We took up almost the entire table in the corner of the tavern.
The place was noisy, with people laughing.
Mugs clinked somewhere.
Someone was arguing loudly about which team had been the strongest in the tournament.
I suspected we were part of those conversations, too.
But right now, I didn't… care.
Rilay had already managed to order half the menu.
"We'll have this!"
"And this!"
"And this too, to celebrate!"
The innkeeper looked at her with mild horror.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!"
Orpheus said quietly:
"We'll have to eat all this."
I sighed.
"I think she'll manage just fine without us."
Karina laughed.
A few minutes later, the table began to fill with food.
Rilay looked at it all with an expression of pure bliss.
"Now this is a birthday!"
I looked at the table.
"I told you, a regular dinner would be enough."
Rilay poked me with her finger.
"This is a regular dinner."
"Just a little better."
We started eating.
For a few minutes, everyone was completely absorbed in eating.
But then we talked.
The conversations weren't about monsters, training, or missions.
They were about all sorts of little things.
Rilay told us how she once mistook a training dummy for a real person.
Karina laughed.
Orpheus calmly corrected her story.
And Scarlett sometimes just listened silently, and sometimes smiled ever so slightly.
I watched them.
And suddenly I caught myself thinking.
That…
This is strange.
When I first arrived in Spire and wandered through the snowy wasteland,
I was certain there were only three things here:
Monsters.
Death.
And the struggle to survive.
But now…
We were sitting in a bustling tavern.
Eating.
Laughing.
As if we were ordinary people.
Not those who risk their lives every day.
I suddenly felt a gaze on me.
Scarlett.
She was looking at me.
I stared back at her intently.
"What are you thinking about?"
I shrugged.
"Nothing."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're lying."
"Maybe."
Rilay suddenly leaned forward.
"By the way!"
"The day after tomorrow we're celebrating Scarlett's birthday."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Wouldn't it make more sense to celebrate everything tomorrow?"
"No, that would ruin both of your celebrations!"
Scarlett sighed.
"No need."
Rilay ignored her.
"What should we eat tomorrow…?"
Karina smiled.
Scarlett looked at everyone.
"As you know…"
She looked at me.
For a few seconds.
But she didn't say anything and went back to eating.
I hope you like the gift…
When we left the tavern, it was already getting dark on the streets of the Citadel.
There were still plenty of people around, but the daytime bustle was gradually dying down. Some were returning from assignments, while others, like us, were simply spending the evening in the city.
At the entrance to the dorm, the group began to disperse.
Rilay stretched and said:
"I can't eat anymore."
I looked at her.
"It would be strange if you said you were ready to keep going."
"I'm not that much of a glutton."
Karina laughed.
"Get some rest. In a few days, we're heading to the ruins."
Orpheus nodded.
"Better to recharge."
They said goodbye and went to their rooms.
In the end, only Scarlett and I were left in the courtyard.
For a while, we just walked in silence.
The night in the Citadel was calm. The lights of the lanterns reflected off the stone walls, and the wind blew through the streets.
I suddenly said:
"Listen..."
She looked at me.
"Hm?"
"It'll soon be almost a year since we ended up here."
Scarlett thought for a moment.
"Yeah."
"Almost a year."
I smiled.
"Do you remember when we first met here?"
"I thought you were doomed back then, but I decided to help you anyway."
"You know, looking back, I can say for sure that I acted out of character."
She snorted.
"And I thought you were just a cocky idiot for taking on such a burden."
"Fair enough. But it wouldn't hurt to treat your benefactor a little better…"
She smiled slightly.
We approached the dormitory.
We climbed the stairs.
We reached the room.
Just as I was about to open the door, Scarlett suddenly said:
"Wait."
I looked at her.
"What?"
She paused for a moment.
"I have… something for you."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
She opened the door to the room, walked inside, and went over to her nightstand.
A second later, she pulled out a fairly large package.
