Always (Palagi)

Your name is Elian Kale. You are a guide. You are in love. You married Thane Arcturus, the person you love. You are happy. Only you. It’s already dark when you heard the rain fall, making the evening with a muted palette of gray, as your breath echoed in the quiet living room, carrying the weight of unspoken sorrows. Across you is the cake, adorned with lone candle serving as your light in the darkness, casting soft glow around the room. The cake is a moist and fluffy, rich with layers of flavor. The red candle on top was already melted, like a blood spilling to the white buttercream. As it burns, the buttercream begins to char, releasing a tantalizing aroma that mixes with the sweet scent of vanilla and warm cake. And you watch in silence as the small light flickers and fades, as though you’re waiting, offering the last chance, a silent plea for it to endure. But as expected, your husband didn’t come home. Your tears started to fall, kept falling until blurring your eyes. You were in daze, allowing your tears to flow an unusual calmness, as if you were detached, as though the one shedding tears wasn’t truly you. Like the spent candle, its wick extinguished, it mirrors the solemn stillness within you. For a moment, you remained motionless, absorbing the steady stream of information flooding your senses. And when you’re ready, your eyes blinked and starts to focus. You are now Elian. You took a deep breath and gently brush away your tears. You noticed your handbag on your right and the coat you never took off. It was dripping before from the rain, now it almost dry. You look around looking for something… something more familiar. Your eyes stops at the moving picture of you and your husband. It was your wedding photo, projected to the wall. In the moving picture, you wore a white gown. It was tailored to fit you, combined with the alcea flowers and rare gems from another star. You were so beautiful. While your husband, your arms are locked together. You are smiling. You’re leaning your head to his broad shoulder as you look at the camera with a content smile in your face. While your husband is with his usual difficult to read expression. The next second you blush, probably from what the people behind the camera had said. You look towards your husband in anticipation, but you can’t wait any longer, and you probably tiptoed just to kiss his cheeks. He’s a head taller even in your high heels. And the moving picture started its another loop, from when you are looking at the camera to your eyes filled with happiness. You look so much better in that moment. Later, you realized it wasn’t a happy ending. [ding] A sound of notification caught your attention. The screen flashes and the sleeping display lit up. You didn’t noticed the high technology tablet next to the cake because it was transparent. You saw something about medical result in the pop up notification bar. But your attention was on the document on the main display, a copy of your divorce agreement. It remind you what you’re supposed to do. You are here to sign the agreement. You raise your fourth finger, looking at your glimmering wedding ring. Immediately, memories from Elian Kale and information about this world rushes to your mind. You were transferred to this unique interstellar world. In this world, people are divided into three types: guides, sentinels, and ordinary people. It resembles an ABO verse but without the focus on gender or animal instincts. Instead, spirit guides play a central role. Spirit guides are typically manifested as translucent animals, reflecting the individual's nature. Sentinels and guides exist as distinct entities; sentinels possess heightened senses and awakened abilities, making them powerful warriors. However, due to their sensitive and often unstable spirits, they rely on guides for balance and calm. Guides possess a gentle spiritual power that can soothe even the most volatile sentinels. Spiritual guiding is a method that connects the guide's spirit with the sentinel's in a shared spiritual space, creating a deep bond between them. However, crossing certain lines is dangerous—especially for sentinels. They are susceptible to a phenomenon called Mania, where their senses overload, causing them to become rabid and destructive. If not treated immediately, even a guide’s spirit may fail to calm them, leaving no choice but to neutralize the manic sentinel. Guides are rare compared to sentinels and ordinary people, and regulations exist to protect them. The Federation, under the Union’s marshal order, prohibits guides from associating with ordinary people. Upon awakening, guides are required to register in the system, where their compatibility with sentinels is measured. The higher the compatibility percentage, the more effective the spiritual guiding. In the system Elian and Thane matched, Elian who had crush on Thane choose him out of the many. While Thane agreed to the arranged marriage. Thane, a commander of the first squad is a dark sentinel, who possess even more heightened senses than normal sentinels, making them prone