Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 445 - Time Curse

In Shard's story, Lecia was a pen pal he occasionally corresponded with, whom he didn't recognize until after the "Coldwater Port Holiday." What Iluna was more concerned about was the lump of flesh Shard had consumed. Even that evening, as the three of them and a cat dined at a restaurant on Silver Cross Avenue, Iluna was still quietly cutting her steak and murmuring:

"Having eaten the flesh of a Level 0 Relic, you can still joke and laugh with us. Sometimes I even wonder if you are really human."

She joked, winking playfully at Shard, and her dress and hair accessories, prepared for the upscale restaurant, lent her a charm she didn't have before. The purple-eyed Female Diviner smiled and looked at Shard, who was feeding the cat.

This time, to celebrate the successful conclusion of the events in Coldwater Port, with Daknis as expected wounded and fleeing, they chose an upscale restaurant. The ladies wore evening gowns, and Shard was in formal attire.

"The gift of fate always comes with a corresponding price, it's just that this time, someone else paid it for him."

Luviya was referring to the person who died writing the "Puppeteer's Notes."

"But can you really control your desires?"

Iluna asked Shard, not without worry, to which Shard confidently replied:

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"Of course, have you noticed anything odd about me since this afternoon?"

"That's because you are at peace, without any provocation."

Luviya said, and Iluna nodded in agreement.

The seventeen-year-old girl suddenly winked at Shard and then looked around:

"Why don't we put it to a test?"

"What do you want to do?"

Shard asked warily, and Iluna smiled playfully at him again. A few seconds later, Shard felt something rubbing against his leg. He looked up at Iluna, who asked softly:

"How do you feel now?"

"You...are you reading some unhealthy books?"

Shard asked hesitantly, and Iluna's face turned red, while Luviya looked at them helplessly:

"This is a public place."

"I know."

Shard said, and then gestured for Iluna, sitting opposite him, to put her shoes back on:

"And besides, what kind of provocation is this?"

"But that's what it says in the book."

Iluna murmured in defense.

"What are you reading, exactly?"

Shard asked again, curious, but Iluna, blushing, refused to say the title of the book. Based on Shard's guess, it must be one of those substandard novels not publicly distributed, poorly printed, and produced in an underground workshop.

"Shard, such questions should not be casually asked of young ladies."

Luviya interjected on Iluna's behalf and then took a good look at Shard:

"But this kind of adventurous act cannot be repeated in the future. After all, it's a Relic, and a Level 0 at that, I've only seen it once with a Priest."

"Hmm?"

Shard wanted to ask more, but the waiter brought new dishes, and he had to pause the topic for now.

Although Daknis was still on his way, the three of them could not relax, they had to prepare in advance for his arrival. Luviya did not assign Shard any tasks as he had already done well enough in Coldwater Port.

The preparation work would be completed by Iluna and Luviya. Whether it was countermeasures against demons, the uncontrollable Angel-Level Relic "Dark" outside the city, or strategies to break through the eerie Dark Power, both ladies would find a way to prepare.

What Shard needed to do during this time was merely handle his own affairs. Once Daknis arrived, they would probably be caught in a whirlwind of activity again, so completing his tasks before the Month of Blossoms ended was essential to focus fully on the second Chosen One.

Both Luviya and Iluna agreed that Shard should rest a little. They were companions, and not all tasks should be done by Shard alone. They couldn't intervene in Coldwater Port matters, but in dealing with those of Tobesk, ladies with the Prophet's Society and the Sun Church behind them had more advantages than Shard.

"Also, sometimes controlling desire is not as effective as choosing a suitable way to vent it."

These were the unexpected words from the purple-eyed diviner to Shard when they bade farewell to Iluna, departing Saint Delan Square in a carriage.

"What do you mean?"

Shard asked, hands in his pockets, as he looked up at the starry sky, the night already deepening.

"If you feel you can't control your mounting desires, choose some means to release them instead of bottling them up, which can lead to bigger issues. For instance, you could choose..."

The purple eyes looked at Shard, their gaze drifting across his face:

"Playing cards."

"I feel I can keep them under control."

"That's not certain."

Standing under the streetlight at Saint Delan Square, Luviya shook her head:

"I suggest you engage in some pleasurable activities, within limits, before the influence of that flesh is over, instead of just burying yourself in work all the time. Shard, your life is actually quite monotonous."

"I'm aware."

"Then why not relax a bit?"

"Because I don't have time, I'm still diligently studying the first year's books, and I've only read through the second year's books once... and besides, I don't really have any desires."

Luviya thought for a moment, looked around, and noticed that besides a cat peering out from a second-floor window, there were no other eyes on them in the night at Saint Delan Square.

"No desires?"

She reached out to encircle Shard's neck with her hand, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

"How about now?"

After they parted, Luviya asked again, her cheeks slightly flushed but smiling happily:

"Do you still dare to say you have no desires whatsoever?"

Shard touched his own lips, looking earnestly at her:

"Why do you all always like to force a kiss?"

"Who else has forced a kiss on you?"

The brown-haired girl asked, though not seeming overly concerned with the question:

"Shard, you must take good care of yourself and stop taking those dangerous risks. Having listened to your full experience at Coldwater Port today, I'm really worried."

Under the gas streetlight, she touched her lips, her purple eyes bright.

