Falling petals

A Meeting of Friends.

The sun was high and letting its warmth spread around. The wind gives a cooling effect with its strong breeze and helps being out bearable. The trees give shade and allows those that rest under it to take the beautiful view of the day.
 
With all this picturesque scene. Sakura took this time to admire such a view while resting underneath a tree.
 
Sitting on blanket covering the ground, she just looks up and let's her hair be blown by the wind. The tree shades the sun away from her but the warmth of the sun is still there. It was a beautiful cool summer day for her and she decided to just rest and lazy away.
 
'A few months passed after the Adeline rescue incident. And surprisingly I wasn't interrogated again. I wanted to ask them what they are planning to do with Azazel's situation. But I was afraid they'll ask me questions I couldn't- or rather, didn't want to answer. So now I'm just relaxing and taking the days as normal. It's peaceful... too peaceful. That I feel like its the calm before the storm.'
 
And not just 3 seconds later after she had those thoughts. Multiple footsteps can be felt through the earth under her. Her earth magic is already at low-tier 3rd stage. Gabriel told her that may be the quickest a beginner was able to reach that tier, even her father, who was called a protégé, took 5 months to reach that tier.
 
'But I still have to control my level of progress, if not. The thing that happened in the beginning of learning how to do magic may happen again.'
 
At the beginning, her classes were going well. It was an unproductive class because they only spoke about the history of magic and the theory of how magic was first used by the mortal species of this world.
 
It was mostly for her and Adeline to get a deeper understanding of the magic energy and may even make them feel the energy by having that deeper understanding.
 
But after the month of learning the theory of magic and all that, Gabriel decided it was time to teach her the basics of how to use magic. He noticed that magic from nature began to roam around her, the excess of mana that cannot be turn to magic energy just surrounded her, making it noticeable that her body is already beginning to collect mana, something that shouldn't be possible for a child her age, especially if it seems to seek out for her.
 
So with that she began learning more than the theories of magic and began the task of collecting and using magic.
 
'Now I'm about the same tier as 40 percent of the people populated in my empire. If I actually try to collect more without worrying about fatigue, I may even reach two more stages by the end of the week. However, I grow too weak after collecting too much, a disadvantage I found out the hard way.'
 
***
 
"Ok, that's enough for today."
 
"But uncle Gabriel~ I feel like I can collect some more. Can I do some more training?"
 
"Your highness. I believe it would be too much for you-"
 
"But I feel fine. When I feel a bit of pressure or fatigue, then I will stop. Are you not as curious as me to know what my bottleneck is? It can be good to know it sooner. Don't you think?"
 
"I don't know. You are still young and it can be too much for you to go too far in collecting so much mana and making it into energy to use."
 
Gabriel was unwilling to let her collect anymore than the bare minimum. All children who begins training magic are trained to not collect too much, even if it can strengthen their sphere of magic and increase their pool of magic energy.
 
And the reasons for it is a persons capacity to collect magic energy. It is just as important as being able to collect mana from nature. If ones own capacity does not match that of their ability to collect mana, then it can be dangerous to ones life to collect too much mana and forming it as magic energy.
 
"If one goes overboard their bodies capacity of holding magic energy it can have either positive or negative results. However the negative overlaps that of the positive effects. You had learn this in one of your theory classes, remember?"
 
"... yeah."
 
"And what happens to someone who forces their body to collect more than what their sphere of energy can take?"
 
"... they begin to damage parts of their body and may even cause their heart to explode."
 
"I know it is a horrible thing to have taught you and Adeline at such a young age, however it is because I know you are already able to collect so much mana without trying that I'm warning you ahead of time. This is why Mihkael and Raphael had decided to form a barrier over you so it would prevent your body from collecting the mana that would roam to you from being made into magic energy when you were just a toddler. Because the possibility of such a thing occurring to you was high."
 
"..."
 
"Understand why I do not want you to go over the minimum, maybe not now, but somewhere in the future. Just till you reach your 8th birthday. Till then, please don't try it."
 
"..."
 
"Sakura. Can you promise me this?"
 
