A Silent Vow

Two years. It had already been two years since then.

I walked through the familiar streets of Tombuza ,the cobbled roads warm under the afternoon sun. The town was as lively as ever, people bustling about, merchants calling out deals, children laughing in the distance. Beside me, a young boy strode ahead, a wide grin on his face as if he had already conquered the world.

That boy was Aron.

I sighed. "What do you even see in me?"

Aron turned his head slightly, still walking. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You follow me around all day, call me 'big brother,' and act like I'm someone special. I don't get it."

Aron smirked. "Because you ARE my big brother. And besides, who else am I supposed to look up to? The baker down the street?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not some hero you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Aron said, shrugging. "You keep telling yourself that."

I shook my head but couldn't help smiling a little.

Before long, we reached Astrea's house. I knocked on the door, and almost immediately, it swung open to reveal Aunt Lia, Astrea's mother. Her golden hair was tied back, and she greeted me with a warm smile.

"Arden! It's been so long. Come in, come in!"

"Thanks, Aunt Lia," I said as I stepped inside, Aron trailing behind. "Is Uncle Sil here?"

Lia sighed, crossing her arms. "Off to Heista again. You know how he is—always busy, always running around."

I nodded. "Figures."

Before I could say anything else, light footsteps approached, and Astrea appeared from the hallway. Her golden hair, slightly longer than before, caught the light as she stepped forward, her usual confident smirk in place.

But clinging to her skirt was a tiny girl with matching golden hair, peeking at us with wide, curious eyes.

"This is Meriellie," Astrea introduced, resting a hand on her little sister's head. "She's three now."

Meriellie hesitated, looking up at me before quickly hiding behind Astrea's leg. She fidgeted, her tiny hands gripping the fabric of her sister's skirt.

I pointed at myself, feigning offense. "Don't tell me you forgot me already, Meri."

Meriellie peeked up at me again, then quickly shook her head. "N-no…" she mumbled, her voice soft.

Astrea chuckled. "She remembers you, but you haven't visited in a long time."

Meriellie nodded timidly, her tiny fingers curling around the fabric of Astrea's skirt.

Aron, being Aron, crouched down and grinned. "Whoa, you're so tiny!"

Meriellie let out a small squeak and instantly ducked behind Astrea completely.

Astrea sighed, giving Aron a deadpan look. "Nice going, genius."

"What? I was just stating a fact!"

I chuckled, watching as Astrea tried to coax her little sister forward while Aron kept making things worse.

As the door closed behind us, I turned to Astrea. "Kai is busy helping his dad today. He won't be able to come."

Astrea clicked her tongue, crossing her arms. "Again today?" Then, with a smirk, she added, "Well, guess it's just us today."

I nodded. "Yeah, just—"

Before I could finish, a small tug on Astrea's skirt made us both look down. Meriellie was staring up at us with those big golden eyes, her tiny hands gripping the fabric tightly.

"I wanna come too!" she declared.

Astrea sighed, crouching down. "Meri, we're going out for a while. You should stay with Mom, okay?"

But Meriellie wasn't having it. She puffed up her cheeks, shaking her head. "No! I wanna go!"

"Meri—"

"I wanna go!" she insisted again, stomping her tiny foot for emphasis.

Astrea groaned, rubbing her temple. "You're so stubborn…"

I chuckled. "She is your sister afterall"

Astrea shot me a glare before turning back to Meriellie, trying again. "It's going to be a long walk, Meri. You'll get tired."

"No, I won't!"

"You always say that, then I have to carry you back home."

"I'll walk!"

I glanced at Astrea, watching her struggle to reason with a three-year-old. Yeah, this was going nowhere. With a sigh, I crouched down and held out my arms.

"Alright, alright," I said, "Come here, Meri."

She blinked at me, then hesitated before toddling over. The moment she got close, I scooped her up and placed her on my back. "There. Now you won't get tired."

