With the absence of her memories there is also an absence of her heartbreak. The grimy fingers of both Pazuzu and Eight eased away her pain and mended the pieces of her shattered heart. With their magic they erased Rharian and her love for him, they erased her defective children, her incestual brother, her desperate flings. It's all gone. The agony, the smiles, the laughter, and the guilt. The magicians left her as a shell of what she once was. Now, she knows nothing of emotional pain, only happiness. Without hurt Shiya only knows joy.
It's a bittersweet curse, but she doesn't know any better. She doesn't realize the magnitude her past had or how it was ripping her apart. In a way she could be thrilled to be rid of the spiraling descent her life was making, but she could also be somber by not remembering anyone she came into contact with before. Deaths, failures, and heartbreaks are things of her forgotten past. They don't haunt her like they had or nip at her heels like Magnus' memories. Unable to miss the brief frown Shiya's attention piques. She glances to one side then the other sheepishly. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," she whispers into the cool air, but he is stepping aside and bringing her underneath a tree. A story pursues and she understands why he had frowned and why he holds the kingdom so tightly to his heart. "Do you know why the Chamber attacked?" The curiosity twists heavily in her voice and brightens her emerald eyes when they level on Magnus. "Will the magic ever be fully restored?" She can only hope for the Gate's sake that it will and that it will thrive once more because there is more to this kingdom than just meadows and trees and flowers.
There is love and there is passion.
Just in the way he says her name Shiya can't help but smile. It's a tale that she has always wanted for herself but knows that it will not be attained. Few are meant for happily ever afters; Magnus is one of those lucky individuals. The story is spoken upon the lips of a lover, so tender and warm. He recalls Joelle's nature and her effect on him. He even admits why he has stayed although realizing he is eternally an outsider (but she would never imagine why). "That is truly touching," her voice is delicate, almost too afraid to speak and distract him from the memories replaying in his mind. "You seem to be a rare type, Magnus, and the Gates is surely grateful to have you." Loyalty, devotion, and love. Those three things are threaded into his entire being and soul, and for just a fleeting moment, Shiya envies Joelle.
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