On the stage, an ensemble of musicians gathered before one of them raised his voice, commanding attention. "I believe we last left off," he began, his words harmonizing with the gentle plucking of a three-stringed instrument and the subtle beat of a small drum, which flowed with the soothing hum of a flute, enveloping the audience in the narrative, “With Ancient Mythral, threatened by all forms of beasts and gods alike," he said, and the crowd's whispers were silenced by the sounds of his instruments as they began to swell with the story.

"The Tian Sovereign gathered his Six Guardians to restore peace to our land, and so with the power of his Guardians, the threats that came were eradicated." He said as the harmony between the instruments became more intense with his words.

"For a time Mythral knew peace, The Tian Sovereign and his Generals watch over the mountains, the valleys and all the lands under the orange sun of Mythral." He said with a pause to immerse the crowd in the tale.

"We became a domain envied by all others, the Tian Sovereign allowed us to grow stronger with his Guardians watching over us. Mythral was the strongest of all domains and it only stood to grow stronger, and in the face of gods that wasn’t something to take lightly." he said as the instrument’s harmony followed his words as if a battle was unfolding. "Once again Mythral faced threats from the gods that ruled the other domains," he continued, as his music grew more intense, causing hearts to beat with the music.

"The Tian Sovereign's strength was enough to defend us, the safe harbour he created, to become an unbreakable bastion, contain his history, his very being and the strength engraved into us all, even today. His power can be seen in his legacy." He said with his voice growing louder as he spoke, his words were met with instruments captivating his tone,

"A Great War that scarred the land, our very domain is but a relic of that time, a reminder of the suffering we all endured but a price was paid to protect us, the Legendary Xiao, The Tian Sovereign’s generals had fulfilled their duties. The Tian Sovereigns mourned his six Guardians for they sacrificed themselves to ensure our safety, but he did not leave us defenseless. it’s said the entire world witnessed his fury as chaos plagued the world beyond our domain and his entire body that spanned Mythral tore our home from the rest of the world. It’s said before he sent us to safety, he left us with these words…” he said as the symphony of instruments once again grew quite to create tension in the air before his voice once again rang out.

"The age of Gods and Monsters has passed, and my creation the Xios have paid the ultimate price. They have protected our safe harbor and cleansed the lands, for the final time… I’ve taught you many things and no deity will ever come to harm any of you. I believe you all will take care of my legacy as I pass it down to you, you have all grown strong. I am proud of Mythral and its people," he said allowing the sudden symphony to roar and engulf the air before the ballad faded off with a soothing yet inspiring hum, leaving the audience to erupt into applause.

I knew the ballad quite well considering the history of our city and the lore it told, and to be honest I wasn’t exactly paying attention to it. In a way I found myself mesmerized by Kazu, while his amber eyes seemed to shine in the lantern light, his expression seemed so calm and collected like nothing around him even mattered, while the people around us clapped in respect to the man who just told the tale.

But he didn't seem to care about it at all, as if he had just heard something so absurd it left a bad taste in his mouth.

And I found myself able to fathom that feeling. The exact taste that swelled in his mouth at the mention of… Gods?

It was almost as if he was from a completely different world for a moment before that indifferent expression of his seemed to return. "…Well, that was interesting," he said with a light sigh.

I only smiled as I took a sip from my cup. "It was," I said softly while his gaze returned to me, causing me to gulp down the remainder of my drink.

And yet Kazu's gaze lingered on me quietly as the crowd continued their chatter with a now heightened spirit. “… maybe all this is a bit much, how about we get going," he suggested which was more than fine with me as I quickly followed beside him.

We left the tea house with me trying to ignore all those that looked at me as we left. Once outside a singular breath left Kazu’s lips while his amber eyes seemed to fixate on something far beyond me.

"Are you alright, Kazu?" I asked clearly noting the slight annoyance he held, which was unusual for him, but he still gave me the attention from the corner of his eyes.

"Hm, yeah, I'm fine," he said before he began to walk away, which caused me to sigh in response to his attitude, somehow, I knew something was on his mind

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"We don’t have to go back just yet… there’s this place I like to go, when I’m feeling overwhelmed, maybe we could go there for a bit," I suggested causing his gaze to turn to me with an expression I couldn't quite read.

But his amber eyes held my gaze for a brief moment. “It is pretty late…” he muttered, more so to himself before I sighed and crossed my arms, hoping this might convince him.

"Come on, just let me take you there, it's not that far away and I guarantee you'll feel better after some fresh air." I insisted with heated cheeks and my glare he seen many times before.

“Fine, I'll let you take me," he said which caused my cheeks to burn more as I led the way to the docks.

