“…That was one of the most horrendous meals I have ever had,” Alnea said, still shivering from the taste of the meat he had just eaten. Even his jaws were aching a little. “I never knew humans were capable of making something like that. Maybe it is an Arcana in itself…”
“Shut up,” Cecilia grumbled, sulking in a corner of the cave, with her head drooping towards the ground. “It was not my fault. You were the one who had not prepared the meat in the way it should have been.”
“…Do you think I am a professional butcher?”
“Then do you think I am a professional cook?”
“…At least I could have cooked better than you.”
“Then you cook the next time!”
“Seriously, you two… will you stop acting as children?” Yuri said, shaking her head with a wry smile. “This was the first time that we cooked something together, so there were bound to be some… technical difficulties. We will do it better next time. Besides, we are here to train, not to sate our cravings.”
“…You were the one who had the fiercest reaction to the food though.”
“…And you did not even do any work.”
“I was on the lookout for any Oren Beasts that might have attacked us…”
“Excuses.”
“Lazy.”
“Privileged.”
“Heiress.”
“…Why are you two suddenly teaming up against me?”
“This is teamwork.”
“We are cooperating with each other.”
“And training.”
“Isn’t that what we are here for?”
Seeing the baffled, and indignant look on Yuri’s face, neither Cecilia, nor Alnea were able to control their laughter. Especially when they saw the pout on her face. Shining in the white light of her Aspects, the rosy glow on her pale cheeks, as she glared at them, gave him an almost irresistible urge to pinch her cheeks. That was until he recalled how they still had a few months of training left. And how it was not a good idea to anger her. Though she rarely got angry at him, when she did, consoling her was always much more difficult than consoling Cecilia.
“…You two can restore your Spirit Power, and train your Spirit,” Yuri said, puffing up her cheeks, and walking towards the exit of the cave. “I will keep the first watch.”
“The cave is already very secure,” Alnea said. “There should be no need to keep watches, right?”
“What if some Oren Beast discovers the cave while we are all either training, or in the Origin Sea?”
“…That should not happen… probably.”
“Another thing you must learn, Alnea,” Yuri said, looking at him with a solemn gaze. “You must never leave things up to chances. If there is even a slight chance that Oren Beasts can find this cave, then we have to keep a guard. Always.”
“You can still do that from inside the cave too, right?” Alnea said, trying not to flinch at her sharp tone. “Why do you have to go outside?”
“Not just me, but when it is your turn to keep the watch, then you must also do it from the outside,” Yuri said, glancing towards the exit of the cave. “The view from the cave is rather limited. If we want to keep an effective watch, then we must do it from the outside, rather than the inside.”
“But—
“Leave it, Alnea,” Cecilia said. “When Yuri has decided on something, there is not much we can do to change her mind. Besides, she is right. Only if we keep a watch from outside the cave will we have a wider, and larger view, and will be able to see the incoming Beasts in time.”
“This is so troublesome…” Alnea mumbled, while using their rings, the rings of fate, to talk to Yuri telepathically.
“Be careful.”
“It should be the Beasts who have to be careful, not me.”
“Still, try not to do anything dangerous.”
“It is too late to say that, right?”
“…No, it is not. Because the dangerous things you are talking about is something that we are going to do together. So, if you want to do something dangerous, then wait for me complete my training. We will do it together.”
“…You are a fool.”
“I may be a fool, but I am your fool, right?”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“…Keep dreaming.”
“Come on, don’t be so shy.”
“…If you don’t have anything else to say, then I am going.”
“Alright, you win. Just remember to not do anything too dangerous without me.”
“…If you are worried about me, then complete your training a little earlier, and replace me in keeping watch.”
“I will,” Alnea said. “Just wait for me.”
Yuri did not reply. Neither did she turn towards him. Still, from the angle of her face that was visible, Alnea saw a slight curve making its way to the edge of her lips, before she walked out of the cave. Yuri… Sometimes, she could be so mature, and calm. Yet, at other times she could be even more childish than Cecilia. But he did not hate that part of her. Rather, it was another one of her charms. Something that he liked quite a bit. Almost on the same level as he liked her smile…
“Did something happen between the two of you?” Cecilia asked, breaking him out of his thoughts, and bringing his attention to herself.
“…Nothing happened. You were sitting here the whole time. Can’t you tell?”
“…You are acting suspiciously.”
“Stop finding excuses to delay your meditation,” Alnea said, laughing when he saw her face break down at his words. “You know you have to meditate.”
“…I know,” Cecilia grumbled. “But that does not mean that I have to like it.”
“…Just recover your Spirit as soon as possible. We cannot let Yuri keep guarding the cave for us forever, right?”
“Do you want to bet to see who will be done training their Spirit first?”
“…I will be Wandering the Origin Sea this time, and not training my Spirit.”