"... I promise."
 
***
 
"But my dumbass was too impatient and I did end up facing the consequences of my actions."
 
"Sakura!!"
 
"Oh? An unexpected face mixed with the usual."
 
"Sakura!!"
 
A boy with curly hickory hair was running toward her with 3 other children. Glancing down, she can see a tail wagging vigorously in joy behind the boy.
 
"Sakura!!! I came to visittt!!!"
 
"Haha. I can see that."
 
His eyes were bright and filled with naivety and his arm raised while waving to her as if to make sure she sees him.
 
The boys eyes were a hickory brown mixed with a deep orchid purple. Over the years, it seems as if the orchid had became more prominent and popped out more through those eyes of his.
 
The boy was already displaying his beastmen qualities, even though he was only 10, his height was already that of a 12 year old human child. And since Beastmen  were trained when mastering their magic, he was already stronger than a normal teen.
 
"Stop!"
 
Sakura raised her arm and made a stop sign when she noticed he was ready to tackle her. He stopped mid jump and just ended up sliding next to her.
 
"I missed you!!"
 
He was smiling and his tail wagged vigorously while leaning his head down.
 
Sakura raised and eyebrow at his obedient display and just chuckled a bit. Moving her hand that she used as a stop sign, she lightly patted his head.
 
"I see. It has been a while since we last met."
 
'If I think about it, it was in his 8th birthday. So two years since we last met in person.'
 
"Do you miss me!?"
 
He raised his head happily when he received the pats in the head. And now he raised his head, looking intently at her.
 
"... your too close."
 
A yank from the scruff of his neck pulled him away from Sakura.
 
"Brother Nol~ I wasn't done talking!"
 
"You can talk without pushing your face so close to hers."
 
The one called Nol was Nolan. He is the first son of Seraph and was already 15 years of age. His ash grey hair was the very spitting image of his fathers as well as his eyes, yet it held a hint of dark pink to them as well.
 
With both his mother and father looks. He was a beautiful man that gain the admiration of both man and women.
 
"Hello big brother Nol."
 
"Hello my dear princess. How have you been this wonderful afternoon."
 
"Lazy."
 
"Hahaha. A day off from learning?"
 
"Yeah."
 
'Recuperation actually.'
 
"Hey. Are we just air."
 
"Oh yeah. Good afternoon Darius and Adonis. Oh, and you too."
 
"Your not even trying to hide your distaste for him haha."
 
"Can you at least try to say my name."
 
Sakura just shrugs her shoulder and looks at him.
 
Axel had more of a sharp look than his brother. A more serious and handsome appearance. It matches more his grandfather, who was the previous head minister of the empire.
 
"Why are you hiding here in the corner all pathetic and depressed?"
 
"Maybe because I sensed you would appear and ruin the beautiful day."
 
The first thing that Sakura and Axel does whenever they meet each other was add venom to their words and bicker with distaste for each other.
 
"Now now you both. We came to visit since we haven't seen you for a while. He actually missed you rather than what he is portraying."
 
"Hey!"
 
Axel lightly hits Nolan in the arm with a faint blush appearing in his ears. When he made eye contact with Sakura, he quickly turn away to hide his embarrassment.
 
'Heh, a tsundere indeed. He always was like this with the heroine... in a few other memories of past Sakura's, he was like this with her too... I wonder what made him drift away from her so much that his view of her became so distorted.'
 
"What? Do you have something to say?"
 
Axel noticed she just stared at him with an indescribable expression. He frowned when he caught a look of disappointment flash through her eyes.
 
"Hey-"
 
Before he can question her about that look, she spoke up while lazily standing up.
 
"Well, where is Adeline? I haven't seen her for a while and would have expected her to be the first to show up running like Phelan."
 
"Father is training her in how to use magic."
 
"Ah, that's right. She did inform me she began to learn how to use magic a week ago. After her evaluation from the magic tower for her eighth birthday. She was measured with a high-tier grade."
 
"Yes. Father was proud to hear her evaluation but was as well more cautious with her. We all became more on guard with people, especially after you helped us find a few spies in our estate."
 