We walked together in silence again, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as it was before, in fact, I increasingly found myself getting comfortable with each step we took.

And I could say that Kazu wasn't very talkative or really had any intention to talk, but it didn't bother me, I've gotten used to that part of him.

Or was it simply because I was the one to take the initiative in this.

Regardless, my thoughts drifted to our little outing and how Theitus and Altear had set it up.

It still felt like a date to me, even if they were just teasing, it was more of Theitus and Altear’s way to try and get me closer to Kazu, in more ways than one, which they somehow knew about my mixed feelings towards Kazu.

Eventually, I led the two of us to the once grand harbor that now seemed abandoned for years but that didn’t mean it wasn’t well kept, in fact in shined brightly in the moonlit sky as the tranquil waves lapped against the wood.

The colder season only painted a light mist on the water's surface that gave a strange serenity to the whole area. It was perfect, it was quiet and gave me the comfort I desired.

Of course, Kazu looked around the area before his amber eyes noticed me already sitting at the edge of the dock, my legs dangling off the edge as my head faced the moonlit sea.\

It was something I did whenever I needed some time to think, but it was also something I did when I just needed some time to myself. “You can sit beside me, if you want." I said with my attention still focused on the shimmering waters as Kazu took a few steps towards me before he sat beside me.

We were quiet for a long time before Kazu asked.

"… you do this often?" He asked as I was finally able to meet his gaze, and for some reason he seemed to be staring at me like he was trying to figure out why I did it.

"Sometimes, I come here to clear my mind, the world seems so much bigger out here,” I replied with a light chuckle actually thinking I sounded pretty dumb saying that.

Kazu however, didn't seem to mind, he actually seemed to understand me which felt nice for a change.

"… can’t you just do that anywhere though?” he asked, which caused a slight irritation to overcome me for a moment.

“Maybe for an… idiot like you,” I muttered under my breath, but Kazu seemed to catch every word.

"Idiot? What are you talking about, I’m far smarter than you," he replied flatly.

And yet despite a remark that should have offended me, I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh expecting something so typical of him.

"Not in that sense… it’s just you seem so indifferent to everything, and you seem to find it easy to say the things you do, sometimes I wish I had that confidence you do," I said as I laid down with a sigh.

“Huh? Do you not have any confidence in yourself?" he asked as if he needed to.

"Not really, I mean I know everyone in the palace says I'm strong and all that, but... I’m still nothing compared to Theitus and Altear or even you,” I said somewhat reviving a similar conversation we had before, but it was something that stayed on my mind and a drive for change that burned deep inside of me. “That day you chased off those two bullies, you were actually pretty scary… I never seen you look like that before,” I confessed with a slight blush on my cheeks “… an overwhelming intensity in your every motion, A gaze so focused and sharp, almost as if you wouldn’t have hesitated to cut them down,” I said recalling the moment, while Kazu didn't seem too phased by it. Like always.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? let those two bully you around?" he asked like it was common sense.

"That wasn't the point. You know that right?" I said which seemed to cause a brief pause of silence to pass between us. "What I'm saying is, I want to get stronger," I began. "I want to become strong enough to have a presence like yours, and more importantly be able to stand up proudly instead. If that makes sense, heh," I confessed which left me feeling rather embarrassed and yet, Kazu seemed to understand my intent and didn't try to argue against it.

“… you still don’t get it, do you?" Kazu remarked with a soft sigh and his amber gaze piercing right through me. "You not only broke through the third stage of cultivation but not long after you broke through the fourth stage. That's not something anyone can do Isabelle, you really are something special." he said which left me blushing but when I glanced over to him, his features seemed to soften into something a little gentler and I felt his gaze become somewhat warmer.

Like he truly meant what he said. Almost as if he had finally acknowledged my efforts.

It felt like a victory of sorts, one I found myself holding onto while my heart thumped louder than it ever had before.

And yet I couldn't help but feel this overwhelming need to say something that I didn't quite know how to say. But I knew Kazu understood, and perhaps it was because he did that I finally spoke up.

"Kazu, what was bothering you earli-" I began but was interrupted by his amber glare and usual flat tone.

"It was nothing, I promise. It's late, we should head back," he said with a soft sigh, but I couldn't help but feel like it was more than that, but I left it at that. Kazu got to his feet before offering me a hand up.

"Alright," I said with a soft smile before I took his hand.

The wall between us seemed to come down with that moment, it was a bit awkward for me, but Kazu seemed fine with it as if nothing changed. In a way I looked at Kazu in a different light as he led me back to the palace, just us walking along the chilled stone path home.