Paley fell asleep while everyone else listened to Dillie's stories. One detail caught Bacha's attention especially. Dillie was from the region of Hijia (the equivalent of East Asia), and so was she.
"You're from Hijia?" Bacha asked.
"Mhm," Dillie nodded, "I came here when I was seven." She held up seven fingers.
"Ohh. What's it like there?"
"It's lovely. I lived in a country called Dijin," Dillie began. The country of Dijin looked a lot like imperial china with its houses and culture, "It was a beautiful place. You should visit there someti-" Dillie stopped.
"What happened?" Jurie asked.
"...Dijin is no more..." Dillie's expression gloomed down, "Erians invaded us."
"...I'm so sorry..." Jurie apologized.
"Don't worry about it. Things like that happen." An awkward silence ensued but was soon broken by Paley stretching and groaning.
"Break's going to be over soon. Shall we get going?" He asked.
"Yeah, let's go." Jurie stood up and turned to Teerom. "See you." She gave him a sweet smile and waved.
"See you," Teerom smiled back.
"Oh, yeah, is it okay if we only come at lunchtime? It's too tiring to carry all of you." Paley asked.
"That's okay, Teerom?" Jurie turned back to Teerom. "Yeah, of course." He said and went back to join the dwarves on the watchtower. Jurie quickly grabbed him by the sleeve and lightly kissed him on the cheek before joining Paley who was ready to take them back to school. The dwarves whistled teasingly in the background as Teerom steamed with joy.
The rest of the school day passed by quickly. Paley caught up to the History lesson after reading about fifty chapters in the textbook. He discovered that the world was referred to as The Middle Realm, situated between the Spirit and Demon realms.
A war between the Sun and Moon Churches occurred towards the end of the ancient empires period. Near the end of the war, both churches were in a weakened state. During this period, the Zidnon empire used Dark Conjurers to summon an army of demons to attempt to take over the world.
This army would ravage and destroy everything in its wake until it was eventually stopped by the first Quimnia. Neizin Jihwa. After the war, he would force the churches to sign a pact of peace. However, the churches dissolved this pact a few hundred years later when the Sun Church began a crusade upon the Moon Church called the Crusade of Flames.
Three more Great Wars of the Churches would ensue over the rest of history. In the third Great War of the Churches, the Church of God was suddenly established and demonstrated incredible power.
He wanted to learn more about the Quimnias, but there was barely anything reliable on the first two, Neizin Jihwa, and Baddyu Omodiglia, and he had already heard and read enough on Aneros and Manoha. They didn't go back to meet Teerom after lunch because he didn't have enough mana left to fly all of them there again. Dillie followed Paley as he walked over to Adimia, who was sleeping peacefully.
"Wake up," Paley shook Adimia, but it took a few minutes of struggling for him to finally wake up.
"Hm?" Adimia quickly sat up and looked around, "Is it over?" He yawned.
"Yep." Paley walked ahead, and Adimia followed him. They waded through the crowd of students rushing to get home and went outside, where the other orphans were already waiting for them.
"What took you so long?" Bacha asked, itching to get home.
"Adimia decided to take a nap," Paley answered.
"You can do that? I'm going to start sleeping too, then!" Amasha said.
"No, don't do that," Jurie told him off.
"Why?"
"Because you need to do well in school to do well in life."
"Who says that?" Amasha argued.
"Everyone." Paley cut in, "It's always the smarter man who wins. Not the stronger one." Paley said. It seemed ironic to Amasha since Paley was the strongest person he met. But he still accepted defeat in the argument.
"If you say so," He said.
"Paley?" Dillie asked from behind him.
"What?" Paley asked, unfriendly.
"Can you drop me off at home?" She asked with puppy eyes.
"No," Paley refused coldly, but she cleared her throat obnoxiously suggestively. He turned and gritted his teeth, "You're really starting to get on my-" He was interrupted by a boy with neatly combed black hair, grabbing Dillie's shoulder and turning her to him violently. He had two other boys, both nobles, by his side. As well as five students who were subservient to him through contract scrolls.
