Three months later,

Three months have passed ever since the day Anette became a statue, Jellal after crying for many hours begging her to come back ended up coming back to the center empire leaving Anette there under the order of Anette’s mother, the empress.

Everyone grieved for the loss of princess Athena of the southern empire. The empire rose one more even after losing their superstrength even after revealing the news of their loss magic. No empire dared to attack the southern empire due to their talented warriors.

“Brother…cough…are you really leaving??” Jessica came down alone to see Jellal off as he left the duchy with the luggage beside him. His brothers were overjoyed by the news of Anette’s death and his father didn’t care about him. No matter he left or died, it was none of his business.

Jellal patted Jessica’s head, “Take care of yourself, Jessica. Brother will visit you often if I have time.” Jellal showed off a little smile then put on his hat to travel on his journey.

“You’re really going?” the crown prince upon seeing Jellal for the first time ever since that day asked him with a worried look. Next to him, stood his new concubine that was taken in the day after that incident, it was Riana.

She followed the emperor and vowed to him stated that she will serve him until the end of her life to atone for her sin.

“I’m going to see her…” Jellal with the ticket of the transportation to the southern empire clenched his fist making the ticket crumble as his voice was shakingly replied to the emperor then bowed his head leaving the center empire to the southern empire.

That time, he wasn’t treated as the intruder fortunately. The wind blew his long hair as he walked his way to the mountain three months ago.

The mountain after taking all of the power from the southern empire, turned livelier and people started building huts living there since the water from the waterfall was fresh and the monster was no longer hostile and even helped the people there too.

He walked up the stair to where Anette’s statues were then used his magic to summon a rose. He put that rose in front of her statue then lied beside her statue looking at the blue sky which they used to gaze together under the cherry blossom tree.

“I miss you, Anette…” he murmured to himself then got the guitar to of his luggage playing her favorite music. The cake she loved, the place she liked to go, the music she enjoyed listening to, and the color she adored, he remembered all of it from start to finish but she was only a part of his old memories now.

“Jellal!!” he turned his head to the one who shouted his name from afar, with such a nostalgic tone and similar smile. That woman had pink hair again just like when they first met wearing the white dress down to her knee with the basket of roses in her hand wearing the straw head as she ran toward Jellal.

Jellal smiled genuinely and ran to hug her tightly in his arm, “I love you, Anette.”

She fell on the grass, the blossom petal showering on them. In Jellal’s eyes, the beauty of the flower couldn’t compare a bit to the woman he put his hand under her head to protect her and the smile as she leaned closer to him who was on top.

Her lip pressed against his as if it was the piece that was meant to be completed with his.

“I love you too, Jellal…thank you for bringing me back to this world.”

“Let’s talk about that later.” Jellal couldn’t control his desire anymore as the other hand of him moved to her chin then pulled her chin in to kiss her passionately under the blue sky. Her lip was warm just like how he was with her right at that moment.

Three months ago,

“Don’t leave me…in this hell…please…” Jellal upon seeing the statue of Anette broke down in tears miserably. 

He bit his lip as he tried to figure out to protest against fate like that, he thought and thought. But then it occurred to him, he stood up and put his hand on Anette’s cheek gently then put his forehead on her stony forehead.

“I’ll bring you back here!! I didn’t wait for many years just for us like this…Anette, even my life, I won’t afraid to exchange it for your sake.”

Memory Magic: Memory Land

The mountain started rumbling again from the pressure of Jellal’s memory magic. His head felt like it split apart as he tried to turn all the mountains to the memory land.

The mountain which was in color green turned completely black with hellfire everywhere and Anette’s statue suddenly cracked opened becoming the doorway for Jellal with the nosebleed stepped inside to the truth and origin of the mountain.

[A living human…in my memory??] at the end of the path was the throne made of bone, sword, spear, and blood not like what Jellal had in mine when he was planning to meet with the mountain spirit.

“Give her back.”

[She had become one with me, with her, I could turn the mountain to the way it was.]

“I don’t care…give her back. I’ll tear the mountain down, burn the forest, no matter what, I’ll do it every day, every week, months, and years until you give her to me.”

[Human as always…arrogant and–] the mountain spirit was speechless when facing its face to Jellal whose hand holding the thorn of the rose he brought with.

“Sorry…I apologize…”

[What’re you doing?]

“I was abandoned too, but my pain will never compare to yours…you gave them power, they used it and destroyed your ground without any bit of gratitude…sorry for keeping you waiting all these years.”

The mountain spirit was pissed, the horn on its head suddenly became spike as it ran down from its throne toward Jellal.

[You humans…you understand…?]

Jellal begged the mountain spirit with his head on its feet and offered the mountain spirit with the red rose.

“Thank you…thank you for all your effort all these years…thank you for everything.”

The mountain spirit broke down as the first time a human came to its mind to apologize, for the past thousands of years, helping the people giving them power but it never received any bit of gratitude from them but hatred instead.

