Third Person POV
A few days have passed since the incident and only the girls affected by it know about it. With the rest of the school completely oblivious, their winter holidays continue.
And where else to start but with the protagonist. He opens his light blue eyes and hops out of bed, just like every other day.
He starts his day by putting on his necklace with a cross, then his scarf, and the rest of his clothes follow. He then brushes his teeth and looks at himself in the mirror to find that his light brown hair is a bit of a mess.
After fixing it up with relative ease he fixes himself a quick breakfast, having to remind himself to only make one portion.
With his morning routine complete, he leaves his room.
The sun is extra bright today, and the whole campus is coated in a thin layer of snow. But even such a pretty scene puts a bitter taste in our protagonist's mouth.
He turns away from the scene and continues to walk. Eventually he spots a pink haired girl in the distance, even though her head was turned away from him he knew who it was.
She is currently looking out the window and doesn't notice our protagonist approaching her.
Nathaniel: "You're up early today." He calls to her in a flat voice.
The girl named Lisa jolts at his voice and quickly turns around.
But instead of her face, he sees a black marker that's scribbled all over her face making it impossible to see anything. But our protagonist looks as if all is normal.
?Lisa?: "Hmph, I always wake up early in the morning, you just came at a bad time that day." She says with her arms crossed as if to challenge him to disagree.
Nathaniel: "If you say so." He says flatly.
The girl named Lisa keep her defiant glare but begins to fidget in place underneath his gaze, she has his attention, and she's unsure of what to do with it.
?Lisa?: "W-Well, on those bad days when I do wake up late, I-I wouldn't mind it if you were to come by and wake me up. D-Don't get me wrong, I can easily wake up on my own. It's just that..." She continues as she gets increasingly flustered. "Look! Just come by my room in the morning or don't, it's not like I'd care or anything." She says with one last huff as she turns away.
Nathaniel just gives her a nod of neutrality, not feeling much at her act. She's always like this in her scenes, why get so worked up by it.
Nathaniel: "If that's all, I'll be going now. I need to meet up with someone." He says to Lisa who was still turned away.
?Lisa?: "O-Oh, really?" She says not exactly hiding her disappointment.
Nathaniel: "Yeah, so I'll be going now." He says without even an apology, he doesn't quite care enough to give her one anyways.
He walks past her and continues into his destination, as Lisa simply stands there in place. Her scene is over, her actions cease when the protagonist leaves, as it should be.
But the protagonist still manages to sneak a glance back to her, something that doesn't shouldn't happen if he goes with the script.
The protagonist manages to spot her face, without any of the image blocking black scribbles, and she seemed sad. He had a slight urge to turn back, but his feet kept on following his routine.
Yes, this meet up had become part of his routine because this was something he had done every morning, or before at least.
As he walks he passes by a familiar room, one with many drawings on the door. He's in front of a certain black and white haired girl's room, and if he remembers correctly, she should be drawing in her room on this specific day.
Yes, there's the prompt right in front of him.
[Check up on Melissa]
[Leave]
He barely gives the two choices a glance and continues to walk, he's got an appointment to keep.
[Please come back]
> [Leave]
But even after making his choice, he can't help but glance back at the drawing covered door. He spots a picture of him holding hands with the girl, his face is blank but the bright smile on Melissa's face and radiant colours splattered in the background make up for it.
Though it's not like seeing something as simple as that would be enough for him to change his mind, even if he really wanted to.
Because it's not part of his routine.
It's not long until he finally exits the building and out into the winter wonderland that he dislikes and he enters the chance encounter with Yukio, it's unavoidable since it's a scripted event so he will get it over with.
Yukio: "Yo, what's up R%\>]?" She asks with a grin.
Nathaniel: "Just enjoying the cold air." He says flatly as he looks directly at her face.
He doesn't see her face, but the sped up dialogue that's quickly passing by in it's small box. For Yukio, she's speaking at a normal pace as the protagonist just listens, at least that's what he imagines is happening as he skips her dialogue.
But in actuality Yukio feels like she's talking to a brick wall. She knows about the protagonist's patience and enjoys just talking to him like this, but this time around, she felt like she was being ignored.
But even if the protagonist knew this was how she felt, he wouldn't care. Why would he? It's not like a 2D image really has any emotions.
Yukio finishes her dialogue, feeling a bit awkward, and waits for the protagonist's response.
Nathaniel: "Cool, I'll see you later then." He says flatly, already walking past her
Yukio: "Ah, w-wait!" She exclaims as she catches his sleeve.
The protagonist turns around with a cold look that makes her jolt and shiver, but not in the way she likes to.
Nathaniel: "What." He asks in annoyance, he doesn't want to be held up any longer.
Yukio understands he's annoyed, that she should just back off, but despite even the wind telling her to let him go, she somehow finds the bravery to ask him the question.
Yukio: "I was just wondering, if you'd like to go out to the city later today." She says meekly, highly uncharacteristic for her usually dominate personality.
But it's not in her favour.
Nathaniel: "I can't, I have plans today." He says without an ounce of remorse.
With a curt tug to free himself from her grasp, he moves on without looking back. At least, that's what should have happened.
Just like before, for some reason, against his will, he glances back to the girl. She stands there awkwardly, seemingly out of place, trying to hide her frustration and sadness.
A breeze blows by, and Yukio's face gloom as if she were told that the protagonist viewed her just the same as he would air, it's there and he has no choice but to breathe it, nothing more.
