I watched Blake as he stood in the roof, viewing almost the entire Welhome Town. He's slightly trembling.
I might be harsh for commanding him to do something so outrageous. As much as I wanted to be gentle to him, the war with Erebos kept on intensifying. Hence, his fast growth in terms of fighting and mastering his stone are very crucial.
Time can be a terrifying enemy. The enemies are plotting something, something that we cannot pinpoint.
"Aella, I wasn't really sure about this. Think about the earlier as luck only. Do we have another option?" Blake sounded so desperate, trying to convince me to disregard the idea of it and think of something else.
I can destroy those insects by drying their whole existence. I can vanish those poison with my aquatic healing. But… I want him to try defeating another scheme from an Abyssal Order. I want him to test his ability.
No… I want him to realize what he is capable of.
Blake's eyes became watery, it is pleading.
I avoided his stares. "Come on, Blake. You can do it."
He sighed so deeply as if he was lost and giving up already. He became so quiet.
I jumped to his position. "I got your back. Whatever happens, I will back you up," I gently said, trying to give more courage.
"Alright," he whispered, finally agreeing to the plan.
As I saw Blake concentrating, I took my chance to go down in the center. I quietly walked towards Aquina. "Aquina…"
When she saw me, she briefly bowed. "My Lady."
"Thank you for the hard work. Can you help me with my plan?"
Without question, she stated, "I'm all ears, My Lady."
"Whatever happens. Tell the people to calm down," I said, without telling her my plan at all.
Without any question again, she accepted it. "Whatever that can help you, My Lady."
"I appreciated it so much." I gave her my warmest smile.
Thankfully, she did not ask further. I cannot tell her the plan.
In the surroundings full of despair, suffering, and cries. I watched Blake on the roof, concentrating. He wasn't very well trained on that scheme, so he needed time to fully grasp the surroundings.
I jumped near him, I needed to be quick when an unforeseen happening and outcome unfolded.
The air started to get warm. Blake's aura intensified, a hint that he is starting his chant.
A few seconds passed, and I saw how the people kept on igniting. One to another. It is starting.
I remained focused, sensing the surroundings for some negative outcome.
People felt hot yet chills in their body but it wasn't painful. The flame surrounding their body felt like a warm hug, embracing their whole existence.
The town was enveloped by the flames.
The reaction varied. Some were panicking, some were questioning, few were already partying.
"Is this fire healing?" a question from someone while looking at his flaming arm.
"Help! They are roasting me!" a shout from someone who was panicking while running back and forth, trying to wash off the fire.
"It feels different…" a statement from someone while embracing the flame herself.
"Yes! We are getting better!" an announcement from someone who keeps on jumping and rejoicing with his flaming body.
I saw how Deltas tried to calm down the people. They were politely asking them to sit down, to cool down, and rest first.
In Blake's ability, that scheme they planned lasted for almost half an hour. That is quite impressive for a first timer.
The town they saw earlier when they arrived was completely overturned. From suffering to relief.
I was happy that they were saved from that deadly poison. But… I felt guilty from the people who did not save. We were late to save them.
The town became so noisy with questions regarding what happened.
"Fire healing?"
"Who uses it?"
"Is it Master Valen?"
"Am I the only one but it looks like the fire from the fire stone?"
"Who is that Ignisian?"
"Show yourself whoever you are"
"Is he or she a high ranking fire user?"
"I will believe that it was from the fire bearer!"
"Fire Bearer is back! Master Valen is back!"
I was stunned when I heard Valen's name. His betrayal to Elysium was never publicized.
It's been a month since he betrayed us. He never contacted us. We did not hear anything from him aside from his betrayal.
We quietly leave the town, leaving the settlement to the Deltas.
I felt Blake's exhaustion with his deep breathing as if he was getting no air at all. It is normal for someone who does not master the skill he just used.
I felt bad about it. I quickly healed him with my water which was fixing the flow of his bodily liquids. "You did it."
"Barely," he replied.
I chuckled. "Come on! You did it very well!"
"I got lucky," he playfully said. Him and his luck.
"Time to get some fresh air. I knew a place near here."
Without question, he let me drag him to that place. Oh… he does not have any time to ask me as I held his hand and started to run.
