The same day, Orion, Amelia, and Karteira sat somewhere in the training area. He wanted to share his time with them after taking the last few days running left and right outside.

After picking up her belongings, Deveralna arrived in Horizon with a heavy heart. Immediately, she told Orion her dream, which made him quite perplexed.

He didn't want to play in the hands of those mighty beings, but at the same time, he knew that they weren't thinking of exploiting anyone. It would be hypocritical to say something while he himself was a major component in Silva's resurrection.

Instead, he thanked her for telling her, and asked her to wait until she was ready to use her newfound power, something she never hoped to use before.

"But a Remnant? Isn't this an awful news? Won't she be targeted after becoming one?"

Amelia asked with worry.

"Not if she stays here. We shouldn't forget that this is the title of the Remnant of Strength being passed down. Even Miasma had to use a roundabout way to harm Velridar, so she might be safe on that matter."

Having had a bit of time to reflect on the situation, Orion gave his opinion.

"..."

Karteira remained silent, hugging her knees while looking away. Amelia discretely glanced at her, before turning toward Orion again.

She slide her butt on the white ground, and stopped next to him. Approaching her month to his left ear, she whispered those words.

"She's jealous."

Orion closed his eyes and nodded. Karteira was an especially hard case of 'not speaking what's on your mind to others', which led to this very situation, and the previous one where she hesitated about her own feelings.

"Karteira."

Hearing her name, she stared at him with a blank expression.

"What?"

'That's dry. This might be worse than jealousy.'

Amelia thought with a smile. It was kind of funny to her, because she knew Orion would resolve the matter quickly.

"Come here."

"I don-"

"If you don't come, I'll move. You don't have much of a choice."

"..."

Orion made it clear that he wouldn't let her go that easily. With a sigh, she stood up and approached him.

"I'm here, now what?"

Changing his posture to a cross-legged one, he continued.

"Give me your hand for just a second. I need to see something."

Silently, with a glare that would freeze anyone's thought, she lifted her hand.

'Got you!'

He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. In her fall, she found herself being pivoted, and when she understood what had happened, she was directly laying on his thighs, her head resting near his neck.

She was as tall as him, which made it look silly somehow.

"Hey! What was that?"

Angry, she looked up at him and tried to push him away. Though, she was against, Orion. It would prove difficult to do that.

Instead of answering, Orion placed on hand on her shoulder, and the other on her head. Slowly, he began to stroke her cerulean blue hair.

"I'm sorry. I haven't been very present these past few days."

Amelia smiled on the side and decided to watch quietly. She was sharing every nights with him at this point, and Karteira was feeling left out. The least she could do was watch over her friend.

"Hmph! As if it was just that."

"Tell me then? I want to hear everything that is on your mind. Go for it, I promise I won't cry."

With a smirk that pissed her off even more, she sighed again. For some reason, that made it easier for her words to flow freely.

"You haven't been training in the morning with me."

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"I'm trying to not go overboard. I'm in the middle of recovering you know?"

Gently, he began to caress her again.

"I know, but you could've at least taken a moment to come and see the progress I've made!"

"I didn't want to intrude. I know how focused you get when you do your best, so I thought that I would be a nuisance."

She gritted her teeth.

"I don't like that word. I would never think of you like that!"

"Maybe so, yet the fact that I can't spare with you remains the same. I'm in the way currently."

"Oh, stop with that, it's not that you can't train, you were just too preoccupied by your new lovers to care about me."

Looking down, it was clear she didn't appreciate the lack of interest he had toward her these past few days.

"I am in the wrong for not taking time alone with you. I also felt that, and I wanted to make it up to you. I just..."

"Just what?"

Lifting up her face again, she stared into his grey eyes. She could see her reflection in them.

'He's looking at me. Only at me.'

That made her mood slightly improve. Still, she was waiting for his answer.

"..."

"Spit it out already."

She tried to move again, but the hand on her shoulder made it impossible to do so. She felt the hand on her head move toward her face.

Orion's hand began to stroke her cheek, and with a little confusion, he spoke.

"I still don't really understand how to treat everyone. You are all strong women, with various and charming personalities. But for one man, it is hard to lay the boundaries on what I should and should not do."

"I think a lot, about how I will take care of you, about the future, about our common problems, and about my feelings. Am I making you happy? Am I doing my best, or am I just walking backwards, like before?"

He broke eye contact and looked above him. The white starry sky was as always moving in one direction, unbothered by anything. Sometimes, a flock of birds flew above them, but it was a rare occurrence.

