Two days later, Vivian, Iseria, Yuna and Cerise had a final meeting.
"On behalf of Witchaven, I sincerely want to thank Aakhen, Ezera, and Reingar's support," Vivian bowed her head slightly.
"Please don't be so formal to us. I'm glad that we were able to help," Cerise replied and the citylord smiled afterward. Then, Cerise continued, "As we discussed, the Aakhen's troops will station in Witchaven in the next two months. If any of them misbehaving, please inform to the citylord Furious straightly."
"Thank you, I'll remember it," Vivian nodded, then she turned to Iseria and Yuna, "It's kind of boring that we are not talking longer. I hope that we will have a friendly chat another day."
"We hope so," Yuna smiled.
"When everything is stable, I would like to introduce you Ezera and Reingar," Iseria offered.
"Oh, I'd love to," Vivian showed her interest and curious, before she said goodbye to the three of them, "I'll looking forward to the day we meet again."
Later, after arranging Aakhen's army, Cerise and Pavel came to the flying ship in the surprise of Al.
"Why are you looking at us like that?" Pavel questioned Al.
"Ah, I forgot to say," Cerise understood his incomprehension. She then explained, "Actually, I told my father about coming to Reingar to study and he agreed. I decided to go there the last week but we received a letter about a possible battle in Witchavan, which asked for our help, and you know the rest."
"So, how did citylord Furious believe that?" Al asked.
"Sir Crozet, the Knight Commander of the Order of the Shield in Ezera, delivered the letter with King Aither's mark. We also had a guarantee letter from Sir Charles as well," Cerise replied.
"Oh, I see," Al nodded. When he turned around, he saw Iseria. It looked like she would not board the ship with them. He then came to her and asked, "Don't you go with us?"
"Ah, I forgot," Iseria remembered something. She then replied to him, "You know that Ezera's troops are station in Perland, right? It is the time for them to come back. I was appointed by Sir Charles to take charge of the withdraw."
"I see," Al understood what she was saying. Then he said goodbye to her, "Well then, see you later."
Later, the flying ship floated in the air with the surprised eyes from the people on the ground. The citylord, Vivian and her assistant, along with Aakhen's soldiers, waved their hands to say goodbye to the people on board. When the ship was flying, Cerise could not hold her excitement when she explored the ship, and she acted like a child when she looked down the landscape below.
"It's so amazing," Cerise screamed excitedly.
"It was Al's first reaction when he was on it the first time," Tamarinne said and she smiled with Al.
Looking at them, Cerise was glad for Al as how comfortable when they were be with each other. She replied, "I can see why. Al, you're so mean when you don't share with us about this."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm sorry, okay," Al pretended to be annoyed but then he looked around and asked, "Where's Pavel?"
"Apparently he got a motion sickness so the doctor is taking care of him," Cerise felt sad that she could not share this moment with him. Then, she looked at Al with her worrying eyes. She spoke, "Tamarinne, if you don't mind, can I have a moment with Al?"
"Of course," Tamarinne was a bit of surprise when she heard the request but she did not mind much. She then replied, "I'll see you later."
After Tamarinne had left, Al asked, "So, what do you want to tell me?"
"First, I'm very glad that you're okay. Pavel feels the same, too," Cerise smiled as they started their conversation. Then she asked, "Have you still heard things about Elena?"
"So far, "they" are doing good," Al replied.
Seeing his normal reaction, Cerise wondered if he had fully recovered. She then said, "As you already know, the doctor named Ray, Elena's boyfriend, comes from a noble family, the Damus family, to be specific. Ray left his family because he didn't want to be seen as a doll in his father's hands. He wanted to choose his own path even if it meant he would be expelled from his family. However, when his father got wind about his and Elena's relationship, he was pushing a marriage proposal between them. If nothing interrupts, the marriage will likely be held in the next spring."
