On the eve of the wedding day, Tira blinked at the view of the sky, watching the brightening sky over the horizon as it diffused away emotions and visions that had chased her during the entire night.

 

The air on the rooftop was chilly, cold in its embrace of the night that had barely lifted, and the breeze tickled the exposed skin of her nape was freezing, yet it mattered not at the moment. 

 

From a higher perspective, one could easily see that people had already awoken very early in the morning; they moved about busily, getting themselves ready to attend the biggest, happiest event for the first time since the downfall of man. 

 

The couple had finalized their guest list so close to the wedding day, to the distress of the planning staff.

 

In the end, they had decided that everyone who had stayed was invited to the reception, though the wedding ceremony itself would strictly be for friends and family alone.

 

The gymnasium would be able to hold all of the residents and more, especially since the ceremony itself would be mostly adapted to the more neutral composition of western ceremonies due to the issue of parental absence on both sides and the crisis of faith going around right now.

Giving a bit of a boost to her legs, Tira leaped off from one rooftop to another until she reached her apartment. She then proceeded to get ready for the first event, donning the school uniform she hadn't worn for quite a while.

 

Doing the tie was difficult, as she had somehow completely forgotten how to do a basic knot. She struggled for the next five minutes and had to speed through the rest of her uniform; socks, shoes, pins—before she was finally ready for the sprint to the venue…

 

—Then ran back in as she almost forgot to bring a pack of tissues, just in case.

By a stroke of good fortune, Tira managed to tag along with a civilian car driving by and arrived at the venue neither too early nor too late, in the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her classmates starting to group in a corner and joined in silently.

 

Those who noticed her gave a short determining glance, just once, and most who did, returned to whomever they were talking with soon after.

 

So, she got to spend the time alone until Hannah arrived not long after Tira had counted the ornaments up to 166. "Oh my god, you looked so different! It’s been so long since we've worn our uniforms."

 

"You looked beautiful, as always."

 

She praised the girl, who had done her hair in preparation for part two of today’s big event. Her naturally light brown, almost honey-colored curls were looking especially soft today.

 

"Aw, thanks. I’m sure you’d beat me when the reception rolls around though!" Hannah yawned at the end of her sentence and stretched upward, her cute button nose scrunching as Tira heard the sound of joints popping. "I really should have slept earlier yesterday..."

 

"Then why didn't you."

 

"I couldn't! It's just so hard!!! The excitement made it too hard for me to not think of this!" Hannah whined and continued to talk, accompanying her waiting outside.

 

Ayu came soon after spotting them from the gate, Professor Lucas walking not far off behind her before he gave a pat on her back and went to where his fellow colleagues were gathering by the door 

 

"Hi! I’m glad I’m not late—Tira, did you not get any sleep last night?"

 

"These eyebags are permanent." She replied dryly and immediately diverted the focus back to the girl. "You don't look well rested yourself, didn't get any sleep?"

 

Ayu fidgeted and shyly muttered, "Well, I had this fear that I was going to wake up late, so I… ended up tossing and turning until it was a bit late in the night…"

 

"Right? I kept thinking I was going to oversleep and set about five alarms just in case..." Hannah enthusiastically kept the conversation going in their little corner of a trio. Tira listened in and out as she gave a wave to Sariya, who had come with her classmates in a group like tiny ducklings following their teacher.

Soon, the door was opened and everyone was allowed to head inside, welcomed by the soft sound of a violin playing Vivaldi’s four seasons; spring.

 

Looking around and noticing very uniformed shaped chairs, Tira realized the main culprit of Felicia’s hair loss.

Or rather, if she were to give the situation her benefit of the doubt, it was the result of the universities donating all the chairs they had from the abandoned, unused lecture rooms for this particular day.

 

She wasn't about to ask Felicia, and it was too much of a hassle to ask Lydia or Henry to confirm her theory, so for the time being, Tira shoved those strings of thought aside for a rainy day.

