CHAPTER 7: THE FESTIVAL OF NARVANA
—The Morning After the Serpent King—
The dawn rose over Narvana like molten gold spilling across glass. The sky shimmered with streaks of azure and pink, reflected against the crystal towers that reached above the horizon. For the first time in centuries, laughter echoed freely through the streets no alarms, no dungeon alerts, no monsters crawling through the gates. Just joy.
Flags of light, woven with mana threads, waved across every bridge. Vendors prepared glowing fruits and enchanted sweets that steamed in cool air. Children small girls with silver eyes and bright curls ran barefoot through the streets, chasing motes of light that danced from the sky.
Axcel stood at the edge of the city square, half awake, half overwhelmed.
"So… this is what peace looks like here," he muttered, adjusting his cloak.
Helena stood beside him, her usual composure softened by the morning glow. She had traded her combat armor for a slim white dress lined with faint blue veins of mana that pulsed like a heartbeat. Her hair, flowing freely gentle waves catching the light.
"Peace in Narvana," she said softly, "is rarer than sunlight in a dungeon, everyone is always busy. "
Axcel chuckled, watching as two girls waved at him from a distance, giggling before running away. "Guess saving a kingdom gets you fans."
"Fans?" Helena tilted her head, amused. "Ah worshippers, you mean."
He laughed. "No, fans. People who just… like you."
"Like me?" she asked, teasing. "That's dangerous talk in Narvana."
The two walked slowly through the square. Everywhere they passed, the people bowed or smiled, whispering "The Dungeon Slave," "The Serpent Slayer," "Helena the Shield." Banners with his name carved in mana symbols hung across the plaza some crude drawings of him with glowing blue eyes and a sword taller than a house.
Helena laughed when she saw one. "You look terrifying."
"I was terrifying," Axcel grinned. "To that giant snake, anyway."
They reached a stall that sold "Firefruit Puffs" small pastries that shimmered red and gold. The vendor, an older woman with white hair glowing faintly from mana age, leaned forward.
"For the hero and his partner," she said warmly, handing them each one. "On the house."
Helena blinked. "Partner?"
Axcel nearly choked on the pastry. "N–no, we're not..."
The woman waved him off with a grin. "Don't play coy, young man. The way you looked at her when you returned? I could feel it through the mana."
Helena blushed faintly rare for her. "T-Thank you," she said quickly, pulling Axcel away as the woman laughed behind them.
They found a quiet spot overlooking the city a ledge lined with hanging lanterns that floated in place, each carrying the name of someone who fought for Narvana's safety. Helena rested her arms on the railing, eyes half-closed.
"It's beautiful," she said. "You'd almost forget how much blood was spilled to make it happen."
Axcel looked down at the city the laughter, the lights, the smell of magic and food. "You ever get used to it?"
"To peace?" she asked. "No. But I'd like to."
For a while, they just stood there in silence. The kind that didn't feel awkward only full of unspoken understanding.
Then Helena said quietly, "You saved me back there."
"You saved me first," Axcel replied. "So… we're even."
Her lips curved into a small smile. "You sound like you're trying not to admit it."
"I'm trying not to sound corny," he said, scratching his head.
She laughed an actual, light laugh that caught him off guard. "You're terrible at that."
The sound of fireworks interrupted them. Mana flares shot into the air, bursting into brilliant flowers of light. Down below, dancers moved through the streets in armor-like silks, performing a story through combat rhythm the tale of the Serpent King's fall. Axcel and Helena watched as actors reenacted their fight, exaggerating every move.
"Wait… is that supposed to be me?" Axcel squinted.
Helena smirked. "Apparently you're six meters tall and breathe blue fire."
"Hey, I could almost do that," he said defensively.
One of the dancers playing Helena struck a dramatic pose and shouted, "I shall protect you, my love!"
Axcel choked again. Helena froze, turning bright red.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"I-uh they're taking artistic liberty," Axcel stammered.
