The most ordinary

ㅤ Even though Jude was in the same bed with Milla, he didn't experience the happiness he'd expected. Because she wasn't exactly the woman he mutually loved. And yet, just the day before the incident, they'd managed to dot all the i's and cross all the t's and confirm the seriousness of their intentions. "Are you sure?" Milla had asked then, her gaze practically boring into Jude's. But even this couldn't sway him. "Yes." "I'm not human. I can't create a full-fledged family with you, or bear you heirs. Do you still want to spend your life with me?" she involuntarily reminded him of his short lifespan. "Yes," came the confident answer, leaving Milla deeply thoughtful. Maxwell was lost in her thoughts, looking away, as if searching for some personal answer, even though she had long ago agreed to the relationship. After all, she loved Jude more than anyone. This irrational feeling had been born during their journey through the ununited Rieze Maxia. Jude had already become nervous, but he endured and remained silent, believing in his beloved. "Okay. I understand," she finally said with a smile. Afterwards, Milla went off to run some errands. And then… she was found unconscious in a nearby mine, holding a special ore. Insanely valuable, but still unexplored. The research institute was just happy to have such a pure fragment. Milla, however, refused to wake up for a long time, alarming many friends with her sudden illness. Jude was there when she came to. He couldn't contain his emotions, throwing himself into her arms, exclaiming, "Milla!" "Do we know each other?" he heard instead of a greeting. He pulled away, confused, looking into her familiar eyes in surprise. "You don't remember me?" Trying to awaken memories, Jude told Milla stories from their shared past, took her to nearby significant places, as much as his beloved’s weakening health allowed. "So, we're together?" she calmly accepted the fact, not even questioning it. "Yes," Jude noted, a little surprised, perplexed by her unruffled reaction. "Good," Milla smiled, taking Jude's hand and admiring the scenery from the low slope. As if nothing had happened, as if she remembered everything. And so, ignoring everything, they lived their normal lives. Nothing could reach Milla's memories, not even the spirits. Then Jude decided to try to forcibly activate the necessary areas of her brain with the power of the four elements. He didn't work on the machine for long, fortunately the design wasn't so complicated, and the spirits happily agreed to help bring back their master. "Is this really necessary?" Milla asked before stepping into the center of the device. "Will it make you feel worse if your memory returns?" Jude smiled softly. Milla merely shrugged, not understanding the problem. She didn't feel a lack of memories. She was herself, with or without her memories. A powerful surge of spiritual energy surrounded Milla, trying to penetrate every cell of her body, every corner of her mind. From the outside, it looked to Jude like a multitude of small fireworks bursting through a ball of light. Jude watched with bated breath, ready to leap up and rush to Milla at any moment, resisting the urge to command the spirits to stop. Before they finished themselves. "Well?" Jude asked impatiently, running up. "Do you remember anything?" Milla merely shook her head, swaying slightly from dizziness. Jude helped her stay on her feet, beckoning to his colleagues with a blanket to help her to the break room. He would have gone right away himself, but first he wanted to hear the spirits' verdict. "Milla is no longer Maxwell," Efreet said. "She's an ordinary human. The knowledge of Lord of the four elements is too vast for a human. Apparently, her memories were erased along with them when Maxwell's powers left her. I'm afraid you can no longer bring them back." "Milla…" Jude gritted his teeth, recalling their last conversation before his memory faded. "You did this for me?" he nearly cried. And so they lay in the same bed, looking at each other. And, sensing something was wrong, Milla asked: "Is everything okay?" "Why did you so easily believe we were together? I could have been a scoundrel taking advantage of the situation. And how did you convince yourself you had feelings for me?" "My feelings are real," Milla said evenly, holding Jude's hand, supporting and reassuring him. "Even though I have no memories of our travels, your stories about them allowed me to relive them and confirm that even in the depths of my memory, my heart retained the most vivid and important feelings: love for you and friendship with the others. And everything else is just details. They're not as important as we are. So don't worry. Let's just be happy." Jude let out a tired sigh, smiling. Milla had done everything for him. It was she who lay next to him, and not just a shell without memory. It was still Milla… His. Beloved. ㅤ