-So…- finally said Natsume while looking down. -What about you then?

Elima smiled gently.

-Yeah, don’t worry. A promise is a promise- said Elima.

Natsume waited for the commander to say anything, and instead, she saw something falling on her lap. It was a small pendant, the size of a thumb. It was golden, but it had already lost some color and shine for the pass of the years. The girl took it and looked at Emila, who smiled at her.

-Go ahead, open it- asked Elima with a smile.

Confused, Natsume proceeded to open the pendant. Inside, there was a small black-and-white picture of two women next to each other, holding hands and smiling. They wore long, beautiful white dresses. One had dark skin, black curly hair, pointy ears and long fingers. The other one had white skin and long blond hair. She looked younger, but Natsume recognized her as the commander sitting next to her.

-Wow, you… you look so… beautiful- said Natsume softly with a shy smile. -You two are pretty… Who is that other woman?

Elima giggled a bit.

-That’s Uzmita… my wife- said Elima smiling.

Natsume opened her eyes widely as she looked at the commander in shock.

-Your… your wife? You two… married? You married to another woman?- asked Natsume surprised.

Elima was a bit confused at first, but she later smiled at the girl.

-Is it the first time you see two women marry?- asked Elima with a gently smile, making Natsume nervous.

-W… well… I… I have seen it in some stories or… I have heard it happens but… I never saw real… women being married…- stuttered Natsume shyly. She then looked at the picture again. -You two look so happy…

-Yeah… That was taken on our wedding day… That was… some time after the last Guardian Clash Tournament…- explained Elima.

Nobody said anything for a while as Natsume kept looking at the pendant in her hands.

-And are you two… living together? That’s a dumb question, I guess, I mean… I’m sure you two are happy- said Natsume with a small smile on her face.

Hearing that, Elima smiled again, but it showed some sadness as well. Then, she said:

-I’m afraid… she’s dead.

Natsume’s smile vanished instantly. The girl looked at Elima horrified.

-She… she died?- asked Natsume. Then, she turned sad. -I’m… I’m sorry…

-Don’t worry- said Elima trying to comfort the girl. -That happened around… 3 years ago, but yeah, our story began at the last tournament.

”It was… first sight love. We had so much in common and we connected. I never felt something like this for anybody else. After that, we were always together. We shared so many beautiful moments, we traveled and discovered so much about the world… and about ourselves. And with time, we got married. That was the happiest day in my life. We lived together and enjoyed our lives like we did so far. I truly believed it would last forever. But one day, she felt weaker than normal, so we went to the hospital. And then…

-I’m afraid… you only have one year left.

Those were the doctor’s words. Uzmita had a strange sickness. Even with all our medical and magical knowledge from different worlds, we never found a cure for that. I was… horrified. Just knowing that the person I cared the most would vanish one day… I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. Then I thought of her, how those news were affecting her. When I looked at her… she… smiled. She had her usual gently smile. She thanked the doctor, smiled at me and told me to leave together. That’s when I knew: she had accepted it. Right at that moment, she accepted her own death.

But I couldn’t. I wanted her to live.

She decided to spend her days enjoying every day. However, my desire was to keep her alive. So I began overworking, trying to research possible cures. Every night I got home, she had dinner ready and smiled at me like usual. I wanted to save that smile, but I couldn’t find anything. No matter how much I worked, I just couldn’t. Two months passed by and she turned a bit weaker. One night, she dropped some dishes. She apologized, but… all I thought was that I was late. And I broke down. I remember how she hugged me as I cried like a baby.

We talked. She understood my pain and apologized for not talking about it before. I apologized for doing things on my own without asking her. And we agreed that, instead of wasting time looking for an improbable cure, we would spend the time left enjoying it as much as possible. And sure we did. I asked for an absence and traveled, visiting other worlds. We visited relatives and friends so Uzmita could get as many special moments as possible. There were instances in which I felt that moment would never arrive.

But it did.

I still remember it clearly. Uzmita was lying on the bed, with me by her side. Her fathers, Susbok and Itizon, as well as other close relatives, were there as well. I couldn’t hold it anymore.