 

Following the rest of the students to sit on the left side of the aisle, she found herself stuck in between Hannah and Kevin. The boy didn't realize who his neighboring settee was until he turned around and nearly blanched from surprise.

 

Then, just as quickly, he tried schooling his expression back and failed. "I- Um,"

 

"It’s fine. Hannah, can we change seats please?"

 

Hannah only took one look at Kevin before she gave him a threatening glare and swiftly changed seats, although, for some reason, Ayu moved aside as well. This resulted in her now sitting directly next to the aisle.

 

As they waited further, Tira only chimed in once or twice to contribute to the conversation between Hannah and Ayu, as her knowledge of current-past pop music was severely limited, and thus, she opted to look around the room instead.

 

Felicia and Dharma had seated themselves about three rows at the front, along with the rest of the remaining third year, and Tira spotted Kayla and Bimo from the junior division about one row behind her, which meant that the seating arrangement for this event was based from senior to junior, though the social studies majors were getting the VIP treatment up front, as that was the class that Mr. Triya took charge as the homeroom teacher for all his years.

 

Strangely enough, the core members of the council were nowhere to be seen.

 

More chit-chatting ensued as Rizal and another girl entered the building from the side entrance for their emcee duty, talking in hushed tones with the violinist. She had no idea if there would be another musician, as most of the ones she knew from school had left during the pilgrimage, so it would appear that this man was going to be the only star for the ceremony.

Almost ten minutes later, the start of the event was officially announced with a solemn and dignified tone, the sounds of murmurs died out as the two emcees called for the officiant to come forth.

Said officiant was wearing a rare white suit instead of his normally lilac-black one, even committing to changing his gloves' color to match the suit. The way the light streamed from the high windows hit his hair created an almost holy halo that brought everyone’s attention to a halt.

 

There must have been a whisper of forming a cult for him–being a demigod and all—there was no way that his crazed stans hadn't actually started to worship him, be it in secret or in public. Just by looking at everyone's wolf-like eyes following his walk, uncaring about whether it was the place or time appropriate, was enough to tell who was and wasn't part of the fan club.

What a fearsome force of charm. Tira noticed that her skin nearly crawled from the aura alone.

Once Dias had taken his place in the center of the elevated stage, the university girl took the turn to welcome the groom and his best man, as Lydia had told her beforehand that they had to skip quite a few key events from normal wedding ceremonies and to be prepared for it.

Nevertheless, those weren't important as soon as everyone saw Mr. Triya walked out of the door with a nervous, but assuring smile—the smile that he always wore when he was actually about to faint due to stress, and took his place by the altar on the right.

 

It was a little weird for him to have the high school's history teacher, of all people, to be his best man. Tira wasn't sure if this was due to their inability to summon Sir Triya's actual best friend or if Sir Yono had been the best man since the beginning and she was simply unaware of it, but it was a delightful kind of surprise.

Nevertheless, her thoughts remained as thoughts, as Tira observed in silence as Rizal welcomed the paired-up bridesmaids and groomsmen next. It wasn’t hard to guess that Miss Erisa would lead alone, being the only adult-aged maid of honor, though the pairs that followed the teacher turned out to be the people she was looking for all along.

 

Rina and Armand walked out first, with him escorting his partner out in the most gentle way he could. The green vest he donned had not toned down his ruggish aura at all, although his primed, slicked-back hairstyle gave off the vibe of a mafia boss' youngest son.

 

Meanwhile, Tira saw that Rina had finally braided her hair to the side again, having been wearing her hair up in a bun this entire time; it was honestly quite nice to see the senior letting her hair down again.

Donny was paired up with his sister, though it was a little surprising to see that he was wearing glasses. She had never noticed if he had been wearing contact lenses the entire time, but it would be a good note to remember for later. By his side was Devy, holding the hand of her brother, smiling a lot easier today. A soft, gentle smile that would melt the heart of those who gazed on her with burdens in mind. Truly, a happy smile.

