Chapter 244 – Blooming

Chapter 244

Blooming

Date : Day 12, of Firstthaw 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

The dining room of Wyvern Street Manor was warm and full of the smell of Vina's cooking. Steam rose from bowls of hearty porridge on the long, sturdy table. Platters of sizzling Horned Rabbit sausages sat between pitchers of fresh juice, and a basket of bread still warm from the oven had already been raided twice.

Outside the tall windows, Akela was shedding its winter coat. The thick snow that had buried the city for months had finally given way to the strengthening golden light of Sol. The garden glistened with damp, dark earth. Along the edge of the flowerbeds, the first green shoots had pushed up through the thawed soil.

Freedom Party was whole again.

Hyoren sat at the head of the table with a cup of coffee in his hands, breakfast finished. He breathed in its bitter aroma and let his gaze drift over the table.

To think we were so distressed just two days ago…

He chuckled inwardly.

A Level 60 monster… It felt like the end of the world at the time…

Now, looking at the scene in front of him, it seemed very far away.

To his left, Elise sipped her tea, her silver hair catching the morning light from the window. To his right, Ina was bouncing slightly in her seat. Her tail kept swishing behind her chair, and her cat ears kept twitching toward Elise every few seconds.

Arianna sat a little further down, holding her teacup with refined grace, her back perfectly straight even at breakfast. Across from her, Jackey was demolishing his second plate. He stabbed a sausage with his fork and ate it whole, as if each meal were a battle he intended to win.

At the far end of the table sat Lena and Vina, the two Fox-clan Beastkin caretakers. Hyoren had insisted from the first week that they eat with everyone instead of afterward in the kitchen. Vina was chattering happily about the market while Lena listened with a small smile, occasionally reminding her daughter to eat instead of talk.

Hyoren noticed something strange.

Ina's bouncing had grown more restless. She kept glancing at Elise, then at him, then at Elise again. Elise, on the other hand, had been holding the same cup of tea for a long time without drinking from it.

Finally, Elise set her teacup down with a soft click. Her emerald eyes found Hyoren's. There was a gentle, almost shy warmth in them that he didn't often see in the morning.

Hyoren tilted his head.

"What is it, Elise?"

Elise smiled. She tucked a strand of silver hair behind her pointed ear.

"Hyoren. Ina and I have a gift for you."

Beside him, Ina stopped bouncing and started fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve instead.

"Yes. We have a gift…"

Hyoren's cup stopped halfway to his mouth. He blinked once. Then twice.

"A gift? For what?"

He glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. He had insisted on putting it up so the party could keep track of their schedule between dives. The marked square read Day 12 of Firstthaw.

It's not anyone's birthday… We haven't cleared a floor… We just retreated, if anything…

He came up empty.

At the other end of the table, Vina covered her mouth and giggled. Arianna lowered her teacup, her light blue eyes sparkling with interest. Even Jackey paused mid-chew, a sausage hanging from his fork, and looked up at the sudden quiet.

Elise's smile widened, and her pointed ears turned faintly pink.

"It's Love Blooming Day, Hyoren."

Hyoren tilted his head further.

"Love Blooming Day?"

Ina's cat ears perked up. She leaned toward him eagerly, as if she had been waiting all morning for the chance to explain.

"It's the day the snow finishes thawing! Well, not exactly. The snow usually finishes melting somewhere between the 11th and 13th of Firstthaw. So a long time ago, people decided Love Blooming Day would be on the 12th. It's an old tradition!"

Hyoren nodded slowly.

"I see…"

Elise folded her hands on the table.

"It's a day to celebrate life returning to the world. On this day, women give gifts to the people they love. To their lovers, their family, their friends."

Her emerald eyes softened.

"It's a sign of affection and gratitude. For making it through the long, dark winter together. The gift is always something small, made with their own hands."

Hyoren's mind made the connection at once.

So it's like Valentine's Day… Similar, but different…

He chuckled inwardly. The comparison surfaced, then faded just as quickly.

No… This isn't Earth. This is Kresneger's tradition. Love Blooming Day…

His confusion melted into a genuine smile.

"I see. That's… a wonderful tradition."

Elise's shoulders relaxed slightly. She reached into the small pouch at her waist and took something out. Then she slid it across the table toward him, her fingers lingering on it a moment before letting go.

It was a bookmark.