And he moves on, cutting through a forest to take a shortcut and make up for the lost time. But he would have taken the long if he knew that there was a chance encounter lying in wait.
In a small clearing, the sound of a sword cutting air can be heard. It's perfectly steady and repetitive, like a calm heart beating in one's chest, and this person's heart begins to hasten when she hears footsteps, and then it begins to sprint when she realizes who it came from.
Rachel: "Oh hello, I didn't expect to see you here." She says with a pleasant smile on her face.
Our protagonist's face doesn't match hers, in fact, it's the exact opposite. An irritated blank look.
How does he keep getting so unlucky with these encounters? Even though he wasn't trying to speed run the game, chance encounters were nothing but a waste of time.
The sooner he finished a game, the sooner he could-
Nathaniel: "Neither did I." He finally replies to her with a blank voice that unintentionally masks the annoyance he felt.
Rachel: "Well, now that you're here..." She starts, coiling a few strands of her long blond hair around her finger.
Nathaniel: "I already know what you're going to ask, and the answer is no." He says flatly, looking at her face that was being blocked by a health bar.
Our protagonist did not want to waste time on a turn based spar, it's a RPG type game after all.
Rachel just looks at him with her pleasantly surprised face still plastered on, and then she falters with an awkward giggle and faces away.
Rachel: "Yeah, I suppose I have been pestering you a lot as of late. My apologies, I'll see you later then." She says with a weak smile.
He nods, grateful for how easy it is to deal with her. As he walks by her though, he notices that her eyes remain trained in him hoping that he would change his mind. He doesn't, of course, why would he?
Once Rachel realizes he wasn't turning back and he past her, she drops her smile slowly and it turns into a frown. Another day perhaps.
As our protagonist steps over a loose branch the sound of how a sword cutting through the air resumes, and just as before, our protagonist manages to glance back.
The first thing he notices is Rachel's grip on her sword had tightened a bit excessively and her swings were now more sloppy and unfocused. He wanted to assist her by correcting her mistakes, but he had a routine to follow.
And so, he continues walking forwards.
After he breaks through the tree lines, it will be a straight line to the exit gates where he will meet up with the person he's been looking forward to seeing.
And as he walks, he thinks about how he might be late because if all the hinderances he's met, but he breathes a sigh of relief when he sees the silver lining.
He's home free from here. Other mobs and side characters like Elizabeth and Leticia won't pop up and bother him. Because they, who are just mobs, nobodies, have no reason to interact with the protagonist.
Lucas isn't part of the protagonist's story so they won't interact. Robert is part of the mobs. Markus...that's what he named his last character to switch things up, but now Nathaniel is just using his own name again because he is the protagonist, meaning Markus doesn't even exist.
And finally, Grace, the villainess. There's no need to worry about her anymore...
She's met her bad end already after all.
With a bit more energy in his step, our protagonist begins to hurry along as he ignores an annoying voice in the back of his head that's telling him to go back.
Finally, our protagonist breaks through the tree lines and back out into the winter wonderland before him. Right before him, only some ways away, standing at the gate is a girl that looks similar to him wearing a scarf that he had personally knitted, she had light brown hair and soft blue eyes, and was the one person he cared about.
Her clear face lights up as she sees her brother walk out of the forest.
Natalie: "Nathaniel!" She calls to him as she rushes towards him.
Our protagonist begins to smile at the sight of her...
As Robin bangs on the window that's stopping him from going into the other side of the glass.
In front of him he was watching Nathaniel's perfect dream where it is only he and Nat.
While behind the glass window, Robin continues to try to break through.
Frustrated, Robin clenches his fists and remains quiet in silent fury. He's had enough of these dreams, and he's had enough of the person he once was.
There was a reason why Nathaniel couldn't quite see everyone's faces, normally when one plays a visual novel, they tend to focus more on the dialogue that's happening in the small box beneath the characters. Or the choices in front of them, or even the health bars during a battle, never just the character's face.
At least, that's what Nathaniel did. He never quite cared for the visuals, just the story that managed to occupy his brain.
And that's what was happening here, he ignored everyone else's story in order to meet his sister, because he only cared about the story between him and his sister, she's all he cared about after all, because she was the only one left.
It angered Robin that Nathaniel was just denying the people he cared about's existence, that he saw them as nothing but pixels on a screen.
But what angered him most is that he was once like that too.
Not anymore.
He's lived his new life, made new experiences and met new people, he had finally found a new purpose and the power to say goodbye to his sister.
And here in front of him, was Nathaniel who was denying all of his efforts.
He knows this is a dream, all of his dreams are seen in a dark room where the only light comes from behind a glass window that he's unable to get through, and normally he would just sit and watch while he waits to wake up, but he's far past just following a routine.
So with all of his strength, he continues to beat on the window, but he seemed to be getting more tired by the second until his open hand slides down the window as he slumps to his knees.
He wasn't physically tired, but mentally tired. He felt like his eyes were closing on their own, even when he was screaming at himself in his mind to not fall asleep.
Because if he falls asleep here, he'll be trapped in this plastic perfect dream.
But maybe that won't be so bad, it's cold without his scarf and things are getting darker, just a few moments of rest couldn't hurt right? After all, nothing matters when you're asleep. Not the cold, nor the dark, worries and problems will cease to exist.
