657 The Birthday [1]
"V-Varian!"
Hearing that voice, Varian's tired body shook. Eliminating the hostile chi already took a heavy toll on his body.
Since he had to concentrate during the whole ordeal, it was also mentally taxing.
Thus, Varian's body and mind were pushed to the limit.
But he kept going for the singular goal of saving her.
When she finally woke up, his goal was reached and Varian couldn't hold on any longer.
"Varian!"
He only heard her panicking voice before the world turned dark.
*** *** ***
The weather was gloomy that night.
Curse the weather control department. These guys set rains to suit their schedules and it somehow coincided with his training time.
The seventeen year old Varian was only discovering their hateful side.
"Fuck!" Gripping a sword in his right hand, he dashed toward the blue wolf.
Rain continued to pour through the foilage and touched the blue fur of the creature.
"Varian, be careful!" Sia's voice sounded in his mind.
"I know," Varian muttered as he sped up his dash.
The rain drops around the wolf were unnaturally slow. It was because of the water affinity the creature had.
Simply put, it grew stronger with water.
So, rain was its best friend and Varian's worst enemy.
As the rain drops brought along a refreshing feeling to its body, the wolf raised its head and howled.
Then, kicking the wet ground, it shot towards Varian.
Their distance closed in a moment. The wolf raised its paw and slapped at his head. The blow was powerful enough to blast his skull to pieces.
So, Varian made no attempts of taking it head on. Instead, he twisted his body like a wrung towel and thrust his sword into its neck.
It was a single hit but blood splurted out of the creature's neck like it was water out of a fountain.
"Haa!" Varian's body crashed to the ground and he gasped for breath.
It was just one attack but the stress on his body was tremendous.
As he lay on the thick green grass in the middle of a small forest, a sense of peace filled him.
He looked through the dense leaves and spotted the moon. It was bright red as always, bringing him the light eminating from the military bases.
"B-Beauti—Ouch!" He cried out when he was in the middle of praising the moon.
"Hey, what was that for?" Varian rubbed his pinched side and looked at Sia with accusing eyes.
Sia crossed her arms and didn't answer. Since they came here right after school, she was still in her uniform. A black coat over a white shirt and a pleated skirt with long socks.
Even though the uniform wasn't anything fancy, she looked stunning nonetheless.
"Pretty," Varian said.
Sia raised a brow and shook her head. 'Not going to work this time.'
Seeing that she didn't fall, Varian put on a sad expression and said. "I really mean it from the bottom of m—"
"Arghh! It's your birthday! We're running late already! Get up already!" Sia finally lost it and yelled at him.
Varian looked at her with innocent eyes. "Can't I be like this for just a bit more?"
"No! Amanda is waiting." Sia insisted.
"That's true but…" Varian paused and patted the grass on his left. "If we're a bit late, she'll finish her work stuff."
Sia stared at him expressionlessly.
"Here." Varian once again patted the grass on his left. It was soft and the night wind was cool. Through the dense canopy, the red rays of the moon shone on them.
A wonderful sight.
"Really…" Sia grumbled but lay down beside him.
Feeling the soft body close to him, Varian chuckled.
"Don't laugh." Sia pinched his waist and looked at him with a grudging face. "You corrupted me into this. I didn't want it."
"Sure. Sure." Varian laughed louder.
Sia snorted and tried adjust on the grass several times. Not finding any comfortable position, she sighed. "It's your fault. So, take responsibilty."
"Huh?" Varian raised a brow when he felt a weight on his chest followed by a warmth.
Sia rested her head on his chest and stared at the sky.
"…I object to become a human pillow."
"Objection overruled."
"Aii~ Bullying such an honest man, Sia, wait for karma to catch up. One day, I'll bully you."
"Hehe." Sia covered her mouth and chuckled.
"What? You don't think I can bully you?" Varian made a menacing expression.
Sia turned her face slightly and met Varian's gaze. "If you get the chance, I'm sure you'll try to bully me but calling yourself honest? Tsk, Tsk."
"Jealous, you're very jealous." Varian nodded to himself.
"Yeah, yeah." Sia smiled.
"…"
"…"
A silence fell on them as they stared at the red moon.
"Sia."
It was Varian who spoke first. Unlike earlier, his voice was grave.
But Sia heard more. She also heard his weakness, his fear and his hope.
She turned around and hugged him tightly. "Shh~don't think too much about it. You'll go, you'll awaken and everything will get better."
Varian closed his eyes and hugged her tightly.
The night breeze seemed very cold all of a sudden and he desperately sought her warmth.
Varian's heart raced as his fear finally surfaced.
On his birthday, he'd get the 'ticket' to the dungeon. With his mother's savings as well as the loan Sia took, he'd be able to afford an adventure team for a whole day.
If everything went well, he'd awaken. It's a bit late, but he's confident in catching up with others.
He'd join college and join the army after graduation.
He's confident that he'd be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with her in the future.
But everything was on the premise he awakened.
If he didn't…
The only hope that kept him going despite the bullying, ostracization and hardships would crumble.
"I'm scared," Varian confessed.
"No matter what happens, I'll be with you," Sia said and rested her head on his chest.
Badum! Badum!
His loud heartbeat was the only noise in the silent forest.
"Sia…" Varian's voice was weak.
"Hm…" As she was lying on his body, she just raised her head to look into his eyes.
"Thank you for coming into my life." Varian smiled from the bottom of his heart.
"…Fool." Sia blushed and avoided his gaze.
"Pretty." He said suddenly.
Sia covered her beet red face and felt her heart race. Another heartbeat sounded in the forest.
Badum! Badum!
Through the gaps between her fingers, she saw Varian's teasing smile. With a pout, she protested. "…?! Cheating! This is cheating!"
"Hahaha!"
