"...So what happened between you two?"
With my arms folded, I asked, glancing at Oliver and Aaliyah, who stood awkwardly yet close to each other.
The morning light filtered through the heavy clouds covering the sun.
The group of students from the Pargoina Empire stood by the main door of the hotel, waiting for the bus to arrive.
They were all dressed in fancy attire, unlike , who was in more casual clothes.
"Nothing new," Oliver replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Everything is the sa."
I narrowed my eyes, sensing the clear lies in his words, but I didn't call him out. "Is that so?"
They both nodded awkwardly before glancing at each other.
"Azariah."
I looked back at the sound of my na, only to find a white-haired girl standing behind .
"Sothing I can help you with?" I asked calmly, turning around to face her.
"Where is Christina?" she questioned, looking around and not finding her anywhere.
"...She's with her friend," I replied, to which she frowned.
"Does she not know her presence is important here?" She asked her eyes stared at .
"She has better things to do than be a showpiece for people to see," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
She tilted her head as she asked, "You're taking her side now?"
"...Is that a bad thing?" I questioned back, glancing at the bus that had just arrived through the hotel gate.
"...No. About you not being included in the trip..." She mumbled, her eyes on . "We can't help it because we're going to be traveling mostly in public areas—"
"I understand," I cut in, nodding my head. "You don't want to explain anything."
She kept her pristine white eyes on , staring silently, as if there was more she wanted to say, but the words didn't co.
Finally, she spoke, her voice softer. "I would stay in one place if I were you. People here don't seem to like seeing your face."
"....."
'El, can you tell what she is feeling right now?'
[...Envy, concern, and loneliness.]
I sighed, stroking my purple hair and closing my eyes as I reached up to massage my temples.
...After all the shit I did to them... Why can't they just leave alone?
[...It's not easy to hate soone you have known for a long ti.]
'...I don't know man, should be grateful or curse the fact that she's still concerned about even after all I did to her.'
I sighed again, looking at the bus. My eyes t Ashlyn's, and she waved happily at .
I couldn't help but smile and wave back, but my attention was quickly drawn to Oliver and Aaliyah standing by the bus.
And...
My mind went blank as I saw Aaliyah tiptoe and give Oliver a quick peck on the lips before she rushed onto the bus, her face flushed.
"....."
'Hey El, am I seeing things?'
[...No.]
With a stupid grin on his face, Oliver walked towards while the bus drove off.
"What's with the blank look?" he asked cheekily, his chest puffed out.
"The fuck was that?" I snapped, glaring at him. "Why didn't you tell you were dating?"
"Stuff happened yesterday, and now I'm kinda stuck with her," Oliver admitted, scratching his cheek in embarrassnt.
I couldn't help but grin as I wrapped my arm around his neck, leaning in to ask softly, "So, how long did you last?"
"Not even a minute," he grumbled, clearly frustrated.
"Wait, what?" I asked, my brows knitting together in confusion.
"We haven't done anything except kiss," he groaned, shrugging off my grip. "I haven't even told her about my family situation yet."
"...I see." I nodded, deciding not to push the topic further.
They should know better how they want to handle their relationship; I don't need to butt in more than necessary.
"Ask if you ever need anything," I said, patting his shoulder.
"I should probably buy you so condoms just in case... You know, the ones that glow in the dark."
For so reason, he burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as he doubled over.
"Did you finally turn into a retard?" I asked, puzzled as he tried to catch his breath.
"Nah, man," he mumbled, his laughter dying down. "It's just... we think alike."
"…Sure," I grumbled, not quite understanding his words as I looked at him. "But why didn't you join them?"
"I will, later," he replied with a shrug. "Anyway, where are we going now?"
"We can just go and see if it's true or not," Chubby suggested with a shrug.
"Fair enough," Oliver shrugged back, glancing at . "What do you think?"
"I know a place," a familiar voice suddenly echoed behind , making abruptly turn my gaze.
"Chubby?" I frowned, surprised to see him. "Since when were you here?"
"From the start," he replied, a dejected look crossing his face. "Did you not notice ?"
"How is that possible?" Oliver chid in with a grin. "Only a blind person wouldn't notice you."
'...'
...But I didn't.
Was I too lost in my thoughts?
"What place?" I asked, quickly changing the topic.
"The old city—made right beside the largest port on the continent," Chubby replied as he walked closer to us. "...I heard that place has the remains of the Dronarta Empire," he whispered.
