Arthur smiled. "Fair enough. Alright, I'll keep it."
"That's my nephew," Rosalia smiled, grabbing his face and stroking his cheek with her thumb. "Come on, let's finish our breakfast."
Rosalia returned to her seat and continued her breakfast. But while she was putting a piece of toast into her mouth, Arthur shouted, "Another thing, Aunt!"
Rosalia paused and looked at Arthur.
"Not long after I found this flower, I saw a white creature on the tree in front of the house."
"A white creature?"
"It looked like a monkey, but it wasn't a monkey. It was short and adorable like a little kid. Its body glowed and was covered in white fur. It was dressed in a blue uniform and had big blue eyes and a glowing blue reversed triangle crystal in the chest. It waved at me and gave me a big—"
"Hold on! Did you just say a reversed triangle crystal in the chest?"
"Yes, I did."
"Good heavens! Arthur, I think you just met the Guardian of Arteon."
"The Guardian of Arteon?"
"The Guardians of Arteon are the protectors of all life and defenders of all things. They are the children of Teragon, the Creator, each possessing a different-colored Heart of Arteon—a tetrahedral crystal embedded in their chests."
"What is Arteon?"
"Arteon is everything. The world, the galaxy, the universe—you name it. Everything you have ever imagined is a part of Arteon. The name "Arteon" derives from the name of the One True God, who is the creator of the Eternal Laws. Arteon, the All, is what we call him. The legend says that he divided his crystal heart, the source of all his power, into many shards to bring balance to the universe. One day, all the Hearts of Arteon will be reunited, and the One True God will return."
"That's quite a story. And what does the guardian of all things want from me? I don't think it came to my bedroom just to say hello."
"That's the question you have to ask it yourself."
"You said as if I'll meet it again!"
"You're the Vanderer. If the legends are true, he will come back to you."
"Is it dangerous?"
"The legend states that the Guardians of Arteon are the most powerful beings in the universe, second only to Eva and Teragon."
"The most powerful being in the universe?! That cute thing?!"
"Don't judge a book by its cover, Arthur. Maybe beneath its adorableness lies the power to turn you into a dog."
"Now, I don't want to see it anymore."
Arthur and Rosalia laughed.
"Don't worry too much. It's a protector of life. It won't hurt you. If it does, you just hurt it back."
"And risk turning myself into a dog?! No way! I'll let it beat me with those soft little fists of its. I hope it didn't come to my bedroom to invite me to join a hero team."
"Who knows?" Rosalia shrugged.
"By the way, there's one last thing I want you to know. When I touched this flower for the first time, I saw a vision."
"A vision?"
"I'm not sure if it's a vision or not, but it's a picture. I saw a cloaked man with glowing golden eyes and a shining golden triangle on his chest, just like the white creature, and not long after that, I saw him in the flesh in front of our house."
"Really?! Where's he now?!"
"I don't know, he disappeared."
"Did he do anything to you?"
"No. But I don't think he's a threat. Something told me that he's a friend."
"I hope you're right."
"Is he another Guardian of Arteon, since he had a Heart of Arteon like the white creature?"
"No, Arthur. It's true that all the guardians have a Heart of Arteon. But the one who possesses the golden heart… is Teragon himself."
"The Creator of the Universe?!"
Rosalia nodded. "There's no mistake."
"But why did the creator of the Universe come to see me?!"
"I… I don't know. Maybe he came to check on his champion, with his son."
"Oh, great, the creator of the universe and the guardian of all things has come to check on me."
"Don't be afraid, Teragon is the All-Father. He loves all his children. Whatever he came here to do with you, he does for love and for the sake of good."
"I wish that's true."
"I don't know what the guardian of life wanted from you, and I don't know who the mysterious man really was, but I do know that if you don't finish your toast soon, you'll be late for school."
"Oh, right, the toast! I completely forgot about it!"
Arthur returned to his seat, and they continued their breakfast. While Arthur was crunching his toast, he looked at the photos on the walls.