Next was Henry and Lydia; not much surprise there except for the fact that Lydia was the only bridesmaid not wearing skirts and had pants instead, styled in the cut of a jumpsuit, though it didn't make her look out of place at all with the rest of the girls.

 

Instead, it made her look more stunning against her partner, Henry, whose style matched her kind of wild style. He wore a button-up and vest like the other two, although his was short-sleeved, showcasing his thick and veiny sport-tempered arm muscles for all to see.

"Now, we welcome the cute little flower girls and the ring bearer! Everyone, give them some support, ok?" Rizal narrated with ominous glee.

The reason for that teasing was soon revealed as two little flower girls dressed in cute pink dresses and wearing flower crowns on their heads made their way down the aisle to spread the flowers onto the carpet.

 

What should have been a boy following them was instead a full-grown adult named Gunawan, dressed in a pink and white suit, who was handling the mockery and laughter with the grace and calmness that only someone who had attained inner peace could.

 

He was carrying with him two golden rings on top of a flower made out of silver and gold ribbon, cushioned by a velvet pillow. And looked as if he wanted to throw said pillow to the two emcees who were furiously laughing at the side.

Thankfully, the two little girls were also doing their best, pouting at anyone who tried too hard to tease the grown man following them, which included the girls blowing raspberries at the two mischievous presenters. It was honestly such an adorable moment that some mothers and old men couldn't help but coo at the scene.

All the entrances were almost finished. Almost everyone was finally standing in their place.

 

Then, at last, the aisle was given to the bride.

Silence settled in the room as the violin played that classic wedding song, Pachelbel’s Canon in D major, as the entrance theme for the bride walk… 

 

…

 

Or not?

The song that played was different from what she and perhaps most others expected, as it was sweeter, yet lighter tone than the generic canon in D; as if symbolizing the fluttering of birds and wind, which has come to grace the steps of the bride, as she made flower buds bloom under her feet while she make her way to the front.

 

Escorted by Sir Saputra who had taken the role of the father figure, Miss Farah smiled as the train of her dress covered the carpet behind her. 

 

The beautiful, silvery-white color of her dress had been a subterfuge from the usual one-note white that brides usually wore on their wedding day. The silver part shimmered and glittered as the fabric swayed with her steps. Beads of crystals had been slipped in between the sewing of the pattern of the veil, which reflected the light in a kaleidoscope explosion of wonder.

 

The dress had been a joint effort between Lydia, Felicia, Miss Erisa, and Miss Farah; a collective masterpiece that they hadn't let anyone see or even have a peek at to save the reveal as a surprise for the wedding day itself.

 

And now, looking at the groom's astonished face, Tira knew all that effort had paid off.

Although the gymnasium was long enough to have the attendees’ seats spaced out to give the tall kids some leg room, somehow, it still made the walk down the aisle feel so short as all eyes followed the bride’s steps carefully, smiles greeting her through every row until finally—she arrived at the intersection before the altar.

 

Once the bride's hand was finally passed over to the groom by her father figure, the official ceremony began.

Dias started to welcome the people, addressing the significance of this moment being a joyous day, as it was the blessed union of two people who were very much in love with each other. Tira didn’t listen closely to the speech, her mind already going places as she scanned the ground one more time to make sure it was clear from threats.

Sitting there, in her seat, surrounded by crowds and becoming just another faceless entity had made her wonder why she had decided to attend in the first place.

 

Weddings were never an event she found enjoyable, even if it was of a close relative of hers, even if she cared for them enough to show up.

 

Something about celebrating the happiness of others at the cost of her time had created a dissonance in her head with the selfish reasoning that she could have spent the time somewhere else, doing something else, which could have benefitted her in the long run.

 

That was why she hadn't slept the night away yesterday. It was so she didn't have the excuse of running away from the responsibility of attending this social mass with a measly excuse such as waking up too late for it.