Meriellie let out a delighted giggle, wrapping her little arms around my neck.

Astrea looked at me, exasperated. "Seriously?"

I shrugged. "Hey, she stopped complaining, didn't she?"

Astrea sighed. "Fine. But if she starts crying halfway, you're dealing with it."

"Got it."

With that, I turned and started walking ahead. "See you at the usual spot!" I called back, picking up my pace.

Meriellie laughed as I playfully bounced her on my back, running ahead to make her giggle more.

By the time I reached the oak tree, I was completely out of breath. Carrying Meriellie on my back had been fun—at first. But I had completely overestimated my stamina. I flopped onto the ground, gasping for air as I gently set Meri down near the warm sunlight.

She blinked at me, tilting her head. "Big brother tired?"

"Dying," I wheezed dramatically.

Just a few minutes later, Astrea and Aron arrived, completely fine. Astrea took one look at me and smirked. "I knew this was gonna happen."

I shot her a glare. "Thanks for the concern."

She just shrugged before sitting down near Meri, while Aron chuckled and plopped down beside me. "Guess you still suck at running."

"Shut up," I muttered, still catching my breath.

As I sat up, I noticed Astrea had pulled out some blades of grass and a few small flowers, her tiny hands skillfully weaving them together. Her expression was focused, lips slightly pursed as she carefully knotted each strand.

Meriellie watched in curiosity as her big sister worked, her little legs swinging back and forth. Aron and I just sat there, quietly observing.

After a while, Astrea finally finished, holding up a tiny tiara made of woven grass and wildflowers. A proud grin spread across her face as she gently placed it atop Meriellie's head.

"There," she said, smiling. "Now you're a princess."

Meriellie touched the tiara carefully, eyes wide with wonder.

Aron, grinning, leaned forward. "Wow, that looks really cute on you!"

Meriellie immediately turned her head toward him, her golden eyes narrowing into a sharp glare. She stared him down like he had just personally offended her ancestors.

Aron blinked, confused. "W-What now?"

She huffed and turned away, clearly refusing to acknowledge him.

I burst out laughing. "Oof, rejected."

Astrea tried to stifle a giggle. "Looks like she doesn't trust you yet."

Aron looked completely heartbroken. "B-But I was just being nice!"

Meriellie, still pouting, stuck to Astrea's side like glue, refusing to look at him.

I leaned back against the tree, still chuckling. This was turning out to be more fun than I expected.

Astrea stood up, brushing off her skirt, and stretched her arms. "Let's go into the forest! We'll explore the hidden ruins again."

Aron raised an eyebrow. "Hidden ruins?"

I sighed, already knowing where this was going. "It's just some abandoned buildings we stumbled upon while walking," I muttered before turning to Astrea. "And don't forget—the adults told us not to go too far into the forest. Especially now that we have a little kid with us."

Astrea ignored me, scooping up Meriellie and spinning her in the air. "This little girl doesn't seem to have a problem with it!" she declared, twirling her sister gently. "Right, Meri?"

Meriellie, bursting into giggles, "Yes ,I don't ,I don't"

Aron crossed his arms, puffing his cheeks slightly. "Still, 'hidden ruins' sounds way cooler."

I sighed again, rubbing the back of my head. "Astrea, we got in trouble last time. If the adults find out—"

She stopped spinning Meri and shot me a smug grin. "IF they find out."

I swatted her hand away as she poked my cheek. "I'm being responsible here."

Aron tilted his head. "I mean... it does sound fun."

I groaned. "You guys are gonna be the death of me one day..."

Astrea grinned wider. "Then let's make sure it's not today!" She took Meri's tiny hand and started leading the way.

With a defeated sigh, I shook my head and followed them.

Astrea had climbed to the top of the abandoned building using an old, rickety ladder, pulling Meriellie up with her. The wooden planks beneath her feet creaked, but she didn't seem to care.

