The night was quiet, stars spread wide across the sky; nebulae spanning light years shone o so beautifully. And every bit of that pretty cosmos was reflected in the pair of cold gold.
Floating listlessly in the gentle stream was a young man. His jet-black hair glowed; droplets glowed from the mana-rich water. In the night of the wilderness, the temperature dropped. Most of the flora leaned towards the violet. Just like the flowers or grass at the bottom of this very river.
Since the waters were cold, Jan and Turen had already left after quickly washing up. But the sound of rushing water was oddly comforting.
Floating listlessly, Alum closed his eyes. Small twinkly drops jiggled. And they then smoothly ran down his eyelashes. Then, he released his magic—in a matter of seconds, he was submerged, lying among the luminescent flora. While most of them leaned toward a violet hue, some shone in warm, red tones.
What should I do? I'm sure she's disappointed. Then again, she must've forgotten, too. Alum couldn't help but smile at the thought. I can imagine her fuss about it—what an adorable creature.
When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurred, at least for a moment. Even then, the sky looked just as pretty; this time, distorted by the river's natural flow.
It's been a month now. Hasn't it? He pondered, leaning his head to the side, glancing at the glowing flora. I never thought time would pass by this fast. But that only means I'll have to make the most out of it. I should take her on another date. I don't care for where. I'll be wherever she wants to be. I'm more than happy just being with her.
Unconsciously, he'd placed a palm over his toned chest. His heart fuzzed, causing him to be painfully aware that he was alive. His chest tightened a little, but it wasn't unpleasant, on the contrary, actually.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been underwater. He was maybe dizzy. He perhaps needed oxygen. Or, his vision might further blur. Yet, there was nothing—as though self-preservation did not exist, he closed his eyes once more; his heart slowed down.
—I should get up, he finally decided.
His head pierced the water surface; droplets glittered in the moonlight. His skin glistening, water ran down his neck, passing the collarbone, into the valleys between his pecs, down his abs.
Nearly breaking the tension, a few shiny droplets managed to cling to his eyelashes, clinging before they eventually fell down his flushed cheeks.
Still half-submerged, Alum took a deep breath, exhaling softly, "Phew," leaving a white mist.
Cool water ran down his back, now exposed to the cold air. But… as he turned his head, looking back with his half-lidded eyes. He happened to lock eyes with a blonde girl. Left wide-eyed, the girl glanced to the side the moment their gaze met. But from the corner of her eyes—Drop… a glint dripped for his chin.
—His back is sturdier than I thoug—wait… that's not it, Luna thought, shaking her head.
She'd just come to look for her 'brother' since he was gone for quite a while. She'd called out to him from outside the privacy device, but there was no reply. When she reluctantly entered, he was nowhere to be seen. She decided to walk down the stream, only to find him randomly emerging from the water.
Alum was the first to break the silence. "What's wrong…?" he asked calmly.
With her back toward him, Luna replied, "You were gone for a while, so… I was worried—why did you remove the necklace?"
"Don't worry, I only took it off after they left."
"I see, but… what were you doing?"
Alum thought about it for a moment. Then, he softly chuckled. "I was just relaxing," he answered.
"By… submerging yourself in verycold water?" she asked. But then a small chuckle escaped her lips. "The other two returned within ten minutes—on the other hand, an hour passed and you're still here."
"Sorry. It was relaxing down there—my mind's clear too."
"Mm, but just come back already. I'll be going then," Luna said. She took a few steps, but… "How long were you down there?" she curiously asked.
Alum pondered. "About 40 minutes?" he replied. "Why?" he returned a question of his own.
"It's silly, but I managed 35 minutes—could've held longer, I suppose. But Noel almost drowned," she shrugged, recalling how she almost drowned herself.
"Pff," Alum tried to contain the small outburst. "Mm, that is silly," he warmly said. "Okay, I'll head back now."
"Mm," Luna affirmed.
Just like that, she vanished into the woods.
..
When he returned to the camp, Turen and Nuli were already asleep, cuddling around the fire with a blanket. Jan leaned on Jua's shoulder, calmly breathing. Jua leaned on his head, wide awake, on lookout duty alongside Luna.
"You're back," Jua calmly spoke.
"Sorry," Alum replied, scratching his cheek.
"It's okay. Sometimes you need to decompress, right?"
"Mm," Alum nodded, sitting beside Luna. "You tired, Selene?" he asked.
Not taking her gaze away from the fire, Luna said, "What about you?" returning the question without answering.
"No."
"Mm, me neither. What about you, Jua?" she asked.
Jua thought about it. "Just a little—is it okay if I rest?" she said.
"Mm," Alum and Luna affirmed.
"In that case… Yawn… wake them up in an hour."
"Mm."
Just like that, Jua cozily made herself comfortable, adjusting the blanket as she quickly fell asleep.
Now, it was only the two of them wide awake. Luna, who'd been wrapped around a blanket, glanced to her left. Alum, who was pouring mana into Depth Cutter, noticed her gaze.