A slender strip made from pressed leaves, layered and bound together with fine thread along the edges. The leaves had been dried, yet they were still green, as fresh as the day they were picked. Their veins were still visible when the light from the window passed through them.

"It's a bookmark, Hyoren…"

A faint blush spread across Elise's cheeks, and her gaze dropped to her teacup.

"For your reading habit. You're always reading at Dandi's, or in the library late at night… I preserved the leaves with an elven technique, so they won't wither."

Hyoren picked it up carefully. It was light, but sturdy. The edges were perfectly even, and each stitch was small and neat. He could picture Elise at her desk, working on it in secret, stitch by stitch.

He held it up to the light. The green leaves glowed softly.

"It's perfect, Elise."

He met her eyes.

"Thank you. I'll treasure it."

Elise's pointed ears twitched, and the pink in them deepened. She picked up her teacup again, but Hyoren could see the corners of her mouth curving behind it.

"Fufu… You'd better. It took me a whole week."

Ina couldn't wait any longer. She practically vibrated in her chair as she reached under it and brought out a larger, flat package. She placed it in front of Hyoren with both hands.

It was a book.

The cover was a deep, rich green, made from some kind of treated monster hide. When Hyoren ran his fingers over it, it felt both smooth and durable. The binding was solid. It looked expensive, yet there wasn't a single gaudy ornament anywhere on it. When he opened it, every page inside was blank, cream-colored paper waiting to be filled.

Ina's cat ears twitched.

"You're always writing. Your diary, your tactical reports, your notes about every floor… You're always recording our journey."

Her tail swished behind her, slower now. Nervous.

"So I made this for you."

Hyoren blinked. He looked down at the book again, more carefully this time.

Now he could see it. The stitches along the spine were small and tight, though one or two sat slightly crooked. The edges of the hide had been trimmed by hand, not by a craftsman's blade. He thought of the nights Ina had come to bed late these past weeks, claiming she'd been catching up on Guild paperwork.

She made all this herself…

He looked from the book to Ina's face. Her amber eyes were fixed on him, full of hope, and her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, waiting for his answer.

Something warm and fierce rose in his chest.

"Ina, this is… this is incredible."

He closed the book gently and rested his hand on the cover.

"You made this yourself? Thank you, Ina. I'll fill every page.”

Ina's ears shot straight up. Her tail went still for a moment, then started swishing so fast it thumped against the back of her chair.

"Nyahaha… R-really? Good…! The binding took forever… I ruined three covers before this one…"

She buried her face in her hands. Through her fingers, Hyoren could see her cheeks turning red.

Hyoren looked at the two women beside him. Elise, hiding her smile behind her teacup. Ina, hiding her whole face behind her hands. The two women who had become his partners. His lovers. His world.

He set down the bookmark on top of the book, the green of the leaves against the green of the cover.

"Thank you, Elise. Ina. I love you both."

Elise lowered her cup. Her emerald eyes were soft.

"We love you too, Hyoren."

Ina finally peeked out from behind her hands.

"Love you too…"

From across the table, Vina let out a long, dreamy sigh. Lena smiled at her daughter's expression and shook her head. Arianna pressed one hand to her cheek.

"Ohoho… How lovely."

Then Arianna set down her teacup and rose from her chair.

She walked around the table with unhurried grace, her crimson hair swaying behind her. Everyone's eyes followed her. Everyone except Jackey, who had gone back to his plate and was busy chasing the last piece of sausage around it with his fork.

Arianna stopped beside him and placed a small object next to his plate.

"Here, Jackey. I made this myself."

Jackey looked up from his plate, cheeks still full.

"Huh? Huh?"

His golden eyes went from Arianna's face to the object beside his plate, then back to Arianna. His cat ears swiveled in confusion.

Then they slowly perked up.

"Ooh…!"

He swallowed hurriedly and picked up the object.

It was a brush. The wooden handle had been sanded smooth and polished to a soft shine, and the bristles were dense and fine. Jackey raised it in front of his face and turned it over and over, examining it from every side, his tail swaying slowly behind his chair.

"What is this, Arianna?"

The crimson-haired mage smiled.

"It's a brush, so you can groom your fur, Jackey."

She covered her mouth with one hand.

"I noticed your fur is often rather messy. Ohoho."

