After enjoying more of Albriar, Orion and Stella returned home.

Both were eager to do their separate things, and rapidly went apart, but not before Stella hugged her father as thanks for the outing.

As Stella went through the door and returned to the empty workshop, Orion followed and closed the door behind him.

He closed his eyes and felt the energies of the people inside the house.

'Amelia is still in the kitchen.'

'And Tetra is, undoubtedly, in Henrietta's room.'

'I can't sense anyone else in here besides Stella.'

As usual, his partners had duties to fulfill. They weren't exactly the type to stay still, and he respected that greatly.

'Karteira... is outside. Near the Arachnea Forest.'

'I can sense is Senia, in the Siren Sea.'

The overwhelming brightness of their souls was on full display through his Remnant power.

'Mia and Nia are in the Fairy Village. There's no surprise there.'

'No one else is here besides them.'

Nodding to himself, he stopped searching.

'Deveralna is probably in Lahro, while May is in Turric.'

'And there is no reason to believe Olivia to be away from Noctelagia.'

With everyone in their respective areas, Orion had one goal to attain today.

An unusual tension ran through his body as he suddenly realized what he was about to undergo.

A smirk formed on his face as he closed his eyes.

'Be it a Hero or whatever, it doesn't change how nerve-wracking it is to confess your love.'

As an echo of his past resurfaced, the background darkened. Noah appeared behind him and tapped his shoulder firmly.

Then he turned back and disappeared. The colors around Orion returned.

'Right.'

The devotion Noah showed for his family was something Orion valued and desired for himself.

And the only way to obtain it was to make it happen with his own hands.

'Alright.'

Swallowing his emotions, he wings twitched under his clothes.

With determined steps, Orion entered the dining room and directly entered the kitchen.

"I heard you come back, but I was surprised you didn't say anything."

Working on making coffee, Amelia turned slightly while leaning on the counter.

"Well, you know..."

Surprisingly tense, he was unable to hide it.

Scratching his cheek, he avoided her gaze.

"Oh~ Strange."

Suspicious of his reaction, she came closer.

"What did you do with Stella that made you like this? Where did you go?"

Crossing her arms, she leaned forward.

"That has nothing to do with Stella, so you can rest easy."

Orion suddenly felt the need to correct her. He straightened and took this moment to aggressively repress his anxiety.

"Come with me."

He grabbed her wrist and opened a portal.

"Hey! Wai-"

Disappearing into the portal, Amelia was once again, and as usual, interrupted as she spoke.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

On the other side of the portal, a gorgeous beach reflecting thousands upon thousands of pearls and shell shards spread in front of them.

Stepping on the fine sand, Amelia's words stopped.

"..."

Her eyes froze as the sight of infinite blue stretched in the distance. The sun was still high, but in just a few hours, it would drop past the horizon.

A gentle breeze pushed her hair backward as she stopped thinking for a brief instant.

With moist and glistening eyes, she turned to Orion and looked at his face.

She could see the tension cramping his expression.

'I've never seen such an expression before.'

She turned her body to face him, her gaze anchored on his face.

"What's on your mind?"

With a soft voice, she waited for his answer.

"I..."

Orion turned his body and faced her. This time, he returned her gaze as they exchanged a flurry of emotion in their silence.

Putting his right hand behind his back, he pulled out one of the small boxes from his spatial storage, kept preciously inside.

He made sure his hands were not trembling before bringing the box in front of her.

With his left hand, he opened the top of the box.

"Amelia, I love you."

"You've been with me for so many years and waited for me to open my heart."

Her eyes fell on the item inside the box. With her brain coming to a halt, she froze, listening to his every word.

"I wanted you to be happy, but I caused you more grief than anyone else could."

"Nevertheless, you stayed next to me. You helped me push myself past my limits, all for the sake of my future."

He took out the ring from its box and presented it to her.

"That's why I want you to always feel happy you met me. You sacrificed a lot, and I witnessed it."

"Now, please accept it."

The ring was born from silver ingots. Two twisting arms joined at the center, wrapped around a small jewel that had more significance to her than anyone else.

Her necklace was made of the same material, a piece of pearl that glimmered the seven colors of the rainbow.

But the ring was shining unnaturally. As if it had been bathed in the most radiant light existing, it gleamed in front of her eyes.

It represented more than just a piece of jewelry to Amelia. This ring was the end goal of everything she did to fulfill her goal.

"To gain your love, I went through the most grueling training someone could go through."

Lifting her eyes, she looked at Orion while tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I've waited a long time, and I even worked on myself, letting go of the shy attitude I had."

"I thought you would never accept me. With only feelings of vengeance in your heart, I believed there was no place for me. I was afraid you were only searching for a place to die."

"But I never regretted falling in love with you. Never!"

Nodding firmly, her tears dropped to the ground.

"You've proven to me countless times that I wasn't hoping in vain. You came back every time, fighting against odds that were lower each time."

Extending her left hand forward, she presented it to him.

"I'll forever stay by your side! There is no other path for me!"

"I am a lost cause!"

Orion smiled while sliding the ring along her fourth finger.

"You're my lost cause."

They stared at each other for a moment before leaning their faces closer.

Surrounded by the beauty of Eogis, their vows were sealed forever.

...

After bringing Amelia back to Horizon, Orion left her to think.

