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Milo was the first to speak. He'd been leaning against the training post, arms crossed, pretending not to pay much attention. But as the Salamander elemental perched on the firepit and breathed sparks into the sky, Milo couldn't help it—his eyes widened in open admiration.
"Oliver…" Milo muttered under his breath. "That's… incredible."
His party, standing behind him, nodded in varying degrees of awe. Even Aden, the bespectacled sorcerer, pushed his glasses up and whispered, "Acquiring a pure fire elemental spirit… that usually takes years of expedition work."
Nico, who had been lounging nearby with arms behind his head, suddenly sat up straighter. His own flames flared faintly around his fingertips. "Years," he echoed, almost begrudgingly. He stared hard at Oliver and the Salamander. "Even I—" Nico's tone held uncharacteristic honesty "—wouldn't dare try to bind one yet. Too wild. Too pure."
Patchouli tilted her head, her lavender hair catching the firelight as her smile never faltered. She tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "A Salamander, hmm? I remember my instructors at Lamplit Town's Academy used to say fire was the hardest elemental to coax. When I was little, I practiced sparks, embers, torches… never something like that." Her eyes gleamed, not jealous but keenly curious. "I'd love to study it up close. If Oliver lets me."
Meanwhile, Garrick was standing a few paces back, scratching his messy blonde hair. He puffed out a sigh through his nose. "Man… Oliver's really climbing fast, huh? Already feels like he's a higher-rank adventurer than me. I'm still just hauling logs." He gave a small, awkward laugh, but his expression carried the shadow of envy mixed with admiration.
The fire crackled. The Salamander shifted, glowing brighter.
Then—
Riven raised his hand, and the murmurs stilled. His dark hair framed his sharp expression as he spoke, cool and steady:
"Don't get too distracted. Oliver's not the only one with an elemental."
The crowd blinked. Nico frowned. Garrick nearly dropped the last log he was carrying.
"What do you mean?" Garrick asked cautiously.
From behind Riven's shoulder, a faint ripple sounded, like a river flowing where no river should be. A second aura joined the Salamander's fire. Cool, serene, deep as an endless sea.
And then she appeared.
Princess Neptis.
She walked casually into the camp like she had been here all along—long blue hair trailing past her waist, dark-black attire fitted elegantly with azure highlights. A bottle of Elyspirit Water dangled lazily from her hand as she took a sip, her eyes half-lidded with aristocratic ease.
"Yo," she said simply, as though greeting old friends instead of an entire stunned camp.
The reaction was immediate. Travelers gasped, some even dropped what they were carrying. Garrick's jaw dropped, his voice cracking as he half-whispered, half-shouted:
"P-Princess Neptis?! From Aqurelle?!"
Nico swore under his breath. "No way. You don't mean—" He swung toward Riven, almost accusing. "You already have the Undine elemental?!"
Riven smirked faintly, brushing a strand of black hair behind his ear. "That's right. Secured weeks ago."
Patchouli's smile grew wider, hand covering her lips. "Oh, this is delightful. Two of the primal elementals in one camp? Fire and water?"
Garrick scratched his head furiously, still trying to process. "No, no, wait. You mean… a princess just walks in, like—like it's no big deal?!"
Neptis shrugged. "Big entrances are exhausting. Besides, you'd all stare anyway. Better to keep it simple." Her voice was smooth, casual, with that confident aloofness only nobility carried.
It was like watching a celebrity step onto a village road—impossibly casual and impossibly surreal at once.
Oliver, still standing near the Salamander, leaned closer to Sorrel, whispering: "Uh… who exactly is that?"
Sorrel nearly choked on his own words, his glasses sliding down his snout as he scrambled to explain: "That's Princess Neptis! The water sovereign of Aqurelle! Daughter of the ruling line, wielder of Undine's blessing—the water elemental itself! She's—she's practically a legend!"
Oliver blinked. "Oh." He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Guess that explains the whole… glowing water thing."
Riven's chuckle cut through the murmurs. "Get used to it, Oliver. This world is full of people you'll think only exist in fairy tales. And now? They're walking among us."
The fire roared higher, the Salamander hissed in acknowledgment, and Neptis casually took another sip of her Elyspirit Water like none of this was remarkable at all.
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