-Please… Please, don’t… don’t leave me…- I begged crying as much as I could.

Uzmita posed her hand gracefully on my cheek and removed some tears. 

-Don’t cry, my dear- said Uzmita with her weak voice. -It’s fine. We’ll reunite one day, in the endless flow… And we’ll be happy together again…

I knew her words were right. That our souls would meet one day. Just… I didn’t want to part ways at that instant. I grabbed her hand.

-I promise… I will always love you… Forever…- I told her while crying.

-I know- said Uzmita with a giggle. -But let me say… Never reject love when it crosses your path again. You are so wonderful, I’m sure you will find someone else. And then… we can all be together on the other side…

I giggled a bit. Uzmita said sometimes those kinds of things. It was part of her charm. She looked at me again.

-Another thing… Please, keep following your heart. Keep protecting people, even when things look dire. Follow your heart and be the wonderful knight you are- asked Uzmita.

-I… I promise- I said. -I will make you proud…

-Thank you. Can I ask you one last thing?- asked Uzmita. I just nodded. -I want to… see your smile one last time.

I was shocked. How could I smile at that moment? But being her… I couldn’t say no. I put all my heart into that smile.

-I love you…- I said.

-I love you too- said Uzmita. -And always… will…

Uzmita closed her eyes and… her hand went numb. She smiled happily and satisfied as life left her body. I knew she was gone. And I cried. My cries resounded through the street. My throat was hurt and my mouth was in pain, but all I wanted was to bawl as much as my heart desired”.

-And well, here I am now- said Elima. -It feels so distant, but still so fresh in my mind… Hey, are you OK?

Elima was shocked when she saw Natsume crying intensely, with lots of tears flowing from her eyes. Once again, the girl showed a new side that the commander had never seen from her.

-Natsume… You’re crying…- said Elima surprised.

-Of course I’m crying!- exclaimed Natsume with a trembling voice. -It’s not fair! You two loved each other so much… Why did she have to die? You made such a beautiful couple and… and…

As the poor girl kept crying, Elima looked at Natsume with compassion and kindness. She took some tissues from a nearby desk and handed one to the girl.

-Thank you, Natsume- thanked Elima.

-Why are you thanking me?- asked Natsume as she removed her tears.

-Because it has been too long since someone last cried for Uzmita like that- explained Elima. -Everybody has accepted her departure and nobody cries anymore, but I still do, just sometimes. Just… thank you for shedding your tears for her.

Natsume sniffed a bit as she calmed down. Slowly, the girl returned the pendant to her owner, who put it back on her neck.

-I guess… the reason you want to help me is because of that promise you made to Uzmita, right?- asked Natsume.

Elima thought about it for a second.

-Partly, yes- answered Elima. -I have always wanted to protect other creatures, and being a knight allowed me that. Uzmita knew how important that was for me. So yeah, that’s another reason, but not the main one.

Natsume inclined her head, as if inquiring the commander.

-The real reason I want to help you is because… you remind me so much of her. You two are really similar- said Elima with a smile. -Uzmita was intelligent, brave and strong. When she put her mind on something, she would get it no matter what. She was also kind and generous, and worried about others.

-I… I don’t think I’m like that- said Natsume with a low voice.

-That’s not true- assured Elima. -You are very intelligent and you have a strong heart and soul. You got here, and instantly, you understood the extent of your new powers. You got this far in the tournament, being a concealed creature! And I know, deep inside, you are kind. At the fight against Life Eater, you curved your shot because you realized they were in danger. You care about others, I know that for sure. And that’s what I can’t understand.

-What do you mean?- asked Natsume confused.

-Just like Uzmita, you have all the talents necessary to overcome any problem, and instead, you both gave up. It made sense for Uzmita: when death shows up on your face, it’s really unlikely you will come out alive. But you? You could easily find any solution, I know you can fix any problem that blocks your path… and instead, you decide to give up. You are not accepting death like my late wife: you are heading towards your own doom by yourself. You are so convinced that there is no way out that you won’t even try. Only a kind person would punish themselves so much for doing such a thing. Maybe my persistence was excessive but… I just couldn’t accept such a horrible fate for someone like you- explained Elima.

