After a few minutes of sitting completely still on the soft fabric of my large wooden bed, I decided it was time to leave my bedroom. The quietness of the space had given me a brief moment to rest my physical body after the intense events that had taken place earlier in the morning. I stayed perfectly motionless for those few minutes, letting the silence of the room fill the air while I tried to calm my thoughts. Then, I braced my feet against the solid floor blocks, shifted my physical weight forward, and stood up straight in the center of the space. I walked slowly across the smooth floor of my room, lifting my feet one after the other until I reached the exit. I extended my right hand, grabbed the cold metal handle firmly, and pulled the heavy wooden door open toward my body. I stepped through the frame and entered the long hallway of the mansion, letting the door click shut behind me. I moved down the corridor, placing my boots carefully on the clean floor blocks, and walked toward the large staircase.
I walked down the steps one by one, descending to the lower level of the big house. Once my boots touched the flat ground of the main floor, I redirected my steps toward the back exit that led outside. I pushed the rear door open and walked out to the backyard, where the fresh morning air felt very cool against my face. As I stepped onto the green grass of the spacious backyard, I looked around the open area and I saw Eufrien standing a short distance away from the mansion. He was enjoying the quiet morning by himself, keeping his body perfectly still while he looked out over the wide lawn. He heard the sound of my boots on the ground, turned his head slowly, and saw me approaching his position across the grass. Eufrien smiled warmly as I stopped my feet in front of him, and he said, "Oh, Sogha, I bet you two went to spar. How was your spar?" I just awkwardly said, "Oh, uh, it's good." Eufrien just laughed at my brief response, his voice echoing cheerfully in the backyard.
I turned my body to the side and walked away from Eufrien, leaving him to his laughter as I moved along the outer wall of the large building. I followed a narrow pathway that led directly to the garden area, where many green plants and flowers were growing under the bright sun. As I entered the open space of the garden, I looked around the grass and saw Elphyete and Salphy and Mia gathering together near the center of the lawn. The children were moving around happily, enjoying their morning games together in the fresh air. I went to them, stepping softly on the green grass until I was standing right next to the small group. I looked down at the little girl, wanting to greet her properly after being away for the match. I bent my knees to lower my height, reached out both of my arms, and carried Salphy up into the air. I lifted her small body securely with my hands, holding her close to my chest so she would feel safe.
I looked at her smiling face and said, "How's my little Salphy doing?" The little girl found this lift very exciting, and she laughed out loud in a very bright and happy way. Elphyete laughed too as she watched us interact, her voice sounding very pleasant in the open garden. I felt a sense of warmth after the tense moments of the morning, seeing them so happy. After holding the small child for a brief moment, I carefully put down Salphy back onto the soft green grass so she could stand on her own boots again. Mia and Salphy continued playing together right away, running around in small circles and chasing each other across the open garden lawn without a single care in the world. A few paces away from the children's position, Celdrich and Tokine were sitting on a bench looking at Mia and Salphy, keeping their bodies relaxed while watching over them carefully.
I turned my head to the side and noticed Euphyne standing a short distance away, watching the peaceful scene with a relaxed expression. I decided that the children would enjoy having someone else join their morning activities, so I walked closer to his position. I asked Euphyne for him to play with the kids, wanting to see him bring some energy to their games. Euphyne just laughed when he heard my direct request, stepping forward with a very dramatic and confident movement of his body. He liquefied his voice with pride, lifted his hand in the air and said, "Of course, my best friend! I, the most dazzling man alive, shall entertain thy kids!" His voice was filled with a lot of pride and amusement as he made his grand declaration. Euphyne suddenly went to the kids, moving his legs quickly across the green grass until he reached the spot where they were playing. He looked around the area and saw a heavy decorative item resting on the ground nearby.
He reached down and carried the gold bird statue up into the air using his hands. He held the shining metal object firmly and played with it like a toy to entertain them. He made funny swooping motions with the heavy gold bird statue, pretending it was a real creature flying through the garden. We all laughed out loud at his silly actions, finding his dramatic performance completely hilarious to watch. After enjoying the fun display for a few minutes, the loud laughter began to quiet down in the open garden. Elphyete and I went inside the mansion together, turning away from the lawn and walking back through the rear entrance of the big house. We stepped through the doorway and walked along the quiet corridors, leaving the sounds of the children playing outside behind our backs. I wanted to speak with her without anyone else listening to our conversation, so I took Elphyete to somewhere private deep inside the mansion. We walked into a secluded room together.
We stood inside the private room where the heavy wooden door could be closed completely, ensuring our absolute privacy from the rest of the group. I turned my physical body around to face her directly, standing just a few inches away from her frame on the smooth floor blocks. I looked at her face, feeling a lot of complex emotions in my chest after the terrifying discoveries Sir Vael had shared with me. I opened my mouth to speak to her, but the words felt very difficult to find in that quiet moment. I said to her, "Elphyete... actually, nevermind." I stopped my sentence completely, deciding it was better not to mention the dark anomalies. Elphyete just looked at me confused, tilting her head slightly to the side as she waited to see what I would do next. She stood perfectly still on the floor, with nothing to say in response to my sudden silence. With nothing to say, I just kissed her. I leaned my body forward and pressed my lips gently against hers.
As soon as our lips met, her ears went pink right away from the sudden surprise of the gesture. She wrapped her arms around my body, and she hugged me tightly while she pulled into the kiss even more, closing the distance between us completely to share the sweet moment. We stayed in that close embrace for a few beautiful seconds, enjoying the absolute peace of the secluded space. Suddenly, I heard something laugh hysterically right outside our private space, the sound piercing through the air. I turned my head quickly toward the source of the noise and I saw Lucian laughing like crazy, his body shaking with uncontrollable amusement as he watched us from his hiding spot. He was making a massive scene, completely ruining our private moment. I looked down at Elphyete and saw that she looked like she's going to melt from the shock, and she passed out completely from the intense feeling. I just calmly stood up smiling, showing no outward signs of anger on my face as I straightened my body.
I went to Lucian while he's laughing on the floor blocks. I definitely gently dragged his ear to Sir Vael and said to Sir Vael that Lucian is peeking on the girls' bathroom. Sir Vael looked at Lucian with a smirk and he said to me, "I will definitely teach my student a lesson." I left and went back to Elphyete and carried her to our room and put her to bed.I sat besides Elphyete and looked at her while unconscious on the large bed. The quiet room was completely silent after I placed her down onto the soft blankets. I kept my physical body perfectly still on the edge of the mattress, watching her face as she rested peacefully after passing out from the sudden shock in the private space. The room was warm, and the gentle morning light came through the glass window, casting soft shapes across the smooth floor blocks. I remained right by her side, keeping my own eyes fixed directly on her frame today now.