We finally reached the valley, the quiet pressing down on us like a heavy blanket. The air here always carried a damp chill, and the shadows pooled thick between the ridges.
"Let's rest here before meeting them," I said, scanning the surroundings.
It wasn't the safest place in the world, but safer than moving forward in the dark. Few people passed through this route anyway. Wagons rarely dared to cross this valley unless they belonged to the merchants running trade between Lancaster County of the Dunstan Duchy and Hawke County of the Sinclair Duchy. Even then, the wise ones avoided this trail, preferring longer, safer roads. The reckless or desperate few who came through always made sure to bring at least an A-rank mercenary party for protection.
Rune's birthplace, Larkshade village, and this valley both lay under Hawke County.
Sera nodded at my suggestion. "Let's rest," she agreed softly.
I watched her unpack with a calm efficiency. Unrolling the sleeping mats and setting them neatly within the cave-like groove carved into the crater's wall. The small space offered shelter from the night wind, and maybe from more dangerous things too.
My gaze lingered on her longer than I meant to. This evening, I had told her the truth about myself... my reincarnation. And her only response had been that she needed time to process it.
So I had nodded, and let silence stretch between us. Until now.
I dug into my bag and pulled out the etherium crystal. The thing pulsed faintly, even in the dark cave-like crater we'd picked for shelter. Moonlight caught its surface, bouncing off in shards of pale silver that painted the room in an eerie glow. Beautiful, in its own way...That is, if you ignored the part where it made you a beacon for things that wanted you dead.
[Are you going to cultivate?]
I answered in silence, my thoughts directed toward him. I don't think this place gives me that kind of leeway.
His response was immediate. [Yeah, this valley houses some B-rank level monsters. And monsters belonging to B-rank or higher can use and sense mana. You flare up, they'll come running.]
I won't use it. But just being near it should refine my mana a little, at least. A trickle instead of a flood, but better than nothing.
That's when Sera's voice cut through the dim quiet. "Are you… speaking to Nexar now?"
I glanced at her. "Yes. We're talking about etherium."
Her lips pressed together in thought, then she tilted her head, still looking like she was trying to process everything I'd dumped on her earlier tonight. "I see…" She hesitated, then asked, almost shyly, "Will he know if I say hi?"
I almost burst out laughing right there. Girl, he probably knows you better than you know yourself.
I just nodded. "Of course."
She brightened. "Nexar, hello!" she said out loud, eyes darting around like she expected him to wave back from the shadows.
Nexar's words flickered beside me again. [So… you're not going to remind her she can't see this window?]
I smirked. Nah. Let her take it in at her own pace.
The corner of my mouth twitched as I tried not to laugh at the sight of her peering around into thin air.
[You're enjoying this, aren't you?]
I grinned.
Sera finally stopped glancing around the cave and turned her eyes on me. Big, soft, almost puppy-like. Yet they carried a heaviness that made my chest tighten.
"So…" she began, her voice low, "in your past life… you went on a journey all alone? Just you, every day and every night… until you were strong enough to become a warlord?"
I paused, thinking back. Alone... "Well," I said after a moment, "I had Nexar."
Her gaze dropped, her shoulders curling inward. "I'm sorry I left you all alone," she whispered.
Wait, what? My thoughts stumbled. I'd told her the truth... that she'd been raped and murdered by Vorrak and his gang. And yet… she was not grieving for herself, but for me.
"Even after promising that I would always be there for you…" Her words broke, and a single tear slipped down her cheek, splashing onto the sleeping mat.
A sharp ache clawed at my chest. "Sera… in my past life, I couldn't save you," I admitted, the guilt pressing hard against my ribs.
But she shook her head firmly. "No. You couldn't have saved me. You couldn't fight them the way you did in this life. The blame falls on me for not being strong enough to kill Vorrak." Her voice cracked as another tear slid free, glistening in the dim light. "If I'd killed him successfully… then you wouldn't have suffered all that torture under that bitch."
Her tone turned harsh, almost angry at herself.
"Sera, stop it!" My own voice cracked under the weight of hers. "You did your best. More than I could have ever asked of you."
But she shook her head again, stubborn in her pain. "No, Rune… it was because of me. Because of my failure, you went through all that torture. I can't even imagine the agony you felt.. for being punished for something you didn't do…" Her eyes brimmed over, spilling faster than her words.
Hearing her, seeing her.. my memories stirred, dragging me back into the cold, endless torment of those days. My chest grew heavy, each breath a struggle.