She was rubbing her finger over the ring with a smile overwhelming with elation.

Amelia was, beyond any question, the happiest woman in the entire realm at this moment.

As Orion stepped out of the house, he pondered.

'Even if I have nine of them, there appears to be an order between them.'

'It's rather simple, so I should also respect it.'

The order was a simple rank of when Orion added them to his family.

Amelia was first, and she was the second leader of the faction in Orion's absence.

The next person in line was...

'Karteira.'

Orion turned his face toward the Arachnea Forest and disappeared without making a noise.

His wings phased through his clothes and helped him fly over the forest.

After looking for a while, he finally noticed Karteira, exiting the forest.

"Ah~ Damn! It's always so difficult to communicate with them."

Holding a crate of vegetables over her shoulder, she grumbled.

'She's always working hard.'

He leaned forward and flew over the forest, dropping in front of the blue-haired fairy.

"Woah!"

Surprised, she almost spilled the content of the crate before stabilizing her footing.

"Orion! You scared me!"

"I didn't mean to. Aren't you slightly unfocused, though? You can usually feel my presence approaching."

She placed the crate on the ground and sat on it.

"Since you've become... this, I can't sense you anymore. You don't have a strong presence like before."

"I see."

He came closer to the crate and placed his right hand on it.

"Hya!"

As he did, it disappeared into his storage, making Karteira fall toward the ground.

But since he was next to her, he caught her with ease and held her in his arms.

"What are you doing today?!"

"Have you lost your mind?"

Gently slamming her fists on his chest, she felt strange.

It wasn't the usual Orion in front of her.

"Why are you so aggressive? You usually don't carry me like this."

Stopping her cute assault, she looked into his eyes.

"I have something to tell you. Since this isn't the place, I'm bringing you along."

A portal opened next to him.

"You could have just ask-"

As if a recurring thing for the women of the Agathion faction, Karteira was interrupted as she was carried out of Horizon.

Orion walked out of the portal with Karteira in his arms. His feet walked above mud as a wide lake spread in front of him.

"Hey! I wasn't finished!"

Glaring daggers at him with her only visible eye, she frowned.

"This is where we began our adventure."

Placing her feet on the ground, he smiled.

"Where are we?"

Abruptly made aware of her surroundings, she glanced all around.

"Wait... The forest leading to the fairy realm?"

Karteira watched the dead trees and silent forest spread everywhere.

"Why are we here...?"

Confused, she turned to Orion.

"I wanted to tell you something in private while at the same time proving something to you."

"Orion?"

Lifting his left hand over his head, Orion gathered an unusual power in it.

A mist-like energy flowed above him before covering the ground and spreading in the entire forest.

"You see, I realized recently that this forest had been somewhat cursed."

"Cursed?"

He nodded.

"The constant corruption, alongside the countless deaths of the fairies, turned this forest into an empty shell, void of life and with no way to recover."

As his Remnant power covered the edges of the forest, Orion smiled.

With a single clench of his hand, the energy cleansed the land.

Karteira hid her face as a gust of energy went past her.

When she removed her hands, the sight she saw made her jaw drop.

"That's the real birch forest."

Smiling with a satisfied smile, Orion turned to her.

The ground looked lighter than before, while the trees cracked all around.

Casting the dead weight that was their bark, the trees grew even higher. Budding spots formed on their previously dead branches, revived by the trees themselves.

"If mom was here, she would be screaming at you..."

"I bet."

In the blink of an eye, the birch forest developed into a full-fledged forest. Leaves regrew anew, and wildlife returned within the forest.

As a boar ran behind them, they noticed a flock of birds chirping next to the lake.

With a smile, she turned to him.

"You never fail to impress me."

As the forest finally settled, Orion faced her.

"Karteira."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for loving me."

A smile formed on her face. She scratched her cheek, slightly embarrassed.

"If not for Amelia's approval, I would have never acknowledged it."

"But you still had the courage to do so. Even while I was struggling to find the right answer concerning my relationship with you, you chose to entrust yourself to me."

Pulling out the box from his storage, he presented it to her.

"Ah~ That's why you kidnapped me."

She laughed with her ears bright red, hiding her bashfulness.

"I love you, Karteira. I wanted to prove that I would do anything to make you happy."

"I knew that already. Since the day I've met you, I always knew you were extraordinary."

Orion opened the box.

Inside was a ring, similar to Amelia's, also made of silver. It was the perfect metal to avoid scratches and damage.

Still, it wasn't the same. This ring was made in one single loop, encrusted with a white gemstone on it.

A quartz, which was known to help energy accumulate within it, beautifully decorated the ring.

The same radiant feeling was felt around the ring, created by Orion's power.

Opening her eyes wide, she couldn't help but stare at it.

"It's... beautiful."

"Would you accept it?"

Staring into his eyes, Karteira instinctively nodded.

"Since the day I've almost lost you, I regretted being powerless."

As Orion picked up the ring and held her hand, she continued.

"The world was far more complicated than what I ever thought. But thanks to you and Amelia, I managed to improve far more than any fairy."

The ring slid perfectly around her finger, and as she smiled warmly, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"So, thank you. For everything."

"For giving me a place where I belong, for giving me a chance to stand alongside you."

"Thank you."

Under the vivid green of the birch leaves, two figures came closer to each other.