Reinhard knelt beside her bed, careful not to wake her.
Anasha wasn't related, but she was theirs now, another person he was responsible for protecting. Her bond with Klein and Anna over the past months had almost reached his level to the point it surprised him.
Anna had told him about the things she talked about with Anasha and things Anasha had told her.
Honestly, you two act like sisters a bit too much. Reinhard thought with a faint smile.
His hand moved gently through her blue hair, the strands soft and cool against his fingers. Then he brushed across her forehead with the sa tender care he'd shown Klein and Anna.
"I promise your family in nsis to continue allowing you to be happy and help you with your dream." Reinhard whispered softly. "To be honest, I mostly did it because it reminded of my own situation and envy for wishing I had that level of support from a community. But I am so happy I did because having you has been one of the best decisions in my entire life. I will never regret it."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, completing the ritual, then stood slowly and sighed as his legs felt heavier than before.
All three of them.
All three children slept peacefully, unaware that this peaceful and fun life might one day shatter horrifically.
Reinhard moved to the door, cast one final look back at the three sleeping forms, then stepped into the hallway and closed the door silently behind him.
The villa felt oppressive now despite its comfortable architecture. The walls seed to press inward; it felt hard to breathe in here, forcing him to leave as he needed space and sowhere to think.
His feet carried him through the darkened villa, past closed doors where friends slept peacefully, down stairs that creaked softly under his weight, through the main room, and toward the back exit.
The door opened soundlessly.
The cool night air hit him imdiately, salt-scented and clean, carrying away so of the suffocation. Reinhard stepped onto the patio, wooden boards smooth under his bare feet, and moved to the railing.
The ocean stretched before him, vast and dark under moonlight.
Waves rolled in a steady rhythm, crashing against the sand in an eternal pattern. Above, stars scattered across a black sky in impossible numbers, displaying a river of light cutting through darkness.
The sight was beautiful while the surroundings felt peaceful; it was the kind of atmosphere that should have brought comfort.
Instead, Reinhard could only think about Odin's words echoing through his mind:
Klein will be dealing with all of those embers at once, and his mind will lt.
She will freeze the entire world into a world of stasis and eternity.
Beco a True Beast Master.
His hands gripped the railing, the wood creaked slightly under the pressure, but didn't break as he unconsciously held back most of his strength.
How was he supposed to achieve this?
Constantly slaughtering Beast Spirits and devouring their souls? But that only increased the danger of losing himself and his identity without a break in between. More dangerous missions? That only ant more chances of dying before ever reaching the goal.
And even if he sohow managed to gather 100,000 souls and beco a True Beast Master, that only solved Klein's problem. Anna remained an unsolved equation with no clear path to solution.
That bastard would tell if I reached that part, but that won't stop the worry I feel about her situation… Reinhard thought as he felt the thought pressed down harder as his breathing grew shallow.
For the first ti since deciding to save Klein from the Dark Tide curse, Reinhard felt the full crushing impossibility of what lay before him.
He was almost nineteen years old and a Second Class Beast Master with 1,066 souls. Yet he has to be the one to deal with two potential apocalypses, each of which involves the ones he loved the most.
The ocean waves continued their rhythm while the stars above continued to shine. And Reinhard stood alone on the patio, staring out at the ocean in a daze.
Suddenly, two cold hands gently placed themselves over his eyes. A sweet voice echoed behind him, playful and warm. "Guess~"
Reinhard paused as the touch broke through his spiraling thoughts instantly.
Despite the terror he was feeling, how anxious he was feeling, and how suffocating things felt, he felt his lips curve into a light chuckle that ca unconsciously. "Marie."
Marie giggled brightly as her hands moved from his face, and she stepped around to position herself in front of him. The moonlight caught her platinum hair, making it seem to glow while her gold eyes studied his face.
A faint smile appeared on her face as she softly asked. "What's wrong? You seem like you have the entire world on your shoulders and look exhausted."
Reinhard blinked, caught off-guard by how accurately she'd read him, and his brows furrowed slightly. "Just had a bad dream..."
Marie humd, the sound carrying a knowing quality. She leaned in closer, her smile turning gentle as she said softly: "Liar~" Then, before he could respond. "But that's fine. I'll be here when you're ready to share."
Reinhard blinked again, and then sothing in his chest loosened slightly, enough to let him breathe a bit easier. A faint smile spread on his face. "...Thanks."
Marie giggled again and turned toward the ocean, her gaze sweeping across the moonlit waves and sea of stars overhead. "Of course. But I must say!" She spread her arms slightly, embracing the view. "It looks so beautiful outside right now."
Reinhard nodded, his eyes following where she pointed. A breeze swept across the beach, lifting the edges of Marie's open beige sweater.
The light from above spilled across her platinum hair while the white shorts and white shirt she wore seed to glow softly. She stood barefoot now, sandals dangling from one finger, toes curled slightly on the patio. Sothing about her seed to belong to this landscape of stars and sea as she belonged in this mont, in this place, beside him.
He couldn't help but notice everything about her in that mont, the relaxed curve of her shoulders, the way she breathed in the salt air with quiet appreciation. The sight settled sothing restless inside him.
"You've been helping a lot lately..." Reinhard said softly, carrying sothing beyond gratitude that he couldn't identify. "Sotis I wonder how I should repay you."
Marie humd thoughtfully, then turned to him. Her hand ca up, and she gently tapped his nose with one finger, the gesture sohow both playful and affectionate. Her faint smile widened slightly. "I'm glad you noticed! Your Marie caretaker service bill has been piling up a lot."
Reinhard's lips twitched, fighting between amusent and exasperation. "You must have a lot of good reviews."
Marie humd again, but this ti her expression shifted into sothing softer and more serious. "I wouldn't know. I only did this for you."
Reinhard paused as the words settled into the space between them, carrying aning that went beyond surface playfulness. His smile widened slightly, and his expression grew softer. "Thank you..."
Marie's laughter softened to a gentle ripple as she reached for his hand. Her fingers felt like sumr against his skin despite the evening chill. She guided him toward the railing overlooking the ocean.
She turned back toward the stars, keeping his hand in hers. "We can stay here for a bit until you clear your mind."
Reinhard sighed. "Most of the ti when I try sothing similar, I always tend to think about what I want to avoid thinking about."
Marie leaned closer and whispered. "But this ti you have and this beautiful scenery to distract you."
Reinhard blinked before he smiled faintly. "I guess you're right."
He shifted his gaze skyward, surrendering to the vast canvas of stars while the ocean's persistent rhythm washed over him. Marie's fingers remained interlaced with his, a tangible anchor in the mont.
The burden of Klein and Anna's uncertain fates hadn't lifted from his shoulders, but here, beneath the glitter of the stars with Marie beside him, he could breathe again.
Not completely, but enough.
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