???: "What of the people waiting for you?" A warm voice asked, one that seemed familiar, as if they've been by his side since the beginning. "And had you not already made your resolve?" They continue, they're words enveloping Robin's body with warmth.
Robin clenches his hands and forces his eyes open, a task that was difficult in situations like these. He just wanted to rest and not get up, but the thought of what was waiting for him in reality pushed him forwards, or up in this case.
With much difficulty, he manages to drag himself up and prop up against the window. Outside it was a world filled with black scribbles, where everything was darkened or covered except the small circle around Nathaniel and Natalie.
Nothing existed except those two, meaning those he cared about didn't exist. And to him that was unacceptable.
A footstep startles Robin and he snaps his head behind to see who was approaching him. There he saw the girl who approached him in his dreams just the other day.
Wearing her now teal dress that was the exact same colour of her hair and a gold four star pin right beneath the center of her chest, was a girl who continued to walk towards Robin. He was wary, but also open to her approach as he got warmer after each step.
Scarfy: "Go and prove you have the resolve to make you, and everyone around you happy." Scarfy says as she wraps her arms around Robin's neck and she plants her lips on his in a lovers embrace.
Shocked at the sudden turn of events, Robin begins trying to push her away. But halts when he recognizes the warmth that he felt, making him even more confused.
Scarfy continues to walk forwards until Robin's back is pressed against the window, and she keeps on moving. The window begins to crack and Scarfy pulls away for just one moment.
Scarfy: "I believe in you." She says with an incredibly warm smile and kisses Robin one last time pushing him forward, making the window shatter and Robin falling through it, with her still wrapped around his neck.
Robin only falls for a short amount of time before he lands on his feet, the girl was gone, but he was wearing his scarf once more. He holds one end of the fabric on his hand and touches the 'Second Chance' that's pinned to it, what exactly is this relic he wonders.
He lets go and finds that most of the world is still dark and cold, but the area around him is filled with warm colour. Ahead of him is the oblivious Nathaniel still enjoying his time with Natalie.
Without even a moment of hesitation, he begins sprinting towards him determined to...do what exactly? He doesn't quite know, but each step he takes lights up the world, even if only a tiny bit.
While the red haired boy grows closer, his targets switch. Instead of attacking Nathaniel, he hugs Natalie from behind.
Nathaniel: "Wha-?!" He exclaims as he steps away in surprise.
But the words from Robin flow as if they've been bottled up for so long and have been waiting to said.
Robin: "It's time to sleep sis, sleep forever in my heart as you always have." He speaks gently.
Nathaniel: "What?! No! You cannot leave me again!" He screams as he lunges at the two.
But as a man who was so used to the darkness, he is repelled by the light that emitted from the two.
Robin wasn't crying, nor did he feel any sadness. He has already said goodbye to her before, and no matter how many times these dreams come to him, he will prove that his resolve is strong enough to still wake up to reality.
Natalie turns around, her face still clear, and she smiles just how she always had before. Without any words, she vanishes back into the place in his heart.
Nathaniel: "What have you done?!" He screams at Robin with tears falling from his eyes.
Nathaniel slumps to his knees, his only source of strength, and reason to be was gone once again. Once again, everything was pointless.
Though the scene made him look pathetic, Robin understood that this is what he once was, and all he felt was sympathy. So he stands in front of Nathaniel and reaches out towards him.
Nathaniel: "So you really value those game characters more than your own sister huh." He says in disgust, slapping Robin's hand away. "Living this fake life, what you're doing is pointless." He says bitterly. "You might as well just sleep forever, at least then you won't have to do anymore pointless things."
Robin just looks down at the scribbled out Nathaniel, his body so full of black markings that he's now unrecognizable. This is what he saw in the mirror back then, a figure so deep in despair to the point where he became unrecognizable.
Robin: "Playing Natalie's game wasn't pointless, it kept us alive at the time." He finally speaks.
Nathaniel scoffs.
Nathaniel: "Even then our life was pointless, we didn't do anything that contributed to society, not anything worthwhile to us at least." He says with eyes duller than Robin's.
Robin: "What Natalie gave us was a chance to save ourselves, we could have used that time to find purpose again." He tries to reason.
Nathaniel: "Yet we didn't." He states flatly. "And we still haven't."
Robin clenches his fist and grits his teeth to try and keep calm.
Nathaniel just looks up at him and shakes his head, much to Robin's annoyance.
Nathaniel: "There's a difference between you and me, I still actual care for our sister. No, we're still alike you and I, both of us are still obsessed with our sister." He begins to smirk. "Everything you do is because it reminds you of Natalie, even your necklace is just a fake to remind you of her gift." He says pointing at his cross necklace then Robin's. "You don't really care about them, you just care about how much they remind you of Natalie." He sneers.
Robin was getting angry at Nathaniel again, he couldn't stand how he was denying all of his progress. He was always a patient person when it came to others, but he treats himself differently.
Robin: "Don't you say that about them." He says coldly.
Nathaniel: "You're such a hypocrite. You do all these things because you care about her, yet you hate her enough to try and push her out of your mind completel-"
Robin: "Of course I still care about her! I care about all of them, just shut up!" He yells, grabbing Nathaniel by his collar.
Nathaniel: "Hoo? Or what? You're gonna kill me, yourself, again?" He smirks.
Robin freezes for a moment, and Nathaniel's smirk widens.
Robin: "You're right, you are already dead." He says flatly as he lets go.
Nathaniel: "What?" He asks as his smirk disappears and is replaced by a look of confusion.
