Chapter 28
Illariana Arden’s POV
The first thing I thought about that morning was what to wear.
And no, I wasn’t dressing up for Airis.
I simply wanted to feel like myself again—
To hold on to the remnants of my life in Vuduarus.
To cling to familiar habits.
At least for today.
That was exactly why I chose one of my favorite dresses:
A fitted white dress that fell above the knee, with neck ties and a square neckline.
I would remember the day I bought it forever.
Because that was the same day Kai disappeared from my life without a word.
Without a trace.
The dress had become a symbol of moving forward—
Of refusing to let heartbreak define me.
After tying my hair into a high ponytail and slipping into a pair of low heels, I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the room.
Then out of the studio itself—
Where Airis was already waiting in the main corridor.
His eyes widened slightly.
His lips parted as though he were about to say something.
But I beat him to it.
“Don’t flatter yourself.
I definitely didn’t do this for you.”
Flicking my ponytail hard enough for it to brush against him, I headed toward the exit.
“I’ll pretend I believe you, Fireling.”
He matched my pace immediately.
Then took the bag from my hand.
Glancing over his outfit, I decided to return the favor.
“You look suspiciously overdressed for a simple sightseeing trip.”
He wore a blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, gray plaid trousers, and loafers.
“A sightseeing trip?” he raised a brow.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Did you forget?”
“About your torso.”
To my complete surprise, the corridor filled with soft, velvety laughter.
He actually laughed?
I glanced at him again, unable to hide my suspicion.
“Then it’s a very important sightseeing trip.”
“No, seriously,” I said.
“Where are we going?”
His expression shifted, becoming more serious.
“A few days ago, I had the chance to see Ria’s comfort zone.”
Our eyes met.
“Now it’s my turn to open up.”
A spark passed between us—
Almost invisible.
But enough to make my heartbeat falter.
We walked through the courtyard in silence until I finally broke it after noticing Airis heading toward a strange pile of metal that vaguely resembled a motorcycle—
Except it had no wheels.
And it was much wider than an ordinary bike.
Which probably explained why it rested directly on the grass.
“Don’t tell me we’re riding that?”
“It’s better than walking twenty kilometers,” he replied.
With the touch of a finger, he activated it, and the metal machine lifted smoothly into the air without ever touching the ground.
“Besides, this isn’t one of those ordinary motorcycles people use in Vuduarus.”
“It’s a Beckbill—an aerobike.”
I stepped closer, studying it.
Meanwhile, Airis opened a small storage compartment and placed my bag inside.
“And what exactly am I supposed to hold on to?”
The answer was obvious.
But maybe this world had some special mechanism I simply hadn’t noticed yet.
A sly smile curved across Airis’s lips.
“Me, Fireling.”
“So you wanted an excuse to get close to me, and that’s why we’re taking the Beckbill instead of a regular car?”
“See?”
“You already know me so well.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling.
Then mentally scolded myself for reacting to him like that at all.
Airis swung onto the Beckbill and started the engine.
The underside glowed with a soft blue light.
It looked like something straight out of a science-fiction film.
“Get on.”
“Don’t I need a helmet?” I asked, approaching him cautiously.
“I’m a careful driver.”
I glanced down at my outfit.
For several seconds, I’d completely forgotten what I was wearing.
“But I’m wearing a dress,” I pointed out before realizing he probably wouldn’t understand the problem.
“It could ride up.
Everyone would see my underwear.”
“Then you should hold on to me tighter to preserve your modesty.”
I snorted.
Absolutely not.
Instead of swinging a leg over the seat, I sat sideways.
“If you’re such a careful driver, then I’m sure I have nothing to worry about.”
“Your life is in my hands.”
I ignored the comment.
“Does it run on your magic?” I asked, freezing slightly as I searched for literally anything else to hold on to besides Airis.
I refused to make this easy for him.
But the back of the seat was completely smooth.
Not a single handle.
“No.
It’s powered independently,” Airis answered.
A brief pause followed.
“Are you seriously still looking for an alternative to me back there?”
“Obviously,” I shot back immediately.
“Why would I willingly satisfy your desperate need to be closer to me?”
He didn't answer.
The Beckbill did.
With a sudden burst of acceleration and a violent jolt.
Nearly falling off, I instinctively grabbed his waist.
Pressing myself far too close.
I’d never liked motorcycles.
Apparently, the Beckbill had just claimed second place on my list of things I absolutely hated.
