Ariadne Tideborn's POV
The metallic clang of the lock on Nora's chamber door echoed in the room. To me, it signaled the end of a long day of study. But for Nora, the sound made her elated.
She turned away from the door, her face flushed with excitement. Her fingers were interlaced tightly as she rushed across the room. The hem of her long sleeveless sarafan snapping against her ankles. It looked beautiful with her underlying tunic.
Nora joined me where I sat cross-legged on the edge of her bed. I took hold of her hands, finding them cold and slightly trembling. I looked her in the eyes, my own brow furrowed in deep curiosity.
"How did it go?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "Did you actually manage to speak to him without tripping over your own feet?"
"He said he can take me to the Hall of Knowledge," Nora responded, her voice reaching a pitch of excitement that made her sound like a different person entirely.
My left cheek twitched, irritation bubbling up in my chest. I stared at her, incredulous. "You mean to tell me... I practically dragged Damon into a corner, forced him into a conversation by telling him you had something vital to discuss, and all you could do was make him agree to go to the library with you?"
For far too long, I had been the master planner of Nora's romantic aspirations. From the very first day she had confided in me about her feelings for the thr lamian boy, I had made it my mission to help her. It was a strange change, given our backgrounds.
When I first arrived in Stygia, I wasn't as anxious as I had been when I first left Lemuria for the flying mountains of Aeolia. Each race had its own culture, required a different adaptation, but Stygia felt more structured.
I found the citadel as labyrinthine filled with scholars. Something I had never encountered before.
It was Selene who had first welcomed me, introducing me to Nora. Our bonding had been seamless despite our polar opposite natures. I was a warrior, a Noden who lived for the thrill of fighting.
Nora, however, was a Lamian. One that hated violence to her core.
The irony was not lost on me. Nora was a Lamian, a race defined by blood mana. Yet she was irritated by the sight of blood. I found it very suprising until I learnt of her past.
To Nora, the crimson red fluid was a reminder of a trauma that had shattered her soft mind at a young age. She had once tried to tame a mana beast, a task every young Lamian was expected to perform, but she had failed. The beast had retaliated, and the resulting carnage had left a permanent scar on her psyche. Since then, she had dedicated herself to healing magic, wishing for a world where violence was unnecessary. She loved the safety of the Citadel, the predictable nature of the world within these thick walls, and the comfort of her books.
And yet, this peace-loving girl had fallen helplessly in love with Damon, a stern genius who lived for the very truth that usually led to conflict.
"It happened so fast, Ariadne," Nora said, looking away as her fingers began to fiddle with her braided hair. She threw glances at me from the corner of her eye, seeking a mercy I wasn't quite ready to give. "I didn't know what else to say. He looked at me thoughtfully, and the Hall of Knowledge was the only safe place I could think of."
I didn't realize how hard I had hit my own face until I felt the stinging sensation of my palm against my forehead.
"Damned Lamians..." I cursed under my breath, peering at her through the gaps in my fingers.
Nora jolted, her eyes wide. "What? Is the library really that bad for a tryst?"
"Of all the places in this magnificent Citadel!" I groaned. "That place irritates me to the core. Every time I step near the Hall of Knowledge, I feel like my brain is being swallowed by the ghosts of ten thousand dead scholars. It's oppressive, Nora! And you're comfortable with that being your romantic backdrop?"
I stood up, pacing the small room with restless energy. "There are a dozen spots to relinquish time with someone here. You could have suggested the outer walls at dusk. Our peers play with their beasts out there. The view of the blood river is breathtaking when the sun hits the red water. You could have gone sightseeing! But no... you chose the place where people go to be silent and... dreary."
Nora didn't respond immediately. Instead, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a small gourd, offering it to me.
"What's in it?" I asked, my brow raised in suspicion.
"Water. From the cooling springs. You need it, Ariadne. You're pressuring me again."
I sighed, pushing the gourd back toward her. She was right. I was projecting my own restless spirit onto her. I needed to remember that Nora moved at the speed of a gentle stream, not a tidal wave.
