In a luxurious-looking white store, Phoebe stood at the potion section, her eyes scanning the shelves. That's when she noticed him—a man with chestnut-brown hair and charcoal-dark eyes, smiling gently at a potion he was holding.
Soon their eyes met, Phoebe felt a strange warmth surge through her chest, like a tiny flame flickering to life. Her heartbeat quickened, thudding painfully against her ribs, and she felt an inexplicable pull toward him.
What… is happening to me? she wondered, bewildered.
The man's smile didn't waver, though his eyes held a trace of curiosity, as if he, too, was trying to figure her out. To avoid the awkwardness, Phoebe forced a small smile back.
"Hi there, good evening. I'm here to look for mana potions. Do you know where I can find them?" she asked, trying to sound calm.
"Hello, good evening too. If you're looking for large mana potions, they're on the shelf to my left. The small ones are in the far-right corner," he replied politely.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you" Phoebe said, bowing her head slightly.
She walked past him toward the large mana potions and froze, eyes widening at the price.
W-Wow… five eterial gold coins? That's… I could buy so many cakes for the orphanage with that! Her mind raced, and a pang of guilt and frustration tugged at her.
The man glanced at her, a comforting smile on his face, and then spoke.
"It's my first time seeing you in this area. You seem new here," he said softly.
Phoebe turned, meeting his gaze again. His smile… it… look warm.
"Oh, yes, I haven't been here long," she said, her voice a little breathless, returning the smile.
"Haha, knew it!" he chuckled, the sound light and contagious.
"Oh, really? How so?" Phoebe asked, curiosity flickering in her chest.
"Well, I've been in this area many times, but it's my first time seeing you," he explained.
"I see… so you must be a local then," Phoebe said, tilting her head, intrigued.
"Hmm, not really. I travel from place to place, but I've been here a few times already," he clarified.
"Wow, so you're like a traveler, right? Hahaha," Phoebe said, laughter bubbling up, easing the tension.
"Seems so. Hahaha," he replied, shrugging casually.
"Hmm… what's with all the mystery? Hahaha, you're so mysterious," Phoebe teased, her eyes sparkling.
"If you say so, I guess I'm full of mystery," he admitted with a sly grin.
"You don't even try to hide it, huh?" she said, her tone playful and teasing.
"Hahaha… I rarely meet another human in this area—or even the whole middle continent—so meeting you makes me genuinely happy," he said, eyes softening.
Phoebe felt heat rise to her cheeks. Happy… to meet me? She bit her lip, trying to hide the fluttering in her chest.
"Is that so? Then… I'm happy to meet you too," she said softly, almost whispering.
"How cute," he murmured, and Phoebe froze.
"H-huh?" she stammered, startled.
"Nothing. Hahaha. Anyway, what were you looking for earlier? Anything interesting?" His eyes twinkled, and his smile made her chest tighten.
Something interesting? I doubt agonizing over potion prices would be interesting to him. Hahaha…
"Oh… nothing… it's nothing. Hahaha," she replied, trying to hide the embarrassment in her thoughts.
"I see… just forget what I said then. Hahaha," he laughed softly.
"Okay then," she said, feeling slightly flustered.
"Well, look at the time. I've got to go now. Take care—bye," he said gently.
"Oh… okay. Bye," Phoebe replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
The man pushed open the store door, and a faint blue flame drifted into the air unnoticed. As he disappeared into the street, Phoebe felt an odd emptiness bloom in her chest, a loneliness she didn't understand.
That man… why does he feel so familiar? It's like… we've known each other for a long time… But… I'm sure this is our first meeting. In my memory… I don't remember meeting him before…
Her gaze fell to the ground, where a gold pouch lay. Kneeling, she opened it and discovered two brown pouches inside. One held four large mana potions, the other… her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw a heap of eterial gold coins.
What? All of these… eterial gold coins? And… there are so many… I think there are seventy? Her heart skipped, panic mixing with awe.
It must have been left by him. He might still be around… I should catch up! she thought, rushing outside. For a brief moment, she thought she saw him and ran forward, weaving through the crowd—but the sea of people swallowed him whole, and then he was gone.
He's not here… what should I do with the pouch? Phoebe looked around, panic tightening her chest.
Ha… maybe I should leave it at the store. If he comes looking for it, he'll return there… right?
She soon hurried back, only to find the store dark, the sign on the door reading "Closed."
"What!? It's already closed? I—I just left a minute ago!" she exclaimed, disbelief tinged with frustration.
"What should I do now…?" she muttered, rubbing her temples.
"Oh well… I guess I'll have to hold onto it for now," she said quietly, her shoulders slumping.
