Dion emerged from the depths of the forest, his body emanating an offensive, foreign odor. Despite the fact that realm wanderers could void shuttle, their physical forms still retained their functions. He took a deep breath and began his journey toward Arwen's house.
He saw many villagers returning from their businesses, but Dion barely knew anybody apart from the people in Arwen's house. So, he minded his business in silence.
But he came across Zeni, who tried to get his attention with her snarky remarks, but he snubbed her like air.
'She dared to call me mute and expect an answer from me? Hell no! I will continue ignoring the clown.'
Upon arriving home, Dion spotted Arwen in the distance. However, it was not her mere presence that captivated him, but rather her graceful movements. She engaged in a peculiar dance, one imbued with the essence of blood magic beneath the waning sun, creating an otherworldly aura that left Dion mesmerized.
Arwen's arms, wrists, and fingers twirled and twisted in a seamless, fluid motion, captivating Dion with their mesmerizing display. Each joint in her arms seemed to work in perfect harmony, while her footwork complemented the cadence of her moving arms. It was as if she were performing a bewitching dance, despite the absence of any accompanying music. The gentle breeze caressed the scene, adding an ethereal touch to the spectacle.
In the palm of her hand, a fist-sized flame of vibrant purple danced and flickered, illuminating her surroundings. It moved with a graceful fluidity before vanishing into thin air. Yet, as the purple fire dissipated, a new phenomenon unfolded before Dion's eyes. Black, sinuous tendrils emerged, resembling long, vine-like serpents. They twirled and danced in a sinuous, wavy manner, like swimming creatures in a mystical ocean.
But just as suddenly as they appeared, the tendrils completed a full circular swim around Arwen, vanishing into thin air. In their wake, a dense green gas enveloped her, swirling like a miniature tornado. The swirling fumes raised dust particles into the air, never allowing them to return to the floor. After a few moments, the entire phenomenon dispersed and disappeared, revealing Arwen standing before Dion, a radiant smile gracing her features.
Dion shook his head to regain his composure as he had his eyes still glued to her, entranced by her magical display and dance.
"Hey, I thought I was going to enter the forest to search for you if you didn't return tonight. You know, it's always advisable to go with a pair when hunting." Arwen stretched her arms.
Dion merely nodded without taking it to the heart. He said calmly, "I didn't get any kills today."
Arwen sighed and walked up to him. She raised her hand to ruffle his hair but Dion leaped back like a startled cat, keeping a distance from her. He wasn't used to someone treating him like a child. Her hand awkwardly hung in the air before she retracted it slowly.
Then she spoke softly like nothing happened, "The reason I wanted you to hunt isn't because I need the meat. It's because I don't want you to be lazy and idle after going through hellish torment. So if you are in the wild and you have no kill, you don't need to sleep there. Just come back home, okay?"
Dion nodded calmly before asking, "Where is Rowan?"
"Rowan? In his room." Arwen pointed at a distant room.
"Thanks." He left for his room. After a quick shower, Dion went to find Rowan. He wore brown pants and a white wool shirt.
Dion walked past a few hallways and arrived in front of Rowan's wooden door. Knocking softly, Dion waited for Rowan to respond.
With a soft click, the door unlocked, and a shirtless Rowan emerged, rubbing his droopy eyes while letting out a yawn. However, his actions abruptly halted as his eyes fell upon Dion, causing his jaw to drop in astonishment. In disbelief, Rowan blurted out, "Dion?"
To ensure he wasn't dreaming, Rowan pinched his cheek, a small wince crossing his face. He then rubbed his eyes as if trying to clear away any lingering traces of sleep.
"Why are you behaving like an evening idiot?" Dion reprimanded coolly.
Rowan cleared his throat. "Hmmm. Oddly, you visited me, considering that after you learned how to hunt on your own, you never conversed with me. You threw me aside after using me."
"Get dressed. You are going to take me to the place where I can get nice weapons, not that trash you gave me. Sharp and durable weapon," Dion didn't beat around the bush and stated his motive.
