The last night of the Somaroha festival went rather quickly to my taste. Maybe two or three hours after the start of the dance around the Hazo, we were joined by Charle, Henri, and even Franq, who still managed to get there as he promised to meet up with them.

Together, we spent the rest of the night partying at the festival, since though that night was supposedly the last night of the festivities, it was planned to go on till dusk.

Despite having complained not even a few hours earlier of not feeling well, upon meeting up with Franq, the trio went into a drinking rampage. This went up from the moment they met till the moment they couldn’t take it anymore.

Dawn was close by, having parted way with the trio, Nia and I, we were now climbing up a large step street leading up to the nobles district, toward the Edouard castle. Of course, it wasn’t that we wanted to go to the nobles district, it was just that there was a place on that step street interested us.

"Just in time." Nia rejoiced.

Somewhere middway the street stairs, a place midways through the stairs was decorated with a classy balustrade that from here gave the impression that we were somewhere on a balcony, a balcony which gave a great overview of the district, and of course, with the dawn, the rising sun, which with its first ray was bathing the city in its light.

"It’s beautiful, don’t you think? No matter where the sun rises, it always looks the same, " Nia. commented,

"Yes, It’s just the horizon that changes."

"This reminds me of the Iharana Forest. I wonder what Ezra and Cyvrae are up to in the forest now."

"I wonder too."

As a gentle silence settled in, I decided that now was the best time for me to discuss a subject about which I had been looking for an opportunity to speak.

"Nia."

"Hum?"

"There is some things I would like to talk about. In fact, it’s been some time that I've wanted to talk about it, but just didn’t manage to find the right occasion."

"What is it?"

"I’ve been thinking about what to do next lately and... " Still a little bit hesitant, not really knowing where to start, yet knowing that it was now or never, I chose to sart with one I felt most confident talking about it with.

"First, I would like to thank you."

"What for?"

I didn’t answer her question, for I knew that she would soon understand, "I think there is something I have that is yours and that I deem is time that I give back to you."

The black and red patterns on my arms once again appeared, and then separating them from me, seven orbs flew out of me and levitated around my joint palms.

The seven orbs were initially cloaked inside a black and red oozie matter, but with a flick of my mind, it disappeared, leaving behind seven orbs of seven different colors, which I as soon as it did, reached out onto Nia.

"The Primordial Elemental Dragons Minerva, Chaotic Light, Quideossa, The Wind Calamity, Geon, The Rampant Mountain, Vara, The Ocean Great Snake, Quiannis, The Ocean Great Snake, Ezra, The Storm Harbinger, and finally, Qomoss, The Lightless Void."

"Thanks for allowing me to remember what An had over the years, forgotten." I whispered, silently calling out to each of what these orbs represented.

It was painfully laughable that everything left of those calamities that has caused that much suffering now resided inside just those tiny orbs.

"Why?" Nia asked, with a tone of concern and uncertainty in her voice.

"I’m really thankful to you and the seven primordial dragons for allowing me this chance to stand here, for without you and them, I wouldn't be standing here today."

That day, after I had battled Amira, I abusing powers I couldn't handle I stood on the brink of annihilation. It was the power of that I had set myself on fighting and killing that ultimately kept me alive, and allowed me to heal for the next two years following the fight.

As I had said earlier, I owe them this opportunity to be, today, standing here.

"Those are not for me to hold onto. The dragons must return to where they belong, where they may rest, and I’m sure you know what I’m talking about."

Reaching out for the orb, they flew to her. Similar to how they emerged from me, they fused onto Nia’s body and took form as a glowing golden circular tatoo-like pattern on her skin that, despite her clothes, could be seen glowing on her arms.

She returned them to her, where they belonged, but with seven of them evenly distributed on both of her arms, one was missing, but I restrained myself from commenting on it.

"How does it feel? different? "

Shaking her head, she said, "Even when you were holding them, I was still connected with them. There is nothing that has changed. For me, it was just a matter of who was holding them. But you, will you be okay without it?".

Her words reminded me of what happened that day, to knock me unconscious, she had used the links she had with them.

