"Look at this."
Elina brought Luciel to her house after saying goodbyes to Murphy. At first, Luciel was hesitant to follow her, so she promised him that they would come here once a week to eat their favorite dessert.
"It looks the same as yours, you see?" Elina asked while examining the stigma on Luciel's wrist. "That's how I knew. We're the same."
"So... I'm not weird?"
Luciel had always thought that only he had this mark. The mark created all sorts of weird phenomena. If Luciel were a normal kid, he would've been excited to see that he could create fire when no one else could. However, Luciel only saw it as a means of survival.
"You're not." Elina patted his soft white hair. "I'll show you how to live with it. You just have to accept that power."
"What can I do with it?" Luciel asked innocently.
"People who have that mark are called Resonators. We are destined to fight for humanity. Hmm... but it'll be a long and convoluted explanation to tell you the whole saga. You'll understand as we go through it slowly."
"Then what should I do now?"
"Don't you want to look at this house first? It'll be your new home now."
'Home...'
Elina's house was the definition of coziness. It had its style and everywhere was decorated with her own stories to the brim. To the right of the living room, musical instruments filled one corner. Two guitars were hung on the wall next to the old wooden piano. One of the guitars seemed to have one of its strings popped.
A perfect reading nook could be seen if you turned your head more to the right. A leather armchair that one could sit comfortably while enjoying the sunlight and moonlight peeking at the window pane. A fluffy rug to rest your feet, a warm blanket to relax your body; scented candles, drinks, and snacks on the bar cart. Of course, a reading nook wouldn't be one without a small bookshelf on the side for the finishing touch.
To the left, the walls were pulled out to make space for the wooden recessed shelves. Items of different shapes and origins were displayed similar to a mini-museum. Luciel noticed the boxes from the bakery with distinct designs sitting side by side on the second level. Elina constructed them like a neighborhood.
"I poured all my heart and soul into this place. I'm proud of how everything turned out." Elina smiled warmly. She treasured the idea of having a home to live in. Murphy taught her that, and now she wanted to teach Luciel this too.
"Luciel, I suggest you start learning how to cook."
"Why?"
"Because..." Elina stopped for a while. She averted her gaze and flushed. "I... can't cook."
"...?"
"I built a full-fledged kitchen but couldn't even use it. I order take-out every day. It's to the point where the food delivery girl has become my close friend already."
"Why don't you try learning yourself then?"
"I can't!" Elina yelled out of embarrassment. She considered herself a competent woman, but cooking made her give up. "I tried many times, okay? I just couldn't get the hang of it. Anyway, I'm sure you have the talent for it."
It didn't sound bad for Luciel. Being able to cook meant that he could eat delicious food from his own hands. He could repay Elina's grace as well. Luciel didn't outwardly show it, but he deeply appreciated Elina for taking him in. He wanted to experience an ordinary life that he often saw through the windows of the houses he passed by.
"Okay. I'll learn it for you and myself," Luciel firmly said.
"Great! I'm looking forward to it."
Elina led Luciel to the spacious kitchen and said, "No pressure, okay? I just want you to experience new stuff. If it's too hard for you or you don't like it, it's perfectly fine. Take-out food is also delicious, you know?"
"No. I'll do it."
Elina showed a gentle smile filled with tenderness and affection. She felt like she had become a young mother. Of course, Elina was only 24 years old at the time. She was more like a sister to Luciel, but she felt unconditional love towards the aloof boy.
Luciel was the same. He didn't expect that form a connection like this. He had planned on only eating free cakes from this woman before escaping when she was unaware. However, Luciel changed his mind after hearing her childhood story on the way to her house. Luciel decided to trust Elina.
Besides, her head pats weren't too shabby...
"Don't give up halfway, okay? I'll buy ingredients for you to experiment with a bunch of recipes online. It's going to be fun. I can help as well if you want."
"I think it's best for you to stay away from the kitchen."
"Why you little!" Elina was speechless at Luciel's bluntness.
'This kid is going to be a problem.' She instinctively felt that. Luciel was the genius of geniuses. He obtained the Echoing Stigma that was supposed to only appear after their 16th birthday. Not only that, Luciel already had good control over his Echo Energy. He could even use Echo Flow if Elina taught him now.
'He's aloof and blunt AND a genius. Luciel, please don't be a heartless killer.'
Elina's brain was overthinking about the strangest things as always. She would have been more concerned if she had seen Luciel turn the crazy men into ashes in a matter of seconds. Luckily, she didn't see it.
As Luciel drifted his gaze away from Elina, she flicked his earlobe as payback for his harsh words.
"Be kind to people, okay? Don't joke around like that or else people might get angry." Elina smiled with her eyes closed.
"I'm serious, though..."
Luciel held back his words in time because he clearly saw veins popping on her forehead. He felt a disaster was about to fall on him, so he decided to listen to her.
"Yes. Understood."
Elina sighed heavily before switching the topic. "What do you want to eat? I don't have anything for cooking right now, so we have to order take-out today."
"Didn't we just eat?" Luciel still remembered the flavors of the delicious shortcake he had. Thinking of that would make him full for a day at least.
"That's like a light dessert. It's not a meal. People must eat three times a day to be healthy. Luciel. You, however"—she grabbed his shoulders—"must eat four times a day. It's mandatory."
"That much? I feel like my belly would explode."
"No. You have to be healthy! Look at the state of you right now. You might be strong because of the Echoing Stigma, but you're just still a human. I won't let you eat less than four meals per day until I see you get better."
"But then I'd have to cook four times a day."
Wouldn't that be rather tiring? Luciel thought so. Even if he loved cooking, he wanted to spend his time exploring many other new things with Elina's help.
"I said I would help already."
"No. I told you to stay away from—"
"Don't say it!" Elina grabbed his hair and pulled it slightly. She was about to die from embarrassment.
After a few minutes, their struggle ended. Both of their hair were a mess.
"Okay. Choose which one you like."
"I like this one."
"Oh! Great pick. This bowl of noodles is Guizhong's specialty. The thick noodles covered with homemade chili sauce and stir-fried vegetables are amazing." Elina's eyes sparkled and her mouth drooled as she described the food. "You know what makes the difference, though?"
"What is it?"
"A side of deep-fried pork with sweet lemon sauce. It goes perfectly with the spicy noodles!"
"..."
She seemed to be very knowledgeable about food and how it tasted, yet how was she bad at cooking despite her efforts? Luciel was confused about this, but he didn't want to ask any further.
"Order it. What're you waiting for? I'm hungry!"
'She's like a different person when talking about take-outs...'
It was then that ordering take-out once every day became one of their many traditions. Luciel's workload was decreased, so he was happy.