The Book Of Flowers
New Year's Eve
-- The next morning, the Forest Gate----
...
At last. We finally arrived at this place...
I can breathe with relief now. After waiting for almost a full day, also thanks to Uncle Zero's help, we finally arrived at the Forest Gate. The entrance of Miralius
"Cool. Let me and all these people in" I'm talking some way
My human friends instantly seemed confused, not understanding who I was talking to. But without giving an explanation, I stepped forward, towards the dense trees that were seen circling each other's trunks
"This tree is strange..." Veskal commented
"Because they are not naturally formed" Luxor replied. "You'll see something even more amazing, take it easy"
Verdea saw Luxor blink one eye and began to be enthusiastic after turning her eyes to me
We walked long enough to cover the trees. We found an area in the middle of their circle. A greenish light came out from it, coming from a portal door made of twigs, branches and leaves of olive trees. A tree that looks unsuitable grows between these tree rings. Doors that look not too sturdy or thick, but somehow feel can not be torn down
We're approaching that door. Verdea's admiration began to increase, visible from his eyes that began to sparkle brightly. But it hasn't peaked
Our steps stopped for a moment, while a loud snort could be heard from behind the portal door. It didn't take long for us to wait, the head like a lizard rising into the air lifting itself up. And the green body of that head, made him almost indistinguishable from the color of the grass and the green leaves around him
A dragon. A dragon sat there, as if guarding the door from outside danger
Or indeed, the duty of the dragon. His face began to smile at me, before he slightly bowed to pay his respects at the arrival of his king
"You've finally arrived, Oberon. I've been waiting for you..." His voice that sounded smooth yet resounded said
And there, Verdea and Veskal almost jumped up and down in excitement for their admiration. The two began to gasp as if unable to breathe over the ambushing astonishment
Meanwhile, Cyth spontaneously hides behind Ivor out of fear. He still could not handle the giant creatures well
"Dragon!!!" Verdea started pointing while loudly exclaiming
I laughed at the two kids' behavior. How beautiful they both are
"For all those who don't know yet, introduce. He was the gatekeeper to the entrance to Miralius, and the only remaining dragon in all of Vitario. Eldwyrm Seren" I said
"U-um..."
Veskal looks mangut-mangut because of his amazement, so that even Seren is able to pay attention to it and direct his gaze to the child
"Is there something you need, son?" Seren asked
Veskal realized the giving of that attention, and replied without hesitation
"I heard that dragons are very proud creatures. So I'm not sure what to say to you..."
...
Seren started giggling at Vescal's statement, he even started shaking his head. Veskal blushed in embarrassment, until Seren said, "My honor has not been needed since I can no longer fly freely", in a very subtle tone
"I am a dragon serving now. I don't need to be respected too highly" Seren added. "After all, if you are a guest of Oberon, then your position is definitely higher than mine"
"Even if I'm a bad guy?"
"Are you a bad man, Veskal Grandier?"
Veskal gasped to hear his name called, even before he introduced himself further. But instead of being afraid, he was happy
"I am honored to meet the last dragon of Vitario. My name is Vescal Grandier, and it's nice to meet you, Eldwyrm Seren" He introduced himself while bowing respectfully like a noble
"Please" Seren denied. "There's no need to call me Eldwyrm. I'm just the son of the title owner"
"He was one of the sons of Fafnir, the first dragon" I whispered to Verdea, whereupon the boy immediately nodded in understanding
"And I am Verdea Hortensia! Greetings to know too!" Verdea then exclaimed steadily, before her distinctive smile was seen
"Fifth prince of Hortensia. It is an honor to meet my master"
I laughed awkwardly hearing that. Indeed, as long as there is wind in this world, nothing is left of Seren's ears. That was the phrase, until someone understood that all the things that happened to the Elves would be conveyed through Seren first before being directed to me
"This secret body is from Zaphir. He'll be blooded if he finds out..." I said, where Seren nodded in understanding
Then, his eyes turned to the others
"Cyan Keith 'Cyth', and Zero. Your crew members are already inside Miralius right now and are safe. Then, I'm not sure I've met you, even if you feel familiar, Zero"
Rather than Cyth who was already impatient to reunite with his crew members, Uncle Zero immediately rubbed his beard for something
"Let's just say I'm in the past" Uncle Zero said later
"... All right then"
Seren lowered his head back to a comfortable position, above the folds of his body. He seemed to want to fall asleep again, although his eyes were still open to tell us one important thing
"Leshy salute you, Oberon. He's very angry"
...