"Don’t worry, you won’t have to knock me unconscious like that time anymore. Nor will I ask you to make another ocean after me. I will be fine. " I reassured, as I made my arms retrieve their normal complexions.

"I too have something, which I believe is yours. I didn’t know when to give it back. " She handed me a strange markble-like object from her pocket, that I immediately recognized as the Reality Figer, which I had given her that day, before I left for the battle against Amira.

The sight of it took me back to my early years.

Just like I used to, I tried to control the reality figer so that it would assume its book form, but it didn’t work, which came as no big surprise given how the reality figer concretely works and the change I underwent thanks to the dragons.

"Thanks for keeping it for me." I simply said, as I put the marble thing in my pocket.

Having talked about the first matter I wished to discuss, I proceeded with the second one.

"When I had received Grandfather Emilien’s visit, he asked me what I was planning to do from now on."

"What did you answer?"

Once again, I didn’t outright answer her question. "Thanks to you, I was given, upon arriving here in Beaufort, plenty of time to ponder about what I wanted to do next. Since I, I admit from the moment I woke up, just kind of like I always did in the Iharana GreatForest, move southward, even though this time it was somewhat northward, in detriment of whatever or whoever has the horrible misfortune to be on my path."

"In these few weeks I met so many people than I ever did before, befriended those four, each weirder than the other, experienced many things I had forgotten the taste of, and discovered new and completely foreign experiences."

"It was fun. I think it's time for me to continue this journey. The pause was enjoyable, but I still have a lot to do. I still have a score to settle and a journey to finish. "

She didn’t seem surprised by my words, as her words confirmed, "So you finally made up, you’re finally ready."

"It took me a little while, but yes, I’m finally ready—but lately, no, not so lately, there is something about this journey I want to undertake that I can’t rule out by myself."

"What?"

"You."

"From the moment, I, you, we were stuck up together because, well, somehow our circumstances suggested it to be so, it started when we first met, then after that incident with Kiady, then again, after the battle against Amira."

"From the moment I start to consider what to do next, I realized that whatever I consider doing, I consider doing it, not alone, but with you, as I have done for the past two years. You get what I mean? "

"You want to pursue your journey with me at your side?"

"Yes, but that’s not all. I want you to share this journey with me, not because circumstances were dictating it to be so, not by culpability or feeling of responsibility toward me of any sort, but because you chose to do so of your own volition. Last time, I asked you if you wanted to share the rest of my journey as a friend. This time, I’m asking if you want to do it not as a friend, but as something more than just that. "

"More than just that? What exactly do you mean by that? "

"Come on, Nia. You know very well what I mean by that. "

"No, I don’t. Unless you tell me clearly, I won’t." She said, starring at me with a teasing smile on the corner of her mouth. She was barely able to hide it.

Clearly she understood very well what I meant, but was pretending she wasn’t, to tease me.

Remembering of how boldly we talked to each other that one time near the lake,

I couldn’t help but sigh and wonder to myself, "Seriously, what am I cowering for? We already both know what we feel for each other, the only thing left was, ..."

While looking at her blue eyes, I first reached for her wrist.

"By what I said, I meant, I want you to be someone with whom I want to share a lot more than simply a journey. I want you to be at my side to hear whatever mess I have again caused, to be there to hear whenever I have something on my heart to talk about, open heartedly. to knock sense into me if I were to again lose a screw like I did that one time. Whoa, I just realized that while I’m unemerating all that, it sounds like I'm just listing you a list of struggle you'll have to go through. " I joked.

"It sure did."

"Well, I guess that just how I am. A struggle to bear through. You know, I would've wished I could’ve given you something solid and stable like what Shawn is trying to do with Zaraha, but that’s just won't be me. I’m not good at building things. What I know best is blindly move forward and destroying things."

She didn't even bother to refute, instead she just smiled.

"Okay, it's starting to get really long, so I'll make it short, all which had been spouted earlier was my way of asking you to share my life, as messy as it is. Not just as a friend, but as lovers."