He was one of the boys that watched the orphans come into the school with spiteful stares.
"Oh, hey..." Dillie tried to act friendly, but the boy wasn't planning on having a cordial conversation.
"You broke the contract," The boy said in a high and mighty tone.
"What could you possibly-" Dillie tried to play dumb, but he grabbed her by the collar and tried to lift her to no avail. However, it still hurt her neck.
"You're having someone else pay for you. You're violating the contract!" The boy shrieked. It was now that Paley realized why Dillie wanted to come with them during break time and why she went off to the bathroom for the entirety of lunchtime. She was in trouble with the nobility.
"The contract didn't say that *we* had to pay it." Dillie bargained.
"Don't talk back to me!" The boy threw her onto the ground. A thin crowd had gathered around them. No one dared to intervene or go and call a teacher, "I'll have you become my servant. Just wait until you're sixteen, and I'll show you what happens when you mess with-" The boy suddenly soared twenty meters into the air as well as his accomplices.
It took him a while to realize how high up he was, and when he did, he screamed for his life. Paley wagged his fingers down subtly, hurling the boys towards the ground. Just before they became a mess of organs and blood, he stopped them and flipped them upside down.
Dillie looked at him, and to her surprise, he was genuinely smiling. Though, it was a devilish, mischievous grin. With Air magic, he took the boys' trousers and underwear off and pushed them onto the ground, butt and balls facing up.
"Come on, I'll drop you off." He motioned for Dillie and the orphans to follow him with his head.
"Aren't you gonna be really tired if you drop all of us off?" Jurie asked as they walked, trying to find a concealed alleyway.
"That's not an issue," Paley replied, hiding that he was dreading it.
"You don't have to. We'll be fine."
"I do have to. For peace of mind."
"Come on, Paley. We're not gonna get attacked." She reassured.
"And if we are attacked, I'll fight them off," Adimia added, grabbing his bicep.
"I know, but you never know when a noble or a knight will appear. You saw what they tried to do to Dillie back there." Paley glanced at Dillie, who walked uncomfortably close to him.
"Come on," Jurie stopped ahead of him and held his shoulders, "Nothing will happen. We can keep ourselves safe." Paley stared hesitantly into her eyes. "I know you're concerned for our safety, but just have a little faith in humanity. Do it for me?" Jurie asked.
"Alright, fine... But if anything happens to you, I'm blaming it on you." Paley surrendered.
"Great. We'll see you at the orphanage."
"See you." Paley waved as the orphans left and disappeared behind a turn.
"Looks like it's just me and you," Dillie said.
"Unfortunately, yes." Paley sighed, "Come on." They continued walking until they found a good alleyway where no one would see them. She bucked in surprise as he suddenly held her waist.
"What are you doing!?" She asked, blushing intensely.
"It's easier to fly with someone when they're close. Or do you want me to pass out mid-flight and kill us both?" Paley asked bluntly.
"Okay... Just don't hold me there so closely." She couldn't look him in the eye. He, on the other hand, was more annoyed because she was fine walking with no distance between them, essentially invading all of his personal space, but not him holding her by the waist.
"How about this? I hold you by the neck?" He suggested.
"No, no, I'd rather you hold me as you did before." She stepped forward. He wrapped his arm around her waist again and took off. This time, she squeezed her eyes shut while clinging to him.
"You gotta open your eyes," Paley said.
"I'm okay," She felt the breeze quicken around her face, sending her hair flying back.
"How am I supposed to take you to your house, then?"
"Mmh," She hesitantly opened her eyes. She found that it wasn't terrifying at all. They were extremely high up, but Paley's warm hold on her made her feel safe. She looked around at the glistening fields of grass surrounding the city, the towns, and the mountains on the horizon.
It was a fairly cloudy day, but the sun managed to break through and create a brilliant sea of rays. She felt the breeze calm down as they slowed down.
"You going to tell me where your house is?" Paley asked.
