Elysia, the destined Villainess whose fate was to die by his hands. It had been a mere coincidence in the original story, but just like Star, she had been forced to go through a void gate due to dire circumstances and was then left here—in Paradise—by her elder sister to keep her safe.
Given their personalities, it was no surprise that they never met each other despite spending over a month together in this cursed haven.
Well, it was not like he harboured any specific intentions towards her. Elysia's life was not one he could change easily, especially not as he was. All Star wanted was for someone to keep him company until morning.
Elysia would never step foot inside that castle.
"Hello there."
He said, waving his hand with a smile on his face.
Refusing to let go of her fruit, Elysia sprang up from the ground and slowly backed away, not taking her eyes off him for a moment.
Seeing that she wasn't really in the mood for conversation, Star leaned against the tree closest to him and sat down with a soft sigh. The smile did not disappear from his face.
"I'm sorry for bothering you."
Elysia remained right where she was, still refusing to utter a word. After a few moments of tense silence between them, she took her long-awaited bite of the succulent golden fruit and, with her mouth full, asked,
"What are you doing here?"
Star shrugged.
"Very unfortunate circumstances."
Elysia furrowed her brows, clearly confused by his words. Star wondered if she simply thought he was lying, or if she was trying to discern their meaning.
The elf leaned against the tree once more, her intense gaze now carrying more intent.
Her voice sounded even.
"I see..."
No words were spoken between them after that. Elysia stopped glaring at him a few minutes later but still stole glances at him from time to time. Star, meanwhile, continued to look around Paradise with interest. It felt and looked far more different from what he had imagined while reading about it.
The world he had been told about was a world so ordinary that it made its purpose baffling. A grove and a garden just like any other, a castle without adornments—the only thing that made it different was that it was the only place in this hell free from the Curse of Eternity.
But that was precisely what made it so intriguing. Paradise looked like a place that had come to be because someone had twisted space, causing two different worlds to overlap. Paradise did not seem like it belonged in the depths of hell.
Elysia seemed to have noticed his lingering gaze, so at some point she joined him in looking around the place. Each time she looked back at the smile on his face, she frowned, probably wondering what could be fascinating him so much.
In the end, it was Star who broke the silence.
"Have you ever wandered to the other ends of this place? I mean, how different would they be compared to its entrance?"
Elysia was aghast at his statement. She shifted uncomfortably, the frown on her face deepening.
"You really must have gone crazy. Didn't anybody ever teach you not to go looking where you shouldn't? Things always go wrong when you do!"
It was just as he had thought earlier. Curiosity was the last thing Elysia could die to.
Star let out a mental sigh. He opened his hand and reached it toward her.
"Can I have what you're having?"
Elysia reached behind her and brought out the last of the fruits she had plucked. There was a hint of regret in her eyes as she stared at it, preparing to toss it toward him. But she wasn't prepared to give it to him without a bargain.
"Only if you're the one who will be climbing tomorrow."
He looked up at the tree he was sitting under. The single fruit that had been hanging from its branches was gone. It wasn't too high, so climbing it would not be much of a problem for him.
He gestured for her to toss the fruit with his fingers.
"It's a deal."
With some hesitation, she threw the fruit toward him. Star caught it without much trouble, bringing it slowly to his face. The fruit was pear-shaped and soft, feeling succulent and tender beneath his touch.
Without wasting a moment, he bit into it. A great deal of relief washed over him as the delicious juice ran down his throat, reminding him of how famished he actually was and quenching both his hunger and thirst.
In no time he finished the succulent golden fruit and, as it did not have any seeds, he left absolutely nothing behind. Sprawled on the grass with his arms and legs spread wide, he stared blankly at the starless sky above him.
The fruit was so filling that he wondered how Elysia had been able to finish more than one.
"How careless..."
It was a barely audible whisper that came from Elysia, immediately drawing his attention. Star looked at her, dumbfounded.
"Huh?"
He pulled himself up from the ground.
"Did you say something?"
Elysia did not answer. Instead, she stood up and walked past him, heading in the direction of the lake beside the castle.
Having walked a few metres away from him, she turned around and barked,
"Don't you dare try to pe—"
Star quickly cut her short with a loud yawn and sprawled on the ground once more.
"I've got better things to look at anyway."
Elysia did not say anything to him, choosing to leave immediately after his comment.
In the midst of her absence, he raised his left hand and looked at the ring wrapped around his forefinger.
It was red, like the armour he was wearing. The ring was simple in design and served as a type of spatial storage item. Just like his armour, it was another one of the gifts Viviric had given him and contained a few items that he was yet to check out.
'Maybe tomorrow morning.'
He closed his eyes and tried to loosen his muscles. But after a few minutes passed, he realized that he couldn't sleep. A few more minutes later, Elysia returned from her bath. She stopped a few trees away from him and lay on the grass, dozing off some time later.
'Curses.'
Grumbling, he stood up and began taking off his armour. When he was done, he threw everything into his storage ring, leaving nothing but a light tunic on. Then he brought out a rapier and moved away from the trees circling the castle.
The silver moon above continued to light the world around him, and under its pale radiance he practiced a few sword slashes and thrusts, trying to feel the flow of his body. When he got tired, he dropped the sword, sat on the grass, and meditated.
What felt like an eternity passed, yet he still did not tire, a bound of energy returning to his exhausted body as soon as he began meditating. At some point, he let go of his sword and simply began going through some basic martial arts.
A while longer, and he finally began to feel some progress. It was subtle, but undeniably there—a slight flow of energy from somewhere deep within him, flowing into his limbs each time he threw a punch or a kick.
The flow was random and in disarray, occurring at random moments and in irregular bursts. Something pulsed in his chest each time the flow occurred, like a second heartbeat growing louder the harder he trained.
He could actually feel it!
Soul Energy; the qualitative presence that existed within every living being possessing a soul. The greater the potency of one's soul, the more Soul Energy they could hold, and the more Aura they could express.
One's Aura was also a presence unique to them alone, and he had felt next to none from Viviric despite how powerful he was. Star was in a similar predicament, but only because he possessed almost no Soul Energy.
'I wonder when the summer solstice will be.'
Just as morning came, he lay down on the grass and dozed off the moment he closed his eyes.
Though he was not physically fatigued, the same could not be said about his mind.