He liked seeing her skin glisten with sweat and the warmth of her body. He chuckled, stroking her cheek with an affectionate smile, then wrapping his other arm around her hips.
"I won~ are you surprised?"
He wiped her forehead and brushed aside her damp bangs. Sena looked at Julian with a curious expression.
"Julian," she muttered. "What was that black aura?"
Sena stared at his hand. The remnant of shadow energy fluttered before disappearing. His fingers flexed as if trying to grab something out of his reach. Julian felt it—raw power. Unlike the game, it felt comfortable.
"It's Mana," Julian admitted. "I used it to enhance my movements and create magic."
Sena blinked. "That's… impossible. Mana only exists in the game. How can it be outside the game? It's just—"
Her words stopped seeing Julian clench his fist, a black and purple aura coiled around his fist for a brief moment, before dispersing into the air like mist.
"How can you explain this?" he inquired in a charming and low-pitched tone.
Sena gazed at his hand, her golden eyes opened wide.
Her expression shifted from disbelief to excitement. She didn't speak, and instead grabbed Julian's hand, stroking his fingers as if to learn how to copy him.
Julian watched her reaction, then realised the meaning of what he did.
'If I can do this here, then that means—'
[◇ Your ingenious use of Mana has granted you my blessing. ◇]
A cold whisper crawled into his mind, a beautiful and familiar voice, Solaria giggled upon his realisation. It echoed within his thoughts, the same way it did in the game.
[◇ You have gained the skills: Mana Control, Mana Enhancement, and Quick Cast! ◇]
Julian tensed, his body suddenly cold. He expected something to happen, maybe a punishment or backlash for forcing it. But a reward? Here, in the real world?
"Julian…?" Sena's soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Her brows furrowed, concern painted across her face. "Are you alright?"
"I…" He hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."
He needed clarity before speaking to Sena.
These skills weren't limited to the game. Even now, he could feel his Mana much clearer than before, able to make it dance inside his abdomen, and what he struggled with earlier became simple to imitate.
His fight against Dreadpaw awakened his mind, unable to accept his failure until now.
'I should have changed my strategy.'
'If I had fought like an Evoker instead of keeping my Guardian mindset, Sena would have become an extension of power instead of something I protect.'
Julian realised he needed to fight while treating Sena like a Shade, not a human. He could have killed the Ape in one Shadow's Grasp if he changed his tactics. He should have continuously cast Shadow Bolt while Sena tanked the monster.
Thanks to this training and his current mood, the pieces clicked together.
'Rather than focus on myself becoming a hero, I should become more of a strategist.'
His heartbeat quickened. This changed everything.
Sena's eyes narrowed, staring at him before she pinched his cheeks. "Julian, what are you hiding?"
He exhaled slowly. "There's a reason I know this. But… give me time."
"Time?" Sena huffed, before leaning against his chest again with a thud. "Is it such a big thing?"
"It is," he admitted. "I promise I'll tell you everything, Sena. Just… not yet."
Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't speak immediately. Instead, she studied him, her sharp gaze searching for something—doubt? Lies? But Julian held firm.
Finally, she sighed. "Mm. Then…"
She closed her eyes, pondering, a slight blush on her cheeks. Julian frowned slightly. "Then…?"
Instead of answering, she opened her eyes and fluttered her long lashes, leaning closer with both arms around his neck.
"Julian?"
"Yes, Sena?"
She stopped speaking, her beautiful cheeks dripping with sweat as she sat in his arms. He sensed she wanted to ask something, her wet eyes filled with emotion, affection, and purpose.
"Can we start over?"
Her question, like a cathedral bell being struck, stunned Julian, but he could feel his chest racing, pounding like a drum, and he realised there could only be one answer.
Julian barely had time to react before she leaned in, brushing a soft, fleeting kiss against his lips.
A heartbeat.
Then she pulled back—golden eyes shimmering with delight, cheeks dark red—before hopping from Julian's arms and stepping away.
Julian froze, his mind completely blank, unable to respond to her approach.
Sena smiled at his reaction, then turned and ran.
He watched her bouncing ponytail, fluttering from side to side as she escaped with hurried steps. The door slammed shut, barely registering in his mind.
And then—
A flash of something unfamiliar. A sensation, sharp and overwhelming, surged through him.
He saw a nostalgic courtyard filled with vibrant flowers and roses. A grand castle, its white stone resembling Camelot's legendary halls. And a woman—her figure blurred, but familiar.
Like Sena, she kissed him.
His breath caught in his throat. The scent of roses, the warmth of soft lips against his, the aching sense of déjà vu—it all came crashing down instantly.
His heart pounded as the memory slipped away, like grains of sand through his fingers.
Julian staggered back a step, one hand clutching his forehead. His pulse thundered in his ears.
"Who was that woman?" he muttered to himself, staring at the silent room.
A question with no answer.
Yet.
All he could think about was her rose-red hair.
Sena slammed the door behind her, pressing her back against the cool metal. Her heart was pounding—too fast, too loud. She sucked in the cold air, trying to calm herself down, but nothing helped.
What had she just done?
The heat from Julian's lips lingered on her lips, a sweet sensation that refused to fade. She touched her mouth, fingers squishing her lips while closing her eyes. She didn't plan it. Neither did she think about doing that. The moment and emotion just… happened.
'Julian.'
His expression remained in her mind—the wide-eyed shock, how he stiffened, completely frozen. He hadn't pulled away. But had he responded?
Sena groaned in the cold showers, hitting her head against the door. "What the hell was I thinking?" she grumbled.
The answer was obvious. She acted on her feelings and mistook the atmosphere.
She peeled herself off the door, staggering into the showers, twisting the handle. The icy cold rush of water pouring down drowned out the frantic beating in her chest. Steam stretched into the air as she stepped under the spray, letting the heat wash over her.
It didn't help.
'I'm still crazy about you.'
Closing her eyes, she let her forehead rest against the cool tile. Memories surged—memories she had buried, locked away because they hurt too much.
'I love you, will you date me again?'
The way Julian used to smile at her, was easy and teasing. The quiet moments when he thought no one was watching. The warmth of his hand in hers.
'Julian, please take me back!'
His transformation and sudden change caused Sena to become fearful. Julian became distant. Unreachable. Like she was standing metres away from him, chasing his shadow.
'Don't leave me…'
She had thought she could remain just friends.
But seeing him change, becoming more charming—fighting, growing stronger, changing in ways she couldn't understand—it made something twist deep inside her.
She pressed her fingers against the cool tiles, her breath hitching as the water continued to pour over her.
The heat couldn't chase away the icy sensation building in her abdomen.
Julian was slipping away.
She had told herself it was fine. That standing at his side, watching him grow, supporting him as a friend would be okay. But that was a lie.
The truth was raw. Ugly.
She didn't want to just watch.
She wanted to hold on.
Her fingers curled into fists as water dripped from her lashes. What if he really left her behind? What if this distance between them grew until she couldn't reach him at all?
The thought made her chest tighten painfully.
She had lost him once.
She refused to let it remain like this.
Sena clenched her teeth as she pushed off the wall and forced herself to breathe. It was pointless to wallow in self-pity or doubt. If Julian changed, then she would change even more. She would keep up, no matter what.
'Even if you cannot see it now—or refuse to look at me the way you used to—I will make you look at me again.'
She wiped her face, a confident smile restored on her plump lips despite the lingering ache in her chest.
"You better be ready, Julian."
Sena's pupils in the mirror flickered with a solid blue aura as she turned away.