They were pictures of Rosalia's activities. For instance, rowing a canoe in a river, hiking a mountain alongside her brother, riding a horse in a field, and partying with her friends at a beach. Most of them were snapshots of her adventurous life.
One of the most remarkable photos was the image of Rosalia in a fencing suit, biting a gold medal, on a podium between her competitors. That medal was now framed and placed beside the photo, with a caption below it that read, "World Fencing Championships."
Alongside her photos were her beautiful oil paintings. Most of her works were fantasy paintings, such as a gorgeous landscape with majestic structures, a magical wood with graceful mythical creatures and plants, and a band of adventurers in brown jackets battling a five-headed dragon with various-colored crystal weapons.
While Arthur was admiring the enchanting photos and artworks, he spotted a glamorous painting on a wooden easel in the corner of the living room.
It was a painting of a teenage couple standing together beneath a tree. They stood in a lakeside park full of people, turning backs to the viewer and their faces to a large, round blue lake. The boy was tall and had short brown hair, while the girl was shorter than the boy and had long blonde hair. The boy wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulder, while the girl embraced his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. The lake was surrounded by a colorful town, and beyond the town were stunning high mountains. The park was alive with people from various fantasy races: elves, orcs, dwarves, beastmen, woodmen, animals in outfits, people with wings, golden magical automatons, and more.
There were fishermen catching fish in the lake, and some of them were having a conversation with a large blue dinosaur-like monster that stretched its long neck out of the water. At the heart of the lake was a small island, and upon it stood a large majestic tree adorned with white blossoms.
"That's beautiful," said Arthur.
Rosalia, who was chewing her toast, looked up at Arthur and followed his gaze to the painting.
"Thank you, Arthur. That's the work I've invested myself in the most," said Rosalia, smiling.
"May I take a closer look?"
"At ease."
Arthur got out of the chair, walked up to the painting and examined it at close. After finishing her toast, Rosalia went to Arthur.
"Do you like it? I just finished it last night," asked Rosalia.
"Hmm… No, I don't like it!" answered Arthur with a straight face.
Rosalia looked at Arthur in shock. "But you said it's beautiful. Why don't you like it?!"
Arthur smiled. "Because I love it!"
Rosalia sighed with relief. "You made my heart sink for a sec."
They laughed.
"Honestly, I think this is the best work you've ever created," said Arthur.
"For real?!" uttered Rosalia.
"Yes. Look at the people, the monsters, the background. They're so detailed, as if they were real and you saw them with your own eyes."
"I'm happy you like it." Rosalia beamed from ear to ear.
"What's the name of this masterpiece?"
"You're exaggerating." Rosalia blushed. "It's not that great."
"It's so great for me. So, what do you call it?"
"I call it Astenburg, after my hometown that inspired it."
"Your hometown must be so beautiful."
"Yes, very beautiful."
"Then, why did you leave?"
"I... I didn't want to leave. I was forced to."
"Really?! Who did that to you?!"
"A bad man. A bad powerful man. His name is Talistor. He stole my house and chased me and your father out of our hometown."
"That's terrible. But why didn't you tell the police?"
"Because the police were working for him. He bribed them, and they followed him like dogs."
"How did he steal your house?"
"He claimed to be the rightful owner of the land where our house stands and accused my family of building a house on his land. I knew that wasn't true because my family has lived here for generations. We took this to court, and in the end, we lost and had to move out. Later, a good person came to us and told us that he had bribed the judge to win the case because he wanted to sell our house to a rich man."
"That man is an evil incarnate. I wish he only faces horrible things in his life."
"Then, your wish is fulfilled because he's now in prison."
"Good to hear that. He deserves it. But if he's now in prison, why don't you go back to your home?"
"That's because he already sold it to the rich man, and the rich man won't give it back to me."
"But it's your home! If you sue him, you might get your home back."
"I know, but it'll be one hell of a fight, and I don't think we have enough money to hire a lawyer who can go up against his lawyer."
"That's too bad. But at least you have this cozy house."
"That's right. Honestly, I'm starting to like it here more than my birthplace."
"Good to hear that. Don't you miss your home, your hometown, after leaving it behind for so many years?"
