When Echoes Bloom

They both slowly, with curiosity, shifted their necks, their eyes following to see what lay ahead.

At the peak of the steep cliff, the world seemed to freeze in sacred silence. The sky above, vast and boundless, was suddenly torn apart by the dance of eternal light. The aurora burst across the horizon like divine ripples, painting the night sky with emerald green, deep purple, and faded gold. Every strand of light twisted and danced in a rhythm that the mortal world could not explain, as if unseen giant hands were painting a heavenly canvas.

The lights rolled, dipped, and soared high, sprinkling magical glitter onto the snowy land below. The cliff where they stood felt as if it were floating, as if the entire world was merely a small stage for a grand performance given only once in a thousand years. The night wind, sharp as ice blades, carried a soft hum—the sound of the earth trembling beneath the aurora, praying in awe.

As the aurora danced, the world felt distant. Time faded away. All that remained was the stretch of heavenly light tearing through the night and burning itself into the souls of those lucky enough to witness it.

"I feel like there are fairies singing when I see that," her eyes sparkled. "Am I dreaming?" she murmured almost inaudibly.

"I feel the same..." Wein smiled, as if he was already familiar with this phenomenon—the beautiful aurora tearing across the sky, twisting and swirling magnificently.

The sky was very dark because the cold weather tended to be dry. Wein looked up and exhaled, a cloud of cold breath appearing immediately, and he was mesmerized by the beauty of the sky.

"Beautiful..." he muttered, his eyes shining. Wein gazed at the dark sky, scattered with glimmering lights.

Loraine was momentarily distracted. She stared at Wein's face, glancing back and forth to her final goal—seeing what Wein called beautiful.

The vast expanse of undimmed stars and the gorgeous aurora made the sky full of light and no longer frightening, a line seeming to open another dimension.

A place where the stars resided. The Milky Way elegantly slashed across the sky, while the closer aurora seemed insignificant compared to the stunning Milky Way.

A brownish but slightly blue color appeared with thousands of stars blinking from unimaginable distances... Wein smiled, and his heart felt calm.

Yet behind that beauty, their bodies could no longer withstand the cold, and the temperature continued to drop drastically, with snow already piling thickly on several floors of the house's back terrace.

Loraine realized it—it felt like her skin was being pressed and slashed by the sharp edge of a sword. She held her arm, her body slowly beginning to shiver.

A few seconds before Wein lowered his gaze, his body shivered even more. He reached for his arms, crossing them over his chest.

The sound of teeth chattering from the cold began to be heard faintly. Wein realized it and immediately took off his jacket, wrapping it around Loraine, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"I think we've stayed out here too long... Let's go inside," Wein said with a smile. Loraine nodded and slowly walked within Wein's grasp.

---

Cold... I thought it couldn't get any colder than this, even though the room was equipped with a rather expensive heating runex. Loraine pulled her blanket tighter after surveying the room.

"Miss Loraine, if you feel cold, you can adjust the room's heating runex located near the door as needed," said one of the servants, who then took a step back after providing the information.

Waiting for Loraine's response before leaving. "Alright, thank you for the information," she finally replied. The servant then exited after bidding her farewell.

Loraine intended to open the door to ask a few things, but hearing the footsteps fade away, she understood that the servant had already gone.

"Phew, at least I didn't come here just for that," she muttered, pressing a few buttons attached near the door like an air conditioner remote.

The runex immediately emitted a signal, gradually making the room warmer, though not instantly, but making it much more comfortable than before.

[22 °C]—the runex displayed the set room temperature, and Loraine thought she might raise it a bit more if she still felt cold later.

Loraine jumped onto her bed, burying her face into the pillow, groaning slightly as she stretched her body, her mind spinning, replaying everything that had happened earlier.

Her hands were cold, but the warmth given off by Wein's touch was incredibly comforting. She pushed her face deeper into the pillow.

"Damn it, why am I thinking about this?" she asked herself, her face flushing and her heart racing rapidly once again.

But wasn't that a beautiful moment? Again, Loraine denied the heat blooming across her face, trying to act normal.

"MMMMPPPFHHHHH!" Enough! Loraine rolled over, now lying flat, staring at the ceiling where the runex was emitting a soft glow.

I'm a mess. My mind really can't be controlled anymore. Why does it keep conjuring up that silhouette—no, that smiling face of Wein—over and over again?

But I like it, don't I? NO! NO! Yet her body couldn't deny what she had just spontaneously admitted.

GAAAHHHHH! Her face turned even redder as she fanned herself desperately with her hands to cool down her overheating cheeks.

Aside from that, Loraine recalled the aurora and Milky Way she had seen earlier, though she only caught a brief glimpse of the Milky Way because of the biting cold.

But seeing the aurora had been enjoyable enough for her because it looked so close, and her ears seemed to catch a hum or the sound of an exquisite instrumental composition.

The emerald green color made her eyes sparkle in the same hue, her ears filled with the beautiful sound, her mind soothed for a few precious moments.

After recollecting everything, she suddenly realized—had they been holding hands the whole time? Loraine immediately shook off the thought.

It must have been a trick played by her exhausted and freezing mind, but her body insisted it was real. Loraine, having made peace with the fiery redness of her face, blushed once again.

She grabbed her pillow tightly, covering her face completely with it before letting out a muffled scream.

"AAAAAAAGGGGHHH" "GAAAAAHHHH"

---

Wein Arcveil:

After ensuring Lumine and Rigel were already in their rooms, Wein looked around and felt a wave of nostalgia. He pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Nothing has changed in this room," he said proudly, tilting his head slightly toward the luxurious white desk, recalling the first time he appeared here.

He moved toward the desk, sweeping papers off the edge quickly with his arm before hurriedly and carefully spreading out a blank blueprint sheet.