"Really?" Oliver asked, squinting his eyes in curiosity. "I thought everything related to them was destroyed?"
"We can just go and see if it's true or not," Chubby suggested with a shrug.
"Fair enough," Oliver shrugged back, glancing at . "What do you think?"
"I've got no problem with that," I replied, shaking my head.
"Then let's go," Oliver said, smiling as he moved to pick up the bike.
***
***
Along a wide, black-sanded beach and the rolling banks of the Eufrates River, a city lay sprawled across the landscape.
The city climbed the flank of a slope, with roads made of heavy concrete, but the buildings were old—too old to seem like they belonged to this era.
The sky above was thick with smoke, and the stink of grease and fat hung heavy in the air.
A myriad of ships rocked gently at the bank of the river, their masts swaying in the breeze.
As I looked around, I couldn't help but be impressed by the blend of old and new age.
"Damn, this place is good," Oliver mumbled, munching on a beef sandwich, the specialty of the locals.
"Yeah," Chubby agreed, nodding, his face stuffed with food.
"Lose so weight, Chubby," I grumbled, slapping his stomach.
"...Yeah," he nodded, glancing down at his bulging stomach. "Soone called Minotaur's baby."
"Man, soone guessed your race," Oliver comnted, earning a sharp look from Chubby.
The city was bustling with people as we walked through the main street, the noise of the crowd filling the air.
"Would you like to know your future?"
We halted our steps as a man in a ragged, worn-out suit blocked our way.
He had an ordinary face with dull black eyes and hair covered by a woolen cap.
"What?" Oliver asked, tilting his head.
"Your future," the man replied, smiling as he showed us a deck of cards. "...I can tell your future for just five hundred."
"We don't want to know," I replied, trying to walk past him.
"Wait," Oliver grabbed my arm. "Let's try it once."
"He looks like a beggar, Oliver," I tried to reason with him.
"Are you going to do it here?" Oliver asked, ignoring my words.
"Oliver!"
"Just this once, man."
"Sigh..." I sighed, looking at the man.
"No, not here," the man replied, turning and walking toward an alley. "Follow ."
We followed behind him, the path growing narrower as we moved.
...Is it just , or are we getting easily convinced?
'El?'
[He doesn't seem dangerous.]
'I see.'
We quickly arrived at a small shop made of tented cloth that covered the sides but left the top open.
A table lay in the middle with an orb placed on it.
The man sat in a chair on the opposite side of the table as we stood, looking at him.
"So, who would like to go first?" he asked, shuffling the cards in his hand.
"Chubby," I said, pushing him forward. He looked back at as if I'd just proposed his mother.
"Pick one," the man said, spreading the deck of cards in his hand.
Chubby picked one and showed it to the man.
The man nodded before requesting, "Place your hand on the orb."
Chubby did as instructed, and the orb flickered with a gentle hue of white.
The man closed his eyes, muttering sothing under his breath, before smiling softly.
"I see it... your future has changed... It has turned darker... because you associated with soone you shouldn't have... and you will suffer."
His eyes fluttered open while Chubby's face turned pale.
"What does that an?" Chubby questioned, but the man didn't reply. Instead, he glanced at us.
"Who is next?" he asked.
"Let see," Oliver mumbled, rubbing his hands together as he stepped forward.
He did the sa thing with Oliver as he did with Chubby before closing his eyes and muttering again,
"Ahhhh... You are a prince and always will live like one... Soone who dearly loves his mother... and you will et her... Soon."
He fluttered open his eyes, looking at my and Oliver's hardened faces.
'...How did he know?'
I wondered, feeling uneasiness creeping up.
Only a few know Oliver and Aimar are princes; it's impossible for him to know this.
"Would you like to try it?" he mumbled softly, looking at .
"...No," I replied, trying to turn around.
"You don't want to know what will happen in the future?" the man asked, making halt.
"Will knowing it change anything?" I asked, turning back around.
"That's upto you," the man replied with a faint smile, "Can you change the future?"
I looked at him for a while before I sighed and did what the others did.
When I placed my hand on the orb, a gentle current ran through my body as I looked at the man, who had closed his eyes.
He muttered sothing again before his face shrunk as he muttered, "I see it...Your lover will kill you...No...that's your past."
His eyes snapped open as he gazed at , filled with only one emotion.
...It was pity.
His lips parted slightly as he whispered softly,
"...That's your past, present, and future... Your lovers were, are, and will always... kill you."
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