Then we started climbing into the air.
My heart immediately lost its mind.
I’d never thought I was afraid of heights before.
Until this exact moment.
Pressing my face against Airis’s back, I silently prayed for the ride to end as quickly as possible.
Maybe sitting sideways only made everything worse.
Because it genuinely felt like the second I let go—
I’d fall.
“Next time, I’ll bring a child safety seat,” Airis said over the rush of the wind.
“They let children ride these things?” I asked without lifting my head so he could still hear me.
“No,” Airis replied.
“But you could probably borrow one of their seats.”
Then the Beckbill accelerated again.
The wind roared louder around us.
Maybe there was some kind of engine pushing the air itself, creating that sound.
I tried to distract myself with anything.
Anything except the fear locking my body in place.
“You don’t have to be afraid when you’re with me,” Airis said.
“That confidence does not extend to flying death machines.”
“We could’ve taken a car.
Stasia called a taxi last time.”
“You’ll have to get used to Beckbills,” Airis replied.
“They’re useful in combat.”
I sighed.
I decided silence was the only response he deserved.
After a while, I finally dared to look down, watching the outlines of Magicslan spread out beneath us.
I even recognized Violetta’s district—
The one Stasia had taken me to.
Then we began descending somewhere nearby.
But we landed in an entirely different area.
Right beside a dock where several other Beckbills were parked.
Unlike Violetta’s district, this place felt completely different.
The buildings were taller.
Painted in vivid colors.
Between two gently curving rows of houses stretched a garden dotted with strange iron sculptures.
“What part of the city is this?” I asked, looking around.
“We’re at the meridian between P11 and R8.”
For some reason, his voice sounded colder now.
“And their full names?” I asked, referring to the founder’s children Stasia had told me about.
“Payden and Ruel,” Airis replied quietly, pulling both bags from the storage compartment.
He slung his own over one shoulder while carrying mine in his hand.
“For the next two days, you’ll get to know Ruel’s district—
The part of the city devoted to art.”
It was obvious his mood had changed.
And I couldn’t even begin to guess why.
“Are you connected to this district somehow?” I asked as we walked toward the right side of the curved row of houses surrounding the garden.
“Yesterday you said I’d get to know you better.”
“This is my favorite district,” Airis replied quietly.
“And I’m hoping it’ll finally make you trust me.”
I squinted as the sun emerged from behind one of the rooftops.
“What happened?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he walked confidently toward the second house, painted a vivid shade of blue.
When he opened the door for me, silently letting me step inside first, I realized I probably wasn’t going to get an answer.
“Welcome to Amaryllis House,” a melodic female voice greeted us from behind the reception desk.
“Hello.
We have a reservation for Suite Five,” Airis said, pulling the familiar compact-like payment case from his pocket.
The receptionist scanned it immediately.
“Your suite is ready.
Just tap the card against the scanner inside the elevator, and it will take you directly to your floor.”
“Thank you.”
Airis nodded before lightly resting a hand against my back and guiding me toward the elevator beside the entrance.
“I didn’t realize the magic world was this technologically advanced,” I admitted after stepping inside the elevator, which looked more like a futuristic capsule than anything I’d expected.
“Magicslan doesn’t actually develop technology,” he explained.
“It’s imported from Saquararus—the World of Energy.
The worlds support one another.
Each provides what the others lack.”
“That’s actually pretty smart,” I murmured.
“So there aren’t conflicts between them?”
“There are conflicts,” Airis answered.
“But they rarely escalate into war.”
The elevator finally stopped.
Apparently, the entire floor belonged to our suite.
It was one large, sunlit space designed in a marine style.
Huge panoramic windows overlooked the garden below.
And I immediately noticed one important detail.
There was only one bed.
A massive one.
But still only one.
“Did the idea of getting two beds ever cross your mind?” I asked, glancing sideways at Airis.
He shrugged.
“We've already been sleeping separately anyway.”
Walking over to one of the two large armchairs by the window, Airis set our bags down.
“You asked why my mood changed…”
I stayed silent.
Letting him continue.
“I kept thinking about what Stasia said.”
His gaze dropped briefly.
“And it wasn’t just the fact that someone else introduced you to this world before I did.”
A pause.
“It was the fact that it never even occurred to me to do it myself.”
I had absolutely no idea what to say.
The feeling hit me like ice water poured straight over my head.
Damn.
