I fell in love with you in my new life

POV - Luahn

No era un sueño.

Lo sabía.

Cada vez que la veía, lo entendía con más claridad.

No era el tipo de sueño que viene con el agotamiento o la fiebre.

No era un producto de mi imaginación.

Era un lugar real.

Uno que existía fuera del tiempo. Todo comenzó de la misma manera.

Un cielo sin sol, pero bañado en luz dorada.

Un suelo que no era suelo, sino niebla sólida.

Y, en el centro de ese mundo suspendido, ella.

Dievas.

Tenía el pelo largo y dorado, como hebras de luz en movimiento.

Sus ojos, aunque suaves, contenían un brillo que parecía antiguo.

Como si cada estrella nacida en el universo hubiera pasado primero por ellos.

Estaba vestida de blanco. Siempre blanco.

Pero cada vez, su atuendo era diferente.

A veces fluyendo como el agua.

Otras veces, con símbolos que no conocía pero que me parecían... familiares.

"Hola de nuevo, Luahn".

Su voz era un susurro que acariciaba, no empujaba.

"¿Es real este lugar?" Pregunté.

"Tan real como tú. Tan real como yo".

Caminé hacia ella.

Mis pies no dejaban huellas.

Todo se sentía ligero.

Como si, por un instante, mi cuerpo no tuviera peso... ni heridas.

"He estado recordando más".

Me miró con cariño.

"Lo sé".

"Recuerdo mi antiguo nombre. William.

Recuerdo a mamá Yuri...

Lissette, Mia, Kana..."

Me temblaba la voz.

No de tristeza.

Sino de asombro.

Porque lo que antes eran solo imágenes al azar... ahora tenía sentido.

"Eran mi familia.

No, lo son".

Dievas asintió.

"Así es. El amor no muere con el cuerpo, viaja contigo.

Se esconde en tus gestos, en tus recuerdos, en las cosas que no puedes explicar".

"Pero hay algo que no entiendo...

Es sobre mi padre como William, no sé nada de él".

Me miró fijamente a los ojos con seriedad, algo que no veía a menudo.

Podría decirte por qué ahora mismo, pero no es necesario.

Es algo con lo que tendrás que lidiar tarde o temprano.

Pero no debes olvidar, Luahn, que hay cosas que no podemos evitar, que no podemos controlar.

Son simplemente el resultado de nuestras acciones, simplemente tenemos que afrontarlas, no lo olvides. —Bueno

, parece que tendré que esperar.

—Permanecí en silencio, sintiéndome algo culpable por alguna razón.

Como si hubiera llorado sin darme cuenta y, al terminar, todo se aclaró.

—No deberías pensarlo tanto, Luahn. ¿Sabes por qué?

No supe qué responder.

Porque te vi.

En un lugar donde solo los dioses observan...

Sentí.

Y supe que tú, entre todos ellos, tenías algo que ni siquiera el destino pudo predecir. "

¿Qué cosa?"

"Tu capacidad de amar, incluso con el corazón destrozado.

Tu capacidad de seguir adelante, incluso cuando te rompes.

Y...

Tu capacidad de elegir el bien, incluso cuando nadie más lo hace."

Me sonrojé.

Soltó una risita.

"No te preocupes. No tienes que entenderlo todo ahora."

"Entonces... ¿por qué puedo venir?"

"Porque estás creciendo.

Y con cada año que pasa, tu alma se fortalece.

La conexión que tenemos se hace más clara.

Y cuando llegue el día... estaré contigo en cuerpo, no solo en espíritu."

"¿Lo prometes?"

"Lo juro por mi nombre.

Por mi creación.

Y por el vínculo que nos ha unido desde antes de que nacieras en ninguno de los dos mundos."

Se acercó.

Puso ambas manos en mis mejillas.

Y Luahn...

Nunca lo olvides: No tienes que cargar con todo sola.

Pero si lo haces... yo estaré ahí para abrazarte.

Me desperté al amanecer.

El cielo estaba teñido de violeta.

Las lunas brillaban, las tres, desde diferentes ángulos.

Me incorporé, con el corazón latiendo con calma.

Y mis ojos, sin saber por qué, estaban húmedos.

Pero no de miedo.

Más bien, de algo mucho más profundo, más expectante.

*

POV - Emilia

"¡Liifa, devuélveme eso!"

"¡Solo si puedes atraparme, perezosa!" "

¡Emilia, ayúdame!"

La risa llenó la plaza norte como el canto de los pájaros. Jugamos como siempre, entre árboles y senderos de piedra, en el corazón de Sephros. Había traído unas manzanas pequeñas de casa, y entre juego y juego empezamos a tirárnoslas como si fueran tesoros.

Era uno de esos días sin entrenamiento. Uno de esos días en los que era solo una chica más, con amigas y un poco de viento en el pelo.

Hasta que Remin abrió la boca.

"¿Vas a ir al campo sur mañana, Emilia?"

"Sí, por supuesto. Los instructores dijeron que habría práctica abierta."

"¿Y él también va?"

Parpadeé.

"…¿Él?"

"Luahn."

La forma en que lo dijo… fue como escupir un hueso amargo.

"¿Qué hay de Luahn?"

"Deberías dejar de pasar tanto tiempo con él."

"¿Disculpa?"

"Solo digo lo que todos piensan. Tu familia, mi familia, los demás. Las casas principales no confían en él. Un mestizo que salió de la nada y ahora tiene energía Yang… no es normal. Y además…" Hizo una pausa. 

"Todos saben que si no hubiera sido por la intervención de la sacerdotisa Melhe, tú y Grisel habrían sido castigados. Él los hundió a ambos."

Apreté la mandíbula.

"Fui yo quien quiso ayudarlo."

