"These elixirs…." Avril seemed lost, deep in thought, placing her gloved hands over the powerful elixirs. Her gloves were ripped at the seams, and Oscar frowned for an instant, confirming that something did happen to her. She snapped her gaze to him, clearly shaken and stunned by what her hands sensed. "It can't be.…"

"I asked Hons to give me some of the Wildersap for Marshal Exalts. When you went to take the test, I also put it in a request for a grade-four Supreme Healing elixir." Oscar pointed to the elixir on her right. Seeing her turn to the other elixir, he explained, "I also got you a grade-three Pristine Glow elixir."

"For what? Why?" Avril bit her lips, slight tears dripping down her cheeks. Her hands grasped the elixirs with care. "How much did it cost?"

"The Supreme Healing elixir should cleanse away all the scars. I thought long and hard about it, and I want you to feel better." Oscar closed in and removed her cloth mask, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. With his palm on her cheek, he stared into those large golden eyes, glittering like the two suns. "I know it may not heal the scars in your heart, but at least I want you to be freer than before, no longer hiding behind masks."

Seeing her tears never stopping, Oscar sighed. "I got the Pristine Glow elixir because I heard it's the best elixir for improving one's skin. It's very popular amongst female Exalts. I thought it would be perfect to pair with the Supreme Healing."

"How much did it cost?" Avril sniffed, holding back her tears. "She can't keep being in Oscar's debt like this."

"Part of why I got the Wildersap is because you held on long enough on the Lands of Zeret until I woke up. You also helped train Erden for the battle against Ruvin. You deserve as much of this as me." He placed the two elixirs in her hand, overlapping his against hers. "Drink it."

Avril wiped her tears with her removed cloth mask, stared at Oscar with a grateful smile, and drank the two elixirs. She coughed from how fast she drank it, but she downed the entirety of the two vials. The frost burns and scars along the right side of her face started to give off a strange orange glow. The same glow happened on her hands, dulled but still visible through her gloves. Avril yelped and hunched, clutching her stomach as the rest of her skin started to peel away and dissipate into nothing.

Oscar remembered the time Elder Saul gave him the Supreme Healing elixir. The process cleared away his mangled scars and even regrew his ear. Thinking of Elder Saul, he had nothing but eternal gratitude for everything the elder did for him. 'I wonder if he's still alive? He seemed very old.'

Avril's scream filled the room. Oscar ran over to her side, worried something might have gone wrong with the elixirs. Moments later, Avril settled down, her hair dangling over her face. "Is it over?"

"Looks over. How are you feeling?" Oscar couldn't see past the bundle of hair.

"Is it fine?" Raising her head, Avril separated her hair to show her face, and Oscar's heart skipped a beat as if struck by an arrow. Without the scars and burn on her face, Avril looked stunning, unbelievably stunning, beyond what Oscar imagined. He did like her even with the scars, but without them, she was like a muse, drawing his attention. Her skin had become glossy, her lips were rosy red, and her golden eyes shone vibrantly. Oscar gulped his suddenly dry throat and pointed to her gloves.

Avril glanced down at her hands and gripped the fingertips of her right glove. She paused, hesitating momentarily and closing her eyes before finally removing the glove. Her eyes slowly peeked open and soon widened to the fullest at the sight of her right hand, clean of all scars. She stammered and hastily removed her left glove, gasping at the clean hand. Tears flowed uncontrollably out of her eyes like a flood breaking the dam. She gripped her hair and sobbed without reserve.

Oscar embraced her, letting her cry into his chest. "It's alright. Let it out. It's not a dream. Cry your heart out and live a new life."

Her grip on his clothes tightened as she cried harder into his chest, the tears neverending. From her hiccups to the way she rubbed her face against his clothes, Oscar allowed her to carry on, stroking her head. After a while, her tears finally stopped, and she separated her face, her eyes sinking and tears glistening on her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Oscar asked, nearing his face to hers. She didn't seem to notice as she rubbed her eyes.

"Sorry about your chest. I'll get you a new one." Avril couldn't stop rubbing her eyes.

"It's alright. It belonged to a certain someone who would say this is the right way to use them. And he'd probably be screaming at me right now to get on with it." Oscar spoke in a whisper. He was so close to her face that their noses almost touched.

"Get on with what?" Avril removed her hands to see. Oscar moved in at that moment and overlapped his lips over hers. Her body jolted as if struck by thunder and then froze stiff. Not wanting to back down, Oscar wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, incited further by the faint muffled moans coming from Avril.

After a few seconds, Oscar released her lips, licking his lips after having tasted such a delicacy. The dryness he had felt ever since the Lands of Zeret was finally quenched. Avril was flushed to her earlobes, her eyes moist and slightly unfocused, intoxicated. Her rushed and hot breaths only fanned the flames welling inside him, and Oscar ran his hands across the lines of her indigo hair. She stammered for a moment before she recovered from her state. Oscar couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable some of her actions were.

"O-Oscar?" Avril murmured.

"Avril. I love you." Oscar said. "Long ago, I made the mistake of holding everything in, thinking about the timing and how it wasn't appropriate. But I don't want to do that now. I love you."

"E-eh…eh?!" Her confused words pressed Oscar onwards.

"We entered this city as Oscar and Avril Terr. Will you exit with me as the same?" Oscar took a moment to realize he was acting ridiculous by saying it roundaboutly and cleared his throat. "To rephrase….Will you marry me?"

Avril became as stiff as a statue in Oscar's arms, her blank face staring into the void. Oscar shook Avril a few times to make sure she was alright. Everything from her heart to her blood seemed fine. Only she was still frozen in shock. Soon, she blushed scarlet red and lifted her hands over her cheeks, her lips moving and quivering without speaking. It seemed she still couldn't find the right words to speak, making him more nervous.

Oscar helped tidy some of her uneven hair, his heart thumping louder and faster than even when he trained in Reis. If not for the Blood Transmutation with Erden, his heart might have burst or exploded at this moment. He never let his eyes stray away from her, this lovable woman who entrapped his heart. 'Please say yes. Please say yes.'

"I…I." Avril finally started to speak, sounding sad and full of grief, which made Oscar freeze this time. Scared of her saying no, Oscar clenched his teeth, seeing her lips move again. "I can't get pregnant."

"Huh?" Oscar accidentally said.

Avril's face grew darker as the grinding noise came from her teeth. "I know you always spoke about having a family of your own, but I can't give you that. Not even the Supreme Healing elixir could heal that. And if you're with me, you'll be hunted down by her and them. You might never get a moment's peace." Her face was getting paler, and her breathing grew more uneven.

Oscar hugged her and kissed the crown of her head. "I don't care. I want to be with you. We can still be happy with each other. Even if that mistress of yours comes knocking on our door, I'll protect you. So–" He raised her head to gaze at her face. He softly smiled and asked, "Will you marry me?"

Tears fell again. This time, he saw joy and delight replacing the heavy emotions from earlier. A faint laughter reached his ears, not the maniacal laughter of a broken person but an endearing one that made him want to embrace her tighter. "What do you say? Will you be Mrs. Terr?"

"If…." Avril smiled through her tears of delight. "If you would have me despite everything, then I accept. I love you too." She raised her hands over his neck and lunged in for a kiss.

Heated by her forward kiss, Oscar couldn't wait any longer and carried her over to her bed. He stared deeply into her golden eyes as she lay beneath him, a deep loving gaze. Oscar and Avril shared themselves in a bout of fiery passion, losing pieces of their clothing until finally intertwining their bodies, fully becoming one.