[BONUS] AINA...?
[Bonus chapter courtesy of Fire2112 (aka Firemonster) <3 5/6]
Leonel had a lot of work to do and a lot of things on his mind. Usually, he would probably go tick off those boxes one by one. One would think that a tranquil confidence would make you ignore much of everything, and sometimes it worked like that for Leonel... and at other times, it made him somewhat of a stoic workaholic.
His laziness often came into play when he didn't have direction. But when he did, he could likewise easily lose himself until he grasped something entirely.
At a time like this, where he could so clearly see the list before him...
Give Forgetful Orbs to Eamon and Goggles...Check on his brothers...Break into the Fourth Dimension with his newfound Evolution Ores...Finish up the last of his father's lessons on Crafting and finally comprehend this world a bit more...
... he would usually jump right into that list of things, maybe losing himself for months as though he hadn't just come out of a true instance of life and death.
It was an unhealthy sort of expression of focus, the kind that he didn't really want in his life anymore.
There was no "end goal" here. It constantly felt that with every step he took, another domino would fall and another challenge would rear its ugly head.
It was the Humans, then it was the Demons, then it was the other Races, then it was the Demi-Gods, then it was the Gods, then it was the God Beasts, then it was Existence itself literally blinking like a ticking time bomb.
When would it stop?
The answer was that it probably never would. In that meandering sort of tranquility, he laser-focused on one task after another, not minding how long they went for or even how difficult they were. He just needed that next high, that next victory...
But then what kind of life would he be living? If the end goal was the end of Existence itself, if it was so likely that he would ultimately fail in the end, then what was he wasting his time doing?
That was the thing about endless confidence. It was great... until it wasn't. But he would never know about when that other shoe would drop; he could never have any way of knowing because he'd be confident right up until the end.
But when you could shed that and really live, really feel everything you should be feeling...
You could stop and smell the roses a bit.
He had lost his father, and his hopes of bringing him back one day hadn't vanished. But he also had others here by his side.
Leonel appeared near Aina's training region. She was in a deep state of meditation, and usually, he would use this as an excuse to leave and go disappear for another few weeks before he remembered to check up on her again.
But this time he just stood there, looking at her back view.
The scenery was beautiful. Not because of Aina, though that added some bias to it. But rather because of the soft grass, the wildflowers, the small lake of Cleansing Waters that emitted the fragrance of fresh water into the air.
It smelled almost like it was about to rain, and yet not.
It must have been at least an hour later but Aina suddenly opened her eyes. She turned back toward Leonel, a hint of confusion in her gaze.
She had sensed him the first time he arrived, but it seemed that she had also gotten used to him leaving while she was in the middle of training. So, she subconsciously tuned him out.
For the next hour, she hadn't even noticed his presence at all because he hadn't moved an inch. It was only when she was rounding up a series of breakthroughs that she realized he was actually still there.
She looked at him deeply for a while.
This man had gone off to do something dangerous again then came back with a smile on his face as though nothing at all had happened. She probably couldn't have even imagined how dangerous it had been, and yet he had proved her right.
"Well, don't you look nice?" Leonel said with a smile.
Aina looked down at herself. Her clothing was pretty simple nowadays, she just wore one of Leonel's oversized white t-shirts and alternated between a choice of shorts or leggings. She still very much preferred Earth's style of dress, and she wasn't the biggest fan of formal dressing. Why the people of these Bubbles didn't know what "casual clothes" were, was beyond her.
But that was why it was up to Leonel's mom to force him to wear something more prim and proper because Aina certainly wouldn't do it.
Except for that time they entered the Heir Wars together. She had to admit that that was nice.
"You know, if you're going to compliment a woman, you should at least be a little clever about it. Pick something that makes sense," Aina suddenly said.
"My wife is trying to train me on how to pick up other women?" Leonel asked in mock shock.
"You wouldn't dare." Aina's gaze narrowed with a dangerous light.
Leonel put up his hands. "Never."
Aina smiled. "Why are you standing so far away? Come over here."
Leonel strolled forward, plopping down and laying his head on her smooth thighs. It seemed that Aina had chosen a shorts option today, and he very much approved.
Aina smiled and didn't seem to mind.
"You look like you have a lot on your mind."
"The exact opposite," Leonel said with a grin.
"Is that so?" Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
"Definitely. Years ago I told you that if the choice was between the world and you, I would choose you.
"Today, I mean it even more.
"What do you say, Aina? Will you marry me?"