Robin: "But Robin isn't, Nathaniel should have been put to rest so long ago." He says flatly.
Nathaniel: "Are you even listening to yourself right now? What you're saying is ridiculous." He sneers.
Robin: "You say this and that, and I do so too, but in the end, haven't we just been talking to ourselves?" He begins to frown.
Nathaniel: "What the hell are you talking about." He growls.
Robin: "When I speak to you, I'm talking to Robin. What you're saying to me, you're saying it to Nathaniel. What we're saying to each other, is how we really feel about ourselves." He says as he pieces the words together.
Nathaniel just frowns in silence, unable to refute his words.
Robin: "It's time for Nathaniel to sleep, and Robin needs to wake up." He says putting a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder, the black marker beginning to fade where his hand touched him.
Nathaniel: "But I don't want to sleep anymore, even my dreams have become lonely." He says softly.
Robin: "They don't need to be anymore, just rest Nathaniel, rest with your family for the rest of eternity. Isn't that the reality you've been dreaming of?"
Nathaniel: "Then won't it just remain a dream?" He asks as he looks up to Robin.
Robin: "Even if it is, no matter what dream you'll dream, mom, dad, Natalie, all of them will be dreaming with you. They're waiting for you Nathaniel, so just sleep." He encourages him as more and more darkness begins to fade.
Nathaniel: "So if I dream, where will you be?" He asks as no more malice clouds his eyes.
Robin: "You may not care about this new world, but I do. So I will wake up and live in my reality, doing all I can to make sure everyone's dreams will come true." He says as resolve back his voice.
Nathaniel: "Then what about you? What about you're dreams?" He asks as he begins to fade.
Robin: "Just like you Nathaniel, my only dream is to make sure that the one's I care about are happy." He says warmly.
And Nathaniel smiles.
Nathaniel: "Then I hope your dream becomes a reality Robin, goodnight." He continues to smile as the voice in Robin's head finally fades.
Robin: "Sweet dreams." He whispers as Nathaniel finally disappears.
This was truly it, the problem that has clouded Robin's head since the moment he first woke up has finally been solved. The voices are gone, and now he can solely focus on making his dream become a reality.
Scarfy: "It's time for you to wake up Robin, they're still waiting for you." She says appearing in front of him in her human form.
Robin looks behind him, back at the school gate to see the faces of everyone waiting for him, the world beginning to turn into nothing but a bright light.
Robin: "You're right, wait, didn't I di-?"
Scarfy: "Make sure to use you resolve well." She smiles before sticking out her pointer finger and pressing it against his forehead.
A bright light flashes, removing everything within the dream from existence, or this window into his mind rather. This dream will no longer exist, for he no longer needs it.
He had truly moved on.
Clarissa POV
It's been quite awhile since Robin's 'death', and I was sitting in the nurses room beside Robin where he lies comatose in the bed. With not many people still at school for the winter holidays, only a few other people know about Robin's condition.
It's been a depressing last few days, but it was all about to change when I witness his eyes flutter open. I quickly rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things and begin to tear up when I see him looking at me.
Clarissa: "Y-You're finally awake." I say breathlessly.
Robin: "N-Natalie?" He asks just as breathlessly as he reaches out to cup my cheek.
I freeze at his touch and his words, the way he looked at me, with eyes so full of life, it was the same way he looked at me back then too.
Only my brother could make my heart flutter this way.
Robin: "I-I'm so sorry, I mistook you for someone else." He says retracting his hand and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
I let out a small laugh, and I couldn't tell if I should be relived or sad.
Clarissa: "That's fine, I'm just so happy you're back. I need to tell the others." I say pulling out my phone?
Robin: "Who are the others?" He asks making me freeze up again. "And who are you exactly?" He asks with a blank face.
My heart drops and I drop my phone as I turn to him in despair. H-Has he forgotten his memories?!
I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out, my throat is too choked up for even a breath to get through.
Robin: "Just kidding, I've always wanted to try that joke. Was it a good one Clare?" He asks with a slight head tilt.
My heart begins to beat again and I sigh in relief.
Robin: "Oh, I'm sorry, I guess it was a poor joke." He says sounding worried.
I look at him with a smile as tears fall from my eyes, and I reach over to hug him.
Clarissa: "No, it was a great one. Your sense of humour means that everything is real and this isn't a dream." I say laughing as he allows me to hug him.
I pull back from him and he looks at me with a gentle gaze, one that told me he cared for me. I wipe my eyes to get a better look at his face.
Robin: "I'm back Clarissa." He says to me with warmth in his voice.
My heart hitches and my face flushed when I realize our proximity. My eyes glance at his lips and I think back to everyone's kissing experience with him.
Robin: "I see you're still wearing my scarf, but aren't you hot in it?" He asks flatly.
Clarissa: "N-No, not at all, I haven't stopped wearing it since you gave it to me." I say feeling hot for a different reason.
Robin was my brother, but with the emphasis on 'was', I decide that this was finally my chance.
Clarissa: "Robin I..." I begin as I lean towards him.
Lisa/Rachel/Yukio/Melissa/Elizabeth/Leticia: "ROBIN!" They all exclaim in unison as the door slams open, making me pull myself back at light speed.
With a heavy blush on my cheeks, I scoot my chair back to clear way for everyone, disappointed that I missed my chance. They arrived here fast, I guess I must have his send before I dropped my phone.
