Hey I hope yall enjoy the chapter. This will probably be the last chapter in Sarion, sorry if it went too long or ended too soon. I hope you liked it either way.
Also if I see 1, 67 meme I'm gonna do something, not sure what but I shall have my revenge. (Cough cough cliff hangers)
Chapter 67: Ancient Elves and Quiet Moments
Sylvia did not acknowledge her daughter's words. She simply continued circling Varion, her golden eyes narrowed in concentration as she pressed her palm flat against his chest once more. Magic flickered faintly at her fingertips, tracing along the lines of his magicules with open curiosity.
"This shouldn't be possible," she muttered, almost to herself. "As a Dragonoid carrying a Hero's Egg Your soul should be shredding itself apart right now. The holy energy and your monstrous nature should be tearing each other to pieces..."
She paused, tilting her head as if listening to something only she could hear.
"But it isn't," she continued, voice turning more analytical. "It's adapting. Slowly. Accepting the holy energy instead of rejecting it. Almost like it was designed to do so. That's… strange. Very strange."
Varion stayed still under her touch, though his expression had tightened slightly. Elmesia let out another long sigh from her seat but made no further attempt to stop her mother. She had clearly learned long ago that trying to control Sylvia was a losing battle.
Sylvia withdrew her hand at last, though she didn't step back. She studied Varion with open fascination.
"The Hero's Egg will continue to change you," she said bluntly. "Full integration won't be clean. You'll likely feel the conflict between your energy more sharply than most. There may be periods of instability. Moments where your body and spiritual self push against each other. And because you're a Dragonoid, the Egg may react to you differently than it would to a normal person. It could make you more sensitive to certain types of magic… or it could do the opposite, honestly, I don't know."
She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised.
"You should be prepared for it either way. The Egg doesn't just grant power. It demands balance and that balance is rarely a comfortable process to obtain."
Varion absorbed her words in silence. He had already felt some of the strain during the integration, but hearing it laid out so plainly made the weight of it settle heavier in his chest.
Sylvia seemed to sense the shift in his mood. She waved a hand dismissively, as if brushing the seriousness aside.
"Enough of that for now. You're not falling apart so there's no point in worrying yourself into the ground."
She turned slightly, her gaze flicking toward Elmesia for the first time since she had appeared.
"You were talking about Lubelius before I arrived, weren't you?" she asked, though it was clear she had been listening the entire time. "Luminous Valentine."
Elmesia nodded once, though her expression had turned slightly wary.
"I suggested he consider visiting her," Elmesia said. "She may have insight into the Hero's Egg that even we don't. She has been known to fraternize with Hero's after all."
Sylvia was quiet for a moment. When she spoke again, her tone was more measured than before.
"Luminous is… old," she said finally. "Older than most people realize. She's powerful, intelligent, and she has her own sense of order. But she is not someone who acts without reason. If you go to her, go carefully. She may be curious about you, but curiosity and kindness are not the same thing."
She looked back at Varion.
"Still. If you're looking for answers about what's happening to you, she's one of the few people alive who might actually have them. Just don't expect her to hand them over for free."
Sylvia studied him for another few seconds, then let out a small, satisfied hum.
"Well. I've seen what I came to see, so I'm leaving." She turned toward the door without another word, her silver hair swaying behind her. "You should go enjoy the city while you still can. Once word spreads about that Egg, your quiet days will be over."
And with that, she was gone vanishing as suddenly as she had appeared.
Elmesia rubbed her temples.
"I apologize for my mother," she said, sounding genuinely tired. "She means well. Most of the time."
Varion shook his head.
"It's fine. She was… helpful… I guess?"
Elmesia gave him a small, knowing smile.
"She usually is, in her own way. Now I believe I have held you long enough my cousin is probably getting impatient." She giggled at the thought of Prinz packing a wait on him.
Prinz was waiting for him back in her room when he returned. She sat on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed, but the moment she saw him she straightened up. Her eyes searched his face carefully.
"How did it go?" she asked.
"Long," Varion answered honestly. "But useful, actually."
Prinz studied him for another second. She could see the quiet tension in his shoulders that hadn't been there before he left. She didn't ask what had been said. Instead, she reached out and took his hand without waiting.
"Come on," she said, tugging him toward the door. "You look like you need to get out of this building for a while. And I want to show you around the city."
He didn't argue. The idea of escaping the palace for a bit sounded better than he expected.
