While the future rulers of the Empire were being threatened, Ciaran and Diana were still cuddling inside their little closet. Both of them had woken up, but neither of them wanted to move.
"You know maybe we should just stop playing around it, and break a few rules." Ciaran finally gathered the courage to suggest.
It earned him nothing more than a pinch on the cheek, but the girl did not refuse. She just got up, put on her armor, and left.
Ciaran sighed, put on his mask, and ran after her. Their stronghold was mostly untouched after the attack, and only a few people had died. Franklin was in emotional distress, and still traumatized after what he had to endure.
The Hunters that had survived to day three were partying as they were only forced to stay for two days, and if there was an Invasion on day three, they could simply run away.
The priest came in the direction of the duo, and shook their hands, thanking them both.
'Thank you for doing your best Ciaran, I appreciate you being here, even after some of these people tried to hunt you down. Do not worry, I am a humble servant of Ra, I do not care for money.' He told the boy through a mind link.
Ciaran was slightly surprised, but after his dream, he was a lot more than before, in the existential meaning of the word. He had begun merging with his element and gained access to a lot more elements.
He could hear them whispering secrets in his ears nonstop. He also knew that the priest wasn't lying.
"Thank you, Father, please know that I do not blame them, as I would do the same." He said, not bothering to be discreet.
Ciaran knew better than most that hubris was the poison that killed everyone, but he couldn't help it. He was feeling invincible, and rightfully so. As of right now, no Mage could ever come near him, and he could even give most Grand Mages a run for their money.
Not only that, but he could feel himself growing stronger even by just sitting there talking. His body was nearing the boundary to Rank Three, and his soul was growing ridiculously fast.
"Visit me in the capital if you get the chance kid, I want to introduce you to some people." He said as he left the duo alone.
Diana smacked the boy behind his head and dragged him away. They couldn't leave the Tundra as per the agreement, but they didn't have to stay near the battlefield either.
"Good news lads! There will be no day three. The fight is over, we survived." The General said, and the crowd cheered.
Every stronghold held a party that day, and for once, no one was discriminated against. The Hunters and the soldiers had formed a bond while fighting. The royals, in a single day, had lost all of their egos. And even the Mages were humbled beyond belief.
Now that the dryads were allowed to roam free again, every single person who had placed a bounty on the boy revoked it. Even those who didn't know why the others were backing off, followed suit.
The news that Ciaran Clades was no longer wanted by anyone spread like wildfire, and became one of the most discussed topics of the massive party.
Everyone wanted to know more, but the boy in question was busy trying to get Diana to drop the silent treatment.
"Come on, I swear I will never do it again." He said, poking her in the ribs.
She just looked at him, made up her mind, and dragged him into privacy.
"I tried using the stick to keep you out of danger, but you are a dumbass so no matter how much I beat you, you never learn. So it's time I used the carrot." She said, and before he could ask her what she meant, Diana had him pinned to a wall.
She then took off his mask and slowly gave him a nice long kiss. But Diana Hemperyngs wasn't a woman who did things halfheartedly, she wanted him to learn, so she did not hold back. She shoved her tongue deep into his mouth and tasted him fully.
She held him in place for the better part of a minute, before letting him go.
"I will not go too far with a child Ciaran, no matter what. So if you want to continue what I started right now, do not die, grow up, and I am yours. Am I making myself clear?" She asked.
Ciaran was no doubt a genius. He knew more about science and magic than most people, and even experts on the subject would have trouble keeping up with him. And yet his brain was only capable of recreating white noise at the moment, and he had become stupid.
Diana had to repeat her question again before he could squeeze out a ' Yes ma'am', a little too excitedly for his own taste.
Then the woman took him back to the party. They danced all night and had a great time. And they were even allowed to sleep one more night in their little closet. But for the entire evening, most of Ciaran's brainpower was focused on analyzing their first real kiss.
----
When they woke up the next day, they were rudely teleported back to the Maze.
"Congratulations on clearing your missions guys, you get the rest of the year off. This is what I would like to say, but as you know there is no rest for the wicked. You have a new task." Verdania said, but to her amazement, only Diana reacted.
Ciaran was still on cloud nine, and could barely register that his Big Sis was talking to him.
She tried to read his mind, but he denied her permission, and even when she tried to break in, he still kicked her out.
"I am entitled to my privacy sis. Please respect that or else." He said, fully back to his regular self.
The dryad raised one eyebrow, silently asking him 'Or else what'.
"You see, I am sure a certain Goddess would love to talk to me about her children, and how they were when they were younger. And don't worry, I won't pry, why do you act like siblings, when the nature of your relationship is obviously different." He said, making her flinch.
Not only did he insinuate that he had no problems talking to her mother, but he also showed a remarkable understanding of romantic relationships.
"He is just a boy, Diana, what did you do? The Ciaran I knew couldn't even tell love and affection if it hit him in the face." His threat had done nothing but worry Verdania.
Diana wanted to retort, but as she was, in fact, guilty of something, she just avoided her gaze and turned her now fully red face away.
"Leave her alone, the elements told me." Ciaran quickly said, wanting to hide their little secret. And before the dryad asked any more questions, he showed her all of his new abilities.
He showed her his control of dozens of new elements, as well as his power as the Storm. He then showed her how he obtained it all. She knew he was playing her, but when she saw him cheat his way to magical power once again, she lost it.
She teleported away, and ten minutes later Eleftherios came to escort them somewhere.
"You could have been gentler, you know how your sister gets, when you break the laws of magic like that kid. Anyway, your new task is waiting for you on the gazebo. Go talk to them" He said, as he left them alone.
Diana swore she would never do anything like what she had done the previous night for as long as the Ciaran was considered a boy. Then they walked out of the tunnel, and she saw her big brother and sister waiting for them.
'I take it all back, if she so much as looks at my man funny the gloves are off.' Diana thought and grabbed Ciaran by the hand.
Seeing their social rejection of a sister holding someone so close, the siblings were speechless. They understood that the dryads had no reason to lie to them, but hearing about it and seeing it with their own eyes was completely different.
Veronica was even more speechless as she could tell what her little sister was thinking.
'YOU are too old for him, and you think I will want to steal him from you?' She thought.
The First Prince on the other hand watched as Ciaran showed no care for their presence and was genuinely happy to hold their sister's hand.
"You two are appointed as our guides. We will be cleaning the mess from the Beast Tide, and you will show us around. Two things, first I don't know how much my sister has told you about our family, but let me tell you, I have no interest in romantic relationships. And second, I support your relationship, but I made a deal with Lord Eleftherios, and will stop you if you get too physical." He said.
Ciaran extended his hand and confirmed his claims, then he dug a little more.
"Big brother we would be honored to be in your care." He said, making Diana flinch.