The theater was an incredibly large, dark brown, bricked two-story building. There was a portico in front of the building with a large white sign plastered on the front of it, which read "THEATER" in all red block letters. Large rectangular windows were installed into the building but were tinted to the point where it was nearly impossible to see inside. Large rectangular posters of the current illusionaires available to watch were displayed in glass cases in front of the building.

  "It's been a while since I've been here," Nicholas commented as he looked at the theater. His eyes fell on the poster for the illusionaire they were going to see, "Hearts of War," and he smiled and pointed to it. "There's the one we're going to see. I'm excited to see it!"

  Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas, her lips curved, and her cheeks turned a little red as she saw how excited he looked, "Yeah, I'm excited to see it with you, too."

  Nicholas' gaze flicked to her, and he nonchalantly smiled. Elianna's smile faded, and her cheeks reddened more as their eyes met, and she realized what she just said. Behind them, Celine humorously grinned and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to keep herself from laughing at Elianna's comment and reaction.

  "A-And Celine!" Elianna quickly stammered, sounding embarrassed. Nicholas looked at her curiously, wondering if she was okay, and Celine released a small snort. Elianna looked over her shoulder at Celine, and Celine quickly removed her hand from her mouth, managing to smile without laughing at Elianna. "I'm excited to see it with both of you," Elianna quickly said.

  Not wanting to embarrass Elianna, Celine smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm excited to see it with both of you, as well."

  Celine's eyes flicked to the poster, seeing it depicted a beautiful female with blonde hair and hazel eyes adorned in armor, standing beside a handsome man with brown hair and green eyes, also adorned in armor. The figures stood closely together with swords in their hands and their free hands holding each other. Then, behind the two figures, two castles were depicted, both on fire, with silhouettes exiting the castles and running at each other with weapons in their hands.

  Celine tilted her head slightly to the right, looking at the poster curiously, "What's this illusionaire about exactly?"

  Nicholas looked at Celine, confused, "You came with us to the illusionaire, not knowing what it's about?"

  Celine gave Nicholas a deadpan look, "I'm technically here as your chaperone, remember?" She smiled, "Plus, it's nice to get out and spend time with both of you."

  Elianna returned Celine's smile, "Well, I'm glad you chose to come with us." She chuckled slightly, "I'd imagine it wouldn't be as fun with one of our parents."

  Nicholas nodded in agreement, "That's true." He gestured to Celine, "But, to answer your question, the illusionaire is about two kingdoms who are at war with each other."

  "Why?" Celine asked.

  Elianna shrugged, "Don't know, yet." Her lips curved slightly, "But, in the midst of the war, the female hero of one nation and the male prince of another meet and fall in love. The story is about them coming together and trying to stop the war."

  "Hmmm," Celine hummed and looked at the poster with raised brows. "Sounds interesting." She jerked her chin toward the entrance to the theater, "Come on, let's go inside and get our tickets."

  Nicholas and Elianna nodded, and the three of them began to walk toward the theater. The theater seemed busy, as several people were walking in and out of the building. As Nicholas approached, he grabbed the door as a couple exited the building, stood off to the side, and held it open for Elianna and Celine.

  Elianna blushed slightly and smiled, "Thank you."

  "No problem," Nicholas replied casually with a smile as Elianna entered the building.

  Celine smirked at Nicholas as she walked by, "What a gentleman."

  Nicholas playfully rolled his eyes and followed Celine into the theater.

  The interior of the theater was far more grand than the outside. Beneath Nicholas', Elianna's, and Celine's feet, a red carpet with a black and gold design spread across the room and up the stairs to the second floor. To their left was a small front desk area where several employees stood and sold tickets to customers. In front of them stood a podium, where another employee would take the customers' tickets and advise them of which room the illusionaire would be playing in. Across the room was the concessions stand, a large area that was bustling with employees and customers alike.

  "Seems like the theater is a little busy today," Celine commented as she began to make her way to the front desk.

  "I wonder if they're going to see the same illusionaire," Nicholas curiously asked as she and Elianna followed Celine.

  Elianna's shoulders slumped, "If they are, I hope the showing isn't bought out already."

  "I doubt it," Celine said as she got into one of the ticket lines. She looked at Elianna over her shoulder and smiled, "My mom and I looked at the show times on this morning's paper that was distributed. There are several showings at the same time. Probably because the illusionaire is new and very popular."

