"The Laten family has caused you so much pain, I can't imagine…I'm sorry, Gald." I bow my head. "And I'm also sorry for intruding on your private life."
"No, don't apologize for that, Darion. It was only thanks to you that Jusy can now use her full potential." Gald smiled at me, with a hint of sadness. "Perhaps, if I had been determined like you, my family would still be alive by now, and I would still have the strength to protect them."
"Don't torture yourself about what you could have done in the past, but rather think about what you could do now. Jusy needs you, she needs her grandfather, she has just started her new chapter of life, you have to help her take her first steps". I roll off the bed and put a hand on Gald's shoulder.
"The same grandfather who would have made her a victim of this world" looks at me with eyes full of bitterness.
"We all make mistakes and will make more, but we have to move forward and live with them, learning from our mistakes. Only in this way can we improve to make fewer mistakes." I look into his eyes.
"I... you're right, I can't let Jusy find me in this state, I have to cheer myself up." Gald smiles at me. "Thanks Darion, it's to think that a boy my niece's age is giving me these speeches... I'm starting to falter." She giggles as he rises from his chair.
"It's never too late in life Gald, sometimes we can discover unexpected things from unexpected people." She walked him to the door.
"True, then it's fine, if you need anything you know where to find me." She leaves the room and goes to her workbench.
I close the door and sit down in the chair, remembering that I've left the map on the desk. 'Gald was so engrossed in his story that he didn't even notice the map…' Wait, I forgot to ask him how long it will take to get to the town of Loford.
"I was so focused on hearing his story that it never occurred to me to ask him, and now that I think about it, it just wasn't the time." But something intrigued me. 'So is there anything or anyone that can extract the Astra from a person's body? I didn't know anything about it... it's dangerous as a weapon, I have to be careful.'
I start making a list of what I need, that will take me all day.
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"Ahhhhh, I'm finally done. I think I've listed everything I need, now all that's left is to get them." I look out the window, seeing that it is already evening. 'Tonight the Morin is full.' La Morin shines with its silvery glow, high in the starry sky.
*Knocks* *Knocks* Someone is knocking on the door. 'Gald?'
I walk towards it to open it, to find that the visitor is not Gald again, but Jusy.
"Jusy? good evening, do you need something?" I ask doubtfully, noting that her cheeks are flushed, she can't look me in the face.
"M-may I come in, Darion?" he asks me shyly.
"Sure, sit down." I step aside, beckoning her in, which she did, I close the door. "What happened, Jusy? Do you by any chance have a fever?" I ask as I approach.
"No, I'm fine." She answers me directly. "I've come to thank you for what you've done for me Darion, no one else has helped me like you. I don't think you know this because you're new to the guild, but everyone there knows me as the 'Priestess Without Light', because I couldn't to channel my power. And so over time no one would take me with them to their parties, leaving me isolated, after all, what's the use of a priestess who can't heal?" She shows a forced smile.
"That's because people don't have the patience to handle things, and if someone else had helped you like I did, you might have unlocked your power sooner. I'm not a great expert on these things, Jusy, but I think you have a great talent". I'm honest with this statement, even if I'm not the most qualified to say it.
"Thanks Darion, that makes me really happy." Jusy replaces the forced smile with a sincere one. "But I have to correct you on one thing, no one would have done what you did for me, no one would have risked their lives to help me."
"I have to tell you something about this, actually that meeting with the tigrelos was deliberate. I let those ratdogs escape on purpose, to attract a predator that would embarrass us, I'm sorry I endangered you with my rash plan."
"What? You put your life in danger on purpose, just for me to unlock my power?" Jusy looks down with a smile on her lips. "So that's it…" I hear her mutter these lines, when she suddenly makes a move that completely shocks me.
Jusy approaches me, our distance is a few centimeters, she is slightly shorter than me. She stands on tiptoe and kisses me on her lips.
'My first kiss? AS?! Suddenly?' I'm completely petrified by this, but instinctively my body moves and my arms wrap Jusy in a hug. Her eyes widen for a moment, but then she closes them again, enjoying the moment.
For what felt like an eternity but was really only a minute, we hold each other's arms with our lips touching. We finally finish our kiss.
"Darion...I'm sorry that I-" I cut her off quickly, initiating a second kiss. 'I don't want to hear you apologize for these things.'
We approach the bed still in contact with each other, meanwhile my hand moves lower and lower, until it reaches his soft butt, squeezing his butt.
"Mhh" Jusy emits a slight moan, opening her pink eyes, I do the same and look at her. We separate our lips, Jusy's face begins to intensify her blush more and more.
Jusy detaches from me, with this gesture I thought I had done something wrong, but his gesture immediately makes me think again. Jusy starts taking off her clothes, awkwardly, I assume like me this is her first time. In order not to leave her alone, I too begin to undress.
Finished taking off all my clothes, remaining naked as mother nature wants, I look at the girl in front of me, and I'm speechless.
Jusy covers her breasts and privates with her arms, but I see everything else about her, her curves neither too full nor too thin, her thighs are nice and full, all adorned by the her pale skin.
'Beautiful.' And so she's about to start my first night with a woman.