Chapter 25

The Ark hums gently as it glides through the Universal Highway, shimmering fractal streams warping beyond the thick windows. Inside, the Universal Guard settles into travel mode—some asleep, some training, some chatting softly in the lounges that line the halls of the ship.

In one of the quieter observation chambers, Astera and Kalt XVIII sit on opposing couches, the stars reflecting off the glass walls around them.

Kalt XVIII
You tracked me down rather efficiently.
Minamo is… sprawling. Hidden well, I was.

Astera
(grinning)
That’s because I’m in college there.
Imperial University of Meeresboden: Central District. Minamo campus.
Library’s a nightmare, but the observatory has a great view of the Crescent Nebula.

Kalt XVIII
College.
(sits forward)
You mean a place of... mental cultivation?

Astera
Exactly. Kind of like the Academy of Eternal Bloom my father built back in the Floral Kingdom, but... more chaotic.
A lot more yelling. A lot more coffee.

Kalt XVIII
(frowning, almost shyly)
And... you live among humans and half-bloods?

Astera
Yeah. And dragons, spirits, demons, humans, angels, arcana constructs... It's Meeresboden.
The student body is half caffeine and half divine lineage.

Kalt XVIII
(chuckling softly)
Fascinating.
And yet, you’re the Floral Prince.

Astera
(smirking, arms folded)
Yeah. But being a prince doesn’t mean skipping exams.
I’ve got a thesis to write on "Emotional Transfer Magic and Gravity Wells."
Got my girlfriend to thank for the inspiration.

Kalt XVIII
(stares blankly)
Your what?

Astera
My girlfriend.

Kalt XVIII
(puzzled)
...Is that what you people call a consort?

Astera
(stifles a laugh)
No! Not exactly. A girlfriend’s someone you date.
Not married. Not formal. Just... a person you’re close with. Romantically.

Kalt XVIII
(struggling)
So... like a consort without the royal seal?

Astera
I—look, sure. But without the velvet robes, blood pacts, or century-long contracts.
We go out for milk tea, argue about magic theory, and occasionally train until one of us passes out.

Kalt XVIII
(pensively)
Elves do not... "date."
We bond. Slowly. Soul-first.

Astera
Well, we kind of just vibe and see where it goes.
You’d hate it.

Kalt XVIII
Possibly.
(pauses)
But it sounds... warm. And tragic.
Like much of this universe.

Astera
That's not wrong.
But it’s real. And sometimes, real is enough.

They fall into silence, the stars shifting around them like the arc of time itself. Somewhere down the hall, Berwick is arguing with Celeste over who can bench press more elemental mass, while Lily and Alto sing along to an old karaoke machine one of the Arcana Sound guards smuggled in.

Kalt XVIII
(quietly)
You live differently than us.
Freer. Riskier.
...Better.

Astera (smiles, but doesn’t reply) 

Eighteen more hours. Get some rest.