"Tell him not to hurt the forest spirits..."
Seren again giggled, before his eyes closed without driving us in at all. And therefore, we all came in, as Verdea waved the sign to see Seren
All of us were swallowed into the portal, and a new scene greeted us from behind the Forest Gate
"Utopia..." Cyth muttered, amazed at the contents of Miralius as a whole
Yep. From the entrance of my kingdom, we can immediately see the entire area in Miralius
Dozens of landmasses were floating in the air, and it was the first thing that caught the eyes of everyone who had just come here. They could see that they were floating as if they were in the water, moving slowly up and down. There are tendrils or roots of trees that bind one and the other, making sure they are not too far apart
Then, what catches everyone's eyes next is the large number of land under this position
In the north we could see a towering snowy mountain. Areas that look very cold, just like the snow season in Hortensia.
Looking east, we could see sand and rainforests. Lyralia and Ivor were immediately relieved to see the two of their territories again
Be it in the west that has purplish-colored crystal trees, or the south that has a beautiful and eye-catching flower forest, every sight that Verdea and Veskal receive amazes them. Every place in Miralius looked so magical, that the two began to jump in excitement. Especially when they see a strange collection of animals flying over or near us
Till...
There was a horde of Elves coming enthusiastically towards us. The two stopped jumping in excitement, as everyone began to prepare to welcome the horde
The first to arrive was...
"IVOOOR!!!"
His name was shouted, and Ivor immediately gasped in panic. The woman's voice shrieked to the point that it made the entire Miralius seem to tremble. Ivor without the slightest bit of pleasantry immediately jumped down from our position. Verdea and Veskal were astonished, before seeing a reddish silhouette similar to Ivor — darting rapidly following the blurred Ivor. We could also hear two people replying to a sentence while shouting loudly from a distance
"YES!! STAY AWAY FROM ME, YOU OLD MAN HAS NO JOB!!"
"YOU SAID THAT TO YOUR MOTHER!!? I'LL MAKE SURE YOU WON'T DO THAT AGAIN!!"
"VAINZEL HELP ME!! DON'T LET HIM HUG ME!!"
The two screams ended in a loud bang, before we all just gasped in shock and put on an awkward face
"Busan was his mother?" Veskal asked
"I'm sure it was pretty obvious..." Verdea answered, befuddled
Then, a black aura appeared and slammed into the ground, leaving Verdea along with Veskal shocked by his presence
From behind the black aura, Fyon was seen giving me a salute. Verdea and Veskal can breathe a sigh of relief. Their concern that the black aura just now was that Jael was slowly fading
I looked at Fyon with a faint look. Primarily...
Because I knew he'd taunt me.
"Over long?"
"Say the one who got hurt and couldn't do anything more after that" I replied to the taunts
"Hoy, flower head. We want some trouble or something...? Then I'd be happy to give you trouble...!"
"Yes right! What do you do, weird hair...?"
"My hair is not strange! It's just the style that's so!"
"Then you've been weird since birth! Poor thing!"