"Ae, are we running forever?" he asked while gasping for air. We ran for almost 20 minutes in the forest.
"We are so close to it already," I stated steady as if I did not run just like him. "Alright, let's walk."
After a few minutes of walking, a field of flowers became visible. This place would never cease to amaze me.
Different flowers with different colors were lined up perfectly, even their sizes were perfectly matched. This place looks like a canvas created with measurement because of its precision.
The wind smells so sweet. The air was filled with the smells of the flowers, not specifically one flower but combined smells of those flowers that turned out to be so perfectly sweet.
"It's like… the flower fields in the Netherlands," he whispered.
"Netherlands?" I asked. I somehow recalled that when I was browsing the mortal world map.
"Oh sorry. It is a country known to have beautiful flower fields," he explained, still looking at the vast flower fields in front of us. "Similar to this," he whispered.
I drag again Blake to the huge tree in the corner. That is the only place with shadow. We cannot relax if we were too exposed to the sun.
We sit down in the grass, overlooking the view of the flower fields.
"This flower field is specifically requested by the Alpha," I stated.
She requested this flower field in the past. They did not say the reason. We all just know that she requested this. Hence, these flower fields belong to her. The flowers in her sacred chamber came from here.
Blake turned his head to look at me. "She did?"
"Yeah. We don't know the reason. Maybe she really loves flowers." I shrugged. Seeing the sacred chamber, one can tell that she really loves it.
He never replied. Silence started.
Seeing these flowers made me relax a little. The past few days have been really tough.
"Have you adjusted to our living routine here?" I asked. I never got a chance to ask him these kinds of questions. Too many missions were lined up. He got busy with his training. We barely talked about how things were.
"Hmm… I must say that somehow I got used to it," he answered.
"How about the food?" I slightly chuckled, remembering how disgusted he was in his first week here. All vegetables. He barely eats those times.
He laughed too. "I miss meat. Only a few vegetables were liked by my taste buds."
"That's nice, you now have a favorite vegetable," I commented.
I heard him sighed. We cannot do anything about it. Eating those is forbidden.
"This world amazes me a lot, though. The differences in way of life were fascinating," he stated.
"I hope you were enjoying it here."
"I do. I felt that I found my home," he said genuinely. He looked at peace and calm. "Though, there's a war but I know that you are at my side always makes me feel safe."
That statement made my heart flutter. He is so different from the Blake I met before. His cold personality was nowhere to be seen. I can now see how gentle and calm he is.
I did not reply, his statement clouded my mind. Hence, the place is filled with silence again.
"Here."
"Here."
Stunned. We look to one another as we say the same words at the same time while extending our arms to hand something.
I looked at Blake, handing over a small box. Isn't it the one he bought in Bratus town? I slowly took it, confused why he was giving me this.
He did the same thing.
A necklace. A wooden pendant with a water drop shape carved on it.
"This is beautiful," I complimented while gently caressing the pendant. I wonder why he would wear a pendant with this design.
I glanced at him, who was frowning while rotating the bottle of the perfume.
"What is this?" he asked.
I softly secured the necklace in its box. "My congratulatory gift. That's a perfume. Try to spray and smell it."
He sprayed the perfume on his wrist and smelled it. "This smells like wood. I love it. Thank you!"
I chuckled. "Well, that's wood oil."
He furrowed. "An oil?"
"Yes. A wood oil processed to be a perfume."
He did not answer but his mouth was slightly opened, showing a sign of amazement. He continued rotating the bottle as if he was examining it while smiling widely.
"This necklace would be good on you," I said, still staring at the pendant, adoring how this carving was beautifully made.
Blake gently took the necklace sitting in my palm. I innocently looked at him, waiting to put it in his neck.
He leaned over me. I was stunned to even speak. He was so near. I tried to shallow everything in my throat. Why is he so close?
My heart began to beat so fast. I felt something wiggling in my stomach, what is that? I wonder if he can hear it… that would be weird.
I felt like my world just stopped. The surroundings seemed to be blurred and slow motioned. I cannot hear anything other than my heart beat.
I did not notice how he went back to sitting up straight.
He put the necklace on me. I slowly held the pendant and tried to look at it. I was really wearing it.
I do not know what to say. I was lost on words.
He whispered, "Thank you for believing in me."