The mountain turned dead as time passed by, no one even came to offer something to it…and soon after it was abandoned when it no longer had any use to them.

It smiled and the surrounding started turning bright, but then turned black again when Jellal said, “But taking Anette is a whole different thing…I’ll do what I said if you don’t give her back.”

[But…but she was the one–] the mountain spirit was terrified by that man.

“Give her back, I know you’re a moody mountain spirit but don’t be so childish. What’s with turning her to stone anyway??”

[Brat, you’re such a jerk, you know it??] somehow the atmosphere was no longer tense anymore, the monster who was behind the throne came out and giggled seeing the mountain spirit talking to a human like that.

A little monster with one little horn walked to Jellal and grabbed his finger to the other side of the memory land leaving the mountain spirit behind.

[Wait-wait for me, you guys!!]

[Sir, princess Athena is safe. Don’t worry and please don’t destroy our mountain.]

“I won’t. I was just joking earlier.”

The little monster giggled then point its finger to the other side, where day and night were no longer noticed there. A woman with her hair to the length of her shoulder who was supposed to be inside the big cage broke out of the cage right at the moment Jellal came in.

She hopped off from the cage when seeing Jellal there.

“If you didn’t catch me, I’ll hit you. Jellal.” she shouted at him then jumped.

Jellal was surprised seeing her like that even in that situation, but without knowing, just like a habit, he opened his arm waiting for her.

“If I catch you, you have to be my bride, all right??” he said that just when they were a few inches away from each other. He hugged her and spun her around as his happiness came back to his arm.

“Where’s the ring??” she was pouting with her hand on Jellal’s shoulder.

“The ring is outside, let’s go back…Athena…” he called her real name.

“I’m your Anette and forever will be…Jellal, I love you.”

“Yeah…I love you too.” when Jellal opened his eyes again, the cold hand of him was holding to the one he longed for since the first time they met.

He opened his eyes slowly, feeling her little soft hands, he was glad.

The one he wanted to see the most was neither the blue sky, the starry night sky, or anything, it was the woman right then who hugged his neck as she smiled calling his name.

“Jellal, let’s get married.” he took out the ring which was inside his pocket the whole time and put it on her finger then kissed her hand softly.

“Tomorrow is a good day to get married, right??”

“Eh?? I haven’t picked the wedding dress yet.”

“You always look beautiful anyway, you can just wear this dress too if you want.”

“No, I want to be the most beautiful bride. You’d better be prepared too, I want to see you looking super handsome that day.”

Jellal giggled and then kissed her forehead.

“Just the forehead??” Jellal blushed and then gathered his courage to initiate his first kiss, but Anette was quicker than him.

“Mm~”

Their face was hot as they shared their first kiss.

“Let’s get a lot of babies…” Jellal was obsessed with the kiss and his words really surprise the heck out of Anette as something pressed against her down there.

“You idiot!!” he hit him softly that time, if she was with the power, he would get one or two of his rib broken again.

“How about six??”

“No…”

“Eh?? Then five??”

“No, I won’t survive with that many babies…”

“Hah?? But our babies will look adorable.”

“One is enough.”

“Let’s name her Marinette then, just like you told me back then.”

“You remember??”

“Of course.” he smiled holding her hand as they walked down the mountain together, the rose started coming out of the ground with every step they took. The mountain became greener and greener and the sky became clear with the rainbow on both of the new couple.

“What about a boy?? What will be his name??”

“Hmm~How about Tristan?”

“Ehh…but I want to name my son Jelly.”

“Pfft, what’s that??”

“Just like yours, Jellal…and Jelly.”

“We gotta work hard then, should we buy a new house to live in? I don’t want to disturb the neighbor at night.” that second, Anette gulped as hearing that. She could imagine that moment already.

“What’s with you today?? Let’s just go back home for now–” she didn’t finish her sentence and Jellal pulled her chin and kissed her soft lip again as he wanted to feel something like a kiss for a long time.

“Stop it. My brother will beat you if they see us–” talking about the devil, her brothers and everyone in the army including Christopher and Riana witness them kissing intensely as soon as they finished walking down the stair.

“Athena!!!” her big brother rushed to grab her tightly away from blushing Jellal.

“I know you love that guy but it’s too fast!!!” her second brother said to her.

Her oldest brother hugged his younger siblings in his arm as they finally reunited and then let go of Anette and took her hand putting it on Jellal’s.

“You’d better treat her right. I’ll do all the work here to help both of you to have a wedding smoothly.” Anette’s oldest brother said with teary eyes seeing his little sister grow up so fast. In a blink of an eye, she will be married to a man soon.

“Jellal, take care of my sister.” the other brother muttered.

“Yes, brothers-in-law.” Jellal said with a proud look.

Christopher came and cheered both of them on their way to a new married life then returned back to his empire with Riana following him behind.

To be continued….!