Me and Fyon kept snorting at each other while throwing taps. Verdea and Veskal began to be surprised to see our behavior, while Veskal then patted his forehead
"You Elves are really weird..." He even commented
"Not stranger than you humans" A voice replied to Veskal who said to me
And behind his shadow came another man. A man whose body towered 2 meters, made Veskal instantly stunned to see the timgungnya. A person who looks very similar to Luna, but has a wrinkled face and eyes that do not shine anymore
"Who... This human child...? And why is there a 2?" The man also asked
Where, I immediately interrupted between them and Veskal
"My buddies. We'll talk later, so don't try to get close to them unless they're approaching you any time soon" I said
On the other hand, Luna just kept quiet, but slowly nodded in agreement as the man's eyes caught her
"... I'll watch them both carefully"
And the man disappeared again into the shadows, going nowhere this time, saying, "Welcome back, Oberon"
A sigh of relief began to pour out, while turning towards Verdea and Veskal to make sure they were okay. "Zaphir Lunar. The father of Luna" I briefly introduced the man earlier, thus making Veskal and Verdea spontaneously turn towards Luna
"He hates having to deal with me" Luna said later, before turning her face towards the approaching crowd. Before Verdea and Veskal could worry about her situation, Luna said again. "Look, your mom and dad are there, Vainzel. Ordelia was there too"
My eyes spontaneously sparkled hearing that, before I caught the presence of 2 Elven heads on which grew flowers. They were both very short and dwarfed, but I was able to catch who and who among the crowd of various heights
2 The elf whose head grew a lotus flower, just like me, approached hurriedly with Ordelia who was happy to welcome me. I spontaneously approached, followed by all my remaining friends. Lyralia immediately gasped at the whereabouts of her family. Luxor immediately ran towards his parents. Luna just followed me slowly along with Veskal, Verdea and Uncle Zero. Then, Cyth began to rejoice to see his crew members start running around grimacing, "Captain!!"
We all started coming towards our respective groups while we were listening. "Welcome back!" repeatedly reverberating. To be assigned to me and my friends
Then enthusiastically, I lowered my head in front of the two Elves I saw earlier. Enthusiastic, I opened both of my arms, before both of them threw themselves into it
"Papa... Mama..." I'm saying. My longing could not be restrained anymore, as I tightened my embrace on the body of the two
"It's been 5 years...?"My father said
"We miss you, always" My mom on the other hand started grimacing
Ordelia on the other hand, looked at us with a soft gaze, as her hands fused together with a sigh of relief
At last...
We finally breathed again... We finally arrived at our destination...
And finally, I could see everyone's warm smile again. It belongs to Verdea and Veskal...
I'm relieved...
...
There was still one more thing I needed to do, so I took off the arms of the three of us and pushed my body slightly to the edge
"Father, Mama. Meet my new friends..." I also dedicated it to my parents Verdea and Veskal. "The little one is called Verdea, and the bigger one is called Veskal" I introduced the two
"Man..." The Elves began to mutter, including my parents.
Everyone's eyes there looked astonished and wondered if the people I brought were dangerous people. Verdea and Veskal looked very uncomfortable with all those gazes, while Cyth just sighed
Till...
My mother took the initiative to approach Verdea first with a curious face rather than judgmental. Slowly but surely, the two stared at each other
"... Sweet boy huh?" My mother said with a smile
Verdea's eyes instantly sparkled, returning that little smile. "Thank you for accepting us here" He said plainly, before laughing happily followed by my mother
Veskal on the other hand, only smiled lightly while shaking his head slowly. The gazes of the Elves began to soften at the small treatment, as they smiled enthusiastically to welcome my friends back
Huhhhhh... At least they are well received...
"My name is Lilo, and my husband is Toto. It's nice to meet you"
Especially my mother... She is a very good-hearted woman
"So, how about we just go in and get ready for the new year's event?" I also reminded everyone why we came here while standing back up
The Elves are starting to get excited, so are my friends. And with enthusiasm, some of them began to approach Veskal, Verdea and all the Black Hunt members to prepare themselves, while repeatedly saying, "Friends of Oberon should be entertained!"
