Realization

The pleasant aroma of food wafted through the room, slowly waking Vastarael from his deep slumber.

He blinked several times, his eyes struggling to adjust to the soft light that filled the room. The scent of cooked meat and freshly baked bread teased his senses, and his stomach rumbled in protest.

But before he could sit up, he realized something. His head was resting on something incredibly soft and comforting.

He slowly lifted his gaze, trying to figure out what he was lying on, and his view was blocked by a large, soft curve. His eyes widened slightly but he didn't dare move too quickly, unsure of where he was or what was happening.

As he turned his head up, he found himself staring directly at the face of the last person he expected to see.

Elyonari.

The Elven princess was sitting on the couch with a small, beautiful smile playing on her lips, her golden eyes soft and gentle. She tilted her head slightly, watching him with a quiet, calm expression that made his heart skip a beat. In that moment, he saw how beautiful she was.

Her delicate features, the elegance of her posture, the way her long, silvery-white hair cascaded around her shoulders, it all made her seem almost ethereal. He found himself momentarily speechless, staring up at her as if seeing her for the first time, his mind scrambling to process the sight in front of him.

"Good evening, handsome prince. I see you're awake."

Vastarael, still dazed from sleep, blinked a few times as his mind finally began to focus.

"I... uh, Elyonari? What happened? I was... sleeping on your lap?"

Elyonari couldn't help but chuckle softly, though she quickly tried to compose herself. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she hid it behind her usual composed facade.

"You were exhausted and you weren't exactly in a state to wake up and move. I told you to rest and... you fell asleep almost immediately."

Vastarael blinked again, trying to recall the events leading up to his nap. His body still felt heavy.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. "Your lap is... incredibly comfortable. I didn't realize how much I needed rest."

Elyonari's eyes softened at his words, though she quickly masked her emotions behind her usual jovial front.

"I'm used to it. Though... I guess I could say I don't mind it."

Vastarael, still half-conscious, raised a brow.

"You don't mind it? I'm sorry if I made your feet numb."

She hesitated for a moment, fighting to maintain her composed demeanor. Elyonari couldn't help the faintest smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.

"You're not bothering me. I actually... well, I loved it."

"Loved it?"

Elyonari immediately cleared her throat and looked away for a split second, as if trying to find the right words.

"I mean... I'm used to it, so... it didn't bother me at all."

Vastarael smirked slightly, catching on to her discomfort. He teased, his voice still groggy from sleep but laced with a hint of amusement.

"So, you're telling me you enjoyed my head being on your lap for hours?"

Elyonari looked away, her expression softening as she bit back a smile.

"You... but yes, I did. Now, stop making it sound like I'm some kind of... masochist."

Vastarael laughed weakly, a smile breaking across his face despite his exhaustion.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away," he murmured, trying to push himself up but feeling a bit dizzy from the sudden movement. "I'll rest after dinner. Iona's cooking, right?"

"Yes. But for now, you should stay down. You need the rest."

He glanced up at her, his tired eyes meeting hers for a brief moment. Despite the teasing banter, there was an undeniable sense of care in her gaze. It was fleeting, almost as if she was trying to hide it, but he saw it.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine."

Elyonari hesitated, her expression softening again, before she finally sighed and sat back a little more comfortably on the couch.

"I'm not worried. I just... I don't like seeing you push yourself to the limit. I've seen my brother do this all the time and I just hate it when she doesn't consider resting. You should do the same too. Promise me that you'll rest all the time whenever you feel tired."

"Okay..."

"Now then, I think I've figured out why your circle's acting strange. Can you summon it again? Let's take another look."

Vastarael nodded. He raised his hand, focusing for a brief moment, and a shimmering blue mystic circle appeared before him, swirling with delicate runes of various shapes.

It was beautiful, but it was flickering, almost on the verge of collapse. The light around the runes dimmed and brightened erratically, and it felt like it could shatter at any second.

Elyonari studied it carefully, her eyes tracing every flicker and distortion of the circle. She tapped her finger against her chin thoughtfully, a small frown creasing her brow.

"Hmm... It's not bad, but something's missing. The core matrix of the circle is good. The Rune of Water is at the center, which is exactly what you need. You've got the Stability Runes, the Directional Runes... everything's in place to make it functional."

Vastarael watched, waiting for her next words. He knew something was off, but the answer hadn't clicked in his head yet.

"But... you've forgotten one very simple, but crucial rune."

"What's that?"

Elyonari replied, "An Energy Rune. Without it, the circle can't stabilize properly. And that's why it's fluctuating like this."

Vastarael's eyes widened slightly, a realization dawning on him like a sudden burst of clarity.

"You see, your Healing and Plasma Circles don't need Energy Runes because you're supplying the energy yourself, using your essence to fuel them. But elemental circles? Especially something like Water? That's different. You can't just rely on your own essence without feeding it from the circle itself. It needs a balance of both your energy and the energy that the rune can provide."

Vastarael stood there, momentarily stunned as her words sank in. He could feel the pieces of the puzzle sliding together in his mind.

Of course. He had thought that his ability to summon water naturally would translate to an easier time with the Water Mystic Circle. After all, it was an element he was already familiar with. But this wasn't just about his personal power.

It was about the structure of the circle, the balance of energies that it needed to function properly.

He hadn't even considered that the circle itself would require its own energy input. It was a simple concept, but one that he had overlooked in his eagerness to complete the circle.

"So," he began, his voice a little sheepish, "you're saying that the circle doesn't have enough energy to stabilize itself without the rune?"

Elyonari confirmed, her tone softening slightly now that the explanation had clearly clicked for him.

"Exactly. You can summon water with your own essence, but when you're trying to bring that into a structured form like a circle, you need to ensure that it has the correct flow of energy. The Energy Rune is what makes that happen. Without it, your circle is unstable and... it's pulling at your essence just to stay together."

Vastarael nodded slowly, his hand subconsciously reaching to rub his temple as he processed the information.

"That... makes sense," he muttered, more to himself than to her. "I guess I thought my ability to summon water would work the same way as it does when I create it. I didn't realize that creating it in a circle would need more structure. I've been so focused on the individual components of the circle that I didn't think about the energy balance it needed."

"You're not the only one who's made that mistake. Elemental circles are a lot more complicated than most people give them credit for."

"Okay... let's see..."