I never expected words like that from Airis.
But I decided not to dwell on them.
I didn’t want to scare away the real version of him.
The one who frightened me far more than his cold exterior ever had.
Because good men could break you far more painfully than bad ones ever would.
Finally pulling myself together, I spoke.
“The future deserves your attention far more than the past ever will.”
Anastasia Lang’s POV
Wahlslan.
Gray.
Painfully small.
And suffocating beneath its endless rules.
I hated it.
This was the City of Defense—
The place where weapons used across nearly all twelve worlds were forged.
But to me, it felt like a prison.
I couldn’t stand places where laws and regulations stripped people of the freedom to truly live.
Tarven and I walked through the narrow streets toward the main arena, which occupied a massive portion of the city since most warriors trained there in weapon combat.
Tarven, meanwhile, seemed genuinely excited about all of this.
“For today’s training, I brought several different weapons,” he said, carrying an absurdly heavy bag over one shoulder, a katana strapped to its side.
“We’ll see which one suits you best.”
“You honestly think I’ll bond with any of them?” I arched a brow.
“Turns out you’re even more delusional than I thought.”
“With a teacher like me,” Tarven replied with a smug grin, “it’s impossible not to improve.”
“You should probably tone down your confidence a little.”
“And you should stop being so ridiculously skeptical about Wahlslan.”
I didn't answer.
But my long, theatrical sigh made it perfectly clear what I thought of that.
“The most important thing is finding the right dagger weight,” Tarven instructed later, once we reached the arena crowded with trainees.
“You shouldn’t feel unnecessary weight in your hand.”
I’d never been an introvert.
I usually enjoyed being around people.
But right now, I would’ve given anything for us to be alone.
The constant noise was already getting on my nerves.
“This one should work,” Tarven said, holding out a small dagger.
“We’ll start simple.
If you don’t control the weapon, the weapon controls you.”
Tarven looked far too serious.
Or maybe I just wasn’t taking this little masterclass seriously enough.
The moment the dagger settled into my hand, I immediately felt its weight.
I’d never been physically strong.
And six months of training definitely hadn’t been enough to build real strength.
“No.
That’s already a mistake.”
He stepped closer.
Almost too close.
Softly but firmly, he adjusted my grip.
“Don’t hold it like you’re afraid to drop it.
Your grip should feel alive.”
His fingers tightened gently around my wrist.
And my heart tightened with them.
“You need to feel the moment the blade becomes an extension of your arm.”
I exhaled quietly, trying to follow his instructions as he finally let go.
“Second rule.
You don’t swing the weapon.”
He stepped back and raised his palm.
“You guide it.”
Then he shifted slightly to the side.
“Aim not where I am now…”
Another smooth step.
“But where I’m going to be.”
My brows immediately furrowed.
“I’m not a fortune teller.”
That was almost true.
“And you’re not a victim either,” he replied calmly.
But I felt otherwise.
I was afraid of weapons.
Ever since the day Alicia used one to leave this scar.
The memory slammed violently against the walls of the fortress I’d spent years building inside my mind.
My foot crossed the threshold of the treehouse Father had built because Alicia wanted one.
I still couldn’t get used to the fact that we shared the same mother and father.
Each of us craved the love we had never received.
But we had never needed each other.
And in moments like this, the supposed bond between twins felt like nothing more than a myth.
After looking around, I realized I was completely alone.
Alicia still wasn’t there—
Even though she had been the one to send me the letter asking to meet.
She had even postponed her transfer to Utararus by two days just so we could see each other here, in Istharus.
So where was she?
Click.
I spun around.
Nothing.
The instant I looked forward again—
Pain exploded across my neck.
Alicia stood directly in front of me, a dagger pressed against my throat.
Her movements were calm.
Her gaze unwavering.
She meant to pin me against the wall.
I could already feel warm blood trickling down my neck.
My breathing stopped.
My body wanted to follow.
But my survival instincts refused to let it.
I threw myself backward, lunging toward the opening in the floor where the ladder was fastened.
If I landed right...
I wouldn't break my neck.
Alicia moved.
The moment she realized what I intended to do, she accelerated.
So did I.
One step—
And gravity disappeared.
For a few endless seconds.
Until it found me again.
I exhaled shakily, realizing my hands were trembling as they struggled to hold on to the damned dagger.
Tarven couldn’t possibly understand what I was feeling.
Then again…
How could he?
I had never told him any of it.