Theo wouldn't have minded holding Zenith's hand forever, but it'd look too much like they were on a date if they walked around town like that. So he let go once they were outside. Zenith didn't seem to mind, anyway.
Instead, he seemed absorbed in his surroundings, glancing at the bustling shoppers and busy storefronts with a subtle but keen interest. Which made Theo curious. "How long have you guys been on Earth, anyway?"
"Three weeks, five days," Zenith replied without missing a beat.
So not that long at all. Sights like this vibrant shopping district, ordinary as they might be to Theo, must still seem altogether new and wondrous to him. Theo thought about the wasteland he'd glimpsed in the first arena and the way Darian had described Tielos.
"Earth must be really different from Tielos, huh?" he said softly.
"It is," Zenith said. "Even the few cities in the wasteland aren't as active as this."
"Why don't more Tielans just come to Earth, then?" Theo blurted. "I mean, I wouldn't say Earth is perfect, we've got wars and pollution and stuff, but it's gotta be a lot better than a giant wasteland, right?"
Zenith shook his head slightly, his ponytail swinging. "It's not that simple. Earth may be more comfortable than the wasteland, but it can never be our home. Not when the land possesses no Levia."
"But I thought Tielos was drained of Levia?"
"Some still remains. A very small amount, but enough to resonate with our individual Levia. That resonance....we can never experience it here." Even behind his glasses, Zenith's intense gaze pierced Theo. "It's difficult to explain, but without it, we feel...incomplete. As if there's a gaping hole inside our souls."
"I see," Theo said, digesting this information. "So it's not easy for you guys to be here."
"Perhaps, but it's necessary." Zenith's gaze didn't waver. "My liege cannot accomplish her mission without a strong wizard. And likewise, neither can I aid her. I'm truly grateful to have found you, my – Theo."
Heat bloomed in Theo's cheeks; he had to look away. "It's – it's nothing, really, I haven't done much....uh, so is there anything you want to buy? I can treat if it's not that expensive."
Not the most elegant way to change the subject, but he didn't want to continue this embarrassing conversation. Zenith took it right in stride. "Nothing in particular. Lady Meg handles all of our necessities."
"Oh, is she the one who bought your clothes?" Theo couldn't picture the stoic knight having enough of a sense of style to dress like a prep of his own volition.
"My liege chose them." Zenith frowned a little, adjusting his glasses. "She claims that they 'suit' me. These glasses as well, though they're unnecessary. Far be it from me to question my liege's judgment, however."
Well, Theo thought as he cast Zenith a sidelong glance, he wasn't going to question Darian's judgment either.
"There's lots of cafes and stuff around here," he said quickly, continuing forward. "If you want to grab a bite to eat...Zenith?"
For he realized Zenith wasn't following him. Turning, he saw Zenith staring into a store window. A little bemused, he walked up to Zenith's side.
It looked like a store that sold glass trinkets. Wind chimes dangled in the window display, most of them shaped like jellyfish. Their blown-glass tentacles twisted and turned beneath clear bells tinted in delicate pastel shades.
"You like them?" Theo asked.
Zenith blinked as if he hadn't noticed Theo until now. "They remind me of the medusids in the Tielan sky."
"Medusids?" Another unfamiliar word that rang a strange chord in Theo's heart, the same place where his dreams dwelled.
"They look like those – much bigger, of course." Zenith indicated a jellyfish wind chime. "They're often used to carry skycraft. Seeing them drift across the sky...I've always found it peaceful."
This might be the first personal opinion Theo had heard Zenith express, and it made his heart do a funny swoop. Maybe this dutiful knight wasn't so hopeless after all.
"Well, these are actually supposed to be jellyfish. A kind of Earth animal. They're not that big; some of these might be life-size. And they live in the water, not the air," Theo explained. "Want to take a closer look?"
Zenith looked taken aback by the question, but jerked his head in a short, sharp nod. Smiling, Theo pushed open the door. The little glass bells on the handle jingled.
The store was long and narrow, just as cramped as Meg's shop. Theo stepped carefully, mindful of the delicate glass items around him – not only dangling windchimes, but figurines and sculptures on the shelves and mirrors lining the walls. At least he and Zenith were the only customers inside, so he didn't have to worry about bumping into anyone.
Zenith stopped in front of the jellyfish wind chimes and regarded them silently. He seemed particularly fixated on a large one tinted a pale, crystalline blue almost the exact color as his eyes.
"You like it?" Theo asked. "I could get it for you, if you want."
Zenith cast him a confused glance. "What purpose would such a thing serve?"
"I mean, if you like it – ah!"
At that moment, Theo's Levia gave a violent surge inside his chest. He stumbled, startled by the flare of heat. Why...?
He didn't have time to think before Zenith grabbed his shoulder and shoved him behind him. Heart hammering, Theo peered past Zenith down the length of the store.
It seemed the same as ever – windchimes slowly turning, trinkets sparkling in the late afternoon sun. No, wait. The mirrors....
Most of them reflected his own face, his wide, fearful eyes. But the one nearest him, small and circular with a wrought-iron frame, had turned completely black.
He became hyper-aware of the breath hissing in his throat, Zenith's firm grip on his shoulder. Then his Levia flared again. That was all the warning he got before a circle burst across the mirror.
A diagram, but not made of light: it was pitch-black. As it expanded beyond the mirror's frame, Zenith grabbed Theo's arm and tugged him toward the door.
Not quickly enough. Spreading like an oil slick, the diagram reached them. When its black lines touched Theo's feet, an icy chill shot up his legs. He buckled, only staying upright thanks to Zenith's powerful grip.
The darkness flooded his senses, cold and deep as the bottom of the ocean. The only warmth came from the Levia sputtering madly inside his chest and Zenith's hand on his shoulder. A familiar crackle rang in his ears, making him start.
"Zenith, this – is this an arena?" he shouted above the howling wind.
Zenith pulled him closer. "Stay close. We've been ambushed."