She reached out and lightly touched one of his tabby cat ears. It twitched under her fingers.

"I also inscribed a simple rune on it. It makes fur smoother when you brush."

Jackey looked at the brush. On the back of the handle, a small rune had been carved, its lines thin and precise. He traced it with his thumb.

For once, he didn't shout. His tail had stopped swaying. His ears were tilted forward, toward Arianna.

He reached up and touched her arm.

"Thank you, Arianna… I'll treasure it. And I'll use it every day."

Arianna's light blue eyes widened slightly. Then her cheeks turned faintly pink, and she looked away.

"Y-you'd better use it properly… Otherwise there's no point. Ohoho."

Jackey grinned, the usual brightness back on his face. He immediately ran the brush through the fur of his tail. His eyes widened.

"WOAH! It's so smooth! Big Bro, look! My tail is SHINY!"

Hyoren laughed.

"I can see that, Jackey."

Elise giggled.

"Fufu. Arianna, you might have created a monster."

Arianna lifted her chin with dignity as she returned to her seat, though the pink hadn't left her cheeks.

"Then I shall take full responsibility for him. Ohoho."

At the far end of the table, Vina sighed again and rested her chin on both hands. Her bushy fox tail swayed slowly behind her, and her eyes had gone soft and far away.

"I'm going to give my gift to Dirk later…"

Jackey's ears perked up.

"Ooh! What did you make him, Vina?"

Vina's face turned bright red. She hugged her teacup close to her chest.

"I-It's a secret!"

Lena chuckled softly. She set down her cup and looked at her daughter with a warm, knowing expression.

"Then you'd better finish wrapping it before noon. You've been working on it for three nights."

Vina's ears flattened.

"Mother!"

Laughter filled the dining room. Even Arianna lost her composure and laughed behind her hand. Ina laughed so hard her tail thumped against the chair again.

Hyoren leaned back in his seat and looked around the table.

Elise's bookmark rested on Ina's book beside his cup. Jackey was still brushing his tail, showing it off to anyone who would look. Arianna was pretending not to watch him, and failing. Vina was still red, protesting while Lena calmly drank her tea.

Outside the window, the golden light of Sol fell across the thawing garden, and the small green shoots glistened.

None of the gifts had been bought. None of them had been given out of obligation. They had been made with time and care, in secret, by people who simply wanted to say thank you for being here.

Hyoren took a slow sip of his coffee.

We aren't just a party of adventurers anymore...

We are a family…

And here, in this warm dining room, with spring finally blooming outside, every one of them was exactly where they belonged.

***

Breakfast ended, and with it, the household slowly scattered for the day.

Ina was the first to get ready. By the time Hyoren stepped into the main hall, she was already standing in front of the tall mirror, smoothing the front of her Guild uniform. She tugged at her collar, frowned, and tugged at it again. Her tail swished impatiently behind her.

Hyoren leaned against one of the pillars and watched her fuss over the same fold for the third time. A smile crept onto his face.

"You look fine, Ina."

Ina's eyes met his through the mirror. Her cat ears twitched.

"'Fine' isn't good enough for the Vice Guild Master, Hyoren."

She gave the collar one last firm tug and finally seemed satisfied. Then she turned around and planted her hands on her hips.

"Especially today. Guildmas's new desk arrives this morning. If I'm not there to supervise, she'll break it before they even finish putting it together. Nyahaha."

Hyoren chuckled. He could picture it far too easily.

"Then you'd better hurry."

Ina crossed the hall toward him, rose onto her toes, and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"I'll be back before dinner. Don't let Arianna blow up the backyard while I'm gone."

Hyoren scratched his cheek where her lips had been.

"I'll try."

Ina narrowed her amber eyes at him, unconvinced.

"You always say that."

Still, she grinned, waved, and hurried out. Her petite figure slipped through the front door, and it closed behind her with a soft click.

The hall had barely gone quiet when light footsteps came down the staircase.

Elise descended in a chic green blouse with long sleeves. The fabric was soft but thick enough to keep out the lingering chill of early spring. Her silver hair was tied back with a ribbon, and a woven basket hung from the crook of her arm.

Hyoren straightened from the pillar and raised an eyebrow.

"You're going out too?"

Elise stopped at the bottom of the stairs and nodded. She tucked a strand of silver hair behind her pointed ear.

