> The legendary shield artifact at the Parian Temple of Ubsola is no longer functional.

> —Kraej City Research Bureau, Special Topics Report No.971

Asteria

After an excellent dinner of slow roasted monster meat, we rested and I played the violin for us.

Uriel and Sariel were in good spirits and reminisced about the times when they used to go monster hunting in their youth. Nowadays, the military flew them in and out on helicopters, but when they were teenagers, they used to go hunting and camping in the wilderness like this. Seraphiel, of course, had no such memories since he grew up in an orphanage then the EL Project laboratory.

They wanted me to sleep early because we’d be up at dawn tomorrow, but I told them to stay awake until midnight, promising them a sight that they’ll never forget.

“Ely, let’s go to the lake,” I said when it was close to midnight. We set off with a picnic blanket.

During our walk earlier, I’d found the perfect spot. A small tree at the shore of the Crystal Lake had branches hanging down almost to the ground on both sides. The space under the arch of branches was cozy and sheltered.

I held the lantern while Seraphiel spread the blanket on the ground. It was still a little cold so Seraphiel spread his coat on the blanket for us to sit on.

“The weather is perfect for this,” I said. Here, away from the city, the air was pure and the night sky could be seen clearly.

“What are we waiting for at midnight?” asked Seraphiel.

“You’ll see,” I said. “I wish I’d brought some snacks to munch on.”

Seraphiel handed me a bag of candy.

“Thanks. Here’s something for you.” I showed him the silver hair bead I’d bought for him. There was also a bead pin and leather string. “Look, it’s got the rune of protection etched on it.”

“Thank you.”

“Let me put it on for you.”

I took the leather string and used it to slip the hair bead onto one of his braids. Then I placed the bead pin on the spot where I wanted the hair bead to stay and moved the hair bead over it. The pin would help it stay in place without sliding down. I’d practiced this on my own hair.

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I took a mirror from my pocket to show Seraphiel how it looked. The silver contrasted nicely with his black hair.

“Do you like it?” I asked.

“I like it,” said Seraphiel. He took my hand and kissed it quickly, releasing it immediately. Even that short a time made my gorge rise.

I sighed.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get anything for you,” said Seraphiel.

“It’s alright. What time is it?”

“It’s almost midnight.”

Looking around, I stayed silent as I ate the candy and waited for the event I had seen in “Tales of Vesterland.” In a few minutes, Seraphiel made a soft exclamation of surprise when the trees around the lake came alive. Glowing insects, called silver fireflies, were doing their mating dance in the trees.

“Beautiful,” I said. Thousands of silver fireflies glowed bravely against the darkness of the night. It was a magical sight.

“Beautiful,” said Seraphiel, but he wasn’t looking at the shimmering trees. He was looking at me.

I blushed.

“Look. This is a phenomenon unique to this lake. The silver fireflies don’t live anywhere else in such numbers.” I waved my arm to indicate the lake.

“Is it beautiful?” said Seraphiel as he obediently turned to look at the glowing insects.

I was surprised by his lack of reaction. “Don’t you think so?”

“I don’t know if it is or not. Beauty isn’t something I’ve been trained to observe,” said Seraphiel.

“What? But you love plants and you have a lot of art in your apartment.” How could someone like Seraphiel not think this sight was beautiful?

“I like to see plants growing, but I don’t think they’re beautiful. The art came with the apartment.” Seraphiel gazed at me, his golden eyes glowing with an inner fire. His hand hovered over my face without touching it. “This is the only beauty I see here.”

“Impossible. People can’t live without beauty,” I said.

“Well, there is one thing I’ve always thought was beautiful ever since I was released from the lab.”

“What?”

“The stars. At night, I’d look up at every blazing star and wonder if you were there among them,” said Seraphiel.

The smile that illuminated his face was like a deadly weapon piercing me straight through the heart. Suddenly, I felt breathless.

“You…” I covered his eyes with my hands, ignoring the nausea, and turned his face towards the lake. I removed my hands. “Look. The silver fireflies are like fallen stars dancing with each other.”

Seraphiel and I silently watched the glowing insects’ midnight mating dance.

“You’re right. It is beautiful,” said Seraphiel. His head was tilted back, his lips slightly parted.

In the darkness, I sent a prayer to the goddess that we would be victorious. I wanted to spend many memorable nights like this with Seraphiel. I lay down on the blanket and enjoyed the sight of the silver fireflies and Seraphiel.

“I’m glad,” I said.

I patted the space beside me. Seraphiel lay down, too, hands behind his head. After a moment, we turned our heads and stared into each other’s eyes.

“I think I can see beauty if I’m with you,” said Seraphiel. “Beauty exists for me only when you’re there. You said that people can’t live without beauty. I can’t live without you anymore so please stay with me. Never leave me.”

“...”

“Promise me,” said Seraphiel.

“I must do my duty. When it’s over…” I propped my head up with my arm to look at the silver fireflies and the lake. “For now, let’s enjoy the moment. I’m happy to be here with you.”

“I’m happy, too.”

Seraphiel and I lay side by side but not touching until the silver fireflies finished their dance.

END VOLUME ONE