It was silent.
It was dark.
It was serene.
Those were the thoughts in my head as the soft sound of grass rustling beneath me seemed to thunder in the depths of the forest while I trudged through the woods, trying to find my way out. The grounds were bathed in an earthly shade of light green created by the sunlight peeking through the canopy. One should feel afraid of being so deep in a forest, yet my heart was in complete peace.
Joyful in fact.
After a while, a small light appeared in front of me, getting brighter as I made my way to the edge of the forest. Then with a huge glare, I exited the forest to find myself staring a lush green hill with the clear blue sky as the backdrop. It was clean and peaceful, no traces of human activity has touched these lands.
This place, I know this place.
"Shirou..."
I stopped in my movement, my heart seemingly not believing what I just heard. Slowly, I turned my head in the direction of the voice and starred. "Saber?"
There she was, standing on a gentle hill just a few feet away. She was as I remembered; her blue dress seemingly shone on the hill with her blonde hair loose in the wind, her gentle emerald eyes looking on with that beautiful smile on her face. Her arms were spread open as she welcomed me.
At first I took a few small steps, uncertain and afraid of an illusion. Then my steps became a brisk walk, then a jog, and finally a full-on run towards her, not once stopping and taking care not to trip, until I was right in front of her and I found myself in her embrace. I hesitantly placed my arms around her, uncertain if she would disappear, to which she replied by applying a firmer grip in her embrace to show me. I no longer had any doubts and I hugged her tightly as well, my heart feeling ever lighter than ever before, and my eyes wanting to tear up.
I was finally able to see her!
I was finally able to hold her in my arms!
I was finally with her!
But just as that thought came to me, I suddenly felt a tug on my body that threatened to break my embrace with her. Try as I might, the tugging got more forceful and I found myself unable to move my body well enough to stop it. Around me the landscape seemed to fade into nothingness, until only I and Saber were left, but even she was starting to fade from her legs up.
No, I will not leave her!
Saber looked at me with a sad mile and lightly shook her head. "It is not yet time for us to meet."
No it was time! I won't be stopped by this!
I struggled against the invisible hold that bind me, but the actions seemed to only make the feeling of constriction get stronger. Even now I could see my legs slowly fading away, threatening to make the rest of my body disappear completely. Saber could only looked on sadly as she disappeared into the shadow, and the last thing I saw was her mouth opening to say a few quiet words.
No! NO!
SABER!
...
"Ha~ Ha~ Ha~"
I panted hard as I laid on my bed, using a hand to wipe off the sweat that appeared on my head. The night was cool, yet my clothes were completely soaked and my limbs were feeling extremely warm from the 'Od' that I was pumping through unconsciously. I got out of the bed and made my way to the bathroom to wash off the sweat, taking a moment to enjoy the coolness of the water and feeling the waves of an incoming headache wash away. I took a towel to wipe the water away before glancing at the clock.
Great, I only slept for four hours. I sighed heavily as I went back to my bed and sat on it, absentmindedly looking outside the window while thinking back to the scene I was in.
It was bittersweet to say the least; I haven't seen Saber for so long, and having her appear in that odd vision or dream seemed to have open a door to my innermost emotions. I missed her so much, and I could not help but curse the Root and everything else that there was such a great distance between us. The only thing that was stopping me from yelling were the words that Saber said to me before I woke up.
"I am still waiting for you."
My rage seemed to burn out and be replaced by a slightly warmer feeling of happiness and sadness. Saber was still in Avalon, and she was still waiting for me.
And I will continue to find her, until we got reunited on that hill.
...
"..."
Mitelt looked at me from her end of the table with a confused expression as I went about in the kitchen making breakfast. No doubt she was wondering why I was whistling so cheerfully in the morning, and judging from the manner she was edging away slowly, I think it was also scaring her a little.
Well, I could care less. Seeing Saber in that vision or dream made my heart a lot lighter than ever, despite it being bittersweet. It certainly beat my nightmares of those Dead Apostles chasing me. And I got my confirmation that she was waiting for me, so I cannot stop at any costs. I will continue to find the golden hill and I will be with her in the end.
"Someone seems to have woken up on the right side of the bed." Mitelt raised an eyebrow as I turned off the stove and carried our breakfast to the table.
"I just had a relatively nice dream after a long time." I gave that simple reply as I laid the food out on the table. "Okay, food's ready."
"Finally!" Mitelt eagerly put her hands together and gave thanks before tucking in heartily into her meal. I sat in a chair next to her and took a glance at her.
In the short while she was under my care, her demeanor seemed to have improved a little, and that was reflected in her general looks. Right now, she was wearing a simple shirt and a pair of dark shorts, which combined with her untied hair, gave a slightly scruffy and tomboyish look that was at the same time cute.
Wish I could say the same about her attitude. Granted she had mellowed out somewhat, but at times she would lash out if something or someone offends her big time. The only exception was Kawako-san, whom she seemed to have developed a light respect and fear, likely due to her use of the ladle.
All shall fear the Ladle of Doom.
"So, how are you getting along with the others?" I asked as I sat on my chair and started on my share.
"Hmm... I am not talking to the two princesses much if that is whom you are referring to." Mitelt glared at me in a manner that would suggest she did not want to be associated with them, but with the syrup on her face and the pancakes on her fork, she looked more annoyed that she was interrupted during her meal. "As for the others, well I do not have that much interaction, especially with the perverted dragon user. I am not getting within twenty feet of him so that I don't catch his disease."
Ouch. Tough luck for you Ise.
"How about Ruruko and Asia? You seemed to be getting along with them." I remarked.
"Well, I guess I am closer to them compared to the others." Mitelt muttered lightly with a light blush. "At least they are nicer, and Raisei has been nice to me too!"
"Raisei, the sprite dragon right?" I thought back to the small blue dragon that became Asia's familiar after that trip to the forest. It seemed to be a nice creature, though it does have two odd habits. The first one was it giving me a confused stare and occasionally circling around me before going back to the nun or land on my head to sleep.
...
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