Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

It was a common occurrence for the duo to find an isolated place at the back side of the school and under the tree to spend time leisurely.

On the south side of the fort, the route leads to a forest, and there is nothing specific which could attract a student's attention except for greenery and peacefulness. And thanks to the fact that seldom anyone comes here, Celestria could spend her time with Alex in peace.

The huge oak tree was a perfect canopy to shield them from the sunlight as Alex and Celestria proceeded towards their favourite spot.

Alex halted before the tree, but Celestria held his sleeve and urged, "Let's go to the other side."

Alex shrugged and followed her before they reached a perfect spot from where only the forest out of the fences could be seen, not the school or any possible student who might be passing by.

Celestria raised her left hand, and airwaves began to wipe away the weathered leaves, creating a perfect spot for both of them to take.

Seeing her smile never going down, Alex couldn't help but ask, "You never looked this happy in the past when we used to come here."

Alex's memories were now a vivid part of him, but in all those previous times, he had never seen her so happy and excited.

Celestria paused and turned to look at Alex, her smile turning gentle, "You don't know the value of something until you lose it," Looking at the tree, she heavily sighed, "I never thought I would be returning here with you, so when you actually agreed to come here...I was beyond elated."

Looking at him with a tilt of her head, she said, "But you must know that I always felt happy when you read me a story....it helped me calm my nerves."

Alex sighed, as he sat down and said, "Then...let's get started with it?"

Celestria grinned before she sat down on the ground, completely uncaring if the dirt made her dress dirty before she slowly brought her head down on his lap.

Alex looked at her starry eyes and couldn't help but feel he was dealing with a child.

Shaking his head he was about to open a book when suddenly, Celestria held his hand, "No books...that will cover your face. Tell me something you already know. Anything works."

Alex no longer questioned her reasons, since he knew they were unreasonable. Considering this was a payback for the pitiful sword he snapped into two, he decided to play along.

"A story I know huh...." He leaned his back and got more comfortable. Celestria also shifted towards him, to look at him more comfortably.

"So once....there was a swordsman. A young and talented man with a not-so-bright future, considering he used his talent in killing others."

"A rogue?" Celestria asked, curiously.

"Kind of....but he worked for an organization that paid them for committing crime." Celestria nodded silently and urged him to continue.

"So...he was on another mission, heading toward a very dangerous place from where he might not return. However, considering his success rate, the boss decided that the mission was made for the swordsman."

Experience tales at empire

Alex rested back, his hand clasped behind his head as he added, "The swordsman was confident that he would take on all the men all by himself. Just him and his sword....but, he failed."

Celestria clutched his shirt in anticipation, as she asked, "Did he die?"

Alex shook his head, "One thing the swordsman learned in his days working as a contract killer, is to step back when you have to. As such, the swordsman sacrificed his ego and fled away." Alex exhaled another sigh, not being able to forget that day when he showed his back to the enemy and ran away like a little bitch

Well, he doesn't regret his decision, but those taunts stabbed his pride.

He added, "Since the whole island was filled with them, he took refuge at the house of God..."

Celestria finished, "....a church."

Alex nodded, "He didn't think he would remain safe there as well, given it was a church built with the jurisdiction of the same gang. However, he was thoroughly wrong."

Leaning down to look at Celestria, Alex planted his finger in the middle of her golden eyebrows; he said, "There he met a blond nun, almost like you."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"As beautiful as me?"

Alex chuckled seeing that bulge on her cheek, before he responded, "No....more beautiful than you."

"Hmmmmmm....!!" Her cheeks were now bulging, and her face turned instantly red. Crossing her arms under her bust, she remained in the complaint mode.

Alex was amused seeing her antics as he grabbed her cheeks and pressed them to make those balloons go 'fueee'.

"So yeah, I found a beautiful nun there who was returning to her room to rest when she noticed the swordsman. The only word he was able to say was 'Help...' before he lost consciousness."

Leaning back, he looked at the sky and continued, "The next time he woke up, the swordsman found he was all wrapped up in bandages and the nun, who found him, was feeding him medicine. For the past two weeks, she kept him hidden despite knowing who he was."

There was apparent nostalgia in his eyes, as Alex continued, "When he asked her, why did she help him? The answer was something completely unexpected."

Celestria asked, "What did she say? Because he was injured, and her heart didn't allow her to leave someone to die?"

Alex chuckled and shook his head, "That would have been the safest thing to say, but the nun said, 'You reminded me of my pet dog whom I lost two days ago. That's why I healed you.'

Celestria's eyes parted wide in shock, "She really said that?"

Alex nodded, "Yup, and you know, during the time I was in her care, she tried multiple times to play....fetch with me."

"Pfftt--" Celestria laughed, clutching her stomach laughed aloud thinking of a woman trying to throw a stick and expecting a grown man to get it back to her.

Alex watched the girl having fun before he asked, "So...that's all. After cleaning that island, the swordsman often came to meet the crazy nun."

Celestria slowly calmed down, and said, "That's some odd pair you just told me about."

"Yeah, they were odd...but liked each other's company." He stored his books in a stone as he prepared to get up

Celestria suddenly realised that her time with Alex was almost up and she didn't want to separate just yet!

"A-Ah, Alex...can we go and eat something in the market? I know a brilliant skewer shop there."

"Skewers? Like the unhealthy ones?" His enthusiasm urged the girl to instantly nod,

"Yes, the one with a lot of sauces and meat fat."

"Kay, let's go there."

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A/N:- Distributing the chapter in two to not make it rushed. Thanks for reading.