That’s it. The cat was finally out of the bag.

"Now... you finally said it."

"I guess I finally did. Sorry if it did take too much time."

Shaking her head, "Not at all. I would’ve waited as long as needed. But I knew that, from the moment you woke from your slumber, and accepted me, knowing what I was, that it wouldn’t take you long to come up with a decision. "

Reaching for my face, she said, "You know, two years ago, when the dragons surroundered their power to me, I made to them a promise; the promise to consider their wishes, which for the two following years I did. I, after all of this, finally, especially today, hearing your words concerning the primordial dragons, further made up my mind. The dragons must rise from their slumbers. This is not the dragon's wishes anymore, but my own wish that I would like to see through. "

One might wonder why she would be talking about dragons in a moment like this. The answer is that she knew what I was and became, and I knew what she was, so our fate was ultimately linked to that wish she had expressed.

Understanding the underlying meaning beneath those words, I couldn’t help but mumble, "Nia... You '"

"I have something else, for you," She said, to then once again, retrieved something out of thin air, which she presented to me, and immediately recognized.

It was her father’s alliance.

"You asked me how I would feel on sharring a messy your journey with you, I have one better for how would you feel about a journey to eternity with me. One that is not yours, not mine but ours, to the end journey will be ours, beyond reaches of time. "

Fully understanding the implication of her words, I declared, "If that is your wish, then so will it be mine." Accepting the ring that once belonged to Solomon

For a moment, we just stood there looking at each other in the eyes.

"So that’s it, right? We are now more than just friends. "

"Yes, pretty much."

"So how is it? Is there anything you’re feeling that is different than a few minutes ago? " I asked.

"I don’t know."

"Is that so?" Can I? "

"What?"

"It's something I always wanted to do."

With my hand, I motioned her to open her arm wide.

The moment she complied, I approached her, took her in my arms, and pressed her against me.

"It sure does beat fast."

"What?"

"Your heart."

Pressing against her, I heard her heart pounding, just like mine was, but it wasn’t just that; I also heard her breath, low but heavy breath.

It was only then that I realized how carried away I got. "Ah... sorry, I was just you know, checking your heartbeat."

"You know that I know that you don’t need to do that to check on my heartbeat."

I sure didn’t, after all I could perceive it from a distance.

"Maybe checking on your heartbeat wasn’t really the point," I confessed, before wrapping my arm around her.

She was a little surprised by my action, but a short moment later, she responded back to my hug.

As I started to release her from my embrace, I was overwhelmed by yet another bold urge, which I was somehow managing to suppress until I saw Nia, whose face was red with blushiness and trembling like a leaf, yet still firmly leaning into me, closing her eyes.

Leaning myself toward her, I closed the distance between our faces.

Reaching a certain distance, "Yep, there was no turning back now." I told myself internally.

And just as I went for it, in that one moment, my lips were about to reach hers, we were interrupted by a voice calling out.

"Hey, this area is prohibited to..."

Heaving in annoyance because of the horrible timing, I, looking in direction the voice came from, saw four guards walking down the stairs from the noble district.

I was about to, well, I don’t know what I was about to say, but I was about to, through one way or another, make them hear about me, but before I could do anything, Nia reached for my hand.

Shaking her head, "It’s not worth it. I’m sure Madam is worried about where we vanished off to after we had promised her to be back at dawn," Reaching for my hand, she pulled me to follow her, "We'll make everyone worried, by wasting time here, let's go back to the Auberge. This time we have time, let's do things properly, Ronandt ."

"Yes."

Behind us, I heard the guard shouting at us to stop, but we paid no heed.

Her words remind that right now, for once, I finally have the opportunity to do well, the opportunity to bid a decent farewell, especially, this time around, after the friendliness and the hospitality Madam and the others, except Shawn, had shown us thus far.

She is right, I can't change what has been done, but this time, I feel I can do it right.

No, that’s not that. I won’t claim I will do things right, but I certainly will do them the way I want them.

***

A few days later, as if good fortune was smiling at me, Nia notified me of their return.