The carriage continued steadily beneath the moonlight while cold air drifted softly through the forest around us.
For a long while after the bandit attack, neither of us spoke.
Lillith rested quietly beside with her head against my shoulder while the wagon wheels rolled endlessly across the dirt road beneath us.
The forest outside had grown dark by now, illuminated only by pale moonlight filtering through the trees.
Eventually Lillith suddenly broke the silence.
"You know..."
I glanced down toward her.
"In noble society, most people are already promised to soone by our age."
I blinked slightly.
"...Really?"
Lillith nodded calmly.
"Most noble daughters are engaged by fifteen."
A faint smugness crossed her face afterward.
"So even earlier."
"That sounds horrifying."
"It’s practical."
"For who?"
"The families."
I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
"That sohow makes it significantly worse."
Lillith ignored my suffering entirely.
"And marriages usually happen around sixteen."
I imdiately narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
"...Why do I feel like this conversation is becoming dangerous?"
"Because it is."
There it was.
Lillith slowly shifted closer until her head rested more comfortably against my shoulder.
Then quietly—
"When are you finally going accept your feelings for ?"
I nearly choked instantly.
"What?"
Lillith looked completely serious.
"My patience is nearing its limit."
"That sounds deeply threatening."
"It is."
I sighed heavily.
Honestly, after everything recently, dodging these conversations had beco almost impossible.
For several monts I stayed quiet trying gather my thoughts properly.
Then eventually I spoke honestly.
"...I do want to settle down soday."
Lillith’s eyes imdiately brightened.
But before she could respond, I quickly continued.
"Just not yet."
Her expression fell slightly.
I leaned back against the carriage wall while quietly staring upward toward the moonlit ceiling.
"For almost my entire life, I’ve been stuck inside the Aldric territory."
My voice ca out softer than expected.
"The only places I’ve ever really seen are the capital and the Nightbane territory."
Lillith quietly listened beside .
anwhile my thoughts drifted toward everything beyond Valenor’s borders.
"There’s an entire world out there."
Kingdoms.
Ruins.
Ancient cities.
Different cultures.
Unknown inventions.
Unexplored lands.
"I want to see all of it."
Lillith remained silent.
Then quietly I smiled slightly.
"And honestly..."
Her purple eyes lifted toward again.
"I want dangerous adventures too."
The mont those words left my mouth, her expression darkened imdiately.
"I hate hearing you say that."
I ignored the interruption and continued anyway.
"Right now I’m weak."
The truth tasted unpleasant.
"I can barely defend myself properly."
My hand unconsciously drifted toward my missing leg again.
"If it wasn’t for other people helping constantly, I’d probably already be dead."
Lillith’s eyes softened slightly at that.
"But eventually..."
I looked down at my hands quietly.
"Once my inventions progress far enough..."
Images filled my mind again.
Engines.
Steel.
Vehicles.
Factories.
Firearms and explosives advanced enough stand against powerful mages and monsters.
"...I want to beco strong enough travel anywhere."
Lillith silently watched while I spoke.
"And once that happens..."
A faint smile slowly crossed my face.
"I want to gather everyone together and just explore."
"Explore?" she repeated quietly.
"Yeah."
I smiled faintly.
"You could co with ."
That imdiately caught her attention fully.
"And we could bring Finn and Clara too."
The thought honestly sounded nice.
"Imagine it."
I laughed quietly.
"Finn complaining every five minutes while Clara stops him from getting us killed."
For a brief mont, Lillith’s expression genuinely softened.
"...That sounds nice."
I smiled slightly.
"Right?"
But then—
The softness slowly faded from her face again.
Lillith lowered her eyes slightly while her fingers tightened around mine.
"...You said sothing similar before."
I blinked.
"What?"
"The second ti we t."
Her voice had beco quieter now.
"You probably don’t even rember."
Honestly—
I didn’t.
Lillith continued softly while staring down at our intertwined hands.
"You talked about wanting to travel the world."
Fragnts of mory slowly resurfaced.
A younger Lillith sitting beside quietly while I rambled endlessly about inventions and kingdoms beyond Valenor.
"I rember thinking..."
She hesitated slightly.
"...That you were too bright."
I frowned slightly.
"What does that an?"
Lillith looked toward again.
"You always looked forward."
Her deep purple eyes reflected faintly within the moonlight.
"You talked about places beyond the horizon like they were waiting for you."
Her fingers slowly tightened around mine.
"And that scared ."
The honesty in her voice surprised slightly.
"I thought one day you’d leave behind in this world."
The carriage grew quieter around us.
"Whether by your own choice..."
Her voice weakened slightly.
"Or by death."
A cold feeling settled slowly inside my chest.
Lillith lowered her head afterward.
Then very quietly—
"...So part of hoped your mana capacity would be weak."
I froze.
Lillith herself looked disturbed by the words leaving her mouth.
Like she knew she shouldn’t say them.
But continued anyway.
"I thought maybe if you stayed weak..."
Her voice trembled faintly now.
"...You’d eventually give up on those dreams."
The carriage wheels continued rolling softly beneath us.
"And then maybe..."
She hesitated again.
