Under the colorful sky, stars twinkled; twilight passed. Darkness embraced the world unobstructed by clouds. The moon didn't shine, but the nebulae reached each horizon's end. The night was cold, and so were the breezes.
Alum leaned on the railing, watching the dazzle with warm golden eyes. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold. Each light sigh formed small clouds of steam. Although he was numb and didn't care, he still felt each bubbly sting caused by leaning on the cold steel rails.
Externally, he's quiet, and so is his inner world. It may seem like Alum was in deep thought most of the time. However, his mind was primarily empty as he saw the world as it was without much to add. But on occasion.
It used to be monochrome, but everything is dazzling and colorful now, Alum thought. He leaned on his palm, his gaze shifted subtly toward the ground. There's but darkness below—like an abyss. So be it; there is no moon tonight, he remarked inwardly.
He wanted to see the environment on the ground, but it was simply too dark without moonlight. There were occasional lights in the distance from different cities or camps. Though there were luminescent trees, their light wasn't enough. Alum turned around and rested his back on the rails.
Currently, he is on an airship called Howlen. It was built using light, magical steel, and synthetic crystals usually found on floating islands. The ship looked similar to a submarine but with a deck on top. On each side were magical glowing runes made out of the synthetic levitating crystal to keep the ship afloat in the air.
Alum remembered when he first saw it—it was otherworldly. However, he quickly got used to it since he had been expecting advanced technologies ever since Chely showed them the 3D illusion projection during her explanation.
Abruptly, something dark soared above the airship with unbelievable speed. A string of light descended instantly, and lightning softly crackled as sparks glistered a faint blue glow. The air was static around the almost soundless strike—amidst the crackling electricity was a figure with cold, moonlike silver eyes. They had a mix of silver and black hair flowing gently down and below the hips—it was a girl in a black dress with long sleeves and silver rims.
Alum and the girl locked eyes briefly—she was as inexpressive as he was. Her footsteps echoed a metallic but damped sound as she approached.
"How and why are you on the deck?" the girl asked. She had a pleasant and soft voice—yet there was no hint of warmth.
"The door. I got permission," Alum replied bluntly.
"…" The girl eyed him indifferently—his attire is different, she thought. "From the captain…? No… perhaps Hero Chely?" she asked—nobody was allowed on the deck at night. The atmosphere was freezing even with ground-level pressure. Even if they used [Mana Armor] or other spells to prevent heat loss, and yet she sensed no such spell from the man before her.
Alum nodded lightly. "From Hero Chely," he answered casually.
"I won't bother you then," she said before turning around. However…
"—You have blood on your cheek," Alum remarked as he gazed toward the sky.
"…" The girl paused for a moment, she turned and looked at him with widened eyes. "Where?" she asked simply as she touched her cheek.
"Under your right eye," Alum replied.
He peered into her moonlike eyes, walked up to her, and used water magic to dampen his sleeve with warm water. Curiously, the girl didn't react, awaiting his next actions. She had her suspicions but presumed he wouldn't go through with it—but before she knew it, a warmth enveloped her cheek—he'd done it. Her eyes shook slightly.
"…Do you touch people casually like this?" the girl asked. She was still calm, though her head leaned slightly to the side. The girl knew what people thought of her, and no one dared to touch her, even if it was a greeting kiss on the back of her hand for formalities.
She seems more expressive now, Alum randomly thought.
"No," he answered. "But for some reason, I figured you wouldn't mind. Rather. You seemed too tired to do anything about it yourself."
"…Is it apparent?" Her voice softened as her shoulders raised. Her head turned with a downcast gaze—urk… a stranger saw me in a weakened state—how shameful.
"Depends on the observer," Alum shrugged inexpressively.
"…"
"…"
The girl stepped to the side and walked past him, leaning her back on the railing. "Did you come up here to stargaze?" the girl tried to change the subject as she gazed toward the heavens clumsily.
Alum had no reason to probe. Thus, he followed her gaze. "Not quite. The cold keeps me awake," he replied casually.
"You're a Wanderer. I suppose you'd be too guarded to sleep."
"…Why the abrupt discard of formalities?"
"Don't change the subject… sigh… I suppose I'm tired. But I cannot sleep either way. So. I don't care at this point," the girl heaved a light sigh again.
"Insomnia, huh?" Alum stated bluntly.
"…"
"I'm the same. I am on guard—I don't think I've had proper rest since arriving in this world."
The girl lightly chuckled at his words. "Mm? We're similar, aren't we?" she said, gazing into his golden eyes.
"Mm, I suppose," Alum lightly smiled and chuckled, peering deep into her moonlike silver eyes. "…You have beautiful eyes," he thought aloud.
"…You too," Luna thought aloud. "It's rare to see golden eyes in a human," she replied, unflustered and calm. "But I must say. You're blunt."
"As if you aren't." Alum shrugged and broke eye contact as he closed his eyes.
The black and silver-haired girl giggled softly. "Mm, I suppose," she echoed his exact words.