"Hicc…" Her sobs slipped out in broken hiccups. Both her hands pressed against her face, desperately trying to rub away the tears that just kept coming.
I crawled forward on my knees, closing the space between us, and wrapped her tightly in my arms. "Sera…" I whispered, but the word barely carried against her crying.
She didn't let go. Her arms locked around me as though she feared I'd vanish if she loosened her grip. Her tears soaked through my shirt, hot against the chill of the night. Her sobs only grew louder, harsher.
I held her tighter, feeling the soft rise and fall of her chest pressed against mine. Her hiccups slowly faded, leaving only her ragged breaths, hot and uneven against my shirt. I tried loosening my arms a little so she could breathe easier, but the instant I did, she clung harder, pressing her body into me as though afraid I'd slip away.
"Rune…" Her voice quivered as she lifted her head from my chest.
Before I could respond, she moved, sliding up against me, her warmth brushing along my body until her lips — soft, trembling, cherry-colored, pressed against mine.
The world vanished. The silver glow of the etherium crystal dimmed to nothing. The cave, the forest, the danger, all of it fell away until there was only Sera and the fire igniting between us.
Her kiss was clumsy at first, desperate, almost pleading. I froze for a heartbeat, stunned, before instinct betrayed me and I kissed her back. Her lips tasted faintly sweet, her breath hitching with every touch.
"Mmnn.. nngg.." She pressed harder, trying to climb onto me, but I resisted, pushing her gently down even as our mouths stayed locked together.
"Mmph!" A breathless sound escaped her, half a moan, before she yielded, sinking back onto the sleeping mat beneath us.
I hovered above her, arms braced on either side of her, trying to keep control, trying not to drown in her. She lay beneath me, chest rising and falling in quick, ragged bursts, her dress shifting with her movements, clinging to her curves as though it too were caught in her longing.
Her eyes, those impossibly clear blue eyes, looked up at me with a softness that turned sharp at the edges, almost… seductive. Her trembling hands lifted, cupping my cheeks, pulling me closer, silently begging me not to stop.
I swallowed hard, my heart hammering. She was so close, her breath mixing with mine, her lips parted just enough to draw me back in.
Her fingers lingered on my cheeks, warm and trembling, pulling me down inch by inch. I let myself sink closer, unable to resist her invitation, until our foreheads touched. Her breath washed over my lips, uneven, fragile, but burning with a need that mirrored my own.
"Rune…" She whispered, though the word came out more like a plea than my name.
My only answer was another kiss, deeper this time, less hesitant. The softness of her lips gave way to urgency, and I felt myself slipping, my control unraveling with every second her mouth moved against mine.
Her kiss left me breathless, my restraint slipping like sand through my fingers. When she shifted beneath me, her body arching upward, I couldn't ignore the warmth pressed against my chest or the way her thighs brushed mine, hesitant at first, then lingering.
I pulled back slightly, just enough to see her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted, her breaths quick and uneven "Haah.. huhh".
For a heartbeat, I thought of stopping, of pulling away before this went too far. But then she looked at me with those tear-bright eyes, full of need and something even deeper… trust.
That undid me more than anything.
Her arms slid around my neck, pulling me back down. Our lips met again, but this time her body moved with the kiss, her chest pressing into mine, the soft curve of her against me making it impossible to think straight. I tried to ease my weight off her, but her legs shifted, brushing against my hips, keeping me there as though she didn't want even an inch of distance.
"Hmmnn.." A small sound escaped her throat, half a sigh, half a moan, vibrating against my mouth. My hands, braced on either side of her, trembled with the effort to hold back. But when her fingers guided one of mine to her cheek, then slid it lower.. down the line of her neck, to rest against the rapid rise and fall of her chest. I couldn't ignore what she was offering me.
Her heartbeat thudded under my palm, frantic and unsteady, but she leaned into the touch "Ahhn..", eyes closing as though the simple weight of my hand calmed her. I swallowed hard, my breath catching as her thighs shifted again, brushing deliberately this time, heat radiating between us in the chill of the cave.
"Sera…" I whispered, my voice rougher than I intended.
Her eyes opened slowly, luminous in the silver glow. She smiled faintly through her tears, the corners trembling, and whispered back, "Don't stop…"
In that moment, every scar, every burden, every regret I carried blurred into the background. All that remained was her, the girl who once wept for me, who now held me like I was her entire world.
And for the first time in three lifetimes… I wanted nothing more than to let myself belong to her.
[Activating Skill — Soft Touch]
[Required MP: 10. Available MP: 103.]
[Soft Touch — Activated.]