Everyone started to look overwhelmed with that attention, as the Fae — Elves who were no bigger than a fist but had wings, were no more, approached us and took Verdea with Veskal south of Miralius
The two of them were taken flying, while we were just shaking our heads at the enthusiasm of the Fae
"Don't worry! They just took you to my house!"
"okay!" Veskal said as the two got further away from us
...
All right, this way...
"As the closing of this welcome, how about we run a race?" I said to my friends
Uncle Zero immediately snorted and rubbed his beard looking at us who could not be held back anymore, while Cyth only laughed awkwardly knowing he was not a competitor to us Elves at all
Fyon just looked down silently while closing his eyes. His smile slowly formed, but he did not want to partake in our pleasures
And therefore, the fiery Luna began to agree, along with Ordelia, Luxor and Lyralia. But not only them
"YES!!! I WANT TO COME TOO! SO GET RID OF THIS WOMAN IF I WIN!!"
Ivor from a distance comes back very quickly, still being chased by his mother, Gwen
We also do not want to lose. And the four of us agreed to make Ivor a marker to start our small race
One more minute before he arrives below our position
"Hey Vainzel's..." Luna suddenly said to me
I responded to hear what he wanted to say, and caught on, that he looked very happy. Pleased with that little rarely seen smile. Before, his face again looked riled up by something...
...
"Verdea... It won't be anything, will it?" He also said a question
...
"will not. He just needs to sleep and rest, because the show's tonight isn't it?" I responded
He just laughed a little. Again, a reaction I rarely saw from him
"I don't regret coming out of Miralius, for some reason"
...
"I'm glad to hear that"
I'm really happy. Primarily... Because it came from my closest friend in Miralius
"Three!"
Me and Luna spontaneously put up a position ready to hear Luxor's countdown. The Elves also started cheering a lot cheering us on
"Two!"
Ordelia was ready to throw herself using a tree root
Then, Luxor and Lyralia darted quickly after Ivor, before me and Luna also moved very quickly
"I WON'T LOSE!!!" Ivor shouted very loudly, still running with all his might from his mother
And through our little race, I was able to have fun back with all my childhood friends
Huh... I won't lose!
......................
--- That night ----
"Hm? This dream again..."
Verdea looked around the area. And in an instant, he realized that he had fallen asleep — back into the strange dream again
Almost everything still looks the same. A new sun rose, a vast pool of water like a river, and an evergreen tree...
It's just...
Now there's land under this evergreen tree now. Also, there are some other new things here
Fire torch. Koi fish. Fireflies. A black flag that stood on a wooden pole that was stuck on the ground. The moon is clearly visible on the upper side of the sun. And his mother's painting is on display in the trunk of that tree
Did not discuss that the clothes he was wearing was a brown veil robe that was very similar to what Veskal was wearing. The clothes he was wearing in the dream, although he was sure he was only wearing very neat clothes earlier — clothes that were under this cloak
Verdea looked back and forth to make sure that she had not mistakenly seen those things. Things that somehow appeared inside the place. He was sure that he had just fallen asleep because the Fae had been pampering him all day, until he fell asleep in my arms waiting for the time for the year to change. However, he actually felt astonished when he saw all those things
"It looks like more and more embellishments here..."
The figure who was in his dream at that time even looked back and forth and noticed every new thing, surprising Verdea who had just realized his presence
"Why am I in this dream again?" Ask Verdea
"Don't ask me. You called me as long as you know" replied the figure
...
Is it because he thought about that figure before falling asleep? Verdea doesn't understand, but it seems so. Might as well...
"Why are there more new things here?" Ask
"Once again I say, I don't know. Even these things are strange and do not show your nature..."
The figure stared at the koi fish that were busy swimming near the island
"... Ah, so so..." The figure said
"What?"
