𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 | ᵇˡᵃᶜᵏ ᶜˡᵒᵛᵉʳ

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY

YOSHIKO SAID HER goodbyes to the Magic Knight as she turned to Yuuta who was ready to go. Yoshiko held his hand as the two went to the docks where a boat was waiting for her. It turns out, her aunt and uncles had left earlier. They don't really like humans so they didn't want to stay any longer than they have to.

I haven't seen Asta or Yuno yet... Yoshiko thought. I saw Asta for about a minute back at the base but he had to go somewhere...

"Maybe you'll see him soon," Asgorath said.

Maybe...

"What is... the tribe... like?" Yoshiko asked.

"It's a very bizarre place. It's also known as the floating kingdom. Islands float, big and small, randomly in the air, without moving a single inch and they're extremely difficult to destroy. At the very top and centre of the kingdom is the palace where we live in,"

"Whoa," Yoshiko thought, imagining the area.

"The views are beautiful, especially when the sun rises. When Mizuki and Ayuna were younger, the three of us used to watch the sun rise. Sometimes, Ayuna would bring you as well but you'd sleep through the entire thing," Yuuta said, smiling fondly at the memory. "Perhaps you and I could watch the sun rise together,"

Unlikely. Thought the girl. I sleep for a long time and because of my depression, I'll be sleeping even longer than usual...

"Is my... birth a... secret... there too?" Yoshiko asked.

"Yes. However, the higher clans know of your existence. A simple sentence saying that Hiruko has a daughter will spread to the whole kingdom in days," Yuuta said.

"Oh," Yoshiko said.

"Don't worry," Yuuta said, patting her head. "You and I won't be attending any formal events. We'll focus on training and getting you better,"

Yoshiko nodded with a smile.

They approached the docks. There was a large boat waiting for her and Yuuta. She noticed there wasn't anyone on the boat. Yuuta took the liberty to explain the reason for it.

"The boat is controlled by magic items and magic. And if anything happens, we'll be there to prevent it," he said.

"Alright," Yoshiko nodded.

But she felt sad. She wanted to see Asta and Yuno once more before she left. She wanted to hug them again and promise to get stronger.

But they weren't there. They were rarely seen today. She saw Asta once and that was when he tried to get her away from the group who didn't want her to leave. And then, she never saw him.

It bubbled up unwanted emotions in her body. Feelings of sadness, anger, betrayal... She knew they were probably busy but still, she couldn't help but get mad.

She was just about to get on the boat when a voice called out to her.

"YOSHIKO!"

Turning around, she was surprised to see a bouquet of flowers being handed to her. The bouquet was filled with the most beautiful red, blue and white flowers she had ever seen, wrapped gently in a clear plastic with a red ribbon curled perfect.

The ones who handed it to her, Asta and Yuno, smiled at her as they stood before the girl with smiles on their faces.

"Sorry we had to see you go last minute. Getting everything perfect was really hard," Asta apologized. "But on the bright side, we got it just in time!"

"For the record, Asta kept screwing up," Yuno said. "If it was just me, I would have gotten ready in ten minutes,"

"You're the one who accidentally stepped on the flowers!" Asta shouted.