Aric clutched his chest, gasping for breath as he staggered back.
"Oh, come on, Aric!" Elara laughed, stepping toward him with open arms. "I didn't kill you or anything!"
Aric immediately sidestepped her, putting distance between them as he shot her a look of pure disdain. "At least tell me why you're trying to."
Elara only laughed harder, clearly taking it as a joke. Little did she know…
Aric let out a tired sigh, his gaze drifting toward the butler nearby, who was carefully dismantling the camera setup. 'Yet another influence of Heroes…'
This world had advanced far too quickly because of them. Technology that didn't belong in a medieval setting had been stitched into everyday life so naturally that no one questioned it anymore.
But for an outsider like Aric, it felt… off.
"Aric here!" Elara was holding out a small square photo, waving it at him. It was a polaroid. Aric paused for a second, glancing from her face to the picture in her hand. Then he took it, a faint smile forming on his face.
"Thanks."
Elara smirked, already turning away to hand out the others.
Aric looked down at the photo.
They all looked so silly.
"Aric! Help!"
Aric looked up just in time to see Tristan struggling in Elara's grip, flailing as she leaned in with zero hesitation.
"Elara is trying to kiss me!"
Aric stared for a second.
Then sighed, sliding the photo into his pocket.
A brother's duty, unfortunately, never ends.
"…Coming."
***
The Sun was setting.
"Elian! Wait! Where are we going?" Nessa panted, struggling to keep up as they climbed the hill.
Elian glanced back, a faint smile on his face. "It's a secret."
He slowed his pace, waiting for her to catch up before reaching out and taking her arm to guide her forward.
Nessa's face flushed instantly but she didn't pull away.
Soon, they reached the top. A quiet plateau stretched out before them. At its center stood a lone tree, its shadow stretching long across the golden autumn grass, swaying gently with the wind.
Elian steadied Nessa as they stepped closer to the edge.
From there, the entire thorp lay beneath them.
Durvarn.
The market square flickered with dim lantern light, barely visible from the distance. Fields of barley rippled softly in the wind, the waves clearly visible from top. The blackstone temple blended almost seamlessly into the land around it.
Nessa's eyes traced the familiar log walls encircling the thorp.
Beyond it, she could spot the nearest town Giawp. Resol spent most of his time there… Nessa bit her lip as she looked away.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Elian said quietly.
Nessa nodded, her eyes drawn to the sky.
In this world, sunsets didn't fall along the horizon. The sun drifted sideways, sliding across the sky instead of sinking beneath it. Even as night approached, it never fully disappeared. The red moon, they called it.
Though the actual moon—always fixed in the north—was just as crimson.
It never moved.
It was visible all day and night.
"I used to come here when I was a kid," Elian said after a while. "Whenever I want to cry."
Nessa blinked, caught off guard.
"…Then why aren't you crying now?" she asked, trying to sound light.
Elian smiled faintly.
"I might… soon."
His grip on her hand tightened.
Nessa looked at him, her expression softening.
"Elian… you don't have to be sad about leaving Durvarn."
She gestured toward the distant lands beyond the walls.
"All of us—me, Tristan, Aric—we all want to leave this place. Leave that house behind… and start over."
Her voice grew quieter.
"But we can't. Not yet."
She looked at Elian, who looked to be on the verge of tears, "So you have to leave for me."
Gently, she reached up and wiped the tears forming at the corner of his eyes.
"I want you to go out there," she said, smiling softly. "And tell me everything."
She stepped closer.
"What you see."
Closer still.
"What you buy."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"What you eat."
She paused for a heartbeat before resting her forehead against his.
"And most importantly…"
Her fingers curled lightly into his sleeve.
"I want to know what you do."
They stayed like that for a moment, Neither of them said anything as Nessa slowly caressed Elian's hair. Finally Elian spoke, his voice breaking, "Who said I'll miss this stupid thorp, you idiot…"
Nessa flinched slightly, pulling back just enough to look at him.
Elian met her gaze, frowning through the tears.
