After returning to the treehouse, everyone talked about their experiences so far. It turned out that Serah had decided to set up base in the tree, and Carver and the others agreed to stay behind after meeting her.

Rain was still resting in a room upstairs, and Serah didn’t allow anyone to see her. Not even John. And while he wanted to protest, he knew Serah wouldn’t deny him if it weren’t necessary.

John and Dennis told them about their journey, but they avoided discussing his golden enchantment and the secrets of the black necklace. They explained how they met, how their aspects worked, how they had traveled, and everything about Sage Full Blue, including the different types of essence.

“That’s… Really? An alien researcher?” Carver asked, finding the words hard to believe. “And there are different types of essence? How did no one figure that out?”

They were all sitting in a circle near the center of the tree, where a hole had been carved into the ground, letting everyone lean back and discuss. Serah had decided to be pretty open about her closeness to John, sitting beside him, closer than anyone else.

“I’m not sure,” John replied honestly. He didn’t think the method was so illusive that no one should have figured it out so far. “The fact that you have to circulate it in your body while imagining it changing might be enough of a hurdle?”

Dennis nodded. “I certainly never thought of trying it before. And I’ve been an EC for a while.”

“Yeah, but… surely someone must be researching it, right? I find it hard to believe that no scientist or engineer has thought about it before. And that worries me!” Carver replied, folding his arms.

John could only say what he knew was right. “Well, whatever the reason, we know it works! I would never have defeated a horror without the added power and versatility of the other forms.”

Serah chimed in from his side, “Then it makes sense that you managed to become an aspecter already… I was so sure I would be ahead of you.”

“Right, how did you get there so early? I thought I was setting records,” John asked, unsure how to feel. He was happy that she had the talent and growth to rival his own, but at the same time, he wanted to be the protector.

“Oh, it’s probably easier to hunt while staying at the same place. And I have my trusty focus!” She summoned it in her hand, watching as the lights she had created in the roof reflected on its shiny surface.

“... You wanna explain why that helps so much?”

“It lets me make the spells stronger and bigger. That way, I can stay far away while using them, giving unassuming beasts no time to respond.”

Carver and Ralf both scoffed at her explanation, clearly not agreeing fully. “You make it sound like you were just picking off beasts from far away. Remind me how you defeated all the twenty serpent monsters again.”

Serah scowled at them both for some reason, like she was trying to hide her abilities. “Well, I just sent a few spells at them. They happened to be weak to getting sliced in half, so it was easier than other fights.”

“Ah, yes, unlike every other beast, the snakes do have that one weakness…” Carver replied sarcastically.

John chuckled, looking over at Serah, who had a scowl on her face. “What spell are you using to slice them?” he asked, unable to think of any spells like that.

Still scowling, she looked at him and sighed. “... Since you can rotate those fire arrows you taught me, I thought, ‘Why can’t we rotate spells in other ways as well?’ And so I came up with these discs.”

She held her hand up and conjured a fiery disc with razor-sharp edges. It seemed to be floating without moving, but a light buzzing sound told John it was rotating incredibly fast. He had a feeling that it would cut through him like butter if he let it.

“... That’s so cool! But don't you need a ton of energy to keep it from dissipating to the sides?”

“Not too much, actually. It’s very flat, so there isn’t much mass to it. But I had to try and fail for a while before getting to this stage. Also, it’s annoying since it keeps turning mid-flight, which means I can’t use it over long distances.” She stopped the spell and returned all the essence to her core while smiling at him.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

John thought briefly, finding it strange that air friction would affect the spell. “I don’t understand why it would turn like that, but... What if you flipped it on its side and reduced the spin a bit? Wouldn’t it keep itself floating as it traveled?”

“Yeah, I tried that, but the speed was so low that it wasn’t worth the decrease in power. Over long ranges, your spell is still the best. Or rather, the one you taught me.”

John was about to respond, but then he noticed everyone smiling at the two of them. “... What?”

Carver and Isabelle exchanged glances with a hint of playfulness before she responded, “It’s just lovely to see Serah look so happy. And the two of you together. It’s a good fit!” She put both her arms on her chest, smiling warmly.

