Chapter 346: Date [End]

Soren and Ethea stayed in each other’s arms, neither pulling away. The gondola drifted lazily through the night sky, and above them, the stars had come out in full force. Thousands of them, scattered across the darkness like diamonds on black velvet.

They enjoyed the view without a single word. No words were needed between them now, after all.

However, in reality, it was taking everything they had not to combust on the spot.

’I... I can’t believe I actually said it.’ Soren mumbled to himself. ’...I really confessed to her. And she... she loves me too... Hehe...’

Giggling like a fool, he glanced down at Ethea, who was still nestled against his chest. Her eyes were on the stars, but there was a faint blush on her cheeks that hadn’t been there before.

’...She’s embarrassed too.’

The thought made him want to laugh, but he held it in. Instead, he let his gaze drift upward, joining her in watching the stars.

The night was peaceful, the city below was breathtaking, and the woman he loved was in his arms. Although he couldn’t find a dragon to fly them through the sky like in his favorite childhood movie, this moment felt just as magical.

Ethea shifted again, this time turning her head so she could look at him properly. "...You’re smiling."

"Am I?"

"Mm. You’ve been smiling for the past ten minutes."

"Can you blame me?" He stared right into her eyes. "...I have a pretty good reason after all."

"...Right." Ethea’s cheeks turned into a shade of pink again, but she didn’t turn away. "And for what it’s worth, I don’t think I’m going to stop smiling anytime soon either."

"Then, let’s just keep smiling."

"Mm..."

They spent the rest of the ride in comfortable silence, watching the city lights flicker below, and the stars twinkle above. The gondola drifted slowly, following its preset route through the night sky and eventually returned back to the station where they had started.

After disembarking and thanking the staff, they returned straight back to the hotel. Soren quickly prepared dinner, and they ate together, talking about the date and other stuff. Ethea was worried about Zura since they planned to talk today, but Soren reassured her, saying he had already warned her they wouldn’t be available today. He also told her that Ryan and his family would arrive tomorrow or the day after.

By the time they finished eating, bathing, and changing, it was almost past ten o’clock.

Soren put her gently into bed before climbing beside her. He then pulled the covers over both of them and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"Goodnight, Ethea." He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I love you. Have sweet dreams."

"...I love you too."

"..."

’...Soren,’ Ethea mentally spoke a moment later; however, her tone sounded a bit hesitant and solemn.

’Hmm? Is something wrong?’ Soren asked attentively.

’...I think... I think I’m going to have a breakthrough tonight.’ Ethea explained. ’Probably as soon as I attempt to.’

’Oh,’ Soren replied, his tone calm despite the sudden gravity of her words. ’Then don’t hold back. I’ll be right here the whole time.’

’...You’re not surprised?’ Ethea asked, sounding surprised herself.

’I was already expecting it and made preparations.’ Soren explained. ’And I’m worried a lot and am afraid something might go wrong. But now I’m more than ready. In fact, I feel like I can do anything right now. So leave the rest to me and just focus on your breakthrough.’

’...’ Ethea went silent. A moment later, Soren felt a familiar sensation: a pair of lips pressing against his. It lasted only a heartbeat before she pulled away, and by the time he opened his eyes, she had already closed hers. ’...Thank you. I’m starting now.’

’Good luck...’

Soren watched her for a moment longer, and his expression slowly turned solemn. While he didn’t lie about making preparations or feeling like he could take the whole world, he knew better than to be complacent. Anything could happen during and after her breakthrough, and only when he was fully focused and in top condition would he be able to deal with them.

So he hoped for the best and prepared for the worst.

Time passed.

Minutes bled into hours as he stood vigil over her. He didn’t let his guard down even for a second, repeatedly using Advanced Appraisal on her every few breaths to monitor her condition, tracking every subtle shift in her mental state and power.

’Hmm?’

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he moved away from Ethea. The next moment, her body slowly lifted off the bed, floating into the air as if carried by invisible strings. Her hair drifted around her shoulders, and her skin began to glow with a faint silver light.

Before Soren could process it, the light vanished as darkness swallowed the room. It lasted for only a fraction of a heartbeat before pinpricks of brilliance ignited across it, clustering into swirling nebulae and rivers of starlight. The walls, ceiling, and floor seemed to dissolve entirely, transforming the chamber into a vast cosmos centered around her floating form.

’...Is she breaking through?’ Soren frowned and checked her status to be sure. ’...She is.’

If so...

’Was my breakthrough like this too?’ He couldn’t help but ask himself. Unfortunately, he was in his soul space and didn’t know what happened outside at the time. ’...Let’s focus on her. I can think about it later.’

He pushed the thought aside and kept his eyes on Ethea, watching as the stars around her continued to swirl and contract.

’...It must be related to the technique she cultivates.’ He guessed and sent a message to Malakor to be ready at all times.

A few minutes passed, and the room slowly returned to its previous state. The stars faded, the darkness receded, and Ethea’s body descended gently back toward the bed. Soren reached out and caught her before she could land too hard, cradling her in his arms. He laid her down carefully, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Then he felt it. ℴℴ𝘮

Through their bond, he sensed a new presence. Something dark and malicious was moving inside her, rising from deep within and clawing its way toward the surface.

’The curse!’