And I have returned to Maple again after my 2nd hiatus. Resuming my Luminous training! Still my most favourite character, never changing :D

Thank you for reading.

Ignorance is sometimes a bliss. Knowing something is to shoulder the burden of having the knowledge.

That night, while they are relaxing with their cup of tea and Penny dozes off in the upper floor, Luminous delivers Arwen's message to Lania. Lania smiles when she hears the message. "Arwen is always so concerned for others, even if she looks uncaring on the outside. She doesn't need to apologize!"

Filled with curiosity, Luminous inquires, "Might I ask what happened?"

Lania holds her cup in her palms. "It's just a small matter."

Looking at her lonely expression, he decides that he wants to know more about her. "I am interested to listen, even if it is a trivial matter."

"Alright then, if you want to listen, I guess I will tell you." Lania looks appreciative at Luminous. "I visited the town, Ellinia during spring last year. I have never left this house before, but I wanted to find out how the town looks like. I thought that if I could get to know some people there, I can make new friends and have excuse to leave the house." She say, smiling bitterly. "But, when I reached Ellinia, the dwellers over there, the fairies, ignored me. Some even labelled me a human outcast."

"That is horrible." Luminous said, suddenly feels bad for asking.

"Not all are that cold, though. Arwen, although she looked proud and appeared distant, she sent me on a short errand around the town. Because of that, I was able to talk to the fairies! They didn't accept me, of course, but I feel like I know them better after I left the town." Lania continued. "I don't feel bad, really. Ellinia is the town of fairies, so it is natural that they are wary of outsiders."

"I see. Perhaps we should visit again. This time, we will have a good chat with the fairies, they may open up." Luminous suggests.

Lania nods in agreement. "Maybe you're right. I shouldn't have holed up in my house for so long. I'll follow you the next time you are going there."

"It will be my pleasure to escort you." Luminous says graciously.

Lania giggles "Oh Luminous, you are always so polite and formal. You don't have to be a stranger. This is your home."

Luminous gazes at his cup of tea, and then the surroundings of the cozy house. A warm smile stretches across his face, and he says, "I will get used to it."

Days passed by, and Luminous spent his time with Lania and Penny by helping them with the daily chores. They went fishing frequently, of course, Penny was the happiest. Fortunately, his fishing skill was great. Then, every year, during the harvest day, he helped to pick spiky fruits and berries from the tall trees and hanging vines. In the winter, Lania went on a snowball fight with him. She was surprisingly agile and sneaky, hitting him when his guard was down. They had a very good time together.

When they visited Ellinia again, the fairies were welcoming. After they returned home, Lania commented on the drastic difference between her last visit and this one. Secretly, Luminous thought that it might be the cause of his Light.

His nightmares, however, were relentless. The darkness in his dreams haunt him almost every day. He thought he will be able to get used to it, but he did not have the power to stop it. The dreams in Magatia were vivid and distorted. Some times, he felt that he was getting some where, then ended up no where. One thing that bothered him was, the Black Mage never showed himself again. Perhaps that particular nightmare that day was really just him worrying too much. He began to have chronic daily headaches. It was not severe, and sometimes after some rest, it went away. Therefore, he did not think it was worth worrying about.

The staff he used eventually loses its stats after a while. It was a miracle that he could even wield it at all. After a while, that staff became an equipment for convenience only because of its zero stats. His Light is still frail, and as years passed, he accepted that he is not the Luminous that people know of hundreds of years ago.

Six years later...

"You remember everything I said, right?" Lania asked. She is now a young lady, but still maintaining a cheerful demeanour. She kept a long hair that is tied with a red ribbon.

"Fresh milk, three servings of pork, fishing bait, and..." Luminous starts to repeat the list she said, but was stuck at the last item. He never changed, still looking the same as he was six years ago. However, he looks weary.

"Thread! I need thread. We're going to be freezing if I don't have time to knit us scarves and socks." Lania says, completing the list.

"Of course, of course. Red and white thread, yes. I apologize. My headaches..." Luminous decides not to tell Lania about this. My head aches more with each passing day, as if a fire is burning in my mind... It has become worse lately, and some times he feels severe pain in his head.

"Mrow! Need me to scratch the shopping list into your arm?" Penny asks snidely.

"Don't be mean, Penny! And you! Don't forget my stuff this time. I don't want my feet to freeze off!" Lania says to both of them.

Luminous manages to force a guilty smile. He forgot some of the materials on the list last time because he was distracted by the constant headache he has. "I will return with all you need, Lania. I swear it."

Lania replies him with a nod. "I'll walk you out. Penny, you guard the house okay?"

"Mrow! Lania this, Lania that! What about little old me?" Penny says with a long face.

"When I return, I promise I will catch you the king of all the fishes, Penny." Luminous says with confidence.

Penny's eyes brighten. "Really?! I mean... you can't sway me that easily. Just... it better be a really fat one!"

"I'm sure he will be able to get the fattest one for you, Penny. Let's go, Luminous." Lania says.

"Y-yes. Let's." Luminous has trouble speaking. My chest... it feels so tight...

They walk out of the house. The sun shines brightly in the blue, cloudless sky, and the forest is calm.

Lania spins around cheerily and takes a deep breath. "The weather is beautiful! We should have a picnic before winter comes! Would you like that?"

Luminous is happy to see Lania like that. "I'll buy some ingredients from the market. I feel like cooking."

"Yes! I'll make a cream cheese spread and we can make fancy sandwiches!" Lania is very enthusiastic about the idea.

Yes, a home cooked meal is what I need to calm the turmoil inside me. Luminous thought as he walks with Lania.

-More to come-