Vivia's heart sank as if it had taken a harsh, sudden dive into the depths of the cold sea. Zerath's face flickered through her mind before she knew it, and a lump rose in her throat.
"That's impossible, Madam Drisennia…" she tried to laugh it off. "I'm simply a guest taking shelter in your realm. I'll return home tomorrow. Naturally, I won't…" she licked her lower lip, "fall for a demon. That's not even a possibility. I'm a human, after all."
Valtor spoke with a rigid countenance. "Madam Drisennia, I do respect you, but you're going too far now. We all know what happened in the past."
"I do know what happened, Captain. That one human and demon who dared to defy the law and fall in love met their tragic end. It was precisely their love that broke the last straw on the camel's back that started the war centuries ago."
A faint shudder passed through her back. She was as well aware of history as anybody else.
"But I didn't write the prophecy, young man," her expression hardened. "I'm simply relaying what my ancestors and I've heard and dreamt. Prophecies are not meant to suit anybody's convenience."
He pressed his lips and said nothing.
Eurus looked up at Vivia and felt her color paling faster and faster, though it didn't look like so on the outside. He hugged her, squeezing his fingers with hers. Vivia smiled at him, albeit with strain and apprehension. She rose to her feet and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your time, Madam Drisennia. I still have the festival to explore, so I'll humbly take my leave. Be rest assured. The prophecy will not be realized, nor will the world end."
Vivia glanced at the lingering traces of purple fumes drifting through the air and cleared her throat uncomfortably. As she raised the curtain to leave, Drisennia's voice echoed through the chamber.
"The child beside you."
Vivia glanced back questioningly. She looked at Eurus and then back at her. "You mean Eurus?"
She neither confirmed nor denied. "He's quite…a unique being. It seems like the energy of nature itself flows within him. Whoever he joins forces with in the future will be very fortunate."
—
"What did Madam Drisennia mean by unique?"
Vivia looked at Eurus as they sat down on a bench to rest. Eurus was busy admiring the mysterious shaved ice stick colored orange, whose taste tingled his tongue with a sweet chill. He threw a questioning gaze at her.
"Nature herself flows within him…Do you know anything about it, Captain Valtor?"
"No, Princess. It's hard to decipher Madam's cryptic words most of the time."
Though Valtor was dutifully answering her questions, his thoughts still wandered around Drisennia's fortune reading.
Vivia's eyes sparkled as she said, "Well, I don't really understand it, but it's surely a compliment. Didn't she say that Eurus is powerful and formidable? For nature's energy to flow within him seems like a wonderful blessing."
Eurus stared at her for a long moment and offered his icicle stick for her to take a bite.
She chuckled. "You should eat it, not me."
His expression fell, but he scooted closer to her, bringing the shaved ice to her lips.
"You won't give up, will you?" Vivia shook her head and eventually took a small bite.
"Brrr!" She jolted slightly with the freeze and laughed a moment later. "It's good!"
She clapped her hands once and stood up. "Let's continue. We've so many shops and events yet to visit, hoho~ I can't wait."
But she tripped as soon as she took a step forward, her foot entangling in her dress. Valtor caught her arm just in time and pulled her back.
"Princess! Are you hurt?" His eyes widened.
She hastily straightened up and smiled awkwardly. "That was embarrassing…"
Get a grip, Vivia.
"Shall we leave now?"
Eurus stared at her and shook his head in disagreement with all his might.
"Do you want to go somewhere else?" she blinked.
He nodded once.
"Okay! Let's go where you want to go," she grinned.
He shook his head again. Pausing for a long moment, he whispered a word. "Alone."
"...Why alone?"
He didn't respond to that.
"Eurus, the festival is quite crowded. What if you lose your way or get hurt?" Her gaze held concern.
"Alone," he remained firm.
Vivia hesitated. She wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but she didn't want to force him either.
She looked at Valtor and asked, "Captain Valtor, can you please accompany him?"
Valtor alternated his gaze between them. "My lord has ordered me to guard you, Princess. I cannot leave you alone."
"I'll be fine, Captain. Naturally, Eurus needs you more than me."
"He'll be fine. He's a demon - an elemental demon at that," he said plainly as a matter-of-fact.
"But he's still a child…"
"We're trained from a very young age to fight and fend for ourselves in the forests and mountains. It's a part of our training and path to achieving independence."
I remember Master telling me about this before.
'You're already crying with just a little sprained ankle? Do you know how demon parents train and raise their children? They forge their confidence and strength through several battles. Human parents are way too soft for their own good,' she had scoffed.
Clearly, the parenting style differs vastly…
It was true that she, too, was trained under a master who didn't believe in being soft, yet she struggled to hold that same attitude towards Eurus.
"This is merely a festival, Princess. Nothing dangerous like the wild beasts we encounter in the forests. At most he'd get into a fight with the other kids, but then again, he can just freeze his opponent."
"..."
"B-But he was nervous in the palace before when meeting so many new faces."
Valtor was barely fazed. "That's how we learn that the world is harsh, especially our realm. We throw them into situations, not shelter from them. I believe this is a good chance for him to navigate on his own and learn to protect himself."
He looked down at Eurus. "I don't know where you want to go, but figure out a way on your own."
He nodded.
"You can use your ice magic but only if the situation calls for it, so think wisely before you decide. People here still don't know about your connection with Nethermoor or that it was your ice tide that had almost consumed Casca."
He nodded again.
Valtor handed him a small pouch filled with a mix of bronze and silver coins. "You can use these to buy anything you want here. You'll be responsible if you lose them."
He gave another nod.
Vivia's shoulders slumped as she watched Eurus leave. Valtor glanced at her, failing to understand her source of anxiety.
"It's actually good for him, Princess. I'm sure a couple of kids are going to pick a fight with him because of his unusual hair and eye color. They didn't do so until now because I was accompanying you two."
"..."
Vivia then sheepishly grinned. "You know Captain Valtor, I think I saw some interesting shops on that side."
She pointed in the direction where Eurus went.
Valtor pointed in the opposite direction. "I assure you there're even more entertaining shops on this side, Princess."
"..."
"You worry needlessly, Princess. Demons are very competitive. We create our place and respect by fighting and then winning those fights. There's no respect if we don't prove ourselves. Didn't Madam Drisennia say that he'd prove to be very formidable?"
Feeling a chill, a shudder escaped from her.
This is giving me bad foreboding…