#hope you made it through my non sense unharmed hahaha

[tales-of-a-fallen-star]

Forgotten Memories (Ignis Scientia/Reader)

Words: 5699 Genre: angst, fluff, romance Rating: SFW

tagging some peeps: @ponkita @amicitonia @ka-za-ri @kawaiinekorose @birdsandivory @kerbiesworld28 @alicemoonwonderland and @hypaalicious (Please let me know whether you’d like to be tagged in the future or not)

A/N: Well, hello there, look who’s posting a fic again after approximately 5 years. Yeah, I’m finally done with this. I was inspired to write this when I played Comrades, hence why it’s set during that time range. Although it’s still a reader insert I wanted to give the 3rd person narrative a try. I just want to quickly point out that I’m not a fan of this whole Y/N thing (at least not in my stuff) and that’s why I simply left blanks. Finally, I do want to apologise that this thing turned out so long (especially the exposition for some reason) but I do hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Huge thanks to @atarostarling for proofreading and editing this, otherwise this thing would be even more of a mess.

She stepped outside of the tent where all the glaives rested after returning from a mission. Her head felt fuzzy, she knew that she dreamed something – about her past perhaps? – but the images faded away as soon as she woke up, too quickly for her to remember anything more specific. She stretched out her limbs, a small sigh of satisfaction leaving her lips, and she looked around the area which used to be one of the market places of Lestallum. She tried to remember exactly how she ended up here in the first place.

It was about four weeks ago that she was found by Libertus Ostium, a kind man who told her what she longed to know ever since she found herself aimlessly walking around the vast lands of Lucis. All these months she didn't know where she came from or who she was. The only hint that indicated anything about her or her past was an intricate engraving on one of her kukris, which she carried with her since the moment she found herself somewhere on the outskirts of Leide.

‘For hearth and home and the fire that only burns for you’

She didn't know what it meant, no matter how much she tried to rummage through her mind  for any information or memories, there was just nothing. It seemed as if there was a dark mist covering up her memories. She wasn’t even sure if the engraving actually meant something, but she clung to the hope that someone who must have been very fond of her gifted the kukris to her. Within that hope was a cruel reminder of how truly alone she was in this world.

She had no one to help her or take care of her when she was in danger, especially with the daemons around at night. She soon had to come to terms with fighting them if she had to and was surprised when her muscles and limbs seemed to act on their own as she slashed her way through the hordes of daemons all by herself. Based on her forgotten instincts, she figured that she must have some sort of combat training. Her skills were how she kept herself afloat, fighting monsters and daemons, accepting hunts to earn some gil now and then, always hoping she would stumble across anyone that knew or recognised her. Slowly but steadily that hope began to gnaw on her and turned into the opposite, dragging her spirits down underground and burying her determination and endurance along with them. And then, when the long night began, she couldn't help but feel as if she was drowning. Drowning in this endless pit of hopelessness and sorrow, making her want to succumb to the darkness and the daemons around her. Tired and exhausted, she was about to give up, to give in to the darkness, but something inside her told her to not lose hope. A voice made her keep going. It was only mere moments later that she saw bright lights coming her way and someone calling out to her.

And now here she was, in the middle of Lestallum, home to all refugees and to those without memories. For her it was still like waking up in a strange land she knew nothing about. Libertus told her she used to be a member of the Kingsglaive, a force installed by the late King Regis Lucis Caelum, and that she must've escaped the fall of Insomnia relatively unharmed - apart from the amnesia, obviously.

Those names meant nothing to her. Her lack of memory only made her feel alone and helpless again, even though she was now surrounded by like-minded and kind people who took good care of her. Yet despite what the people seemed to know, nobody was able to tell her who she was, not even the Immortal himself seemed to know anything about her. Neither did the other glaives, who suffered some partial amnesia like herself, though some of them mentioned that she looked somewhat familiar to them. It restored some of her hope, but she didn't want to cling too much to it. Deep down in her heart, she was certain that somewhere out there someone must be looking for her... right?

Trying to not get lost in thought she stretched out a bit more and decided to see if she could be of assistance to anyone. Her eyes roamed the area and it didn't take too long before she could find a suitable task for her. She began walking towards the working station a few metres away from the tent where Cid Sophiar, a kind and old man who she got along with very well, was already working and tinkering away like a maniac.