Both of them were taken by surprise when they realized they used the same vocabulary. The girl's eyes seemed to twinkle a little—Alum wasn't different as his widened eyes seemed to light up—without realizing it, a silver-white blade was at his throat. It was the same for the girl. An icicle was also at her throat—a strand of hair could barely fit between her blade and his icicle.
"…"
"…"
I've never met someone who could read me so openly before… Alum pondered over his next actions but was also amused by the situation.
Meanwhile…
I see… A kin. Then… our following action should be…
As the girl thought along those lines, she reached down to her pocket—as did Alum, and they both handed the other a treat they'd been carrying. They both were left stunned before laughing at the absurdity of their situation.
"Pfft… hah-aha-ha," Alum laughed adorably and warmly.
"Ehe-hehe~" The girl also laughed. Her guard was gone entirely, and her smile was heart-meltingly endearing.
"Alum." He stated his name while watching her smile adorably.
The girl followed his lead. "Luna," she said as she giggled warmly.
"…Luna," Alum called her name.
Just as clumsily, Luna did his. "Alum…"
"…Luna? As in moon?" he inquired, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Yes…" Luna replied, peering into his eyes.
"…I suppose there is a moon tonight," Alum chuckled, his eyes still locked with hers. "I think you're pretty, much like the moon."
"…" She was stunned.
Despite having heard many similar phrases about her appearance throughout her life, Luna hadn't felt the weight of those words until now. It wasn't as though she disliked being complimented, but it was different somehow when Alum said it. It was perhaps because they meant she looked younger than she was—despite her short stature, Luna is a young adult.
"I think you're pretty, much like the moon." His words echoed inside her head. …You're pretty, too, Luna thought, but she was unsure of how to compliment a boy. She didn't have to say anything, yet there was this urge to do so.
"…I think you're handsome?" Her head leaned to the side; her confusion was apparent.
"Is that a question?" Alum asked while mirroring her gesture.
"Are you making fun of me…?" Luna sulked; her lips pouted slightly, but her expression was still. "I don't really know how to… compliment others…" she later added as she averted her eyes.
"I don't mind. I'm not good with them either—I just said what I thought is all."
"Is that so?"
"Mm."
"Then… I like your black hair." Her voice became more tender as she twirled her hair between her fingers. "It's rare around here—as you can see, mine has silver white in it, so it isn't pure black as yours."
"Thanks."
"…Mm, thank you too; I… forgot to say it before," Luna followed.
It became silent between them. Neither were used to start a conversation let alone hold one—especially with strangers. While others might find their interaction awkward or stale, the two didn't feel that discomfort. Alum took a bite of the treat given by Luna as she did the same with the snack she received from him.
""It's sweet,"" they both said.
"…"
"…"
"I don't know you. But. Wanna be friends?" Alum asked, scratching his flushed cheek.
Although Luna could tell it was because of the cold, she also sensed bashfulness behind his words—thus, a ticklish warmth stirred within her chest as her cheek reddened.
Luna nodded. "…I want to be your friend," she replied, her voice slightly lower than before, her gaze shaky as she shyly locked eyes with him.
My first friend… she thought. It's strange… I've never let my guard down this much around someone outside my family. He doesn't even know who I am, and yet he wants to learn about me by becoming friends. Just 'me'—not The Imperial Princess. But me, Luna.
Luna could feel a smile surface on her expressionless face—she thought that her emotions had dulled long ago. She could still feel them, but vaguely at most—yet this sense of warmth was apparent even to her.
She glanced at the boy, who chewed quietly as he gazed into the heavens. There was a significant height difference between them. Luna was a little short for her age. Alum could be considered a little taller than average, but her head only reached his chest. It made her slightly self-conscious about her height since he seemed to be around her age.
"How old are you?" Luna broke the silence as she took her final bite, awaiting a reply.
"Not sure. I don't know how time passes around here, but from where I came, I'm 19." He looked down. "And you?"
"18," Luna stated. "But you don't seem surprised," she added, her eyes slightly sharpened.
"I can tell we're about the same age despite your short stature," he chuckled, amused by Luna's sulky mood.
"Mm, I appreciate the observation," she giggled, covering her mouth slightly.
"Mm."
"…"
"…"
And then, their conversation died. Again.
…
..
It had been a while since Alum went to the deck and he hadn't returned. The only reason Chely allowed him up there was because she wanted to talk to him privately—it was about his curse.
Chely knew he wouldn't be a block of ice by the time she checked on him. It may be her intuition, but she was rarely wrong regarding somebody's strength. In her eyes, Alum is quite a powerful mage.
But… When she arrived, she was left speechless.
"I see. Oloth went to the sky isles to retrieve a powerful artifact to save his dying friend. But why was the artifact there in the first place?" Alum inquired. He had a book in his hand and commented as he read.
"I'm not sure. The first book mentioned that a god of healing was nestled there, and when she passed, her body became a healing relic. Although it was described that way, how does anyone even know she became a literal relic when the isles were her domain and hidden away from the world?" Luna spoke calmly.
