Rey's eldest brother could not wait to see this Alaric who was able to easily forge a bond with Royal and also Nobility like Rey. Their wait did not go unrewarded as they all turned their heads towards one direction.
In a distance, one could see an incoming young guy not more than 6'. He was walking at his own neither slow nor quick. Though there was a distance between them, they were all cultivators and they could easily make out his features.
Dressed in a white t-shirt and black pants. One could not miss the fact that they were folded up to slightly lower than the calf. His shoes appeared like sandals.
As he got closer, one could finally make out his green eyes and black hair. One could think that he was a commoner but those looks were far from the martial realm. Dressed in a casual manner as though he was not going to leave the academy premises on the same day.
If they learnt that he would be leaving as he was, no one knew how they would react. Who would go home dress that casually. Alaric could by the way so they did not need to wonder for long.
He finally reached them not caring about their gazes as they had been staring at him since they could lay their eyes on him. He appeared focused on Aurora possibly taking in glimpse of her before they parted.
One observant enough could not miss the general's awkward reaction as he looked away with a scoff but when he turned, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. One could not believe this was all due to the kid being in a relationship with the princess.
Alaric finally looked away after taking in all of her features as he greeted Rey's brother. He did not even spare the general a glance and so did the general. This behaviour was obviously caught by Rey's brother.
"So this is where we part," Rey spoke suddenly relieving the atmosphere that was tense. Alaric sighed at those words. This was the first time he was feeling reluctant to part with them. Especially Aurora.
"It's going to be a long time. I wonder what adventures I will encounter," Alaric said with a thoughtful tone.
"I feel the same. I wonder who will have the best adventure this time," Rey replied with the same tone.
"Can't you think of having some moments with family?" Aurora asked. But what she received was a weird look. She could not help but wonder what it was that she had said wrong.
The two scoffed. Spending time with family? Like they would have time for such boring activities.
"Family requires only the nights," both Alaric and Rey spoke in unison. It was only then Aurora was hit with realization. But she could not help but wonder how the would he distant from the family.
The two adults felt like they were a street light post lighting above a bench with some people seated on the bench. They had been ignored!.. The first time they had in the first place. With their strength, they ought to be the center of attention in the group.
It seemed there was something wrong with the situation. But as the trio continued to speak amongst themselves, they two felt even more helpless. Suddenly an interesting topic caught their ears.
"I wanted to call you and tell you that I was about to leave but I forgot. That was a great chance to test whether these damn communication devices of yours work," Rey said and received a glare form Alaric for the insult.
"I could send you to hell with it so that you can find out whether they work across dimensions," Alaric said coldly.
"I really was a fool to believe you without testing it. I shall find out whether they are working once I am 100 kilometers away from you," Rey said.
"I give you my word that not even a million miles can stop it," Alaric said confidently. This definitely caught the two adults attention.
"Can we have the honour of taking a look at the communication devices that you are talking about?" Rey's brother asked.
Rey was quick and removed his communication device and handed it to his brother who stared at it deeply. He seemed to try and discern it for few minutes but he found nothing. He could not help but ask how it worked.
"Its very simple. You just have to channel some energy into it and it will contact the other devices that are linked to it,"Rey said proudly like an expert.
Rey's brother did so and the array glowed. He could not help but admire the beautiful sight before him. The blue, golden and the red glow at the center made it all appear mesmerizing. Alaric did not like his big mouthed friend's behaviour but since Rey decided to reveal it to his brother, he was not going to act distant.
He reached for his communication devices from his pocket and showed it to the two adults who saw the blinking glow on communication device in Alaric's hands. Even the general was curious. It was unheard of sixteen year olds making such things.
The two could not help but be skeptical when they recalled the range. It was impossible for a communication device to have a range of more than 100 kilometers.
Alaric channelled his energy into the communication device and explained further.
"When the array contacts mine, I will feel some heat coming from it and also it will vibrate and make aware that someone is trying to contact me. I will then channel some of my energy into it and it will also work and we shall be connected. That way, we can communicate," Alaric explained.
The two adults were impressed by the simplicity of the communication device. Even the size alone was very thoughtful. Many that existed were complex and required some special conditions for them to work. For one that only required one channelling energy into them was unheard of.
"And how durable are they? Simple things often end up being less durable," the general could not help but ask. This was a mistake many crafters would often make and they would end up hampering their progress.
"I wonder how durable the Buloke wood you brought is?" Alaric asked not bothering to answer them.
When they heard that it was made from buloke wood, they could only gasp. Not many metals were above it in both hardness and and durability. It could only he said that unless one actively tried to destroy it, it was impossible to destroy it.
With their question answered, Rey's brother could not help but try speaking to the communication device in his hand and since Alaric was holding his in his hand, the voice was clear. It was as though the communication device was an extension of his mouth for the voice was exactly the same.
It reached the other communication device almost in an instant. They could not help but look at each other with shock. It was not possible to find a communication device that would be able to transfer the voice as it was.
Many often had the voice too different from the speaker. It came as a shock to them. It was then that they all realized that Aurora had been silent all along. Alaric was first to look at her and the rest followed his gaze.
One could not miss the worry in her face as though she had lost something important to herself. She seemed to be lost in thoughts and also she had searched even in her storage ring but she did not find it. Seeing her so lost, the general could not help but be worried.
"What is wrong?" She was silent for a while before replying in a breaking voice. She didn't know what would happen if she lost it.
"I lost my communication device." It was only then that they understood the situation.
They knew just how important these crafts were. Losing one could make one feel like they lost part of themselves. Even if they were new and not tested, it was too big of a loss.
Theg all turned to Alaric to see his reaction. Anyone in his position would possibly be mad after someone lost something that they had spent time on and presented it as a gift. This was Aurora's thoughts.
She knew that Alaric couldn't he mad at her but she knew just how much effort he put to make them yet she had already lost her's. She could not help but wonder when she got that careless. Alaric's smile only seemed to fuel her guilt. Why was he not angry at her?
He put his hands in his pocket and fished another communication device. His action appeared as those of a magician perfoming a magic trick. Seeing another communication device, they thought that he had made extras but Aurora coud recognize it.
It was her's. She had marked it and she saw the mark. The joy in her eyes could not be hidden. She felt like she would run to him and hug him. But she restrained herself as she held back her tears.
One could think that she was weak for getting too emotional over such, but she was strong. Only she knew how hard it was to draw the arrays. She was there when he laid the first array and she saw how difficult and tiring it was for him. Losing it would be not taking him seriously and of all things, she took him seriously.
"You found it..."