It was late morning now.
Elyonari slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt lighter than it had been in days. Her first instinct wasn't to stretch or groan but to glance at her hand, still tightly clenched against her chest.
She uncurled her fingers slowly and gasped when she saw the three faintly glowing seeds, each one pulsing with a soft pinkish light. She sat up and cupped them close to her heart before slipping them into her personal inventory. She smiled faintly, then sighed and got up from bed.
Her outfit for the day was simple. She wore fitted jeans and a flowing white blouse. She changed quickly, braiding her silver hair into a single braid. When she left her bedroom and padded down into the lounge, she immediately heard the ambient buzz of magecraft in the air. The moment she turned the corner into the lounge, her eyes widened.
Floating just above her were three massive Mystic Circles. They rotated slowly in midair, layered with geometry and runes.
Vastarael stood at the center. His hands were outstretched as he traced the stabilizing lines of one of the Mystic Circles. Beside him were the Andelaris twins each working on a different segment with glowing fingertips, their eyes locked onto the swirling diagrams.
Elyonari blinked, still half-dazed from the previous night, and asked carefully.
"What... are you doing?"
Natalis was the first to notice her. She smiled and waved her over.
"She's awake!"
Denisia turned and offered her a warm, knowing grin. "Took you long enough, sleepyhead. Wait. How many times have I said that..."
Before she could respond, Vastarael casually turned to her and without breaking stride leaned in and kissed her lips. But then... that was it. He didn't even pause. He just returned to the Circle, extending a finger to correct a small line Natalis had slightly created.
"We're designing new Arrays. They are custom frameworks for heavenly purification structures. The Circle can miniaturize but can expand over entire battlefields if used properly."
Elyonari blinked again. That's it?
Her cheeks flushed, but it wasn't because of the kiss. Or maybe it was. But not the way she thought.
'He just… went on with his work? Like nothing happened?'
A strange feeling slithered up her chest. Irritation? Maybe. Jealousy? No not quite. It was weirder, like his affection came with a toggle switch and right now, he had it set to off. When Vastarael got like this, he went full tactician. Love and softness got suspended until his mission was done.
Elyonari crossed her arms and muttered under her breath.
"And here I thought I'd at least get a 'how are you feeling?' or something."
Denisia chuckled from the side, catching that. "He's in work mode. It's like talking to a wall until he's done drawing glowing lines."
"I heard that," Vastarael replied dryly, not even looking back.
Natalis giggled, then turned to Elyonari.
"We're trying to learn how to cast Divine Arrays the way Veneri does. But these ones… they're meant to purify. It's complicated but three heads are better than one."
Elyonari tilted her head. The runes made no intuitive sense to her.
"You're building the Arrays yourselves?"
"All three of us are Circlecrafters," Denisia said, flipping a piece of glowing rune into place like it was a puzzle piece. "It's different from your work. You're a Circlemancer so you use circles. We build them."
Elyonari blinked again. Of course. She used Mystic Circles the way a spellcaster uses scrolls, binding them to her thoughts and weaving them into combat like commands. They were all foreign to her.
She bit her lip.
"Why do I feel so useless right now?"
Vastarael finally paused, turning his head slightly.
"You're not. You're just a different kind of powerful. Yours comes mid-fight, not mid-design."
That made her feel marginally better. But only marginally. She took a seat next to Denisia and stared at the glowing Mystic Circle with wide, curious eyes. Even though she didn't understand the construction process, she felt something in them.
There was a reason these Circles were being made. She just didn't know what it was yet. Elyonari stepped closer to the lounge, hoping maybe she could squeeze a bit of attention out of the one man who had seemed to vanish into his own head since morning.
"Vastarael?"
She said softly at first, trying not to disrupt the precise work he and the twins were doing. No answer. The Mystic Circle kept swirling.
She tried again, a little louder.
"Vastarael."
Nothing. Natalis whispered something about sequencing and he nodded, fingers adjusting the perimeter ratio with a flick of his wrist.
Elyonari clenched her jaw. "Vastarael!"
He paused, blinked, and looked at her like he'd just realized she existed again.
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
She raised both arms in disbelief. She let out an annoyed groan and spun on her heel.
"Seriously? I'm going outside."
No response.
She turned her head over her shoulder, her voice sharp this time.
"Did you hear me? I'm going outside."
Still nothing.
"Okay," he said vaguely, eyes never leaving the glowing formation hovering in midair.
Elyonari stared at him. She didn't even know whether to scream or cry. Or both. Maybe both. But before she could even decide, Denisia piped up gently.
"He really doesn't mean to ignore you, Elyonari. He's just like this when he's working. We need him focused."
Natalis nodded beside her. "We're trying to stabilize the Array. It's delicate. He's the only one who can lead this part."
Elyonari squinted at them both. Of course, she knew that. Of course she understood. She wasn't stupid but being understood didn't make her feel any better. Her heart still throbbed like someone had driven a wedge right between her and Vastarael. She groaned again, longer this time.
"Ugh. Fine. Enjoy your magical arithmetic club."
Without waiting for another word, she stormed out of the mansion, slamming the front door just hard enough to feel something. She didn't know why she was so upset but it bubbled in her chest. She folded her arms and leaned on the banister outside, staring into the distance like the offended, moody Divine she absolutely was. The view in front of her was beautiful but all she could feel was this strange, bitter emptiness.
Her eyes wandered until they fell on the familiar shape of the volcano towering in the distance. A tired sigh escaped her lips.
"Guess I'll go watch the Ice Queen burn or whatever. It's not like I've got anyone else dying to talk to me today."
She made her way down the sloped steps from the mansion, following the trail that led to the volcanic ridge.
"I already passed the First Sacred Trial. Shouldn't I be allowed to be a little spoiled?"
Twelve months until the next one. Almost a year of waiting and wondering and getting ignored while her boyfriend made mystic circles with prettier girls. The jealousy, guilt and sadness all wrapped around her like smoke. She plucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and scoffed.
"Maybe I should just fall into the lava and let Adelasta bake me. Maybe then he'd notice I'm gone."
Either way, at least someone would pay attention, even if it was the coldest woman in Spheraphase.