The morning air carried the faint scent of dew and fresh bread from the marketplace, mingling with the distant hum of merchants setting up their stalls. Sundermere was already alive with quiet movement, the early risers preparing for the day ahead. It was peaceful, but peace was something I had long learned to be wary of.
Elaris was still sleeping soundly, her golden hair splayed across the pillow in soft waves, her lavender eyes hidden beneath her lashes. I carefully shifted away from her warmth, taking care not to wake her as I got dressed. She looked so calm, so untouched by the weight pressing against my chest, the burden I had carried since losing my light magic.
It had been days, but the absence of it still gnawed at me. The warmth was gone—the golden, embers-in-the-veins sensation I had relied on. And in its place, something colder had taken root. The Rift wasn't a power that hummed with life. It devoured, pulled, and stretched at the edges of reality like a thing starving for more. Every time I used it, it felt like staring into an abyss, knowing it was staring back.
I shook the thought away and stepped out of the inn.
The streets were quiet save for the few who had already begun their day. The sound of wooden wheels creaking, of boots on cobblestone, of distant laughter. Then, a group of children ran past me, chasing each other down the street. Their shrill giggles rang out in the crisp morning air, a sound so full of life that it almost made me forget everything else.
Almost.
One of the boys stopped mid-step, his green eyes locking onto mine. His little face froze in realization, and before I could even blink, the rest of the group turned toward me.
"You're him!" The smallest boy jabbed a finger up at me, practically vibrating. "You're the Voidbane Seraph, right?! The one who killed the Vampire King!"
I hesitated. The title still felt strange, like something that belonged to someone else. But there was no use denying it. "Yeah," I admitted. "That's me."
Gasps erupted around me.
"No way!"
"You fought monsters!"
"My grandpa says you can cut through time itself!"
I blinked. "Your grandpa sounds creative."
"Can you show us magic?!" The smallest one nearly vibrated in excitement. "Come on, pleeease?!"
I flexed my fingers instinctively. There was no more light to show them. Instead, I called upon the Rift—just a fraction of it. A thin, swirling thread of deep violet-black mist flickered between my fingers for only a moment before vanishing.
The children… stared.
Then the red-haired girl stomped her foot. "That's not how it looked in the stories!"
"Yeah!" The brown-haired boy crossed his arms. "Where's the glow? The light?!"
A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. "That's… a long story."
Before I could figure out how to explain losing my magic to a bunch of ten-year-olds, I felt warmth press against my back. A pair of soft arms wrapped loosely around my waist, and a familiar voice—light, playful—murmured near my ear.
"You left me alone in bed again, love. I'm starting to think you don't appreciate my warmth."
Elaris' golden hair spilled over my shoulder as she leaned against me, her lavender eyes glinting with amusement.
The children froze.
And then, in perfect unison—
"SHE'S YOUR LOVER?!"
The brown-haired boy gasped dramatically. "You already have a lady?!"
The red-haired girl puffed up, crossing her arms. "That's not fair! I was gonna marry you when I got older!"
I choked.
Elaris chuckled, her grip tightening slightly as she pulled herself even closer. "Oh my," she mused, clearly enjoying this. "Looks like I have competition."
"You do!" The red-haired girl pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're pretty, but I won't lose!"
Elaris' smile widened as she tilted her head, her expression somewhere between amusement and teasing smugness. "That's adorable. But I'm afraid he's already mine."
"Right, my love?"
I sighed in defeat. "Yeah… she wins this one."
The red-haired girl pouted aggressively. "Fine… but I'm still gonna be stronger than you one day!"
I grinned, ruffling her hair. "I'll be looking forward to it."
After a few more minutes of playful banter, the kids finally ran off, their laughter fading into the distance. I watched them go, then turned back to Elaris.
She was already looking at me, a soft smile playing on her lips. "You're good with kids."
I shrugged. "I just… go along with what they say."
Elaris chuckled, lacing her fingers through mine. "Still. It's sweet."
For a moment, we just stood there, enjoying the quiet hum of the town around us. The warmth of the morning sun, the distant chatter of merchants, the simple feeling of her hand in mine.
Then, her expression shifted slightly, something playful flickering in her eyes. "You know… The Lovers' Flight is coming up."
I raised an eyebrow. "And that is…?"
Her smile turned secretive. "You'll see."
The morning air was thick with the weight of our journey, a constant reminder that Sundermere was just a pit stop, a brief moment of respite before we continued across the continents toward the ruin that housed Veylara's tomb. The king's request had given our mission legitimacy, but in truth, this quest had always been inevitable. I had made a pact, and now, my fate was entwined with something far greater than myself.
Elaris still held my hand, her touch warm and grounding as we walked through the waking town. The golden fields stretched endlessly around us, but I could feel the invisible pull toward something beyond them—the next leg of our journey, the ruin waiting across the great continents, whispering in the back of my mind like an unfinished sentence.
Elaris glanced at me, her lavender eyes studying me with quiet concern. "You're thinking about it again, aren't you?" she murmured, squeezing my fingers. "About the ruin… about her."
I let out a slow breath, nodding slightly. "It's hard not to."
Her grip tightened just a little, grounding me. "You should focus on something here for a change. You can't always live in the future."
I huffed a small laugh. "Easier said than done."
"Then try." She leaned her head against my shoulder for a moment before tilting her face up toward me. "Like what you're going to wear for Lovers' Flight."
I frowned. "Still haven't told me what that is."
She laughed softly, as if I had just asked something ridiculous. "Oh, my poor, oblivious Noctis," she hummed, stepping closer so that she could rest her chin against my shoulder. "It's a festival they hold here in Evaria once a year. Couples release twin lanterns into the sky together—one for each of them—symbolizing their journey side by side."
I blinked, caught off guard. "And you want to do this?"
Elaris pulled back slightly, arching a perfect golden brow. "Of course I do. I am your girlfriend, aren't I?"
I felt warmth creep up my neck at how effortlessly she said it. We had been together for a while now, but it still felt new, like a shift in reality that I was still adjusting to.
She smirked at my reaction. "I swear, for someone who's fought monsters, you're surprisingly easy to fluster."
Before I could come up with a retort, a familiar voice interrupted.
"Oi! Lovebirds!"
Alaria's voice cut through the street like a blade, sharp and teasing as ever.
I turned to see her striding toward us, crimson hair swaying behind her, emerald eyes flashing with something unreadable. She had a smirk on her lips, but her gaze lingered too long on Elaris' hand in mine.
"Having a romantic morning stroll, are we?" she drawled, crossing her arms. "How utterly adorable."
Elaris didn't even blink. "Jealous?"
Alaria scoffed. "Oh please. If I wanted him, I would've had him years ago."
I sighed. "Can we not—"
"Anyway," Alaria interrupted, flipping her hair. "We've got things to do, don't we? If you two are done playing house, we should probably start actually looking into the whole reason we're here."
Elaris sighed, giving my hand one last squeeze before letting go. "She's right," she admitted. "The livestock attacks, the figures in the woods—we've been delaying it."
Alaria smirked, satisfied. "Finally. Now let's get moving before something actually happens while we're standing around."
As we made our way back to the others, my mind drifted. The Rift pulsed beneath my skin, coiling like something alive, waiting. And somewhere in the back of my mind, Veylara whispered.
"You are wasting time, Noctis. Every moment spent here is another step toward something far worse. You are on borrowed time."