In a certain residence in the sub sector, a young looking man who looked to be in his twenties with short green hair and purple eyes could be seen with a young woman who also shared the same hair and eye color with the boy. They kept observing the beautiful scenery around them but their heights were largely contrasted almost seeming comical.
The young woman stood at a height of about six foot four and the young man stood at a height of about five foot eleven. However that wasn't the most striking feature of the young man as his thick brows were extremely apparent on his squarish face.
The young man stared at his surroundings but his eyes were fixed on the sky above, "I wonder how much time and resources were spent into making something like this, it really doesn't feel like we're inside an airship."
The woman smiled sweetly, her eyes also staring at the sky but once in a while the buildings and the birds would draw in her attention
"I heard from grandfather that this mage airship is one of the new models that then empire has been working on." She turned her head and looked at the man. "But do you know there is a more advanced model than this?"
Hearing this he was surprised, "Are you serious?"
"Of course, but it is still in the testing phase which is why we can only use this" -she stretched her arm as a butterfly perched on it- "airship, afterall the safety and comfort of everyone has to be considered"
He calmed himself but nodded his head in agreement, still he was amazed, such a spectacular view was something one wouldn't see everyday.
He suddenly remembered something as his brows creased, "Did you see him?"
"Who?" she replied, there were many people in the airship afterall, he had to be specific.
He paused, not knowing if he should utter that name but he pressed on, "You know who, Cai-"
"Stop! Don't mention his name around me," she hollered as she interjected but her smooth hands began to shake as the butterfly was scared off, her expression became somber as she clutched her robe tightly.
The young man saw this and shook his head, ever since the events ten years ago his sister has been like this. At the mere mention of his name she would shiver, the fear of him already seeped deep into her. Although her body was treated from her injuries and given the some of the best potions to restore her vitality, nothing could be done about this in particular, she had to overcome it herself.
At first both he and his grandfather thought it would be temporary but they were proven wrong, it persisted even till this day. She would keep having nightmares and screaming in her sleep. Still, It gradually got better as she seemed to be recovering but mentioning his name or even seeing the person responsible for this always seemed to send shivers down to her spines.
He hated the person responsible so much, he wanted to kill him for causing his sister so much pain. He always had the urge to just throw caution to the wind and ignore everything his grandfather told him but he managed to compose himself, he knew that the person was extremely dangerous so he had to tread carefully.
He saw the person today, he was really tall for his age but it wasn't that surprising. His expression was still the same, extremely plain. Almost like he cared about nothing and no one. He noticed that his sister also saw him but quickly averted her gaze.
Normally he should've attended this meeting alone as a representative but his grandfather thought otherwise and insisted that his sister came along. He guessed that his grandfather wanted to use this an opportunity for her to gain more confidence and hopefully wipe away that fear from her.
"Please forgive me sister, I didn't mean for any of that." He reached out and held her still shaking hands. "I also hope that you overcome this, I'm here with you so it's alright sis"
The young woman calmed down a little but her hands were still shaky and sweaty, "I know Raymond, I know you mean well. I'm sorry it's just that the scenery from that day replays in my head each time I hear his name or see him and my body begins to shiver...I-I can't control it"
She stopped speaking as she knelt down and began to sob, she wasn't crying because of what happened years ago but because this particular situation greatly affected her training and well being. Although she was now a rank one she was just in the early stage whereas her brother was in the middle stage but on the cusp of the late stage despite the fact she was naturally more talented than him.
It hadn't been easy for her, she had really tried her best. She was lucky that she was able to overcome the mind tribulation with such an unstable state of mind. Nevertheless she won't give up, one day she would personally overcome this and she agreed with her grandfather's idea of her attending this meeting.
Raymond massaged her hair softly, he regretted even bringing up this topic, he was too careless. He thought that maybe with little improvements she displayed, it would be alright but he was totally wrong. He hated seeing his lovely sister like this
"No sister, it's my fault for being insensitive. I should have known better," he murmured as he kept stroking her smooth hair gently.
They stayed that way for some time before the woman regained her bearings. She wiped the tears off her eyes and smiled once more. This was just another hurdle for her, it was nothing and she would make sure that she does not disappoint herself.
Raymond saw her smile and sighed with relief, he knew this was just temporary but still it was better than seeing her tears.
He stood up and stretched out his hand to her, "How about we go for a little walk sister?"
The young woman raised her head and stared at him with a smile as she nodded and took his hand.
***
Ellen was busy in her place of residence testing out a few things and scribbling down some important details in one of her notes as she hummed a tune happily.
She was rather happy today, she found the perfect girl to use as a pawn to test Cain. No one knew why she was obsessed with him, only she herself did. For her, it definitely had nothing to do with love but something much more.
She knew what Mace was thinking, she knew he was wondering about her obsession with Cain, mistaking it for love but she couldn't be bothered to correct him. She definitely held a very soft spot for Mace but not in a romantic way nevertheless when it came to Cain, It was definitely not that emotion called love, she didn't have time for that, it was simply extreme curiosity.
She remembered the first time she heard his name in the circles, she remembered the first time she saw him. How he overcame the trials, she remembered what Abigail had to say about him and her mind went into overdrive, she couldn't stop the joy, happiness and curiosity from exploding within her.
Even though her affinity was the ultra rare soul element, it still didn't match up to the perfect specimen that Cain was. In her books, not even the rarest of elements could be more interesting than him for reasons only she knew. His mere talent alone spoke volumes of his potential, not to talk of his visage.
She didn't have much hope for Tara but she had to try. Afterall Tara was someone she personally selected, so maybe there was a chance it could work. However she kept wondering if anything could move him, just what were his plans, what exactly was he up to.
She was an extremely curious person and when someone of interest such as him made moves she naturally wanted to be in the know. But she couldn't find out much, despite planting various moles among his experiments.
Right now all she could do was wait, she was attending this meeting because of him anyways, she wanted to keep an eye on him and to know every little thing he did. Her curiosity was her obsession and she gladly accepted that fact. She herself made numerous plans and had contingencies if the whole thing turned to bite her in the ass.
Humming to herself she stopped what she was doing and sat down on a sofa, "I cannot wait to get my hands on you Cain, I wonder what sort of expression you would have on your face when..."
She paused and smiled, imagining how all her plans were going to pan out, imagining the expression he would have. She had a surprise for him and was eager to see how he reacted. However one thing she had was patience, although she was curious she was an extremely methodical and patient person so she could afford to wait.
After organising her thoughts, she closed her eyes and kept humming as her smile widened.