Elyonari's Boon and Bane

Vastarael's hands trembled slightly as he carefully etched the final energy runes onto the mystic circle, the last pieces of the puzzle falling into place.

The runes glowed softly as he drew them onto the floating circle, the faint hum of mystic energy filling the living room.

Once he finished, he took a deep breath. His heart pounded in his chest, the anticipation almost unbearable. This was it. The final step. If this worked, if the circle stabilized, he would have completed something that had eluded him for weeks.

He counted in his head, focusing on the energy flowing through the circle.

'Twenty seconds. Just twenty seconds of stability.'

Each passing second felt like an eternity. The circle behind him flickered and for a moment, he thought it might collapse like all the others before it. His breath caught in his throat as he watched the shimmering water rune at the center ripple, the edges of the circle warping like a fragile thread about to snap.

But he held his breath.

'Come on, come on…'

And then, just as the time ticked down to the twentieth mark, something miraculous happened.

The water in the circle stabilized and the flickering stopped.

The glow that followed was soft yet radiant, a pale blue light that radiated from the circle like the first stars of a twilight sky. It pulsed gently, the air around it charged with a new, harmonious energy.

Vastarael's heart skipped a beat and before he could stop himself, a wide grin spread across his face. The tension that had been coiling in his chest released in an instant. He jumped up from his sitting position, punching the air triumphantly.

"Yes! Yes! It worked! It finally worked! My third First Star Circle!"

Without thinking, his arms shot out toward Elyonari and he pulled her into an ecstatic hug. She gasped in surprise, her body tensing at the sudden contact.

"Thank you thank you thank you! You're the best!"

For a moment, she didn't move, the unexpectedness of the embrace leaving her speechless. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson as Vastarael squeezed her in his excitement, his grip tight and warm.

But then, as his joy settled, Elyonari found herself laughing, a soft, breathless chuckle that she couldn't contain. She returned the hug, albeit with a little hesitation at first, but then her arms wrapped around him gently.

She couldn't help but feel a spark of warmth at the sight of his genuine happiness. The tension of the past few weeks, his struggle with the circle, his exhaustion, seemed to melt away.

It was a rare moment for her, to see him so free, so unburdened by the weight of expectations, and she realized how much she admired that about him.

Still, the reality of the situation set in. Her heart raced from the position they were in.

Vastarael, on the other hand, was oblivious to the effect he had on her. Lost in his joy, he stayed in the embrace for a few more moments, still grinning like a child who had just discovered something wondrous. He exclaimed, pulling back slightly, his eyes sparkling with pride.

"That… that was amazing! We did it! We actually did it! This is the First Star Mystic Circle! I can't believe it…"

Elyonari, still a bit flustered, managed to compose herself enough to nod. She didn't say anything right away, her face still flushed from the hug, but she was silently proud of him, too.

His charismatic energy was contagious and even she couldn't help but feel a little caught up in it.

'He really did it...'

After a few seconds of silence, where the two of them simply looked at each other, their breaths slowing down, Elyonari's voice broke the quiet.

"You're… not so bad, after all, handsome prince. But next time, maybe don't make me your cushion for hours on end? Also, don't hug me out of the blue like that.'

Vastarael blinked, his mind still clouded by the rush of victory.

"Huh? Oh, I'm so sorry about that! Oh and your feet must be numb too—"

But Elyonari cut him off with a small, mischievous smile.

"I told you, I'm used to it. In fact, I kind of... like it."

Vastarael paused, his mind catching up to her words. For a brief second, he saw the gentle flush on her cheeks and realized how much he had taken her support for granted.

He chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his neck, the atmosphere between them shifting from celebration to something more… personal.

"Well, I'll have to make it up to you somehow. But first, let's enjoy this victory. We should eat "

Elyonari simply nodded, her smile softening as she watched him.

"Yeah. Let's go. I've never tasted Iona's cooking before. Let's see how good she is."

The two of them stood there for a moment, side by side, as the glow from the Water Mystic Circle continued to shimmer, casting a serene light over the room. Vastarael felt a profound sense of accomplishment, and the warmth of Elyonari's quiet presence beside him made it all the more meaningful.

[Hey. Don't go hugging girls like that. You'll give them the wrong idea you know. With your looks...]

Vastarael sighed as soon as he heard Phaenora's voice in his mind.

'Yeah... I noticed it too... I'm just amazed that Elyonari's the only one who isn't affected by my Bane. Wonder why...'