"Yes, Hyoren. I want to go to Madam Dursila's. Now that the snow's finally gone, I want to buy some seedlings. Flowers, and a few herbs. Fufu."

Her emerald eyes drifted toward the window, where the damp garden glistened in the morning light.

"Those Whisperbell seeds from the Snow Festival need a proper bed. I want to decide where everything goes before the soil warms up."

Hyoren followed her gaze to the bare flowerbeds. He could already imagine them green.

"So the herb garden is finally happening."

Elise's smile widened, warm and a little pleased.

"Fufu. You remembered."

She walked over and lightly touched his arm.

"Don't push yourself too hard with your magic today. We only just came back from the dungeon."

Hyoren laid his hand over hers for a moment.

"I won't."

Elise studied his face, then tilted her head toward the back of the manor. Arianna's impatient humming drifted faintly down the hallway.

"Hmm. I'll believe that when I come home and the backyard is still in one piece."

Hyoren let out a long sigh.

"Why does everyone think the backyard is in danger?"

Elise only giggled. She gave him a small wave and slipped out the front door, the basket swinging at her side.

Hyoren turned around.

At the end of the hallway stood a crimson-haired mage who had very clearly been waiting for exactly this moment. Arianna was trying to look composed, her hands folded neatly in front of her robe. It wasn't working. She was rocking slightly on her heels.

Hyoren smiled.

"Well, Arianna. Shall we?"

Arianna's composure vanished at once. Her light blue eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands in front of her chest.

"Finally! I thought they would never leave!"

Hyoren laughed as he walked toward her.

"They were only gone for a few minutes."

Arianna was already turning toward the back door, her robe swirling around her.

"A few minutes is a very long time when there's a new spell waiting, Leader!"

Hyoren followed her down the hallway. They were halfway to the back door when heavy footsteps thudded up behind them.

Jackey fell into step beside them, his tabby cat tail swaying with curiosity. Its fur looked noticeably smoother than usual. Arianna's brush had clearly already been put to use.

Hyoren glanced at him.

"Weren't you going out today, Jackey?"

Jackey grinned and bumped his shoulder lightly against Hyoren's.

"Big Bro's making a new spell! I'm coming too!"

Arianna looked back over her shoulder at him.

"This is magic research, Jackey. It might be rather boring for you."

Jackey puffed out his chest.

"It won't be boring if it goes BOOM!"

Arianna sighed, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward.

Hyoren chuckled and pushed open the back door.

"Fine. You can help me test it."

Jackey's ears shot straight up.

"YES!"

***

The backyard had changed completely.

Only a few weeks ago it had been buried under snow, cleared in patches just so they could train. Now the snow was gone. The earth was dark and damp, and small green sprouts of grass were already pushing up through the soil. 

Hyoren stepped onto the grass and looked up.

Silver Luna and golden Sol hung together in the sky. Sol was still small, nothing like the blazing sun of summer, but its warmth was there. He could feel it on his face, pushing back the last bite of winter.

Spring really is here…

Arianna stopped beside him. Behind them, Jackey bounced on the balls of his feet.

"I can't wait to see Big Bro's spell go BOOM!"

Hyoren smiled and reached into his storage bag. He took out the plain black leather tome Headmistress Thavenessia had sent him through Arianna. 

He opened the book. Rows of runes filled the paper, each drawn with precise, deliberate strokes, surrounded by dense notes in a small, sharp hand.

Arianna leaned over his arm to look. Her eyes followed the lines of runes hungrily.

Hyoren turned another page and shook his head slowly.

"I still haven't finished reading it all. But honestly… your teacher is incredible, Arianna.”

Arianna straightened, her chest swelling with obvious pride.

"Of course. Headmistress is the Headmistress because she is incredible. Ohoho."

Hyoren closed the tome. Arianna's gaze followed it, then snapped back up to his face. Her composure cracked again.

"Leader. I have been very patient."

Hyoren raised an eyebrow at her.

"You've been patient for about two minutes."

Arianna lifted her chin with dignity.

"Exactly! Very patient! So please, show me already!"

Behind her, Jackey nodded vigorously.

"Yeah! Show us, Big Bro!"

Hyoren raised both hands in surrender.

"All right, all right. I used a few runes from her tome. Just watch.”

He slipped the book back into his storage bag and walked toward the middle of the backyard. He wore only a simple tunic and trousers today. No armor. No shield.

