173 I'm Too Old For This

Carole's hands were shaking, Vy could see it. But the only words she could bring herself to say was, "I'm sorry."

Vy could not meet Carole eye to eye. It was her dagger that killed Elette. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself otherwise, she still continued to blame herself. Nothing could change the truth.

Before Carole could say anything else, Caster held her back. He pulled her aside and signaled the siblings to enter the chapel.

Vy and Lycster walked up the steps to see Elette. Looking into the open coffin, both of them remained silent. The serene expression on Elette's face made her look as if she was merely sleeping. That was their sister.

To say that Vy had been strong about this would be entirely false. She had pushed what had happened all the way to the back of her mind. Vy reached out her hand. She wanted to touch Elette on the face but something within her stopped herself from doing so.

Lycster came from behind and placed Mr Bun, Elette's stuffed bunny next to her in the casket. Their younger sister just looked like she was sound asleep. Unknown to Vy, tears had already begun to well up around her eyes.

As the tears rolled down her cheeks, Vy's lips quivered. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth. Her vision began to blur as she crumbled to the ground, with Lycster by her side. Something about all of this scene felt too familiar.

But was there ever a foolproof way of knowing what was real and what was her imagination? Before she could sink any further into her thoughts, Vy turned to see Lycster next to her. From the look on his face, she could tell that the boy was trying to stay strong, stifling his cries.

Aether, who was coiled around Vy's wrist, looked on and let out an inaudible sigh. Life was fickle, you never knew what could happen next.

-Console him, before he bursts.- Aether commented.

This prompted Vy to give Lycster a wam hug. As soon as they embraced, the floodgates opened as Lycster balled his eyes out. Vy did not hold back either. They allowed themselves to let down their guard and cried till their eyes were sore. Until they had no more tears to give.

That night, even after everyone had left, the siblings sat leaning their backs against the coffin. They reminisce the moments they shared, they talked about the things they did. About the things they should have done together when there was time.

As time went by, their tears turned into sounds of laughter. Aether coiled himself next to Vy, listening to all the stories they told and promises they were making. The truth of the matter remained. Vy knew that she would never fully be able to let it go.

-But revenge would not appease me, would it?- she wondered to herself.

-It does not stop you from pursuing it either.- Aether echoed in her mind.

-And there's only one way to find out.- Vy remarked.

A shadow loomed over the siblings. Someone had walked up the steps, bringing them hot tea and blankets to warm them up. As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she knelt down to be at the same level as the siblings.

"Hazel!" Lycster exclaimed.

As soon as she put down the pot and cups for tea, Lycster leapt into her embrace. Hazel greeted him warmly with a smile. Vy had not recognised her at first since she had been dressed so differently from the last time they had met.

"Thank you, Hazel. For everything," Vy thanked her.

Hazel nodded in acknowledgement, "It's the least I could do. It's good to see both of you are well."

As it was getting later into the night, everyone was getting tired. But Vy knew that Carole and Caster deserved answers. She did not want to keep them waiting for too long either. It was never her intention to keep this all under wraps for so long. She never intended to lie to them either.

The truth might be ugly, but it was still the truth. Nothing could ever change that. Lycster yawned as he rubbed his eyes. Vy wanted him to sleep for the night, after all, they had been travelling all day. However, knowing that Vy wanted to talk to Carole and Caster made him want to stay.

"You need rest. You're already yawning and can barely keep your eyes open." Vy said to him as Lycster yawned again.

Despite his pouting, Vy was insistent. Knowing that she had his best intentions at heart, he listened to her and headed back home. Hazel, who had been staying with Carole since she had arrived was asked to accompany Lycster home as well.

"I can take care of myself you know," Lycster continued to pout as he rubbed his eyes.

Vy smiled, "I know you can, so you protect Hazel on your way back home. Okay?"

Lycster beamed with pride and went on his way with Hazel following closely behind. On the other hand, Vy, Caster, and Carole decided to head to Carole's stall to chat. All the stalls were already closed and while some of the stall owners were still awake finishing their super, the streets were relatively silent.

When they reached Carole's stall, they brought out some stools and a table while Carole brewed a hot pot of tea. She poured each of them a cup before taking a seat herself. The guards stood guard outside of the tent. As it was late in the night, no one really bothered them.

Old Potto, who was in the next stall, leisurely smoked his pipe as he kept an ear on the conversation. Carole had planned out exactly what she wanted to say to Vy from the moment she saw Hazel entering Timbretune with Elette's body in tow.

"I'm too old for this," Carole muttered to herself as she took a sip from her cup.