"Entonces fue una mala decisión."

"¿Y qué? ¿Ahora decides quiénes pueden ser mis amigos?"

"No, but more is expected of you. You are the granddaughter of Argon the Blue Hammer. You can't behave as if you were... an ordinary girl."

"But I am a girl. One who chooses for herself who she wants to be around. Or are you going to tell me who I can play with too?"

"You don't understand."

"No, you don't understand, Remin!"

Anger exploded in my chest like a roar. My hands were shaking.

"Luahn is my friend, I don't care if he's not appreciated by the three founding families. I don't care if he has human blood or wolf blood or star blood! He is who he is. 

And that's enough for me.

You have no right to interfere in what is best for me, even if you are a descendant of one of those families. I will repeat it as many times as necessary: I don't care what you think or what the rest think.

Don't meddle in what doesn't concern you."

Silence.

Liifa looked at me, her mouth half open.

Selena froze.

"I... I was just thinking about what's best for you..." Remin murmured, avoiding my eyes.

"Well, I don't need that from you."

"Emilia-"

"No!"

I turned away. Liifa caught up with me.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know."

"I've never seen you like this before."

"Like what?"

"Like you're about to explode."

"...It hurts, Liifa. That they still think that way about Luahn. That they don't see what I see. Everything he's been through. Everything he struggles with. He's never asked for anything. He just wants to be one of the gang..."

I covered my face with my hands.

"...And they treat him like he's a threat."

Liifa said nothing.

But she took my hand tightly.

"Come on. They don't deserve your tears."

We walked without saying anything else.

Behind us, the games had died down.

All that remained was the distant sound of leaves rustling in the wind.

And in my chest, a bitter mixture of anger...

And sadness.

*

POV – Emilia

When I got home, Remin's words were still stuck in my throat.

As if I had swallowed them by mistake, and they had stayed there, choking me, bitter.

I went upstairs without saying anything to Mom. I didn't even say hello.

I couldn't.

Because if I spoke... I might start crying.

And I didn't want to.

Not for them.

I slammed my bedroom door shut.

I stood in front of my bed. Looking at the wooden trunk next to the wall.

An old chest, with nail marks from when I was a child and thought I could climb it like a magic tower.

I knelt in front of it.

I opened it carefully.

Inside were the remnants of happy days.

Wooden toys.

Dried flowers, oddly shaped stones.

Broken strings that once served as magic ribbons.

And in one corner, a sheet of paper folded in four.

A poorly drawn picture, made by me, where I was with Luahn, under a giant root of the Hypnos Tree, surrounded by stars that looked like potatoes.

I put my hand to my lips and let out a small, broken laugh.

"Silly..." I whispered.

But I couldn't stop smiling.

Because I remembered everything.

The time he gave me a ring made of leaves and told me it was a "chivalry ring."

The time we fought over a shiny stone that turned out to be nothing more than dried crow droppings.

The time he pushed me into the mud to save me from a wild boar that wasn't even running toward me.

I remembered his voice, his shy laugh.

His awkward hugs.

His silences.

And the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't noticing.

And suddenly, I understood.

Luahn was my safe place.

I didn't think twice.

I closed the box.

I hugged it to my chest.

And I ran to his house.

Mrs. Olivia wasn't there.

The house smelled of soft firewood and half-cooled tea.

Luahn was on the couch, reading a book with such a concentrated expression that it seemed as if the world could fall apart and he wouldn't even notice.

"Emilia?" he asked, surprised.

"I brought you something."

"What is it?"

"Treasures."

"Treasures?"

"Yes. Things of ours. From when we were more idiotic."

"And aren't we still?"

I chuckled.

"Shut up and make room for me."

I sat down next to him and opened the box between us.

His eyes lit up when he saw the objects.

"This..." he murmured, picking up a piece of cloth.

"You used this to bandage yourself when you scraped yourself and didn't want to tell your mom."

"Is this... my clay doll?"

"The one that lost an ear and you said was part of its 'war story.'"

We both laughed.

For minutes.

Long, comfortable, simple minutes.

And then there was silence.

The kind of silence that isn't uncomfortable. The kind that embraces you.

"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly.

It took me by surprise.

"...I don't know."

"Was it because of what they said?"

"...Yes."

I looked down.

"People think you shouldn't be here. That... you shouldn't have the power you have. That you don't deserve what you have. And I don't know why... it hurts. It bothers me so much."

Luahn didn't answer right away.

Then he whispered:

"I'm not sure why I'm here either, Emilia.

But if I ever feel like I'm part of something...

It's when I'm with you."

I felt the air catch in my chest.

I looked at him.

Not with the gaze of the warrior I was training.

Nor of the girl who was arguing.

I looked at him as if I were seeing him for the first time.

As if for the first time I realized that he had chosen me too.

I didn't say anything.

I just leaned on his shoulder.

And without thinking, he let his head rest on mine.

I don't know how much time passed.

But at some point, I fell asleep.

And so did he.

When Olivia opened the door, she was carrying some fabric orders.

She entered quietly, her hair slightly disheveled and a bag hanging from her arm.

She saw us.

Two children.

A box of memories at our feet.

My head resting on his shoulder.

His arm hanging down, almost touching mine.

Asleep.

At peace.

And for the first time in a long time, smiling.

Olivia sighed.

She approached quietly and covered us with a soft blanket.

And as she walked away, she murmured to herself:

"Maybe they don't know it yet...

But their relationship will change a lot from now on."

And in my dreams, without knowing why, I felt her hand brush against mine.

And my heart...

Beat differently.

Not like when I train.

Not like when I win.

Not even like when I see the Hypnos Tree shine.

It was something softer.

Warmer.

Something that didn't have a name yet.

But it was growing... silently.