Phoebe decided to walk toward the inn along the bustling, noisy street. As she approached, Ryze and Lucas greeted her, sitting at the reception bar having dinner. She joined them, the warmth of companionship easing her lingering unease. After the meal, she returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed.
The night outside was alive with noise, but Phoebe slept soundly—yet tears streamed down her cheeks. Murmuring in her sleep, "Re… d… e…" she shivered, her hands clutching the blanket tightly, her dreams restless.
Morning sunlight spilled into her room, rousing her from uneasy sleep. She completed her routine, then walked toward the academy with Lucas. Upon arrival, they went straight to their classroom, waiting for Professor Niel. Soon, the professor appeared, and silence fell over the room.
"How are you all? Today we'll have a different setup for class. We're having a joint session with Class B in the dome to the east," Professor Niel announced.
"What? Joint class?" a student exclaimed.
"But why, sir?" another asked.
"Quit asking. All of you, move toward the dome now!" Professor Niel snapped.
Class A go towards the warp gates, led by Professor Niel. Inside the dome, Class B awaited, led by another professor who is an ogre with green hair and yellow eyes in professor attire. Students gathered in the center. Phoebe spotted Ammy talking with classmates. later, Ammy noticed her, waved, and hurried over, embracing Phoebe warmly.
"How are you, Phoebe?" Ammy asked.
"I'm great! How about you, Ammy?" Phoebe replied, smiling brightly.
"I'm fine too," Ammy said.
"Oh, also, meet Lucas. He's my seatmate, and we stay at the same inn," Phoebe said, pointing at him.
"Oh really? Nice to meet you, Lucas," Ammy bowed politely.
"Sup, orc girl. Nice meeting you. I've heard a lot about you—Phoebe talks about you all the time," Lucas said, smirking.
"Really? What did she say?" Ammy asked, her eyes sparkling.
"She said you're nice and a sweet princess," Lucas replied.
"Really? That makes me happy to hear, hehehe," Ammy said, her cheeks flushing.
"You should be. You really are a good person," Phoebe said sincerely.
"Hehe… thanks! You're a cool and good person too, Phoebe," Ammy said, scratching her head shyly.
A moment later, Phoebe's gaze drifted to Sera, who was surrounded by admirers. When their eyes met, Phoebe waved at her. Sera only nodded coldly.
"What's up with her? Why is she acting like she doesn't know us?" Lucas muttered, annoyed.
"You think so? She did nod back when I waved," Phoebe said calmly.
"I know she acts cold to maintain her godly race reputation, but it still irritates me. Tsk," Lucas grumbled.
"Well, we can't do anything about that. Hahaha," Phoebe said with a shrug.
"Are you talking about Sera?" Ammy asked.
"Yes. We met her at the Starlight Concert," Lucas said.
"Really? A god race there? What was she doing? Did you guys get close to her?" Ammy asked, wide-eyed.
"Hahaha… you wouldn't believe me. She acted totally different back then," Lucas smirked.
"Really? How?" Ammy leaned forward.
"She was like a normal person—eyes sparkling at the concert. An extreme fangirl," Lucas laughed.
"Woah! What else happened?" Ammy asked.
"When Phoebe asked who she was with, she pretended to be with someone else… then later…" Lucas paused, stopped abruptly as Phoebe covered his mouth.
Lucas's eyes widened. Phoebe's face darkened, her finger pointing somewhere. Following it, Lucas met Sera's icy stare, sharp enough to tear him apart.
He gulped.
"T-T-Then… Starlight shot a massive ray of light into the sky. I doubt anything hit by it would survive. Hahaha… you should have seen it—it was so cool!" Lucas said, flustered.
"Huh? I thought we were talking about Sera?" Ammy asked, confused.
"Yeah, Lucas is right. That ray of light was incredible," Phoebe said, glancing at Sera and sweating slightly as she distracted Ammy under Sera's merciless glare.
"What? Oh… I-I see. Hahaha," Ammy said, agreeing but clearly confused.
While the students chatted among themselves, Professor Niel and the ogre professor stepped to the front. The room immediately fell silent as Professor Niel spoke.
"It seems everyone has gathered in the dome for today's joint lesson. Let me explain the activity. Class A and Class B will be having a random two-versus-two mock battle. Victory will be determined when one side surrenders or is forced to the ground. Don't worry about injuries—Professor Jills here will tend to your wounds. And if anything dangerous arises, both of us will personally step in to stop the fight," he announced.
At the mention of the mock battle, the students reacted in different ways. Some looked shocked, sweat forming on their brows, while others remained calm or grinned with excitement.
Outside, the sky was clear and peaceful, birds chirping around the dome, as everyone readied themselves for the intense mock battle that was about to happen.