“You’re late,” Lina said, checking him out. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she assessed every detail of his appearance, from his posture to the faint shadows under his eyes.

  “But you look good, so I’ll allow it,” she added, strolling around him like a tiger.

  “A- anyway, let’s go inside,” Nox replied. He swallowed nervously, feeling both excitement and pressure.

  They walked to the restaurant, and a waiter led them to a luxurious golden table, the soft clinking of cutlery and muted murmurs of other diners filling the air.

  Small lights bathed the room in a slight red glow, casting flickering shadows across the walls. There were only a few old people sitting in the restaurant, eyeing them with suspicion.

  “Pretty romantic, right?” Lina asked, leaning forward slightly, her gaze locked on him to catch his reaction.

  “Yeah, almost too romantic,” Nox answered, slightly panicking.

  His fingers tightened around his cutlery, the metal biting lightly into his palms.

  “Aside from the average customer being eighty.”

  “Yeah…”

  She turned to the old people and glared at them with cold eyes, a subtle command in the curve of her mouth, signalling them to look somewhere else.

  “Let’s check out the mixed bath tomorrow. I’ve heard it has magical water, which makes you the strongest person in the world,” she said. Her eyes sparkled as if she was half serious, half playful.

  “You don’t actually believe that do you?” he replied, a small laugh escaping despite the tension.

  “Haha, of course not. I just wanna go there.”

  “Uhm, but it’s not like we gotta go at the same tim—”

  “Of course, we must go at the same time. I gotta check if your body is in form” Lina interrupted, her tone confident, almost daring him to protest.

  “W- What?” Nox’s face became so red that even Lina could see it in the dim light.

  “Relax, we have to wear swimsuits,” she broke out into laughter, the sound musical and teasing.

  Another group of old people looked at them with disgusted faces and started murmuring, “the young kids nowadays, always so loud and perverted.”

  Nox stared at the table, completely defeated, “even those old geezers?” he asked, wishing the floor would swallow him whole.

  “Shhh, the food is coming!” she said, smiling at him deviously.

  After Nox ate his beef, he insisted on paying, and the two went back to their room. He stole nervous glances at Lina, but she seemed completely calm.

  He quickly changed into his pyjamas and watched the sun disappear behind the nearby mountains. The sky bleeding warm colours that reflected off his still-tense muscles.

  “Wow, you look cute,” Lina said, coming out of the bathroom, the fabric of her white pyjamas flowing softly around her.

  “Uhm, you t- too,” Nox replied, “but don’t you think it’s a bit too… revealing?” His gaze briefly went to her chest, but quickly shot back up.

  However, Lina stepped closer, the warmth of her presence pressing lightly against him, forcing him to meet her gaze.

  “Innocent boy… you will see a lot more tomorrow, so brace yourself.” She opened the balcony door, letting a gentle night breeze sweep through, and dragged Nox outside.

  Even though it was night, warm air brushed along their faces, carrying the scent of distant trees and the faint aroma of blossoms.

  “Do you feel relaxed now?” she asked, turning serious. Her earlier playfulness was gone.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I saw how you’re always so stressed,” her grip around his wrist tightened slightly, grounding him.

  “About things like the ranking and your friends,” she grabbed his head and caressed the small nape of his neck with her hand, her touch firm yet tender.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “I thought this might calm you down,” she added, her blue eyes looking down at him.

  “I think I might prefer this cute side of you. But don’t worry,” Nox didn’t back away, “I won’t let you care for me without returning that favour.” His voice was steady, surprisingly sincere, carrying more weight than he realized.

  He pushed Lina lightly, making her lose balance for a split second, her eyes widening. But before her body touched the stone floor, he caught her with his arms, the closeness grounding them both.

  “Oh yeah? I won’t back down though,” she answered cheeky, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, the warmth between them growing.

  “You’re heavy,” Nox murmured with a warm smirk.

  “I’m allowed to. I’m taller than you after all,” she replied. Her long, blonde hair brushed over his face, making him sneeze.

  Laughing heartily, Nox stepped back into their room and the two fell onto the bed. Time seemed to slow, as his racing heartbeat slowed and their breaths gradually became even.

  The next morning, Lina and Nox went down to eat breakfast. The buffet had all sorts of cheese and meat, but it was still nothing compared to the academy’s feast.

  “Don’t forget to come to the mixed bath in 15 minutes. I’m gonna drag you there if you don’t come,” she said, smiling like she fully intended to.

  “Yeah, don’t worry.”

  After Nox put on his swimming shorts, he made his way downstairs and walked into the big garden. Steam drifted above the narrow stone pathways, curling like misty ribbons.