She snapped out of her captivity by their beautiful surroundings. "Yeah, It's there." She pointed near the southern gates of the city. The gates that led to the orphanage.
"You live pretty close to me," He said and began descending.
"Wait," She stopped him.
"What?"
"Can we go higher?" She requested.
"No," He refused, again, bluntly.
"Please?" She tugged at his blazer. He threw his head around and finally sighed.
"Fine." He took her higher and higher, keeping attention to his mana. "Is this far enough?" He asked once they were just below the clouds.
"Above the clouds." She requested and he listened. His mana was now about half-exhausted, but he continued. As much as he wanted to say no, he too wanted to go above now. They entered the white mist of the clouds and emerged on the other side.
Even Paley was in awe at the beauty of the pure white landscape. They glided through it like it wasn't there; it was a heavenly sight with irregular mountains of cloud warping into various shapes. The sun coloured parts of it in a rich and cosy orange that transitioned into a strong yellow the further you looked.
Dillie ran her hand through the mist, watching it flow around it and move back into place. She let out an innocent laugh, making Paley smile slightly.
"Wow..." She rested her head on his shoulder, suddenly contemplating something. "I-I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For blackmailing you like that."
"You better be." Paley joked and began descending.
"Why didn't you do anything to me, though? You even threatened me in the headmistress' office."
"To be honest, I thought the threat was going to be enough. But, you're a good person, and Mom told me not to hurt anyone with my magic. Especially good people."
"Your mom sounds like a great person," She said semi-sarcastically as they descended below the clouds and toward her home.
"She is," Paley replied.
"And so are you," They locked eyes.
"You really think so?" Paley asked.
"Mhm. I'll never forget what you did for me back there." She rested her chin on his shoulder again.
"Well, you're welcome." Paley broke eye contact and landed them safely.
Dillie lived in a relatively small house on a roundabout. It was well-kept and had traces of Hijian culture such as traditional sliding doors and windows, stylized lamps, and bamboo.
She knocked on the door, and her mother opened it. She was about thirty-five years old but looked no older than eighteen with her fresh black hair and smooth skin.
"You're early today-" She noticed Paley trying to walk away quietly. "Who's that?" She asked Dillie.
"That's Pal-" Dillie noticed that Paley was trying to hurry away and called out to him, "Paley!"
He stopped and turned awkwardly, waving. She signaled for him to come closer; "Hello." he walked over, politely nodding his head at her mother.
"Do you want to come in?" Her mother invited.
"No, I'll be fine. I should be going home now." He declined politely.
"Do you live nearby?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
"Then you should totally come in!"
"I really should..."
"Okay, well, thank you for walking with my daughter." She smiled awkwardly.
"I'll drop you off tomorrow too, okay?" He looked at Dillie, who nodded, "Goodbye." He bowed and left. Dillie and her mother stood in silence for a moment before her mother jumped with ecstasy.
"Honey! Come down right now!" She shouted inside.
"What?" Her husband shouted back, muffled.
"Dillie has a boyfriend!"
"Mom!?" Dillie exclaimed, embarrassed and hoping that Paley didn't hear it.
"What!?" Her husband sounded shocked this time and sprinted down the stairs, "Where is he?" He demanded. Dillie's father was younger than her mother, about thirty-one years old, but looked about thirty.
"He's gone! You missed him!"
"Mom! Dad! It's nothing like that, relax!" Dillie marched into the house.
"Oh, but he was so nice! Bowing and everything, just like we would back home." Her mother rambled.
"He did?" Her father asked with sparkling eyes. He was a man who stood by the preservation and respect of culture.
"Mhm. And he spoke so politely! What was his name again? Paley? We must talk to his parents and get a date fixed immediately." Dillie's parents hopped with joy together.
"Stop it, you guys! You're so annoying!" Dillie stormed off upstairs, into her room. It was a simple room with a bed, a desk, a big window, and a cupboard. She jumped onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow.
'I don't like him like *that*' She thought to herself, recalling the short time they spent together in the clouds. She couldn't help but smile to herself.