Eternal Elysium

Days quickly passed. The chaos and the rising tension quickly calmed down with each day that passed. Now everything was silent. Everyone was busy with their life.

No one would believe that the city has gone through grand and radical changes.

But the changes were evident in people's eyes.

The touch of fear has almost, if not completely, vanished.

Looking through the balcony of my room, I smiled softly and went to sit on my chair.

Taking the quill in my hand and dipping it in ink. I stared at the empty paper on the table.

"Sorry, I have not been able to write letters for a while now. I have been busy. Many things have happened in Atlas in the last few weeks. Sometimes I would look back and wonder how far I have come in just a few months. But how are you all doing? Is everything going well? Is Gian still as lively as always? Did Liber and Anne become a couple? I wanted to ask such questions, but I think I will keep them for next time we meet. I have decided to join Temple and be given the position of an honorary knight captain. Pretty cool, right?"

I laughed while writing the last line for a moment. I could already imagine the shocked faces they will make upon reading this.

Tapping my jaw for a split second, I decided to quickly fill them in with the rest of the details.

"The business I have set up here is going well. The support we get from bigger businesses is probably the reason why our sales have reached sky high. Yet I can't stay here anymore. I still need to search for answers and now find someone to get them. I will be going to the death zones in the south. At the borders of the Amon kingdom—Kalista."

I felt my chest ache when I wrote those words. A strong burst of emotions seems to be flowing through me for a moment. I stayed silent for a while and continued.

"I have not told this to any of my friends yet. However, I have a feeling they might have already sensed it. I don't know how to bring this out, but I will figure something out just like I always have. Atlas doesn't hold my fondest memories, but it still has its moments I would miss. I have felt the betrayal of a friend, the schemes of merchants, and the survival of the fittest in monster waves. But I also have met a couple of good people who were worried for me from time to time, like you all had."

"You all don't need to write a reply in return. I probably won't be here by the time it comes here. I will notify my friends here through the temple of my condition and try to send letters whenever I have time. Hope you all stay well and happy."

Your eternal friend.

Asher.

I sealed the letter silently and placed it inside my bracelet. And sighed before looking up to see myself in the mirror.

My reflection came clear; my obsidian black hair has grown a little longer, reaching till down my ears. My deep silver eyes remained the same, filled with the same determination and curiosity that had driven me to this point. I studied my features, noticing the slight sharpening of my cheekbones and the toughened skin around my knuckles.

I chuckled and wore a jacket above my white tunic and went downstairs, closing the door.

As I reached the ground floor, my eyes searched to see the other members of the house. Albert stood by the fireplace, his hands crossed and a look of boredom present on his face. Not far from there I saw Elda sitting on her seat, her hand on her chin as she stared into space.

They both were neatly dressed and ready to go out. Even Albert seems to have taken the liberty to dress properly today, something unusual, as it has never happened before.

They both heard the sound of steps, turned their heads tentatively, and looked at me. Albert gave me an annoyed look, his dirty blonde hair almost coming down as he shook his head in contempt, while Elda stood up, her hands on her hips.

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"You are late!"

Elda's sharp voice cut through the silence like a knife. She had her arms folded, and her black eyes bore into me with a look that could make even the bravest of soldiers tremble. I gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged my shoulders.

"Sorry, I was writing a letter." I said, walking toward Albert, and took the apple placed on the tray without much thought and started to eat it.

Their eyes didn't stop glaring at me, making my brows furrow up in confusion. Alber took a deep sigh, his arms dropping to his sides as he stepped forward.

"Boss, I have the tickets. How long are you planning to make us wait?" His voice was calm; having been through his own share of troubles, Albert has somehow turned influential in his own way, building many connections with people.

The tickets were for a theater drama, a popular one at that. The actors had come from the capital to perform this show. So, one could imagine how hard it would be getting them. Under Elda's pestering, we had decided to also see the drama, all of us, not just her.

I glanced at Elda, her foot tapping the ground. She tried to hide her excitement, but her lips curling up and eyes shining in excitement were more than clear signs of her impatience. I sighed and nodded slowly in Albert's direction.

"Good work bringing the tickets so early." I clenched my fists and opened them, feeling the tension quickly fade away. Smiling, I walked forward, still eating the apple.

"Don't worry, the driver has only arrived now. We should also not forget him. He is the one who will take us to the theater, remember?"

The carriage driver was set to arrive five minutes later. There was more than sufficient time for me to be at ease.

"Ah, yes. But..." Albert gave me a wry smile and raised his finger, pointing at Elda. I turned to look at her and saw her impatience and clicking of her tongue from time to time.

Her dress flowed nicely down to her heels as she stepped forward, walking past both Albert and me.

"The play is starting in thirty minutes, and I don't want to miss the opening act!"

And then—

A small sound of wheels entered my ears.

"Alright, let's go!" I didn't wait and quickly ran away from the room. Elda's eyes widened a little before she turned to see Albert do the same, following me behind.

Elda blinked, alone in the hall. She wanted to follow them but gritted her teeth, knowing they had left her behind to lock the doors.

"Lazy bums!" Elda grumbled under her breath, her cheeks flushed with a mix of annoyance and excitement. She knew she had to play the responsible one now, but she couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy for not being the first to leave.

She hurried to the door, her steps echoing through the quiet house as she made sure to lock everything up properly. With a final click of the lock, she turned and rushed out to the carriage that was waiting for them outside.

As Elda boarded the carriage, sitting beside me, she stuck her tongue out with a grumpy look and turned her head away. Albert, seeing this, laughed, making Elda's face flush in annoyance.

I laughed seeing this as the carriage moved through the streets. Our banter continued till the carriage stopped once again after fifteen minutes.

Coming out, I saw a large crowd of people waiting in lines. I turned back to see Albert coming out and reached my hand to Elda as she took it in surprise and stepped down from the carriage.

"Thank you, Asher." She said cheerfully while grabbing one side of her gown and walking forward.

I gave the carriage driver a nod and passed him a little money, hoping he could also enjoy the evening.

"Do we need to wait in line?" Elda asked, her face getting pale as she looked through the crowd.

I chuckled, thinking they all were used to being clingy with every single note, but now that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

"No, I guess not." I saw Albert whisper something in the guard's ear and then give us a thumbs up in our direction. We walked forward, cutting through the crowd; Elda gave me a perplexed look. Her brows shot together as she whispered in my ears, her voice soft and pleasing.

"Why are we going in? Shouldn't we wait in line?"

I grinned, whispering back.

"...Albert bribed the guards to let us go first."

Elda's eyes widened in shock as she realized what had happened. Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, but she quickly composed herself. "That was... sneaky," she murmured, trying not to smile.

"Albert is getting smart, I would say." I smiled back and gave Albert a thumbs up in return as he joined us.

The theater was grand, with lights shimmering and reflecting off the polished floors and chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. The air was filled with the scent of perfumes and cologne, a stark contrast to the usual smells of the city streets. The murmurs of the crowd grew louder as we approached the entrance, their excitement palpable.

Taking out my seat at the VIP section, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride swell in my chest. The velvet chairs were a stark contrast to the wooden benches we used to sit on during our early days. Well, I could have still afforded it, but Albert and Elda needed time to adjust.

We chatted about mundane things, from the local news to dogs and cats going missing once in a while. Albert had more than enough stories to keep us entertained as his face made new expressions, each dumber than the next one.

Then Albert stopped his head jerking back at the stage.

"Shh." He raised his finger, making us fall silent. "It's about to begin." He whispered.