Goodbye (4)

Vastarael sat in the sand, stretching out his arm as his sapphire graft finished repairing itself. The cracks had already dulled, nothing he wasn't used to. That was when Narisva tossed something at him.

He caught it reflexively, the weight of it cool against his palm. It was a silver necklace, but tinged with an eerie shimmer.

Vastarael turned it over in his fingers. The pendant was a deep, swirling obsidian with faint crimson veins running through it. Something about it felt ancient.

"Are you proposing?"

Narisva's expression remained flat. "No."

Vastarael sighed dramatically, "Damn. Thought I'd finally get a second wife."

Narisva ignored that.

"Take it. Since you're heading to the Fallen Bridge."

At that, his teasing faded. His eyes flicked down to the pendant again. Fallen Bridge. One of the most cursed places that had a lot of Hidden Truths.

"You got this there?" He asked, voice a little more serious now.

"When I was trapped there. Before we met in the Fallen Bridge the first time. The Krepsunas weren't exactly welcoming. Got that from a Scavenger Rank Krepsuna."

Vastarael exhaled, shaking his head. The Krepsunas were not an enemy one fought casually. Even for a Third Phase Ascender, taking one down alone was-

"Wait," his eyes narrowed. "You killed one?"

Narisva smirked, "Of course I did. That's where the pendant came from."

"Impressive."

"I know."

He gave her a dry look. "I was trying to compliment you, but you really don't need me to, huh?"

"Nope," Narisva said, popping the 'p' smugly.

"Alright, what does it do?"

Narisva plopped down beside him, stretching her arms over her head.

"It won't show up in my system. But I know it's going to help you. It saved my ass more than once in there."

That was good enough for him. Vastarael was about to loop it over his head when Narisva suddenly reached for her own collar, her fingers gripping the laces of her white blouse. Then, she tugged it down slightly enough to reveal a matching necklace resting against her skin.

And, in the process, she showed a whole lot of cleavage.

Vastarael blinked.

"..."

Narisva narrowed her eyes. "Stop staring. I'm showing you I got twin pendants so don't feel like you owe me anything."

"Not my fault it's in my direct line of sight."

Narisva glared. Vastarael tilted his head slightly, as if pondering something.

"You know, Adelasta's are bigger."

For a second, he thought she was going to kill him. And not just kill him but erase his existence from every timeline. Her grip tightened around the sand. Her aura surged. The temperature plummeted.

But Vastarael didn't even flinch.

The tension hung between them for a long, excruciating moment. Then, she sighed.

"I actually hate you."

"No, you don't," Vastarael said, grinning.

She just muttered something under her breath and grabbed the necklace from his hands.

"Here, let me do it."

Narisva moved behind him, kneeling in the sand. The warmth of her presence lingered as her fingers brushed against the nape of his neck, looping the chain carefully.

Vastarael sat still, feeling the cool weight of it settle against his collarbone.

"Why are you worried about me?" He asked after a moment. "I blackmailed you the first time we met in Minafallen Borough, remember? We didn't actually get off to a good start."

Her fingers paused for a fraction of a second. Then she resumed clasping it.

"Because we're the same."

"The same?"

"Born powerful and bound by duty. I don't care about the world. You don't either, right? If we were given a chance not to protect people we don't know and nor bound by duty, we would have both chosen it in a heartbeat."

Vastarael didn't deny it because she was right. Narisva's voice softened slightly as she adjusted the chain.

"But we're still going to save it."

He didn't say anything.

"For me, it is because I'm obligated to save my continent. And you're obligated to protect Anqerise. You're going to be the heir of Richinaria. I'm not the heiress anymore because I denied the position. Even so, I did questionable things that I'm atoning for by protecting Xypelia."

Vastarael exhaled slowly. She was right again. They weren't heroes. They weren't trying to be. They were just doing what they had to do. Vastarael remembered that he had a chance of getting away of the palace by choosing a destiny that Thyrexxa made for him but he made his own.

And just like her, he was paying the consequences of his own actions by following the duty of Nexuses; acting as protectors.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then, suddenly, Narisva's fingers slid into his hair.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Fixing your hair."

"It's fine."

"It's not. You look like a mess. Let me do it. I used to do this to my mother all the time. I'm not going to ruin your hair. I hate how ugly it looks."

Vastarael sighed but didn't stop her as she began gathering his long, curly snowy strands. Her fingers worked deftly, expertly weaving strands together.

"You're good at this."

"Obviously."

"Cocky as ever."

"And you like it."

Vastarael smirked, "Who says I like you?"

"You never would've let me touch your hair otherwise. Normally, you wouldn't let a woman do this."

...damn.

She had a point.

Narisva pulled the last strand into place, tying it into a slightly messy bun. She leaned back, observing her work. Then, to his mild surprise, she let out a small hum of approval.

"You actually look even more handsome like this."

Vastarael turned to smirk at her.

"See? Told you it's not narcissism if it's true."

Narisva groaned, "Oh by the Primordials, I regret everything."

He just laughed, reaching up to touch the pendant against his chest. It was warm now, pulsing faintly with a power he didn't quite understand yet. Vastarael then exhaled softly as he pushed himself to his feet, the sand shifting beneath his boots. He rolled his shoulders and glanced back at Narisva.

"By now, they should be looking for me. And if they don't find me..."

She sighed, already knowing where he was going with this. "Yeah, yeah. It'd be a disaster."

Vastarael smirked. "Exactly."

Narisva shook her head but didn't argue. Instead, she crossed her arms, exhaling through her nose. Then, after a moment...

"Be careful, idiot. Don't die on me. I still need you to kill the Frozen God."

Then, with an easy nod, he lifted his hand.

A pulse of sapphire light rippled from his fingertips. The air around them vibrated with power and then, a shape emerged from the depths of the sea.

A gigantic, bioluminescent manta ray.

Its wingspan stretched over ten meters, its luminous body casting an ethereal glow over the waters. But something was different this time. It was coated with Nineteen Hours, making it invisible.

Vastarael smiled, turning back to Narisva one last time. A real smile. It was warm, real and, for some reason, it made her chest feel strange.

Before she could process it, Vastarael jumped.

The force of it sent a shockwave through the sand, sending grains scattering like glass shards under the morning light. He landed with perfect ease on the wings of his Divine Creature, the strands of white hair whipping in the wind.

The manta ray let out a deep, resonant hum, then took off, gliding effortlessly over the ocean.

And just like that, he was gone.

Narisva stood there for a moment, arms still crossed, staring at the horizon where he had disappeared. Then, with a slow exhale, she turned away.

"I better get ready to lead Imperfecta Magistra."

She kicked at the sand lightly before stretching her arms.

"A lot of Krepsunas to hunt."

Yet, despite her usual confidence, despite her ever-present arrogance, something felt... off. Something felt missing. She frowned slightly, fingers grazing the necklace against her own collarbone.

What is this feeling?

She didn't know.

She didn't want to know.

All she knew was that Vastarael would come back. Eventually.

And honestly?

She'd be glad to see him again.

"I wonder how powerful you would become, Vastarael Richinaria."

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[End of Volume 3 Part One, The Three Implantations.]