“Hey Cid, need any help with that?”

“Mornin' sweepea. Would you be so kind and gimme that wrench over there?” Cid responded in an affectionate voice, which he only used when talking to her. For some reason he was really fond of her, the old mechanic always said that this lost girl reminded him of his granddaughter Cindy.

She made quick work of handing Cid the requested utensil before she let out a squeaky yawn.

“Last mission been hard on you, huh? You slept like a rock these past ten-odd hours.” He smiled.

“What? Ten hours? Wow... I guess the trip to the Disc and back really took a toll on me.” The glaive responded in disbelief that she had slept that long.

“Cauthess, eh? I reckon it can be a helluva trip, with all these daemons runnin' about and such. But, mind if I ask, have ya made it out to Leide ever since you settled in here?” the mechanic inquired.

“No, I'm afraid not, but Monica mentioned something about an escort mission from Galdin Quay all the way back here. She asked me if I was up for it, but I haven't decided on it yet.”

“I think ya should do it. I know a fella who went out there, said somethin’ about goin' fishin' to get his nutrition. Name's ‘Ignis', ever heard of him before?”

That name stirred something in the back of her mind. A strange feeling of familiarity went through her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why that was.

“No, I don't think so,” she replied.

“He's one of them Crownsguards that used to travel with the Prince. He ain't doing too well these days. Maybe if ya should happen to take on that mission just give him a holler and tell him that old Cid sent ya, maybe lend him a hand or somethin',”

She contemplated the request for a while, but she realised quite quickly that she couldn't turn down one of Cid's requests.

“Alright, if I should happen to run into him I’ll see what I can do to help him,” she responded with a smile on her face.

“You're really a good girl, ain't too many people like you left in this rotten world.”

Although it sounded very bitter, Cid was right. This world was beginning to decay, the daemons slowly took over outpost after  outpost, city after city. The young woman heard some stories about the capital of Accordo being in complete ruins after the awakening of the sea goddess and the assault by myriads of daemons after Prince Noctis vanished. Every day more and more of these horrific stories came through and she was afraid that one day Lestallum and all the people she cared about would meet the same fate while she was out on a mission. This was the same reason why she fought so hard to make the world better again, to keep off the daemons completely and in hope that one day the light would be restored to this world again. She looked at the old man in front of her, his words always seemed to make her feel better and she was really thankful for that. “Thank you, Cid,” she said before pulling him into a hug. A little taken aback at first, the old man began rubbing her back with his free hand as a sad smile spread on his lips. “No need, just take care of yourself when you're out there, promise me?”

“I promise I will,” she said before gently removing herself from the hug.

“Good girl, now off ya pop, I got some work to do.” Cid said, ruffling her hair a bit and laughing.

She made haste for Monica's desk, papers and maps were scattered all over, and the owner herself was bent over it, deep in thought.

“Good morning, Monica,” the young glaive greeted her enthusiastically.

“Oh, hi there. Up for some more work after your well-deserved rest?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m ready for more. Is that escorting mission from Galdin Quay still available?”

Monica looked up at the young glaive in front of her, “Unfortunately not, Libertus already took care of it.”

The young glaive’s shoulders slumped down a bit, “Oh, I see… well, is there anything else I can help with?”

“Yes, actually. Some workers from Exineris need to travel all the way to Old Lestallum and repair some important electric cables in the area there so we can send power to the outposts beyond. They asked for a few glaives as an escort and as bodyguards while they’re working, so you’d be gone for perhaps a few weeks until all the repairs are made. Are you up for it?” Monica explained while she pointed out the route on the map in front of her.

The glaive considered the job for a moment while she looked at the map on the desk. Although she wanted to do the mission in Galdin Quay to do Cid a favour, she needed something to keep herself busy with for the next few days, so Old Lestallum will have to be enough for now.

“Yes, I am. When can I go?”

“Excellent. I’ll tell one of the drivers to get ready and as soon as you’re ready for departure you may head for Old Lestallum. Be safe!”

“Thank you, ma’am. For hearth and home!” the glaive pledged with her fist placed above her heart before she took her leave. For some reason though, there was this curious feeling spreading in the pit of her stomach, she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Disappointment?

She decisively shook her head and headed to her tent. There were more important things to think about now.

