After Maxi finished unwrapping his gifts, the party softened into a quiet hum. Guests wandered about, talking and eating without much ceremony. Nothing dramatic happened—until Moon stepped forward.
With a slight bow and that radiant charm, he extended his hand to Qill.
"May I have this dance?" he asked, smiling.
Qill blinked. "You… want to dance?"
Moon chuckled. "Of course. It's been far too long. And it's been even longer since I've seen you. So come on."
Qill didn't even hesitate. She took his hand.
And then, they danced.
Moon didn't just glide—he soared. His movements were elegant, every motion fluid as wind. With each leap, peach petals spilled from beneath his robe, swirling and spinning midair, wrapping the two siblings in an ethereal storm of beauty. He leapt to heights unnatural for a human, as if gravity respected him too much to hold him down.
It wasn't deliberate. It was just Moon being Moon.
Maxi watched from the sidelines, heart heavy with a quiet acceptance.
He's not trying to steal the spotlight. It just happens. Every time.
So, instead of lingering in Moon's shadow, Maxi turned. He spotted Kate, quietly standing off to the side. Her gaze wandered, unsure, much like his own.
Maxi smiled and walked over.
He extended his hand with a gentle grin. "Hey. Everyone's distracted again… Want to finish off our little exploration?"
Kate's eyes widened in surprise. But after a second, she shyly nodded and reached for his hand with just the faintest trace of confidence.
Before they could walk away, a familiar, lilting voice chimed in.
"Oh? I do hope you weren't forgetting about me."
Geminid appeared behind Kate with a teasing smirk, her fan resting just below her eyes. Her twin ponytails swayed as she tilted her head, purple curls glimmering under the candlelight.
Maxi chuckled. "Forget you? I could never."
He extended his other hand, and Geminid took it with the grace of a young noble. Now, Maxi held both girls' hands as they slipped out of the ballroom like a trio of mischievous whispers.
As they walked down the quieter halls, Maxi asked,
"So, where do you girls want to go first? The battlegrounds, the library, or… my little castle?"
Geminid smiled slyly. "Personally, I think we should save the best for last."
Kate shyly nodded. "S-So… Maxi's castle?"
Maxi blinked. "What? My small little castle isn't something to be saved for last."
Geminid chuckled behind her fan. "I agree with Kate. Your castle should definitely be saved for last."
Maxi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm telling the truth—my castle really isn't all that…"
"Stop being humble, Maxi," Geminid teased.
He exhaled. "Fine, fine… Where do you girls want to go, then?"
Geminid smirked, tapping her fan playfully against her cheek. "You decide."
Maxi raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Kate looked up at him with those wide, innocent eyes that could melt the sun. "Yeah, Maxi… you decide."
Maxi groaned dramatically. "Oh come on, Kate—not you too…"
He glanced from Geminid's knowing smile to Kate's expectant stare. He looked away, exasperated but smiling, and muttered,
"Fine."
But then Geminid added with a glint in her voice,
"Oh—and it has to be your favorite out of the two."
Maxi froze, then slowly exhaled through his nose. He thought for a moment… and couldn't help but smile. A real one.
With a bit more joy in his voice, he said,
"I guess we're going to the library."
Maxi suddenly took off running, the two girls trailing behind him. His smile stretched from ear to ear as he dashed down the familiar spiraling slope that seamlessly transitioned into stairs.
Geminid, slightly flustered, called out, "Oh, I never thought you'd be this passionate about the library."
Maxi grinned, eyes sparkling. "Then you must not know much about me. Let's fix that."
He leaped to the the floor on the last two steps, landing lightly on the soft carpet. Just before Kate and Geminid could stumble, Maxi caught them both by their hands. Then, with a flourish, he released their hands and spread his arms wide.
"This, girls, is my safe haven. My heaven. The main castle library."
Kate and Geminid exchanged glances, impressed but not quite overwhelmed. They had both seen libraries just as grand, maybe even slightly grander. But Maxi didn't care—he was in his element, in his zone.
"Come on! It's like a whole new world of knowledge… my world of knowledge."
The girls giggled softly as Maxi, lost in his bliss, sprinted forward.
Suddenly, Maxi reached a rolling ladder and, with practiced ease, climbed onto it. With a powerful push, he shot off, racing into the labyrinth of towering shelves that stretched endlessly before them.
Kate and Geminid stood stunned.
Kate stammered, "D-Did he just forget about us?"
Geminid smirked. "I think he might be more in love with the books than with us."
Kate strightly. "Y-Yeah, I thi…-"
Then she blushed hard as she realized what Geminid just said, "wait—in love?"
Maxi, somewhere deep in his excitement and the library, suddenly realized he'd left the girls behind.
He immediately stopped the rolling ladder and dashed back to them with the rolling ladder at full speed.
when he arrived, he Jumped down from the rolling ladder, and he apologized, "Sorry about that—I got a little too excited."
Geminid giggled, "Oh, it certainly seemed so."
Maxi smiled sheepishly. "How about this? There's a central area in the library. I can carry you one at a time, so you don't get tired and also so we can explore easier if we start there."
Geminid nodded eagerly while Kate was still blushing, gently swinging side to side, trying to hide her pink cheeks.
Maxi tilted his head. "What did Geminid say to you to make your face that pink?"
Kate stammered, "N-Nothing."
Maxi chuckled inwardly. (Yeah, right.)
