Festival's Eve was upon everyone. And Aion woke early from Luna incessantly knocking on his door.
"Aion Aion! Let's go!"
"Ugh…" Aion groaned as he rose from his bed. "What time is it?"
"Early!"
"..." Aion didn't say anything and got ready.
"Hey! What's taking so long?"
Aion opened the door, and it bumped into something.
"Ow!" Luna whined as she crouched down in pain.
"Why were you standing directly in front of the door?"
"I wasn't thinking…"
"Makes sense; it's in character for you."
"Hey!"
"Is Aira already up?"
"Yeah, I forced her up."
"...Seriously?"
"Of course!"
"Just hope she doesn't resent you."
Luna laughed and said, "It's fine. Nothing's changed and nothing will."
"If you say so."
The two descended to the first floor and found that breakfast was ready.
"Good morning," Aira greeted the two as she took her seat.
"You're eating with us today?"
"Ah! I apologize! I overstepped my bounds."
Aira quickly rose from her seat.
"It's fine. I'm actually glad you did so."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Of course."
"Also, I will be heading to the Magnatium Manor to discuss what you offered, Luna."
"That's fine. If you run into Alphonse, be sure to tell him too."
Aira nodded, and breakfast began.
* * *
Aion and Luna had left Magna to head to Lunalis Temple. In town, because of how early it was, there weren't a lot of people out yet. So Festival's Eve hadn't begun quite yet.
The two walked in relative silence until Aion noticed a couple large structures up ahead.
The first structure was a chapel. It was like one he'd seen in the real world. The building was white, with a dark wooden door. Above the door and right below the spire was a window with a stained glass pattern of a woman. Of course, it wasn't very detailed. He presumed it was a depiction of Lunalis.
Across from the chapel was a graveyard holding numerous graves that stretched off into the distance. A metal fence surrounded the area, with the gate having an arch with the phrase "May thy souls find redemption in Lunalis' grace." Aion averted his gaze and turned toward the grandest of the sights.
Straight ahead, between the graveyard and the chapel, the temple stood tall. Much like the chapel, the building was white. However, this building had golden edges around each window frame, the door was white with gold floral patterns engraved into it, and the spires all had mini golden statues of the moon in different phases.
"I'm going to enter the temple to pray. Do you want to join?" Luna asked.
"I'd rather not."
"I see…" Luna seemed a bit disappointed as she entered the grand doors.
There was no way Aion would enter a place like this. Even being out in this cold was preferable.
Eventually, after a while, Luna exited and said, "Now, let's go off!"
"Hm…" Aion agreed rather quietly. "You took quite a while in there."
"Ah…well…" Luna looked a little embarrassed as she stumbled over her words. "You see…I was praying for good luck in love…"
"Love?" Aion asked, a little surprised.
Had Luna been in love in Crystal Machinations? Actually, based on how she behaved, she was in love with one person.
"You're in love with Alphonse, right?"
"Eh? Was it that obvious!?"
"I guess."
"Seriously!? All I did was mention him, though…"
"I suppose I'm perceptive."
"I hope so…it's embarrassing to think that people already know…"
"Are you planning on confessing today? I mean, it is the Festival's Eve."
"You know of the myth?"
"Yeah, Aira told me about it."
"Aira told you about it?" Luna asked, genuinely surprised.
"Is something wrong with that?"
"No…it's just…not something I would've expected from her…"
"I see."
Luna went quiet, still occupied with what he had just said. Apparently it was a much bigger deal than he thought.
"So are you going to confess?"
"Ah…right…" Luna snapped out of her contemplation. "I…will."
Aion smiled and said, "Good luck. I wish the best for you."
"Those are surprisingly kind words…"
"Hey, I'm not completely heartless. I support other people's love."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. Love should be allowed to blossom."
Luna stared at Aion's face for a couple of seconds before saying, "Well, we'll be meeting up with everyone soon enough."
And so, the two walked back to Magna.
* * *
To his surprise, Sam had agreed to the idea. In fact, he even seemed thrilled at the idea. So, Aion, Luna, Sam, and Esme had all officially met up. The four were waiting for the other three.
"So you're friends with Luna, huh?" Esme struck up a conversation with Aion.
Her mood was much brighter than when he saw her for the first time. He supposed this was the true form of the deuteragonist: a sociable, bright person.
"Yeah, we're friends. She really pushed for it."
"She did? That's surprising," Esme said.
"Really?" Aion asked, eyebrows scrunched.
Esme giggled a little and said, "Well, I suppose you've only met her this past week."
"..."
"Still, I'm glad you're friends with her."
"It's not like it'll matter much."
"Eh…I think it matters a lot!"
"If you say so."
"Well, I'm sure Luna will remember you for a long time."
"If you say so," Aion repeated.
Esme laughed and said, "Well, I guess that's all that I wanted to say. I should let you talk with Samuel; he seems like he's dying to talk with you."
Aion looked over at Sam. He looked like a lost puppy.
"Alright," Aion said as he waved a little before walking over to Sam.
"So you have to tell me," Sam immediately started. "What were you and Luna doing so early in the morning?"
"We were visiting Lunalis Temple."
