Eh? It didn"t occur to her that he would give her a choice about this. Before Lyn could reply, he suddenly pointed to the sky.

"Ah, now you can see it."

See what--- she stopped in mid-thought.

Her eyes brightened when she saw the other s.h.i.+ps in the sky. Alongside the small stars, the sight looked mesmerizing...

Lyn heard of these events before, but this was the first time she took part in one. "This is the Mist parade?"

"Mmmm, this was one reason why I came here too. When I was younger and visited this place, I saw the parade for the first time. It was one of the things that stood out to me."

"This is the first time Rhys is talking about himself."

She glanced over and watched him walk back over to the table. He picked up a bottle of alcohol and proceeded to pour it into the cup. Lyn picked up the crutches and somehow made her way over and grabbed the bottle from him. "I will do it for you."

His lips curve to a smile. "I see."

Instead of pouring him a drink, though, she found herself on his lap.

"Missed me?"

"A little," Lyn trailed off and caressed his cheeks. "Rhys," she hesitated. But the scent only grew stronger, so she added. "Lately, do you see other women?"

"I never stopped."

".."

Rhys cupped her cheeks. "Have something to say?"

Well, she can"t tell him to stop, can she?

"It makes me feel a bit strange."

"Strange? What"s strange?"

It took Lyn a moment to reply. She had to think about her words very carefully. One wrong move could change everything. But even then, Lyn wasn"t confident with her conclusion. Still, she bravely mumbled.

"I think I don"t like it."

At that comment, Lyn found herself on the ground in a matter of seconds. Lyn didn"t know what she expected. Rhys pressed his body against hers and brought his hungry lips at her neck. She felt his breathing become erratic and unsteady. Beads of sweat formed on her face.

"Why wouldn"t you like it?" Rhys seductively said. He gently bites her neck, causing a strange sound to escape her lips. This seemed to urge him on, "Hey Lyn, do you have something to tell me? Maybe you like me?"

Something is wrong with him. While Rhys usually acted strangely. Today there was something different about him. Unfortunately, Lyn was having a hard time figuring out. "His entire face looks red; his breathing seems unsteady." There seems to be a faint scent of something familiar. Is this the smell of alcohol?

"H--hey, are you already drunk?" Lyn mumbled.

She didn"t notice it earlier but now that she got a better look at him. His flushed face and the beads of sweat. Isn"t that because he is drunk? Rhys responded by burying his face in her chest.

"You"re very soft."

Her eyes twitched in annoyance. "Moron, let me go!"

"Don"t shout, my head hurts," Rhys mumbled as he rubbed his head with his free hand.

"Why do you want to drink more even though you drank enough already?" Lyn lectured him.

Isn"t he just asking for punishment with this behavior of his?

"Well, when your socializing. It"s hard to avoid. Hey, kiss me."

"You know every single time you ask I…" Lyn trailed off when she saw the look in his eyes. Why does he want her to do these things? Lyn hesitated, but she changed their position until she was on top of him. She traced his lips slowly. "Rhys…" Lyn mumbled.

"What?" his lips curve to a smile. "This is nice. I wonder what you will do to me."

"Other than kissing, I don"t think I can do anything."

"That"s right."

"Do you still want to?"

Lyn said nothing. She continued watching for a bit before she bent down. This is all she can do for now. For this person who seems to understand everything about her.

Somebody who seems to understand everything about her. Yet there are many things he doesn"t know too.

"Lyn, you"re gorgeous. Hey, are you really sixteen?" Rhys asked her.

Lyn drew back from his lips. "Mmm, I am. But because of the dark magic, I look more mature than people my age."

"Well, that"s true. I"ve had side effects appearance-wise because of it."

"So your good looks are from that, got it."

Rhys pinched her cheeks. "Was that a compliment or not? Hmmm, make your mind up, love."

"These days, I feel so content and at ease. But this feels like a dream Rhys." Lyn muttered.

"Even if it"s a dream, you should enjoy it."

"You"re so foolish," Lyn sighed. "Tell me something."

"What would you like to know?"

"A few things, I"d like to know about you."

"No need, do you want to talk? You"re in a position now to do whatever you want with me."

"Mmm, give me a break." Lyn rested her head on his chest. His arms went around her waist, and he gently caressed her hair.

"Are you frightened being in the air for so long?" Rhys wondered.

"A little," she admitted.

"You can relax.."

"I know you won"t let anything bad happen to me." Lyn immediately interjected.

His lips curve to a smile. "Well I don"t know, this is already quite bad."

"You"re a bad influence on me."

"It seems you were already like this from the start. But hmm, you know back when we were kids, you were already quite bold."

Lyn sighed, "Your the one making a move on underaged people."

Rhys frowned at her comment. "You didn"t tell me your age."

"Don"t judge somebody by their appearance," she trailed off. "I have something I wanted to ask you about that time."

"Go ahead."

"That magic you used when we first met."

"Magic?" Rhys acted indifferently. But Lyn saw right through him.

Lyn rolled her eyes, "A kid fighting an overgrown man?"

"d.a.m.n," Rhys trailed off. "It isn"t anything special, just a spell that increases your body capacity so you can fight people with a stronger psychic."

"There is magic like that?"

Rhys nodded. "That smiley guy didn"t teach you?"

Ah, he means master, right? "It"s more like he didn"t get a chance to. The time I could meet with him was short."

"Hmm, if it"s like that. Just ask him now. Don"t you have the freedom to do so?"

"You won"t teach me?"

"The thing is I would love to. But my magic is only strong if it"s the dark arts. Your better of having that guy teach you. He"s a magician, right?"

A magician huh? It"s hard to tell at times. That guy is very mysterious. Lyn nodded, "Okay, but can you help me with sword practice again? I feel like my skills are getting rusty."

"Sure, I guess we can get closer that way too."

Rhys said it so casually, and yet Lyn had to pause to look at him. Why is this person so... persistent? Is that the right word to use in this situation? It"s difficult for her to swallow. So many people care about her now. When did things change?