"Elyonari?"

"Mmm?"

"Can you tell me your Boon and Bane?"

Her eyes widened.

"Not to worry! I'll tell you mine to make it even... and uh... it might be helpful if we're going to be together. I already know Adelasta's... sorry, I know I must be—"

He paused when he heard Elyonari giggling, her palm hiding her lips.

"What?"

"For a handsome guy, you're not really that good in asking secrets from a girl, are you?"

"..."

"At least you have some flaws. Okay, I'll tell you over dinner. Come on."

°°°°°°°°

Vastarael sat back in his chair, the delicious aromas of dinner lingering in the air. He tried to shake off Phaenora's words, but it lingered in his mind like an echo. Phaenora was right. He needed to be careful with his actions, especially with the way his looks tended to affect people. He couldn't afford to make anyone uncomfortable.

As he picked up his fork and began eating, he glanced over at Elyonari, who was casually enjoying her food, her expression soft and relaxed.

The room had grown quieter after Chainless and Iona had finished their meals. Both of them had excused themselves and leaving the two of them alone. As they walked away, Iona had jokingly said they didn't need to eat twice, and Chainless had nodded in agreement, though the latter had also added that they were leaving the two of them alone to 'figure things out.'

When she finally put down her fork, her gaze turned toward him, and there was a slight, contemplative pause. He could tell she was weighing her words carefully.

"Okay... let's see... tell me yours first."

He didn't hesitate.

"My Boon are my ethereal looks. And my Bane... is women. For some reason, women close to me bring trouble to me like a curse."

Elyonari smirked when he heard his Bane.

"Damn. To be honest, now I see why you're asking. I'm still glad that you chose me to be part of your team despite that. But to be honest, those two are good."

Vastarael, who had been busy savoring a delicious piece of meat, looked up at her with curiosity.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just thought it might help us be more prepared if we understood each other's abilities better."

Elyonari smiled at his considerate nature, but she could tell he was genuinely interested. She put her fork down and leaned back, making eye contact with him.

"Okay, here goes. My Boon is Extreme Luck. It's like... everything I do turns out better than it should. I don't know how it works, but I'm just always in the right place at the right time, getting lucky breaks, and things falling into my favor. Whether it's dodging danger or getting what I need, it just works out for me."

Vastarael nodded, impressed. "That's quite a gift."

"Yeah, it's great," she said, a light chuckle escaping her lips. "But... there's a catch."

Vastarael raised an eyebrow. "Banes are contradictory to Boons. What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "My Bane... is Dependency. I rely on my luck to function. It sounds strange, but if I don't have that luck... everything falls apart."

"..."

"It's like, without my good fortune, I can't make the right choices, or things just... don't go right for me. I get anxious and everything turns sour. It's like... the luck is the engine that keeps everything going, and without it, I... well, I'm not sure how I would even survive."

Vastarael took a moment to process her words.

"So, you're like... dependent on luck for your life to be stable?"

"Exactly," she said with a rueful grin. "It's kind of embarrassing, but I can't help it. The better my luck, the better I do. But if it's bad or if I lose it, everything just starts falling apart."

Vastarael leaned back in his seat, thinking about how this would affect their upcoming journey, the Epoch Cycle, and the challenges ahead.

"So, you can't really rely on yourself without it. But you're still... lucky, aren't you?"

Elyonari smirked. "Oh, I'm lucky all right. And it's not always bad. But sometimes, it makes me feel like I can't stand on my own without it. Like... what would I do without luck on my side?"

"..."

"Also, the more I rely on it, the worse my luck gets so..."

Vastarael smiled softly, his voice gentle.

"Well, you're still you, no matter what. Even if luck is with you or not, you're still Elyonari."

She blushed slightly, appreciating his kind words, though she couldn't deny that his presence was another stroke of good fortune. But she didn't mention that part.

"So, now you know," she said, turning her attention back to her food, though her thoughts were still on their shared conversation.

Vastarael nodded thoughtfully, feeling a bit more connected to Elyonari now that he understood her abilities.

"I'm glad you told me. It helps me understand how to support you... and maybe how to keep your luck going, if you ever need help. So that's why my Bane doesn't affect you. You're the perfect partner."

"Same here. To be honest, both of us have very good Boons and Banes. Cheers to that."

"Cheers."

Vastarael realized that Elyonari might have the best Boon and Bane. Extreme Luck was something that he desperately needed when they were with her.

He thanked his previous self that he made Elyonari her friend.