The moment they stepped outside the palace grounds, She glanced up at him. She took in the serious set of his jaw and the tension still remaining in his shoulders and her lips curved into a familiar, mischievous smirk.
"Oh wow," she said, voice light and teasing. "Is my beloved thinking so seriously of adding my cousin and her mother to his growing harem? What's next, will you be going after my poor poor mother too?" she said, faking tears.
Varion stopped walking so abruptly he almost tripped over his own feet.
"What—? No. That's not— I didn't—" He turned to her, eyes wide, already sputtering. "Prinz, that's not what happened. Elmesia was just talking about politics and alliances and— Sylvia just showed up and started poking me and— I would never— That's not even—"
Prinz watched him flail for a solid five seconds before she couldn't hold it in anymore. A bright, delighted giggle burst out of her. She threw herself sideways into him without warning, wrapping both arms around his bicep and knocking him slightly off balance.
"You're so easy to tease," she laughed, pressing her face into his shoulder for a moment. "I can't believe you actually started denying it that fast."
Varion let out a long, suffering breath, but the corner of his mouth twitched despite himself.
"You're terrible, a brat of the highest order."
"I know," she said cheerfully, still clinging to his arm as they started walking again. "But you love it."
He didn't deny that part.
Prinz took him through the capital like she had been waiting for an excuse to show it off. She led him first to a small restaurant tucked between two flowering trees where the owner clearly knew her. They sat outside under a canopy of vines and ate a large plate of some kind of pasta. Prinz kept stealing bites off his plate with zero shame, grinning every time he tried to block her with his fork. He was very tempted to try biting her hand to stop her the next time she tried. But his thoughts must have been read because she didn't try again after that.
After that she dragged him through a market street lined with stalls selling everything from hand-carved wind chimes to glowing crystal jewelry, to strange but pretty trinkets. She stopped at a sweets vendor and bought them both some of her favorite sweets, then immediately tried to feed him one while walking backward in front of him so she could watch his face as she went on about how she used to eat these all the time as a kid.
"You've been thinking too hard since you woke up," she said between bites. "It's bad for your face. You get all serious and broody. It's cute, but I like it better when you're relaxed like this."
Varion let her pull him along, the tension in his chest slowly loosening with every ridiculous comment she made. She stayed close, kept teasing, and made sure he was having a good time.
By the time the sun started to dip lower, painting the white stone buildings in warm gold, Prinz had led him up a narrow set of stairs hidden between two taller buildings. They emerged onto a quiet rooftop terrace that overlooked a good portion of the capital. The Divine Tree rose in the distance, its massive branches glowing faintly as the city lights began to flicker on below.
Prinz walked to the low stone railing and leaned against it, looking out at the view. Varion stepped up behind her without a word. He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin gently on top of her head. She immediately covered his hands with her own, lacing their fingers together.
For a while they just stood like that, the soft evening breeze tugging at her silver hair. The red streak caught the last of the sunlight like a quiet flame against the pale strands.
Varion let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "I needed this. After everything the past few days… the Hero's Egg, waking up, Sylvia, all of it. I needed this. It was a good date"
Prinz didn't turn around. She just squeezed his hands a little tighter where they rested against her stomach.
"I know," she said softly. "I could tell the second you walked back into the room. You looked like you were thinking too much."
She leaned back into him, letting her head rest against his chest.
"You don't have to solve all of your problems on your own, you know," she continued. "I'm here. Rimuri's here. Even if we're in different places right now. It's okay to let someone help you sometimes."
Varion closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her hair, just relaxing in her scent. Prinz turned her head just enough to press a soft kiss against the inside of his neck.
"Besides," she added, voice lighter again, "if you keep brooding this much I'm going to start charging you for emotional support services. I accept payment in kisses and back rubs."
A quiet laugh rumbled out of him.
"Noted."
She smiled and turned fully in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. The teasing spark was still in her eyes, but there was something warmer underneath it now.
"Good," she said. "Now kiss me before I start charging interest."
He did. Then again and again.
Things slowly heated up as Prinz ran her fingers through his hair. Then pulled back with a look in her eye that Varion knew all too well.
"We should head back, it's getting dark and I think I want some interest now." she purred in Varion's ear.
He stood up straighter and picked her up in a bridal carry. "Your wish is my command my lady" he said in a smooth tone as he opened a portal and stepped into Prinz's room in the palace with a grin on his face.