"Apparently," Helena muttered, face half-hidden behind her hand.
They both started laughing, unable to hold it in.
After the show, they wandered deeper into the festival past music that shimmered through the air, past enchanted illusions that danced like spirits. Children tossed glowing petals at them, calling, "Long live the heroes!" and "Kiss already!"
Helena's face turned crimson again. "Why does everyone in Narvana lack subtlety?"
Axcel smirked. "Maybe it's contagious."
He caught a stray petal from the air crimson with faint light and tucked it behind her ear.
"There," he said softly. "Now you look like you belong in this place."
She blinked at him, stunned. "You're… oddly poetic today."
"Must be the fireworks," he said quickly, trying to play it off but his smile stayed.
As the night grew darker, the lanterns multiplied, covering the sky in floating light. The air shimmered with warmth and magic, like the city itself was alive and proud. Axcel felt something in his chest ease a kind of peace he hadn't felt since he left Earth.
Helena looked at him again, eyes reflecting the lanterns. "You're smiling."
"I guess… it's the first time I feel like I'm part of something good," he said. "Not just fighting to survive."
She nodded slowly. "Then maybe Narvana was waiting for you."
He met her gaze and for a second, neither of them looked away.
The music softened. The crowd's noise faded beneath the hum of distant fireworks. Time slowed, and the mana lights framed them both in gold and blue.
And without thinking, they both leaned slightly closer just enough that the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then
"AXCEL!"
Both jumped as a group of mages burst through the crowd carrying a massive glowing cake shaped like a serpent. "For the hero of the hour!"
Helena quickly stepped back, hiding a smile as Axcel groaned.
"Perfect timing, huh?" he muttered.
She laughed. "Perhaps the gods of Narvana have a sense of humor."
The laughter from the crowd still echoed as Axcel tried not to suffocate under the weight of celebration.
He'd faced monsters taller than towers but never this kind of chaos.
The serpent-shaped cake was enormous, pulsing faintly with edible mana.
"Eat! Eat! Eat!" the crowd chanted, clapping to the rhythm of the drums.
Helena folded her arms, hiding a smile. "You should do as they say, hero."
Axcel sighed. "I swear this is scarier than the dungeon."
He drew his dagger, sliced the glowing serpent down the middle, and a wave of red frosting splashed like blood across his face. The crowd roared in approval. Helena burst out laughing, tears in her eyes.
"Looks like you've slain another serpent," she teased.
"Yeah, and it tastes like strawberries," he said, licking frosting from his hand.
For hours the city burned bright with joy. Dancers turned the streets into rivers of light, mages spun sparks into constellations, and musicians played with enchanted instruments that bent the air into melodies.
Even Axcel forgot the weight of battles, of death, of the strange half-life he lived between two worlds.
When the crowd thinned and the music softened, he found himself walking beside Helena again through quiet streets still glittering with fallen mana dust. The festival had dimmed into a dreamlike hush.
They stopped beneath a crystal archway that shimmered faintly with stored moonlight. A small fountain beside it whispered, and the surface reflected them together one scarred warrior and one serene knight, two lives bound by chaos.
Helena spoke first, voice soft.
"You look calmer tonight."
Axcel nodded. "For once, no monsters to kill. No blood on my hands. Feels… good."
She leaned against the arch, folding her arms. "You know, I never imagined I'd fight beside a human man. Let alone one reckless enough to challenge bosses like nothing."
"Reckless?" he grinned. "That's one word for it."
"Courageous, then," she corrected, smiling faintly. "But also… dangerous."
He looked at her, the dim light tracing the edges of her face. "You sound worried."
"I am," she admitted. "Every time you fight, it feels like the world itself bends. Like you don't care what happens to you."
He hesitated. "If I'm not strong enough, people die. That's what scares me more."
