Chapter 26. The Enchanted Lantern Garden

Sarah noticed that if she didn't give any reply, he might find it rude. So she said, "Thank you." After a while, she continued, "You look handsome yourself. I was going to ask you this earlier—not to sound rude, but why do you still have those cuffs and chain collar around your neck, legs, and hands?"

He touched his hands, feeling the cuffs still there. Not like he didn't want to take them off—he simply got used to wearing them. They felt like part of his body already. So he replied in a pained tone, as if these items held a painful memory. They did hold a painful memory, but he didn't keep them on for that reason.

"Don't think much about them. I just like wearing them. Let's just enjoy our time together," he said.

She looked at him and after a while, nodded. She probably figured he had bad experiences associated with them. Now she was feeling guilty for bringing up such a bad memory.

After making a determination to make it up to him, she led the way. After 30 minutes of walking all the way there, with Aurora constantly stopping to get one or two candies, acting like a normal child, and asking the centaur woman questions, they finally arrived.

Lucian had brought the twins along with him so Sarah could bond with them, which would make it easier for them to travel together to the elven settlement.

After all the walking, they got there, with Sarah confirming, "We are here."

Aurora asked, "Where is this?" She had probably missed this part of the city when she arrived, so it was a surprise.

Sarah replied, "The Enchanted Lantern Garden. I used to come here all the time just to stare at the lanterns. They're magical lanterns infused with mana that can reveal one's deepest emotions. I come here sometimes to understand the emotions I go through."

Sarah said this with a smile. She came here to know her emotions and also brought Lucian here because she wanted to know if he was feeling the same way.

Aurora, who was staring at this scene, couldn't describe how beautiful it was.

The garden was quiet and peaceful, with soft grass and smooth stone paths winding between glowing trees. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and the sky was painted in shades of deep blue and purple. It was already close to evening time.

Above them, hundreds of floating lanterns drifted slowly through the air. Each lantern gave off a gentle light—some warm gold, others soft pink or blue—and they glowed brighter when people laughed or smiled beneath them.

Small flowers along the path gave off a faint light, almost like tiny stars. There were a few benches under the trees where couples sat, talking or watching the lanterns float by.

In the center of the garden stood a clear crystal fountain, softly glowing. The water sparkled as it danced in the air, catching the light from the lanterns and making little rainbows.

Nearby, a booth offered paper charms. People could write wishes on them and place them inside special lanterns. When released, the lanterns floated up slowly, joining the rest in the sky.

It was quiet, warm, and full of magic—the kind of place where time seemed to slow down, and everything felt calm. Just watching everything, Aurora wondered how she had missed a place like this and was now eager to try it out. Even the elf twins wanted to try out what emotions they felt and how it would reflect on the lantern.

So they turned to Sarah, asking, "We want to participate in it too."

Sarah nodded, turning to Lucian. He could feel her gaze, as if asking him to join without taking no for an answer. He shrugged his shoulders, then replied, "Fine, I will join too."

She smiled, then hurried off to where they sold the lanterns, which was close to the garden. She also brought back a few pieces of black parchment which had all the emotions and colors a lantern would present anytime your emotions were shown. After getting back, she immediately distributed the lanterns to everyone, along with the parchments—well, except for Lucian, with Aurora holding his.

Everyone was holding their lantern from the top; there was a string attached to it that everyone held. Sarah explained, "All you have to do is hold the lantern like you are making a bowl with your fingers, and it will change color according to the emotions you feel."

Then she asked, "Who is going first?"

"I am going last," Lucian replied. He could feel everyone's gaze on him; they probably wanted him to go first. Well, he wanted to see how things would turn out before he went along with it, so he waited.

These were the emotions and colors that would appear on the lantern:

| Emotion -

|Lantern Color -

| Description -

| Love / Affection

| Soft Pink or Rose Gold

| Warm, gentle glow that pulses slowly.

| Joy / Happiness

| Bright Yellow or Golden

| Sparkles slightly, warm and sunny feel.

| Sadness / Grief

| Pale Blue or Silver | Dim, cool glow that flickers softly.

| Anger / Frustration

| Deep Red or Crimson

| Steady, intense glow with slight heat.

| Fear / Anxiety

| Pale Violet or Smoky Gray

| Wobbly light that fades in and out.

| Hope / Optimism

| Light Green or Sky Blue

| Gentle, uplifting glow that rises quickly.

| Peace / Calm

| Light Aqua or Soft Lavender

| Smooth, soothing glow that flows gently.

| Excitement / Anticipation

| Orange or Sparkling Amber

| Flickering, energetic light that bounces.

| Embarrassment / Shyness

| Soft Peach or Blush Pink

| Gentle but quick flicker, like a heartbeat.

| Pride / Confidence

| Bold Indigo or Royal Purple

| Steady and strong glow that shines wide.

| Mystery / Curiosity

| Deep Teal or Midnight Blue

| Flickers slowly with a smoky trail.

| Mischief / Playfulness

| Magenta or Electric Blue

| Flashes quickly, darting like fireflies.

Lirien was the first to go. After holding the lantern like she was holding a bowl, it glowed. The first color that came was bright yellow, second was light green, and third was blush pink. She smiled after that and let it go.

Lucian heard Lirielle laughing at Lirien, who was probably looking for a hole to hide due to shyness. He didn't know what happened since he was blind and couldn't see. He turned to Aurora, who had been staring at the multicolored lantern glowing in three different bright colors. Feeling his gaze, she turned to him and explained the colors and their emotions. He nodded.

After Lirielle calmed down, it was her turn. So she did the same thing her sister did. First to glow was golden, then light green just like her sister, followed by orange. Her sister laughed at her, but it wasn't anything deep; that was all.

After settling things down, it was Aurora's turn because she had already said she would go before Lucian. Aurora took the lantern in her little hands. After holding it for a while, it glowed midnight blue and nothing else—just that.

Everyone was staring at her because her color set her apart from everyone else. Everyone was at least glowing with two or three colors, but hers was just glowing midnight blue, which meant all she felt now was curiosity about what the human realm had to offer. Seeing no more color glowing, she let go of the lantern.

Feeling the gaze around her, she simply shrugged her shoulders like her father did before turning to Sarah and saying, "Your turn."

That probably brought Sarah out of her daze, so she replied with, "Oh, yes, yes, yes."

She looked at Lucian first before holding the lantern in her hands. After a while, the lantern glowed. The first color to show was a shining rose gold, then wisps of smoky gray, then sparkling amber.

Seeing the colors, she stole a glance at him, wondering how she had developed affections toward him after what happened yesterday night. She wasn't expecting this development. Yes, she accepted she kept thinking of all the things he did all the way through morning but didn't expect it to grow to this. And seeing Aurora telling him her colors, her face already turned red. The smoky gray color from earlier disappeared and was replaced with soft peach. Seeing this, Sarah quickly let go of the lantern.

After that, she turned her gaze to Lucian, and everyone else did the same. He could feel all their gazes on him as he held the lantern in his hands.

The first color that showed was a glowing bright silver, followed by bold indigo, then magenta, then soft lavender, followed by deep teal, then a deep red. All these colors were glowing the brightest, even attracting nearby gazes.

Aurora's first thought was, "The grief and anger are even deeper than I thought," as she looked at Lucian's face with a frown.

As for the twins and Sarah, they opened their eyes wide, staring at the parchment and then back at Lucian's lantern, probably trying to confirm why he had all these emotions in him and could still stay sane.