When he reached the center, he turned to face them and drew Dawn Breaker from his storage bag. The white blade caught the light of the twin suns. Today it wasn't a weapon. It was his conduit.

Arianna and Jackey stood side by side, both watching him with shining eyes.

Hyoren scratched his cheek.

"Before you two get too excited… this one doesn't explode."

Jackey's ears drooped.

"Huh? No BOOM?"

Hyoren shook his head.

"No boom. It's a buff."

Jackey tilted his head, thinking it over. Then his ears perked right back up.

"That's still cool!"

Arianna hadn't reacted at all. Her eyes were fixed on Dawn Breaker, as if the blade might start glowing any second.

"Leader, whether it explodes or not is irrelevant. It's a new spell. With ancient runes."

Hyoren shook his head with a small smile.

Arianna just wants to see new magic… And Jackey thinks anything I do with magic is interesting…

He raised Dawn Breaker in front of him and closed his eyes.

Okay… First, the image of the spell…

He let the sounds of the yard fade.

A defensive spell…

He remembered the Tenth Floor. The gate at the end of the corridor. The silhouette behind it. Level 60.

The Goblin Devastator showed me what's coming. The deeper we go, the stronger the enemies will get. Hits I can't block… Hits I can't dodge…

His left hand twitched, as though reaching for a shield that wasn't there.

And I can't always rely on my shield…

He ran through his arsenal. Enchant Maledict weakened the enemy. Accel Zone made him faster. Healing Light repaired wounds after he took them. Lumen Severance ended fights. Shadow Bloom cleared groups.

But nothing stops the damage before it reaches me…

His role was to stand in front and take the hits. The more he could take, the longer the party could fight. And the longer they could fight, the more chances Elise, Jackey and Arianna had to win.

So… a defensive buff… Something that makes my body more durable…

The image began to form.

A mist… A dark mist covering my body… with that effect…

The image settled.

Now… the Runic Array…

He began to build it, rune by rune.

Dark. Endow. Self. Anchor. Attenuate. Vector. Rebound. Enemies.

The Runic Array hung complete in his mind.

Hyoren opened his eyes.

"Noctynara's Embrace - Mist Dispersion!"

The spell activated.

Dark mist burst from his body all at once. It rolled outward across the grass in a thin wave, then drew back in and wrapped around him. It settled over his arms, his chest and his legs, a translucent veil of shadow that clung to him without hiding him. When he shifted his weight, it moved with him.

It's holding…

Somewhere beyond the mist, he heard Jackey suck in a sharp breath, and Arianna let out a small, delighted gasp.

Then a familiar voice echoed inside his mind.

"Mist Dispersion - Spell Learned."

***

A slow breath left Hyoren's chest.

It worked…

He raised his left arm and turned it in front of his face. The mist followed every movement, wrapping the shape of his arm as closely as a sleeve. He swung the arm sideways, fast. The mist stayed with it, neither dragging behind nor tearing away.

Exactly as I designed it…

Across the yard, Jackey's tabby cat ears had shot straight up. His golden eyes were wide, and both his fists were clenched in front of his chest.

"WOAH! Big Bro turned into darkness itself!"

His tabby tail spiraled wildly behind him.

"That's SO cool!"

Hyoren smiled wryly.

It doesn't even explode, and he's still this excited… Is there anything he doesn't get excited about?

Arianna, meanwhile, had already started walking toward him. Her light blue eyes never left the mist, and her lips were moving.

“A dark mist that envelops the body… clinging like a second skin… Mist Dispersion…”

She was murmuring to herself as she crossed the grass, one finger tapping against her chin.

"Is it a buff, then?"

She answered her own question with a quick shake of her head.

"No… As far as I know, dark magic doesn't have buffs. Curses, debuffs, plenty of those. But buffs…"

She stopped a few steps away from him and circled to his left, studying the mist from another angle.

"Then an area curse? No…"

Her brow furrowed in concentration.

"If the mist were meant to curse an area, it wouldn't cling to you like that. It would emanate from you and spread outward…"

She stopped circling. Her light blue eyes snapped up to his face, glittering.

"Leader! What does it do? And what's the rune combination?"

She was practically bouncing on her toes now, her hands balled into small fists at her sides.

"Quickly!"

Hyoren chuckled at the sight.