"Well, that's a good thing, for both of them," Al commented. From his answer, Cerise could not read his emotion at all. Al then continued, "One is a kind-hearted doctor from a noble family, and one is an elegant High Priestess of Constella. Can't think of a perfect couple better than them.
The way he spoke was very cold and emotionless, which made Cerise even more worried about him but she did not know what to say to him. "Al…" she struggled.
"Thank you for worrying about me but, I'm okay," Al replied as he knew how much Cerise cared for him. He smiled and said, "Besides, if you keep bring this up, even though Tamarinne won't say anything, it still bothers her."
"I see," Cerise smiled back.
"But still, I cannot lie that I'm kind of scare, about us," Al looked at the air and spoke.
"What do you mean?" Cerise wondered.
"I'm scare that I only see Tamarinne as a replacement," Al replied.
"Ah, I understand," Cerise realized his feelings. She then comforted him, "People often say the first love is the most painful love, but if you keep it in your heart forever, you will only end up suffering from it."
"I know, that's why I'm trying not to make Tamarinne sad. She is… my world, you know, a special person that I can never let go. However, it doesn't make me less scared to the fact that I will hurt her some days," Al said.
Looking at Al, Cerise could feel the honesty from his voice. She then smiled and softly said, "You know what my father often talks to me? He said that I should try everything I can and regret, instead of regretting of doing nothing. When you think you cannot, it likely means you will never be able to do it."
"Yeah, he got a point," Al laughed and Cerise smiled with him. He then looked at her and said, "Thank you."
"Don't mind it. We're friends, after all," Cerise replied.
"Come on, I'll show you around," Al suggested and Cerise was happy to follow him. But before that, they visited Pavel, who was lying on bed exhaustedly. Seeing how bad state he was, Cerise decided to hold back her exploration and took care of him.
On the edge of the south of Ritania continent was a desert, named Savara. Different than the peaceful weather of Reingar, Savara impressed its guest by the heat of its own desert. After one week, the Reingar flying ship landed on the harbor of the biggest city of Savara, Ki Ruburan. On the ground, there were many houses built from brick, and their color blended with the desert's sand. Some of them had stalls in front of the door. When the ship landed, all the members of the flying ship could feel the heat from the desert.
"It's really hot," Pavel commented when he stepped out of the ship with Cerise.
"You're right. So make sure to drink enough water, okay?" she gently reminded him and he nodded. Then she looked around and asked, "Where's Al, and Tamarinne?"
"They were the first one left the ship but I'm sure we don't have to worry about them," Yuna smiled at them and the two of them quickly got the idea.
"Welcome to Ki Ruburan, President Yuna."
When Yuna had left the ship, a male elf came to him. He looked tall , his skin was tanned and he was wielding a staff, whose head made Yuna think of the holy cross symbol from ancient Egypt on Earth. From his black coat, Yuna wondered why it looked like he was walking out from the ancient time of Egypt, but he still had some modern details on him, such as the white long pants he was wearing.
"It's nice to see you, Mr. Basar," Yuna greeted him before she introduced him to Cerise and Pavel. "Please allow to introduce you, this is Ms. Cerise and Mrs. Pavel from Aakhen City."
"Nice to meet you," Basar politely greeted the new guests. "I hope you will have a good time in Ki Ruburan. However, just like every city, I want to warn you not to wander around shady places or talk to suspicious individuals."
"We thank you for your generosity," Cerise replied. It did not take them a single second to get what he meant.
As the four of them walked together, Cerise was surprised at how lively the city was, despite the harsh weather. However, both she and Pavel were even more surprised when they looked at some devilish statues in the city. Some stalls even had pumpkins which were sculptured to have an evil face on them.
Worrying, Cerise asked when she looked at a statue, "Mr. Basar, is this city often being attacked by monsters?"
"Oh?" Basar was surprised with the question. Then he quickly got the idea. He laughed and explained, "Please don't be so cautious. It's just that we have a festival held by tonight. It's called Halloween, a night of the saints. But we often call it a night of the dead."