"It's you."
His voice dropped, barely audible.
"I'll miss you. Only you."
Nessa froze.
Her face burned red as she turned away, her lips parting and closing as if searching for words that wouldn't come.
"…Why only me?" she finally muttered.
Elian didn't hesitate.
He cupped her face with both hands, turning her back toward him. Their eyes met—close enough that she could see the tremble in his.
"I-It's because…"
He swallowed.
"I love you."
"..."
Nessa's pupils flickered as her mouth was left open. Then, tears swelled up in her eyes as she grinned wide, "About time you confessed… idiot."
Without hesitation, Elian's face was pulled towards Nessa's. Before both of them could process it, their lips met.
Once they began, they didn't stop.
They only pulled away when they had to breathe.
Nessa's chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared at Elian, her mind still catching up with what had just happened. Then—
Her expression shifted.
"…Elian."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"Your hair…"
It was getting darker. The sun had almost set, but even in the dim light, she could see it.
His hair was changing.
Elian exhaled sharply, his breath hot against her neck as he leaned forward slightly.
"Ah… yeah…" he muttered. "I think I'm starting to feel it."
Nessa's eyes widened.
Elian's expression tightened, his brows furrowing as something inside him twisted.
'Thaumaturgical Metamorphosis…'
The main way to awaken a conduit was through regular exercise, then, people will typically awaken at the age of 17 or 18, awakening at 15 would make Elian fairly talented. Additionally, other than exercise, a last push to awaken a conduit could be through an intense feeling of emotion.
This phenomenon was happening to Elian right now.
A notable feature about TM , however, is that awakening is extremely painful. Elian gritted his teeth as he held Nessa's hand tight. "It's so p-painful…"
His knees gave out.
"Elian!"
He collapsed forward, and Nessa caught him instinctively, struggling to keep him upright as she guided him toward the tree behind them. His weight leaned heavily against her as she steadied him, her heart racing.
"It's okay… it's okay," she whispered, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay calm. "I'm here. Just hold on… just a little longer…"
She offered her hand again.
He took it immediately.
Tightly.
Nessa winced, but didn't pull away.
She watched him, worry written all over her face as his breathing grew uneven, his entire body tensing with each passing second.
Soon… Elian was going to awaken.
***
"Mom is mad."
Tristan leaned in slightly as he whispered it to Aric.
Aric gave a small nod, not even bothering to look back.
There was no need to really… He could feel it after all.
Lilia walked a few steps behind them, her presence heavy, her mood worse than usual.
It couldn't be helped, Nessa didn't come home last night.
Lilia had been ready to search the entire thorp for her, but Tristan—somehow—had convinced her that Nessa had stayed over at the Maiw estate.
One last time.
No one really understood how he did it. But his guesses… they had a strange habit of being right.
So Lilia let it go.
For now.
As they approached the estate, a crowd came into view near the gates.
'Seems like the residents came to send them off.' This didn't surprise Aric, after all, they were considered quite philanthropical.
"…Surprise," Tristan muttered dryly.
Aric followed his gaze.
Nessa stepped out from the estate, walking beside Lara.
Aric's attention shifted almost immediately to the figure beside Elara.
He squinted.
"…Hmm."
The boy looked familiar—and yet, not quite.
Auburn hair.
Auburn eyes.
"…I think that's Elian," Tristan said, sounding just as unsure.
Aric's gaze sharpened.
'So he awakened.'
Elvis did tell him that Elian was probably going to awaken soon, however, Aric didn't expect it to be this soon. Then… It clicked.
"…Ah."
Aric's eyes slid toward Nessa as she met his gaze. He slowly grinned, causing her face to blush instantly.
'So that's what happened.'
He turned to Tristan.
Tristan looked back at him.
They didn't need words.
Both nodded.
Then, turning forward.
Nessa saw them, her expression went pale.
"…No."
Too late.
Both brothers broke into wide, identical grins as they sprinted forward.
"Brother-in-law!"