The sun had started to set once again today.
In a giant house atop a mountain, a lady donning a veil placed her hand on her sides and sighed.
"It might rain in the night..."
The lady picked up the basket and started removing the sheets and clothes hanging outside. She folded them and placed them back in the basket.
A gentle breeze brushed past her long white hair, making her dress flutter with the flowers.
She had already spent four springs in this place, she had become used to telling the weather these days.
It was certain that it would rain tonight.
The lady finished getting the laundry and moved back inside the house. The setting sun had disappeared as the sky started to grow dark.
Made of rosewood and ebony, the inside of the humble yet spacious house glowed with the lights of magic tools. An annoying mumble spread through the air which she just couldn't ignore.
The lady dusted her hands and walked over to the living room. The sounds of the television filled her ears, but she couldn't focus on it.
After all, her couch had ended up with a neat, small hole through it.
In front of it, a small girl with white hair waved her hands.
The lady placed her hands on her sides.
"What is this?" She asked.
"T-t-this... the couch just poofed on its own!"
The girl answered, her height barely reaching the couch's seats. The girl's pitch-black eyes trembled as she pouted slightly, it was quite the expression.
Even if she tried, the lady would find it impossible to say anything to the girl, her heart melted whenever she faced her.
The lady sighed and walked over to the child. She raised her up. The small girl waved her feet in surprise.
"Nea, you have to be careful. What if you get hurt?"
"Hurt?"
"Yeah, mom will get angry if you get hurt, ok?"
"You will?"
The lady nodded and the child giggled.
"Sorry..." She said, her face anything but one of repentance. The lady pouted and playfully flicked her daughter's forehead. "Ow~"
She pulled the girl closer in a tight embrace.
"What were you doing?"
"TV!"
"What on it?"
"Show!"
The lady grinned and carried the child over to the couch. She sat down on the safer side and laid the child atop her.
[The fifth anniversary of the war is swiftly approaching. The fateful day when the threat against all our worlds came to an end is one that will be remembered for generations to come. A great mystery still remains, where did the Outer Gods come from, and are there more? Joining us today for the special is—]
"You find this fun?"
"Yeah!"
"Do you understand what's going on?"
"Nope!"
The lady smiled again.
"Ok, let's watch it together."
The three year old was far too amusing for the Lady. She had heard how children became a handful to deal with in their toddler years, but her daughter was always too well-behaved.
The lady and the girl sat around for a while before the lady shut the TV off.
They studied a little and got ready to eat their dinner.
"Mama, mama! Sweets!"
"Mhm, right here."
The girl opened her mouth wide, and the lady fed her with a great smile.
Their days were always like this. After taking a bath and brushing their teeth, the lady took her daughter over to her room and laid her down in bed.
The lady always got a tad worried for the safety of her daughter, though, and made sure they slept together.
If anything happened to the girl...
The lady was certain she wouldn't be able to live a second more.
The two of them laid down together and the lady patted her daughter until she fell asleep.
The soft sounds of her breathing filled the Lady's heart with warmth.
But when the girl quietened, the warmth was always replaced with anxiety rather quick. The lady got off the bed and pulled her drawers open.
"Hm?"
Her eyes widened.
She closed it back, and opened it once more.
But no matter how she looked, it wasn't there.
A wave of panic washed over her as she checked the other drawers and the closet, but no matter where she looked, she couldn't find it.
She had seen it just this morning, right before going to get the laundry—
The lady rushed out of the room in a fluster. She descended the stairs and pushed the door of her house open.
Atop the hill a gentle breeze blew.
The night sky was lit up by the moon.
A moon similar to what she had seen a long time back.
A tune she was familiar with resounded in her ears.
A tune she had played a long time back.
There.
Under the Moonlit Sky.
The box that she had promised to keep safe was pushed open.
The energies of everyone she had met, everyone, they, had met, filled the air like blossoming flowers.
Two rings glistened in the night.
Under the Moonlit Sky.n0VElusb.c0M
***
[A/N: Thank you very much to everyone for reading and supporting Eugene Hall's story this far. I had never expected to write so much of a book I had just started on a whim, before I knew it, the story, the characters, and the readers became irreplaceable to me.
The experiences I have gained are something I will never forget, and that includes all of you. More often than not, I had no motivation to continue, but it is only thanks to all of you that I could write even a little bit more and now here we are, at the very end of the novel.
It is a bittersweet feeling, while I am glad to see it end, I am also not willing to let it go. The experiences I have gained from interacting with the readers has helped me grow as a person and as an author, I hope I can keep reflecting them in the future.
About the ending, it is fairly clear what happened. But it is also left open-ended. You can make guesses, but you can't be sure. Time keeps marching forward, and that is what it is doing for everyone in this novel too.
I am kinda lost for words... but if there's one thing that could convey all these feelings, it would be...
Thank you.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.]