And handed it to me.
"Happy birthday, Oscar."
I took the gift.
"But you said you weren't going to give me anything."
She shrugged.
"I lied."
I smiled.
"Why?"
"Shut up and just open it."
I started unwrapping the paper.
And a second later, I froze.
"…"
"This is…"
Inside was a pie.
A real one.
Uneven, a little lopsided, but very… homemade. Very similar to the ones my mom used to make for me…
Scarlett looked away slightly.
"It's not a cake."
"With my skills and the resources here, it's almost impossible to make a decent cake."
She sighed.
"The plants from the spire behave… strangely when baked."
"The dough can fall apart or turn rock-hard."
"And I'm not very good at cooking."
She added, looking a little embarrassed:
"That's why I asked the chefs for help."
"They've lived in the spire for many years."
"And they know how to work with local ingredients."
She nodded toward the cake.
"Here's the result-this is the best I could do."
I was silent for a few seconds.
Then I said quietly:
"It looks great."
She took a small candle out of her pocket.
A very simple one.
But… quite cute.
"One more thing."
She placed the candle on the pie.
"That's what they do on birthdays."
I smiled.
"Something like that…"
I snapped my fingers.
A small flame flared at the tip of the candle.
The little flame flickered softly.
We just stared at it for a few seconds.
I took a breath.
And blew out the candle.
A thin wisp of smoke rose upward.
I suddenly caught myself having a strange feeling.
Last year…
when Scarlett first wished me a happy birthday…
I was completely baffled.
I didn't understand her.
I didn't understand why she was doing this at all.
But now… my heart felt warm.
I looked at her.
"Thank you, Scarlett."
She nodded slightly.
"You're welcome."
Then she looked at the pie.
"Well then."
"Shall we eat?"
I smiled.
"After that dinner?"
She shrugged.
"Birthdays only come once a year."
I picked up a knife.
"Then… we can't break with tradition."
We sat down right at the small table by the window.
The cake was warm.
Scarlett must have wrapped it in special paper.
I carefully cut it into several pieces and handed one to her.
She took the plate.
For a while, the room was quiet.
All we could hear was the sound of the knife against the plate and the wind tapping lightly against the window outside.
I took my first bite.
I chewed for a few seconds.
Then I looked at her.
"It's delicious."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Really?"
"Yes."
I smiled.
"I think it's time you opened your own restaurant."
She snorted softly.
"Maybe."
We continued eating.
And at some point, our hands accidentally brushed against each other as we both reached for the knife.
We both immediately pulled our hands back slightly.
I suddenly caught myself having a strange thought.
It was… awkward.
I usually didn't make a big deal out of simple touches.
We'd fought monsters together.
We'd been wounded.
We'd pulled each other out of life-threatening situations.
We'd even slept together in the same bed.
But for some reason, this felt much stranger.
I cut another piece.
Scarlett was silent for a while.
And then she suddenly said:
"Oscar."
I looked up.
"Yes?"
She stared at the table for a few seconds.
Then she said:
"I have something else to say."
I immediately became wary.
"That sounds serious."
She sighed.
"I guess so."
I put down my fork.
"So what is it?"
She paused for a moment.
Then she began to speak.
"You've done so much for me."
I was about to say something, but she continued.
"Starting that day… when you didn't abandon me in the frozen wasteland."
I remembered that moment.
The cold.
Night falling.
Blood on the snow.
"And ending with what's happening now."
She looked up.
"You're always by my side."
"In battle."
"In decisions."
"In training."
She smiled slightly.
"Even in arguments."
I was silent.
She continued:
"Back at the academy… you seemed different to me."
"Not like the others."
"You didn't talk to me like everyone else."
She looked away for a moment.
"I guess…"
"That's when I first thought you were a kindred spirit."
I felt a stillness settle inside me.
Scarlett continued speaking in a calm voice.
But I could see she was choosing her words carefully.
