Lia stood there, frozen, as the brilliant glow of the city lights stretched before her. Witnessing the scene, hearing Rin's words, her blue eyes slowly welled up with tears until a few quietly slipped down her cheeks. She looked like a beautiful statue carved from sorrow and longing, gazing at the moment she thought she would never see.
Dion noticed the tears and immediately panicked a little, unsure if she was hurt, cold, or overwhelmed.
"Are you alright?"
he asked, concern lacing his voice.
"I... I've never seen the city this beautiful before,"
Lia whispered, hurriedly wiping her tears away with the sleeves of her dress.
It wasn't just the lights she was seeing it was everything they represented. Freedom. Joy. The simple right to choose where to walk and what to look at without someone dictating her every step. She had never had the courage to run away from the temple before, terrified of defiling her responsibilities, or being branded a traitor to the church. But now, standing here, she realized how much she had been missing.
"Thank you, Rin. You don't know how much this means to me."
Dion looked at her, a flicker of sadness in his crimson eyes. He couldn't imagine what kind of life this girl had lived for her to shed tears just from seeing a city's night lights. It made him feel both pity and anger ,pity for Lia's circumstances, and anger toward those who stole away her freedom in the name of duty. It also reminded him of his young self. He knew how it feel like to be alone, trapped in a room...
"Are you not allowed to go outside?"
he asked gently.
Lia gave a small, almost defeated laugh.
"Yeah… I was forbidden to go anywhere without permission. The only times I ever left were for missions assigned by the church, but even then, I was never alone. Someone from the church would always accompany me, watching my every move."
"So you're a cloistered priestess then,"
Dion said, piecing together what little he knew.
"Yeah,"
she confirmed with a sad smile.
That wasn't a lie. When Lilian was taken by the church at the age of twelve, Julius placed a Cloistered Order on her. Out of loneliness, since no one would approach her because of her position and the constant isolation for her "safety," she chose to become a priestess. She hoped that through it, she might meet other priests and priestesses and make some friends.And in time, she did.There was Emma, and two other ordinary priestesses who came to know her personally. Only them could call her Lia together with Sylvia, Jerald, and Rin among them.
Lia laughed through her tears, feeling lighter than she had in years.
"Thank you again so much, Rin."
"You don't think this is the end of it, do you?"
Dion grinned.
"You seriously thought we'd just stand here, stare at the city lights, and call it a night?"
"Eh?"
Lia blinked, startled.
"What else are we supposed to do?"
"Heavens, you're not serious."
Without another word, Dion suddenly lift Lia into his arms again, making her yelp in surprise.
"Wha-what are you doing?! Put me down!"
To her horror, he suddenly jumped straight off the cliff.
"What the hell, are you trying to kill us?!"
Dion just laughed, clearly unbothered. He landed gracefully at the bottom, his monstrous strength easily absorbing the impact, and gently set her down on her feet.
"You-"
Before Lia could finish her sentence, she was immediately cut off as Dion grabbed her hand and broke into a run.
He dragged her along through the trees, across the fields, until the sounds of music and chatter grew louder around them. When they finally reached the marketplace, Lia was too mesmerized to even remember what she was going to yell at him about.
The night market was alive with colors and light. Lanterns of every hue hung from strings overhead, performers juggled and danced in the streets, and the scent of grilled meats, fruit candy, and fresh bread filled the air.
"My goodness,"
Lia breathed, her eyes wide and sparkling.
"This is… wonderful."
She gazed around at the skewers sizzling on the corner stands, the glossy red fruit candies, the towers of pastries, ice cream carts, stalls selling masquerade masks, handmade jewelry, trinkets, and all sorts of curiosities. She even spotted a group of children watching a clown perform tricks, their laughter contagious.
"What are you waiting for?"
Dion grinned at her, extending his hand again.
"Let's have some fun."
For a moment, Lia just stared at him, her heart pounding not from fear, but from something warm and unfamiliar. In his eyes, she saw not just freedom, but a promise, like a prisoner who hadn't only been handed the key to her cell, but was being asked to run away with the one who set her free.
"Yeah,"
Lia replied, her voice trembling with excitement.
"Let's do that."
And with a bright smile, she placed her hand in his.