcony, the tears began falling again.
"I'm sorry," he cried. "I can't stop."
"It's all that time you've been spending in the Sea, isn't it?" Gildimir asked, arms crossed in concern. "No matter where you go or look, it feels like him."
As she spoke, Arkadon looked up at her, relief awash on his face. She's guessed correctly.
"Every time I go there, I sense it too," Gildimir admitted. "It's why I rarely do it anymore."
"You sense his presence too?" Arkadon muttered, looking up as he wiped an arm across his face. "Of course you do. You're his sister." Sniffing and looking back down into his hands, he shook his head and tried to inhale. "I sense him when I'm around you, you know."
"Do you?" Gildimir questioned, having never heard that before. She didn't doubt it though.
Arkadon looked up and nodded. "Yes, but you're at least bearable."
"Thanks," she responded with a laugh. She knew what he was trying to say, but it was no less awkward to hear.
Eyes wide with the shock of his own words, Arkadon held up his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."
Walking over and pushing his hands down, she sat beside him on the marble floor. "I know. It is...complicated. After all this time, I have days where I think I've finally moved past it. Days where I feel like I'm okay with him being gone. Then, something happens, and I find myself hurtling backwards."
"That has been every day for me lately," Arkadon confessed. He was shaking as he spoke. Anxious and afraid. "I can't do this anymore. I can't keep pretending like I'm not in agony every moment of every day. I miss him. I need him."
Looking up at Celestia first, then Gildimir, his face transformed from despair to determination. "I've decided to look for him."
"I thought he told you not to?" Celestia questioned.
Arkadon shook his head. "I don't care anymore. I know he misses me. Recently, there have been times when I've...I've felt his eyes on me. His presence next to mine. He's looking in on me from across the distance, and yet, I think he is afraid to come back. Not because he fears the voices and the pain will return. But because he's afraid of me. How I'll react. That I will be angry with him."
"Are you telling me you wouldn't?" Celestia countered, no stranger to calling Arkadon on his tendency to gloss over the truth.
"Ok, that's fair," he said with a light chuckle. "I would be furious. But only for a moment. A brief, fleeting moment." His eyes were distant as he stared off into an empty corner of the room, likely imagining the reunion he so desperately craved.
"Go," Gildimir said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Find him. You don't have to bring him back. Just be together, for as long as you can."
Everyone stood and embraced each other for what felt like forever. "Thank you," Arkadon whispered. "Both of you. I would never have survived this without you."
"I know," Celestia poked. The three laughed at her brashness before sharing tears of happiness. Tears of goodbye.
"I'll look after the library for you," Gildimir offered. "It will be here and in working order for when you both come back."
Nodding in appreciation, Arkadon stepped further back on the balcony and climbed onto the stone railing. Closing his eyes and turning his head to the sky, the tears finally stopped. At that moment, Gildimir saw the Arkadon of old. The Arkadon that danced with Valos in the field of wildflowers at the dawn of Arien. Her eyes full of tears, she reached out and took Celestia's hand.
Eyes reopened, Arkadon turned back and smiled one last time at his friends before unfurling his wings and taking to the sky, leaving everything behind.
"Do you think he will find him?" Celestia asked as she kissed and caressed Gildimir's hand.
"I do," Gildimir answered warmly. "I think he's right about Valos. He wants to be found."
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