 

Perhaps that was why the usual chastizing voice wasn't present today. Perhaps, by being awake through the night and seeing the day changing right in front of her eyes had helped Tira's mind had to catch up to the fact that the world had ended, and thus, there was nothing more necessary than ensuring her survival.

So she sat tight, tried her best to not look either bored or tired, occasionally coming in and out of her head to listen to what part of the ceremony was going on at the moment, and tuned in fully as the couple recited their individual vows, starting with the groom.

"When I first met you, and believe me, it was the most memorable first meeting ever, because you accidentally bumped your shoulder on a senior during orientation and accidentally, in shock, called them a nerd."

 

Sir Triya recited with a sunny and gleeful smile, eliciting laughter from the attendees and his bride.

 

"That slip of the tongue got you in trouble, of course, but I do admire that you owned the fact that it was never going to be fair for the first day of orientation and took with grace the punishment of having to stand for hours until they were done briefing the rest of the freshmen. I remember overhearing you and your best friend already scheming away once they let you off, and putting that into action as soon as the next day began."

 

Pausing, the man took in a deep breath, looked away from the paper and let out a love-filled sigh as he met Farah’s eyes again, taking one of the rings and hovering it over her hands.

 

"In that span of a week, I fell in love. With your bravery, with your cheery smile, and your incredible wit that could outperform ten of the most intelligent people who hunted you down and still win. That grit, that stubbornness, and your compassion for others was something I very much admired about you because you never back down no matter what."

 

"And I would be honored to be able to take part in that story, to be by your side as you lived through it. My life with you has been nothing short of an adventure, and I wish to promise you that I will become the home you can return to. A company that I will always lend my shoulder for your emotions to flow. To be someone who will love and cherish you until death do us part. And to be someone whom you can proudly acclaim as your husband."

 

A few quiet and muffled sobs started to spread through the seats. Hannah already had her eyes watery and was doing her best to hold her tears while Ayu was smiling so widely as she listened attentively to what the bride would have to say after the ring slid snugly into her finger.

 

"I…had a feeling in the beginning when you asked me out, that it was never meant to be. That it will never work out." 

 

Farah started with a soft, almost whispery tone. "There were so many differences in the way we ran our lives, our beliefs, our friendships. But nothing has deterred you from your pursuit of me, and I was given the chance to open my eyes to a wider world because of you."

 

"And it wasn’t until I realized almost too late that I could have lost you forever that I made the leap and let out my most prized secret. Never before have I felt so glad to hear you say yes. My heart, my soul, and everything else... I promise you, no matter what, it was already yours and will always be."  

 

Taking the remaining ring, she hovered it over her partner’s left finger, and recited her vows with a shaky, emotion-filled voice.

 

"I promise to be your best ally, your bedrock to hold on during tough times. Never take the time we will spend together for granted from now on. To remind you to rest, in moments when you desperately need to do so. And help you wake up in the morning, from now until the day the sun sets in our lives."

Someone from the back row had started full-on bawling, sniffing into their handkerchief or tissue, and most of the elderly that sat directly across her rows away were also getting misty-eyed.

 

Tira passed her pocket tissue to Hannah, who tried to blow her snot on it as quietly as possible.

"And now, for your last vows, made under the oath of our witnesses and attendees," Dias smiled as he took a piece of ribbon left on top of the velvet pillow and tied it onto the couple’s wrist. "Do you, Triya Saputra, take this woman as your wife?"

 

"I do."

 

"And you, Farah Zulaika, do you take this man as your husband?"

 

"I do!" 

Nodding, Dias stepped back from the couple as the ribbon started to glow, a bright silver and gold that formed a chain of light around the two.

 

It circled each other, pulsing with ethereal light at what should have been the beat of their hearts, now on display and about to merge into one.

 

"Now, I declare the two of you husband and wife. You two may kiss to seal the union."

Sir Triya lifted the veil from Miss Farah's face with loving eyes and took the chin of his wife with both hands, cradling it with such precious gentleness, before he gave her forehead a soft, tender kiss.