Disbelief crossed Cecilia’s face as she heard his words. After some hesitation, she picked up her courage, and said, “Shouldn’t we make sure that the area is truly safe before you go to the Origin Sea?”
“There is no need,” Alnea said. “Don’t we have Yuri keeping guard for us outside?”
“But you will be entering the Origin Sea… We can still have some of our consciousness scouring our surroundings when we train our Spirits, but once we enter the Origin Sea… Your body will be left completely defenceless.”
“So?” Alnea said, glancing towards the entrance of the cave with confidence. “Like I said, Yuri is guarding the cave for us. And I have full confidence in her. As long as she is there, she will make sure that no Beast would interfere with us. In return, all we need to do is to complete our training session, and let her rest as soon as possible.”
“…You are right,” Cecilia said, as blood rushed to her face. “Though I hate meditating… Since it is for Yuri’s sake, it cannot be helped.”
“Right, for Yuri’s sake,” Alnea said, chuckling at Cecilia, making her already flushed face, flush even more. She was probably reaching her limits. And once she broke past that limit, then he would have to endure another round of bullying. So, taking advantage of the moment when she had yet to recover from the earlier embarrassment, he went to a corner of the cave, and put his back its wall, as he took his seat on the ground.
“I am going to meditate, Cecilia. I will go to the Origin Sea immediately after I have recovered my Spirit Power. If you finish you training before me, then change your shift with Yuri. I will join you in a while. And if I finish before you, then I will do the same.”
“…Be careful in the Origin Sea.”
“I will,” Alnea said, and closed his eyes. Before he could start meditating though, he heard another voice inside his head.
“…Fool.”
“Were you eavesdropping in on our conversation?”
“You were talking too loudly. It is not my fault that your voices reached me.”
“…Take care, Yuri.”
“You too, Alnea. Be careful of the Origin Sea.”
“I will,” Alnea said, before concentrating within himself, within his Heart, and letting all his supressed thoughts overflow. From Yuri’s smile, to her mesmerising eyes, and from Cecilia’s grin, to her emotions hiding behind her strong front, all of those thoughts came flooding to him, drowning him in the possibilities that those thoughts opened, as he struggled to remain Serene.
It had been more than a year since he had met Cecilia, more than year since he had become her friend. Though he had lived with her for only a little more than a half of that time, that was enough for him to know her better than most of the people in the world. Especially since the day he had caught her trying to go Wander the Origin Sea with a disturbed Heart. Fortunately, he had stopped her in time, and somehow, her Heart had soon become Serene once again.
Still, Alnea remembered how he had felt back then. How his Heart had almost choked up from the loneliness, from just the thought of losing her… Maybe, his Roots were at work back then too, but his Roots could not create those feelings inside his Heart. At best, they could have only made him a little anxious. The rest came from within himself. Cecilia was a part of his Heart that he could not afford to lose.
Just as he could not lose Yuri. The simple, white haired girl, who kept smiling most of the time, and always kept thinking of him. He had met her just a few months ago, but these months had been enough for her to inextricably ingrain herself in his life. Just as he had become an inextricable part of her life.
From what his master said, travelling around the world to search for him, had made her a little reserved, and overly polite over the years. But after she had met him, and after all that they had experienced within the Origin Sea, she was beginning to let loose a little, and become a little more expressive of herself, of her emotions. She was beginning to become a little like how she used to be. How he had seen her in her memories.
Not at all times. Most of the time, it was when she was alone with that, and of course, with his master, that she would reveal her true self. In front of the others, including Cecilia, she still often tried to put up a strong, and calm front. Mostly out of habit. She had to always be calm, and composed. Always hiding herself, her identity. In the quest to fulfil her conviction, she had all, but sacrificed herself. And if he had not stopped her in time, taking his Oath for her, she probably would have sacrificed even more…
Maybe, it was exactly because of his Oath that she had opened up so much to him. And of course, because of the things they had been through in the Origin Sea. Of the things she had shown him. Her memories… Even though she did not show it on her face, she was quite a lonely girl. And had been one for quite a long time. A six year old girl, fighting her mother, and leaving her home to find a way to save her clan… a way to fight against fate itself… She had put on too much burden on herself. And it was starting to weigh on her too heavily.
But not anymore. Not after he had taken his Oath for her. Not after he had promised to help her fight fate, to help her change the fate she desired to deny. She… was not just his friend. She was much more than that. And an integral part of his Heart. One he could not do without…
An heiress of the Faed clan.
An heiress of the Serpia clan.
Maybe he was a little too selfish. But his Heart had already been set. And he was not someone who backed down from challenges. His Oaths were proof of that. Besides, being a little selfish was not bad. As long as his Heart, and conscience were Clear, everything would be alright.