"Okay, you're up first," Maxi said, extending his hand to Kate.
She looked up nervously. "W-What?"
He took her hand firmly. "You don't mind waiting, do you, Geminid?"
Geminid smirked, fanning herself. "Not at all. But don't keep me waiting too long."
Maxi grinned and climbed back onto the rolling ladder. Kate placed one foot on it, and Maxi teased, "Don't worry—I wouldn't dare. Come on, Kate, we roll on bookshelves seas like pirates! Book pirates."
She laughed nervously, grabbing onto him. As the ladder rolled forward, she lost her balance and instinctively hugged against his chest. Maxi didn't immediately realize, but something inside him stirred-his heart quickened, his face warmed. He assumed it was adrenaline.
Too bad, Kate thought shyly (he doesn't even realize I'm pressed against him like this... so embarrassing big brother Lyric would approve at all)
From a place both infinitely far and suddenly closer than ever, Maxi felt it-a squeal of joy. The presence of the Demon Queen of Lust was closer now. So close, in fact, that Maxi could feel her delight vibrate through his soul and even very subtle notice she was jumping up in delight from wherever she was.
Then, he noticed it: faint, shimmering ripples in the air. Pink, delicate, it rippled in a pattern he saw every day-but this time, he felt it even more than he could feel it right now.
Before he could study the ripples further, they arrived at the center of the library
Maxi gently set Kate down, her cheeks visibly pink.
"Okay, I'm going to get Geminid," Maxi said, still blushing slightly.
Kate nodded, crouching to hide her face in embarrassment.
As Maxi dashed off, he thought, (I can't handle these childish emotions—they rile me up so easily. I miss being able to control my feelings.)
When he reached Geminid, she smirked and teased, "Has the book pirate come back to take another maiden?"
Maxi played along, smiling away his embarrassment. "Yes, I have come to collect all my bu—" He bit his lip as he caught himself, facepalmingmid-sentence. (Nope. Not beating my own allergies with flirty talk.)
He sighed. "Just come here."
Geminid giggled. "Okay, my book pirate, whatever you say."
Together, they returned to Kate, and the three explored the library with unbridled joy.
Eventually, they climbed back upstairs.
Maxi said "That was so much fun,"
Kate smiled. "I never thought you'd be such a book worm."
Geminid teased "more like a book pirate"
They laughed as Maxi said, "Why couldn't you tell by the glasses?"
Geminid suffed slightly "Oh how low do you think of use to stereotype you like that?"
Maxi chuckled. "Not that low, actually. I see you both as above me—since I'm guessing you've already had your blessing awakenings."
They both nodded.
Maxi sighed. "Yeah, well…I haven't had mine yet."
"Oh," Geminid said. "My big twin brother and sister told me about that."
Kate looked curious. "If you haven't awakened your blessing, then how did you manage to last that long against Hana?"
Maxi chuckled. "I'm not really sure myself i tried to plan, but it failed, so i know it wasn't that. But I can try to show you, if you'd like. We're headed to the battlegrounds anyway."
Kate nodded thoughtfully. "Sure."
Geminid shook her head. "I'm not much of a sparring type."
Maxi shrugged. "Fair enough. I'm not really either—I was just forced to be."
Maxi, Kate, and Geminid made their way down to the fighting grounds. Kate's eyes scanned the area from the weapon area, and with a sudden smile, she picked up a wooden katana resting on a the wall. Maxi selected two wooden daggers from a rack and nodded toward the area.
They moved to opposite corners of the grounds, taking their positions. Geminid stayed back, watching intently from the sidelines.
Maxi broke the silence. "Before we start, can I ask—who are your gods?"
Kate's grip tightened on her katana. "My gods? The Archangel of Katanas, the God of Crafting, and the God of Stealth. What about yours?"
Maxi smirked, his aura subtly glowing with faint shadows and void energy. "Can't you tell just by my aura?"
Kate shook her head with a shy smile. "Not yet. I'm not at that stage."
Maxi chuckled softly. "Good to know. My gods are the God of Selective Planning the Demon King of Alright and the Demon Queen of Lust. Okay, then let's start."
Kate nodded, and in a blink, she vanished.
Maxi scanned the arena, searching for any sign of her. Then he noticed faint dust clouds stirring near his feet. She was either moving so fast that he couldn't see her, or she was using the God of Stealth's blessing—either her active blessing or a passive one.The wore case scenario is if she's both using the her blessing of stealth and is also so fast she disappeared
Suddenly, delicate pink ripples shimmered through the air around Maxi. He blinked, recognizing the pattern—it was the same ripple pattern he'd seen before, the one tied to Kate's presence.
"Wait… didn't I see those ripples on Kate earlier?" Maxi's eyes followed the pink waves as they surged forward at an incredible speed.
Then it clicked.
Kate was ether using the ripples to subtly reveal where she was or due to his now deep connection with the Demon Queen of Lust he was able to see where she was due to this ripples.
Just then, the ripples surged directly at Maxi. In a flash, Kate's wooden katana clashed against Maxi's daggers.
Maxi's eyes widened. Kate smiled, a little flustered. "I wasn't expecting you to block that."
Maxi grinned back. "Me neither."
As they stood locked in that moment, Maxi realized those ripples were more than just a signal—they were Kate's heartbeat, pulsing with her. This ripple was acting as a heartbeat marker synchronized with her movement, her excitement, her determination, her emotions