"Oh? I guess Luna does visit on Festival's Eve, huh?"
"You knew?"
"I think most people know that actually."
"Most people?"
"Yeah, I'm sure most of the town knows."
That seemed like a weird thing to know, but he didn't care too much to ask about it.
"Still, I expected people to come up and talk with us, especially since you're here," Aion said.
"What about me gave you that impression?"
"You were in charge of the festival preparations in town, right?"
Sam scratched his cheek in embarrassment and said, "Yeah…I did…"
"Was there any reason you did it?"
"Ah…well that's…"
"It's fine if you don't want to say."
"I appreciate that."
"Back to what I was originally saying, I expected people to come and talk to you about things."
"That just means things are running smoothly."
"I suppose," Aion said.
But what Sam was saying was most certainly a lie.
"Yo! How has everyone been?" A loud voice caught Aion's attention.
He turned toward the noise and saw an extraordinarily attractive young man. His appearance was very well put together, and he was even wearing a suit and tie in this weather. This person, he was—
"—Alphonse…" Aion said quietly.
"Hm? You already know him?" Sam asked.
"Not really…"
Esme went up to Alphonse and was speaking eagerly with a happy expression on her face. Aion saw Luna glancing away with a slight blush on her face.
"Hm? Who's that?" Alphonse asked, looking at Aion.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Alphonse. I'm Aion Belial, the guest—"
"Oh? That's all?" Alphonse interrupted Aion and shifted his attention back to Esme.
"..." Aion just stared in silence at Alphonse.
"Sorry about that. Alphonse can be kind of awkward," Sam said with an apologetic look on his face.
"Awkward…right…"
"Yeah, when you get to know him better, you'll see."
"Yeah…"
"Oh, Luna, you're here too?" Alphonse asked.
"Ah! Yes!" Luna panicked and answered with a higher pitch.
Alphonse laughed and said, "There's no need to panic."
"I'm fine!"
"Hey, Alphonse," Sam started. "Where's Aria and her sister?"
"Oh, them? They had important work at the Manor."
"They're…working…?"
"Of course, they serve the Magnatium family; they knew what they were signing up for."
"But they were—"
"It's fine. It's not like it's super heavy work."
"If you say so…"
Luna looked a little disappointed.
"So what's the plan? It's only us four. What should we do?"
"Ah, actually—" Luna started.
"Also, what's that guy still doing here?" Alphonse asked while looking at Aion.
"He's going to be with us today," Esme said.
"Oh? I see."
"Actually, Aion's a really good person. You see, when Juno was…er…um…actually…never mind."
"What did Juno do?"
"Nothing!"
"Juno was harassing Esme, so I stepped in and helped," Aion said.
"You stepped in to help?" Alphonse asked as he looked Aion up and down.
Aion nodded.
"I can vouch for him!" Sam said with a smile.
Alphonse raised an eyebrow and said, "Thanks, I guess."
That didn't sound sincere at all, Aion thought.
"Well, let's get going!" Alphonse declared. "Aion and Luna, you two can take the back."
"What?" Aion asked, confused.
"Actually, can I take the back with Aion?" Sam asked.
Alphonse, not moving his body, looked at Sam with the side of his eyes.
"Actually, I should get to know Aion; why don't you and Luna take the back?"
"Well, that's—"
"I think it's a great idea, right, Aion?" Alphonse looked directly at Aion with eyes that made him freeze.
"Uh, I'm fine with whatever…" Aion said quietly.
"See? Now, let's do that."
Sam was quiet as he matched his pace with Luna.
"What about me?" Esme asked, oblivious to the atmosphere.
"You can walk with Sam and Luna. I really want some one-on-one time with Aion."
Esme smiled brightly and said, "Of course!"
Esme joined them, and Alphonse started walking next to Aion. He was nervous, incredibly so. Aion felt his heart racing as he waited for Alphonse to say something—anything. At this point, he would've taken an insult just to escape this oppressive atmosphere he felt.
But Alphonse said nothing. It was like he was waiting for Aion to make the first move. In contrast, the three in the back were talking. Actually, it was more like Sam and Esme were talking while Luna was silent.
"So…uh, did you have something you wished to talk about?" Aion broached the subject nervously.
His nerves hadn't even let him look Alphonse in the eyes.
"So you helped Esme, right?" Alphonse asked.
"Oh yeah, I did," Aion said, his mood improving.
It seems like he didn't have to worry.
"Don't speak with Esme. If you do that again, I'll make your life miserable," Alphonse said with a menacing tone.
Aion's body seemed to jump at the threat, and he laughed nervously.
"If you say so…"
"I don't know who you are, but you better know your place."
"Of course…I wouldn't dare to cross it…"
"Good, I like people like you. People who know not to step on others' toes. It makes things nice and calm."
Aion smiled nervously and nodded.
"Now, we're going to pretend like we finished in a few minutes, and you can go to the back with Luna."
"Yeah…"
"So, let's keep this going, shall we?"
"Yeah…"
Aion's replies to Alphonse's remarks were shallow and dull. But Alphonse didn't seem to care. In fact, he might've even preferred that over anything else.
