The Peony Tattoo

As Vastarael focused on the flickering glow of the Heat Mystic Circle, the subtle hum of energy filled the sapphire igloo. Taryenne and Rienne were thankfully quiet now, but the weight of their earlier stares lingered in his mind like a splinter.

[You know, if you keep trying to act indifferent, they're only going to find you more mysterious. And trust me, nothing draws girls in more than mystery.]

Vastarael stiffened as Phaenora's playful voice echoed in his thoughts. He clenched his jaw, but she chuckled softly. Her voice was a melodious tease in his mind.

[Oh, don't give me that stoic attitude, my prince. I felt what you were feeling earlier. Those stolen glances... that brief surge of panic when you realized they were practically undressed in front of you. Admit it, even you aren't immune to their charm.]

He rubbed his temples and mentally responded;

'Phaenora, I don't have time for your games right now. We're in a blizzard, in a cursed city, trapped in overlapping timelines. I'm trying to keep us alive.'

[And yet you were definitely distracted for a moment. Don't think I didn't notice your heart rate spike when Rienne blushed... or when Taryenne stared at you like you were her next conquest.]

Vastarael sighed, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the circle.

'It's not like I can control their reactions, or my... circumstances.'

[Oh, but you can control how you react. Yet, even with all your training, all your self-restraint, you couldn't stop yourself from noticing, could you?]

He didn't reply, which only made her laugh harder.

[Face it. You're trying so hard to be the noble, untouchable prince, but you still have emotions. You felt the heat, the tension, and you enjoyed it, even if only for a second.]

He gritted his teeth, glancing subtly at the sisters. They were sitting quietly on the other side of the igloo, Taryenne lazily fanning herself while Rienne seemed lost in thought, her cheeks still faintly pink.

'Enough, Phaenora. I'm not here to entertain your fantasies.'

She pressed, her tone turning conspiratorial.

[Oh, come on! It's not just me. You can't tell me you didn't notice how disappointed they were when you didn't strip all the way down. Poor Taryenne looked like someone stole her last meal.]

Vastarael's hand twitched, but he forced himself to remain composed.

'This isn't a joke, Phaenora. Why are you so edgy today? Did the horrors of the cathedral ruin your mind?'

[No, it did not. You're stuck in a heated igloo with two gorgeous women who clearly find you attractive. And yet, here you are, brooding and building mystic circles like an old scholar. It's almost tragic, really. But... mysterious.]

'How?'

[They're practically almost naked in front of you and yet, you didn't look at them that much. They did sense that you glanced at them but then you didn't stare too much. You appreciated how they look with just that. Now they don't see you as a pervert, which I don't think would matter to any girl with those looks of yours.]

'For an Omniscient, you know more than I thought.'

[Yeah. So, who are you going to sleep with tonight?]

'We're on the verge of dying in a time loop,' he snapped, his voice low but exasperated. 'Maybe you could focus on helping instead of... whatever this is.'

[Oh, darling, I am helping. I'm keeping your spirits up. Besides, don't think for a second I haven't noticed how hard you're trying not to look their way right now. If you're going to play the noble hero, at least own it.]

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, centering himself. Phaenora's teasing had always been relentless, but this was a new level of torment.

The worst part was, she wasn't entirely wrong.

'Fine,' he said, his mental tone icy. 'If you're so observant, why don't you tell me how to escape this cursed blizzard? Or better yet, how to stop the time loops?'

There was a pause and for a moment, he thought he'd silenced her. But then, she returned with a playful lilt:

[Survive the blizzard, fuse the timelines, and... maybe try not to blush so much next time, my prince. Be the alpha male, not the submissive type.]

With that, her presence faded, leaving Vastarael to his thoughts, and the unbearable heat of the igloo. For a moment, he allowed himself a wry smile.

"At least she's consistent," he muttered under his breath before focusing on the task at hand once more.

°°°°°°

As Vastarael stretched out his arms to adjust the Mystic Circles, the sisters couldn't help but notice the tattoos that adorned his body.

They had seen them before, when he'd worn a sleeveless hoodie, but they hadn't fully taken in the details. Now, with the heat in the igloo causing him to move in ways that revealed more of his skin, the tattoos were hard to miss.

The one that caught their attention was a peony tattoo spiraling from his elbow to his shoulder. The petals and vines appeared to move.

"That tattoo..." Taryenne whispered, her voice barely above a murmur.

"Yeah," Rienne agreed softly, her gaze locked on the flames. "It's... it's almost like it's alive."

Vastarael, glanced up at them briefly, his eyes narrowing as he picked up on their curiosity.

"The peony tattoo? Oh. It's... a birthmark. I've had it since birth. I don't know much about it, but it's been with me for as long as I can remember. A part of me, I suppose."

He was lying. He got it from dying during the solar eclipse that stayed on Anqerise for a month before the First Epoch Cycle.

Rienne shifted closer, drawn to the tattoo's allure.

"It's beautiful... but it seems like more than just a birthmark. It feels like there's something... otherworldly about it."

Vastarael's lips twitched into a faint, wistful smile.

"Perhaps. But I don't know its full significance. Maybe I'll never truly understand it."

But then, they saw that the black flower seemed to bloom just beneath his collarbone. The delicate petals looked almost alive, every detail perfected with meticulous care.

Thorny vines spiraled out from the flower's base, creeping along his neckline like they wanted to escape and entangle everything around them.

The flower was so real that for a moment, Taryenne and Rienne both felt an urge to reach out, to touch it. It was almost as if the tattoo was breathing, alive in ways that defied logic. Yet, they both hesitated, understanding that there was something deeply personal about it.

"It's so... perfect," Taryenne murmured. "But it looks like it's alive..."

Vastarael's gaze shifted downward, his expression darkening slightly as he watched their reactions. He could tell they were intrigued but also wary. Slowly, he exhaled, running a hand over the surface of his tattoo, almost as if he were brushing away some invisible memory.

"The flower wasn't always there. It appeared after... I died. During an eclipse. That's when it manifested fully."

'At least they won't ask about it anymore..."

The sisters exchanged a glance, their curiosity piqued, but they didn't ask him to elaborate. They both felt the heaviness in his words, the unspoken history that lingered in the air around him.

Rienne tilted her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously reaching out to the space between them, as if drawn to the flower but holding herself back.

"You're not going to tell us how you... died?" Taryenne asked gently, her eyes searching his face.

Vastarael let out a quiet sigh, running a hand through his white hair, the glow of the Mystic Circles reflecting in his eyes.

"No. I... don't think I should. Not yet..All I know is, after that eclipse, it grew... slowly. At first, it was just a small mark. But over time, it became what you see now. And it's still growing..."