Time

"Take 2, action!"

I totally messed that up. This is so embarrassing. Why am I such an idiot?
Screw it, second time's the charm. Smile and think of those you love!

"I'm in love with you."
"Yup. I'm in love with you too, dummy."

Huh?
No no no, I messed this up so much. How could she possibly like me after I flubbed the word "love" like that? This can't be real. I'm dreaming—It was a nightmare, and then it became a dream. That's the only possible answer.

"Veni Ven!"
"H- Huh?"
"Can I call you that?"
"Uh... Sure."

A girl who once seemed perfect to me... Her usual cool composure gives way to a laugh. Happiness. Relief. It's as if she's a world away, unafraid of how others might see her.
Whenever we were together like this, I always got the impression she lived without worry. She was as free as a bird, and yet, right now, even that yesterday kind of freedom feels fake.
It's only in hindsight that I notice... she was a little bit tense. It's like she always had something on her mind. No longer.

"Veni Ven-!"
"Yes?"
"Veni Ven~!"
"That's me."

She continues to say my name in that same way, once more, twice more, smiling to herself each time. Have I ever seen someone this happy before? Wasn't I the one asking her out? If anyone saw us right now, they'd think it was the other way around.
She grabs my hand.

"You're really smiling, Veni Ven."

I am? Duh, of course I am! The person I love is happier than I've ever seen. I could look at her smiling face 'til the end of time, and I'd never grow sick of seeing it.

"Do you like me that much?"
"I do. -...Hang on, shouldn't you've asked that earlier?"
"I already knew the answer."
"Then... why'd you ask?"
"Because I knew you'd answer."

It took some time (and some help from a friend) to realise that she had wanted to ask me out for years, but she was simply too afraid to ask. I struggled to believe that... I mean, she always looked so sure of herself!
Her friends described her as a nervous wreck. She was only ever confident when I was by her side, apparently. But she, naturally, never wanted me to know that; her less-than-perfect habits were embarrassing.
So when I asked her about it...

"Were you always planning to go out with me?"
She replied with a question.
"Was I always in love?"

That was a past I once lived...

What I didn't know, on that day, is that "always" doesn't exist.
The closest you can get to "always" is a very, very far time from here.
The closest I can get to her... is a very, very far place from here.

The time we shared brought us together... But with each tick of a clock, we draw one step closer to "always".
With each tick of a clock, I drift one step farther from her.

◇ ◇ ◇

"You're always so helpful."

◇ 2.15205.263.04 ◇
In the Inn, I help the owner dust the ceiling. Many insects had scurried inside during the cold weather, and she doesn't deal with insects very well. That, and it's a bit dangerous for her to be using a ladder at her age.

So I step down from the ladder, proud of a morning's work.
And time marches onward.

"Dabr-... Dabri-... No, I can't pronounce this!"

◇ 2.15206.508.61 ◇
Ms. Tsa smiles at my earnest efforts. Some of the sounds in Eraidian are just impossible for me to wrap my head around. I thought about focusing on a different language, for now, but the people of Lann descended from Continent Itlan, so the way people speak in this area is all quite similar, even in Yve.

So I continue to struggle with sounds I don't understand.
And time marches onward.

"I was in heaven! Seriously!"

◇ 2.15207.881.12 ◇
Arya gushes about her own ingenuity to Sera. I had been telling Arya about my discoveries involving the cube when she had a thought: couldn't we keep a bath from going cold for as long as we wanted?
Now I find myself repeating the whole thing with Sera. Here's the cube. Place it in the water. Activate it when you want to heat up the water.

We spend the day using the unfathomable device for mild convenience.
And time marches onward.

"The other city on this continent is Sooena. It's a Xarkan settlement, so-"

◇ 2.15208.355.87 ◇
I listen attentively to Feana's words, my eyes fixed to the reprint of a map He left behind.
She tells me about how the Xarkan city of Sooena allows trade between Xark and Yve or Lann, while preventing Eraidus from accessing the ocean south of us.
I learn about Brunel of the Mul Empire, which stands as a silent ally to Yve, while their sibling city from across the ocean, Kaa, trades us weapons in secret. It's a barren, metallic land.
I struggle with the complexity of Fahngvad, the largest continent of Larila. 80% of the population lives in the capital, Aurba, while the remaining 20% travel endlessly, making new homes whenever night falls. To those 20%, the land is not named Fahngvad, but Rhias.

I grasp the truth of how many nations fell to oppose His aimless journey.
And time marches onward.

◇ ◇ ◇

Snow can be a gentle blanket.
You see it, and somehow, the world is a little bit more cosy.
But snow can suffocate life. It can crush. It can freeze. The world becomes a little bit more dangerous.

In a few days, I will drift like gentle snowfall. The winds will take me west, and there, I will settle.
When I arrive, will it look like the peace of today, or will I be swept up in a snowstorm once again?

I'll say goodbye to this village. When I do, everything I've learned will be put to the test.
The lucky life I've lived so far, unquestioned and accepted within a desperate, dying village, will be torn away from me by reality's cold grasp.
I may not see Arya again. I may not see Sera. It'll be lonely without them near me.
It's my hope that, if nothing else, merchants may travel between Yve and Lann again, bringing food to a village that truly needs it. Then, I hope that families can be reunited without death or despair.

The goal I chase is one of returning home, but if, along the way, I have a choice between hurting this world or helping it, I'd much rather help it.
If snow could make a choice, I'm sure it would always be gentle.

With a database of death in one hand, I pray that no one has to die.

May a childhood affection unite these lands.
May Eraidus learn love from the Fourth Emperor of Rot.
May this world shine with a glory that puts Soon's light to shame.
I wish for everyone to be happy.

With a database of death in one hand...
I pray that no one has to die.