Chapter 48: See you later
Arora groaned as she slowly woke up on the smooth dry grass, blinking away the drowsiness that had still clung to her.
She stared up at the twin suns that were already rising, before glancing to the side, where Arbus sat next to her. A blank expression rested on his face as he stared into the distance, lost in thought.
She stretched as she sat up, sighing heavily. She turned to Arbus as she studied his expression for a moment, before following his gaze to see what had captured his attention so completely. Only to see nothing but the luscious blue forest.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked as she turned back to him, a bit of worry creeping into her voice.
Arbus remained silent for several moments.
"It's nothing really. I just... I just wish my parents were here.
"....I'd have liked to introduce you to them. They'd probably love you."
Arora blinked, caught off guard by that.
Then she smiled softly.
"I'd have liked that too," she said, thinking about how she'd always wanted parents who cared for and cherished her. The primordial had said she'd be granted that as well, but it seemed like she had misunderstood what he meant.
An idea suddenly struck her.
"Maybe we could get them released sometime in the near future."
Arbus smiled somberly.
"The only way to do that would be to get permission from the emperor himself. And I doubt he'd allow it."
"..... if they're still alive, that is."
Arora placed her hand over his, looking him straight in the eyes.
"They are. You have to believe they are. You've been holding onto that hope all this time, haven't you? I don't want you to give it up now."
Arbus paused for several moments, then nodded, his smile becoming more genuine.
"Alright then. I'll believe it."
He turned his gaze to the bracelet resting on his hand.
"Honestly, This is what keeps me going."
"I don't know much about Heart shards, but I don't think their effects should linger long after the user's death. Since this still works, I can only believe my mom is still alive, somewhere."
He caressed the bracelet slightly.
Seconds later, he glanced at Arora, as he suddenly took the bracelet off.
The color of his skin slowly transformed as the red hue disappeared, revealing the fair complexion beneath.
Arora blinked in surprise.
This was the first time she'd seen Arbus without the bracelet. His crimson hair was more noticeable now that it no longer blended with his skin tone.
The same went for his emerald eyes, that she couldn't seem to stop herself from being mesmerized by every time she looked into them.
"What do you think? Not half bad, right?" Arbus said nervously. This was the first time he'd taken off his bracelet since the incident over a year ago.
It was the only way he had known to lessen the hateful glances he received from his own people.
"Yeah... not bad at all," Arora said, stammering slightly.
"But why are you removing it now?" she asked, puzzled.
Arbus smiled at her, saying nothing as he took her hand into his own, and placed the bracelet on her wrist.
Arora's eyes widened as her skin began transforming. The red color slowly spread across her body until it enveloped her entirely.
"Why? Why are you giving me this? It's so precious to you. I can't accept it." She said hesitantly, moving to remove it.
Arbus stopped her, shaking his head. "It's alright. I don't really need it anymore. I simply wore it to spare my own feelings. Everyone already knows I'm half-human."
"This should be more useful for you, especially when we get off this planet. Your goal of bringing an end to the war is truly noble, but you'd need to hide your identity as a human for a while, at least."
Arora stared at the bracelet for a long moment, pondering his words.
Eventually, she nodded.
"Alright then, if you insist," she said, caressing the smooth surface. "Thank you."
Arbus grinned as he pushed off the grass, rising to his feet.
"So, what are your plans for today?""
"Wait, let me guess. You'll spend the rest of the day practicing another technique?"
Arora nodded excitedly.
"Yeah, specifically the one I've been testing out for a few weeks now." She said as her eyes suddenly transformed.
She put out her palm as a faint shimmer of destructive energy slowly emerged from it.
Her brows furrowed as beads of sweat began appearing on her forehead.
Arbus simply watched her in silence.
The energy slowly spread out, enveloping her body bit by bit.
A second later, it suddenly fizzled out.
"Gahh, I still can't get it to stay on. Maybe my concentration isn't good enough or something."
This technique was something Arora had been working on to compensate for the purely offensive nature of her power. Thanks to that, her defence was quite lacking.
This would theoretically function as a second skin barrier, capable of destroying any attack that came into contact with it.
This way, she wouldn't have to worry about getting obliterated by a faster opponent, despite her having the offensive edge. She had gotten this idea from a superhero movie she had watched once. She already had a name for her new technique.
Interitus.
Arbus clicked his tongue.
"You shouldn't beat yourself up over something like that. You're already plenty strong, and in such a short time too. Honestly, you're one of the most talented people I know. And I know my mom."
Arora sighed dejectedly, then smiled as she adjusted her glasses.
"Yeah you're right. Truthfully, the reason I'm rushing so much is because I want to live up to the potential I've been given. The possibilities for this ability, seem almost endless. I just don't want to waste such a powerful gift. I know I can do so much... change so much with it." She said, staring at her palms in wonder.
Arbus remained silent for a while, as he stared at her with a complex expression.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you will."
He turned to the forest.
"While you do that, I'll focus on getting us something to eat for later. Non-poisonous food this time, thankfully." He said, teasing slightly.
Arora glanced at him, her eyes narrowing.
"Y'know, sometimes I wish I'd gotten the power of silence, instead. Then I wouldn't have to listen to your terrible puns."
Arbus scoffed.
"Nonsense. My puns are great. It's your sense of humor that's broken."
Arora giggled, then sighed as she got up.
She watched Arbus stride towards the treehouse to grab his weapons. A hesitant expression suddenly appeared on her face.
"A-Arbus wait." She said with her hand outstretched.
Arbus turned back with a raised eyebrow.
"What's up?" He said, wondering what she needed.
Arora remained silent for a few moments.
She didn't know whether she could say it.
Over the past few months, she had slowly gained feelings for Arbus.
She wasn't sure when it started, but she wasn't really surprised it did. After all, this was the first time she had gotten this close with someone. It was her first crush ever.
She had ignored her feelings at the start because she didn't really want to ruin their friendship. But now she knew that was just an excuse her old self had made to avoid her emotions. She wasn't that person anymore. She didn't want to live a life of what ifs and regrets.
"I-i l..."
...
..
"It's nothing, I just wanted to tell you to be safe." She said with a smile. 'it's not like I have to say it now. I can just do it later. I have all the time in the world to do this.' she thought.
Arbus blinked, then smiled back.
"Always."
He paused for a second, then continued.
"See you later, Arora."
"See you later, Arbus " she responded.
Arbus continued moving, as he headed up to the treehouse to get his gear, before setting out westward into the forest shortly after.