The mission itself went quite fluently, no major incidents or injuries and the young glaive and her brothers in arms were in the truck on their way back to Lestallum. She sat in the back, looking absentmindedly out of the window and observing the landscape around her. As they were driving on the street through the Coernix Bypass she spotted the figure of a coeurl sitting in the tall grass not even twenty metres away from the truck. When it made eye contact with her it seemed as if time stopped around her. The car just stood still, her comrades were immobilised mid-sentence and she did not hear a single noise. It was only her and the coeurl. She decided to get out of the car, summoned her kukris out of instinct into her hands and sharpened her senses in case the wild animal decided to attack her, but the coeurl did nothing apart from stare at her with its intense green eyes. Its whiskers drew lazy circles on the ground and tiny flames, instead of a coeurls usually electrifying sparkles, emitted from them. For some reason she felt as if she saw those eyes before somewhere, looking into them gave her a strange feeling of peace and security.

Then, suddenly, she heard muffled voices and she tried to make out their owners, but there was no one else around. It was then that she realised the voices were inside her head. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on them to make out what they were saying. It was as if the dark mist clouding her mind lifted slightly and these voices were a ray of light coming through, but all she got were just tiny pieces of shattered glass and she had to collect them one by one to piece it all back together. When she opened her eyes again the coeurl still stared at her with its green eyes, drawing her into them and capturing her. They were as deep as the ocean itself and it was almost as if she was bound by magic to not break eye contact with the creature in front of her. Then it happened so suddenly. From one moment to another she could hear the voices in her head as clear as day and she realised that one of them was her own.

“Anything could happen outside of Insomnia, especially at night,” she pleaded.

“I am quite aware, but trust me when I say that I have every reason in the world to take care of myself and come back. To you.”

“Promise me?”

“I swear it.”

Her head began to spin, a sudden headache interrupted what little piece of memory of her past she was beginning to regain. She closed her eyes again, grasping after every little wisp of memory in her mind’s eye, but to no avail. She opened her eyes again to look at the coeurl who was about to turn around. It threw one last glance at her before starting to head into the open field.

“No, please wait!” she called after the ferocious animal, but it kept walking away from her. She was just about to follow it when she felt herself being pulled back into the car.

“Hey, wake up, we’re here.”

She opened her eyes, her head rested on the window. Still in her delirium she turned her head slightly to see one of her brothers in arms looking at her with a quizzical brow, “Are you alright? You look kinda pale.”

“Y-yeah… I’m fine, don’t worry. Just a little exhausted, it’s been almost three weeks of constant guard duty after all,” the young glaive responded absentmindedly, trying to remember everything about the weird dream she just had.

“True words, my friend. But come on now, Monica’s probably already waitin’ for us,” the young man, Gutsco, exclaimed and got out of the truck. Before the still sleepy glaive followed him, she took a few moments to collect herself. The intensity of the dream shook something inside her. Never before was she able to remember anything about her dreams before. But for now she decided to be happy about remembering at least something from her past life, even though she didn’t know exactly what it meant or to whom the other voice belonged. The sound of it was already fading away.

‘Well, there’s no reason to ponder too much on it now,’ she told herself before following her friend through the cobbled streets of Lestallum towards Monica’s camp. The kind woman already spotted them from a distance and smiled at them.

“Oh, you made it back. I’m glad to see you all alive and well.”

“Thank you, ma’am. We’re ready to report.”

After the glaives finished reporting to Monica the young woman immediately walked across the plaza to Cid’s working station.

“Well I be damned, look who it is. Good to have you back, kid,” the old man greeted her kindly as he saw her approaching.

“It’s good to see you too, Cid. What’s been happening around here while I was away?”

“Not too much, I gotta say, but do ya remember that fella I told you about before you went out and about to Old Lestallum?”

“Oh, you mean that Ignis guy, right?”

Cid let out a hearty chuckle, “That’s the one, kid. He came along with that escort from Galdin and now he’s lingerin’ somewhere around town.” Then he stopped for a moment, his face full of worry all of a sudden, “Why don’t ya go an’ look for him, keep him company or somethin’. Poor guy seems a bit lonely and lost these days.”

“I guess we have something in common then…” the young glaive acknowledged with a sad voice while staring down at her feet.