"How about a demonstration first?"

He turned his head toward the Cat-clan Beastkin.

"Jackey. Punch me."

Jackey's eyebrows shot up. His tail stopped spiraling.

"Huh? Why, Big Bro?"

Hyoren smiled.

"Just do it. It's the best way to show what this spell does."

Before Jackey could protest, Arianna whirled around and pointed at him.

"Jackey, just do whatever Leader says! Quickly!"

Jackey looked from Arianna to Hyoren, clearly still confused. Then he scratched the back of his head and shrugged.

"Okay… If Big Bro says so."

He walked over and stopped in front of Hyoren. He pulled back his fist, hesitated, then delivered a light punch to Hyoren's stomach.

THUD.

Right before the blow landed, Hyoren adjusted the spell's targeting in his mind. Only the one who attacked him would count as an enemy. Arianna was standing barely two steps away, and he had no intention of hitting her too.

At the exact moment Jackey's fist connected, the dark mist flared.

A ring of Dark Aethell burst outward from Hyoren's body and swept across the grass, four to five meters in every direction. It washed harmlessly past Arianna's robe. Jackey, on the other hand, flinched as if someone had flicked him.

"Ow, ow, ow… Huh? Why does my stomach hurt?"

He rubbed his belly, his ears flattening in confusion. The punch had been light, so the force thrown back at him had been light too.

Hyoren smiled and opened his mouth to explain. Before he could say a word, Arianna clapped her hands together.

"OH! It's like the Goblin Avenger's mist, isn't it? Am I right, Leader? A mist that redirects pain!"

Hyoren grinned.

As expected of Arianna… She figured it out almost instantly…

But she's only half right…

He turned to Jackey first. The Cat-clan Beastkin was still rubbing his stomach with a wounded expression.

"Sorry, Jackey. It shouldn't hurt much. You only punched lightly."

Jackey's tabby cat ears perked back up, and he grinned.

"It just surprised me! It only stung a little!"

Hyoren nodded, then turned back to Arianna.

His mind went back to the Fourth Floor. To the hulking goblin in jagged black armor, dark purple mist seeping from the gaps in its plates. He remembered striking it, then feeling his own back split open with pain when no blade had touched him. The pain of its wounds, thrown back at him.

"You're right that the Goblin Avenger inspired it. It's the same concept. But there's one difference. This spell doesn't redirect pain."

His grip on Dawn Breaker tightened slightly.

"Pain only punishes. It isn't real, and the enemy is still standing afterward. This spell redirects the damage itself. About twenty percent of every hit I take gets thrown out at whoever I count as an enemy around me."

Jackey's golden eyes lit up all over again.

"That's so cool, Big Bro!"

Arianna slowly nodded, her gaze drifting over the mist on his shoulders.

"I see… For a tank who gets surrounded, it's perfect…"

Then she leaned forward.

"Now. The Runic Array. How did you pack something with the complexity of a fifth-tier spell into a third-tier one?"

Hyoren laughed softly.

"Fine, fine. Be patient, Arianna."

He slid Dawn Breaker back into his storage bag and drew out the black leather tome instead. He opened it, though he didn't really need to look. The Runic Array was still fresh in his mind.

"The first three are basic runes. Dark. Endow. Self."

Behind them, Jackey had already lost interest. He tilted his head back and watched a cloud drift lazily across the sky, his tail swaying in slow arcs.

Arianna didn't even glance at him. She nodded quickly, her eyes fixed on the tome.

"I could tell that much from the effect. Ohoho.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Now give me the rest."

Hyoren turned the page toward her and pointed to the next symbol.

"The fourth one comes from your teacher's tome. Anchor."

Arianna leaned in until the brim of her hat nearly brushed his arm.

"Anchor…?"

Hyoren nodded.

"It ties the spatial calculation of every rune after it to the caster. Wherever I move, the mist moves with me. Every calculation starts from my body."

Arianna's eyes widened in sudden understanding. She looked from the rune to the mist wrapped around his arm.

"So that's why it clings to you! I was wondering. Endow and Self alone would surround your body, but the moment you stepped forward, the mist would lag behind."

Hyoren smiled.

"Exactly. A tank who has to stand still to stay protected is useless."

He turned to the next page. 

"Fifth rune. Attenuate. This is the heart of the spell."

