Caring

IRyS stood upon a hill looking down at the scenery below her.

A scorched landscape lay before her. Buildings had collapsed. Trees had withered away. All that was left was the remains of a lifeless city. The air smelled of ash. All scars of a fierce battle. And IRyS had lost. IRyS collapsed on the ground and started sobbing.

IRyS had yet again failed to save the people she had set out to protect. She felt powerless against the enemy that was ravaging the lands. No matter what IRyS did, she could not put a dent in their destruction. The enemy was unstoppable. They were relentless and corpses piled up day by day. How could a single person go against such a force and hope to prevail? She had tried to stay positive and believe that all was not lost but at times like this, seeing the devestation left behind, it was proving to be difficult. What if this planet is doomed? IRyS was losing hope.

Right then, she felt a static. A shiver ran through her back. Sensing the presence of someone else, IRyS jerked her head to look behind her.

Ouro Kronii, the Warden of Time.

Ouro Kronii had teleported behind IRyS. Caught in a vulnerable moment, IRyS quickly hid her face and started wiping off her tears.

"W-what are you doing here?" IRyS' voice came out muffled through her hand.

There was no answer. Instead, the Warden of Time wordlessly approached IRyS and sat right next to her on her left. Minutes passed, IRyS' face still turned away from her, neither one saying anything. IRyS could only hear her own breath, which hitched occasionally from all the crying. She couldn't feel any movement from the other woman at all.

After several more minutes of akward silence, IRyS turned her head to face the intruder. The Warden had been staring at the scenery in front of her, devoid of any emotion. IRyS opened her mouth to ask her why she had come here.

"It's difficult, isn't it?"

The Warden spoke, still staring at the scenery before her.

"What?" IRyS asked, taken aback at her question.

"Why don't you give up?"

Hearing that, IRyS let out a sigh. "I..."

"I know I haven't been on the friendliest terms with you and this might be out of the blue." Kronii shifted her eyes to the ashen skies and continued speaking.

"I'm sure you think I don't care about anything but myself. And it's true. Being an infinite being... everything turns to dust in a blink of an eye. I've seen whole planets and stars from their births to their deaths. It's difficult to care when everything is so fleeting. Even if you care about something, they eventually seep through you fingers. You can't hold onto it. One by one, you let go of things you cared about, the things that were important to you, until you forget why you held them dear in the first place. It's inevitable, really. The only constant is myself. My existence is the only thing I can rely on. There's no room for hope or love, only the certainty of solitute. It's only natural to care only about yourself after spending an eternity like that." The Warden of Time chuckled.

"Why are you telling me this? Are you telling me I shouldn't care about humans? Because their lives are short?" IRyS spat out.

The Warden finally turned her head to face IRyS. Glistening deep sapphire eyes stared at her.

"I know you cherish things that you will far outlast. I know your mission is one of hardship. And yet you have stuck to your ideals and fought tooth and nail in persuit of your duties. And I... admire that. It probably doesn't come easy even for you, trying to stay hopeful all the time and spreading that hope around you. You probably don't want others to see you falter so you keep your doubts within you. You're given a seemingly impossible task right now. It must be exhausting. You must feel like giving up. But... You're still here. Fighting. Why is that?"

IRyS opened her mouth. "Because I care. I can't look away and pretend people aren't suffering."

"Yes. Because you care. Because there is warmth within you. You fight, not for your own benefit, but for those around you. Looking at you... I start to believe that even the intangible and ephemeral connections between living beings is something worth putting effort in. You're an incredible person. You make even me feel... hopeful."

IRyS' eyes started tearing up again. The Warden of Time slowly reached out to IRyS with her right hand. Her hand floated in mid-air and slowly descended to IRyS' hand on the ground as if giving all the time in the world for IRyS to reject it if she so desires. IRyS stayed still. The other woman gently touched IRyS' hand. She carefully studied IRyS' face for any signs of discomfort. Finding none, her hand glided over and covered IRyS' hand. She gave a slight squeeze.

"I believe in you, IRyS. And I hope you believe in yourself, too."

IRyS cried. The Warden lent her shoulder for IRyS to cry on. They stayed there for some time.

After a while, IRyS wiped her tears and faced the other woman.

"Thank you, Kronii."

Kronii smiled.

IRyS smiled back. "So..."

"Hmm?"

IRyS' smile turned into a mischievous grin. "Why did you come here?"

Kronii scowled. "It's obviously to give you a much needed pep talk."

"No." IRyS slowly brought her face closer to Kronii's. "Why did you come here?"

Kronii tried leaning away from IRyS and her eyes darted around, trying to avoid IRyS. "What? I don't know what you mean."

"Mmm..." IRyS kept closing in on Kronii until her face was only a few inches away. "I think you do."

IRyS shifted her weight onto Kronii. Kronii, who had already been leaning far back, helplessly fell onto her back. IRyS toppled on top of Kronii. IRyS mounted her and leaned forward again. She stared straight at Kronii's face. Kronii's cheeks were red. IRyS closed in on Kronii with puppy dog eyes.

"Kronii..." IRyS spoke in the most sorrowful voice she could muster. "I wish someone was here to tell me they cared for me."

Kronii turned her face away and shielded it with her forearms. Unrelenting, IRyS continued in her sad voice. "It would really help cheer me up."

"I..." Kronii choked out. "I... I care about you."

IRyS gently placed her hand on Kronii's arm. "Let me see your face."

With a slight hesitation, Kronii pulled away her arms to her sides. Kronii's blush had spread from her cheeks to her ear to her entire face. Kronii slowly turned to face IRyS. She gave her a defiant look, her beautiful sapphire eyes in a piercing glare.

"I care about you, IRyS."

Now it was IRyS' turn to blush. IRyS' heartbeat roared in her ears. Realizing she had been mounting Kronii with their faces only a foot apart, she hurriedly rolled off of Kronii. Taking a few slow deep breaths, Kronii sat up.

Kronii look at IRyS with a bittersweet grin. "I care about you. I really do."

Eyes locked, silence stretched between them. Neither moved.

Finally, Kronii broke both the silence and eye contact.

"I-I have to go." Kronii stood up and brushed off her skirt. "I think my business is done here."

Just as she was about to turn around,

"Wait!" IRyS shouted.

Kronii faced her, a question mark on her face. IRyS stammered. "I-I want you to stay with me just a bit more. I-I mean, if you're not too busy... I mean... umm... please?"

Kronii replied without hesitation. "Sure."

Kronii approached IRyS and sat next to her. They both stared into the distance. The sun was starting to set. As they watched the sunset in silence, IRyS looked forward to tomorrow with newly found hope in her heart.