What is it? His eyes calmly conveyed. His damp hair twinkled the flames' orange hue. Could it be that you wanted to talk?
She looked at Depth Cutter. Her eyes then wandered to his. Eventually, she shook her head—It's nothing, before turning her back to him, using him as support as she materialized a book.
"…"
Alum relaxed. It had been a while since she last did this. He'd usually feed her snacks, and she'd feed him. But, even if it was somewhat nostalgic, he doesn't regret any of it, nor will he act that way anymore.
He handed her a cookie pouch. "Here." And she'd take it with a "Thanks," before returning to her book. They weren't as close as they once were, but that was because they were too close.
He was glad they'd found a comfortable distance. This was close, but not too close, nor too distant. Even though Amethely understood their odd relationship, he didn't want her to feel insecure. But he couldn't cut Luna off; she was his best friend, just like how precious Noel, Emely, and Miu are to him.
..
When morning came, a graceful saint slowly opened her eyes. Her long eyelashes twinkled a rainbow as they were hit by warm sunlight. Her pink amethyst eyes gleamed with life.
Her silky hair clung softly to her cheek. Some strands even got stuck between her light pink lips. Even though her silver-gray hair was a little messy, Amethely made it look effortless just by getting up.
The naturally silky hair flowed like a stream down to the hips, presenting itself elegantly and naturally.
"Nnmh~" she lightly exhaled, stretching, hands above her slightly tilted to the side. Another exhale followed "Aah~" as tension escaped.
Getting up, she bopped the blue flower petal, smiling gently as her eyes slowly darted toward the crystalline mana slate that displayed an image of her and Alum. It shuffled between the moments of their time together, her time with her family, and plenty of her and Keilyn. Though, unfortunately, nothing from the date.
But the memories were precious to her nevertheless. Besides, she still has the hat he'd gotten her, the red silk ribbon. As for the black and white sketch he'd drawn, it was in a frame just beside the holographic slate.
"Hum~mm~hmm," she'd hum as she melted just seeing the pictures, then felt nostalgic when her family appeared.
Lightly closing her eyes, past memories flooded her mind. But the moment didn't last for too long before she grabbed the red silk and got in front of the mirror. With a slight head tilt and red silk clenched between her lips, she adjusted her hair, finally tying it.
With that done, she'd finish the rest of her morning routine. She got out of the sleepwear and gently bound her chest before buttoning her white blouse.
With white silk shorts in place, then her signature piece—the white and gold robe-like dress, along with a light brown gold-trimmed belt above her waist. Then, finally, a black and white veil with a flower, the Ilis crystal
Many may call it plain, a bit restrictive, and perhaps too modest, as the only skin shown was the legs below the knee-high skirt from the robe; even then, they were only visible from the front. Then again, half her leg was covered by a pair of brown gold-trimmed boots.
Like a child, she spun around in front of the mirror, giggling softly as she thought—he-hehe, I never get tired of wearing this~
..
While she didn't have any plans today, she thought of visiting the labs. As for the paladin disciples, they'll be returning from the monastery visit by noon.
But, on the way to the labs, she happened to see Noel and Boail in the courtyard. It was rare to see them together, but the moment Boail activated his ascension state, Amethely recoiled. The dark blue mist began to spread, and she had to cast a barrier.
The next moment, the two men were on their knees, looking at the ground as the elegant saint scolded them, crossing her arms.
"This is too reckless, you two," she said sternly, though her tone was soft. "What if the other soldiers walked into that mist? They would experience a horror like none other!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms.
"…Well, Noel here was curious about ascension states for a while. He asked me to show him when I was free…" Boail scratched his head.
Noel cast him a betrayed look that screamed—you're throwing me under the bus?!
"—Wh-what?! You're throwing me under the bus?!" Noel exclaimed mock-annoyed
"Hahahaha, I don't know what a bus is, but all I did was state the truth," Boail chuckled.
"…" Amethely quietly giggled as well, staying out of their little banter.
But then, Boail said, "Oh, but doesn't Lady Amethely also know how to enter an ascension?" as he looked at her.
"Huh?" Noel's eyes widened. "Sissy, you can?"
"Noel, that's rude, don't call her that—"
"It's fiiine," Noel responded, cutting him off. "Besides, I'm dating her sister, so I'm her bro, y'know?"
"…" Boail froze on the spot. "Huh…?" Then shifted his gaze between Noel and Amethely.
"He is my future brother-in-law," Amethely affirmed with a chuckle.
"Seriously…?"
Boail, a high-ranking commander of the Ilifelen military, was left speechless—and it doesn't happen a lot in his life.
..
By noon, Alum and the others reached the small town of Yuflan. Built on a hill and surrounded by the open plains to the west, and surrounded by forest. The barrier wasn't as intense as Ilifel's barrier, and he could even freely manipulate the elements.
"Finally, welcome to Yuflan," Turen said, grinning.