"Look, Meri! You can see all of Tombuza from up here!" she said excitedly, setting the tiny girl on her lap as they both peered over the edge.

Meriellie's golden eyes widened in awe as the wind tousled her short hair. A bright smile spread across her face as she pointed excitedly at the distant rooftops.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "She's enjoying this at least."

Then, out of nowhere, I heard an odd, amused hum.

"Hmhm~"

I blinked, turning my head.

"Hmmm~"

There it was again. A little sound, almost like someone trying to get my attention.

Narrowing my eyes, I scanned the area—until I spotted Aron perched high up on a tree branch, swinging his legs like he didn't have a care in the world.

I immediately frowned. "And how exactly are you planning to get back down?"

He blinked, then hesitantly glanced downward. That's when it hit him.

"I—uh…" His face paled. "I didn't think that far ahead."

I sighed. "Of course, you didn't."

"Hey!....Asi!!! An idiot's stuck here"

Aron shot her a glare. "I didn't get stuck! I just—" The branch beneath him creaked ominously. "…Might need a little help."

Astrea snorted. "Sounds pretty stuck to me."

I ran a hand down my face and turned to Astrea. "Come down already. We have to get him before he panics and falls."

Astrea huffed, gently setting Meriellie down before climbing back down the ladder. When she landed, she crossed her arms, looking up at Aron with amusement.

"Alright, genius," she said. "Just climb back down the way you got up."

Aron hesitated. "I… don't think I can."

Astrea cupped her hands around her mouth. "Then jump!"

"Jump?! Are you insane?!"

She grinned. "Maybe a little."

I shook my head. "Aron, listen. Shift your foot to the branch below—slowly."

He gulped and followed my instructions, carefully lowering one foot. The moment he put weight on it, the branch wobbled, and he let out a sharp, panicked noise.

"Mmpphh?!?—Ghhk—Hah—!"

Astrea burst into laughter. "Pfft—Did you just squeak?"

Aron's face burned red. "Shut up!"

I ignored them. "Aron, focus."

With painstaking slowness, he descended branch by branch until he was close enough for us to reach him. Astrea crossed her arms.

"Alright, now just let go, and we'll catch you."

Aron glanced between us, sceptical. "I don't trust you."

I sighed. "Fair. Trust me then."

He hesitated, then nodded. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and released his grip.

The moment he fell, I braced myself—only for him to slam straight into me, sending us both crashing into the dirt.

I groaned, laying flat on my back. "You're a menace, you know that?"

Aron groaned too, rubbing his head. "Yeah, but at least I didn't break my neck."

Astrea burst into laughter. "That was hilarious!"

Meriellie, who had been watching quietly, let out a tiny giggle, her hands covering her mouth.

Still lying on the ground, I sighed again. "You're never climbing a tree again, got it?"

Aron sat up, grinning. "No promises."

"I think that's enough for today," I said, brushing off my clothes as I stood up.

"We should head back before someone finds us here," I added, crouching down to Meriellie's level. I gently poked her forehead. "Meri, don't tell anyone we were here, okay?"

She blinked at me, tilting her head. "Why?"

Before I could answer, Astrea spoke up. "Because we'd be in biiiigggg trouble if they found out," she said, her voice playful yet serious.

Meriellie's tiny hands gripped the hem of Astrea's dress. "Really?"

Astrea nodded, giving her a small smile. "Yeah. You don't want us to get scolded, right?"

Meriellie hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Okay… I won't tell anyone."

Just as I let out a sigh of relief, Aron crossed his arms, shaking his head. "You do realize you're literally teaching a little kid to lie, right? That's kind of messed up."

I turned to him with a deadpan stare. "Oh, now you have morals?"

Astrea scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Please. Like you wouldn't do the same to stay out of trouble."

Aron huffed, puffing out his chest. "I have standards."

I smirked, patting his shoulder. "Yeah, and zero credibility."

Astrea snickered, while Meri just looked between us, confused.