"I have some reasons I must take risks for."

Shard pursed his lips and said.

"I know, I know you're seeking something we don't know about."

The girl with the purple eyes said softly, her smile fading, her expression turning somber:

"But at least promise me, you will be careful... See, this is like dialogue out of a knight's novel."

At this moment, her smile was not at all genuine.

"I am not the kind of person who actively seeks death."

Shard nodded, and Luviya looked up at the moon:

"Before I met you, Shard, I always thought I would never find someone who truly understood me."

"Isn't Iluna?"

"She is still too young, somewhat idealistic, a bit too optimistic,"

In the night breeze of the city, there was also the acrid smell of pollutants. The warm wind tousled Luviya's shoulder-length hair. Shard watched her profile and for a moment didn't know what to say.

"You promised that you would walk with me, to witness the thirteen Chosen Ones."

Luviya Annette said.

"Yes,"

"So, you must not leave before me."

She continued to look at the moon over Saint Delan Square, not turning to look at Shard. Shard didn't understand why the topic had become so heavy after a kiss, but he nodded anyway:

"I will be with you until the end... just like the Silvermoon overhead, I am always here."

"Shard, I actually am..."

The girl with purple eyes suddenly turned her head back to Shard, and the Outlander blinked:

"Actually you are what?"

"I... never mind."

She shook her head, then looked up at the moon with Shard.

Half of the Silvermoon was visible, the Red Moon was waning, and the Yellow Moon was gradually becoming full. Judging by the moon phases, autumn was getting closer.

"The moonlight is really beautiful tonight,"

Shard remarked.

"Yes,"

She replied with a soft smile on her face.

"So... Luviya, may I kiss you? Always being kissed forcefully by girls is really annoying. I want to test just how much 'Desire' has influenced me."

He asked while looking at the moon, surprising himself with his own words.

"Of course, you may, and I hope more so that you asked because you really wanted to,"

She said while also looking at the moon.

"Also, there is something I have to admit, I actually have feelings for others..."

"Like the women's shirts hanging on your balcony, does it matter?"

She asked softly.

"Probably... it doesn't matter,"

Shard said, then gently put his arm around Luviya's shoulders. Seeing no objection from her, they kissed again.

The Star Ocean was vast, with three moons in the sky. In that moment, the moon seemed brighter than at any other time. The bright moonlight shone on them, as if draping them in a veil of three colors.

In the tranquil night, in a quiet corner, only the cat at the window saw this scene.

"Meow~"

It complained discontentedly, trying to get Shard to hurry home.

"Tsk, tsk~"

She clicked her tongue by his ear, but Shard, holding Luviya and smelling the faint fragrance of her perfume, paid no heed to her.

"Outlander, when you truly enter this world, creating your own story, have you ever considered that you also step into others' stories, intruding into their epics?"

Shard still ignored her.

"Being so close, I can feel the strange power emanating from Luviya Annette."

Shard still ignored her.

"Her other self is exceptionally strong, stronger than any Circle Sorcerer you've encountered."

Shard still ignored her.

"She possesses the power of Time, too."

Shard still didn't... but then he suddenly opened his eyes, and saw that Luviya's were closed.

"The power of Time?"

"Yes, the power of Time. But unlike you, who is protected by time, she is rejected and cursed by it. She can't use any power related to time. Any harm that comes from the power of time affects her more severely."

Smelling the scent of the girl with purple eyes and feeling her soft lips, Shard used his soul to sense her Soul Power, following the prompts of the voice by his ear.

"Oh!"

Luviya suddenly pushed him away fiercely, her face very red:

"It's already so late. So goodbye, Shard. The test is over, and you really were affected... I had a great evening... and remember, don't tell Iluna about tonight. If you really... at night you can look for some... the books Iluna mentioned... goodnight."

Saying this, she tiptoed to give Shard a kiss on the cheek, then hastily left, as if fleeing.

Shard stood under the gas streetlight watching her retreating figure. Clouds drifted across and obscured the moon in the sky, but then they quickly moved on. The alternating shadows played upon Shard, as he stood still.

"Do you know what she thinks of you?"

She still whispered in his ear. Shard, frowning in thought, did not answer.

"So, did you feel it?"

"Yes, clearly rejected by time."

"Outlander, perhaps she has secrets useful to you."

"But I'm not in a hurry to know them. One day, Luviya will tell me of her own accord, just as she doesn't inquire about my secrets. It's mutual respect... There's one more thing."

"What?"

"Must you always bring things up at times like that?"

He asked very discontentedly, touching his lips, then waved at Luviya who was peeking out the window of the carriage at the street corner and prepared to go home to rest, planning to buy furniture and move to the first floor tomorrow.

"I must."

He had thought she would just laugh and not answer, but surprisingly, he heard a response.

Shard stopped at the doorstep, bent down to fish the keys out of his pocket, and asked absently:

"Why?"

"Because I am always with you."

Looking down at his shadow on the ground, there was a moment when Shard really felt he saw her, the woman embracing his neck, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"You're always like this, and I'm quite happy you are."

Complaining softly, Shard realized he had forgotten to take the keys. So, he pointed at the lock and the door opened. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

The strange moonlight slanted over the door and steps of No. 6, Saint Delan Square, just like every night.

Tonight, perhaps many people would find sleep elusive.