Legacy of the Dark Sage

As they made their way there, Stella insisted to walk at the back since Kyran had the map.

She had a point.

And Kyran would have accepted her reasoning without thinking too much of it if the \'curveball\' did not happen.

But the truth of the matter was that it did happen and Kyran knew she did not want him to walk behind her because she was feeling extremely self-conscious right now.

"You don\'t have to answer this confession. I just want you to know how I feel, so when you are with her, you\'ll think of me."

\'Is what she said...\' Kyran thought, with a slight frown.

Their conversation ended on that note.

The \'confrontation\' he expected about making the same mistake as Caelan because of Cyneah, did not happen.

In any case, Kyran was somewhat confused. He had not expected the first confession he\'d receive was from Stella.

Yes, there were others who had flirtingly told him they liked him or at least insinuated they did. But Kyran was smart enough not to take them seriously.

Besides those people flirted with \'Tyr,\' not him.

Kyran was aware of Stella\'s feelings, to be honest. But he knew she was affected by the First Time Keeper\'s feelings for Caelan and did not think much of it.

Being aware of Stella\'s feelings was one thing. But to have her affirm it in words was too much for him.

He did not want this kind of complication.

No.

It was not that he did not want it, but he could not have one, especially when his clan was still in danger.

Besides, Stella telling him to think of her when he was with Cyneah? What was that all about?

Kyran did not see Cyneah that way. To him, she was someone he had to protect because she was his godmother\'s precious disciple.

\'What are you saying, master? She\'s your mistress!\'

Somehow, Zephyr\'s annoying voice popped in his head, resulting in his frown deepening.

Kyran considered Cyneah as one of them; that was why she was important to him.

That was all.

Besides, Cyneah was only.... was only...

Wait.

How old was Cyneah again?

Kyran belatedly realized he did not know her correct age. As a matter of fact, he did not know much about her.

Feeling a pang of guilt upon this realization, Kyran made a mental note to know Cyneah better when he returned to the cottage.

In any case, Kyran had always seen Cyneah as a... kid.

Physically they were not that far apart, but mentally they were different. So he could not possibly harbor feelings for her.

...

Why did it feel like he was making excuses right now?

Pushing all these thoughts to the back of his mind, Kyran heaved a sigh.

"Kyran?"

Stella\'s voice snapped him out of his reverie.

Turning his head to look at her, Kyran asked, "What is it?"

Stella frowned at him.

Did he think she did not hear him sigh just now? She knew he was distracted, and obviously, it was because of what she said.

Instead of feeling guilty or regretful, Stella was happy. It was all good if this was all it took to make him think of her.

\'No, that\'s not why you called his attention!\' Stella scolded herself.

"Don\'t you think it\'s a little strange?"

"Strange?"

Stella scanned her eyes at their surroundings, which had been eerily tranquil.

That was right. Stella called him out not because she heard him sigh but because they had been walking in the forest for some time now, yet there were no signs of other \'creatures.\'

"The forest is too quiet... this is not normal."

Forest during nighttime was far more dangerous than during the daytime, which was why she suggested teleporting to the Tower of Conclave first, then using a transportation array to get to where they were supposed to meet the Montgomeray Family.

The map included the coordinates of their secret residence, which was required when creating transportation arrays.

However, Kyran rejected her idea at once, saying going by foot was faster. Besides the Montgomeray\'s secret residence was only an hour away from the Courtenay\'s land.

He had a point so she did not argue then. But thinking back on it, she realized she had forgotten to ask a very important question.

Did he mean one hour on foot or travel by carriage?

If it was the latter, then she agreed to soon. No, even on foot, it was still too far!

Stella\'s expression darkened at the realization.

This was a huge mistake. She should have insisted on going back to the tower!

Seeing Stella\'s expression, it was easy for Kyran to guess what she was thinking.

He chuckled and nodded in agreement,  "You\'re right. The forest is too quiet."

Stella looked at him in fright, "Let\'s go back then! If you\'re worried about not making it on time, I\'ll give you all the time you need!"

She was, after all, the Time Keeper.

Kyran scratched his head at Stella\'s determination behind her fear. It was his first time seeing her like this, and he found it endearing.

The truth, he suggested going on foot because Stella had always lived within the Tower of Conclave and thought it would be nice to let her experience the \'outside.\'

Since he led the way, he chose a path where the stars in the night sky could be seen in their fullness.

Stella probably enjoyed the stars even in the tower, but there was a big difference when one was watching them surrounded by nature. Alas, it appeared she was too concerned about the forest beasts to even noticed the starry sky.

But Kyran was not about to tell her that. Not after hearing her confession. He did not want to give her the wrong idea.

"Ah... no. It\'s fine. There are no forest beasts because I made sure to avoid the ones I can sense nearby. Besides, I think we\'re almost there," Kyran lied.

He was not the one avoiding the beasts but the other way around. But she did not need to know that.

Stella sighed in relief, "Is that so? That\'s good then."

"If a beast does appear, I won\'t let anything happen to you, so don\'t worry."

Kyran realized what he had said too late after seeing Stella\'s flushed face.

He only realized how misleading his words sounded.

Trying to salvage the situation, Kyran looked away and added, "I don\'t want to deal with a demented Malek if he found out."

Stella\'s expression immediately darkened.

"Do you really have to say that last part?" She complained.

Kyran chuckled despite himself.

After a few more minutes, Kyran stopped and looked up ahead.

It was faint, but he sensed the scene before them was not \'real.\' It was not an illusion. The land before them distorted. As if what was supposed to be there had been removed and replaced by another.

"We\'re here."

Stella looked ahead. She also sensed the distortion in the space before them.

"Aren\'t they going to meet you out here?" She asked.

Kyran shook his head, "There is no need."

"But how will we enter? This place clearly has spells and restrictions in place."

Kyran could not blame Stella for having doubts. She was unaware of what he had learned in the Tower of Tribulation. Most of all, she did not know he knew more about Void magic now.

He looked at her and said, "I can bypass this kind of restriction."

As he expected, Stella gaped at him incredulously.

Kyran hesitated for a moment before reaching his hand toward her, "Let\'s go."

Stella, taken aback by his action, stared at his outstretched hand. She flushed slightly but nodded wordlessly and took his hand.

She initially thought confessing would not be a big deal. But now, it appeared she became much aware of the fact that Kyran was a \'man.\' It was not the first time she had held his hand, but the mere thought of it was too stimulating for her.

She had seen him practically naked before (although she was too shy to ogle at his body because he was unconscious and Nolan was there with an annoying smirk), but after confessing, she became self-conscious.

This feeling was very foreign to her. It was similar to the books she used to read when she was still in her teens.

\'Ack... this is embarrassing. You\'re already twenty for goodness sake! Why are you acting like a lovestruck teenager!\' She scolded herself.

As soon as their hands touched, she felt an invisible veil cover her body.

It was a cool sort of sensation, different from the ones the magic detector in Starhorn did.

Suddenly, the scene before them changed.