The Heroine Died!? Did The Plot Armor Fail? (Hiatus)

7) A Long Dream

Sound of endless rain poured throughout the night. It had rained around sunset and now, the weather would not cease. Yule continuously woke up from the constant beating of the window. That same, empty emotion returned like all the other times it rained.

He closed his eyes once again. The boy changed his breathing to a slower pace. He stayed this way for a few minutes only to find himself more aware of his surroundings. The wind howled, rustling nearby trees. The branches knocked against the window. He hated rainy seasons and Elpav was the first month of it. It's too noisy to go back to sleep now.

Yule got off the bed and went over to Leo's room. At first, he knocked on his door but no one answered after a couple minutes. He felt bad for doing this, yet he entered on his own. Even when he closed the door behind and step closer, the blond child was still asleep. Leo's current face seemed peaceful, innocent, something that hadn't change.

He gently shook Leo's shoulder. "Wake up, Leo."

The boy didn't stir, so Yule shook him again with a little force. It took a few more times before Leo turned in a sleepy manner. As he did, he rubbed his eyes and look up at Yule.

"Hm, what's wrong?" He asked in a soft tone.

Yule hesitated for a moment. "May I sleep with you?"

In response, Leo rolled to the other side of the bed facing the wall. The bed itself was normal-sized for adults. For children, the space was wide enough for both of them to stretch their arms. Leo leisurely waved his hand, then retreated inside the blanket. At his gesture, the sound of rain stopped but outside still poured. Yule realized a ward was cast.

"When did you learn this spell?" Yule laid beside him and snuggled into the blanket.

"...This afternoon." Leo's voice faded into a whisper with each syllable.

Asleep already? Yule knew him all too well. Leo had always been like this back in Forsya too, enthusiastic about magic. It's not much of a surprise if he practiced nonstop until he understood the concept, much to Nadia's dismay. Like now, Leo fell asleep straight away afterwards. These kind of moments when he let his guard down left some future concerns.

For some time, Yule stared at Leo's back. He reached out to the boy's long hair and twirled it around with a finger. It's soft and sleek, just like Nadia's. The sudden thought of her made him wince, his heart ached. These past two months felt strange, almost as if none of it was real. How could Leo get over her death so easily?

Ever since the first day he met Leo, he had never seen him cry once. That boy always smiled despite hard times, for both Yule and Nadia. It's all because of him that they both changed for the better. The clumsy girl became spirited. Yule's past meekness turned to self-confidence. Admittedly, people who didn't know any better still assumed that from him.

Yule moved closer and pulled Leo into his embrace. Even though he couldn't see his face, his warmth was enough. Locks of blond hair tickled Yule's face, but it didn't bother him. It reminded him the first time he stayed over at the Reinfel house. The three of them slept in the same room because it had been raining like now. They were different from other Counts' children that made fun of him. Naturally, he liked both the siblings as time went on.

He tightened his embrace on Leo. With no signs of the other waking up, Yule didn't hesitate to take this chance. He casted a spell on Leo, a dream spell. If there's something his best friend was hiding, he wanted to know. He knew how much it hurts to keep everything to oneself.

Inside the dream, miles of white covered the woods and the cold wind cut Yule's skin. He shivered as snow came down but soon, the frigid air was no more. He surveyed the area, finding himself alone and frowned. That's odd, the dreamer was typically nearby. It couldn't be a mistake either, he'd cast the same spell many times before.

For now, Yule set aside this anomaly. He'd look into this later on when he wasn't pressed for time. A dream's flow of time is faster after all. Yule marked a tree with a small stone and advanced north. Without any basis, he hoped for the best since there was no way he could find a single person alone.

No matter how far he traveled, the scenery never changed. It seemed to go on forever. Yule didn't plan to give up, but he sat down for a bit. Turns out brute forcing it wasn't the answer. How was he suppose to find Leo then? As he pondered, he heard a light noise behind him.

He looked over, a small boy who seemed younger than 8. The boy had short, blond hair and same purple eyes. This was no doubt Leo. Yule approached him and when he got closer, the boy gave him a piercing gaze. His instincts told him to flee, but Yule froze on the spot. Young Leo took a step forward, now in front of him.

His small hands reached out to Yule's face, suddenly stopping halfway with a shocked expression. He glanced to the left and clicked his tongue with a scowl. He snatched Yule's wrist, pulling him into a run.

"Shut up and follow my lead." Leo growled.

The sound of snapping twigs followed them. They bursted pass, dodging branches, stumps, anything that was in the way. The further they went, the ground gradually sloped down. Now that it was downhill, whatever chased them got closer with each step. Yule was tempted to see what it was, but Leo gripped him tighter. The pressure was enough to leave a mark.

"Trust me." Leo's voice was barely audible.

___________________________

_______________________

_______

Today's Topic

Raine's preference type

• • • • • • • • •

Raine: ......
Raine: No comment.

Leo: It's gotta be an Ara Ara type!

Magnus: Looks like he'd go for mature types.

Eustace (Guest): Wrong!! The correct answer is young girls!

Raine: You guys... - worried -

___________________________

____________________

A/N:

Very late chapter, but thanks for the support everyone! I've honestly no clue where I'm taking this story, so bear with me if I don't release weekly. That's all, see you next chapter!