After the long, pleasurable, and relaxing bath, we arrived at the room where we slept, getting hold of some clothing. We traded glances, small smiles, and soft kisses like an enamored couple.

Our passion for each other grew stronger, just like the first time. It felt like we were meant for each other. But a question remained: would it even be possible? Would Astal allow such behavior? I lowered my head, thinking about such things, attracting an expression that looked gloomy.

“What’s wrong, Yuki?” Her calling for me was immediate. She saw my sadness and took no time to embrace it, in hopes of seeing it go away, to get it fixed.

“Is it even possible for us to work out?”

“Ah!” She understood quickly the issue, grasping my body in hers with a tight, warm hug.

“My older brother has my sister. It is my privilege as the youngest to follow my own path. But...”

“But?” I questioned her instantly, as that pause concerned me.

“Well, if you want my parents to accept us, I guess that’s a lot harder. You’d need to be even with my brother, to show my father of your prowess. After all, there’s nothing you can’t acquire with enough talent.”

I let out a muttering sound, telling her silently that I understood.

‘Wouldn’t that mean that anyone would be able to get Sofia to themselves?’ I tightened the grip around her, not willing to partake from her. It may have been the first time I felt possessive, but losing her would only make me sadder and empty.

My fate was dreadful. I didn’t know if I could resist the god tree curse for a long time. Sure, I had my past world memories to comfort me, but the people from back then were dead. I needed allies, friends whom I could trust in this life, and even lovers with whom I could share my burden. If I was to live forever, then, by all means, I didn’t want to be alone.

“I don’t want to ever lose you,” I finally told her about my resolution towards the conclusion of my needs. I felt like I had a spur of growth at that moment, not physically, but as a person. It was clearly not something I would have said back then, not even something I could say to someone that wasn’t a family member, and even then, it had to be a very close one.

Her cheek rested on my shoulder, leaving a cute smile on the side.

“If possible, I’ll remain at your side, forever.”

Her words made me unsure of the eternity that she conveyed, but I was at least aware that her feelings were genuine, that she really wanted to be with me. Just there was no certainty that it would be possible.

I held her firm, squeezing her in my embrace for two seconds, and then I let go of her. She coughed at that.

“A little too hard?”

“A little bit,” we chuckled at our own silliness.

“As a guest, what should I do?”

“Normally, I would say do nothing and live leisurely, but...” her eyes glanced at me from top to bottom before continuing.

“If you truly are who you seem yourself to be, and want what you said you wanted, then partake in training.”

At that I smiled nervously, not that I was unwilling, just didn’t know what to expect from it.

“Once you try it, you can opt to not do it again if you can’t handle it. No one would complain,” she grabbed my hand, lowering her voice, “I won’t resent you for it. Fighting is not for everyone, after all.”

She declared, leading me outside this darkened space.

“How come your room has no windows?”

Her hand pulled the door handle, closing it on our back.

“Anyone that is not a genius with the sword in this family, is thrown aside.”

I felt sorrow at her words, and it pained me, yet it wouldn’t be as painful as the following ones.

“This is the Aria family. The talentless have no place in it.”

It sounded chill like snow, almost like she had transformed into an ice dragon, spewing icicles out of her mouth, freezing the hall.

Before we headed downstairs, I stopped at the door at the end of the first hall, the bathroom. I didn’t take long in it, and didn’t forget to wash my hands in a nearby bucket, drying it on a white piece of cloth, similar to a towel, but thinner.

“Alright! Let’s start this day!” My eyes gleamed with joy, a little fiercer and I’d be shooting beams, forcing others to feel it, too.

Once outside the bathroom, I attempted to grab her hand, but she dodged.

“I know,” she smiled faintly to me, “but... unless you get permission, it won’t end up well.”

“Alright, I understand.”

I didn’t falter with her words. It was not like she denied our bond, or us being a thing. But as a mere guest, I had yet to find worth in me, in this life.

My starting line was to have Sofia all to myself. We wandered through the halls, down the staircase, and arrived at the kitchen, receiving our meal.

There was no fancy meal in the dining room. No maids and butlers brought us different dishes, and us, having to use a lot of different utensils.