"I see. I should read that one too," Alum said.
"Mm."
Alum flipped the page, and silence approached the two as a few more pages were flipped in a matter of seconds.
"Hm? The god had a lover?" Luna's eyes narrowed. "That came out of nowhere."
"It wasn't in the first book?" Alum tilted his head and accidentally bumped into Luna's, but she didn't seem to mind.
"No, but I suppose there was some foreshadowing now that I think about it…" she noted instead of addressing their proximity.
"…"
"..."
""It's her lover that told the world about the relic, huh?"" both said unanimously.
"…" Chely stood there, her eyes wide open as she'd never seen Princess Luna that close to anyone before—the two of them sat and leaned on the railing, and Luna was leaning on Alum's shoulder as they read.
"Oh, but I am surprised you can comprehend this complex book. I thought you'd be illiterate," Luna said bluntly.
"I anticipated my illiteracy as well. I can't read the letters, but I do comprehend—it's quite strange," Alum said, not interpreting her words as rude. "But I must say. It's very convenient for the text to light up when it's dark."
"It's not like that in your world?"
"No, it's not. It sounds practical but would be impractical, but I suppose we have something similar—a smartphone. They are essentially endless libraries on their networks."
"Mm? That so? I'm jelly. That smartphone thing sounds very convenient. But I suppose we have something similar—the illusion projection. Then again, you'd need to load data onto it so it's not connected to a network like it is in your world."
"…"
The two of them were aware of Chely's presence, but since she was looking for the right words to say and she hadn't addressed them, they continued reading in silence until—
"Princess… should you not head in and rest?" Chely spoke respectfully.
"No, it is as if I am resting now. Pay me no mind," she replied gracefully. She turned her gaze to the text again. "—Alum, did you flip a few pages while I wasn't looking?" Like she'd flipped a switch, her tone with Alum seemed more childish.
"No. Don't you see I still have a finger on the page we were on?" He lied blatantly with a straight face.
"…That makes no sense, you flipped the pages."
"No," Alum averted his gaze, chuckling lightly. "So? You're a princess? An Imperial Princess judging from Chely's demeanor." Since he was caught, Alum decided to deter the conversation a little.
Having caught on, Luna played along. "I hadn't expected to be exposed this early. But. Yes. I am," she voiced calmly.
"Mm, got it," Alum replied casually.
Luna was slightly taken by surprise; her eyes shook. Before she knew it, she smiled faintly. "Mm, but don't read ahead of me next time—it isn't fair you get to know things in advance."
"Got it."
"…" Chely gave up and was about to head inside; however, she thought about Noel. "…Did you two perhaps fall in love?" she bluntly asked.
Luna and Alum looked at one another, Luna tilted her head and leaned onto his shoulder as Alum leaned on her head. Both were unconscious gestures—they both even placed a hand on their chest to feel their heartbeat.
"No, we're friends," Alum said after confirming he indeed hadn't fallen in love with Luna.
"Mm, we are friends," Luna added after confirming that herself, expressionless as Alum.
Um… friends aren't… that close. But I guess the two of them are slightly awkward in social regards… but they're… kinda cute… Chely was reminded of Amethely and lightly giggled inwardly.
"Understood. Should I get a blanket and some treats for you two?" she asked, her tone sprinkled with a hint of warmth.
"If you don't mind," Alum replied.
"…"
"Is whatever treat fine?"
"Mm, whatever is fine for me. What about you, Luna?" Alum nudged Luna, who'd been quietly watching their brief exchange.
"Lady Hero, are you perhaps… indulging us?"
"Ah…" Chely suddenly realized they'd accidentally triggered her big sister mode. "A-Ahem…" she cleared her throat and returned to the stoic hero. "Indulge? Perhaps, however, since it is cold up here, something warm is necessary. I cannot tell The Princess what she can or cannot do; thus, I offer a mere suggestion."
Alum and Luna glanced at one another—so she says, but she's indulging us, they thought. ""Understood,"" the two replied.
"Thanks, Chely," Alum said with a faintly bashful smile, which stunned Luna momentarily.
"…Thank you, Lady Hero…" On the other hand, Luna was more formal with Chely and peered at Alum with suspicion.
"You are welcome." Chely didn't seem to mind and left.
The moment she was out of sight, Luna tugged Alum's arm. "Are you close to Lady Hero?" she inquired with a hint of curiosity.
"No. We recently met. I don't believe we are. Did it seem that way?"
"Are you friends?"
"No?"
"…Strange, only people considered friends or family are allowed to call a hero by name like that."
"Even you aren't an exception?"
"Well. Not quite. But since I'm not particularly close to her, I adhere to those traditions—the same goes for the saint and other significant figures—I'm included, but we are friends—kin even. So it's fine for us."
"Mm, I see…"
"Mm, should we continue where we left off?"
"Sure."
And with those words, the two read deep into the night—the sun was at the horizon, and Ilifel slowly came into view.
A/N
Happy Halloween!
Yes, I'm very late with the chapter. It do be like that