"Visiting me only when you need me," Rowan muttered and closed the door.
He returned and was clad in a blue robe with a pair of sandals bound to his feet. He led Dion out of the house and both of them strolled side by side. Since Arwen's house was close to the forest, Dion hardly saw the lively part of the village. But today, under the evening sun, the boys walked around the village unhurriedly.
"Do you know a festival is coming up? A festival to send off the villagers who are qualified for the Blood Magic Academy entrance exam. It's going to be exciting," Rowan spoke, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I will pass on that festival," Dion instantly turned it down as he knew an invitation was coming next.
Rowan's head snapped to Dion and he rambled with wide eyes. "How can you pass?! You can pass on everything but you can't miss the festival. Dancing, food, my mother performing cool magic, and many enjoyable events."
"But I've seen all," Dion responded calmly.
"Even my mother doing magic?" Rowan asked with a skeptical look.
"Tendrils of decay, blazing corrosion, poison gale… I've seen it all. Attending the festival will just be a waste of my precious time." Dion shrugged and inserted his hands into his pocket.
"Well, you've only seen her perform that magic on a small scale. I'm talking about a large-scale performance which my mother wouldn't do in the house. You know, the corrupted mana made all elements destructive. Wouldn't you want to see a live epic magic exhibition?" Rowan tempted Dion with a cunning smile.
"If what she's going to be doing is just a magnified version of what she did at the house, then I can picture that with my imagination," replied Dion without any excitement. "But why do you want me there?"
Rowan found himself momentarily stumped, his mind racing for an explanation. After a brief pause, he began to clarify the situation. "Initially, Zeni and I are the only people who qualified to participate in the Blood Magic Academy training. If you add Liana and Lorraine, that makes it three girls!" His voice took on a desperate, low tone as he continued, "If you don't come, I will be the only boy among those girls. Hell, I can't imagine standing on the stage alongside them. You will change your mind for me, right? Remember all my deeds and the things I shared with you." Rowan pleaded, his eyes filled with an expression of pitiable desperation.
Dion, however, remained resolute. "Nope, I won't waste my time. Besides, you never displayed any signs of timidity when conversing with Zeni in the forest the other day," he responded, voicing his thoughts aloud
"That's because she is only one beautiful girl!" Rowan retorted with a crestfallen face.
"So, you are timid if they are a group of girls?" Dion placed a finger as he thought of a solution. Rowan gazed at him silently.
"As a repayment, I will give you premium tutoring to be calm around girls. If you aren't confident because of their beauty, I would have given you the censorship method — that's to overlap the most ugly girl you've ever seen over their face. I bet, you would be confident."
Rowan's face scrunched up into a nasty scowl as he quickly looked around in case any of the girls heard Dion. "That's a… drastic method."
"Is it?" Dion arched an eyebrow in confusion. Then he added, "The second method, the singularity method — that's to see all of them as walking skeletons… that's one foot from the grave."
Rowan's face dropped. "The last part wasn't necessary. Even the first part already murdered all the beauties in your head."
"Why is your face dropping at my premium tutoring?" Dion snapped before mumbling, "That's why I only give my premium tutoring to smart dudes."
He humphed, "A tiger became a kitty because of a bunch of girls who merely stood next to 'him'."
Rowan's face spasms at the remark.
About a minute later, Rowan stopped in front of a building. He pointed at a bungalow that was built in an ancient style. "This is the blacksmith house."
Dion walked towards the door and was about to knock, but the door swung open. His eyes widened when he saw Zeni walking out of the building.
He slowly turned his head to Rowan.
"Her father is the blacksmith," Rowan quickly explained.
'Damn! Is this karma for snubbing her during the day? Or is it for mentally damaging her beauty?' Dion thought.
He turned to Zeni, only to find her smiling mischievously. Although her thoughts were unreadable, Dion knew there was a brewing evil plan behind her smile.