The departure gate of the Divine Sanctum lay where polished stone met open sky. Sora led the way, the indigo-sealed mission parchment pulsing in her hand as it registered her authorization. With each step, the liturgical silence of the inner halls thinned, replaced by the rush of open air and the distant hum of the city below.
Null followed half a pace behind.
Sunlight spilled across the terrace as they emerged, illuminating Elpis in its sprawling glory. Spired districts stretched toward the horizon, interwoven with mana-conduits that carried energy like glowing veins through the advanced mideval sprawl.
Sora paused at an ancient transport sigil embedded in the stone. Layered runes traced its circumference: spatial anchoring, safety interlocks, and emergency recall. She knelt, pressing her palm to the center.
The runes awakened, their glow deepening to a steady indigo.
"You always do the activation yourself?" Null watched with quiet interest.
"I prefer knowing exactly what's been keyed in," Sora replied, rising.
"Cautious?"
"Risk-averse".
Null smiled. "Fair enough."
"Are you equipped?" Sora asked, eyeing him.
He tapped the ring on his finger. "Weapons, emergency ration bar I was told not to eat unless desperate, and other necessities were safely stored in the spatial ring courtesy of Commander Dhomnac."
She eyed him. "You ate one already, didn't you."
"It was labeled 'nutritionally complete,'" he averted his eyes. "I had to test the claim."
Sora pinched the bridge of her nose. "Null-san…"
"I'm alive," he said sheepishly. "Marginally offended by the taste, but alive."
A brief huff of laughter escaped her. Her gaze lingered on him, assessing his stance and the steady flow of his mana. He felt her consideration—not as scrutiny, but as a weight.
"Stay behind my spell barriers if things escalate," she seriously said.
"And if they escalate past your barrier?"
"Then you follow my instructions."
He inclined his head. "Understood. But if you're injured and unable to move?""
Sora's breath caught. "That won't happen."
"That wasn't my question."
The hum of the sigil filled the silence. "Then you're allowed to make your own decisions," she said at last.
"Good to know."
The sigil flared. Sora stepped into the center, and Null joined her. Violet light surged upward, enveloping them in a surge of spatial compression. The terrace dissolved into currents of intent.
***
Space unfolded with a disorienting lurch. They emerged in a transit plaza at the foot of the Sanctum's elevated monolith. Below them lay the City of Lumeris.
Lumeris was a sprawl of alabaster and gold, cradled by pale hills and threaded with luminous ley-lines that ran beneath translucent stone streets. Unlike the hushed sanctity above, the city breathed with motion. Merchants called out from arcades; couriers weaved through crowds; mana-assisted conveyances shared the streets with beasts of burden.
"Lumeris," Sora said. "It handles the logistics and trade for the Sanctum."
""So this is where divinity touches infrastructure," Null remarked.
They descended into the thoroughfare. Null noticed how the crowd subtly adjusted as Sora passed—a respectful widening of space, a lowering of voices.
"You're recognized," he observed.
"Only in the inner districts, Outside, I'm just another cleric" she said. "Few know me as the Saintess, the successor to the holy throne. My true appearance is a secret."
Null glanced at her, realization dawning. "Oh. I see."
"See what?"
"It should have been obvious. You wear that veil because you're too beautiful, right?" he asked playfully.
The world faded. Sora's breath caught, and heat rushed to her face with the force of a triggered spell. She snapped her head toward him, mortified.
"You can't just say things like that in public!" she rebuked with embarrassment.
"Was that improper?" Null blinked.
"Yes!"
"Cultural miscalculation," he noted, though his expression remained mischievous.
Sora glared at him, her thoughts scattering. Why does she lose her composure so easily around him? Praise was a constant in her life—from nobles, knights, and clerics. None of it had ever mattered. Because her heart and soul—her entire being—had long ago been bound to that child she had sworn to save.
That vow had been her anchor. Her reason. The axis upon which everything was held together
So then—
Why? From the moment she met Null, her heart began to misbehave?
Why did her thoughts stumble whenever he spoke?
Why did a single remark from Null struck deeper than a thousand rehearsed compliments?.
What is this sensation, This soulful, indescribable emotion that made her chest tighten?
"Don't say things like that so lightly," she muttered, grounding herself. "It's… irresponsible."
Null studied her for a moment, then nodded quietly. "Got it."
As they moved deeper into the crowd, whispers followed. A pair of merchant girls paused, their eyes widening as they looked at Null.
"Who is he?" one whispered. "I've never seen a boy so… beautiful."
"You mean handsome, sister… he's a boy," the other hesitated, though her cheeks were flushed. "But his features… are indeed too beautiful. Not eve the noble ladies i know of could compare."
An older woman selling fruit lingered a moment longer than necessary. "Hah. Youths are too blessed these days…"
Null exhaled a long, dramatic sigh, lifting a hand to his temple. "Saintess," he said gravely, "it seems you aren't the only one bearing the curse of being too beautiful. Fate is cruel."
Sora stumbled half a step. "Excuse me?"
"The stares, the whispers, the unsolicited admiration," he said. "It's a shared hardship."
She turned to him slowly, veil rustling as she faced him fully.
"That," Sora said flatly, "is the most narcissistic thing I have ever heard."
"Self-awareness is important," he added seriously.
Speechless, Sora exhaled. "I just learned an important thing about you."
"Oh?"
"You are quite insufferable, aren't you?"
"A little," he admitted.
His smile brimmed sincerity. "Would you prefer I pretend not to notice?"
"Yes."
"Very well. I'll suffer in silence."
Her lips parted, "You are impossible."
Sora huffed and turned away.
'Thanks for the compliment.' Her steps were lighter. The warmth in her chest refused to fade.
***
They reached a transit junction. Sora consulted her mission-parchment. "The village is too remote for a sigil jump. We will take a horse-cab."
"I was expecting something… floaty," Null said sullenly.
"Lumeris prefers reliability," Sora deadpanned.
Horse cab station, The cab was a sturdy carriage reinforced with shock-absorbing runes. Each drawn by a pair of well-groomed horses bearing light mana-bridles.
The driver—a middle-aged man with sun-weathered skin and a sharp eye—straightened as Sora approached.
"Destination?" he asked.
"Greythorn Village," Sora replied.
The driver nodded once. "Two hours, if the roads hold."
"It will," she said calmly.
As they settled inside the interior of the cab, which was compact but well-cushioned. The city noise faded to a murmur. The carriage lurched forward, rolling out of Lumeris and onto the outer road.
Through the window, stone buildings gave way to terraced farmland. Null leaned back, observing the swaying mana-infused crops.
"This feels… normal," he said.
"What did you expect?." Sora questioned.
Null said with an awkward expression. "Not much, i guess?"
Sora gave him a long look.
"Just got spoiled by my home world, okay?" He added.
"Pfffft—" Sora lost her composure entirely.
"Heyyy"
"Don't worry, Not every threat, even mundan announces itself with calamity."
"Ahem. Good, I'd hate for our first mission to start with an apocalypse."
"Our first mission?"
He met her gaze. "You're my caring senior who didn't let me go alone. I would be sad if something disrupted our 'first mission' so soon."
Sora looked out the window, torn between disbelief and a growing, unwanted smile tugging at her lips.