"Nothing"
He then walked while skipping around a little, then sat down beside Verdea as before, right under the fir tree
"You want to tell me about your friends?" The figure asked while sitting sweetly
Verdea was a little jolted after the figure asked about his friends
"No. Why would I tell you that?"
"Deeh?! Come on..."
"No"
"Come on..."
Verdea seemed to want to be annoyed, but could not resist either. So he just gave up, let the figure win
"alright... But don't tell them I'm talking good about them" Verdea whispered
"Promise..." The spirit said steadily
He told me all the things that happened after the first time the two of them met
The road to Miralius. Visit to the City of Calendula. The Black Hunt. When chasing monsters. And don't forget when she was kidnapped
He told her how everyone had been very kind and sincere to her. How we desperately tried to save him, even Cyth. He told how Veskal boldly entered with me, although he himself could easily lose his life. Then...
He recalled how I greeted him when he woke up again. He still remembered how warm the touch of a wooden hand behind the black glove was. Something he won't forget
"And so..."
Verdea seemed happy that she had told her story, mainly because she could recall everything that had passed. Something heavy, but it has a sweet result...
...
"Cool..." The spirit commented
"Not cool. The last 3 events are scary"
"Haha! Sorry, sorry!"
Verdea pouted in response to the figure's response, before they regained their composure for a moment
"I'm glad you have a lot of friends now" The figure said softly with a smile
"... Why?"
"... I want to see you more successful than me"
"Successful?"
"ah, oops. I'm talking recklessly again"
The figure then laughed a little to cover up his words. But too late
He's already made Verdea curious
"... Who are you really?" Ask Verdea
Only, the smile of the figure gave a sign that he really wanted to direct the conversation to this topic. So then...
"... It seemed, this was indeed a good time to tell you" The figure said
He then stood up and readied his throat as if he wanted to say something important. And with great pride, he exclaimed :
"Meet me, I'm Marcellus!"
...
...
...
Quietly, before Verdea casually introduced herself back-and-forth
"I'm Verdea"
"Did? Your reaction isn't too flat, is it?"
-- Before Marcellus cut it off with disappointment
"Huh? Why why?" Verdea asked back, equally surprised
"... Wait for. You don't know Marcellus' name?"
Verdea spontaneously shook her head. He really, really had no idea who Marcellus was until now
Marcellus immediately stood limp because of that. A long sigh decorated with despair came out of his mouth
"Listen to me. If you come back later, tell them my name. They must know" Marcellus said
"... And if not?" Ask Verdea
"They're Elves, aren't they?"
Verdea nodded in confusion, until Marcellus said, "They must know all things and all stories, including mine"
Marcellus just slapped his hands like a child
"Alright, now for the important part when you already know my name!" Marcellus said with enthusiasm
He wanted to say something again, but realized something from Verdea
The boy began to wake up in the outside world
So, he just sighed, before ignoring whatever it was that he needed to discuss with Verdea
"Other times"
"What try?"
Verdea snorted in annoyance, as the figure only chuckled. And slowly, he placed his hand on Verdea's head
Verdea jerks. He was shocked by just one thing...
A golden face. Like an angel in a fairyland welcoming you to heaven. He was wearing a golden diadem, and he looked very... Tranquilize...
Verdea was stunned to see the embodiment of it. Somehow, he could see Marcellus's face this time...
"May the light always shine on you, Regulus"
But the breakup soon came to the two, while Verdea felt as if she had fallen — out of the dream world in seconds
......................
"Very. Verie. Veri!"
"Yes...?"
Verdea woke up in my arms after I tried to wake her up for a while. He rubbed his eyes from drowsiness then looked at me
He finally woke up... If not, he will miss a lot...