“Still didn’t find anyone who knows ya? Sorry to hear that, but don’t give up sweepea, I’ll be damned if there’s no one out there lookin’ for ya,” the mechanic said and ruffled her hair to cheer her up a bit. A little encouraged by his words, she put on a brave smile, “Thank you, Cid, really.”

“Ah, don’t mention it. Now, go and let an old man do his work and if ya should happen to find Ignis tell him old Cid sent ya, maybe it’ll cheer him up a bit.”

She smiled, waving him a friendly goodbye, “I will, promise. See you later!”

After she rested up a bit in her tent she decided to go for a stroll around town, trying to look if she could help out anywhere, but there wasn’t really anyone who needed her help. A few people greeted her on her way, happy to see she was back. She took her time and talked with a few of them to check if they were alright. After bits of small talk and catching up she decided to walk to the power plant. Perhaps Holly needed some help transporting the meteor shards the glaives found on their missions. The young glaive approached the bridge, but Holly was nowhere to be seen and apparently the meteor shards were already inside the power plant, ready for extraction, as there were none to be seen in front of the storage spaces near the bridge. As she looked around the place she also noticed the absence of all the Exineris workers. Besides herself there was only one other person, standing to the left of the bridge and staring into the distance. She didn’t see him before around here, so she guessed the man only a few feet away from her must be who Cid was talking about. She took a closer look at him, her feet acting on their own as she approached the man with careful steps. For some reason she couldn’t help but think that she’s seen him somewhere before.

“You surely know, but it’s rude to stare.” The man said suddenly, humour lacing his voice.

Petrified in her tracks the young woman widened her eyes in shock and embarrassment.

“Oh, uhm, I-uhh…” she stammered, not knowing how to respond. .

The man noticed her predicament and couldn’t help the slight chuckle crossing his lips, “It’s quite alright, don’t worry.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have sneaked up on you like that. It’s just… you know, Cid sent me to go and look for someone and I’ve never seen you around here before, so I figured he was probably talking about you? Well, at least if you are Ignis?” the young woman blabbered away as she nervously fidgeted around with her thumbs.

The man turned around to face her and when she looked at his face her mouth fell wide open. He was wearing a black visor which covered his eyes and parts of a huge scar over his left eye. She could also see smaller scars through his right eyebrow, on the bridge of his nose and his bottom lip, but she thought, if anything, these scars suited the man in front of her and brought out his undeniably handsome features.

“Yes, I am,” he furrowed his eyebrows in thought before continuing, “Excuse me, but have we met before? Your voice sounds quite familiar…”

“Oh, uhm… no, sorry, I don’t think so,” she responded surprised, failing to notice that he seemed to recognise her by her voice instead of her face. “Like I said, Cid sent me to go look for you and maybe help you if you need anything.”

A small smile spread on Ignis’s lips, “Ah, yes, that sounds indeed like Cid. He may be quite gruff on the outside, but he has a kind and caring nature.”

“Yes, he definitely does. So… uhm… do you… need help with anything?” she asked hesitantly. Ignis tilted his head to the ground in thought, contemplating if he should enquire the young woman’s help.

“I could indeed use some help in getting reacquainted with some essential combat techniques,” he said while tapping the side of his visor with his index finger, “Would you be up for a little sparring session?”

It was only now that the glaive realised that the man in front of her was, in fact, blind. Curious to know how this man could possibly fight anyone or anything when he couldn’t see, her mouth began to act on its own, “Uhm, yeah, of course, but… Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but how exactly would you be able to fight? You… can’t see anything, can you?”

She wanted to slap herself for not being able to control her curiosity, let alone her mouth, but apparently Ignis wasn’t offended at all. Quite the contrary as there was the ghost of a smile on his lips.

“That is exactly what I’m trying to figure out. So, are you up for the challenge of sparring with a blind man?” For some reason he seemed really smug and mischievous about the whole situation and the young glaive began to feel a bit suspicious. She had the feeling that there was a lot more to this man than meets the eye.

“Okay, alright. Where do you wanna train?”

“The bridge in front of the plant seems fairly suitable, don’t you think?”

“If you say so, then let’s go,” she laughed and turned around. The two of them walked over to the bridge and proceeded to get in position opposite from each other once they arrived. Ignis summoned a pair of daggers into his hands and the young woman followed suit by summoning her kukris with a flick of her wrists.

