BreakfastThe kit was bathed in the golden light of dawn. Sunrays streamed through the windows, casting dang shadows across the table, which was filled with freshly baked bread, ripe fruits, cheese, and warm drinks. Elyndra, ever poised, observed as Hitory and Tekime ehe room. He looked visibly exhausted, while she helped him walk, her hand firmly supp his arm.

  Seated at the table, the trio shared a quiet meal. Elyndra, always attentive, watched the dynamic betweewo young ohere was something special between them—new, yet undeniably deep.

  As Hitory reached for a piece of bread, Tekime stared at the food oable but made no move to serve herself. It was as if she was battling an invisible barrier, hesitating over something as simple as a meal.

  Sensing her disfort, Hitory acted without thinking. He took a piece of bread aly, yet firmly, brought it toward her lips.

  — "At least eat a little, will you?" — he said in a reassuring tone.

  Tekime's eyes widened in surprise. The ued gesture caught her off guard, and her cheeks quickly turned a shade of red.

  — "O-Okay... but just a little," — she responded, her voice carrying a timid yet genuine shyness.

  She took a small, hesitant bite of the bread he held. For a brief moment, her delicate fingers brushed against Hitory’s, creating a silent e. Hitory smiled, satisfied to see her eat.

  Elyndra hid a small smile at the se. But the lighthearted moment was soon interrupted by her usual curiosity.

  — "What’s going on with you two?" — Elyndra asked, raising an eyebrow. — "Since when do you know each other?"

  Hitory and Tekime exged a knowing gnce before responding in unison:

  — "Sihat day."

  Elyndra leaned forward slightly, intrigued, but chose not to press further. When they fiheir meal, Tekime turo Hitory with a gentle smile.

  — "Shall we get some fresh air?" — she suggested.

  He nodded, and together they stepped outside. Elyndra followed, but before they could waoo far, she issued a warning:

  — "Oh, and if you see ahereal butterfly, one whose wings shift between blue and gold, surrounded by a faint magical mist… do not touch it, much less try to catch or harm it."

  Hitory and Tekime exged puzzled looks.

  — "Why?" — Hitory asked.

  — "Because that butterfly is my familiar," — Elyndra expined, her voice soft but firm. — "Her name is Nytheria, and we are bound by a magical pact. She doesn’t like being disturbed… and be a little temperamental."

  Hitory frowned, intrigued.

  — "So familiars actually exist…" — he mused. — "I’ve only read about them in books and heard a few stories, but I’ve never seen one for real."

  Elyndra smirked slightly, crossing her arms.

  — "Now you have. And maybe one day, you’ll have ooo. But be careful what you wish for… the bond with a familiar is as powerful as it is dangerous."

  Uhe Cherry Blossom TreeOutside, the crisp st of the fields mixed with the fragrance of blooming flowers. Still visibly tired, Hitory let his gaze wander across the ndscape until he spotted a majestic cherry blossom tree atop a nearby hill.

  — "Look at that…" — he said, pointing at the tree. — "Shall we go there?"

  — "Of course, let’s go!" — Tekime replied excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

  The climb up the hill was slow, especially for Hitory, who was still rec from his wounds. When they finally reached the shade of the cherry tree, he colpsed onto the ground, breathless. Tekime, worried, k beside him.

  — "Are you okay?" — she asked.

  — "Just tired…" — he responded with a weary smile.

  Tekime hesitated for a moment before suggesting something ued.

  — "Lie down on my p. You o rest."

  Hitory was taken aback by the offer but eventually accepted. He carefully rested his head on her p, feeling the softness of her legs as a makeshift pillow. The world around them seemed to quiet as her fingers gently ran through his hair.

  A Promise RevealedThe silence was broken by Tekime, who observed him with curiosity.

  — "What were you doing there that day?" — she asked. — "And why did you help me?"

  Hitory opened his eyes, staring at the clouds above.

  — "I’m on a jouro the capital of Valonia," — he answered. After a brief pause, he added, — "As for helping you… I once made a promise to someone. I swore to be her guardian. But until I’m strong enough to protect her, I will protect whoever I ."

  There was a clear weight in his words. Tekime’s eyes filled with tears, and her voice wavered.

  — "But what you did was suicidal…"

  He closed his eyes again and smiled faintly.

  — "Just imagining what those three could have doo you… I wouldn’t have been able to sleep peacefully."

  Tekime averted her gaze to the sky, g her hands together in silent gratitude.

  — "Thank you so much… you kept your promise," — she murmured as tears slid down her cheeks.

  Hitory opened his eyes and watched her, curious.

  — "Who are you talking to?" — he asked.

  Tekime quickly wiped her tears and replied with a shy smile.

  — "It’s nothing…"

  Hitory sat up, pulled a small handkerchief from his pocket, aly wiped her face.

  — "Let’s go," — he said, holding Tekime’s hand. — "I o talk to Elyndra."

  Secrets in the LibraryBack at the house, Hitot straight to the point when he found Elyndra.

  — "Do you know any ruins with a inscriptions? Or what ‘Vessel’ means?" — he asked, his voice filled with urgend curiosity. — "And what about a bck tree with golden veins?"

  Elyndra crossed her arms, thoughtful. She seemed to carefully evaluate the question before answering, her gaze focused on Hitory as if she knew he wouldn’t ask such things without a reason.— “Alright, I answer some of those questions,” — Elyndra said, her expression intrigued. She now seemed more pensive, as if weighing her words before tinuing. — “e, let's go to my library.”

  She stood up, but before she could fully rise, Hitory felt Tekime pulling his arm—or rather, she wasn’t actively pulling him, but had dozed off while holding onto his arm with a delicate grip. She was lying dow she didn’t seem to want to let go, even in deep sleep.