For a long breath she said nothing, just studying him. Then she stepped closer, close enough that her mana aura brushed against his. "Maybe strength isn't only about killing what's ahead," she whispered. "Maybe it's about choosing what you'll live for after."
He opened his mouth, but before he could answer, a stray lantern drifted down between them. He caught it automatically it was shaped like a red flower. Its flame pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
He smiled faintly. "Seems the city's trying to set the mood."
Helena laughed under her breath. "Narvana can be mischievous."
The lantern's glow painted her eyes gold and silver. The festival's distant music faded into a quiet hum.
Without thinking, Axcel reached up and brushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Her breath hitched, just barely.
"Helena…" he said softly.
Her hand lifted, almost hesitant, until her fingers rested against his chest where his heartbeat pounded hard enough for her to feel.
"Don't overthink it," she murmured.
He didn't.
Their lips met gentle at first, almost uncertain, then deeper as the moment swallowed everything else.
The faint taste of mana and strawberry frosting lingered. The fountain shimmered brighter, reflecting streaks of red and blue light as if the city itself approved.
When they finally pulled apart, both were breathless. Helena blinked, flustered but smiling. "You really have a way of ruining a perfect soldier's composure."
Axcel grinned. "Guess that makes us even."
He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "For what it's worth… you're the most beautiful thing I've seen from both worlds."
Her eyes softened, and for once, she didn't deflect with sarcasm. "And you, Axcel, are the strangest man I've ever met, well not like I met any. "
They stood there for a while, lost in the stillness of it all.
Then a deep bell sounded across the city three resonant chimes that silenced every voice and instrument still playing.
Helena straightened instantly. "That's the Council Bell."
Axcel frowned. "Problem?"
"Not necessarily," she said. "But it means someone's calling all of Narvana to attention."
They hurried through the streets as the citizens gathered in the central hall a massive structure built of living crystal that shimmered like a frozen aurora. The air inside thrummed with expectation.
At the center dais stood Hebana, radiant in formal robes woven from starlight threads, her golden staff anchored to the floor. The crowd quieted as her voice amplified through mana resonance.
"People of Narvana," she began, her tone regal and warm, "today we celebrate more than a victory. We celebrate survival our rebirth through courage."
Cheers erupted. She raised a hand, and the hall fell silent again.
Her eyes turned to Axcel and Helena, standing near the front. "Through trials that would have crushed many, two souls fought side by side and preserved us all. To Axcel, the Dungeon Slave turned Savior, and to Helena, Shield of Narvana our eternal gratitude."
The hall exploded in applause. Mana lights spiraled above them in brilliant patterns. Axcel could only scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh… thanks?" he muttered.
Helena nudged him, smiling. "Try to look heroic for once."
Hebana smiled faintly, but her tone shifted calmer, heavier. "And yet… every great victory deserves its equal balance of destiny."
The crowd murmured. Axcel felt a strange pulse in the air, like the system itself was listening.
Hebana turned toward him fully, her eyes unwavering. "Therefore, as High Guardian of Narvana, I declare before all: in honor of the hero who saved our world, there shall be the first union ceremony in two thousand years."
Whispers rippled through the hall.
Helena blinked. "Union… ceremony?" she whispered.
Axcel frowned, confused. "Wait, like a wedding?"
Hebana's next words crashed over them like thunder.
"Yes," she said, voice echoing with authority. "A wedding between myself and Axcel of the realm Earth he shall inherit my title and rule beside me as the new Master of Narvana."
The hall fell dead silent.
Axcel's jaw dropped. "Wait WHAT?!"
Helena's eyes widened, her face draining of color. The crowd's stunned murmurs turned into gasps and shouts of disbelief.
Hebana smiled calmly, staff glowing faintly with divine light. "Prepare the city," she declared. "The Festival of Narvana will continue for in seven days, we crown not just heroes, but rulers."
The hall erupted into chaos. Helena turned to Axcel, eyes burning with a storm of emotions as the incence of mana lingered...
TO BE CONTINUED...