Nobody said anything. Both remained silent and thoughtful. Elima’s words were too kind for Natsume to accept them, but she felt a bit moved by them.

-I’m sorry… for worrying you so much- apologized Natsume. -And… thank you.

Elima didn’t say anything, but smiled gently at the young girl in the bed.

-So… what is going to happen now?- asked Natsume, making Elima take a deep breath.

-Well, a promise is a promise. I will allow you to remain in the tournament for the time being- said Elima, making Natsume sigh in relief. -However, if you go berserk… if something like that ever happens again, I promise I will grab you with my own hands and take you back to your world by myself, even if I lose my position and my career. Understood?

-Y… yeah- answered Natsume nervously, seeing how serious Elima was with that threat. -I promise, I… I won’t let that happen… This time for sure…

Natsume seemed to take that promise seriously, making Elima sigh in relief.

-Well, then… I shall let you rest- said Elima, standing up from the chair. -This round has been exhausting, so the next round will take place in two days from now. You will be healed by then. As always, you will be taken to the arena, but this time, you will learn the rules when you get there. Bye for now, Natsume.

The girl bowed slightly as the commander walked towards the door. She opened it, but remained still for a few seconds.

-Before I leave… can I offer you one last advice?- asked Elima turning to Natsume, who simply nodded. -All this time, you said that your wish is “what you deserve” or that it’s “the consequences of your actions”… However, the way I see it… I think that you are actually running away. Running away from your memories and your feelings. Maybe, if you faced them directly, even if it’s painful, you would find the answers you are looking for. Just think about that.

After saying that, Elima left the room and closed the door behind her. Natsume laid on the bed, confused by the commander’s words. Looking at her hands, she muttered:

-I’ve been… running away…?

In the corridor, Elima sighed, feeling tired after that conversation.

-So… how did it go?

Right next to the door, Zion had been waiting all that time for Elima to come out. Elima had a small smile as she began walking down the corridor with Zion by her side.

-Well, she will keep playing- answered Elima.

-Oh, so she finally told you the truth, eh?- asked Zion.

-Actually… no- said Elima.

-Wait, what?- exclaimed Zion. -Did she lie? And you let her go with that?

-Who said anything about lying?- asked Elima. -Natsume didn’t lie: she just didn’t tell me the whole truth.

-But… if you knew that, why didn’t you inquire more about it?- asked Zion confused.

-Because she is not aware of the truth yet- explained Elima, confusing her friend even more. -She is so affected by her trauma and pain that she can’t see the whole picture, and I can’t just tell her. I have my suspicions, but I need more information. This is something she has to find out, and I truly believe the only way is to keep going in the tournament.

-What if she doesn’t realize it and ends up winning?- asked Zion.

-I… I trust her- said Elima. -This is her story and I can’t just decide for her. If she doesn’t learn the truth and still wants to destroy herself… I don’t think I could continue as a knight. However, I believe in her. Maybe the next round will help her in some way. So, how were things on your side?

Zion smiled smugly as they took out some papers from their armor plate.

-You were right. There’s something fishy going on- said Zion. -I found some royal orders, signed by His Majesty, from quite a long time up to recently, asking for certain artifacts and documentation from different dimensions we met during the last periods to be taken to a “private collection”. I have compared the import and export certificates and our databases have way less knowledge about their technology and magic than initially imported. Which means…

-The king has been amassing a huge amount of magic and skills overtime- summarized Elima looking at the paper. -I knew his behavior was strange lately, but what happened during the match and now this… He’s interested in getting more and more powers, but I can’t point out his goal. Thank you so much for helping me, Zion. I shouldn’t be putting you in such a risk.

-Hey, I’d do anything to help you… and the kingdom, of course- added Zion, blushing a bit. -If something is happening and you are going to fight, I want to fight by your side.

-Oh… thank you- said Elima with a gently smile. -Something is going to happen… and I need to be prepared for that.