The plethora of girls all instantly begin trample over each other with tears in their eyes as they try to reach Robin and they all make it to him at the same time.
Which made Robin's eyes widen as they look over him.
Robin: "One at a time plea-"
He's cut off when they all manage to perfectly place themselves so that they are all able to hug Robin over top each other.
Robin: "Can't...breath..." His muffled voice says underneath the pile of girls.
They all quickly get off of him and brush away their tears, leaving nothing but pure joy in all of their faces. I haven't seen them this happy in a long while.
Lisa: "Do you have any idea how worried you made us?!" She yells, tears forming in her eyes again.
Melissa: "Mn, very worried." She adds tearing up as well.
Robin: "Yes, I'm very sorry to have worried you all." He says looking at the two.
Rachel: "It is okay now Robin, you're awake, that's all that matters." She smiles gently.
Yukio: "Damn wind didn't tell me if you'd wake up or not, but I knew you'd come back." She says putting up a tough front, but I sense that she wanted to act like Lisa and Melissa in this moment.
Robin: "Yes I...how long have I been out?" He asks.
Elizabeth: "Six days Robin, for six days you've had me worried sick. How will you compensate your girlfriend for this?" She asks trying to put on her playful tone, covering up the real worry in it.
Robin: "I'm sure we can make up for lost time, but I'm glad to see you and Leticia are okay after being possessed by demon." He says with some relief in his voice.
Elizabeth: "And speaking of Leticia, we will be taking her with us when you take me on our make up date, you owe her as well." She says smirking at her best friend.
Leticia: "T-There's no need, it's enough for me to just see that you're okay." She says meekly to Robin.
Robin: "That's very kind of you, but you know how Elizabeth is, she'll drag you with us regardless." He says in a fond tone.
Leticia glances at Elizabeth and sees her smiling deviously, confirming what Robin said.
Leticia: "I-If I have no other choice then..." She mumbles, fidgeting in place.
The others wanted to object to this, it could be seen in their faces, but some time prior we had agreed to all give each other a chance to just talk with Robin. So they keep their mouths shut and just glare at the two.
Robin: "Wait a minute, Elizabeth, did you say I was asleep for six days?" He asks as if he's just processed the information.
???: "I believe it is my turn to speak." A voice says from the door.
Robin: "Grace! You're alright." He says sounding breathless, forgetting his question entirely.
Grace: "Yes, all thanks to you, my dear hero." She says with nothing but warmth in her voice and a truly happy smile as she holds the necklace he gave her.
The others didn't like the fluffy atmosphere that they were producing, but they kept to the agreement. Though a few of them were still looking at Grace with hostility.
She knew this of course, and was willing to burden their anger. It's part of the reason why she had been waiting outside for so long. I noticed her standing right outside the door, waiting for everyone to get their turn before she ruins the atmosphere.
She had matured a lot since that day, and speaking of that day...
Grace: "But allow me to get you up to speed before continuing." She offers.
Robin: "I would appreciate that, thank you." He nods appreciatively as he focuses solely on her.
With a sly smirk, it was clear what she was doing.
Clarissa: "I can help too." I find myself saying.
Everyone turns to me and Robin gives me a nod.
Robin: "Two is better than one I suppose, thank you." He says beginning to focus on the two of us.
Grace winks at me and starts explaining what happened before everyone else could jump in and offer to tell the story.
Of course, I started to help.
Third person POV
Moments before the villainess's curtains fall
Lisa, Rachel, Yukio, and Melissa were all about to release their attack on Grace, who was cradling Robin's head, and Clarissa was still too deep into despair on the ground to do anything.
But the gold four point star pin on Robin's scarf began to glow, and the glow started to surround the scarf as a whole.
The girls, blinded by anger and grief, doesn't notice it and shoot off their attacks with intent to kill.
Lisa wants to turn Grace to ashes.
Rachel wants Grace's blood on her sword
Melissa wants to annihilate Grace from existence.
Yukio wants to see Grace suffer from a thousand cuts.
Clarissa wants her brother back.
And Grace, just wants it all to end.
But Scarfy could only grant one of those wants.
After final flash of bright light from the scarf that blinds everyone, they blink rapidly to find their magic dispelled and a girl with teal hair and dress catching Rachel's blade with her bare hands.
???: "Now now girls, play nice." She says with a smile.
Alarmed, Rachel hops back sight he others. She looks at the new girl with wary, she blocked her full force attack with her bare hand after all.
Yukio: "Who are you?!" She shouts with tears still falling from her eyes.
???: "That doesn't quite matter, but if you really want to know, I go by the name Scarfy." She smiles warmly.
The girls here knew that Robin called his scarf Scarfy, but it still didn't make sense. Did Robin's scarf really turn into a girl? A pretty one at that!
Clarissa: "That pin, Robin had one on his scarf." She says emotionlessly pointing at the gold four point star that's pinned on Scarfy's dress. "And his scarf is gone too." She points out.
Lisa: "Who cares! Get out of the way so we can avenge Robin!" She yells, her hair ablaze and a flame rising in both her hands.
Scarfy just glances at her, and the fire disappears.
Scarfy: "Robin wouldn't like it if you killed the person he sacrificed his life for." She says dropping her smile.
Grace: "It wasn't a sacrifice, I killed him. So just let them do what they want." She says softly, not caring about anything except the boy on her lap.
Lisa: "You heard her! Get out of the way!" She shouts flicking her wrists as if trying to start an empty lighter.