  "That's good," Elianna smiled with relief. "I was beginning to think we wouldn't get any seats." She chuckled humorously and said, "Could you imagine if we bought out an entire theater room to ourselves?"

  Nicholas grumbled and shrugged as he looked around. "It's not as cool as you think."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas, confused, "You've bought an entire room out to yourself?"

  Nicholas immediately stiffened, and his eyes widened slightly. He slowly looked at Elianna, seeing her eyeing him with a perplexed gaze. "I uh," Nicholas began and cleared his throat as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Uh, not me per se. My, uh, my father bought it out for him, my brother, and me."

  "Really?" Elianna said as her eyes furrowed, her confusion growing. "And I didn't know you have a brother."

  Celine looked at Nicholas a little worriedly, seeing him uneasy.

  "I uh," Nicholas stammered and looked down. His breathing seemed to increase, and he nervously scratched the back of his head, becoming more uncomfortable by the second.

  "The line's moving," Celine cut in.

  Elianna looked at Celine, who smiled at her. Looking forward, Elianna noticed the line had indeed moved. Celine stepped forward, and Nicholas and Elianna followed her. Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas, seeing his eyes were downcast, his brows were furrowed, and he seemed to be deep in thought. She wanted to ask him more about this brother he had never mentioned to her before, but his expression prevented her from doing that. But, as she thought about it, she realized that Nicholas never really talked about his family back in Zasaly, which Elianna found curious.

  "Next!"

  Elianna's eyes broke away from Nicholas, and she looked forward, seeing Celine approach the counter. She looked at Nicholas again, seeing him begin to follow his cousin, and she followed.

  "Hello," The young male employee greeted with a kind smile as Celine approached. "How may I help you?"

  Celine returned the employee's smile, "Three tickets for Hearts of War, please."

  The employee's eyes flicked behind Celine, seeing Nicholas and Elianna standing behind her. He looked back at Celine and said, "Of course; however, the movie is rated as restricted, and you need to be seventeen to enter or accompanied by an adult."

  Celine nodded and smiled, "I'm aware and accompanying them." She took out her square identification card and handed it to the employee.

  Reading over the identification card, the employee smiled and nodded, seeing Celine was eighteen, "Ah, perfect." He handed Celine her identification card back and began to write in his ledger. "Then, that'll be twenty-four credits, please."

  "I can get my own ticket," Elianna told Celine.

  Celine smiled at Elianna over her shoulder and shook her head, "Don't worry about it, I got it."

  "Thanks," Elianna said genuinely and looked back at Nicholas. Elianna's brows furrowed slightly with concern, seeing Nicholas standing there silently, staring at the ground.

  Celine pulled her credit keeper out of her spatial ring and tapped it against the receiver, transferring the credits.

  Seeing the credits were transferred, the employee stamped three pieces of small rectangular paper and handed them to Celine. "Here you go, three tickets."

  "Thank you," Celine said and began to walk toward the podium, with Nicholas and Celine following her.

  As Elianna followed Celine, her eyes periodically shifted to Nicholas, who was obviously bothered by something. Her concern continued to build as she looked at Nicholas, but she also felt crummy, thinking he was only like this because of something she said.

  "Hello, tickets, please."

  Elianna looked forward, seeing Celine approaching the podium where a young female employee was standing.

  "Here you go," Celine said, handing the employee the three tickets.

  The female took the tickets and read them over before she tore them in half, "You'll be in theater nine." She handed Celine one-half of the tickets, "Turn right once you get up the stairs, and it'll be the first one on your left."

  "Thank you," Celine said and took the tickets.

  The three of them walked past the employee and entered the main theater area, and Celine curiously looked over her shoulder at Nicholas and Elianna.

  "Would either of you want some popcorn and drinks?" Celine asked.

  Elianna smiled and nodded, "Yes, I would."

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  Celine looked at Nicholas, and her brows furrowed slightly, seeing his downcast gaze, "Nick?"

  Nicholas looked up, brows raised high, obviously startled, "Hmm?"

  Celine gave Nicholas a small smile, "Would you like popcorn and a drink?"

  "Oh," Nicholas said, cleared his throat, and returned Celine's smile. "Yes, that's fine."

  Celine nodded, "Okay, three popcorn and three drinks. You two okay with juice?"