"And here…"
"In the Spire…"
She clenched her fingers slightly.
"Every day could be our last."
She looked straight at me.
"That's why I think…"
"I'm ready to say this."
I was tense to the limit; I felt like if I pushed myself just a little further, I'd collapse from overexertion.
She took a breath.
"I think…"
"that you and I could become something more than just friends and comrades-in-arms."
I froze.
My mind went blank.
For a few seconds, I just stared at her.
Then I said slowly:
"Wait…"
"Is this some kind of confession?"
She immediately narrowed her eyes in displeasure.
"What…?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
I smiled awkwardly.
"It's just… I didn't expect this."
She crossed her arms.
I rested my elbows on the table.
And for a few seconds, I just thought.
It wasn't that I didn't like Scarlett-it's just that before, I definitely had negative feelings toward her, mostly because of my prejudices-but over the past year, my opinion had changed.
Now it was the opposite.
In my eyes, she was…
Incredible.
Long red hair.
Bright, snow-white eyes.
A confident gait.
A perfect figure.
The grace with which she moved, even in battle.
Everything about her was… almost perfect.
But the problem lay elsewhere.
I just…
Had never thought about it. So it didn't make sense to me.
My life in the Spire over the past few months has consisted of three things.
Training, raids, battles, and trying to find my parents and sister.
Romance, somehow…
just wasn't part of all that.
I looked at her.
She was waiting patiently for an answer.
And she seemed to be watching my reaction closely.
I said slowly:
"Scarlett…"
"I really haven't thought about this before. And I don't know how I feel about it."
She replied calmly:
"I understand."
I ran my hand through my hair.
"It's just…"
"It's unexpected…"
She smiled slightly.
"Is that a compliment or a problem?"
I exhaled.
"I don't know yet."
She tilted her head.
"Then think about it."
And she added calmly:
"I'm not demanding an answer right now."
Silence fell over the room again.
On the table between us sat a nearly finished pie.
A heavy silence hung in the room.
We both knew the conversation had gone too far to just pretend nothing had happened.
I looked at my nearly empty plate, then at the window, then back at the table.
"I guess…" I finally said. "It's time for us to go to bed."
Scarlett didn't say anything.
I got up from the table.
I gathered the plates, mechanically carried them to the sideboard, then headed for the stairs leading upstairs to our room.
And at that moment, I felt someone's hand grab my wrist.
I stopped.
I turned around.
And I didn't have time to say anything.
Because the next second, I felt her lips.
The world seemed to stop for a moment.
The kiss was unexpected.
Warm.
And a little awkward-as if neither of us fully understood what we were doing.
I caught a faint scent of dough and spices from the pie we'd just been eating.
Her fingers were still holding my hand.
And her lips gently brushed against mine.
Just a few seconds.
But to me, they stretched out much longer.
Then she pulled away slightly.
Our lips parted.
I stood there completely frozen.
We looked at each other.
Scarlett blushed slightly.
Which was actually quite rare for her.
She looked away for a second, then looked at me again and said:
"I told you I don't need an answer right now."
A short pause.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"But…"
"It's in your best interest to answer right here and now."
I exhaled and shook my head.
"That's a little unfair."
She smiled slightly.
"Maybe, but the world isn't always fair."
I just stared at her for a few seconds.
And then I suddenly laughed quietly.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What?"
I shook my head.
"I was just thinking… it's pretty ironic…"
She folded her arms.
"What exactly?"
I looked into her eyes.
"That such different people…"
"…turned out to be so alike."
She was silent for a few seconds.
I sighed.
"Okay."
"Since we've come this far anyway…"
I shrugged.
"I think…"
"We can give it a try."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You mean…"
I nodded.
"Yes."
"I think we can be a couple."
For a few seconds, she just looked at me.
And then a rare, almost warm smile touched her lips.
"Okay."
Silence returned to the room.
But now it was… different.
Not awkward.
