Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Augustine opened the glass door of the cafe, looking around.
It was the first of her days off; she had taken an extremely dense exam the day before, and all she wanted was to relax after such hectic days.
At one table in the back, she spotted Kathy waving at her.
She hadn’t seen her for a couple of months, nor had she seen Ana, who hadn’t arrived yet.
They hugged, and Augustine discreetly noticed Kathy’s A’aruin, a petite young woman as beautiful as a doll.
She welcomed Alderian with familiarity, and Augustine couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Alderian laughed at a comment made by Kala—that was her name—and without thinking, Augustine yanked hard on her Silver Thread under the table.
Alderian looked at her, surprised, but she feigned ignorance, looking toward the other end of the room.
At that moment, Ana arrived, as energetic as a whirlwind.
However, it took Augustine less than a second to realize that something was wrong: the Thread connecting her to her A’aruin was completely black.
Alderian and Kala fell silent upon seeing it, and thus she understood it was an abnormal condition.
Ana looked the same as always, so Augustine couldn’t guess the meaning of that color, trying to maintain her cheerful expression while paying close attention to the A’aruin’s conversation.
Ana’s A’aruin, Elarión, was an imposing young man, tall and stoic like a sacred warrior. His charm differed from Alderian’s, possessing a quiet and noble beauty. Augustine was overwhelmed to see a creature as majestic as a unicorn plunged into what seemed to be absolute despair.
“What is happening, Elarión?” Kala asked in her musical voice. “Is Ana ill?”
Augustine felt a surge of fear.
“No… or not from something that can be healed physically, at least,” Elarión replied.
“What do you mean?” Alderian asked.
“Ana hasn’t been well,” Elarión explained. “This semester has been hard on her, and for a while now she has thought that her life has no meaning—that her efforts are pointless. No matter how much I speak to her, my words simply do not reach her.”
An eloquent silence fell over the three A’aruin. Am I understanding this correctly? A dull hollow filled Augustine’s chest. Is Ana thinking of harming herself? She looked at her in disbelief, yet Ana was laughing as usual, listening with great interest to what Kathy was telling her.
“If the Thread is black now, then it means she’s determined and plans to do it soon,” Alderian said seriously.
Elarión nodded. “I believe it will be today. No… I am sure it will be today. Until yesterday, her Thread was red; there was danger, but it wasn’t imminent.”
Augustine heard what sounded like a sincere lament from Kala. She wasn’t crying, but the pain on her face was moving.
“Have you tried talking to her in her dreams?” Alderian asked, though his voice lacked hope.
“That is how I’ve made her resist this long, but I can no longer enter her dreams,” Elarión admitted. “I believe her tormented spirit rejects my presence.”
Desperation washed over Augustine, and for a moment, she thought she wouldn’t be able to hide her anguish. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alderian’s horrified expression; through his intimate connection with her, he had noticed the shift in her emotional state. She took a deep breath.
After an hour, they prepared to say their goodbyes. Augustine had barely taken part in the conversation, but Kathy was so animated that the gap went unnoticed. As Kathy reached for her coat to leave, Kala dared to speak.
“I can stay with you until the end, Elarión,” Kala said in a sorrowful voice, anticipating the pain of what was to come.
Elarión slowly shook his head. “That moment will be for Ana and me alone. This pain will remain in our souls for lifetimes to come. I do not wish for you to experience that dreadful moment or endure further suffering. Let us meet in another life, when we are better. Please, leave and don’t look back. ”
His serene resignation conveyed a contained mourning. Kala followed Kathy as she left the cafe, but before leaving, she looked at Elarión one last time.
Augustine and Ana were alone.
“Shall I walk you to the bus stop?” Ana offered, smiling.
Only then did Augustine realize her smile didn’t reach her eyes. She was wearing a mask, one that could no longer deceive her.
Ana spoke as they walked. “It’s been such a lovely day; it’s so good to see you and Kathy doing well. You’ve been my great friends for many years, and I love seeing you happy and doing what you’re passionate about.”
A kind of dark vapor emanated from her Thread, even denser than before. She is saying goodbye. Augustine hesitated for only a second and then thought no more, hugging her tightly and clinging to her warmth.
“Don’t do it,” Augustine said, giving free rein to the tears she had struggled to hold back all afternoon.
“What are you saying?” Ana asked, seeming confused, though a flicker of doubt appeared in her eyes.
“Whatever you’re going through… or how hard everything is for you right now… we can get through it. You aren’t alone.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Ana smiled nervously.
“I know. I know everything. Don’t do it. I’m here for you.”
Alderian put his hands to his forehead, closing his eyes, while Elarión watched the scene, stunned.
“How is it possible?” the A’aruin whispered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ana reacted, pulling away from the hug, her Thread still black and oozing death.
“Yes, you do. You know very well,” Augustine replied.
“I don’t know exactly what has led you to this decision, but I know it will not end your problems. I understand maybe you feel I don’t understand you, that I couldn’t put myself in your shoes, but I want to try.
I want to understand. And like me, there are many who love you and suffer to see your pain. ”
Augustine couldn’t help but look at Elarión at that moment, and their eyes met briefly—just enough for him to jump with a jolt of realization.
“She sees me,” Elarión said, and he wasn’t asking. He looked at Alderian, demanding an explanation, but Alderian didn’t return his gaze; he simply watched Augustine.
Silence fell between the girls until Ana finally asked what was hanging in the air: “How did you know?”
Upon admitting out loud what she had so badly wanted to deny, her Thread stopped being black and turned an intense crimson red. Augustine startled slightly at the change, and although she tried to hide it, her gesture did not escape Elarión’s keen gaze.
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. What matters is that I know.”
She hugged Ana again and felt her weeping quietly. Ana clung to Augustine this time, like a life-raft in a vast, perilous ocean.
“Augustine, Herald whose voice reached my human, I know you hear me,” Elarión said solemnly, suddenly unfurling his magnificent white wings. “The red Thread symbolizes danger, but not imminent danger. You have done a good job, and my gratitude toward you knows no limits.”
Like a medieval warrior, he knelt before her with his head bowed in an unexpected act of submission, leaving Alderian to watch the peculiar scene in awe. It wasn’t every day one saw an angel kneeling.