Sofia told me that since her mother became sick, such things were no longer a thing. As great as Astal was as a swordsman, he was still human. At least, towards his wife and legacy.

After the meal, I gave the leftover food to the little flame as an apology for thinking of drowning it in water once.

We then made our way outside under the mild heat and the fresh cared grass, ending up inside the smaller building where the training ground awaited. It was devoid of people.

“I saw my father taking you here yesterday. He doesn’t usually do that. Did you get to spar with him?”

My left eyebrow rose in confusion, “spar?”

“It is a fight between two people for practice. It helps in teaching and to become aware of where you stand.”

“I see... all we really talked about was the calling.”

She took a seat on the wooden floor, crossing her legs, and placing her arms on them.

“What is yours?”

“Sword dancer.”

She furrowed her eyes surprised, “that’s a little different from us, sword masters.”

And that was when I realized I had committed a mistake, further going into shock as Astal told me I could not change it once I had selected it.

“All the callings are useful in their own way,” she tried to appease me, as a lot of negative emotions must’ve reflected in my face.

“Really?” I pleaded within myself for that to be true.

“Yes. It would be a lot worse if it wasn’t sword related,” she shrugged her shoulder before continuing.

“For example, imagine you want to learn how to use a sword, but you pick a calling for an archer. Not only would you have a hard time learning how to use a bow, but it would also cause your potential to dull.”

Her explanation wasn’t hard, though it did feel a bit complex.

‘If that’s how it is, then my only path is to learn the sword now,’ My thought became the deterrent of despair, finding new hope for my choice.

“Your path will, however, differ from my family’s one, but we’ll still be able to teach you what we know,” she lowered her gaze, muttering lowly, “some of it.”

“I understand.”

Every family must have its own reservations, and this was a very prestigious one. Just being taught the basics would already make my foundation better than outsiders.

“Thank you!” I smiled from cheek to cheek, grateful for being taken care of by them.

“Good,” she replied with a serious expression, one that portrayed the maturity of a woman who spoke of important matters. Thus, taking any of it lightly would certainly cause our relationship problems.

“As much as I’d like to teach you what I know, there might be some things that only you can learn by yourself. After all, our callings are different, and even if you use the index, it won’t give you much of an explanation.”

“Really? It has helped me a lot before.”

“To the basic stuff perhaps, go on and try it. Maybe it’ll give you a good hint.”

I asserted with a nod, placing my hand on my chest and shouting the word index.

At my bodily behavior, Sofia laughed.

“It seems you learned that with my father.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

Sofia smiled, gazing towards the ceiling, wondering if she should tell me or not.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me,” I closed a bit of our distance, poking her cheek with my fingertip.

“Ah yes. I mean, you don’t have to actually do that pose, or even say the word. You can just think about it.”

“Then... why did he teach me that way?”

Sofia burst with laughter at my confused self, understanding that her heart candidate was truly clueless in the ways of humans.

At her reaction, I became slightly angry, crossing my arms and evening my gaze from her.

“Fine, fine! I’ll stop!”

I remained still, “I ain’t moving till you tell me.”

“Yes, yes,” her hand extended to the top of my head, patting my hair softly, caressing my ears without provoking something strong with them.

“Uh...” I resisted her, but her touching appeased me, calming me down. My tantrum disappeared, but yet, I remained still, waiting for the answer I sought.

“That is how the soldiers do it. That’s the way they are taught since they join. It’s also how they salute the ones with higher rank, excluding the index word, of course.”

I stole a glance at her, who smiled cheekily after noticing my behavior.

“Isn’t your dad someone like... very important?” I tilted my head slightly, allowing my arms to fall.

“Yes, but the ranks in the army are different. The one above orders the one below. They call it a chain of command. Of course, they can’t be rude to prestigious people like nobles. Especially in my family case. We are a special breed of purebloods, after all.”

“I see...” There truly was a lot for me to take in, politics being a major part that I had to memorize. There could come a day when such information could be necessary.

My eyes glanced at the black screen in front of me, and then I touched my calling, allowing more information to seep into my mind.

‘Sword dancer, one who wields one or two blades and waltz with them. They excel in agility and out maneuvering their opponents with swift movements.’

At the feedback my mind received, I smiled. Perhaps this choice hadn’t been so bad after all.