More like peaceful.
I nodded toward the stairs.
"So… are we going to sleep after all?"
Scarlett gave a quiet chuckle.
"Yes."
We went upstairs.
We lay down in bed, and tonight the distance between us was smaller than usual. And in an instant, I felt someone press against me from behind; Scarlett had wrapped her arms around me.
"Don't turn around… please," she said softly.
Delivering yet another blow to my heart. So I was forced to fall asleep, waiting for tomorrow.
Morning came unexpectedly quickly.
I opened my eyes and just lay there for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling.
Then my memory began to slowly return.
I closed my eyes for a second.
"...Damn."
I turned my head.
The bed was empty.
I frowned.
It was... strange.
Usually, it's the other way around.
My mom told me how my dad confessed his feelings to her, not the other way around.
I almost never got up before Scarlett.
She always woke up first.
But today, I really regretted that.
I sat up in bed and rubbed my face.
Now everything was supposed to be…
Closer.
Easier.
Better.
But the problem was that neither I nor Scarlett had any idea how to act now.
So, it seems…
we both decided to pretend that everything was as usual.
I got dressed.
I went downstairs.
And I saw her right away.
Scarlett was sitting on a small sofa against the wall.
One leg was crossed over the other.
She was holding a book in one hand.
And in her other hand, she was holding something that looked like an apple.
Only it was a strange purple-blue color.
I walked closer.
And sat down next to her.
She looked up from her book.
She looked at me for a few seconds.
Then she said, a little awkwardly:
"Good morning…"
A short pause.
She frowned slightly.
"…sweetheart?
To be honest, I still hadn't quite gotten over yesterday.
So I just said:
"Good morning."
In the blink of an eye, I got an elbow in the side.
"Ouch!"
I looked at her in surprise.
"What for?!"
Scarlett calmly took a bite of her strange apple.
And said:
"Think about it."
I stared at her for a few seconds.
Then it slowly dawned on me.
"Oh…"
I felt a little embarrassed.
And said awkwardly:
"Good morning…"
"… sweetheart."
Scarlett nodded slightly.
"There."
"That's better."
I shook my head.
"We look like two people who have no idea what they're doing."
She replied calmly:
"Because that's exactly what we are."
I smiled.
Then I suddenly remembered.
"By the way."
I looked at her.
"Happy birthday, Scarlett."
She froze for a second.
Then she said quietly:
"Thank you."
I reached into the arsenal of my soul.
And in an instant, an object appeared in my hand.
Small.
Smooth.
A purple crystal eye.
Scarlett frowned.
"This is…"
I handed it to her.
"Your gift."
She took the object carefully.
The violet light inside her eye shifted ever so slightly.
"An artifact?"
"Perhaps."
She concentrated.
She moved it into her soul's arsenal.
She waited a few seconds.
Then she opened her eyes.
And looked at me.
"..."
"No information."
I smirked.
"I didn't have any either."
She narrowed her eyes.
"So you gave me something with an unknown purpose?"
"Exactly. But actually, my intuition told me to buy it."
She looked at the eye again.
Then back at me.
"So what am I supposed to do with it?"
I shrugged.
"Good question."
Scarlett twirled the object between her fingers for a few seconds.
"Maybe it's a decorative eye?"
"A very expensive decorative eye…"
I snorted.
"I hope not."
She said thoughtfully:
"Maybe it needs to be activated with mana."
I nodded.
"Try it."
She channeled a little mana into the artifact.
Nothing happened.
A little more.
Still nothing.
She sighed.
"Great."
"A mysterious artifact that does nothing."
I grinned.
"Maybe it's just waiting for the right moment."
Scarlett looked at me.
"Or maybe you just bought a worthless rock."
I shrugged.
"Either way."
"Happy birthday."
She looked at the violet eye again.
And suddenly smiled.
"Thanks, Oscar."
She put the artifact away in her soul's arsenal.
