Five Arabian Nights

Chapter 10

The Fourth Day (2)

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An empty city had quite a lot to offer.

Jaune Arc walked down the asphalt layered over the streets, observing his surroundings as three children followed him. Rust had yet to taint the street lights, and none of the buildings looked dusty. In fact, the entire place looked clean for something that had no people to manage it.

While the cleanness of his surroundings intrigued him, the emptiness certainly killed the charm behind cities. He was in a ghost city that had neither aged nor advanced from its time.

Empty.

Would the world really feel this empty if every person had vanished? Jaune could not decide whether the missing presence of humans would do the world good or bad. After all, people were, in the end, only a bit different when it came to emotions. They all needed their own kind to survive without being driven by loneliness and an enormous feeling of emptiness. No doubt would Jaune be one of those people if he felt that the world centered on him.

It was strange. People needed people to live; similarly to how the Grimm needed to live in packs to survive longer. Unlike the Grimm, people were able to love.

Anything besides the Grimm were able to feel love.

Jaune reached out for a nearby fire hydrant as he walked. He touched its smooth texture, once again confirming that the city was an abnormal existence. It seemed as if nothing was dusty, rusty, or worn-out.

Bell chimed as she picked up an apple from the ground. Walking over to Jaune, the child held the apple up to his face with her feathery arms.

Jaune blinked as he made a small smile. The blond knight took the apple from the child of light as he raised it, lining it in front of his ocean blue eyes. A red apple. It stood out from the empty city. Its vibrancy glowed in the midst of the greyness. It had traces of life in it. Something about it felt alive. Vigorous, almost.

As he continued to observe the apple, his eyes widened as the object slowly broke apart into sakura-colored petals. He looked up as the petals swirled towards the skies. By the time the apple had fully dispersed, the petals reached a certain height as it began swirling around in a full circle. More petals flew from different directions and joined the petals that left Jaune's hands.

He looked down to make sure that no one else was around. Strange; he swore that there were no people in the empty streets. Looking back up, Jaune watched the petals form a large shell as they spun in place.

And soon, the petals brightened and faded, revealing a bright beautiful being floating above the empty city. Jaune felt awe as a warm pink color painted the once grey streets. The being who appeared was the complete opposite of the empty city. She was full of life, full of personality. The white skies suddenly complemented well with the now bright city.

People laughed. Jaune jerked his head back to the streets, finding dozens of people walking together. They smiled and played and enjoyed themselves. Some of them held hands, others cradling their newborn children. From the young to the old, people of all ages and races showed affection to one another. A hidden affection that existed among everyone, no matter how small or big, drove any species to continue living.

Jaune wondered; did he love anyone?

He wondered what it meant to truly love someone. He wondered if it really was possible to love someone not only from his or her looks, but everything about that someone. And perhaps it was possible.

Love seemed to have no formula. For if it was a formula, then no one would be sad because of it. But the breaking of hearts matured people, and the maturity of people made love all the more complex. Jaune realized that he was too young to fully understand how it worked, and that was perfect for him. If he sought out its meaning, and how it applied to him, then he would be a very satisfied person.

To love his family. His friends. Maybe a woman of his dreams. Perhaps romance did not connect to a snowy angel, but to a relatable human being. For what was beautiful but foreign to humans mostly brought fear, and what seemed average but well-understood by people was easy to love.

Maybe being super special was not the answer to finding out what love meant to him.

Jaune watched the lady of love descend, lightly floating to his direction. She glowed brightly, a faint pink emitting from the tip of the light that she shone upon the city. The essence of love. She was not beautiful, but simply magnificent.

He felt a tingling sensation as the bright lady float around him. She blinked, her eyes glowing in a similar fashion to Bell's. Then, with a small volume, she giggled, letting out the plucking of a harp.

As the bright lady grabbed one of the blond knight's hands, the lady of love pointed at an amusement park Jaune had never seen before. The three children that followed him smiled brightly at the sight of a huge park.

Time seemed to tick endlessly that day.

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The Fourth Day (2) -END-