A moment passed. Both were as confused as the other.
"Uh… hi?"
He blinked.
She blinked.
Then came a high-pitched noise.
Heeeeh?!
CRACK!
BUFF!
Auriel panicked—took off, and smashed through the roof like a radiant flare.
…
Beams cracked. Wood splintered.
Arion blinked, then again, half awake, still drowsy from his nap.
He saw sunlight pouring through, he had a slight distinct sensation that someone had just removed half his roof.
"...What the hell—"
A faint glittering trail hung in the air like spilled sand.
He blinked at the hole above him.
"Please tell me this is just another one of my dreams where women fall through the roof."
He watched a cracked support beam split and slam onto the floor.
"...Shit."
"It's not a dream."
His mind was a bit slow, but it finally clicked.
"GAH! My roof!" He shouted, hands grasping his hair.
He heard a slight mumble.
".."
Then again, quiet, sheepish.
Like a small animal trying to apologise.
"s…"
"What!?" Arion said, spinning around, like someone was playing with him.
Then he heard it again,
"...Sorry."
He squinted upward. A face framed by white hair peered down through the hole, skin of white, almost luminous.
"You… do you have a habit of sneaking into people's cabins and blowing a hole in their roof?"
"No… wait—there was that one time at home…"
Arion just stared at her, baffled.
These chicks are crazy…
"Ah—but don't worry! I-I can fix it"
Before he could protest, she floated down, picked up a split plank, and floated back up again.
What kind of world did I get sent to?
He followed her with his eyes.
Is she… gliding? Is she some kind of fairy?
He watched her float below the ceiling, stupefied.
Her tongue out, licking her lips as she tried to connect the wood back together, like it was some puzzle piece.
It's like resistance and gravity just decided to take the day off…
"...um, I'm not sure that's how you do—"
"No, it's fine! I'll fix it my sta– I mean citizen of Dawn!" The even stranger woman blurted out, eyes darting back and forth.
She forced it even further, less fixing, more ordering.
"It's! Easy! Watch!"
Crack. Crack-crack.
"Lady, don't—" He tried warning her, but it was too late.
Cracks splintered through the rest of the support beam, to his horror, more of the cabin's roof broke and fell. Smashing right into the crude hearth.
WHUMP!
Ash exploded everywhere.
"Gah—cough—COUGH!" He waved the cloud aside.
Something soft bumped his nose.
Through the haze, a pair of radiant eyes hovered inches from his own. Her nose an inch away from his.
"Are you hurt?"
"Perfectly fine—cough! J-just inhaling half of a chimney's worth of ash."
"Ah!"
The woman's body radiated, and within a moment a shimmering light fused with the room, the ash disintegrated within seconds.
As the air cleared, he finally saw her properly.
She stood only a few inches smaller. Poised. Skin glowed like polished white marble, smooth and flawless. Beautiful eyelashes, and luscious lips.
Her eyes are white orbs with swirling pupils of pure stardust, glimmering as though a constellation of stars burned within.
Her hair, like spun light, gleaming like strands of starlight, shifting with every movement.
Wow.
No. Don't. Don't fall for that face. She's dangerous.
"May I—" she started, hands fidgeting.
"Sorry?"
"May I know your name?"
"Uh. Arion…"
"Arion…" she repeated, as if tasting the word. Then she straightened and gave a formal bow.
"In my name, Auriel, First Daughter of Eosander, apologise for my actions that have befallen you today"
"Uh, yeah… sure."
She lifted her head. With a smile, she extended her hand.
"L-let us be friends"
Arion was in disbelief. He blinked, twice. Slowly.
She's serious…
"Sorry… no idea who you are, not that I care. But I have to say… this is not the best first impression…"
Her hand retracted sheepishly, she felt disappointment grip her heart. Until confusion replaced it.
He watched her stand there, her eyes staring into space. Then it froze in complete stillness—like a machine short circuiting.
"Eh?"
"What?"
"You… you don't know who I am?"
"Home invader? Home wrecker? Fairy? A pervy goddess? Creepy woman who watches men sleep?"
Colour bloomed across her cheeks.
"Wha—I-I-I-I! It wasn't like that—" She stuttered.
"Lady—Auriel, you broke into my lovely cabin, watched me sleep for who-knows-how-long, drooled on my sheets then blasted a hole in my roof. Then proceeded to somehow open that hole even further."
Every word hit like a moral slap. She looked away, mortified.
Yet, there was a piece of her that felt lightened by the fact he did not know.
Then her eyes narrowed.
Until they widened. Her glare shot back to him.
"You!" she snapped, finger to his chest.
"You're the suspicious one, mister!" She said, like she was deflecting her own crimes.
"...Excuse me?"
She darted to the desk, snatched the open journal, and thrust it at his face.
"What do you make of this! Temple ruins? You've been to the secret forbidden Temple! Skulking around have we?"
"Reading strangers' diaries too, huh?"
"Spill it A-Arion!"
He stared flatly. "That journal isn't mine. It had belonged to the previous tenant of this lovely cabin you've now massacred."
Her glare wavered. Then horror struck as her eyes widened.
"Wait a minute… the chicken—"
"You ate him?!"
"What—NO! You—ugh." He sighed then rubbed his face.
"I found him, dead, inside the temple. Decomposing for at least a few months… I think."
Arion's eyes narrowed, stuck in his thoughts. Then he glared back at her.
"You flew through the wooden roof like it was made from cheap plastic, why don't you have a look yourself? He at least deserves to be given to his family to have a proper burial."
"Oh…aha…" Her smile turned sheepish. "About that—I may or may not have destroyed the Temple…?"