  He almost hoped that some old geezers would be there to make it less awkward.

  When Nox came by a secluded area, Lina was already waiting for him, the glow of morning light brushing her hair.

  “Wow, I’m not disappointed,” she said, looking him up and down, her expression filled with playful appraisal.

  “Uhm, you look good too,” Nox answered, turning away in embarrassment, heat climbing his neck.

  “Shit, what I’m I saying,” he thought, peeking at Lina’s athletic body as she entered the pool, the water rippling around her like liquid silver.

  “You should come in too,” she said.

  As Nox stepped into the warm water, a familiar warmth surged through him, almost as if Lina’s presence were wrapping around him in a gentle, invisible embrace.

  “Did you cast a spell on me?” he asked, awe and curiosity mixing in his tone.

  “No, why?”

  “I just felt your power flowing through me,” he said, shivering slightly from the warmth and closeness.

  “That’s probably because of the light’s rune. The closer we get physically and mentally, the stronger my power affects you.”

  “That’s good. I just hope she won’t be able to read my thoughts in the future,” Nox feared, sinking a little deeper into the water, the steam curling around his face.

  After they relaxed for a bit longer and went out to eat lunch, the two went back to the room and packed their things.

  “Why did you pack so much stuff?” Nox asked. She had packed five different dresses in her bag, which only differed in colour.

  “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you,” Lina answered, walking toward the reception, her stride confident.

  “That would be 40 silver coins,” the lady said.

  “Yeah, I’ll pa-”

  Before Nox could finish, Lina slammed her money on the table and glared at him, leaving no room for argument.

  The guests looked at them in confusion as she dragged Nox out of the area, her grip firm but playful.

  “Do you think you’re allowed to pay twice in a row? Not with me,” she said, walking to their carriage. Her tone was unexpectedly serious as if it was really important to her.

  After one hour, they arrived at the teleportation gate. Somehow, they had been faster, probably because the road led downhill. A faint glow emanated from the gate as the two stepped through, the air humming softly.

  The massive teleportation hall welcomed them warmly, its large windows catching the sunlight like gold.

  Beatrice and Regea came running toward them as if they somehow knew that they had just arrived, their faces a mix of curiosity and amusement.

  “Guys, where have you been?” Beatrice asked, eyes darting between them.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you. We went to the spa,” Lina casually mentioned, brushing past them as if it were no big deal.

  “What? Only you two? Don’t tell me something weird happened.”

  Regea quickly turned away, trying to hide his wide grin, his laughter threatening to escape.

  “Not really, we did share a bed but not much more,” Lina said, smiling innocently, the corners of her eyes twinkling with amusement.

  “You guys did what?” the two asked synchronically, disbelief written on their faces.

  Nox lowered his head, trying to hide his embarrassment, ears burning.

  “A- anyway, l- lets train,” he distracted, shaking his head to regain composure.

  As the four went to the training grounds, Regea and Beatrice looked at the two with constant smirks, anticipation glittering in their eyes.

  They arrived at the big area and split themselves up.

  “Alright, should we do Lina and me aga-”

  “No, Regea and I always lose against you guys. Let’s the three of us take you on Nox,” Beatrice suggested, her grin challenging.

  “That’s so unfair. I have no chance,” he complained, irritation and amusement mixing in his voice.

  “I support this idea. I always wanted to beat you up,” Lina said, smiling at him, playful fire in her gaze.

  When the fight started, Nox was bombarded by multiple attacks. Barely time to breathe, his stance manifested.

  He was able to block them but was further pushed back, the strain of keeping control evident in his every movement.

  “I can’t attack them with my strong attacks, because they might get injured,” Nox thought, hesitation slowing his movements, each strike calculated.

  Without another choice, he quickly summoned an ice field and dashed toward the three teenagers, the frost sparkling with each movement.

  Beatrice was slammed away by his sword, while Regea could barely evade the attack, eyes wide.

  Just when Nox was about to finish off Lina, she suddenly glared down at him with a fierce look.

  “Are you sure you wanna hit me?” she asked, grabbing his chin and stopping him in his tracks.

  “Uh, wha-” his sword hesitated mid-swing, frozen by her sudden intervention.

  Before Nox could respond, he was hit by a golem and sank onto his knees, the impact echoing in his bones.

  Beep-

  “You tricked me!” he said, looking at Lina. Despite everything, he was smiling, admiration and amusement mingled.

  “I’m sorry. It was the only way to stop you,” she replied, checking him for injuries, with the usual concern in her tone.

  “That’s understandable.”

  The four returned to the castle, preparing for tomorrow. The day the group had awaited for two months. None of them slept easily that night, minds racing with anticipation and excitement.