In the end, Alnea could not withstand Vestia’s overwhelming attacks. Or the way she looked at him. Though he could not withstand Cecilia’s glare either. Thankfully, he could still use his weakness as an excuse to slip away from the girls. Not for long, of course. Just long enough to recover his Spirit Power and regain some strength. But that was enough.

  Wobbling over to what looked like a comfortable stub of roots sticking out from the ground, Alnea sat down and began meditating, while the rest of the Star Seekers cleaned the remains of their battlefield. They could not just let the bodies lie around, after all. Questions of morals aside, just the smell of blood was enough to attract unnecessary trouble from curious Oren Beasts.

  Then again, most of those curious Oren Beasts should have already been taken out by the Spatial Storm. The rest should not be stupid enough to rush towards a battle which had changed a part of the forest itself. Still, just as a precaution, and to maintain their habit, dealing with the corpses of their enemies was the most appropriate course of action. As for cleaning the blood already on the ground… That was a lost cause.

  Hoping that the forest would deal with the bloody smell lingering in the air as it healed itself, the Star Seekers gathered the bodies of the Heterodox Wanderers, and after searching for their valuables, separated them into five groups before setting them on fire. After all, with how closely the trees were spaced, a fire large enough to burn five bodies at once would easily spread to the forest.

  Fortunately, the twigs and leaves on the ground were mostly damp. They just had to push aside some of the roots to make some space for the bodies. The roots would heal back soon after anyway. The only lasting damage they did was to the ground, denying it the food it deserved by burning the bodies. But it was necessary. With Heterodox Wanderers, there was no telling what kind of weird means they had prepared.

  Once the bodies were dealt with, the Star Seekers gathered next to their Captain, and divided their watch, before delving into meditation themselves. After all, it was not just their Captain who needed the rest. First getting their Hearts disturbed, then being forced to fight against Heterodox Wanderers almost double their numbers, who seemed to have had an endless number of shields, their day had been far from smooth. And though they won the battle, they lost a teammate soon after. Not to mention all the secrets they heard.

  Still, of them all, it was their Captain who had the most to ponder upon. The things that he had been through… the decisions he had made… and the consequences that he had to bear… Everything came crashing down on him at once, leaving him in a daze. He could not even decide where to begin. So, he just let everything go, allowing himself to indulge in his Clarity. True Clarity, the kind that even the fear of losing himself could not block.

  What did he have to fear anyway? Losing control of his body to the memories of his namesake? That was not possible. Not while he still had his master. Not even the overwhelming forces of the Origin Sea could harm him under her watch, let alone a bunch of memories that even he could give a fight. So, why did he have to run? Would it not be better if he just accepted the memories and let his master deal with all the consequences?

  He truly was dumb. Why had he not thought of asking for her help before? Pride? No. Arrogance? In front of his master? In front of his mother? She would beat his ass red and tear off his ears if he dared to be arrogant in front of her. Not that he would ever be arrogant in front of his master. In any case, it did not matter why he had been acting so dumb over the past year. As long as he learned his lesson…

  Alnea could not wait to delve into his Heart and accept the offer that the memories of his namesake had made. Part of the same ‘whole’? Sure. It would be up to his master to decide what the ‘whole’ was anyway. It would be even better if she could help him stabilise the broken ‘Infinity’ and let him make it his own. Maybe, he could even open up his world of Heart in advance…

  It was only the thought of earning an earful from his master, and putting the rest of his teammates in danger, that stopped Alnea from doing anything reckless. Still, he made a mental note to talk to his master once he met her in the inner city. Till then, he would just familiarise himself with his newfound Clarity. After all, employing the Clarity of his Heart often came with its own troubles.

  Alnea let out a sigh as he opened his eyes and glanced at the girls. Maybe Zain’s words were not completely wrong. If he was not careful…

  “What are you thinking?” Yuri said, almost startling Alnea to his feet. Partly because of how abruptly she opened her eyes, though mostly because of the way she leaned towards him. They were already sitting just inches as apart as it was, by leaning towards him, she brought her face even closer to his. Close enough for him to feel her breath on his face. And the way she looked at him… Her eyes…

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  “…Nothing,” Alnea said, trying to use his willpower to stop his blood from flowing to his cheeks. In vain. With the images flashing in his head, not even his Aspects could have kept him from blushing. “Who is on watch right now?”

  “I am.”

  “You?”

  “What? Do you have a problem with how I am keeping my watch?”

  “…No,” Alnea said, leaning away from Yuri, only for her to follow his movements.

  “…It looks like Vestia’s potion is working well.”

  “…Who is on watch after you?”

  “No one.”

  “You are the last?”

  “First, actually. Last one was Vestia. She probably wanted to have some alone time with you, so she volunteered to keep the last watch. Unfortunately for her, you kept meditating through her watch, so I took over.”

  “…How long have I been meditating?”

  “A little over five hours.”

  “…Your watch is also about to be over?”

  “I guess you can say that.”

  “…Then what are you doing?” Alnea said, and tried to get up, but was pulled by Yuri grabbing his hands.

  “Thinking about how to punish a pervert.”

  “Pervert? Who? Where?”

  “I am looking right at him. Can you guess who he is?”

  “…I am not a pervert.”

  “Are you sure?” Yuri said, leaning even more towards Alnea, prompting him to gulp in nervousness. “What are you thinking now?”

  “…No—Nothing.”

  “Is it? But why do I feel like you are thinking about doing something…”

  “No, don’t slander me. I am not thinking about anything. I swear!”

  “Then why are you trying to run away? Are you afraid that I will do something to you?”

  “…Let’s calm down, alright?” Alnea said, glancing at the rest of his teammates. They were still meditating, but he did not know long they would be immersed in their Hearts. Maybe some of them were already awake and watching their farce. “What if someone wakes up and see us?”

  “So? It is not as if they have not seen us kissing before.”

  “That was different. We were both in the moment back then, and things just happened. But if we… if we kiss right now, then things would be different…”

  “Then, would it be fine as long as we recreate that moment?”

  “…No… That’s still not right. I… We…”

  “Look at you, all red like a beet,” Yuri said, finally retreating away from him, with a wide grin on her face. She even tapped her finger on his nose. And that was just on the surface. In his mind, he could also hear laughter, loud enough to drown all his thoughts. Even those of her lips.

  “…You… You…”

  “What? The kiss got your tongue?”

  “…This is not fair! You also kissed me. Why are you not embarrassed?”

  “Because you were the one who kissed me first,” Yuri said, restraining her grin to a smile. The charming kind, that sent him to a daze for a few moments. She really was not fair.

  “Fine. Fine. I won’t tease you anymore.”

  “…I will be a fool if I believe you.”

  “But you are a fool, are you not? You said it yourself. That you are my fool.”

  “…You are not playing fair!”

  “I never play fair.”

  “…Just you wait. I will have my revenge.”

  “I am waiting.”

  After a few moments of pause, both Alnea and Yuri and burst out into a laugh. Not out loud, of course. Neither of them wished to wake the others up just yet. They had a lot to talk about, after all. Especially Alnea.

  “…I am sorry, I—

  “Shut up.”

  “…I need to say this.”

  “No, you do not.”

  “…I owe you an explanation.”

  “You owe me more than just one explanation.”

  “…I am sorry.”

  “…Can you not let me enjoy this a bit longer?”

  “…We don’t have much time.”

  “…Forget it. It is my fault that I chose to fall for a fool like you.”

  “…I will make it up to you later.”

  “Do not keep me waiting for too long,” Yuri said, and gave him one of her most charming smiles. Even more dazzling than stars in the skies. “Welcome back, Alnea Oathkeeper.”