"YOU WHAT?!"
Great… I'm hosting a home intruder AND an insanely powerful flying woman…
"Haha…oops" She said with a weak smile.
Silence stretched, awkward and smoky.
Then an air of melancholy surrounded them.
"You should still find his family," Auriel said quietly. "He was likely a Freeblade. The Guild will know his kin."
Her voice softened. "For the Fathers and… Mothers sake."
Both felt an uncomfortable tug at the string in their heart.
For once, he couldn't argue.
"Then… if you're not from Dawn," she ventured, "where did you fal—come from?"
Her curiosity burned, her eyes darted across the cabin as if to find any clues.
Broken in, harassed. Now I'm being interrogated, she's just missing the gun at this point…
Arion sighed.
I can't tell her everything, I gotta build a realistic story with enough believability, with a little lie wrapped inside…
"I don't remember much–well anything really. In the beginning, I was falling, I broke through the clouds, a world unfolded before my eyes. And when I hit the ground an explosion of light filled my vision. Then I woke up."
"And now here I am" He said, with his arms out.
Yet, he would not know the impact from the words that he had just said.
The journal dropped to the wooden floor as she stepped closer.
"So, was that a good enough answer—"
Her hands cupped his face suddenly, eyes wide with wonder.
"Fallen Star," she whispered softly.
"Um…" He said, surprised.
"Mother was right, It's real."
Her grip tightened—a metal vice wrapped in silk. His cheeks squished.
"Mmph!"
He started to feel lighter.
What the hell is with this situation!
What would Mum say…
…
"If she seems too easy, then it is. Get out of there as fast as you can."
"Then what if you can't run away?"
"Uh… Well you're fucked I guess."
…
—— ❖ —— —— ❖ —— —— ❖ ——
Damnit!
"UH—Guh, l-lady! Can yoush not ashcend back to heaven whilsh gripping my fashe!?" He said, mouth squished between her hands.
The two were floating a few inches off the ground without her even knowing.
Until she snapped from her daze.
"Eh!? Ah—I'm sorry!" Auriel yelped, and dropped him.
He hit the floor hard enough to rattle the table. "Next time you grab a man's face, maybe warn him first?"
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Right," he muttered. "You've had your fun, Lady of Ceiling Destruction, but I've got work to do."
Auriel blinked, still hovering an inch above the floor out of sheer habit. "Work?"
He pointed at the splintered roof and the daylight spearing through. "Yeah. Repairs. You know—when someone blows a hole through your house, someone else has to fix it. Preferably me."
"I-I can—"
"No," he said, pointing again. "You've helped enough."
Her mouth shut. Pride stiffened her shoulders. A quiet oh escaped, faint as a sigh.
Silence stretched. She glanced at the ruined beams, at the splinters glittering like starlight across the floor.
Her right arm pulsed. A faint glow from her bracelet flickered—a signal from home.
She lowered her arm with a sigh. "This… was not how I intended to meet you," she said softly.
He snorted. "Really? Because it's been very unforgettable. Miss Auriel."
He turned to his new home recreational project.
"Oh, and when you say it like that, a man might misunderstand. It sounds like this was pre-planned or something."
A slight flush bloomed across her pale cheeks. She fiddled her hands as if to steady herself. "You… wouldn't understand, even if I did tell you." She said softly to herself.
"What?" he replied, turning his head to the silent whisper.
"Then I will… allow you to resume your duties!"
He glanced at her for a moment with one eyebrow raised, then turned back.
"Appreciate the permission," he said dryly.
She turned toward the door, bowed—perfectly composed except for the faint tremor of embarrassment, and glided out. Light trailed after her like a memory.
Arion stared at the ruined roof, picked up a piece of splintered wood from the floor, and muttered, "What a day."
He'd barely lifted the first beam before the porch creaked again.
He froze. "No way."
A soft thump followed.
He turned. "That was fast."
Auriel stood there again, radiant as if nothing had happened. Her expression, though, had changed—the smile gone, replaced by command.
"You again," he said. "Missed the roof already?"
"No." Her voice cut sharper than before. "I came to warn you."
That tone wiped the smirk off his face.
Her eyes shifted toward the black scar where frost still clung to the ground.
"The Opening that formed here—it's unstable. I can feel it pulsing. If left alone, it may spread. You must stay away from it."
Arion leaned on the wood beam. "Pretty sure I was planning on that."
"I'll order an Arbiter of Dawn to contain it," she continued. "Until then, do not approach it. Not even out of curiosity."
He raised an eyebrow. "You say that like I'm the kind of guy who'd poke dangerous cosmic anomalies with a stick."
"Yes," she said simply.
He blinked, shrugging. "...Fair."
The faintest smile flickered across her face—gone almost as soon as it appeared. Then she drew herself up again, all commander and starlight.
"Good. Then this is farewell. For now."
"Sure."
She turned to leave, light gathering at her feet. But she hesitated at the threshold, her voice softening. "Try not to die, Arion. I'm not done with you yet."
"Yeah, yeah." He mumbled, swatting his hand to get her to leave.
"And, Arion—never speak of the Ruined Temple. Even I may not be able to protect you."
Before he could answer, she was already gone. The air folded where she'd stood; motes of light drifted like afterthoughts.
Arion stared at the empty space, jaw tightening.
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Wind moved through the broken roof, scattering sawdust like falling stars. He exhaled through his nose and muttered, "What a strange encounter that was. Definitely takes first place."
He eyed the wooden beam, the hole, the glittering mess.
"...Wait. Maybe I shouldn't jinx it."
—— ❖ —— —— ❖ —— —— ❖ ——