"...You’d stay with forever."
Silence completely consud the carriage afterward.
For several monts I genuinely didn’t know how respond.
Then eventually I quietly spoke.
"...Lillith."
She slowly looked up again.
"You know that’s selfish, right?"
"...I know."
"But I also understand it."
Her eyes widened slightly.
I sighed quietly before leaning my head back again.
"Honestly, part of wants that too sotis."
Lillith froze completely.
"A peaceful life sounds nice."
I looked toward the moonlight filtering through the carriage opening.
"No wars."
"No danger."
"No struggling."
"Just living quietly with people I care about."
For a mont, the image genuinely tempted .
A peaceful palace.
A workshop.
Lillith beside .
No fear.
No danger.
But then—
I slowly shook my head.
"...But I know myself."
Lillith quietly listened.
"If I stayed locked away sowhere forever..."
I smiled weakly.
"...I’d eventually hate it."
The truth hurt slightly admitting aloud.
"I want live properly."
"I want struggle."
"I want build things nobody else has."
"I want see kingdoms beyond Valenor."
"And yeah..."
I laughed quietly.
"I want dangerous adventures."
Lillith stared at silently for a long ti afterward.
Then finally she spoke.
"...No."
I blinked slightly.
"What?"
"You won’t."
Her voice sounded calm again now.
But sothing underneath it felt frighteningly firm.
"You aren’t going on dangerous adventures or any adventures at all."
I frowned slightly.
"Lillith—"
"No."
She slowly moved closer again until our faces were only inches apart.
"You’re weak, Leo."
The words weren’t cruel.
Just painfully honest.
"You have no mana."
Her fingers gently touched the side of my face.
"You nearly died this ti."
A faint tremble entered her voice again.
"And if I had arrived even one day later..."
She couldn’t even finish the sentence.
For several monts she remained silent trying steady herself.
Then quietly—
"I can’t do that again."
I stared at her silently.
Lillith slowly rested her forehead against mine.
"So no."
Her voice softened.
"You’re not leaving."
"You’re not wandering across dangerous kingdoms."
"You’re not throwing yourself into wars or ruins or adventures."
I could hear desperation slowly returning beneath her words.
"I won’t allow it."
I frowned.
"You can’t decide my entire life for ."
The mont I said that, sothing shifted inside her eyes.
Not anger.
Fear.
Raw fear.
"You almost died!"
Her voice cracked slightly now.
"I found you chained inside a dungeon barely recognizable."
Her hands tightened against my clothes.
"You were starving."
"You couldn’t even stand."
The carriage felt cold again.
"And all I could think when I saw you..."
Her breathing trembled.
"...Was that I was almost too late."
Silence followed.
Then very quietly—
"I would rather you hate while alive..."
My chest tightened instantly.
"...Than having loved while dying sowhere far away."
Lillith slowly looked upward toward again.
Tears had begun gathering faintly within her eyes.
"If I have to destroy every invention you’ve ever made to stop you leaving..."
Her voice beca softer.
"...Then I will."
The sincerity in those words genuinely terrified .
Because I knew—
Without question—
She ant every single one of them.
Lillith slowly wrapped both arms around afterward before burying her face against my chest.
And for the first ti since eting her—
I realized sothing terrifying.
Lillith Nightbane did not fear losing her own life.
She feared losing mine.
And that fear was strong enough that she would burn the entire world down before allowing it to happen.
For several long minutes, neither of us spoke.
The carriage rolled onward through the moonlit forest while Lillith remained pressed tightly against like if she loosened her grip for even a second I might disappear.
Eventually I quietly exhaled.
"...You know threatening to destroy my life’s work isn’t exactly helping your argunt."
Lillith didn’t lift her head.
"I’m serious."
"I know."
"That’s why it’s frightening."
Her fingers tightened slightly around my shirt.
"I don’t care about your inventions more than you."
"That’s not the issue."
"Then what is?"
I stayed quiet briefly trying gather the right words.
Then eventually—
"If you lock away forever because you’re scared..."
I looked down toward her quietly.
"...Would I even still be after that?"
Lillith froze slightly.
I continued softly.
"The reason I survived this long is because I kept moving forward."
"Building things."
"Learning."
"Trying."
"If all of that disappeared..."
I smiled weakly.
"...I think eventually there wouldn’t be much left of ."
The carriage beca silent again.
Then after a long pause, Lillith finally whispered:
"...I don’t know what I’m supposed do then."
For the first ti since eting her—
She sounded lost.
Not powerful.
Not terrifying.
Just scared.
"I can protect you from kingdoms."
"Armies."
"Mages."
Her voice weakened slightly.
"But I can’t protect you from yourself wanting to chase dangerous things."
Sothing painful twisted in my chest hearing that.
Because honestly—
She was right.
I slowly lifted one hand before gently placing it against her head.
Lillith imdiately stiffened slightly.
Then slowly relaxed into the touch.
"I’m not trying to leave you behind."
Her grip weakened slightly.
"I know."
"I an it."
Silence followed.
Then quietly she asked:
"...Then why does it always feel like the world is trying to take you away from ?"
I didn’t have an answer for that.
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