"Can you please tell me more?" Cerise was very interested in the festival and the worrying disappeared within a second.
Basar smiled at her gently and explained, "Basically, it is an annual festival that we hold to memorize those who died and sacrificed. In the night, we will march around the city and everyone can disguise them as many ways as they want. Also, the children can ask for candies or cookies. Oh, before that, they have to say "trick-or-treat"."
"It sounds amusing," Cerise was even more interested and curious as Basar explained.
Suddenly, Pavel saw two familiar faces near a fountain. He asked, "Wait, is that Al and Tamarinne?"
Fifteen minutes earlier, Tamarinne and Al was having a walk. As the same as before, Al was very curious about the festival, and Tamarinne did not bother to explain to him. However, at some point, Al felt dizzy and they stopped at a fountain. When Tamarinne was looking for something cool, Al put his legs inside the fountain. Some children nearby felt something wrong and they splatted the fountain's water on him. When Tamarinne came back, she knew what was happening. When the two of them met Basar and the others, Al's head was being placed on Tamarinne's laps and they both were sitting under a shady tree.
"A heat shock. He just needs to rest and drink water," Cerise said when everyone checked on him and Tamarinne could finally breathe in relief.
"Wait, I know him," Basar realized the young Suin. "Back in Aakhen, I was impressed that he won Cartuja, a big Suin, in a drunk fight," Basar explained.
"Ah, so he was the main character of the alcohol sucking barrel rumor," Pavel remembered. "I heard of a drunk fight where two persons drank alcohol from cups to cups. The amount of consumed alcohol was very massive."
"Actually, they were drinking beer, a lighter drink than alcohol. Still, I've never thought of a person who can win Cartuja in a drunk fight," Basar added but they decided to ignore the fight and took care of Al instead.
At night, Al woke up in a luxury room. The wall was built from brick and the room was brightened by an expensive oil lamp on a small wooden table next to the soft bed he was laying on. However, the first thing he saw was Tamarinne's face.
"Thank god, you finally awoke," Tamarinne breathed in relief.
"Where are we?" Al got up and asked.
Tamarinne gave him a bowl of soup, then she answered, "It is a private house of the merchant named Basar. He is a friend of Iseria. When you were unconscious, he brought us here."
"That's a familiar name," Al tried to remember if he heard his name before but it was useless. Suddenly, they heard noises from outside.
"This! Is! Awesome!"
Cerise shouted in excitement when she saw the march with Pavel, Yuna, and Basar. At that moment, they were on the street. The citizens were disguised in many types, from witches, sorcerers, to monsters. In the center of the march, there was a big fake skeleton statue and people were keeping it upright. From the head to the end of the march, there were many big and colorful balloons were floating on the air. The march went around the city with drums banging non-stop.
"I'm glad you like it," Basar commented when he looked at how excited Cerise was. Meanwhile, Yuna was taking pictures with her smartphones.
"I wonder if Al can be with us," Pavel seemed worried about his friend.
"Actually, they already began."
When the three of them looked at where Yuna pointed, they saw Tamarinne was chasing after Al with a white tube balloon on her hands. They both had a mask attached to their heads.
Not long ago, when the march started, it was the noise Al and Tamarinne heard. When they stepped outside, as Tamarinne expected, he was amazed by the festival but instead of following the march, he went from stalls and stalls and Tamarinne had a hard time keeping up with him. Later, Al realized what he was doing and he apologized to her but she did not mind it at all, and just smiled joyfully with him as they both were enjoying the festival.
"Oh, looking good, I'll take it."
Suddenly, Al and Tamarinne saw a woman, who nearly naked her upper body. She had long pink hair and a beauty mark under her lips and she was holding a pumpkin lantern, or what they thought so.
"Come on, Serila. Didn't you say you would save money?" the lantern suddenly spoke on and it surprised them both.