Then she took another bite of her strange apple.
And said:
"Okay."
"Since we're a couple now…"
She looked at me with a slight smirk.
"We should probably at least try not to act like idiots."
I sighed.
"I'm afraid that'll be difficult."
She replied calmly:
"Then we'll have to practice."
We didn't have to wonder for long about what the rest of the morning would bring.
Because a few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
Scarlett and I exchanged glances.
"Looks like it's started," I said.
She sighed. And called out.
"Come in."
The door opened,
and Karina, Rilay, and Orpheus walked in.
Rilay was the first to raise her hands.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCARLETT!"
Scarlett grimaced slightly.
"You're too loud."
Rilay was already walking toward us.
"A birthday calls for loudness!"
Karina smiled.
"Happy birthday."
Orpheus calmly added:
"Congratulations."
Scarlett nodded.
"Thank you."
Rilay immediately gave us a suspicious look.
"So…"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you sitting so close together on the couch?"
I cleared my throat.
"Because there's only one couch?"
Rilay slowly turned to Karina.
"Do you feel it too?"
Karina looked at us.
For a second.
Then she smiled slightly.
"Yes."
Scarlett frowned.
"Feel what?"
Rilay pointed at us sharply.
"The atmosphere!"
I sighed.
"Rilay…"
She leaned closer.
"Did you two…"
"…kiss?"
I nearly choked on the air.
Scarlett said, completely calmly:
"Yes."
Silence hung in the air.
Then Rilay squealed.
"I KNEW IT!"
She grabbed Karina by the shoulders and started shaking her.
"I knew it!"
Karina laughed.
"That was to be expected."
Orpheus nodded calmly.
"Statistically, the probability was high."
I looked at him.
"Thanks for the scientific analysis. Child of the Spire."
Orpheus gave me a disapproving look.
"Just because I was born in the Spire doesn't mean I'm stupid."
Rilay was still beaming.
"So now you're…"
She smiled broadly.
"A couple?"
I looked at Scarlett.
She shrugged.
"Looks like it."
Rilay clapped her hands.
"Wonderful!"
"This is the best birthday ever!"
Scarlett remarked dryly:
"Actually, it's my birthday."
"All the more reason!"
After that, the usual part began.
Congratulations.
Karina gave her a neat silver pendant that boosted mana regeneration.
Orpheus gave her a slender dagger, perfectly balanced for close combat.
Rilay… pulled out a small package.
"My gift is special!"
Scarlett opened it.
Inside was a small figurine.
It was very roughly carved.
But it clearly depicted… Scarlett with a rapier.
I looked at her.
"Did you make this?"
Rilay nodded proudly.
"Yes!"
Scarlett stared at the figurine for a few seconds.
Then she said:
"I have a huge head."
"It's an artistic style!"
Karina laughed quietly.
After the gifts, the conversation gradually returned to normal.
We talked a little about training.
About the ruins.
About plans for May.
Then Rilay suddenly said:
"So..."
"Are we going to the tavern today?"
I looked at Scarlett.
She looked at me.
Then at the rest of us.
And said:
"I think..."
"We don't all have to go together today."
Rilay immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Aaaah."
"I see."
Karina smiled.
"I think that's a good idea."
Orpheus nodded calmly.
"Reasonable."
Rilay spread her arms.
"Alright!"
"Then we won't bother you."
She headed for the door.
"But you have to tell me everything tomorrow!"
"No," I said.
"Yes!"
Karina was already on her way out.
"Have a nice day."
Orpheus added:
"Try not to be late for the team meeting tomorrow."
The door closed.
And once again, it was just the two of us in the room.
There was silence for a moment.
Scarlett looked at me.
"Well."
"So what are we going to do?"
I thought for a second.
Then I said:
"We could…"
"Go for a walk."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Actually, that's called a date."
I shrugged.
"Whatever you say."
She smiled slightly.