"You know I firmly believe in taking it slow. Albeit long, it's the best way to form bonds. It makes sure the connection lasts and remains true. You've suggested I tell him outright, but I'm not okay with that. What if it's not mutual? It would ruin everything we have now." Nora spoke softly, her voice carrying the weight of her conviction.
"Fine," I conceded, my voice softening. "But when you meet him there, promise me you'll suggest a second meeting. Somewhere with... I don't know, actual sunlight?"
"I'll do just that," she agreed, a small smile returning to her face. She stood up, smoothing her sarafan, and a wry glint entered her eyes. "You've really helped me with Damon, Ariadne. It's a shame you don't take a liking to anyone yourself."
I laughed, the sound sharp. "That's because no one can keep up with me, Nora."
Nora froze, her eyes twinkling with a sudden, mischievous idea. She began poking her own cheeks in thought, a habit she had when she was about to say something scandalous. "Ariadne Tideborn... undisputed genius of the Nodens. You've been to Aeolia, to Goldstone City, and now Stygia. And you mean to tell me no Aeolian or Typhon ever caught your interest?"
I shook my head firmly. "None. They were either too stiff or too flighty."
"Knowing you, it's hopeless for a Lamian," Nora mused, her smile widening. "Unless..." she paused, then winked at me. "Unless it's Kalon."
I opened my mouth to deliver a stinging retort, but the words died in my throat. I froze in place, my heart skipping a beat for a reason I refused to acknowledge. The silence in the room became heavy.
Nora's mouth went agape as she watched my reaction. She nodded slowly, as if she had just solved a riddle. "Oh... oh, I see. You just gave it away."
"No!" I shouted, waving my hands desperately. "Absolutely not! How can you even suggest such a thing?"
"Ariadne, you've been talking about him almost every time we're together for the last three days! 'Kalon did this, Kalon theorized that, Kalon's magic is heresy.' You're obsessed!"
"I am concerned for him!" I defended myself, my voice turning icy. "There is a difference between interest and alarm, Nora. The boy is doing things that shouldn't be done. He is walking a path that leads to a cliff, and I don't want to see him fall. That isn't romance, it's a protective instinct."
"So it's concern... that can easily turn into guilt, and then into something else," Nora laughed, teasing me with a boldness she usually reserved for her books.
"You don't understand how serious this is," I said, my tone shifting to one of grave concern. I thought back to the duel. The way he had looked at me with that terrifying confidence when he jammed my magic. I remembered our very first meeting over breakfast, the way his blood-red eyes watched my every movement. "The elders here might find his curiosity amusing for now, but if he keeps talking about 'Spirit energy,' he'll be dead the moment he steps outside the citadel. And Damon might follow him right into the grave."
The room went silent as the gravity of the situation settled over us. I sat back down, my mind drifting to my own goals. I wasn't just here for a stroll. I was a Noden with a destiny.
I thought of my elder sister, Tyria. She was a 'Pantheon'. A title given to the most elite celestials, those who served directly under the Monarchs. To see her rise to such a position didn't make me envious, it carved the path for my own future. One I wanted to follow.
I often communicated with her through a transmission scroll, sharing my progress. I wanted to match her. I wanted to participate in the Games of Gods.
The games of gods were a huge part of Enora's culture. They were held every hundred years, a grand tournament of enlightenment and power. There were dozens of categories, but my focus was singular. The Great Beast Submission fight. I wanted to stand in that arena, defending the Nodens as the true masters of the elements.
"You still plan on participating in the games, then?" Nora asked, breaking the silence. "Lady Tyria is a Pantheon. It will take hundreds of years to match her level."
I nodded, my eyes fixed on the transmission scroll sitting on Nora's desk. "I have years ahead of me. I'll be there. And I'll be ready."
"Well," Nora said, standing up and stretching. "I hope you find a way to save your heretic friend before then. Otherwise, who will you have to argue with for the next century?"
I didn't answer. I just watched the starlight catch the frost on the windowpane, wondering if Kalon Bloodborn was a storm I was supposed to weather, or a fire I was supposed to put out.