The crowd exploded with cheers, wolf-whistling, and clapping loud enough to rattle the gymnasium's windows. Tira was glad that her power worked both ways to enhance as well as to dampen her hearing since it felt like her eardrums would have burst from the sheer enthusiasm contained in the room.

 

She gave some claps of her own as well, leaning aside so Hannah and Ayu could say their congratulations as the couple walked back down the aisle to the exit, boarding a white car that had driven the bride here as it awaited them with its engine on.

When the car then drove off with the accompanying clangs of cans and metal balls tied up at the end, hitting in chaotic rhythm against the asphalt to celebrate their departure, it was only then that Tira felt her chest start to unravel its vice-like tightness.

 

What a strange feeling, to wish for someone else's happiness. Tira watched as the vehicle disappeared into the distance and turned away, keeping those thoughts to herself as she always did.

---

Dias and the boys left with another car as soon as the couple was out of sight, while the bridesmaids' group broke off to saunter over to where she and her classmates were standing by.

 

"Come on, we've gotta go! Where’s tiny Sasa?" Lydia hollered as she made a run for her car.

 

"Over here." Sariya piped up as she stood, making her way out of the middle of the row. Tira followed as Hannah pulled her by the edge of her sleeve again, and Ayu rushed to catch up after she talked briefly with Professor Lucas.

 

They piled into Lydia’s car, and the woman pulled all the stops to drive them off to her apartment, where most of their second dresses were stored.

 

"Erisa and Felicia are going to handle Farah, so it’s now up to me and Hannah to get you all glammed up." Lydia announced after she unlocked her door and entered the studio space.

"You said nothing of the sort about this." Tira tried to excuse herself but heard at that moment the sound of a door being closed. Darn it. "Were the high heels not enough?"

 

"Oh ho ho no honey, of course it’s not!"

 

Lydia laughed merrily as she finally rolled the hanger holding their party fit to the center of the room. "We only have three hours to get everyone into their best face, starting with Sariya; here’s your suit. The bathroom is on the left, marked so you can’t miss it. Hannah, you can change in my other office next to it."

 

Sariya took the handed suit and went to the bathroom, apparently not going to fight on this one as her face already looked so done with everything. 

 

To buy some time, Tira went over to the kitchen sink and grabbed some tissue so she could wash her face, already feeling greasy from sitting down that long, and to wipe away the nerves she had from being faced with such an overwhelming amount of emotions packed into a single room.

"Do you want some to tide you over while you wait for us to finish?" Lydia offered her plate of candies once again. She shook her head only after making sure her face was completely dry. "Just water would be fine, thank you." The water which she had already fetched herself; the result after a week of visiting and making herself comfortable with the place.

She took a sip of water whilst watching and observing—and more importantly, waiting—as Lydia and Hannah fluttered around the vanity table to help out with each other’s makeup and more.

 

Ayu came out from the bathroom whilst holding the edge of her dress, the blue-pink contrast of the material and the off-shoulder design complimented her lovely figure, framing her aura to almost that of a fairy. 

 

"W-Well?"

 

"Very pretty." She commented shortly.

 

"You’re gorgeous!"

 

"Awh, Ayu!!" Hannah came out not long after Ayu did and immediately cooed over the other's dress. Her complicated, gold and black mermaid-style dress had somehow brought more contrast to her softly curled hair, making her look more alive and outgoing. "Oh my god, Ayu, you’re so stunning!"

 

Bashfully, Ayu replied with the same, and the duo gets busy as Lydia finally cuts off the guillotine’s rope as she finally finished with the little touch-ups on her own face, and hands Tira her dress and shoes.

 

"Our turn, come on."

 

She nodded without much choice but to do anything else and walked off into the office.

 

While they were on the subject of dresses, Tira suddenly remembered something and tried to equip the dress without taking her uniform off.

