“Found you!” I sensed him behind the house and ran to him without thinking.
The moment I stepped into the backyard, I was speechless.
Just four days ago, the backyard had been totally empty. Gramps used to stand there and say, “Maybe someday I’ll plant a garden here.” Now, though, the whole yard was covered in small white flowers, their petals swaying in the breeze.
Master stood by himself at the edge of the white flower field, covered in mud. I heard Cyrus gasp behind me. My heart pounded when I saw how much Master had changed and how incredibly thin he was.
Master was staring blankly at the sky. I’d never seen that look on his face before. Honestly, I didn’t even know he could look like that.
He was just standing there watching the clouds, and seeing him like that hit me so hard I thought my heart might split in two.
The queen’s words flitted through my mind: “Setsuna always puts you first.”
It was only then that I realized… I finally understood. Every time someone here had shown me kindness, it was because Master had paved the way for me.
…
Master. So many kind people have stayed by my side these past four days.
Master. I ate hot meals with people who cared about me.
Master. There was always someone who held my hand as I fell asleep in a warm bed.
…Ma…ster…
My tears wouldn’t stop.
Master, did you even eat at all while I was gone?
Master, why does the air around this house smell like blood?
Master, did you plant all these flowers so Gramps wouldn’t feel lonely?
Master, were you out here all alone this whole time?
Master, you made sure I had a warm place, but then you stayed here…all alone.
…Master…
I clenched my hands into fists and filled my lungs with air. I couldn’t let him be alone anymore. I had told Gramps that I would keep my promise to him and get stronger.
“M-Master!” I shouted.
My voice startled him, and he turned toward me. “Alto? What are you doing here? You’re here too, Cyrus…?”
I couldn’t wait. I sprinted straight for Master and threw my arms around him.
“Alto?” he said, gently resting a hand on my back. Just hearing his voice and feeling his warmth made the tears stream down my cheeks again.
I didn’t want him to see my face, so I stayed pressed against him, letting out all the words I’d carried inside me.
“Master, I said such terrible things to you. I didn’t mean it! I never meant any of it…”
Master had always loved sharing a drink with Gramps.
“You must’ve been hurting so much…”
I knew he’d been using magic to try to heal Gramps, even after he collapsed. “Master, I’m sorry…”
He cared about Gramps, too. I was sure he felt just as sad and lonely as I did. But I’d blamed him.
He wrapped his arms around me while I sobbed.
“I’m not upset. I know you didn’t really mean it, Alto.” He slowly pulled back and knelt down so he was at eye level with me. I didn’t look away but gazed right back into his eyes.
“You’ve learned to express your feelings. That’s great, Alto.”
His voice made my whole body go stiff. Even though I’d decided to come here on my own, I was still scared. I could feel my heart pounding as I tried to imagine what Master would say next. My legs began to tremble. Still, I’d promised Gramps to be strong, so I didn’t look away.
“Alto, don’t be afraid of growing up. You don’t have to be worried.” He took my hand in both of his. It was so warm that I felt myself stop trembling.
“As long as you wear this bracelet, I’ll always be with you.”
That wasn’t the answer I’d been expecting. I was still scared. I didn’t want to be apart from him. I wanted to stay by his side forever. And that wish was so big it slipped right out of my mouth.
“I—I don’t think I’ll ever take it off.”
“If that’s what you want, that’s fine.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Really. But I think that, someday, you’ll meet someone even more important to you than me or Ragi. Someone you’ll want to protect with all your strength, just like Ragi did.”
I couldn’t imagine someone ever being more important to me than Master or Gramps.
“Maybe it’s hard for you to picture now. And that’s okay. But I want you to remember something.”
“What?”
“Even if you take off your bracelet and return it to me, the time we spent together won’t go away. Just like the happy memories you have with Ragi will always be there, I’ll always be your master, and you’ll always be my apprentice.”
“Master…”
“So don’t be afraid of the day we might part. Cherish the present, and never stop trying to grow.”
“Okay.”
“And even if you can ride a horse well, or express your feelings now, that doesn’t mean you’re ready to go off on your own.”
“Huh?”
“There’s still a lot you have to learn before you become an adult.”
I must’ve looked surprised, because Master gave me an amused smile and started listing off all the things I still needed to learn.
Wow, there’s so much… That kinda makes me happy.
“The path to becoming independent isn’t as easy as you might imagine. So it’s all right to take your time growing.”
Right. It’s not easy.
“Besides, you’re still just a child, Alto.”
Maybe I wasn’t supposed to be happy about that. Maybe I was supposed to hurry up and turn from a duckling into a swan. But Master had told me it was fine to take it slow, so I decided I’d just stay a duck a little longer and do my best.
“Alto. Were you glad to have met Ragi? Or do you wish you never had?”
“I’m very glad I met Gramps. Meeting him made me happy. You feel the same, right?”
I would never wish I hadn’t met him, even if right now, it hurt me and made me sad.
“Yeah, I do. I’m very glad I met him.” Master smiled softly. He stroked my hair and got to his feet, then took something from his pocket and held it out to me.
“Take this crystal and say ‘Unfold.’”
I did as he said, gripping the crystal tightly as I whispered the magic word.