“Oh, I’d like to say one thing before we start. Don’t assume that you have to go easy on me, give it your all,” Ignis said, still with a smug undertone to his voice. The young woman decided to go along with his slight teasing, “Trust me, I wasn’t planning to. Ready?”

“If you are.”

With that their sparring began, but it was not really that much of a sparring session, considering that Ignis merely threw ice spell after ice spell at her and she had barely enough time to cast a shield around her to not take the full blast of it and freeze to death. “So much for sparring,” she mumbled in a slightly bitter tone.

“Ah, yes, I’m sorry, I did ask for a sparring session, didn’t I?” Ignis changed his stance, holding his two daggers in front of him, prepared to block any oncoming attacks. The glaive decided to approach him with quick steps to attack him from the side but right before she was about to land a hit he slightly adjusted his position and countered her attack with elegance and ease and sent her straight on her back. She felt the air being knocked out of her lungs as she made contact with the ground. ‘How are his reflexes so quick even though he can’t see anything?’ she pondered in frustration while she got back up.

“Not bad for a blind guy,” the young woman tried to tease him. Maybe it would rile him up enough so that he was distracted for her next attack, but he just let out a slight chuckle before sending her back to the ground again by casting a powerful ice spell right in her face.

“You play really dirty, you know that?” she shouted, frustration began to cloud her better judgement as she tried to attack him over and over again. After she was sent to the ground for what felt like the hundredth time she tried to reassess the situation and analyse his moves to develop a better strategy.

‘If he plays dirty then so will I,’ she thought mischievously to herself as a new plan formed inside her head.

She feigned as if she was exhausted and out of breath as she got up again, “Okay, one more time.”

“Well, if you insist.”

They both adjusted their position and Ignis was about to throw an ice spell in her direction again, but she was quick to act this time and rolled away out of the spell’s reach. She threw one of her kukris right behind Ignis and shortly afterwards warped to the same spot. Just as he was about to realise what happened, the young woman jolted her foot against his legs in a quick and smooth movement to try and knock him off balance. Ignis let out a surprised gasp as he stumbled forward for a few moments but regained his composure quickly as he turned around to attack her. She blocked his oncoming attack with one of her kukris and used the momentum to send him stumbling to her right, disarming him with her other kukri in the process. She then squatted downwards and with one circular kick against his foot she stole what was left of his balance and sent him face-first to the ground. The young woman audibly celebrated her victory and threw a fist in the air, “Oh, it feels great to not be the one to eat dirt for a change, ha!”

“That’s… that’s impossible,” Ignis stammered, he seemed completely shell-shocked.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that. I think I deserved my little victory,” she protested cheerfully, but paused her cheerfulness as she saw the serious expression on the man’s face as he got up.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant,” he began to explain while adjusting his clothes with his gloved hands. “That move… What did you say your name was again?”

“Oh, I… uhm… I don’t have a name. Well, at least I don’t remember it…” she confessed, the familiar sadness creeping up on her again.

“I think I do… ___,” Ignis said with a shaky voice.

“You… what? I-,” as she began to realise that this man, who she only met today, knew her name, and she even recognised it as her own, causing her head to spin. The dark mist clouding her mind began to lift as if her name was the key to unlocking her memories. They all seeped through at once, utterly overwhelming her. Everything in her mind began to race, giving her the worst headache of her life and forcing her to go down on her knees and press her hands to the sides of her head. Images flashed before her mind’s eye as she remembered everything that happened a few months ago.

She stood in the open living room of her apartment in front of Ignis, his face free of scars and his eyes the richest green she had ever seen in her life. She remembered this day so clearly now, the day before Ignis’s departure to Altissia. He was his all prim and proper usual self with his gloves, his perfectly tailored suit, that ridiculous coeurl-print shirt and the skull pendant endearing his neck. He looked at her with a warm smile on his face, but she could see a deep-seated worry in his eyes, hidden behind his pair of spectacles but never hidden from her observation.

“Seeing as this is our last night together before my departure to Altissia for an indefinite amount of time I thought it was appropriate to give you this.”

In his hands a pair of kukris materialised out of the bright crystals that twirled through the air. Her eyes widened at the sight.