Arianna's breath caught. She traced the air above the symbol with one finger, not quite touching the page.

"This rune… Leader, what does it do?"

Hyoren smiled.

"This rune means two things, interception and reduction, woven together. It intercepts every incoming blow, physical or magical, and reduces the damage by a set amount. One Attenuate rune cuts roughly twenty percent."

Arianna stared at the page as if it might vanish.

"So this is one of the runes she collected…"

Hyoren looked at the excited crimson-haired mage.

"With common runes alone, I'd need multiple runes to have the same effect."

Arianna’s light-blue eyes stared at the Attenuate rune. Slowly, the realization spread across her face.

"So that's your answer… That's how you fit a spell this complicated within a third-tier spell's limit of eight runes.”

Arianna looked up at him. 

"But only twenty percent? Your shield blocks far more than that."

Hyoren tapped the edge of the page.

"Twenty percent isn't much on a single hit. But it's always there. Even without my shield. Even when the blow comes from behind."

He shrugged lightly.

"And twenty percent off every hit adds up over a long fight."

Arianna fell silent for a moment, turning the idea over. Then she nodded slowly.

"A defense that never drops its guard… I see."

Hyoren turned the page again.

"Sixth rune. Vector. Think of it as a bridge. Attenuate strips the energy away from each blow, but that energy needs somewhere to go. Vector calculates two things at once: where the incoming damage came from, and where the stripped energy should be sent."

Arianna tilted her head, her finger hovering over the rune.

"And if you didn't include it?"

Hyoren grimaced slightly.

"The stripped force might scatter in random directions. Or worse, fold right back into me."

Arianna let out a small laugh behind her hand.

"Ohoho… That would be a rather embarrassing way to defeat yourself, Leader."

Hyoren scratched his cheek.

"That's why I didn't skip it."

He turned to the next page.

"Seventh rune. Another rune from your teacher's collection. Rebound. It takes the energy Vector delivers, expands it into the surroundings, and releases it outward as a burst of Dark Aethell.”

Arianna's eyes lit up. She glanced down at the grass where the ring of dark mist had swept past her feet only minutes ago.

"That flare earlier… That was Rebound!"

Hyoren nodded.

"The same idea as the Goblin Avenger's mist. Except instead of phantom pain, the enemy gets back the real force I refused to take."

Arianna stared at the spot a moment longer. Then a small, amused smile tugged at her lips.

"When it spread out from you just now… it looked like a flower opening. A dark flower, blooming all at once."

She covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

"How fitting. On Love Blooming Day of all days, Leader's mist blooms too. Just not with love. Ohoho."

Behind them, Jackey's ears perked up. He had apparently caught that part, and he rubbed his stomach with a grimace.

"It's a pain bloom! Big Bro's spell blooms PAIN!"

Hyoren smiled wryly.

"Please don't call it that."

Arianna's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. Then she pressed her hands together, her eyes turning back to the tome.

"And the last rune?”

Hyoren smiled and closed the tome.

"It is a basic one. Enemies. So that only the enemy gets hit, not my own party."

He glanced at her.

"Like you, standing right next to me just now."

Arianna blinked. Then she looked down at her robe, as if checking it was still intact, and laughed.

"Ohoho… I did wonder why I didn't feel anything."

She lifted her gaze from the mist on his shoulders to his face. The excitement in her light blue eyes softened into something warmer.

"Your creativity never stops surprising me, Leader. Not every scholar at the Aethellium Arcanum Academy could think the way you do."

A teasing smile curved her lips.

"Headmistress Thavenessia would love to have you as her student. Ohoho."

Hyoren scratched his cheek.

"Please give me a break, Arianna. I don't think I want to spend five years studying at an academy."

Arianna covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed.

"Ohohoho!"

Jackey, who had been lost in his cloud-watching until that moment, suddenly turned back toward them. His ears perked up as though he had caught the one part of the conversation he understood.

"But Big Bro would make a good scholar! Always thinking! So smart! Not like me! HAHA!"

That set all three of them laughing. Even Hyoren couldn't hold it back.

As the laughter faded, Hyoren looked up at the sky. Silver Luna and small golden Sol shone together above the yard. Around his arms, the dark mist still clung quietly, moving whenever he moved.

He let out a slow, satisfied breath.

Another tool in his arsenal. One more reason to stand in front, and keep standing.