 

Surprisingly, it worked. She was fully undressed as the battle garment manifested and covered her skin, although the uniform ended up pooling haphazardly by her feet, though they only needed a few folds to the side before Tira could continue with putting on her dress.

 

Lydia had done a good job on the fitting, as the material hugged her waist snugly but not too tightly that she couldn’t turn over sideways, and somehow felt more comfortable to wear than she remembered it being two days ago.

 

Whatever magic had been employed into the dress had made Tira impulsively twirl to see how the hems would look in the air, completing the circle by herself as she came to her senses and quickly got out so she could vacate the space for the rest.

Once she was outside, Tira sat on the chairs as the other girls were either doing their hair or accessories, chatting all the while Sariya was discreetly moving her book from her backpack to a black handbag matching the color of her suit so she could still carry it around.

 

"I can’t believe I didn’t last until the vow!" Hannah said while lying down, ice on her face and especially, covering her still bloodshot eyes. "So glad I didn't put anything beforehand; my face would've been a disaster with that amount of crying I did!"

 

"It was just so sweet..." Ayu sighed wistfully, brushing her hair so it would not be as frizzy, "I never knew Sir Triya to be so charming. The vow was short, but… wow! It was so touching."

 

"Right? Haa... it tugged on my heart so hard." Hannah thumped on her chest, an expression of longing apparent on her face, "Don’t you want your wedding to be as wonderful?"

 

Ayu blushed as she put down the hairbrush, although it was hard to tell if it was because she was embarrassed or panicked or both.

 

"I-I! Well, of course! Perhaps not as large as this one, but—"

 

Hannah finally took off the ice bag from her eyes, giving the school diva a one-eyed look from the couch. 

 

"Oh? Ohoho? I was just asking, but apparently, you’re already planning that far ahead, hm? Who is it on the other side of the aisle waiting for you, hm?"

 

Now it was obvious that Ayu was panicking, so Tira made her presence known by saying, "Don’t tease her too much, she’s going to mess up on the blush."

 

"Awh, but that's not..." 

 

Hannah paused as she finally took off the ice completely, her jaw hanging open, a sentiment shared by Ayu, who had gasped once she turned around.

 

Weird.

 

"...Fun."

 

Just in time, the door to the bathroom swung open. "Alright sorry I took a bit longer 'cause the straps were fighting me but– what." 

 

Lydia dropped the clothes she changed from, along with her lower jaw, as her bracelet clattered noisily on the floor and her mouth hung like a koi fish out of the water.

 

"Oh. My. God??" The woman repeated it again, but in German, for some reason. "Oh Mein Gott???"

 

"You’re all overreacting." Tira commented dryly whilst putting on her shoes.

 

Sariya was smiling smugly at the kitchen table, not saying anything, but definitely amused. She really wanted to go over and hit her on the back, but striding on heels was currently out of her skill set. "It’s the dress, isn’t it? Is it bad?"

 

"Hell yeah, it is!"

 

Lydia strode forward as she checked on her, pulling the hems of the sleeves and the fabric that narrowly touched the floor. "Oh no, I think you’re going to look prettier than the bride! What are we going to do?! This is a disaster!!!"

 

"I think… we should just go all the way!" Hannah chimed cheerfully, already fetching the make-up kit, and leaped off the couch faster than a misbehaving kid. "Come on, Ayu, we have hours to spend on her. The rest would be enough for us, right!?"

 

Ayu, who should have been not on board, suddenly became fired up instead and clenched her fist.

 

"You’re so right! Let’s get you out of that dress and wash your hair, first of all, it’s not going to be greasy anymore once we’re done with it!"

"Sariya." She pleaded with the younger girl with all her heart. "Sariya, help."

 

The little gremlin merely laughed as she made herself comfortable, "You’re on your own, sister. Hang in there!"

So much for banking on the power of friendship. But then again, wasn’t it also that loss of power, that abandonment, that had driven a young girl insane right now?

 

So technically, it was her own mistake to hope for help from an undependable bond. Darn it.