  Nicholas nodded, "Yes."

  "Yeah," Elianna responded.

  "Cool," Celine said and began to walk toward the concessions. "I'll be right back. Stay here."

  Elianna and Nicholas nodded and watched as Celine walked off. Watching as Celine got into one of the concessions lines, Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas, seeing him standing there casually, looking in Celine's direction. He didn't seem bothered like he was a few moments ago, but that didn't mean Elianna didn't feel bad for possibly distressing him.

  Elianna's stomach dropped the more she thought about it, thinking about how Nicholas looked, how he wasn't his cheerful self, and how he was possibly mad at her. "I-I'm sorry," Elianna whispered, her voice soft and shaky.

  Nicholas' eyes flicked to her, and he looked at her confused, "Huh? For what?"

  Elianna's eyes fell, and she grabbed her left arm with her right hand, bringing herself into a comforting self-hug, "For making you upset earlier?"

  Nicholas' expression relaxed, and his lips curved into a smile, seeing Elianna standing there dejectedly. Nicholas reached out, wrapped his arm around Elianna's shoulder, and pulled her into a side hug. Elianna's eyes immediately widened, and her cheeks turned apple-red as Nicholas pressed her against him.

  "A-Aren't you upset?" Elianna stammered out and looked up at him. Her cheeks burned intensely, and her stomach fluttered as she met Nicholas's gaze, seeing how close their faces were. "Y-you're not mad at me?"

  Nicholas chuckled and shook his head, "No, I'm not." He shrugged, "While I admit I'm not a fan of talking about my family back in Zasaly, that doesn't mean I'm upset." He tightened his side hug, pulling Elianna closer, and smiled, "Plus, I don't think I could ever be mad at you, Lia."

  Elianna felt like her face was about to melt off from blushing so intensely, but she didn't care as warmth washed through her as she felt herself being pressed against Nicholas. Hearing Nicholas' words, her lips curved into a blissful smile, and she leaned her head against Nichoals' shoulder.

  "Am I interrupting something?"

  Nicholas and Elianna looked toward the voice, seeing Celine approaching them with a tray in her hands that contained three popcorn and three drinks. She had a grin on her face while her eyes darted between Elianna and Nicholas.

  Elianna's eyes widened in embarrassment as she quickly pulled away from Nicholas, "N-No."

  Nicholas raised a brow, confused about why Elianna pulled away so quickly before he looked at Celine and smiled, "Got the snacks?"

  Celine chuckled at Elianna's reaction but also smiled at seeing Nicholas wasn't as glum as before. She raised the tray in her hands slightly, "Yep, let's go."

  Celine turned and began to walk toward the stairs, with Nicholas and Elianna following her. Elianna's cheeks remained red, and her lips were curved into a jovial smile as she walked beside Nicholas, remembering how he comforted and held her just moments ago.

  "Do you want me to carry the tray?" Nicholas asked as they began to ascend the stairs.

  Celine shook her head, "No." She looked over her shoulder at Nicholas and smiled, "I got it, don't worry."

  Nicholas nodded, and the three of them silently ascended the carpeted stairs, eventually reaching the top. The top of the stairs ended in a dark blue-painted hallway that extended to their left and right. In front of them, attached to the wall at the top of the stairs, was a sign that indicated theaters one through eight were to the left, and theaters nine through sixteen were to the right.

  Turning right, theater room nine came into view as it was the first theater on their left, just like the employee downstairs had informed them. Nicholas quickened his pace to move past Celine and reached the door before her. He opened the door and stood to the side, letting Celine pass through first with the tray of popcorn.

  "Thank you," Celine said, moving into the room.

  "Thanks," Elianna said kindly with a smile, meeting Nicholas' eyes as she walked into the room.

  "You're welcome," Nicholas said as he walked into the room behind them.

  The room was large and spacious, with rows of reclinable seats situated throughout, all facing the single pedestal at the front of the room, which held a single illusionaire. Several of the chairs had already been taken, with people immersed in conversation and their voices filling the room. Standing beside the pedestal was a young male theater employee who patiently watched as people entered the room and took their seats as he simultaneously checked his pocket watch.

  Elianna looked around curiously, seeing there were a few empty seats. However, their options were limited as there weren't many places where there were three empty seats together. Viewing their options, Elianna curiously asked, "Where do you two want to sit?"