Scarfy: "Have any of you tried checking his breathing?" She asks calmly.
Grace's eyes widen at the suggestion, so overwhelmed by her feelings, all reason had been drowned out by grief and she hadn't even thought of doing that. She instantly leans down and puts her ear to his nose.
Grace was doubtful, but even the slightest chance of him surviving gave her hope, this applies to the other girls as well who were watching and waiting for the good news.
Nothing but the crackling fire place and the tension filled silence could be heard.
Then Scarfy walks in front of the two, and before anyone can react she sticks her hand out in front of him. The girls were startled at Scarfy's sudden movement and quickly got ready to attack.
But Scarfy's pin begins to emit a warm green glow and so do her hands. Clarissa noticed that this was healing magic similar to her own, but this was much more stronger than hers. She wasn't at the level where she could heal as well as the girl before her, but now she had a goal.
Grace, who wasn't able to notice this because she was so focused on checking for Robin's breaths, feels gentle air tickle her ear.
Grace: "He's alive." Her voice, barely a whisper.
Robin's wounds begin to close and the others watch in shock.
Grace hugs Robin into her chest as tears begin to fall again and she smiles uncontrollably.
Grace: "He's alive." She repeats joyfully.
Clarissa's bright eyes return and she's the first one to process her words. She quickly dashes to Robin's side as she begins to cry and Grace places him back on her lap. Clarissa digs her face into Robin's face.
Clarissa: "I thought I lost you again." She says into his chest, feeling his heart beat ever so slowly. "Uwaaaaaah!" And she begins to cry.
Although what she says might spark some questions, everyone was just too focused on their own problems.
Both the villainess and the female protagonist crying started a chain reaction and the others felt their own tears start to fall again.
Melissa cries aloud like Clarissa and kneels by Robin's side, Lisa pouts angrily at the emotional rollercoaster Robin was putting her through as her tears drip down her cheeks.
Yukio attempts to hold back her tears and look tough, but fails miserably.
And Rachel just smiles gently in relief as she looks at Robin with tear filled eyes.
Scarfy simply watches them all from the side, she wishes Robin could see what she was seeing, maybe then he'd understand how much he really means to them all.
Scarfy: "Do you still wish to throw away Robin's efforts Grace?" She asks already knowing the answer.
Grace: "No, not when he's now alive in my arms." She says looking at nothing but him.
Scarfy: "Good, that will make him happy, that is all I wish for him from you all." She speaks firmly, gaining all of their attention. "The only thing Robin wants from you all is to see you happy, so I ask of you this one thing, make him happy in return." She says seriously.
This was yet another thing no one had thought about, he's done so much for them, when will they be able to return the favour?
Grace: "Yes, I will do everything in my power to make him happy, you have my word." She says determinedly.
Clarissa: "Of course I'll make him happy." She says in a pause of her wailing.
Lisa: "Is that even a question? I'm his childhood friend, there no doubt that I will make him happy." She declares with her arms crossed, her tears making her less intimidating.
Yukio: "Yeah, we're not even by a long shot yet." She smiles softly at him.
Rachel: "Whether it's with my blade or a cooking utensil, I'll cut open a path for his happiness." She says firmly gripping her sword.
Melissa: "Mn! Me too, I'll make him happy like a big girl would." She says looking at everyone with revere.
Scarfy can't help but smile in this situation, she could see that they all truly loved him.
Scarfy: "Thank you, but understand that the only way to make him happy is by getting along with each other. He cares about you all, seeing you hurt one another will only hurt him." She says softly.
Grace looks down with guilt, even if what she says was true, what she did was unforgivable.
Or so she thinks.
Clarissa: "I know you were being possessed Grace, I forgive you." She says with a bright smile.
Grace looks at her with shock, even after everything Clarissa still had the ability to look at everything so positively.
Grace wishes she could be like her, because now Robin has Grace wondering if everything she said was truly true. Did she really not care for them like she said she didn't? Or was there hope that Robin gave her a heart.
If it's the former, she'll be happy to live a white lie I'd it means that Robin will be happy.
Melissa: "Same here. You're a mean girl, and you hurt Robin." She begins to frown. "But he's okay now, and you like him too. Anyone who he likes that likes him back is a good person. So as long as you're sorry, I will forgive you." She smiles, still kneeling beside Robin and next to Clarissa.
Rachel: "I agree with Melissa, a knight should always be able to forgive an enemy who repents." She nods firmly.
Grace looks at them in surprised. Without even saying a word, three people had forgiven her. She was nothing short of amazed.
But she could still sense hostility from other two.
Lisa: "I'm not a knight, and I already disliked you. I will never forgive you for doing this to Robin." She states coldly, then she tsks. "But for his sake, I'll tolerate you for now." She says shooting a glare at Grace.
Yukio: "Same as her." She says nudging her head towards Lisa. "But if you ever hurt him again, I won't just sit around and let you off lightly." She says menacingly.
Grace nods gratefully.
Grace: "Though I give you my word I won't ever harm Robin again, I will give you full permission to strike me down if I ever do." She says firmly. "I am willing to take the burden of your hate if it means we can all still work together and make him happy."
She receives a curt nod from the two and breathes a sigh of relief.
Scarfy: "Thank you, all of you." She says grateful to them all.
Clarissa: "Are you really Robin's scarf?" She asks, now that the tension has settled a bit.
Scarfy giggles a bit.