"It's been only a few days since I've decided to seriously think about that. You can't expect me to be an expert at this. The worst part is, thanks to Amelia, I have five other women I don't want to betray either."

"There is the three of you who received a part of me. I'm still confused as to why it happened. But that makes it so I can't ignore it anymore."

He went for it in that moment. Karteira opened her eyes wide, before closing them. They both shared a quick but pleasant kiss. After a few seconds, their lips broke apart.

"I'll try to do better. No. I'll do better, I promise."

Karteira remained motionless, but she was smiling. When she arranged her own thoughts about the matter, she looked at him.

"I will also do better. I know I won't be able to get you to myself. That was the agreement when Amelia agreed to let me get into a relationship with you."

Amelia smiled, still waiting patiently behind her.

"Can I do something to make it up to you? I made you feel left out, so let me do that for you."

"I want... a date too. I'm the only one who hasn't been alone with you until now."

"That's true."

With a quick nod, he kept smiling at her. Her bad mood finally lifted, she simply enjoyed being in his embrace, until she remembered that Amelia was watching.

"Y-You can let me go now. Please, let me go."

Panicking slightly, the embarrassment was too much.

'She's tough to please. I like her like that though.'

Orion released his grip, and without waiting, she stood up.

"Orion."

But before she returned at her previous spot, she called him. He lifted his head to look at her, but all he saw was her hair fluttering close to his face.

Feeling two hands on his shoulders, and a familiar sensation on his lips, he closed his eyes.

"Hey! That was a sneak attack!"

Jokingly, Amelia couldn't help but comment.

"I couldn't care less."

After finishing her surprise kiss, with a swipe of her arm, she brought her hair back behind her, and licked her lips.

"Well, maybe, but aren't you getting too-"

"I said I would be better didn't I-"

As the two began to playfully exchange words, Orion looked back on his choices.

'I have incredibly marvelous lovers. I have to be better too.'

He nodded.

'A date. With Karteira. But where to?'

Has the man, he had to plan everything. That's why, the perfect plan to make it up to her began to slowly form in his mind.

"Alright."

After standing up, he forced the girls to stop, and returned to his home.

~

"Elliott, what do we do now?"

Nylon asked, standing in front of five meter high wall.

"'What' you ask. We just go over it."

Both travelers finally arrived in front of the wall separating the continent of Triazils to the southern area, the Frigoria Plains.

They had to take it easy on the way after leaving the derelict city Ryghs, thanks to the storm that went other them. The roads were all under a thick layer of snow, making it hard for both of them to run.

So, two days after leaving, they finally arrived at the border. If you wonder how they managed to sleep outside, the answer is simple.

Nylon hid a tent in his belongings, an assassin's essentials.

Back to the current point. Nylon stared blankly at the blonde man.

"Over it? Like, we jump over it?"

"Yes?"

Elliott smiled and bent his knees. He angled his body slightly, and with a strong push, flew so high in the air that he easily went above the wall.

'A blizzard that's been ravaging the land since its formation...'

He took the moment to look in the distance. As he expected, there was absolutely nothing to see besides the cloudy and snowy storm.

'My land, I will reclaim it, even if it pisses you off, Nature.'

While thinking, he placed his hand on his sword's hilt, and drew it in an instant.

"Vanitas, disperse those clouds."

The sword shone brightly, before turning into an elongated beam of light above his head. With a wide swipe, the sword released the light in a slash that traveled at high speed through the air.

Yet, even though he released a tremendous amount of power, enough to split earth easily, the blizzard remained unchanged.

'I guess we won't be able to see where we are going. Good work, making it impossible for us to easily proceed forward.'

Internally, he was cursing Nature. Though he had nothing against her really, he was still annoyed by how she treated his homeland.

Nylon watched as Elliott began to descend toward the other side, before making up his mind.

"Well, I supposed I have no choice..."

Using his metal claws, he climbed the wall quickly. After arriving at the top, he looked at the unending blizzard, and hesitated.

'Kh! Fuck it!'

He also jumped on the other side, joining with Elliott after fighting against the strong and freezing winds.

"We already have some company."

Said Elliott, his right foot on the corpse of a grey boar after seeing Nylon.

"Even if you can't see a thing, don't die, alright?"

He vanished into the blizzard after kicking the corpse in the distance, making it disappear somewhere into the storm.

Cries of pain coming from various beasts echoed around him.

"This is crazy... How can he precisely know wher-"

As Nylon dodged an ape falling from above, it signaled the start of their journey inside the Frigoria Plains.

A tale no one would believe.