  Celine smiled at Elianna and Nicholas, "Why don't you two go sit together." She jerked her chin toward the top row, where there were a few empty seats, "I'm going to sit up here."

  Elianna blushed slightly at the idea of sitting alone with Nicholas, and her lips curved slightly, content with the idea.

  "What?" Nicholas said, looking at Celine, confused. "Why? We should all sit together."

  Elianna's smile faded, and her expression turned dejected, "Y-Yeah. Together."

  Celine's eyes flicked to Elianna, seeing her expression. She looked back to Nicholas and mentally scolded him for being so clueless before she simply smiled, "No thanks. I like to sit at the top. So, why don't you two sit together."

  Nicholas looked at Celine perplexed for a moment before he shrugged, "Okay." He looked at Elianna and smiled, "Just me and you, then."

  Elianna's smile returned, and she nodded to Nicholas, "Yep." She eyed him curiously, "Where do you want to sit?"

  Nicholas looked at the rows of seats and hummed, "How about toward the center?"

  "I'm good with that," Elianna agreed.

  "Here," Celine raised the tray in her hands slightly. "Take your popcorn and drinks before you go."

  Elianna and Nicholas grabbed their popcorn and drinks before Nicholas jerked his chin, "Come on."

  Celine smiled as Nicholas began to descend the stairs into the room. Elianna followed him, and Celine said, "Have fun."

  Nicholas made his way down the stairs, looking down the rows of seats until he reached the center. He noticed two free seats near the middle of the row and began to move toward them. He and Elianna politely moved past the individuals already situated until they reached the empty seats.

  "Here we are," Nicholas said as he and Celine took their seats. He placed the drink into the cup holder built into the armrest and pulled the lever on the side of the seat, reclining it. He smiled at Elianna, "Excited?"

  After placing her drink down, Elianna reclined her chair back and returned Nicholas' smile, "Yeah, very."

  "Hello, everyone!" The employee at the front announced.

  Nicholas looked forward and chuckled before he whispered, "Looks like we sat down just on time."

  The room fell silent, and everyone eagerly looked forward, knowing the illusionaire was going to begin soon.

  "I would like to thank everyone for attending the showing today," The employee continued. "Before I activate the illusionaire, I would like to remind everyone of the simple rules. Please, no excessive noise or magic use during the showing, and if you must leave, please do so quietly." The employee placed his hand on the pedestal, "Now, without further ado, please enjoy the showing."

  The employee's hand shimmered as they pushed mana into the pedestal, and several things happened simultaneously. The lumous stones in the fixtures around the room dimmed, and the illusionaire began to glow. A beam of translucent white energy shot up from the orb before spreading out into a large rectangular shape. A white mist began to fill the white energy, and images began to form from the mist as the illusionaire began. The employee quietly removed his hand and left the area, allowing people to enjoy the showing.

  The images shifted to a lush grassy field with a crystal clear blue sky above. The scene seemed tranquil, but Elianna nearly jumped out of her seat as a horse jumped into the scene in a small jumpscare. Nicholas looked at Elianna and humorously smiled before looking back at the illusionaire.

  Elianna and Nicholas quietly sat beside each other, enjoying their popcorn and the illusionaire. Elianna smiled as she watched the story unfold, seeing two kings coming together, yearning for peace. It was here that the maiden hero of one side and the prince of the other side met at a ball, seeming to get along fine. However, things quickly took a dark turn the next morning, as the guards barely saved one of the kings from an assassination attempt.

  The peace the two kings spoke about seemed to shatter as chaos erupted, and the king, who had barely been saved, blamed the opposing kingdom. As the showing went on, a war broke out between the two kingdoms, and the prince and the maiden both joined the war. The scenes would switch between the hero and the prince until one day, they met on the battlefield. They seemed to recognize each other and shared a few words, with the prince blaming the hero's nation for trying to kill his father. The hero denied his accusations before the two suddenly attacked each other.

  Watching as the two of them fought, Elianna rolled up her half-eaten popcorn as she watched the scenes intently. As she watched, she nearly jumped, grabbing something comforting and warm to her right, as a sudden explosion erupted between the hero and the prince. The hero and the prince flew back, landing several feet from where they were previously standing. Disoriented, the hero slowly sat up, and her eyes widened as she observed several individuals from neither kingdom rapidly approaching the prince.

