I dematerialized from the physical plane, the scent of perfume and magic chalk replaced by the familiar, Mana-rich air of the Spirit Realm. The transition was instantaneous, but for the first time in a while, my own kingdom felt kinda... empty.
"Your Majesty! You're back!" Jol came storming into my chambers the moment my presence anchored. He looked like he'd aged a century in the few hours I'd been gone.
Spirits don't age after a certain time, though.
"Yes," I said, my voice flat as I drifted toward my bed. "Did anything noteworthy happen while I was away?"
"No, nothing that requires Your Majesty's direct attention, but the Others were asking—"
"I see. You can go now, Jol," I interrupted, my voice thick with a fatigue that had nothing to do with mana consumption.
"But, Your Majesty! You can't just vanish and then—"
"Jol," I said, turning my head slightly. "I want to rest. Leave."
"... Understood"
Perhaps sensing the shift in my mood, he backed off and left the room in silence.
Thankfully, Being able to read the room has always been one of his strengths.
Once the silence reclaimed the room, I let my regal posture crumble. I allowed myself to free-fall onto my bed, my azure hair spreading across the glowing sheets like spilt ink.
...How Strange.
Was i always the type to open up so easily ?
Or is it also an effect of the Mark.
"Huu... I don't know," I murmured in a low voice "I don't understand"
'are you gonna spend the night here as well, Aqua ?'
I could still hear his voice calling my name in the back of my head, as if he is here, right beside me. A pet name that he came up with. A mere weird Human child.
No one has ever called me or tried to address me by a pet name or nickname ...Not even Luxia.
...and yet the name 'Aqua' does not seem unfamiliar.
Maybe it's because it's just a shortened form but...
"Huu... Whatever"
Forget it. I will let everything flow naturally, just like Water.
I tried contacting him through the spirit link.
Even if I am in the spirit realm, we can still use telepathy.
I tried but it didn't work.
Did he block the link ?
I rolled onto my side, a spark of genuine irritation—and something else I don't know of—flickering in my chest.
Personally, I hate this blocking mechanism.
I don't know why But I just do. But.. for some reason, I realized I hated it even more tonight.
***
Aqua left and I closed the spirit link.
A contractor can block his spirit link. It's also known as the 'privacy mode' designed to prevent spirits from seeing things they shouldn't. In this blocked state telepathy cannot be used and the spirit can't travel to the physical world.
Just in case, if she decided to change her mind and come back to disturb my sleep. Suspicion is a hard habit to break, and I wasn't about to let a Spirit queen watch me drool in my sleep.
With that as my last thought, I finally succumbed to a dreamless, heavy exhaustion.
The next day—the 26th
No different
Nothing different happened today. Everything was the same.
Wake up, eat, spend time with my mother and Sky, training, Study and dinner.
By the time the moon reclaimed the sky, I was back in my room, the silence finally allowing me to do some peaceful training.
"You do this every night ?" Aqua asked.
Not long after I unblocked the spirit link, she came to the physical world herself, without my summoning.
"Pretty much. I have been doing it for the past two years now." I replied.
Aqua is laid on the bed in an unladylike position, with her attention concentrated on me.
"Hmm... That is quite the dedication. you have impressive stamina," she remarked.
"You mean mana," I corrected, sweat already beginning to bead on my forehead.
Currently, I am doing my bucket filling training under her provision.
"It's a good way to increase your mana pool," she said "although it's a cruel one."
She landed softly on the crown of my head, using my hair as a makeshift nest
"As long as it's effective, it doesn't matter." I said while creating another ball of water.
"I guess," she said in a contemplating expression "No wonder, your water affinity seems to be higher or rather more refined than the others."
"I see"
"On that note, tell me, are you fond of the water element or something?"
"Why do you think so ?" I asked
"You are practicing daily with water. And, aside from that, your first choice for a spirit contract was also Water. Most boys your age want the flash of fire or the weight of earth. Why the tides?"
I stopped. The water sphere I was holding lost its tension and splashed back into the bucket. "There's no particular reason," I said
"That seems to be a lie, though."
"It is not"
"It is. Now tell me."
I stayed silent.
"Don't forget," she said, her tone shifting into something more authoritative. "I am your contracted spirit. I have the right to know the heart of my contractor. and i am Exercising my rights, here."
Oh? You're exercising your rights now ?
She is right, though.
Should I tell her ?
She got down from my head and started floating right in front of my face. "Tell me"
Huu.. fuck it!
I made a vow to myself that the judgement of others would not hinder me.
I won't care even if she judges me.
"Alright. You want the truth? Fine."
"I'm listening,"
"Alright. The reason is...."
"It is ?" she said, zipping down from my head to hover directly in front of my face, her glowing eyes wide with anticipation.
"The reason I chose the Water Element as my primary focus..." I paused, looking her dead in the eye. "...is because most water spirits are female."
Aqua didn't move. She didn't blink. She just hovered there, looking at me as if I'd just told her the sun was made of cheese instead of fire. "What?"
So, I clarified like a true gentleman "see, a spirit companion is someone with whom I'm gonna be spending most of my time with, even my private times. Someone with whom I will hold conversations in my mind, right ?"
"...yes"
"Then it's a simple matter of ergonomics," I stated flatly. "If I have to choose a voice to live inside my skull forever, am I going to choose the gruff, gravelly baritone of a man, or the sweet, calm, and peace-giving voice of a woman? It's an obvious choice, Aqua"
Yep, that's the reason. My probability of contracting with a female spirit was higher because water spirits have the highest female to male ratio, out of all spirit types.
Silence reclaimed the room.
Aqua's face went through a fascinating series of expressions: confusion, realization, and finally, a deep, insulted crimson.
"You..." she sputtered, "You chose the Element of Water because of... audio-visual preferences?!"
"Yep, I told you before, didn't i, Aqua ?" I said, picking up the bucket again. "I'm an efficient man."