Adonis bowed in thank you, but before he can fully do the bow Sakura already waved him to stop.
 
"I get it. No more bowing in thanks, you already did that when we caught them that time."
 
He just smiled when he noticed her acting nonchalant about the incident. Even when he can tell how dangerous her actions were when she exposed that man. She still acted as what she did was nothing.
 
Sakura felt uncomfortable with his warm gaze. Truth be told, she hasn't visited Adeline’s home since that incident because she noticed Adonis gaze.
 
It held a warm look, a look she only seen him give to his family and the heroine. After the discussion they had after the kidnapping, he already gave her a different look than usual, but after the other incident. He became more tolerant of her, more of an older brother figure than any of the other lives she has seen.
 
He even got the habit of patting her head now or then.
 
'I'm not used to this Adonis. With the other capture targets it was much easier to accept their kindness because from the many lives I've seen, they all seemed close to Sakura when she was a child except for Adonis and the other princes of the other empires. So seeing this unexpected side from him made me feel a bit awkward. I rather him be disinterested and show the minimum needed for courtesy rather than this role he picked up out of nowhere.'
 
"I believe the others will arrive later. How about heading toward the main garden to meet with them?"
 
Nolan's words snapped Sakura out of her daze and she looked at him.
 
"The others? They are coming too?"
 
"Yeah, it has been a while since we can all meet up, except for those living outside the empire. We all ended up having time to hang out today. Adeline will arrive much later, but will have time to play. And surprisingly, Phelan came to visit because his grandfather and too."
 
"Oh? Is grandpa Hedwig here to visit my dad. Why so sudden?"
 
Phelan just shrugs his shoulder.
 
"Maybe to just be a bother to your dad again. You know my grandpa. He likes messing around with the younger generation."
 
"True."
 
"But let's go! Atlas and Blaine should he there soon!"
 
Phelan reached his hand toward her. Looking at that hand, Sakura smiles wearily and turns around.
 
"Kano!"
 
"Yes, your highness."
 
His sudden appearance surprised the others. A few of them knew who he was but the others only heard about him in letters.
 
"Carry me."
 
"Understood, your highness."
 
Without thinking twice, he has already lifted her up in his arms. The others eyes widen at the contact because they knew this was considered taboo, especially because Sakura was a princess.
 
"This..."
 
Nolan looked around to see if there were any other servants around. He was being cautious of what would be spread around if any servant witnesses this.
 
"You don't have to worry brother Nol. Only the most trusted servant are allowed in my territory. Besides, father asked that I don't over exert myself this few days."
 
"? Wh-"
 
"Just a few things happened. No need to worry. Rather, we are taking are precious time talking here while the others may have already arrived there."
 
"Ah... right! Let's head out then."
 
Phelan was pouting a bit when he looked at his ignored hand, but quickly got over it when he thought of them being late.
 
The others weren't as simple minded as Phelan or Darius who just took it as so. But they knew it was better to take it and leave it as is because they knew how stubborn she is when she says something.
 
They all headed to the main garden and no one knew who started it. But halfway the walk all of them started to run and seem to be racing to reach the spot.
 
"Hey! That isn't fair! Your being carried by a train knight!"
 
"Hahaha! Life isn't fair. Be happy I'm teaching it to you at such a young age."
 
Sakura laughed at Axel's words and teased him while having Kano run in the lead.
 
"Your highness..."
 
Kano felt a bit ashamed at her behavior but didn't dare slow down when he saw how happy she was.
 
"Go faster, let them eat my dust hahaha."
 
Kano sighs at her words. But he still listened to her and sped up.
 
"Hey!"
 
"Hahahaha"
 
Watching her laugh with no restraint caused Kano to smile.
 
This past few months she was on guard and seemed troubled by something, but he was glad with the arrival of her friends she seemed more free.
 
'I'm glad. I hope she can always smile and laugh like this.'
 
Those were Kano's thoughts and hopes for. To him, Sakura's joy is his joy. And he always wants her to feel the joy of life, he would do anything to make sure of it.