"Oh, it's you, Alexia." Lumine's eyes widened slightly, a genuine note of surprise in her voice.
Seiichi, standing beside his sister, looked directly at Alexia. There was a faint flicker of surprise in his own eyes, but he remained silent, his expression otherwise calm and unreadable.
Alexia's eyes were wide. She quickly averted her gaze from Seiichi, a telltale blush warming her cheeks. She slowly stood up, brushing the dust from her elegant dress. Once finished, she turned to Lumine.
"What are you both doing here?" Alexia asked, her voice soft but carrying a complex mix of emotions.
She could feel Seiichi's steady gaze on her and tried to ignore it, though she found it incredibly difficult.
"That's my question," Lumine said, taking a step forward and leaning in close to Alexia's face. "What are you doing here?"
Alexia closed her eyes, took a deep breath to steady herself, and replied. "I was just taking a walk. I came here with my grandmother to relax."
Lumine listened to her answer without a word. Slowly, a wide, mischievous grin spread across her face, revealing a perfect row of white teeth.
"Isn't that quite a coincidence? You and your grandmother decided to come here to 'relax' at the exact same time and place where someone's fate is about to be decided. Doesn't that seem a little… strange?" Lumine leaned even closer, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper that only Alexia could hear.
"Or maybe, instead of relaxing, you came here to check on your fiancé, to see if he'll succeed or fail?"
A violent shiver ran down Alexia's spine, and a deep, crimson blush flooded her face.
"N-no, it's nothing like that!" she shouted, her composure breaking. She turned her gaze and found Seiichi staring directly at her.
Flustered, Alexia quickly composed herself. She took a very long, deliberate breath, held it, and then let it out slowly before opening her eyes. She cleared her throat once.
"As I said before, it's nothing like that. It's just a coincidence," she stated, though a slight blush still stained her cheeks as she stubbornly looked away from Seiichi.
"Is that so?" Lumine said, her tone dripping with playful skepticism. "I still don't believe it's just a coincidence."
"It's up to you what to think," Alexia replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
Seiichi, who had been a silent observer, finally spoke. His voice was flat. "It doesn't matter if it's a coincidence or not."
Alexia looked at him, seizing the chance to change the subject. "By the way, what are you both doing here?"
"It's nothing. Lumine is just dragging me around," Seiichi said, scratching his head with his right hand in a gesture of mild exasperation. "And it's starting to get annoying."
"Hey! Don't say that!" Lumine shouted, puffing out her cheeks in a cute pout.
"I don't care," Seiichi replied mockingly.
"Well, I don't care if you don't care! I'm going to drag you to every place I want to go, and I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen!" Lumine declared, grabbing Seiichi's wrist in a vise-like grip.
"Oi, you're stopping the blood flow to my hand," Seiichi said, looking his sister dead in the eye.
"That doesn't matter! Angels won't die even if our hearts are ripped out, as long as our Arch Soul isn't erased from existence itself."
An Arch Soul is a transcendent soul possessed only by angels, demons, and apostles. It is of a higher order than a normal soul; the only way to destroy it is to erase the very concept of the being to which it belongs.
"I know that. Still, you're stopping the blood flow," Seiichi insisted.
Alexia watched the siblings bicker with an awkward look that slowly melted into amusement. A small smile touched her lips, and a low, gentle laugh escaped her.
Seiichi heard the laugh and turned to her. "What are you laughing about?" he asked.
Alexia met his gaze. "It's nothing. It's just… kind of fun to see you both argue. You're usually so emotionless and cold, Seiichi."
"See? Alexia understands me!" Lumine exclaimed triumphantly. "She knows how cold you are. I'm the only one who tries to help by making you express your feelings!"
"I don't care. It's not that serious."
"But I care about it!" Lumine declared, starting to drag him away. "You're coming with me. We're going to buy some clothes." In the same motion, she grabbed Alexia's hand. "You're coming with us, too!"
She began marching down the street, pulling a stoic Seiichi and a now utterly resigned Alexia, who wore a flat, deadpan expression, in her wake.
—
After several minutes of being unceremoniously towed through the foggy streets, they entered a spacious cloth shop. As they browsed the aisles, Seiichi suddenly stopped, his attention captured by a decorative pot holding a strange plant.
The flowers resembled roses, but their color was unnaturally dark—a deep, venous crimson so rich it was almost black.
"What is this flower doing here?" Seiichi muttered to himself.
Lumine noticed he had stopped and walked over. "What are you looking at?" she asked, following his gaze to the sinister bloom.
"I'm just wondering why this flower is here," he said, pointing at it.
"That's normal in this realm," Lumine explained.
"Why?"
"Well, in the Realm of Fate, there are pests called silk bugs. They eat fabric. Shop owners use these Cursed Flowers because they attract and trap any type of insect."
Cursed Flowers are a unique species that appeared over nine hundred years ago. They feed on ambient magical energy or drain it directly from beings nearby. If someone accidentally touches or ingests one, the flower releases a toxin that poisons the victim's magical core. It is invariably fatal; the greater the victim's magical power, the faster and more potent the poison acts.
The trio resumed their search for clothes. A few minutes later, Lumine held up a garment with a triumphant gleam in her eye.
"Seiichi!" she called out.
Seiichi and Alexia walked over. "What is it?" Seiichi asked.
"Look at this kimono! It's from one of the lower existential realms, the Realm of Mortals."
"What about it?"
"Look at the craftsmanship! It's exquisite, and I'm sure it'll look amazing on you. Why don't you try it on?" She didn't wait for an answer, pushing the kimono into his arms and shoving him toward the dressing room. "Hurry up and put it on!"
Several minutes passed. Alexia and Lumine waited outside the curtain.
Finally, Seiichi emerged. He wore a red kimono with a stark white interior. It was slightly too large for his frame, hanging open just enough to reveal a sliver of his chest, and featured wide, flowing sleeves.
Alexia couldn't tear her eyes away. A faint blush returned to her cheeks as she stared. Lumine's mouth fell open in a wide 'O' of appreciation.
She walked over and began circling him, inspecting the fit. "You look very good! But I feel like something's missing… it's your hair!"
"What do you mean?"
"I just mean you'd look even better with longer hair, like mine or Alexia's."
"I don't know about that. I'm feeling quite uncomfortable in this," Seiichi admitted, shifting awkwardly.
"That doesn't matter, because we're buying it!" Lumine declared.
Seiichi retreated back into the dressing room to change. The three of them proceeded to the counter, where Lumine paid for the kimono using coins from the wallet she had "liberated" earlier.
By the time they left the shop, it was already evening. The sun was a fading orange ember on the horizon, painting the perpetual fog with hints of gold.
"Time flew by so fast," Lumine remarked.
"It's time to go back. And I'm not going anywhere else now," Seiichi stated firmly, sounding genuinely annoyed as he carried the bag containing his new kimono.
"Alexia, why don't you come with us and meet my mom and the others?" Lumine suggested.
"I would love to, but Grandmother said I need to return before nightfall," Alexia replied with genuine regret.
"I see. Well, I won't stop you," Lumine said. She started walking, once again grabbing Seiichi's hand to drag him along.
Alexia watched them go, her focus lingering on Seiichi's retreating back. A small, tender smile graced her lips.
Suddenly, a intricate magic circle flared to life on the cobblestones beneath her feet. Her eyes widened in surprise, but before she could utter a sound or take a step, the light enveloped her, and she vanished from the spot without a trace.
A/N: Date: 16 Dec, 2025:
Sorry, guys but I won't be able to publish chapter today. Forgive me.