Looks like our female lead has made her return, don’t you think? You might want to brace yourselves for a romantic trope~
I wish you all a sweet read~
Cya folks!
The sun was already out in the horizon, rising above the cape of the tall mountains, painting the sky with streaks of gold and amber, a nebula. High above, a skylark glided, its iridescent blue feathers shimmering in the morning light. The long, ribbon-like tail swayed as the small bird danced gracefully in the air, reminding me of the Archon Realm.
My eye, caught a glint of colour. A flower—sapphire-dyed, delicate, and hanging from a thorny stem. I halted my track, and arching closer to examine it. Despite the thorn, the petals were soft, emitting a sweet fragrance, that stirred something deep within me.
Carefully, I plucked it from the stem, ignoring the slight sting from the thorns. Even though it’d thorns but proved a stark contrast to its stem sturdiness. Almost reminding me of certain someone.
Pulling back my focus from the flower, I caught Elsiya starring, silently watching me. Her eyes seemed to lit up when it mine, I smiled back at her.
“Wait there,” I called out, my voice light but steady, attempting to mimic her usual cheerfulness.
She obeyed. I stepped closer the wind toying with her short, graceful hairHer strands seemed to pause, as if waiting for what came next.
“Turn around for me, El.”
She obeyed, her soft hair swaying as she did. My fingers trotted along her silky hair, gently I tucked the flower behind her ear, its vivid blue petals resting just above her forehead.
“It suits you, El”, I said quietly, stepping back to take in the sight of her.
She is beautiful. Like shimmering star in a night devoid of light.
She smiled, her laughter light and contagious. Priceless. “Thank you, Suw”.
“I am truly blessed to have you, Suw,” she continued, her tone soft but filled with warmth. “…You were always there for me. Ever since my parents died. I felt lonely. But you. Lit up my starless world…Thanks again.”
A faint blush dusted her cheeks, and her words caused my chest to tighten. She always had that effect on me.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“You know it reminded me of something,” I said, my lips curling into a smirk, before pushing further on. “Whenever Mother wasn’t around, you’d always come to challenge me.”
I chuckled, dramatically shaking my head. “And when you lost, you’d cry and say, ‘She’s my second mother! Go find someone else!’”
Elsiya face flushed even more, her voice a murmur, “I was just a brat then”
“Yea and You’re still now,” I grinned, expecting a playful smack but disappointment sank in when it never came.
I jogged to catch up with Elsiya, who was already a few steps ahead, ignoring my earlier remark. “Oh, come on. I was just teasing, El.”
Within seconds, I was beside her. She let out a snort, deliberately keeping her face turned away from me. Her hair swaying in rhythm as a breeze blew in, like she was giving the wind more attention than me, the blade of grass shifted, crushed beneath my foot, following the same flow.
She released a sigh without giving me her attention, as she took in the sun warmth. “So, tell me what you did after waking up?", she began, her voice lighter than I expected, though curiosity seeped into her tone.
Memories started flooding back, swift yet relentless, sharp like a jet of stream, “Well, at first, I was found by three lesser—one human, an elf, and a dwarf.” I launched into the details, recounting Caser’s strength and how the stone sentinel almost killed them all…
The conversation flowed effortlessly as we walked deeper into the forest. The concept of time, a mere forgotten term, loss between trees and words. Before long, we were engulfed by the towering canopy—the massive trees stretching skyward, their roots spreading out like webs across the forest floor. Ferns and clusters of glowing mushrooms clung to the trunks, casting an ethereal glow..
“…I see”, Elsiya interjected me, her brows seemed to pulled in before she realized what she was doing and soon relaxed. “So, the elf… is that girl’s elder sister?” Her voice was soft, but the tension in her words was unmistakable
I let out a chuckle. “What a turnout of fate!”. But despite my insensible laugh, something gnawed at me. A question, persistent at the edge of mind, like small needle pricking the back of my neck. “But El… we need to find those three first.”
“Go on. Be more kind to your enemies, Darling.” she said in mocking tone, the edge of her lips quirking down.
“I had to. He had Archon linkage”, the words hollow, leaving a bitter taste in my tongue. My stomach churn at the countless possibilities that ran amok in my mind.
Elsiya’s face turned sour. Her brow furrowed, “What do you mean!?”, she asked in disbelief, I felt her words shaking as she moved closer to me, her hands gripping my shoulder.
“I left out a part while narrating to you,” I admitted, the weight of my confession pulling at me. “I saw his wings… he had Archonian blood, El.”, I started, the memory flashed before me—his power, the way he fought that Sentinel. My guts felt as if it’s been turned inside out at the thought of how far those lesser and Asuran can go.
Elsiya stood there, motionless, as if I’d told her a wildest bed time story. She digested, her mind working through the revelation. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, she nodded—small, barely noticeable, but enough.
I waited. The silence between us what seem to be stretched forever. After a second or few passed, she sprung her head up. When she finally spoke, her voice was steady but carried an edge of urgency “Let’s go. Elven kingdom is not far”, she said cocking her head, her voice firm, still carried a softness which only she could carry.
“Suwan, the girl will have control soon. Stay near her until I return.”
I nodded, a tightness forming in my chest as her words sunk in. Deep down, a pang rushed through my heart, I had almost forgotten… forgotten that she was living on borrowed time. Elsiya was here because of pure chance, nothing more.
I drew in a deep breath, masking the face of worry, a brewing storm. “Alright, El. I will see from here on”, I said mustering a warm smile, my voice brimming with confidence, which I didn’t entirely felt.