Alia sat back, legs folded under her, her eyes reflecting the dim light from the glowing stone as she watched Spark for a mont, her expression thoughtful.
"Even the Barbarian King respects you," she said softly, her tone curious. "Do you co from a powerful background?"
Spark was silent for a beat, his gaze distant, as if he was carefully considering his answer.
"I guess you could say that," he finally replied. "But aren't you the sa? Everyone here respects you too."
Alia shook her head slowly, a faint, almost bitter smile touching her lips.
"It's not the sa," she murmured, her voice a little quieter. "They don't respect , they fear the background I co from."
Spark turned to face her, tilting his head in curiosity.
"What's the difference?" he asked.
Her gaze drifted to the floor.
"Respect born out of fear feels empty," she said quietly. "They don't see , only the power I'm tied to, the family I co from, the influence I represent. It's not real respect."
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mix of frustration and resignation. "When others bow their heads, it's not because of who I am or what I've done. It's because they're afraid of what might happen if they don't."
"But isn't that still respect?" Spark asked. "Even if it cos from fear, they acknowledge your position, your strength."
Alia sighed, shaking her head. "It doesn't feel like mine. It's like living in soone else's shadow. No one sees . They only see my family's na."
Spark's gaze softened as he tilted his head, looking thoughtful. "But I see you, don't I?"
"That's because you're strange," Alia replied, smiling slightly. "And you don't know my background."
"Oh? Then tell
about this background that everyone fears so much," Spark said, his curiosity piqued.
She paused, choosing her words carefully. "My family has lived in the mountains for as long as anyone can rember. They keep to themselves, disconnected from the outside world. If sothing bothers them, they destroy it. If they want sothing, they take it."
Spark raised an eyebrow. "I don't see anything wrong with that. What's the point of having authority and power, if you're not going to use it?"
Alia frowned a little. "But they don't see power as a responsibility, only a ans to control and suppress others. They don't view anyone as equals, just as people to dominate."
Spark humd thoughtfully. "And... do you want to change that?"
Alia nodded, her gaze distant. "Yes, but they've been stuck in the mountains for so long that their way of thinking is trapped. Their view of the world has beco narrow."
Spark chuckled lightly. "Maybe it's the mountains themselves squeezing their perspective into sothing so small."
The two continued their chat.
Soft whispers filled the room as Spark and Alia talked late into the night.
Eventually, Spark's words slowed, his eyelids drooping, until he finally drifted off to sleep.
Alia stayed seated, lost in her thoughts.
She shook her head with a faint smile, his earlier words still lingering in her mind.
The room was peaceful, the only sound the steady rhythm of Spark's breathing. As ti passed, Alia, too, closed her eyes, entering a calm ditation.
…
The next morning, Bronn's voice shattered the early morning calm.
"You're really leaving, boss?" he asked, his voice tinged with emotion. "Can't you stay a few more days?"
Spark smirked, shaking his head.
"Stop acting. You'll be fine," he replied, brushing off Bronn's dramatics.
Nearby, the Barbarian King stood with his arms crossed, his deep voice adding to the farewell.
"Well, lad, Grimhold doesn't have a teleportation altar," he reminded them. "We've been in good relation to the human empire for years, but we've never set up an altar here."
It was true, the only way to travel quickly was by crossing the ocean or flying over the ocean. Both were ti-consuming, given the vast ocean separating the barbarian lands from the human territories.
"There is an altar deep in the mountains, connected to the empire," the Barbarian King continued, nodding toward Alia.
Alia nodded back. "Yes. I can ask the elders for you."
"Boss, see you at the academy,"
"Yeah, yeah."
After a few more words of goodbyes, Spark and Alia stepped outside the gates of the Bloodfang tribe.
As they did, the air around Spark shimred, and he found himself being gently lifted from the ground.
Without hesitation, Alia had surrounded him with her aura, effortlessly carrying him through the air.
Spark raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin appearing on his face. "Another free ride,"
And with that, they soared into the sky, leaving the Bloodfang tribe behind as they flew toward the towering mountains.
As they flew toward the towering peaks of Alia's holand, the mountains were already visible even from afar.
Just then, Alia broke the silence, her voice soft, almost hesitant. "About last night..."
Spark glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm? What about it?"
"I'm sorry for venting my problems on you and for trying to dig into your secrets," she admitted. "I said all that because... you feel like a mystery. The more you talk, the less I seem to know."
"I can see why you'd feel that way," he said with a grin. "Maybe my unparalleled charm is affecting you too."
Alia glared at him, but before she could say anything, he shifted the subject.
"if your family's as narrow-minded as you say, won't they see
as so sort of pest, flying into their territory like this?"
She chuckled, the tension easing. "Why worry about sothing so small? Aren't you supposed to be the strongest?"
"Good point," Spark replied with exaggerated confidence. "If they give
trouble, I'll just flatten the mountain. Maybe then they'll understand."
Alia smiled at his bold claim, but her expression quickly shifted.
She stopped mid-air, her hair swirling in the cold wind as her eyes turned sharp.
The air around them seed to freeze, and without warning, she ford a solid cocoon of ice, encasing both of them in a protective shell.
Just in ti.
A wave of crushing energy descended from the sky, smashing into the icy barrier like a hamr from the heavens.
The impact sent them spiraling toward the ground, the force imnse, but the cocoon held strong, absorbing the pressure as they plumted.
With a deafening crash, the cocoon hit the earth, creating a massive crater.
The energy kept pressing down, lting the outer layers of ice bit by bit, but Alia's creation didn't break.
As the wave of energy finally subsided, cracks appeared in the cocoon, and soon, Alia and Spark stood unhard within it.
Spark casually dusted off his sleeve, glancing around with amusent in his eyes.
"These impatient bunch," he said, his voice light despite the destruction around them.
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