Scarfy: "That I am, I was given the life you see before you by the present he had given me." She says caressing the gold four point pin. "Because of this pin and Robin's high amount of mana he's been feeding me, I've been given the form of a younger version of the previous owner." She explains.
Grace: "Scarfy seems rather...inaccurate at the moment, could we call you something else?" She asks curiously.
Scarfy: "I suppose you are correct, then in this form, call me Sylvia. It was the previous owner's name, I've been given a few of her memories along with her form after all." She smiles softly.
Before someone can ask for more details about the pin, or what exactly being Robin's scarf is like, Sylvia interrupts them.
Sylvia: "I am running out of time, and I still must save Robin in a different way so I will make this quick. Though I have saved Robin, he will be stuck in a coma for an unknown period of time. None of you will be able to do anything to help him." She states firmly.
The others take this information hard and the atmosphere drops and becomes gloomy.
Sylvia: "So I ask that you all wait for him, no matter how long it may take." She requests them all.
The atmosphere becomes more determined as everyone give her a nod.
Sylvia: "I thank you all." She smiles as her entire body begins to glow. "I hope that Robin will choose all of you when the time comes." She says giving them all her blessing before she departs.
She disappears in a flash of light and reappears around Robin's neck as his trusty scarf.
Each of them look at Scarfy in awe for a moment, and they all look at each other. A silent agreement was made that everyone will get along, for Robin's sake.
It was a little bit later on when Elizabeth and Leticia woke up, but they were informed of the events that transpired immediately.
Then came the fateful moment when Grace asked them for their forgiveness.
Both being victims of the demon, they were able to sympathize with Grace and forgive her rather quickly. Elizabeth could never stay mad at her only real family left, and Leticia managed to reason with her bloodthirsty anger that stemmed from her precious Robin being hurt and forgives her first friend after Robin.
Grace was quick to hug the two after that feeling grateful for the forgiveness she felt she did not deserve.
And then they brought back Robin to the academy's empty nurses office where they allowed him to rest. His body was in perfect condition now after what Sylvia did.
But whether she saved Robin while he was on the brink of death, or resurrected him for he had already stopped breathing was a mystery. Grace wasn't able to properly check his breaths before he was healed.
But one thing was for sure, today was not the day for his final breath.
The present
While this is the true story of what happened, what they told Robin was very much different. The only major points was that his scarf saved him in human form and that everyone was still friends.
They made sure to not mention Grace's brush with death by the hands of Yukio's group, or the talk about Robin's happiness.
They were going to make him happy with or without Sylvia words after all.
The white lie was enough to make Robin happy, and in turn, made them think it was worth it.
Robin: "So that really was you in my dreams then Scarfy, or Sylvia at the time." She says to his scarf.
His scarf remains motionless but warms up a bit as if to give him a silent yes.
Robin: "Thank you." He whispers.
Grace: "Ahem." She clears her throat to get Robin's attention, and everyone else's in the process. "Seeing as though you're not wondering who everyone in this room is, I assume you still retain all of your memories correct?" She asks, constantly shifting her weight between he feet.
Robin: "Yes, I don't forget things anymore." He states flatly.
Grace begins to smile.
Grace: "Good, then let me continue with the other things I wanted to say to you." She says slowly walking towards Robin, making the other girls wary.
Robin: "Our time was cut short, so I'll be happy to listen." He says being drawn into her very light purple eyes.
Grace: "Thank you." She smiles before taking a deep breath. "Before I met you, I was constantly suffocated by life itself. I lived everyday holding my breath, hoping for things to change, and then you appeared before me fulfilling my wish. It was you who reminded me how to breathe, I want to show you my gratitude, for that and everything else you have ever done for me." She says reaching the side of his bed, cupping his cheeks in both of her hands. "My faithful servant, thank you for coming into my life." She says with a loving warmth before gently locking her lips with his.
Robin, who had just recently woken up from a six day coma, widens his eyes in surprise at the bold mood. He still hasn't gotten used to being kissed yet despite the practice.
Grace pulls back with a pure smile on her lips. And before the other girls could stop this outrageous behaviour, Grace swiftly continues her attack.
Grace: "If you still wish to make me happy, then will you allow me to be your girlfriend?" She asks in the sweetest tone she could muster.
Robin was still in a daze from her attack, so he replies without thinking about what his answer entailed.
Robin: "As long as it makes you happy, then yes." He says flatly, much to everyone in the room's shock.
Except Grace who had a now devious and victorious smirk on her lips.
Grace: "Then I shall be in your care." She says reaching towards him again.
Leticia: "STOOOOP!" She yells as she pulls Grace back with the hell of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth: "Dear sister, I do believe you have forgotten that you are engaged to the second prince!" She exclaims as she grabs her shoulders and begins shaking her, annoyed that her sister is trying to steal her things again.
Yukio: "You crazy subeta!" She yells angrily.
Lisa: "Do you understand what kind of scandal this could cause?!" She yells furiously, mostly because of what just happened in front of her and not at all because of the possible incredibly large consequences that could from it.
Melissa: "No fair, she skipped the line." She pouts thinking about how she's still waiting for Robin's reply.
Rachel: "Yes, we are still waiting for his answer after all." She taps her foot mildly annoyed.
Clarissa: "I thought you said you wouldn't pursue Robin because you didn't like him like that." She frowns.
