SIDE: Katharin + Lily

Katharin knew that Hale saw her as some perfect being but she really wasn’t. She failed so many times and the world reached the brink of destruction so many times, torn apart by the uncontrollable rifts. If she was perfect, she would have succeeded at the first try. There wouldn’t have been a 2nd, a 3rd, a 49th. Why did the Creators give her such an ordeal?

But she swore this time was different. Of course, she swore this at least 48 times, but still. She swore this time was different.

Before the Cataclysm, the Planes were upheld by Orbs. Five spheres of different colors, each appearing to contain a galaxy. They separated each Plane and maintained their integrity. But when the Planes merged, they lost their meaning and were cast down to different parts of the new world.

The red Orb was swallowed by a dragon, the blue Orb was picked up by a beggar, the white Orb became the artificial sun of a land that was ever bright, the black Orb was worshiped by the daemons and the and the gold Orb…

It landed in the hands of Oliverius Tenebris.

She finally collected 3 of the orbs in the last regression and she knew where the 4th was. As for the 5th inside Hale, that would be left for the last. When she finally had them all, the world, and Hale in it, should be saved, right? Right?

Please, let this be the last.

ↂ

Young people of all realms filled the opulent ballroom, swaying to the melody. The freshest blooms from the Gardening Club were arranged elaborately but no one looked at them because their eyes were glued to a flower beautiful beyond any other.

“May I have this dance, handsome?” The corners of the beauty’s red tint-stained lips curved up, like a hook stabbing deep into the heart of anyone watching. And they would gladly present it on a platter, if only to see her smile again.

There was a folk tale about Harmondia Academy’s graduation prom. It was said that you would dance every year with the first person you danced with in the ball. Few truly believed it but it didn’t stop the students from inviting their crush for their first dance. It was a way to confess covertly.

The boy with jet black hair stood quietly, as though his brain hadn’t processed the happening. Then, after several slow blinks, he took her hand. If it weren’t for the tips of his ears flushing furiously, Lily would have thought he was calm and composed.

“It’s the honor of my lifetime.”

There wasn’t a moment when Katharin wasn’t beautiful. But when she intentionally dressed up, she became a femme fatale who could suck the very soul out of people. And this beauty only had eyes for one person. Lily shook her head. Hale was incredible to be holding out for so long.

She hadn’t forgotten the noblest mission of the Watchers Information Guild. Katharin Heliac’s health and happiness. But she didn’t know if the very person who set that mission was aware that for Katharin to be happy, Hale Tenebris needed to be there.

ↂ

Lily was the butterfly of society. It was extremely useful for information gathering but there were times it left her helpless too. Her eyes caught a good-looking brunette searching for her and Lily quickly ducked behind someone.

Her suitors could fill the huge hall but a night wasn’t long enough to dance with them all. And watching her friends somehow made her sour. She wanted to keep her first dance. Maybe she also yearned for a deep and undivided love.

The lady managed to dodge her admirers, the sequins in her baby blue dress glittering as she hid in a balcony. The academy had temperature regulators so the night wasn’t cold and she could stay there for a while. But it seemed that someone had the same idea as her.

The nephilim, who was hiding from his own admirers, waved at her sympathetically. “Care to join me, Ms. Roberts?”

“Sure, but I'll be on the other side. Your admirers will kill me if I get too close to you.”

“And yours, me.”

The bright moon shone on their smiling faces.