Dyon walked through a field of herbs, crossing small streams of cleverly planned waterways and ensuring not to destroy any with his feet.
He had been tending to this garden with Eli for a while now so his theoretical knowledge had been slowly fusing with his real life experience. There would always be a difference between seeing things in books and experiencing them for himself. But, by now, Dyon felt as though the difference between these two forms of knowledge for him weren't much different anymore.
It could be said that Dyon's current foundation for concocting pills was immaculate and couldn't be better. Even if he ignored all the experience he was gaining, after several music sessions with Madeleine, he found that his flame control was on a level far beyond what he needed.
Dyon continued to work with a smile on his face, the sound of Madeleine's music bringing him an inner peace.
At that moment, Delia came storming in, her momentum frightening Eli who wasn't far away.
Dyon raised an eyebrow. "What are you throwing a tantrum for, little lass?"
"Who's a little lass?!" Delia fumed. "What happened? Don't lie to me, tell me everything."
Dyon scratched his head. What was this little girl talking about now?
Truthfully, he had never seen Delia act like this. In a lot of ways, Delia's demeanor was quite adorable. That was because after a while of observation, Dyon realized that she had always been doing her best to copy Madeleine. Delia tried to give off that same unhurried, confident and silent vibe. But, it was at moments like these where she became ticked off that that façade would crack a bit.
Of course, Dyon didn't believe that she was actually some fiery tempered tsundere, he just thought that her true demeanor wasn't what she displayed. At least now, these enraged emotions, was at least her true self, even though it was only a tiny sliver of it.
"Are you still trying to hide it?! What happened with Darius?!"
Hearing these words, Madeleine and Eli both looked toward Dyon as well.
Dyon raised his brows. So it was actually about this?
"Is there a need to get so enraged? They're my matters to handle."
"No! They aren't! You're the only one I've seen actually alleviate big sister Madeleine's pain. If you die, then what will happen to her?!"
Dyon chuckled. So this was why this girl was so agitated.
"Ah, so that's why. It's a good thing you didn't fall in love with me, I've already promised you to Eli."
"AH!" Eli felt as though he had been hit with a random stray bullet. "D-Don't listen to him, Princess!"
"Dyon!"
Dyon laughed uproariously, feeling very good about himself at the moment. However, when he looked back toward Madeleine, he found her giving him back a worried look. It was clear that she seemed to realize that this was more serious than he was letting on. In all likelihood, Delia wouldn't be reacting like this had Dyon's life not truly been on the line.
Dyon, of course, didn't feel this way. Had his stamina not been running dry back then, he wouldn't have suffered like that. And, by now, he had researched even more arrays and was even less likely to suffer. However, he couldn't very well tell Madeleine that he had only suffered because of her, right? So, he just smiled and walked over.
"What? Don't tell me that you're worried about me too?"
Madeleine's expression flushed. "It's not like that… I …"
Madeleine panicked slightly. It wasn't because of Dyon's words, but rather because she didn't want him to think that she was only worried about him for the sake of herself.
In a rush to explain, she nervously tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. But, the action was so abrupt that she accidentally knocked her glasses off.
Dyon deftly caught them before they fell to the ground.
"You look beautiful even without your glasses," Dyon said, realizing her eyes were even more golden than he had given her credit for before while placing her glasses back on her face.
Eli sat nearby in a daze as to what was going on. That was a girl even the princess called big sister! What was Dyon doing? Flirting? Successfully?
'That's my big brother,' Eli thought with a smile.
At that moment, though, the atmosphere seemingly completely shifted. Dyon's eyes sharpened, his aura rising to a new level. The sudden change caught Madeleine completely off guard. She could sense a deep rage within Dyon that had suddenly snapped away from its chain.
A gust of wind swept through the field, causing the waves of the lake to become more fierce. The shining sun was blocked out by something as a fierce voice rung down.
Whoever it was that had appeared in the air locked eyes onto Dyon who was currently helping Madeleine put her glasses back on and snapped.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! STEP AWAY FROM HER!"
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Without even waiting for a reply, a whistling sound could be heard through the air. Dyon, who was standing in front of Madeleine had gold flashing through his eyes as his senses heightened.
He threw his hand up in the direction of the sound, allowing tens of defensive arrays to appear, each one larger than the previous, lined up in a straight line that ascended into the skies. It was an absolute gorgeous sight, as though several illusory shields outfitted with golden gears all manifested from the Heavens themselves.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The arrow, which was originally nothing more than a streak through the skies that was hardly perceptible, pierced through barrier after barrier, slicing through Dyon's defensive arrays and shattering them one after another. But, very obviously, it slowed down with each subsequent sound of shattering glass that resonated.
Finally, the arrow appeared before the final barrier in a blink. Dyon's raised hand flashed with more arrays as his arm speed was amplified.
With one swift movement, he caught the arrows body between his fingers, stopping it from piercing his head.
Rage fueling his gaze, Dyon snapped the arrow in half in his palm. He looked up to find a massive raven in the sky. It had a wing span that seemed to want to block out the sun and a pair of young men on its back.
Madeleine's eyes widened before she looked at Dyon worriedly. "Are you okay?"
Delia snapped her head up, infuriated as well. This was her Peak, no one was allowed here without her permission.
"Who?!" Delia shouted.
Dyon smiled and nodded toward Madeleine before looking away, a cold light appearing in his eyes once more.
Stairs of golden defensive formations appeared before Dyon, rising into the skies. They appeared one after another with a speed that made one's mind go numb
'How can he form arrays so far from himself. He's a monster…'
Even at this moment, Eli's thoughts were exactly like this. The shock of Dyon being so close to dying had yet to truly register with him.
Dyon's feet lit up with tens of amplification and hardening arrays, swirling around his legs as he gently pushed Madeleine away from him. He stomped the ground hard, rising quickly to the peak stair.
Staring at the young men who had looks of surprise on their faces, Dyon's expression only grew colder and colder.
"This is already the fourth time since I came to this school that someone has tried to kill me. My patience is running thin." Dyon's voice was practically a growl.
The stairs of gold disappeared, leaving just the one Dyon stood on as he looked on. They soared at least 20 meters in the air, staring off at each other. One group on the back of a bird and Dyon standing all alone on a platform of gold.
However, Dyon's next words made the two young men shiver uncontrollably.
"No… I think I've had enough patience already. Just die."