"I miss them a lot. The reason I painted this is to remember my hometown. When your father and I knew that we couldn't go back to our home anymore, our hearts broke to pieces. But since there is nothing we can do, we have to leave our old life behind and start a new life in a new place. We came to a new city with nothing. We did everything to adapt to our new home. In fact, I cried a lot while I was adapting to the place. It was your father who always cheered me up and helped me keep going. We moved from city to city, finding the place that suited us the most. In the end, we found it. For your father, it's New York. For me, it's Amsterdam. It was so hard settling down here. But after many years, I was able to adapt. Now, I love this city more than my hometown, mostly because it's safe."
"That's quite a story. All that wouldn't have happened if not because of that greedy man."
"Honestly, there is an advantage to being chased away from our hometown. For example, if we hadn't been kicked out of our home, your father wouldn't have found your mother and had you."
"That must be one of the perks of getting kicked out of the house."
They laughed.
Arthur inspected the painting for a moment before pointing his finger at it and shouting, "Wait! Is that you?!"
Rosalia followed his finger and realized he was pointing at the girl.
"You got me. How did you know?"
"She wears the same earrings as you."
"What a sharp-eyed boy." Rosalia touched her earring.
"Thanks."
"I usually insert myself into my paintings so that even if a plagiarist removes my signature, I still have proof to claim that they're my works."
"That's so smart. By the way, if the girl is you, then who is the boy beside you? Your ex-boyfriend?"
Rosalia smiled with a blush. "No, he was my crush."
"Really?! What's his name?!"
"That's a secret."
"Fine! Where's he now? Do you still keep in touch with him?"
"No, we haven't contacted each other for many years."
"Maybe he's waiting for you to call him and confess your love."
"I wish you're right, but that's impossible."
"Why?!"
Rosalia looked down with sadness. "Because he's… married."
"For real?! That's too bad. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"No need to apologize, Arthur. You never knew about it."
"But if he's married, why did you still paint this?" Arthur looked at the couple in the painting.
"Maybe because I can't get over him yet, and still wish to be the woman he married. He and I, we were best friends. When we were explorers, we went on many adventures together. We had a lot of fun, overcame countless obstacles, and created several good memories. We laughed. We smiled. We cried. Together. We watched each other's backs and cried on each other's shoulders. For me, he's the best man in the world; no one can replace him, and I want to live by his side until the end of my life."
"You two sound like a great couple. Why did he choose to marry another woman instead of you?"
"That's because he found a woman who's prettier than me, smarter than me, and better than me in every way. He told me he only thought of me as a friend, and the woman he wanted to live with for the rest of his life was her all along."
"What a greedy man! I hope they break up soon!"
"Please, don't say that. I know he broke my heart, but he's still my best friend. Besides, everyone must choose the best things for themselves."
"I'm sure he chose wrong."
Rosalia smiled. "Thanks, Arthur. Actually, I'm happy to see them spend their lives together. I also attended their wedding."
"Why did you do that?! Didn't it hurt to see your crush marry another woman?!"
"Honestly, it hurts."
"Then, why did you go to their wedding?!"
"Because a good friend should go to her best friends' wedding, am I right?"
"What?! She's also your best friend?!"
"Ironic, isn't it? My best friend is the woman who stole my man."
"How did that happen?!"
"Well, it appeared that I was in love with my crush, but my crush was in love with my best friend. In the end, I failed to win his heart, but he succeeded in winning hers."
"Your best friend was awful! I'm certain that she knew you were in love with him but still snatched him from you."
"Honestly, she's a very good woman and so sweet."
"A woman who stole her best friend's crush?! I don't think so!"
"It's true that she stole my man, but she didn't intend to do it. She just lived her perfect life, and that was enough to capture his heart."
"That was so unfair!"
"That's life—full of unfairness and disappointments, but still have to live through it. Actually, I don't want to make you hate her; I just want to share my love story with you."
"You've already done that."
"Then, let me correct my mistake by telling you how good she is."
"Fine. Change my mind."
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