Chapter 20: The Promise on that Day 2

 

 

 

Chapter 20: The Promise on that Day 2

 

DARK Lord visited Nako’s room every night to tell her stories about the world he hailed from, the circumstances he was in, and the Goddess said to have created his world. Once he finished his story for the evening, he cast a special spell that suppressed the latent Goddess powers inside her, stabilizing her condition.

Casting the spell on her several days in a row visibly improved her symptoms. Nako anxiously awaited the Dark Lord every night. The energy gained from having something to look forward to every day sped up her recovery.

Dark Lord came to see her in the dead of night and left after an hour—he didn’t want to put any stress on her still recovering health. The time she spent with him was the most fun she had ever experienced and only loneliness awaited her when he left.

He felt the same way, because just before he departed he would always promise her, “I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”

To both Nako and Dark Lord, their time together was indispensable. Several weeks passed with them spending those fun nights together until a great change altered their tryst.

The time to say farewell had come.

“Nako, are you awake?” Dark Lord slipped in through the window again as he had the first day they met.

“Dark Lord!” Nako threw off her covers and sat up in bed.

Her heart was aflutter with excitement over what stories he had in store for her today. She welcomed him with a broad smile. However, he didn’t react to her smile. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

The lack of a smile tugged at her heart and clouded her face.

What’s wrong? I’ve got a bad feeling about how he’s acting…

Anxious, she brought a balled fist to her chest and asked him in a whisper, “…What’s the matter, Dark Lord? Did something happen?”

Reluctant to speak, he didn’t answer her. His lack of response hinted something really did happen. Was it so bad he couldn’t tell her? She patiently stared at him, awaiting his next words.

He struggled to get the next words out, “…Nako, I have something to report to you today.”

“A report?”

“…Yeah. Certain circumstances have made it so I can’t return for a while.” He painfully cast down his eyes.

Nako studied his dipped face with disbelief. Before her mind could register what his words meant, her entire body shivered at the sudden cold accosting her.

He can’t come to see me anymore? Does that mean today will be the last day he comes? Will I end up alone again? I don’t want that!

Dark Lord walked over to her and bent down to get a better look at her face. “I’m sorry. I have to go all-out with the preparations in my world now to make it possible to oppose the Goddess’ power inside of you.” He stopped talking and earnestly stared into her eyes. “…I want to save you no matter the cost.”

“You are trying to save me?”

He grimly nodded. From what he had told her thus far, the Goddess of his world had stored her power inside Nako for some reason. But with how young Nako was, she couldn’t understand why that had happened to her or how to ask the right questions. It didn’t help that Dark Lord decided it was too premature to tell her the truth and refrained from giving her any of the key details.

Thus, she had no idea what the Goddess meant to her, but she did understand Dark Lord was seriously trying to save her and those circumstances were going to keep him from her.

Still, her eyes wavered with a sadness she tried not to put into words.

“The Goddess is a formidable enemy. I’ll likely have to fight her in order to save you, but she’s an enemy that can’t be defeated with ordinary means. That’s why I have to gather an army of like-minded allies and lay down the strategic groundwork in preparation of the day we must confront the Goddess… For that purpose, I won’t be able to leave my world to come and see you like this for a while. In return, I promise I will absolutely return for you by the time you become an adult,” he tried to persuade her, placing his hand over his heart.

Does that mean Dark Lord has to fight the Goddess because of me? Nako wanted him to fully explain everything. Even though she knew if he did tell her, she wouldn’t have understood all the implications. I can’t bog him down with my selfishness…

Dark Lord told her he needed time to save her life. Complaining about not getting to see him anymore would only make him feel guilty when he was trying to help her. Besides, he promised to come for her after he finished getting ready to confront the Goddess. It wasn’t like they would never see each other again.

We’ll only be apart for a little while…that’s why I’m not lonely. I’ll be fine on my own. Nako shut her eyes and tried to convince herself, I’m not lonely. I’m okay. I can believe in Dark Lord and wait for the day he will come for me.

She flashed her most cheerful smile yet at Dark Lord who worriedly waited for her answer. “Okay! I’m honestly going to be terribly lonely without you, but I’ll wait for you forever and ever! So please promise me you will absolutely come to see me again!”

“A promise…”

“Yup, a promise.”