"They're about to start" I said
All the elves gathered in the vast field in the middle of Miralius to watch his show
The moonlight shines brightly tonight. It feels like a direct gift to enliven this event. The fire Elves stood before all the elves and smiled widely. All the Elves cheered in excitement and requested that the event begin immediately
The Elven higher-ups sat on the balcony of a wooden building located not far from the field while watching them
Only Lyralia was the loudest and most enthusiastic about the show compared to the other officials. He was excitedly cheering on Ivor right now. As the superior of the fire Elf clan, Ivor was the most dignified in the presence of the elves there, by Gwen's mother's side
The two men looked like identical twins despite being a mother and child. The way they dress is the same...
"All right!! 1 Minute to the new year! Are you ready!?" Ivor cried out to everyone
All the Elves present immediately raised their cheers, as I clapped with all my friends over the exclamation
"Don't touch Ivor! She's mine!" Lyralia shouted at the Elves who were approaching the fire Elves
"SHHHH!!"
The other disturbed higher-ups were finally able to make Lyralia sit quietly in her seat again, as I began to look to shake my head at her behavior just now
The Elves then started counting down when the time had already reached 30 seconds
Veskal and Cyth who were sitting next to me and Verdea instantly moved forward to watch more closely
Verdea's eyes were wide open and she was ready to watch the show
The time of the year is finally only 10 seconds left
"10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1!
Shoot it!"
And following that final count, the fire elves shot their magic into the sky one by one. Their explosion in the form of a fire that has a variety of colors began to paint in space
The sparks from their flames began to form an imposing image. It was as if they were drawing with their own hands
"Look at that one! It looked like a Basilisk back then!" Veskal even pointed in amazement as Cyth goosebumps
Everyone continued to cheer, "Happy new year!", endlessly and tirelessly. This is probably the most frenetic new year celebration Miralius has ever been through. I'm just glad that Gwen and Zaphir are willing to carry out my letter and prepare everything in great detail
This celebration makes me so happy, and so do my friends
All the Elves cheered loudly while dancing to welcome the new year. Verdea and Veskal were amazed to see the magic of the fire Elves bursting out beautifully in the sky, as they discussed what form they saw from each of the fire magic explosions
Uncle Zero was only stunned, before faintly started smiling
Cyth looked at his astonishment calmly while tightly holding onto the necklace he was wearing
"Good new year, Captain Alice..." He said quietly with a sad look
The higher-ups all applauded for the new year, except for Lyralia who still called Ivor
"Good new year everyone" I cried out to all the Elves
Cheers happy they are becoming more and more so and their dance looks more festive
I turned my face to Verdea, whose eyes were still sparkling at the show. I smiled seeing all of that
"Satisfied with the journey?" I asked
He nodded slowly. Her smile widened and she then hugged me tightly
"I'm happy" He said
"Me too" Veskal interrupted
The three of us laughed a little with each other. And this new year, the three of us prayed for the good of each other
'May I continue to make them both happy'
'Hopefully I can take care of them both'
'Hopefully... I can always be with them both'
We then continued our little laughs with each other
The atmosphere of the very lively night was warm with the laughter of the two of them mixed with this exhilarating atmosphere
......................
In the deepest corner of Verdea's soul, Marcellus sat watching Verdea's happy-looking soul. He then smiled broadly as he raised his right hand into the air. It was a symbol on the back of his right hand
A symbol with the image of a six-winged shield surrounded by light
After seeing the symbol for quite a while, he said
"I pray for you for years to come, Verdea Hortensia. Or should I call it Regulus?"
Marcellus laughed. He was sad, but happy too. Finally, the person he was waiting for had arrived in this world. Someone who will start a new era, which will always be remembered by Vitario
"May the light always be with you, Regulus..."
...
Verdea who was still laughing with me was completely unaware of anything new and suddenly appeared on her body
And while a symbol was forming on Verdea's right hand, Marcellus just smiled a little. He could only sense, but he already knew that the symbol had formed
So, while Verdea was still sitting on my sling and slowly returning to sleep quietly, she was curious. He wondered how this little flower would go on its journey
...\=\=\=\=\=\=\= Arc Last Meeting \=\=\=\=\=\=...