Grace: "Oh yes, you are absolutely correct." She says casually as she stops Elizabeth from shaking her any longer. "So allow me to formally say, that I will now be participating in this battle, and it seems that I've already won." She says giving everyone a cheeky smile.
Yukio: "Oh no no no, you do not get to just do that." She states glaring daggers at Grace.
Lisa: "Do you really think we'd let you just do that?" She sneers.
Robin: "Uhm, girls? Are you still angry about what Grace did to everyone?" He asks, clearly not hearing what they were talking about. "I know it's a lot to ask, but can you please forgive her? She was possessed at the time and now she's an entirely new person, give her a chance please." He says with an innocent expression.
Grace: "As I have been saying the whole time, I really am sorry." She says sounding genuine.
Unable to win against his puppy dogs eyes, they reluctantly sigh in defeat. And even more reluctantly, they nod their heads giving a silent I forgive you.
While at heart they may not have, this was enough to satisfy Robin, much to their annoyance after seeing Grace's real happy face.
Grace: "Oh, I should add that my engagement with Lucas is more like a mutual agreement between us, there is no love, so there is no need to worry about me being unfaithful. I will give you my word that Robin shall be the only man I love." She says smiling to a slightly red Robin.
He finally realizes what he's agreed to, now he's dating both of the Astley siblings! His life just got much more complicated.
But as he watches everyone begin to argue with each other, he smiles internally, everything was back to normal.
Robin starts to think to himself, about his most recent dream. Nathaniel Cross is dead, resting with his family now.
And here he is, Robin Cross, surrounded by those he cares about, his new family. And he can finally say, that he's living his life to the fullest.
After all, he couldn't be more happier with his life at the moment.
Robin: "Hey guys, it's the last day of the winter holidays right? Let's make the most of it." He suggests.
After a short amount of murmuring, they all nod their head.
Grace: "A date with my new boyfriend does sound nice." She muses.
The others just glare at her, unable to change what he had said and he begins to get up. But as he does, he notices something.
Robin: "Hey, I remember that most of my clothes were torn to shreds that night. Who changed me?" He asks looking at his fresh uniform.
No one says a thing and they just look at each other. No one seems to have the answer, or at least, don't want to say it out loud.
Clarissa: "We should bring the others with us too! We still need to tell them that you're awake." She suggests being the one to break the silence.
Robin: "Who else knew about what happened to me?" He asks flatly.
Clarissa: "Oh just Lucas and Robert, we made sure to keep everything under wraps though so no need to worry about being famous again." She reassured him.
Grace: "Though you may need to worry about being famous for something else." She smirks mischievously.
This earns her a glare from everyone and Robin thinks of one last person.
Robin: "What about Markus?" He asks thinking about the male protagonist and how much of his story he must have missed out on.
And as if on cue, he appears in the doorway completely fine.
Markus: "You called?" He asks with his trademark shining grin.
He seemed to be alright now...
Or was he?
————
Alright, I promise this is the last of Robin's inner turmoil arc, I'm sure you're all sick of it already, so here's a parting summary. Part of Robin's head was always doubting, always telling him to just stop, always trying to take control and hit the off button, this part of his mind was like a whole new entity to him, one that just wouldn't leave him alone. Even when he tried to run away from it, or tried to just ignore it, it's always just there, no matter what, it's always just sitting in the far back of his brain slowly trapping his mind in a dark swamp. But now, he's finally done enough, met good enough people to move past it. His head is clear, and it's all thanks to them. So now he will repay them in full, even if they don't truly understand how much they've helped him. It's been a hell of an adventure, one that started off with only little bit of this kind of stuff and snowballed into what you see now, but with the problem solved, new ones will arise and the end slowly approaches. Will his story end in a tragedy? Or will he get the happy ending he hopes to share with everyone? I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much I have while writing it, because that's what makes it really worth it to me. So enough with this mushy crap, I'll see you next chapter!
Potato: "I don't got much words to say today to be honest, I guess I'm just in one of those moods where you chill out to music and lie in your bed. But it's not one of those depressing lie in your bed while you think about all the bad crap, it's a head empty kind of thing. Why am I telling this to the people of the internet? I'm not sure, and I don't see the point in explaining it. Maybe I just like talking to walls, am I going insane? Nah, I've already lost my sanity, yet life goes on right? Maybe I'm just in a philosophical mood, probably cause I started writing something that has to do with immortality again. Would I become immortal if I had the chance? Once I'm a bit older, yes. Would I come to regret it? Most definitely, but I'd still choose to take it. So much for not many words Huh. Nothing funny for today it seems, just a genuine I hope you're doing fine today random person on the internet, from your own super cool Potato. You'll never know who I am, I'll clarify that much, but that's the beauty in it. I'm just a random person on this app, writing a random story in his free time, asking you, a random person on this app who is reading my book how you're doing. You don't have to reply, most of you probably won't even read any of this, so if you are, just know that a random person calling himself a potato hopes you're doing alright during this pandemic, and in life in general."
Potato: "Have a good day, or night, or afternoon, or whenever you're reading this, see you later!"
:)
Date of chapter completion: Jan 23
Word count: 9331
@Phalanx03 was here
And the Potato approves of this stamp
(Note: The chapters ahead are cannon but you don't have to read the lemons in order to get the story. If you're the type who doesn't like lemons, then skip to ch 27: No Turning Back, there is a brief explanation of what had happened through the lemon chapters and you just go from there)
I repeat! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE LEMONS!!!