Scene 3.1 — The Night Before Meeting Evan
…While the golden hues of the sunset still lingered in their eyes, it was the weight of uncertainty that lingered in their hearts…
Though each of them carried different thoughts, the threads of their destinies were now intertwined—bound to cross paths with Evan's own thread come tomorrow.
Whether those threads would weave together, tangle, ignore one another… or clash—perhaps it all would begin with something as simple as a first impression.
That evening, dinner was more subdued than usual.
Even Yue, the ever-smiling sunshine of the group, seemed visibly unsettled. She couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer.
"Keela, what kind of person is your brother Evan? Why does it feel… so tense whenever he comes up?"
Keela paused at the directness of the question, then spoke with a cautious tone.
"Hmm… how should I put this… To me, Evan is… kind of strict, I guess?"
Yue tilted her head.
"Strict?"
Keela looked up toward the ceiling, trying to gather the right words.
"Sort of… a stickler for rules, but not in a neat-freak kind of way. More like… he values discipline. Rules are rules to him. And he always seems to be chasing some big goal he just has to achieve. So, even when he's just making small talk, it still feels intense."
Akira chimed in with a quiet question.
"Then why does Kalan seem to really dislike him?"
Keela pressed her lips together before replying.
"Well… maybe it goes back to how Aunt Anemone didn't really get along with Aunt Eliona. There were a lot of… clashes between them. Even after Aunt Eliona passed away, I think the fallout trickled down to Kalan. So now, it's like… he always feels like he's being unfairly targeted."
Elina slurped up some warm noodles before asking with a raised eyebrow,
"Is it that obvious? Slurp."
Keela turned to her and shook her head slightly.
"Not exactly. But there was one time when people from two neighboring towns got into a fight. Kalan and Evan both went to mediate—but things just got worse. I think ever since then… they haven't been able to see eye to eye.
Honestly, I thought it was a minor issue. But maybe now, they're so focused on the rivalry that they've forgotten the reason behind it altogether."
Draco raised an eyebrow mid-chew.
"That kinda sounds like the Flame Lion—the Sin of Wrath, doesn't it?"
Elina frowned at him.
"Swallow before you talk."
Draco gulped down his food and took a sip of water.
"Sorry. It's just… when we faced the Sin of Wrath, it felt like he was so consumed by anger that he'd forgotten what he was angry about in the first place."
Osiris, calmly slicing some vegetables with a blade that looked far too sorry for the lettuce, spoke up.
"Tell me how you did it. I heard that Sin was around for over a decade… and you only had three people at the time."
Yue trembled as she recalled the moment, her ears and tail drooping.
"Um… to be honest, we didn't defeat him by force. We couldn't. We were totally overwhelmed.
But then… an angel appeared. She made the lion remember his past.
And after that… he let out this massive roar, like he released all the anger he had bottled up. Then… he just disappeared.
So… I guess we kind of 'defeated' him… but only because the angel helped us."
Draco pointed at Yue with a playful grin.
"His outburst? He practically cleaved a volcano in two—nearly made it erupt just from that swing!"
Yue's eyes widened.
"Whoa, no way! That's way too much!"
Mirelle caught a detail that everyone else had glossed over.
"Wait a second, Yue. Did you say angel?
Aren't angels supposed to be in Elysium? Behind the Celes Gate? What was she doing here?"
Yue shook her head.
"I don't know… I'd never seen her before. Akira, do you know?"
Akira's voice was quiet, almost uncertain.
"I think… her name was Valkyrie.
She was the first person I met when I arrived here.
She gave me this outfit, these swords… even those ancient coins we took to the auction."
Mirelle teased him with a giggle.
"That's kind of weird, Akira.
You say you didn't know real gods existed, but you've met an angel twice already?"
Akira froze.
"Wait… you're right. How did I not realize that?"
His dazed reaction drew laughter from the group. Not because it was actually funny, but because seeing someone like Akira—who always seemed so careful and thoughtful—get blindsided by something so obvious reminded them…
That no matter how smart someone may seem, they're still human.
But Osiris cut through the laughter with a question no one could answer.
"Still… why did that angel give all those things to Akira?
It's like she already knew he was coming.
Like she was preparing everything… waiting for him specifically.
That can't just be a coincidence."
The room fell silent—like someone hit pause on reality.
Everyone stared down at their plates, lost in thought.
No one could find a response.
And the silence hung there. Long enough for the servants nearby to start sweating.
They exchanged nervous glances, unsure of why the atmosphere had suddenly become so heavy.
Keela was the first to shift the mood at the dinner table.
"Well, that's just it, isn't it? He's the chosen Hero. And having the right start, with everything prepared properly, can really make a difference when it comes to success."