“I had them made for you. I know what you're thinking, that you are perfectly capable of protecting yourself. However, given the chance that something might happen to you in my absence, I wanted you to have these. Mainly for my peace of mind, but you mentioned you wanted new ones, so this is beneficial and appeasing to both of us,” Ignis explained as she ghosted her finger around the edges of the blades, fathoming the intricate designs on the handles until she reached an engraving around them. She took the kukris into her own hands to take a closer look what it said.

‘For hearth and home and the fire that only burns for you’

Her breath hitched as she understood the meaning behind it and her eyes began to water as she looked back up at him.

“Gods, Ignis, they are really absolutely beautiful, but… don’t you think you need them more than me? You’re going on a journey facing ferocious wildlife by day and daemons and monsters by night while I’m only on guard duty around the Citadel. What could possibly happen to me?”

His nostrils flared as he took in a deep breath before he closed his hands around her own, “___, I do not trust the Empire and I have the impression that the signing ceremony will not come to pass as quietly as we would like to think. Of course, I do not wish for the worst, but no matter what happens, I want you to be able to defend yourself to your best capabilities and most importantly,” Ignis lifted one of his hands up to her cheek and looked deep into her eyes to reinforce the importance of his following statement, “I want you to be safe, ___. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

She looked up at him and as she saw the sheen in his eyes hers began to well up with tears as well. She covered his hand with her own. “Don’t worry, I will be.” Then a smile spread on her lips and her gaze lowered to the floor, “After all I learned from the best.”

The strategist let out a little chuckle, “Come on now, I’m nothing special.”

“Yes, you are. To me you will always be the most special person in the whole of Eos.” She met his gaze again with determination, “And this is why I ask of you to be careful as well. Anything could happen outside of Insomnia, especially at night.”

He gave her hands a reassuring squeeze as he put on a brave smile for her. “I am quite aware, but trust me when I say that I have every reason in the world to take care of myself and come back. To you.”

“Promise me?”

“I swear it.”

He rested his forehead on hers and they both closed their eyes. In this moment she felt as if they could remain like this forever, an instant frozen in time if neither of them moved or spoke a word. She focused on his calm breathing and engulfed in his warmth, but Ignis eventually broke their peaceful silence.

“I love you.”

It was just a faint and barely audible whisper, but she never heard anything in her life as clear as those three little words that just fell from his lips. She looked up, right into his eyes, tears beginning to roll down her face, and she  simply smiled as she placed a hand on his cheek.

“I love you, too.”

The images stopped flashing before her mind’s eye, the headache subsided. She opened her eyes again and looked up at the man in front of her, the same gloves, the same suit, the same shirt and she could see the same skull pendant hanging around his neck.

“I… I remember. I remember everything,” she whispered as her vision began to blur from the tears that built up in her eyes. She reached her hand out after him as if she still couldn’t believe that Ignis was there, right in front of her. Her hands traced his arms and his chest until he caught them in his own and pulled her into a crushing embrace. He rested his head on her shoulder, his entire body was shaken by the sobs that emitted from his throat.

“I found you, oh Astrals, I found you. All these months I thought you were gone, that I’d lost you, that you were… you were…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence in fear of it becoming somehow real if he said it out loud.

Now crying herself, she tried to calm him down. She soothingly ran her fingers through the roots of his hair, “Ignis, it’s okay, I’m here. I’m here now and I will never leave you again, okay?”

In response he loosened the embrace and cupped her face with both of his hands, the only way how he could see someone. “Do you promise me?”

She looked up at him and she could see the one clouded eye behind his visor,  she gazed at all his scars from up close and mirrored his gesture by placing her own hands on either side of his face, her thumb tracing the outline of the scar over his left eye.

“Yes. I swear it.”

Ignis tilted his head forward to rest his forehead on hers, tears rolling silently down his face.

“I love you, Ignis. I’m right here and I will never leave you ever again.”

He let out a shaky breath and instead of responding with words, he wanted to let his actions speak for him. His lips found hers in an instant and it felt as if they became one. Their kiss was filled with so many emotions. It was filled with sorrow and despair and fear, but also with happiness and love and relief. Relief to know that the other was alive, to feel the other’s warmth again after all these months, to know that they were together once again. They remained intertwined like this for what seemed forever. Neither of them wanted to let go of the other, of this moment of tranquillity and peace, and even though they knew it couldn’t last forever, right there, in that moment, in each other’s arms, they felt whole again, complete, inseparable and infinite.