  The hero was confused for a second before she gathered herself, quickly got to her feet, and burst toward the unconscious prince. In a series of swift movements, the hero cut down the enemies, except one, whom she knocked unconscious. The hero then cautiously approached the prince and seemed to tend to him before the scene faded. The scene then shifted, showing the inside of a cave that was illuminated by a small fire, with the unconscious prince lying beside it.

  "You okay?" Nicholas whispered.

  Elianna looked at Nicholas, surprised to see him looking at her with a small smile. Elianna returned his smile and nodded before she whispered, "Yeah."

  Nicholas chuckled softly, "Good." His eyes flicked down, "Could you loosen your grip, though? You're hurting my hand."

  Elianna's brows furrowed in confusion before she followed his gaze. Her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, seeing she had taken Nicholas' hand and was holding it tightly. Her cheeks reddened heavily, and she took her hand away before she looked forward and stuttered, "S-Sorry."

  Nicholas smiled softly, "It's fine."

  Nicholas looked forward, and they fell silent as they watched the illusionaire. The scene showed the prince waking up and finding the hero sitting nearby, protecting him while he slept. They bickered when he first awoke until he realized what had happened and she had saved him. Later, they spoke with the warrior the hero had knocked out earlier, discovering that the entire assassination was a setup and the war was planned by an outside force who swore to destroy both kingdoms.

  After the discovery, the hero and the prince decided to work together to stop the war and bring an end to this outside force. The scenes shifted, with the hero and prince coming together on multiple occasions and tricking the two kings into meeting at a neutral location. There, they revealed everything they learned, showing them the evidence they uncovered and convincing the two kings to stop the war.

  Together, the kings combined their forces and tracked down this outside force, who turned out to be one of the king's brothers, who wanted the throne. The kings ended the threat, and the scene shifted to a beautiful ball as the war had ended, and the kingdoms celebrated their peace. The scene shifted to the balcony, where the prince stood and smiled as he gazed upon the stars above him. Then, as the prince stood there, the female hero walked out onto the balcony and stood beside him, looking at the stars. Slowly, the prince and the hero looked at each other as they spoke and shifted closer together. They came closer and closer together until, finally, the prince took the hero into a warm embrace and gave her a deep, affectionate kiss.

  Elianna blushed slightly and smiled as the prince kissed the female hero, and her eyes shifted to Nicholas, who was watching the illusionaire. He seemed to have a small smile, and Elianna looked at his lips. Her blush deepened as she imagined what his lips felt like, but she quickly looked away when his eyes flicked to her, and her face burned with embarrassment. She looked at the illusionaire, watching as the prince held the hero closely until the scene faded and the illusionaire ended. The lumous stones in the room brightened, and everyone in the room applauded before they began to stand up.

  "That was good!" Nicholas exclaimed as he stood up from his seat.

  Elianna nodded in agreement as she fixed her seat and stood up, "Yeah, I liked it as well."

  "The antagonist being the brother was unexpected," Elianna said as she began to follow the crowd to the door. She looked at Nicholas over her shoulder and smiled, "It was a good twist."

  Following Elianna, Nicholas nodded, "Oh, I agree. It caught me off guard."

  Elianna and Nicholas walked toward the exit, and when they walked through the doors, they looked around and spotted Celine standing across from them, leaning against the wall. Celine smiled and waved at Elianna and Nicholas as their eyes met. Elianna and Nicholas tossed their trash into the waste can beside the doors and made their way towards Celine.

  "How did you like it?" Celine asked as Nicholas and Elianna approached her.

  "I really liked it," Nicholas said. "It had a lot of action, and the story was excellent."

  Elianna nodded in agreement, "I liked it too. I can see why it's so popular."

  Celine chuckled and shrugged, "The enemies-to-lovers stories are always quite a catch."

  "Really?" Elianna curiously asked.

  "Oh yeah," Celine said as she began to walk toward the stairs, and Nicholas and Elianna followed her. "I've read a lot of books with that troupe." She looked at Elianna and smiled, "Since we're going to my place, I can let you borrow a couple if you want."

  Elianna smiled and nodded, "I would like that."

  "Sound good," Celine said and took out her pocket watch. "Now, let's get going. It's almost time for dinner."