During the walk, Miria was advancing side by side with Asher, a little behind the group. The atmosphere between them was strangely silent… until Asher broke the silence in a falsely detached tone.
"So… you were contemplating the tombstones of yourself and your former love?"
At those words, Miria burst out laughing. A real, frank laugh that completely caught Asher off guard.
"Sorry… sorry," she said, trying to calm down, her eyes still shining with amusement. "I couldn't help it. I'm really not used to seeing you jealous… and seeing you lose your cool."
Asher blushed and started sulking, his gaze avoiding hers. Miria tenderly took his hand, a loving smile on her lips.
"Asher… I love you with all my heart. As for Leo… he's a very important person in my life. He's the one who taught me what true love was. But he's gone. And it's the past, right?"
Asher looked at her in a weary tone.
"The past… really?"
"Okay, spit it out. What did I do that made you think otherwise?"
"Well… when you had your last crisis, to calm you down I had to sing you a melody. That's what calmed you down. However… while I was singing that song to you in your sleep… you said 'thank you'… calling me Leo."
Miria stopped dead. Her eyes widened in shock. Asher was watching her, arms crossed, waiting for her reaction.
"What do you have to say in your defense?"
Miria smiled softly, almost nostalgically.
"That melody… must have probably resembled Leo's."
Asher looked at her, incredulous. Miria continued, more composed:
"As you know… my love for Kil made me do anything for him when I was a child. One day, he suggested we go look for a so-called hidden treasure near the forest. We got separated because of a possessed animal that appeared… I didn't know the forest well at that time. I got lost. I would have died if Leo hadn't come to find me. You see… despite his young age, Leo was a genius. He knew the forest like the back of his hand. However, while we were heading back… a heavy rain started."
With every word from Miria, flashes of memories he didn't know imposed themselves on Asher, sharp and brutal.
First flash: A little boy with short black hair and glasses runs under pouring rain, firmly holding the hand of a little girl with green hair. "Hurry up! We're going to get soaked!"
"So we started running under the rain until we found shelter in an abandoned house," Miria continued.
Another flash hit Asher: The two children spot an old dilapidated house. They speed up and rush inside, out of breath, their clothes already stuck to their skin.
"When we took shelter, the rain intensified. There were even lightning bolts. And me… I was scared. I kept jumping at every flash of lightning. So Leo, to calm me down, started humming the same melody… that you hummed to calm me down. Surely… that's why I called you Leo."
Yet another flash: Inside the abandoned house, the two children are curled up in a corner. Outside, the wind is howling violently. Water is seeping in places. Lightning strikes nearby. The little girl with green hair jumps violently. The little boy with glasses moves closer to her and starts humming a soft, soothing melody. The little girl gradually calms down against him.
Asher suddenly staggered. An atrocious pain shot through his skull. He held his head with both hands, stumbling.
"Asher?! Asher, are you okay?!" Miria cried, panicked.
She immediately placed her hands on his head and used her powers to ease the pain. Little by little, the suffering faded. Asher, still pale, ran a hand over his forehead.
"I thought… my head was going to explode from that pain…"
Miria looked at him in silence. A trembling smile formed on her lips.
Miria's thought: *It really is Leo… I can't believe it… but it really is him. Only Leo could react to these memories…*
Deeply moved, she threw herself into Asher's arms and kissed him passionately.