The half-finished plates before them sat untouched now. The earlier laughter had faded into something quieter. Narisva leaned back into her seat, twirling her glass slowly between her fingers.
"You know, I really love sweet things."
Vastarael raised an eyebrow, still chewing the last bite of his steak.
"Sweet things?"
"Yeah. Like candied berries. Honey on bread. Even the disgusting over-sweet desserts they sell at food carts? I like those too."
"I'll keep that in mind for our next date."
"And I like to sleep," she added, folding her arms and leaning on the table, resting her chin on her wrist. "Even though I don't need to. I enjoy it. I like being lazy and taying in bed. It's nice."
"Sounds like you're secretly a cat."
She chuckled, but her laughter faded into a more serious expression.
"There's more."
"Go on."
"Remember when I told you I killed 47 direct members of Dynasty Starisnova?"
His smile faded.
"I meant it. And sometimes... I go back."
Vastarael's gaze sharpened. He didn't interrupt.
"They're still there. Their skeletons. I put them on stakes in a spiral pattern. Some were adults. Some were teenagers. A few were children. I made no exceptions. If they lived, they'd grow to seek vengeance. Better to end the cycle early."
She looked down at her hands.
"It gives me peace, you know? Seeing them, their bones.... the chaos finally stopped screaming in my head after I ended them. I guess I'm not as... enlightened as the rest of you."
She glanced up, expecting judgment. waiting for revulsion, for disdain, even if veiled. But all she saw was Vastarael, utterly unchanged. He actually finished his food.
"You're not going to say anything?"
"I killed 800,000 people, men, women and children just to bring you back."
Narisva's breath caught in her throat.
"I did that so I could gather the power necessary to reconstruct your soul... and heart. You don't even know Adelasta's past. And if you did, you'd realize you're far from the darkest among us."
The air was still.
"We're not heroes," she whispered.
"You said that before, remember? We're obligated to save the world. It's written in us. But if we were given a choice… we wouldn't choose it."
She stared at the man who ruled a Dynasty who loved deeply and bled for others but didn't pretend he was clean.
"That's one of the reasons I fell for you, you know."
Vastarael tilted his head.
"You don't care about someone's imperfections. You never judge me. You never judge anyone. Even when I say things like this... even when I admit I still visit the bones of the family I slaughtered... you look at me like I'm whole."
He exhaled slowly. "Because I get it."
Narisva's gaze flickered.
"If someone killed my siblings, I wouldn't just kill the ones responsible. I'd slaughter anyone who supported them or tied to them and even who would dare think of sheltering their legacy. I'd raze their bloodlines and salt the memory of their names."
Narisva's eyes shimmered again.
"…I think I love you more now," she said.
"I'd be worried if you didn't," he replied, lips curling into a small smirk.
-------
The warm breeze rustled the hem of Narisva's jacket as she walked beside Vastarael, the two of them weaving through the quieter districts of the city. The tourists were fewer here. Locals gave them polite glances but said nothing. Many could recognize Vastarael even with his casual outfit, yet his presence was so revered it felt inappropriate to intrude.
Vastarael glanced at her as they crossed a stone pathway over a shallow sapphire stream.
"There's a place I want to show you," he said at last.
"Somewhere special?"
"Yeah. But I need you to trust me."
She placed her hands behind her back and gave him a playful look.
"Haven't I already proven I trust you?"
"Fair point. How's your body feeling now? I haven't asked that yet."
Narisva tilted her head thoughtfully, stretching her arms before exhaling.
"It's... strange. In a good way, though."
"Strange how?"
"I don't have a scythe anymore. Not like before, at least. Ever since you trapped that Celestial inside me, the weapon's gone. I need a new one if I want to actually fight using proper Tether combat. And for once, I can't feel my soul inside a weapon. It's fully anchored to my body now."
Vastarael gave a small smile, relief flickering behind his golden-sapphire eyes.
"And, I have a beating heart again. That alone is… weird. I've gotten so used to being a shell over the years. But now. I feel stable. Even my Pinnacle Tether, Spatial Manipulation, is easier to control than ever before. It's less like tearing space and more like... guiding it. I should've said it sooner, but... thank you. Truly."
He waved a hand. "It's not an issue at all. I didn't do it to be thanked you know."
"Still, thank you."
They walked a little further under the coral-shaped archways lining the edge of a glimmering pond. Vastarael slowed his pace slightly, then added.
"Actually, I've got something for you."
"A gift?"
"Yeah. But not here. I'll give it to you when we reach the place."
She leaned closer with a sly grin. "You're being mysterious. I like it."
"I'm being nice."
"Same thing. Anyway, I'm looking forward to it. A gift from Vastarael Richinaria is probably something insane, right?"
He only smirked and looked ahead again, eyes glinting with mischief.
"You'll see."
As they continued walking through the crystal-lit paths of Anqerise's oldest quarter, the feeling between them had shifted. It was something woven from healing and subtle affection, something that only years of suffering and reunion could truly shape into something real. And whatever lay ahead in this mysterious place, Narisva knew it mattered.
Because Vastarael wouldn't say it but if he was giving her something, it meant everything. And also, he is literally the richest man in the continent so...