Dark Lord shoved his hand into his black robe and fumbled around for something. Nako watched him, wondering what he was doing as he knelt in front of her with whatever he had pulled from his robe clenched tightly in his right hand.

“Nako, would you mind holding out your left hand?”

“My left hand?” she asked, perplexed by how that related to their current conversation.

Dark Lord held out his left hand to her with his palm up. Was he telling her to lay her hand on his? Still not following the situation, she did as he asked and placed her left hand on his. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves and respectfully extended his clenched right fist in front of Nako and slowly spread his tightly balled fingers apart.

Nako peered down at the palm of his hand to see a single gold ring accented with a giant crimson stone in the center. The gem caught the moonlight filtering into the dark room and glistened like obsidian.

“I want to bestow this on you as proof of my promise to reunite with you.”

“You’re giving this…to me?”

“I am. I instilled my magic into this ring. As long as you have it on you, it will protect your body from the Goddess’ power.” He smiled triumphantly.

“So pretty…” Nako muttered, captivated by the ring.

He happily supported her left hand with his as he slid the ring onto her ring finger. Nako could feel the same gentle warmth from the ring as she had from the spell he always cast on her.

“Dark Lord, this…”

Was it really okay for her to receive such an expensive-looking ring? She timidly glanced between the ring and his face, getting him to shyly avert his eyes.

“Y-Yes, it looks good on you. You are very important to me. That’s why…” He paused, hesitant to say the rest. Even in the dark room she could make out the deep red coloring his face and ears.

“Dark Lord? What’s the matter?” she asked.

He resolved himself and looked up at her with eyes the same crimson color as the gem on the ring he gave her. “That’s why, would it be all right for me to propose marriage to you through this ring?”

Propose marriage? Nako blankly stared back at his earnest visage. Every word he used was too abstruse for her young mind to fully comprehend.

“Umm…” she muttered, bewildered.

His already red face turned crimson as his mounting panic at her reaction sent his eyes spinning. He racked his mind over how to best convey his intentions to her. He exhaled to collect himself before placing his hand on top of hers, covering it. He fervently gazed into her big, round eyes.

“Nako, a marriage proposal is a promise to stay with me forever in the future.”

“We can stay together forever in the future?”

“We can. But I have no intention of forcing you into a firm promise. I respect your feelings. Although, were it possible, I wish you would give me your ready consent…” he entreated her, tightly squeezing her hand in his.

Nako puzzled over what he said in a desperate attempt to understand what he was trying to tell her. He had given her his proposal of marriage as a promise to be together with him forever in the future. Would he definitely come to see her again if she made that promise with him?

Is he trying to make a promise through this ring so that this won’t be the last time we see each other? If he is, then…my answer is already decided!

Nako returned his passionate gaze. “Dark Lord, if I make that promise with you, will you come to see me again?”

“Of course I will. You will become the most important person in the universe to me.”

Nako happily squeezed his hand back after hearing his reply. She didn’t understand the complicated stuff, but just knowing she could see him again someday brought her the greatest joy. There was no need to hesitate now.

“Okay! I’ll make that promise with you, Dark Lord! You absolutely, positively must come see me, okay?! I’ll be waiting for you forever and ever! Waiting until the day you come for me!”

She gazed at him through teary eyes. He looked back at her affectionately, pulling her hands to his chest and wrapping them up in his own. He leaned in and placed his forehead against hers.

“I promise I will absolutely come for you. You are now my fiancée.”

“Okay!”

Dark Lord pulled his forehead away from the blissfully smiling Nako and placed his fingertips on her forehead as he always had. He uttered a single word and the magic circle he drew there was sucked inside her. He had cast a spell to distort her memories, determined it would be best for her to think of their meeting as nothing more than a dream until the day he came for her.

Nako’s eyes slowly shut as though the energy had been drained from her, and she fell limp in his arms as he lovingly laid her head back onto her pillow. Peaceful breathing came from her as she slept.

He pulled the blankets over her and tucked her in before hopping onto the windowsill. This wasn’t an eternal goodbye, but he wouldn’t get to see her face again for a while. He was heartbroken by the prospect, for while she would not remember him, he would always remember her. He glanced back longingly at her sleeping visage before flying into the night sky.

“Nako, please stay well until I come for you…”

Don’t you worry. I will absolutely protect you.