  Hitory looked at the mage, his smile carrying a hint of .— “I’ll take her to the room.”

  Elyndra nodded, watg with a perceptive gaze, as if she already knew what was ing.— “Of course, she seems pletely exhausted.”

  Even with his left arm far from fully healed, Hitory carefully lifted Tekime, feeling the softness of her body against his. As he followed the path to her room, he noticed her fragility. Each step felt heavier due to the pain in his arm, but he ig, feeling that it was nothing pared to the weight Tekime seemed to carry. Upon reag the room’s door, he ope slowly, feeling the ess of the spad the lightness of the peaceful atmosphere. With extreme care, he id her down on the bed, adjusting a b over her, not wanting to wake her. Silence filled the room, aood there for a few seds, her serene, almost vulnerable face.

  As he turo leave, he found Elyndra leaning against the doorway, looking at him with a calm yet scrutinizing gaze. She didn’t seem surprised, but her expression carried a subtle curiosity.— “You two really have ionship?” — Elyndra asked, her voice soft but ced with sharp intuition.

  Hitory shifted his gaze to Tekime, feeling sudden warmth rise to his face. He hesitated for a moment, feeling disfrowing inside him.— “No, we don’t… but…” — He swallowed hard, trying tanize his thoughts. — “I feel like there’s some kind of e between us.”

  Elyndra observed him for a moment, her expression unreadable, but something in her gaze seemed to uand more than he wao admit. However, Hitory quickly moved on, ign the silent reading the mage was doing of him.

  They walked toward the library, and the magical lights automatically flickered on when Elyndra ehe space seemed to warm up, illuminated by a soft and weling glow that trasted with the darkness outside.— “You sit,” — Elyndra said in a slightly more serious tone. She gestured toward a chair o an aged wooden table.

  Hitory sat down, swallowing hard. He felt a growi—not just from the questions he had asked but from the answers he feared hearing.— “Ruins? Hm, yes, I’ve heard of some... but nearly all of them have been taken by the Nobles,” — Elyndra said with bitterness in her voice, as if it were a stant frustration to her. — “Most of the a ruins have been plundered or destroyed, many beyond access.”

  Hitory paid close attention to every word, abs the information, though he felt he couldn’t fully process it.— “‘Receptacle’... it carries a rather ominous meaning, whether one wants it to or not. It mean anything from a bearer of a blessing, a curse, or even an unimaginable power,” — Elyndra tinued, her gaze grave but also tinged with subtle .— “It’s not something one should seek lightly.”

  Hitory didn’t know what to think. The idea of a curse or an untrolble power uled him. His fiightened around the chair, trying to focus.— “And this tree…” — he began, his voice lower now, as if fearing the answer. — “I’ve heard about it, but no one seems to know much. They say it has golden veins, but... no one has found it, and there are no records of it.”

  Elyndra paused, her gaze distant, as if abs everything he had just said.— “I’ve heard some rumors about it… but so far, it's just a story. Nothing crete has ever been found or recorded about the tree. It’s only a legend.”

  Hitory was visibly exhausted by all the information he had just received. His shoulders slumped uhe weight of the revetions, too much to process at once. Without another word, he stood up from the chair and, with a nod toward Elyndra, thanked her. He only wao go to his room, where he could try to process everything he had just learned.

  An Unusual NightHitory arrived at the room and found Tekime still sleeping deeply. The bed was ly arranged with a b over her, and she looked peaceful, showing no signs of distress. Feeling exhausted and lost in his own thoughts, Hitory took off his shirt, leaving only his shorts. He y down beside Tekime, trying to rex a his body rest. But as the night progressed, the exhaustion of both his body and mind led him into a deep sleep.

  After some time, Hitory felt something ued. His arm was squeezed with a soft yet firm grip. He woke up with a start, opening his eyes quickly. Tekime was naked, hugging him in her sleep. The ued tact made his heart race. He jolted upright, startled.— “What are you doing?!” — he asked, trying to look away while feeling the disfort of not knowing how to hahe situation.

  Tekime, her eyes still glistening with tears, looked at him with an embarrassed gaze. She seemed genuinely frightened as well, but at the same time, her words carried immense vulnerability.— “You’re not going to leave me, right?” — she said, her eyes filled with tears. Her voice trembled slightly, as if she feared the answer.

  Hitory felt a tightness in his chest at the sight of the pain on her face. He sat beside her on the bed, pg a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her.— “No. As long as I , I will always help you,” — he said, a soft and f smile appearing on his face. It was a silent promise—a guarahat she wasn’t aloe everything.

  Tekime wiped her tears away with her hand and, with a small smile, gestured for him to lie down again.— “e, rest, Hitory.”

  Hitory, still feeling unfortable with the situation, y down once more. Tekime, though still holding onto him, seemed more at ease. He tried to ighe awkwardness of the moment and focus oing beside her.

  A New Day, A New MysteryThe m, Hitory woke up with Tekime lying on top of him. Her weight was gentle, but he still felt uneasy with her being naked. Not wanting to wake her, he carefully got up, trying not to make a sound. He headed to the kit, where he found Elyndra preparing breakfast.

  — “You’re up early today,” — Elyndra ented, skillfully stirring a magical kettle.

  — “Yeah…” — Hitory responded, his voiewhat distant. His gaze was fixed on his own arm, which still felt strange.

  Elyndra turo him, and her eyes instantly locked onto his arm.

  — “Your... arm…” — she murmured, surprised. The unease ione was evident, but she asked no further questions, simply watg Hitory with growing iy.

  Hitory let out a quiet sigh, staring at his arm, feeling an uling and disturbiion creeping through his body.

  End of EP 7 – "The First Promise"