He liked seeing her skin glisten with sweat and the warmth of her body. He chuckled, stroking her cheek with an affectionate smile, then wrapping his other arm around her hips.
"I won~ are you surprised?"
He wiped her forehead and brushed aside her damp bangs. Sena looked at Julian with a curious expression.
"Julian," she muttered. "What was that black aura?"
Sena stared at his hand. The remnant of shadow energy fluttered before disappearing. His fingers flexed as if trying to grab sothing out of his reach. Julian felt it—raw power. Unlike the ga, it felt comfortable.
"It's Mana," Julian admitted. "I used it to enhance my movents and create magic."
Sena blinked. "That's… impossible. Mana only exists in the ga. How can it be outside the ga? It's just—"
Her words stopped seeing Julian clench his fist, a black and purple aura coiled around his fist for a brief mont, before dispersing into the air like mist.
"How can you explain this?" he inquired in a charming and low-pitched tone.
Sena gazed at his hand, her golden eyes opened wide.
Her expression shifted from disbelief to excitent. She didn't speak, and instead grabbed Julian's hand, stroking his fingers as if to learn how to copy him.
Julian watched her reaction, then realised the aning of what he did.
'If I can do this here, then that ans—'
[◇ Your ingenious use of Mana has granted you my blessing. ◇]
A cold whisper crawled into his mind, a beautiful and familiar voice, Solaria giggled upon his realisation. It echoed within his thoughts, the sa way it did in the ga.
[◇ You have gained the skills: Mana Control, Mana Enhancent, and Quick Cast! ◇]
Julian tensed, his body suddenly cold. He expected sothing to happen, maybe a punishnt or backlash for forcing it. But a reward? Here, in the real world?
"Julian…?" Sena's soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Her brows furrowed, concern painted across her face. "Are you alright?"
"I…" He hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."
He needed clarity before speaking to Sena.
These skills weren't limited to the ga. Even now, he could feel his Mana much clearer than before, able to make it dance inside his abdon, and what he struggled with earlier beca simple to imitate.
His fight against Dreadpaw awakened his mind, unable to accept his failure until now.
'I should have changed my strategy.'
'If I had fought like an Evoker instead of keeping my Guardian mindset, Sena would have beco an extension of power instead of sothing I protect.'
Julian realised he needed to fight while treating Sena like a Shade, not a human. He could have killed the Ape in one Shadow's Grasp if he changed his tactics. He should have continuously cast Shadow Bolt while Sena tanked the monster.
Thanks to this training and his current mood, the pieces clicked together.
'Rather than focus on myself becoming a hero, I should beco more of a strategist.'
His heartbeat quickened. This changed everything.
Sena's eyes narrowed, staring at him before she pinched his cheeks. "Julian, what are you hiding?"
He exhaled slowly. "There's a reason I know this. But… give ti."
"Ti?" Sena huffed, before leaning against his chest again with a thud. "Is it such a big thing?"
"It is," he admitted. "I promise I'll tell you everything, Sena. Just… not yet."
Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't speak imdiately. Instead, she studied him, her sharp gaze searching for sothing—doubt? Lies? But Julian held firm.
Finally, she sighed. "Mm. Then…"
She closed her eyes, pondering, a slight blush on her cheeks. Julian frowned slightly. "Then…?"
Instead of answering, she opened her eyes and fluttered her long lashes, leaning closer with both arms around his neck.
"Julian?"
"Yes, Sena?"
She stopped speaking, her beautiful cheeks dripping with sweat as she sat in his arms. He sensed she wanted to ask sothing, her wet eyes filled with emotion, affection, and purpose.
"Can we start over?"
Her question, like a cathedral bell being struck, stunned Julian, but he could feel his chest racing, pounding like a drum, and he realised there could only be one answer.
Julian barely had ti to react before she leaned in, brushing a soft, fleeting kiss against his lips.
A heartbeat.
Then she pulled back—golden eyes shimring with delight, cheeks dark red—before hopping from Julian's arms and stepping away.
Julian froze, his mind completely blank, unable to respond to her approach.
Sena smiled at his reaction, then turned and ran.
He watched her bouncing ponytail, fluttering from side to side as she escaped with hurried steps. The door slamd shut, barely registering in his mind.
And then—
A flash of sothing unfamiliar. A sensation, sharp and overwhelming, surged through him.
He saw a nostalgic courtyard filled with vibrant flowers and roses. A grand castle, its white stone resembling Calot's legendary halls. And a woman—her figure blurred, but familiar.
Like Sena, she kissed him.
His breath caught in his throat. The scent of roses, the warmth of soft lips against his, the aching sense of déjà vu—it all ca crashing down instantly.
His heart pounded as the mory slipped away, like grains of sand through his fingers.
Julian staggered back a step, one hand clutching his forehead. His pulse thundered in his ears.
"Who was that woman?" he muttered to himself, staring at the silent room.
A question with no answer.
Yet.
All he could think about was her rose-red hair.
Sena slamd the door behind her, pressing her back against the cool tal. Her heart was pounding—too fast, too loud. She sucked in the cold air, trying to calm herself down, but nothing helped.
What had she just done?
The heat from Julian's lips lingered on her lips, a sweet sensation that refused to fade. She touched her mouth, fingers squishing her lips while closing her eyes. She didn't plan it. Neither did she think about doing that. The mont and emotion just… happened.
'Julian.'
His expression remained in her mind—the wide-eyed shock, how he stiffened, completely frozen. He hadn't pulled away. But had he responded?
Sena groaned in the cold showers, hitting her head against the door. "What the hell was I thinking?" she grumbled.
The answer was obvious. She acted on her feelings and mistook the atmosphere.
She peeled herself off the door, staggering into the showers, twisting the handle. The icy cold rush of water pouring down drowned out the frantic beating in her chest. Steam stretched into the air as she stepped under the spray, letting the heat wash over her.
It didn't help.
'I'm still crazy about you.'
Closing her eyes, she let her forehead rest against the cool tile. mories surged—mories she had buried, locked away because they hurt too much.
'I love you, will you date again?'
The way Julian used to smile at her, was easy and teasing. The quiet monts when he thought no one was watching. The warmth of his hand in hers.
'Julian, please take back!'
His transformation and sudden change caused Sena to beco fearful. Julian beca distant. Unreachable. Like she was standing tres away from him, chasing his shadow.
'Don't leave …'
She had thought she could remain just friends.
But seeing him change, becoming more charming—fighting, growing stronger, changing in ways she couldn't understand—it made sothing twist deep inside her.
She pressed her fingers against the cool tiles, her breath hitching as the water continued to pour over her.
The heat couldn't chase away the icy sensation building in her abdon.
Julian was slipping away.
She had told herself it was fine. That standing at his side, watching him grow, supporting him as a friend would be okay. But that was a lie.
The truth was raw. Ugly.
She didn't want to just watch.
She wanted to hold on.
Her fingers curled into fists as water dripped from her lashes. What if he really left her behind? What if this distance between them grew until she couldn't reach him at all?
The thought made her chest tighten painfully.
She had lost him once.
She refused to let it remain like this.
Sena clenched her teeth as she pushed off the wall and forced herself to breathe. It was pointless to wallow in self-pity or doubt. If Julian changed, then she would change even more. She would keep up, no matter what.
'Even if you cannot see it now—or refuse to look at the way you used to—I will make you look at again.'
She wiped her face, a confident smile restored on her plump lips despite the lingering ache in her chest.
"You better be ready, Julian."
Sena's pupils in the mirror flickered with a luminous blue aura as she turned away.
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