"Oh, just shut up. How can I resist such a beautiful pendant?"
As the woman named Serila and her lantern kept going on, Al and Tamarinne were speechless before they left.
"I wonder how she doesn't get shoulder pain from… you know?" Al commented and he moved his hands in front of his chest.
"Do you like that type?" Tamarinne touched her chest and asked him with her cheeks slightly turned to pink.
"No, never. The last thing I want to see is a three-headed monster," Al replied.
"Ah, like King Ghidorah?" Tamarinne laughed.
"Yeah, like that golden three-headed dragon. He is like walking out from a nightmare," Al said and they both laughed, until they stopped and Al bowed his head, and spoke with his weak voice, "I'm sorry for making fun of women's body."
"Apology accepted," Tamarinne nodded.
When they kept walking, Tamarinne felt everything was transforming. The scene in front of her eyes started distorted. Her steps were heavier but when she tried to get a hold of herself, she saw Al and she did not want anything that interrupted their date. When they walked to several stalls which sold spiders, Al looked at Tamarinne worriedly. He asked, "Are you okay with this place? They are selling spiders."
Realizing what she did to him before, Tamarinne smiled and said, "Nah, I'm cool with them."
"Wait, didn't you scream so terrify before?" he was surprised.
"I just wanted to tease you," she replied.
"Really?" Al tilted his head to the right.
Tamarinne tilted her head to the left and said, "It's true.". And then, tears rolled on her eyes, "Don't you trust me?"
"No, I don't mean so," Al startled and he tried to comfort her.
"I'm kidding," Tamarinne laughed as her tears stopped.
"Somehow, you're really scary," Al sighed and commented.
"I'll take that as a compliment," she smiled.
Al and Tamarinne walked to stall where sold masks. He then paid a spider mask for Tamarinne and a wolf mask for him, and he asked, "So… from now on, can I call you, Miss Multifaced Tamarinne?"
Tamarinne kept her smile and did not say anything, until she paid for a white tube balloon and started chasing him around. Eventually, they ended up being watched by Basar and the others.
"The first time I saw him…" Basar smiled when he looked at Al and Tamarinne, then he commented, "… there was something dark on his face. Sadness, anger, and jealousness. I wondered what happened to him but I don't think I will ever need to ask him, since someone is here, with him."
When they were chasing around, Tamarinne suddenly fell down. She felt dizzy and exhausted. When Basar, Yuna, Cerise, and Pavel quickly rushed to them, Al realized something wrong. He immediately came to her. He could hear her heavy breaths. He quickly touched her forehead. It was very hot.
"When did you catch it? And for how long?" Al asked.
"I'm okay…" Tamarinne tried not to worry him.
"You're not," Al replied and carried her up.
"This festival is held annually… and I want to spend time with you," Tamarinne replied. At that moment, they looked at each other and they did not need to say anything.
Al then turned his back on her and sat down. He said, "Get on, I'm carrying you back to the ship."
"But… the festival…" Tamarinne felt embarrassed about his suggestion.
"We can watch them as we return. Come on!" he insisted.
When Tamarinne climbed on his back, she felt nothing but pure happiness. She was so happy that she could not speak in words. As he was carrying her on his back, he followed the march so Tamarinne could enjoy the festival, with him. From a distance, Yuna was smiling happily for her friend, together with the others, and she did not forget to take photos for them.
"Hey Al…" Tamarinne spoke, "From now on, call me Somi."
Al was surprised. He then asked, "But…"
"It is my real name, remember? Tamarinne is only my idol's name, and it is not the real me," she explained.
Al kept silent for a while. It did not take him long enough to understand her feelings. And then, he replied, "Okay, but I only call your name when we're not in the public."
"Agree," Tamarinne nodded and she was waiting.
"So, Somi…" Al called her name in embarrassment. It took him a lot of courage to call her real name but when he spoke it out, he felt even happier. He said, "Thank you… for everything."