John didn’t quite know how to respond, feeling embarrassed that it was so obvious. Searching for something else to discuss, he noticed Dennis wasn’t smiling like the others. His was one of reminiscence, seeing something he recognized in the two of them. It was a smile of genuine happiness, but a shade of grief was clear in his eyes.

Serah looked torn between annoyance and gratitude as she stared back at Isabelle, but her cheeks had a clear, rosy tint. “... Since we didn’t catch anything earlier, John and I will go out for another hunt soon. Can I trust you all to hold down the fort?”

John suspected she was asking about more than just ‘holding down the fort,’ seeing the serious faces on the others. It was also a question of whether she could trust them to stay away from Rain.

‘Does she not trust them as much as she said earlier? I guess it’s better to make sure since we might be gone for a while…’

He wanted to see Rain to make sure she was okay. But it wasn’t just Serah holding him back; it was also how Rain had seemed worse after talking to him in the stairway, almost like he was the reason for her troubles.

“We will hold it down,” Carver responded firmly. This was a clever response since it could refer to both Serah’s request and their desire to ask questions.

Dennis suddenly poked John from the side and leaned over, speaking quietly. “Didn’t we kill a snake right nearby? Why hunt?”

If he was honest, it was just to see Serah’s abilities and maybe to spend more time together. But he had already considered his question. “... Do you want a taste of the snake with blood that melts through armor? If you volunteer as a test-subject, I won’t mind.”

“... That’s a very good point,” Dennis replied, leaning back with a smile.

Everyone had been paying attention to their quiet conversation, but once John had replied, no one saw a reason to speak.

Serah smiled and got up, holding her armored hand out for John to take. “You ready to go?”

“Sure!” He took the hand and hauled himself up, but Serah didn’t let go of him. Instead, she started walking, dragging him along.

John turned to look at the others, all chuckling at them, and considered whether he should pull his hand back. But he didn’t mind too much. Instead, he was happy Serah was being so honest with her actions.

They walked down the stairs and through the curtain before Serah finally let go, looking happy with her decisiveness. However, she seemed to have trouble meeting his gaze, looking around at nothing in particular.

“... Do you have any hunting grounds in mind?” John asked, still looking forward to seeing her in action.

“Uh, yeah,” she replied.

She seemed to be building up the courage to say something, so John waited in anticipation.

“Could we… fly?” she finally asked. And then John understood her hesitation.

“Oh, like me and Rain? Sure!” He smiled while summoning Larang on the ground and standing on top of it. “Oh, you will have to remove your armor, though. Larang can only lift three times its weight, so we won’t get much speed like this.”

That wasn’t entirely true, but who would ever check? Since Larang had gotten heavier after its evolution, it would be no problem to carry them both and fly fast—especially if John used his weight reduction enchantment.

Serah looked like she was about to cry after hearing his words. It seemed her courage in asking relied on her armor staying on during the flight.

“Uh, well, it’s probably fine,” John admitted, suddenly feeling mean. They wouldn’t be able to turn as sharply or fly as fast, but he would enjoy it either way. And she wasn’t the only one who was nervous about it.

“... No, it’s… I can do it!”

Her words seemed to be just as much for herself as they were for John. The armor disappeared, leaving her with only the soft uniform.

She walked behind him, repeatedly pulling the front of her uniform out to cool herself down. “...Do I just…?”

“We have done this a billion times already,” he responded, enjoying her nervous expression.

“That’s eight years ago!” she protested, admittedly having a point.

“Just jump up, I’ll catch you.” He held his arms out behind and leaned forward, making getting on as easy as possible.

“... Fine.” After taking a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped up, putting their bodies together.

John silently cursed his thin armor for being as tough as it was, dampening all the sensations coming through it. But then he reconsidered. The warmth streaming through and the scent hitting his nose was enough to take away his bravery.

He swallowed, trying to act unfazed. “Are you ready?”

Serah whispered a soft “Yeah” right next to his ear, making him freeze momentarily. His body was heating up, making the armor feel hot and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, he had nothing underneath. And he was far from that brave.

‘The difference between this and having Rain on my back is like heaven and earth!’

The thought of Rain sobered him up a bit, finally making him ready to take off. Then they lifted and flew into the jungle.