to suffering from even the slightest stimuli. Without a guide, they rarely survive long due to their low compatibility rates. Elian was Thane’s savior, but shortly after their marriage, he was sent off to war. Causing their relationship to worst. But that’s not the reason why you were transferred, your main mission revolves around stopping the future villain: your son, Orion Kale—also known as Ron. Ron, your once sweet boy, is destined to become the villain who wreaks havoc on the universe. In the future, he will become cold-hearted and evil, primarily due to the negligence and dysfunction in his upbringing. Your own choices, Elian, are at the heart of it. Original Elian's own life was troubled. After losing her parents at a young age, she was raised in the bleak household of an indifferent aunt. Desperate for love, she became obsessed with Thane, who often ignored her. In a desperate bid for attention, she fled to Star 8 with her son Ron, a planet where lawlessness reigns. There, she was killed by Thane himself. Ron, who’s on the verge of mania because of the absence of a guide to calm him, descended into madness. He grew into a tyrant, ultimately bringing ruin to the world. Now, you, Elian Kale—the mother of the future villain—have a mission: to prevent this tragedy. Thus the divorce agreement. Originally Elian is not going to divorce and held hostage the son inside her. So to threatened Thane she goes to the Star 8, where the star pirate is located. Later she become the over of the pirate king and abandoned her son. Basically turning Ron into the villain. Currently, you are married to Thane for 2 years now. Today is your anniversary, that’s why the cake. At the early year of your marriage you were excited, you are glowing with happiness. Even though the war broke in the night of your wedding you were still happy. Until 3 months. The excitement turns to worry because your husband, that was called that night didn’t come home, until that 3 months later. When he finally comes home, he was in the verge of madness and needed the help of your spirit guide. The anticipation become nervousness, then anxiousness. And the realization that he only needed to calm his raging spirit so that he can function again. You thought something would change but somehow from the beginning to this end, it was all the same. [Ding] Another notification pop up again from the tablet. He wouldn't come home tonight. That's what the message said. He didn’t send it, obviously, someone else did. Heck, he barely come home, he can’t even send you a message. You forgot when was the last time you see him. Probably a month ago? You’re not sure anymore. You can’t remember. What you knew is that he’s gone after his 3 days vacation. Although it looked like he's a scum person, your husband took care of you. He just often gone and you were left alone. Plus, there’s a rumor going around, that your husband saved another Guide. At first you don’t care but as the time past, it gets exaggerated. At the beginning the rumor is about the guide, who seems to form bond with your husband. They were often seen together, who knows what they are doing behind closed door? And when people got tire of them, the rumor pointed at you. What was worst is that your husband is apathetic. You thought he will warmed up to you, but it was too late now. Maybe this is for the best, you thought. Oftentimes you were left alone, either he‘s too busy he cannot go home or busy ignoring your existence. He only needed you because you were a guide. In the 2 years you were married he comes home in every 3 months, when he was in the verge of his mania. Although you have some memories you cherished, but right now you were feeling lonely. He promised to come home or even contact you. He did but you knew it wasn’t him, he would’ve called you. He likes to call you, one of the things you cherished. Knowing that he likes to hear from you. But today is different. Today is already yesterday and tomorrow is today. It’s time for you to move on and forget about him. You sighed heavily, and stands up. You looked around for the last time and saw the carebot in the corner, off. With a gesture, you activated the display, your fingers dancing through the air to navigate the virtual interface. With precision, you selected the designated areas, each touch sending a signal through the encrypted network, confirming your intent. As the biometric scanner verified your identity, the digital signature emerged in a cascade of light, a testament to the seamless integration of advanced technology into the realm of legal proceedings. In that moment, amidst the glow of the display, you felt a mix of relief and sorrow, knowing that while the process may have been streamlined, the emotional weight of your decision remained unchanged. That night you signed the divorce paper and never looked back. The butler carebot stood motionless, its metallic frame blending into the shadows. Elian assumed it was powered down, oblivious to the subtle hum of its circuits. The robot's optical sensors followed her every move, silently recording the scene.