NOVPUBA bunch more of Kana's memories passed through Hikari, and by the time she came back to reality, very little time had passed at all. The void that was threatening to swallow everything around was retracted into herself. The elf felt two arms wrapping around her.
She turned to see Kurayami's smiling face. The elf hardly even noticed her own tears. Streaks of her tears flowed down her cheeks. The pain that Kana felt for her life was engraved onto Hikari's heart.
Kurayami held onto Hikari's head and pet her. "This time, let me spoil you, Master."
The elf buried her head into Kurayami's chest. At the very least, Hikari was no longer inside of that meeting room. No one could see her cry. There was a gentle darkness around them, quite unlike Hikari's Despair void.
Hikari managed to catch herself. Bawling her eyes out had the desired healing effect on her shaken heart. "I never expected that Despair would feel like that. To live a long life of suffering, I would never wish that feeling on anyone."
Kurayami kissed Hikari's forehead. "That's why I am here, Master. I want to share in your suffering. I want to live with you in your pain."
Hikari looked up at the dragon's expression, but there seemed to be no lies in her words. Kurayami looked determined.
"Why do you love me so much?" Hikari asked.
The dragon grabbed onto Hikari's two little hands tightly and held them to her chest. "You've given me this most precious life full of meaning, Master. Without you, I would have never discovered what it's like to be free and have so much fun. Every day with you is an adventure."
"Is that all?"
Kurayami shook her head. "Master, I love everything about you. You care so much for other people. I could never be like you. I can't find it in myself to care about those beneath me, but you're different. You've given those children who had nowhere to go the Hope they needed. You've suffered through your own uncertainties, and they played in the back of your mind. However, you were strong despite all of that. You never let anything bring you down."
Tears started flowing from Kurayami's eyes this time. "All of these reasons and so much more are why I love you. That's why it aches my heart so much to watch you hurt or hide your true feelings. I want to share in your pain, Master. I want to take in all of your joy. I want to take in all of the happiness you're willing to share with me, and I want to ride along with all of the Hope you can give me. We can laugh together, and I can fly with you under the stars. But give me your Despair, too. Take me with you on this journey of happiness and pain, and I will shower you with love every day, Master."
Hikari's face burned like a hot iron. Is it really okay for me to be so loved by others?
The questions flowed through Hikari's head. She felt the Hope that all of those around her would accept her, even knowing that she wasn't perfect. However, there was no a clashing amount of Despair, telling her that they would all come to hate her if they saw her weakness. I think I finally understand something…
Kurayami grabbed onto both of Hikari's cheeks, squeezing them together, and making her face like a fish. "This is exactly what I am talking about, Master. Share your worries with me, please."
"Ish thish okay?" Hikari asked.
The dragon relinquished those cheeks and nodded.
Hikari sighed. "I don't know where to start. I got all of these memories of a life that's foreign to my own. It was an endless life of tragedy, but all of that essence merged with my own. Hope and Despair have become one, and I'm afraid of losing things. I'm scared of losing you. What will happen if you become disillusioned with me? I'm not as perfect as you thought I was."
Kurayami hugged Hikari tight. "You will always be perfect to me, Master. These worries only make me feel better. You also care so much about me that you're overthinking things and trying to look cool in front of me." 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
The elf chuckled. "In the end, that's all it is, isn't it? I put on an act to look cool in front of you."
Kurayami nodded. "Though, I think the coolest master is the one in front of me. When you let down your guard, Master is the coolest."
"I thought you hated mortals, but when I act like this, doesn't that bring me closer to them? I share in the same pain that they feel, and I'm as imperfect as them."
The dragon shook her head and pressed a finger to Hikari's lips. "That's not why, Master. I hate that the mortals are so quick to take advantage of you. They would rather wield a power that is not theirs for their own sake. How many times did you solve their problems, Master? How many times was I forced to watch you lower yourself and become their servant? There are so many of them running around. If they worked together, they could solve it themselves, but you kept stepping in. You helped them every time."
Hikari's eyes widened. "Just how much have you been watching me?"
"I've always taken great care to watch you, Master, but I also want Master to have the same freedom that I have. It makes me torn. On one hand, you should be able to choose to help them if you wish, but on the other hand, I don't want you to be a slave to mortals. Where is the freedom in that? That's why I was happy to see you start rejecting many of their requests. I'm glad you didn't stay in that world and try to fix everything for them. That broken Empire will fix itself, Master. It already has."
The dragon produced a black orb, and on it the marble Empire was displayed. Half of the capital was destroyed, but the elder brother she healed stood tall among his rebel comrades. The city cheered a new age, and new flags were raised.
Kurayami smiled. "I know you healed that man, but he had the gratitude to use your gift. He charged forwards into an uncertain battle after his brother fell to the dragon sea. And there are even more of these happening all over that place. You don't need to solve all of their problems, Master."
Hikari nodded. "I think I'm starting to understand why you resent mortals. For both of us, I will take more care of myself."
"Good, Master."
Hikari looked around in the darkness, deciding it was a good time to ask. "What is this place?"
"This is my special place. It was the place you built for me. It's the darkness between. Master can think of it like the gate that separates both of your domains. It was one of the best gifts I ever received from Master."
"I see now. I gave you this place. You've always served me so diligently, haven't you? For all of this talk of serving, you've been right by my side."
"That's completely different, Master." The dragon knelt down and kissed Hikari's hand. "I've seen mortals do this kind of thing before, but I'm never sure what would be best. I want to serve you for eternity, but I want to serve you as my wife. Would you marry this silly dragon?"
Hikari's heart thumped vibrantly in her chest. Time seemed to slow as Kurayami's words hung in the air. The elf felt herself glowing with so much Hope mana that she thought she would explode. Never before had she felt so happy. She was in complete shock. The elf had always thought that Kurayami's silliness extended to jokes about marrying Hikari. Something done only to get Hikari flustered, but there was no faking Kurayami's determined expression. There was no falsehood in the dragon's words. She was completely serious. The dragon's vivid and blazing eyes were set alight. They glowed with passion, and her tail waved uneasily. Hikari could see that the dragon was afraid just like her. Kurayami was scared of rejection.
The elf calmed her breathing. She pulled the dragon upright into a hug. Hikari's eyes filled with tears as she delivered her answer. "Yes, of course, I will marry you."
Kurayami bounced up and down, her tail waving side to side in the darkness like a happy dog. "I can't believe it! Master said yes!"
Hikari giggled and patted the back of the dragon's head. "Though, I have a tough condition for you to accept."
"I will do anything, Master!"
"As a married couple, that will make us equals, so you don't need to refer to me as Master. You can simply call me by my name."
The dragon's face flushed red. "This is going to be hard...But I will try my best...Hikari..."