Soon enough, Aion was freed, and he quickly went back to Luna's side.
"So how was your conversation with Alphonse?" Luna smiled.
"Oh, great," Aion lied.
"He's such a dashing and kind person; I really hoped I could walk next to him though…"
"Right…"
Aion had no clue what she saw in someone like that. After experiencing such a terrifying individual, he wanted nothing to do with him.
Up ahead, several people were greeting Alphonse, Sam, and Esme. They were quite cheerful, clearly joyous from the Festival's Eve. Alphonse smiled brilliantly, which Aion did admit was attractive. It was like the smile of a hot guy character from a work of fiction. Of course, Alphonse was a hot guy character from a work of fiction, so it made sense. But to think even his dreams replicated it.
"Alphonse sure is popular," Aion remarked.
"Of course, not only is he the Magnatium heir. He's also someone who cares deeply for the people."
Cares deeply, huh? Aion thought.
"So what exactly are we going to do today?"
"Well, there are plenty of stalls set up with food and several live performances of events from the Book of Lunalis."
That must have been the doctrine of Lunalis. It was similar to the title of another famous religious text.
"I'm not interested in either of those."
"Really? Well, I guess you won't have much of anything to do."
"Fuck…" Aion mumbled.
And here he had thought he would finally escape this boredom. He should've known better for a place like this.
Aion sighed and continued walking with Luna as the two conversed with each other and only each other.
* * *
The sun was setting after a long and arduous day for Aion. Who knew dreams could be so exhausting? Aion thought.
"Well, let's meet up tomorrow!" Alphonse said excitedly.
Esme nodded and said she had to head home.
"I can walk you," Alphonse said.
"Well…" Esme said, glancing at Luna.
Luna spoke up and said, "Alphonse, can I talk with you privately?"
"Me? Privately? I don't think anything needs to be said privately; why not say anything right now?"
"I would really prefer to be in private…" Luna said meekly while blushing fiercely.
"Well, how about after I walk Esme—" Alphosne turned toward where Esme was, but she had already retreated. "Okay, how about Sam?"
"Actually, I was going to walk home with Sam." Aion raised his hand as he said that.
Sam's eyes widened, and he said, "Yeah, we agreed to it before you showed up."
Alphonse's eyes narrowed. But it was only for a moment. Soon, he heaved a heavy sigh.
"Fine, Luna, let's go."
Luna smiled and mouthed 'thank you' toward Aion. Aion nodded, and he walked over to Sam.
"Looks like we finally get to talk," Aion said with a bitter smile.
"Alphonse…he can be overbearing."
"Definitely."
"Still, I'm glad you gave Luna that opportunity."
"It's no problem. I believe love should blossom unimpeded."
"Really? Well, that's a nice belief."
"Although I'm not sure how to feel about Luna loving Alphonse…"
Sam laughed and said, "You aren't a fan, huh?"
"Ah…that's not what I meant."
"It's fine. Alphonse is rude, so I understand. Still, he has a good heart."
"If you say so."
"Hopefully you see that before you leave."
"For your sake I hope so."
"I appreciate that," Sam said while gazing into the sunset. "How was the festival?"
"Uh…" Aion didn't know what to say.
He didn't want to lie. Sam seemed like a good person, and that would only hurt Aion inside, even though Sam is merely a figment of his imagination.
"I can't say I'm all that big of a fan; I'm not a follower of Lunalis after all."
"Really?" Sam seemed very surprised.
"Yeah…" Aion was going to say more, but Alexander came to mind, and he didn't.
"Well, I can understand that then."
"Just like that?"
"Of course."
"Well, I hope things are better tomorrow for you. Granted…"
"It's fine. I wasn't expecting much out of this week to begin with."
"I feel bad. I wish I had known because I would've tried to set more things up."
"You don't have to go that far for someone like me."
"I still want to."
"..."
"Tomorrow might be better though. You'll get to see miracles performed live."
Aion remembered Luna had mentioned that on his first day.
"Luna seemed quite excited about those," Aion said with a smile.
"You really care about Luna, huh?"
"What makes you say that?"
"I mean, you're constantly going along with her whims, right?"
Aion raised an eyebrow and said, "How are you aware of that?"
"It was just a guess, but it looks like I was right."
"..."
"Hey, there's no need to look at me like that."
"Well, whatever, I can't say I'm not interested in these alleged miracles."
"That's good."
"Although, I can't imagine I'll be—"
Aion stopped when he saw Luna run past them with an arm rubbing her face.
"Huh?" Sam was surprised.
"Luna?" Aion said as he looked at Luna's retreating figure.
Soon, Alphonse came back with his usual expression.
"So you rejected her?" Sam asked.
"Of course," Alphonse said indifferently. "There's no way I would ever love something like that."
"Huh?" Aion was quite shocked at his wording.
Alphonse was rude, yes, but saying that was beyond what Aion had thought someone like him would do.
"Honestly, hearing her say that she loves me was skin-crawling."
Aion's expression hardened, and he said, "Fucking bastard."
"Huh? What did you say?" Alphosne asked, but Aion had already run in the direction of Luna's retreat.
Aion felt his blood running hot as he cursed Alphonse a couple more times.