Yue's eyes lit up with realization.
"That's true! Every Hero has a different origin story, right? So this must be Akira's style."
She reached out and clung to his left arm.
"You might still think you're just some rumor, but I believe it now. You're the real one. A true Hero. I mean—Valkyrie herself, a top-ranked angel, came to meet you. That's no ordinary thing.
So, what about you? Do you believe in yourself yet?"
Akira went silent.
He stared into Yue's eyes, then around at everyone else… then finally looked down at his plate.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and lifted his head to the ceiling. When he spoke, it was with a voice that dared not meet anyone's gaze.
"Back then… my only dream was to help my dad make games. He worked with my friend's dad—one a programmer, the other a business guy.
While doing that, I wanted to be a casual streamer, enter gaming tournaments from time to time.
Live quietly with the person I love. Maybe have two kids.
Take little trips on weekends.
Join school events when the kids had performances.
As long as there was enough money to live on without falling into debt, that'd be enough.
All I ever wanted was… a normal life."
His voice cracked—just a little—as a single tear fell, trailing down into the curve of his ear.
"But that 'normal' life feels so far away now.
I don't know how long it'll take before I can go back.
How long it'll take before I can finish all the things that were forced onto me—responsibilities I never asked for.
Sometimes… I'm just tired.
Sometimes I feel really, really alone.
I miss the people I left behind.
And yeah… there are times I want to give up."
He wiped the corner of his eye, smiling bitterly.
"Look at that. A dream of something so simple…
But when you're thrown into something extraordinary…
That dream becomes the hardest thing in the world to reach, huh."
Yue clutched tightly at his sleeve.
Akira turned to look at her, then at each of them one by one.
He smiled through his tears.
"But I want to say thank you.
Because even in this world, I've still got all of you.
Yue's bright smile.
Mirelle's playful teasing.
Draco's honest words.
Elina's calm, reliable presence.
Keela's amazing food.
And Osiris… with her perfectly reliable data."
He chuckled.
"Thank you… for being here with me all this time."
Yue leapt into a hug, her tears finally spilling as well.
Akira smiled, eyes still misty.
Mirelle slid in from the other side and snuggled into him wordlessly.
Keela came around and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
Draco stood up and gave him several firm, supportive pats on the shoulder.
Elina poured him a glass of water and gently placed it in front of him.
Osiris, meanwhile, looked left, then right—completely unsure what to do.
After a few awkward seconds, she grabbed a soft vegetable roll from a nearby platter, put it onto Akira's plate, and quietly drizzled the dipping sauce over it.
Akira grinned.
Even Osiris was trying to comfort him, in her own little way.
What had started as a tense dinner…
had somehow turned into a round of collective affection.
They stayed like that—quiet, warm, and close—for a little while longer before finally settling back into their seats to finish dinner. Eventually, everyone drifted off to their rooms for the night.
But just after Akira disappeared into his room, the girls exchanged glances.
A silent understanding passed between them—each one was worried about the boy who had become their "reluctant Hero."
Their eyes met… and soft giggles followed.
Then, with bashful smiles and light hearts, they each returned to their rooms—ready to unpack the mountain of shopping they'd collected earlier.
As for Akira, he took a warm shower, changed clothes, sorted through his things, and jotted down a short entry in his journal—something he always did before bed.
Once he was done and finally lay down on the soft mattress, Draco's voice called out from the next bed.
"Hope you get some good sleep tonight."
Akira chuckled softly, a dry kind of laugh.
"Heh… yeah. I hope so too."
He stretched out his hand toward the ceiling—pointing upward with his fingers.
Draco lay on his back and watched in silence.
Akira made a motion as if plucking something from the air, then gently closed his fist around it…
and brought it back to rest on his chest.
He closed his eyes. And, slowly, sleep took him.
Draco watched for a moment longer, then turned to face the ceiling himself.
"A normal life, huh, Akira…? That's what you dream of?"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"That's the complete opposite of me. I've always wanted to be someone extraordinary.
Maybe that's why you always seem so grounded—so calm.
Just like Master always wanted me to be… but I could never quite manage it."
He let out a soft laugh.
"Maybe I should be learning from you instead.
If I want to understand the Serene Mind,
I'll need someone like you to show me how.
So stay strong, alright?
Stay… for me, my friend."
Above them, the fiber-optic "stars" shimmered along the artificial dome of Skyperion's turtle-shell-like ceiling—each one blinking in soft, slow pulses like distant lights in the night.
And beneath those false stars, hearts that had long been heavy began to rest.
Some carried thoughts.
Some carried longing.
And some…
might carry dreams that whispered of omens yet to come.