A few days had passed since we had boarded a boat back to Roa. We hadnt planned on departing so soon, but in hindsight it was the correct decision to make, even without the barrier falling. The further we got from Alterian, the more Eri and I were able to relax, finally free from the burden we had chosen to carry.
Until now, Eri and I hadnt been part of conflicts with such broad consequences, which made the idea of it a little intimidating. I, at least, had gotten a taste of sothing similar when the war of the between lands broke out, but to Eri this was entirely new.
Only now that the situation had been mostly resolved did she realise how close we had co to dying. After that initial realisation, the pressure had washed off of her, which she had described as feeling lighter than before.
Now that we were no longer pursuing so holy quest, there was much more room to actually get to know each other, too. Over the past few days, Eri and I had spent nearly all of our ti talking about the most mundane things, yet I felt like I was actually conversing with a friend now, rather than a colleague. That brought us to where we were now, sitting near the back of the boat and leaning against the railing as the stars brightened up the night.
So, you really call him dad? I asked.
Yeah, I do. Is that so strange? He raised , rember?
I rember. I just cant really bring myself to imagine it, I suppose? He ca across pretty distant and calculated when I talked to him.
You only talked to him the one ti, Arthur. If I strutted into your parents bakery and asked to buy a loaf of bread, wouldnt I get a similar reaction? Its just business at that point, the sa way your interaction with dad was just business.
You call him offering you to like a blushing bride just business? Wow, I didnt know you were so tradi-
My joke was stopped halfway as Eri slamd her elbow into my gut, making cough.
You know thats not what happened! Stop trying to make it sound weird!
I couldnt stop myself from laughing, though. I couldve sworn that Eri was going red, but it was hard to tell at night. After I recovered, she was still refusing to talk to , so we shared a comfortable mont of silence instead.
From this angle, Eris face was being lit only by the quiet glow of the stars, reflected in her eyes. It was hard to look away.
You know, I like looking at you. I blurted out without thinking.
What?! Eri replied, almost recoiling.
I dont know why, though, I mused. I an, I dont really like looking at other people, but I do like looking at you. Is that weird?
Oddly, she turned away and refused to look at . I could barely make out what she said as she whispered sothing. not weirdidiot
What was that?
She whirled around, her face contorting in anger.
I said that youre a fucking idiot! she said, before walking off in a huff.
Not knowing how to respond or why she reacted so strongly, I just sat there for a while.
A few weeks later, we were a few hours away from pulling into port. We were landing in a small town that was a bit closer to Reito, where we were planning to go next in preparation for the continental et.
It took a few more days for Eri to look in the eyes again, but thankfully, she treated as if nothing had happened from then on. A part of still wondered why she had reacted that way, but I knew that bringing it up again wouldnt help matters much. Maybe dad would know?
Youve been staring at the horizon all day, Arthur. Cant wait to be back ho?
Can you? I shot back, knowing that she loved Roa just as much as .
What are you looking forward to the most? Eri asked , after grunting in reply to my question.
Definitely seeing my family and my little sister. I cant even begin to guess how much shes grown in the ti weve been gone. Id like to reconnect with my friends as well. Doran, Cerion and a few others. Apart from that, I also want to start sparring with Revan again, now that hes tiered up. Not much room to do that on a boat, unfortunately. What about you?
She humd. Sa thing, I suppose. Seeing dad again would be nice Id like to see your family again, too, to be honest. Theyre really nice people.
I nodded. Knowing them, theyd like to see you, too. Are your friends going to be in Reito, too?
She pursed her lips, looking a bit downcast. I never had much ti to make friends, Art. She said quickly, But I can make more soon! Youll see! she added.
I nodded, seeing her point. I know you will. Ill introduce you to mine, as well. Knowing them, theyll fall over backwards to get to know you. Especially Cerion hes what he calls a social butterfly.
What does that an?
I shrugged. No clue. Youll have to ask him, I suppose.
Not long after that, we finally arrived and made port. After paying the captain his due, Eri and I began to make the trek back to Reito. More accurately, Revan carried us there.
It would still take him a week to travel from southern Roa to northern Roa, but that was already a large improvent over his previous speed. From sitting on his back, I noticed a detail that I hadnt paid attention to before. Atop Revans spine, two small, bony wings had sprouted. Skin similar to a bats covered the small appendages, making wonder whether these would eventually grow large enough to carry Revan into the sky. After inspecting Revans summoning item, I realised that this was a likely future.
[Undead Drake talisman]
Tier 4 talisman.
(Growth item)
This talisman allows the holder to summon an [Undead Drake] using dark-aligned mana.
This is a growth item and that will tier up each ti the holder bound to it tiers up. The tier of the holder and the item must be the sa for this to function.
[Soulbound]
Revan was no longer described as a pseudo drake. No, now he was a full-blown drake, which was seen as a weaker, landbound cousin of the dragons. Nonetheless, that still made him frighteningly powerful. Being weaker than a dragon wasnt exactly an insult, after all. Besides, in a few tiers Revan might grow to be an actual undead dragon, as long as we advanced far enough.
What was left unsaid by the talisman, however, was that Revan behaved like a dog. Now that I was able to keep him summoned as we travelled, he was determined to absorb all of the attention he had missed out on during our journey through Alterian.
This was a bit of a burden at first, but beca much more bearable when Eri helped out and distracted him with gas that she made up. She, too, had figured out that Revan was just the reincarnation of soones pet dog, because he took remarkably well to playing fetch and burying bones for later.
When she taught him to zigzag around trees as fast as he could, I knew that Revans loyalty was being bought. With being as competitive as I am, it didnt take long for Revans attention to beco sothing of contention between Eri and I, much to the lizards satisfaction.
At this point, our contest had beco a battle of attrition. Whoever tired out first, would lose.
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