"Then…"
"Let's go on a date."
And a few minutes later, we were already walking through the streets of the Citadel.
We left the dorm without any particular plan.
We just kept walking forward.
The streets of the Citadel's central district were already bustling with people. Some were rushing about on errands, some were haggling in the streets, and some were simply relaxing after their outings.
First, we headed to the park, which was located almost right in the center of the neighborhood.
That place always seemed a little strange.
In the middle of a stone city built inside a Spire, a little piece of nature suddenly appeared.
Trees.
Grass.
A small pond.
I still didn't understand how it all worked.
We walked along a narrow path between the trees.
Scarlett stopped occasionally to examine the plants.
I said:
"Funny."
She looked at me.
"What exactly?"
"When we fight monsters, you act like a commander."
"And here, you're just walking around."
She snorted.
"I can do more than just kill."
"Surprising."
She nudged me lightly with her shoulder.
"Very funny."
We wandered around the park a little longer.
Then we went back out onto the city streets and headed toward the market.
It was noisy there, as usual.
The shouts of vendors.
The smells of food.
Piles of materials and weapons.
We just walked slowly between the rows.
Scarlett looked at various things.
Sometimes she stopped.
Sometimes she touched something.
And at one point, she stopped at one of the stalls.
I noticed she was looking at a dress.
Dark red.
Lightweight fabric.
Simple, but quite elegant.
She studied it for a few seconds.
Then she said:
"Hmm."
I looked at her.
"Do you like it?"
She shrugged.
"Maybe."
I looked at the price.
"It's not that expensive."
She folded her arms.
"I know."
I smiled.
"Then let's buy it."
She looked at me.
"Are you sure?"
"It's your birthday today."
A few minutes later, we were already leaving the market with the dress neatly folded.
Scarlett was silent for a while.
Then she said quietly:
"You know…"
I looked at her.
"Hm?"
"It reminds me a little of life before the Spire."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Buying clothes?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
"Back then, everything was… simpler."
She smiled.
She quickly added:
"Don't get me wrong, I don't regret it."
"I just remember it sometimes."
We wandered around the market a little longer.
Then we bought some food and a few sweets and headed back home.
That evening, we sat at the same table where we'd eaten pie the day before.
Scarlett took a sip of water.
Then she said:
"Oscar."
"What do you think…"
"...awaits us in the The Wind Testing Chamber?"
I smiled.
"That reminds me of something."
She raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Before we ended up in the Spire back at the academy, on your birthday, you asked me a similar question, only about the Spire."
"So what?" she asked, sounding annoyed.
"Nothing, really," I replied casually.
"The 'Testing Chamber.'"
I spread my hands.
"The most logical explanation is a trial or test."
She rolled her eyes.
"Very witty."
I smiled.
"Thanks."
She was silent for a moment.
Then she said quietly:
"That's not what I meant."
I looked at her more closely.
"Then what is it?"
She lowered her gaze to the table.
"What do you think… will we be able to find a clue there on how to get back to Earth?"
I thought for a moment.
For a few seconds.
Then I said honestly:
"I don't know."
She tensed up slightly.
But I continued:
"But I believe we can."
"Otherwise, none of this would make sense."
She nodded slowly.
And she seemed to relax a little.
"Okay."
I asked:
"Are you worried about your sister?"
She exhaled quietly.
"Yes."
She thought for a moment.
"According to my calculations…"
"she'll hit the Spire in about fourteen months."
I frowned.
"That soon already."
She nodded.
"That's why I have a goal."
She looked at me seriously.
"I'll do everything I can to either return to Earth before then…"
"Or become strong enough…"
She clenched her fingers.
"To find her anywhere in the Spire."
"And take her away from there."
The room fell silent.
She slowly placed her hand on mine.
And asked quietly:
"You'll help me with this, won't you?"
I looked at her hand.
Then at her.
And smiled.
"I'll do everything in my power."