"What do you think we're going to find?" Orion asked as he jumped from one tree to the next.
They were traveling through a massive forest which seemed to be brimming with a strange type of energy the closer they got to the center of the ruin.
They had been traveling for three days now, making sure to rest when they could, especially since they encountered troops of beasts the closer they got to the center.
One thing that Evolis had noticed as they travelled was that they didn't find a beast above the Master Stage rank which meant they didn't have to worry about being ambushed by an overpowered opponent.
But what was weird that the more they travelled the more they encountered beasts which seemed to be made of hypnotic, ethereal, silver sand. These beasts had nearly no weak points, and had weird abilities.
They were able to slow one's movement and even speed up their own as well as when one landed a hit on one of them their bodies would just reform.
So to kill these beasts the group had to find a core inside their bodies and destroy it to kill the monster.
"Hmm, hopefully something that can help us escape once we get outside. I don't think those guys will just let us leave easily after we infiltrated a secret realm they were protecting." Evolis replied as he swung from a tree branch and used his gravity powers to lower his weight, so that he didn't have to land.
After his affinities had merged with his cores he was able to use his abilities in ways that he never thought possible, and controlling them was akin to controlling a second limb.
He could now float permanently with minimal energy costs using his Gravity affinity, giving him something akin to flight. His attraction and repulsion abilities had also been elevated as he was able to use it on objects or beings with weight up to 5000 kilograms, which meant he could also change his own bodies attraction towards a certain direction, allowing him to 'fall' in that direction.
His space affinity now allowed him to teleport anywhere within a 500 meter radius, making travel essentially easy for him. He could bind and loosen space around him and his enemies, letting him surprise his opponents and land killing blows they wouldn't have expected. He was able to create a region of fractured and unstable space, and any enemy that moved through it would have their movement delayed or slightly offset, making them miss attacks. On top of that he could collapse that unstable space allowing him to create something akin to 'space bombs' which dealt a ton of damage. But his favorite had to be his new ability [spacial severance] where he could split objects by cutting through the very space they exist in. This allowed him to make clean, unavoidable cuts through armor, weapons, and even some energy-based attacks.
His Plantae affinity had basically evolved as well, as it allowed him to now not only siphon vitality, but also energy from enemies and the surroundings. This was what he used against Orion in their spar, but what he found out recently is that it was also useful for absorbing energy from the atmosphere, so when he was low on energy, which rarely happened, he could absorb the energy in the surroundings to help refill his energy reserves.
'What's the most surprising is Aeliana's growth though.' Evolis thought as he turned to look at her, after gaining full access to her moonlight affinity it was like giving wings to a tiger.
Aeliana's body radiated a soft, silver luminescence, as if she had been carved from moonlight itself, making her even more beautiful if that was even possible. It wasn't just for show though, Evolis could feel the shift in her energy, the way it moved like a silent tide, ebbing and flowing in response to her will. She had always been fast, but now there was something different about the way she moved. It was like trying to track the reflection of the moon on water, always shifting, always just out of reach.
Her Moonlight Veil wrapped around her in a shimmering haze, a natural defense that dulled the presence of her Etherion, making it harder for enemies to sense her. It was as if the light itself bent around her form, rendering her nearly undetectable in the darkness. But that wasn't all. With a flick of her wrist, Silverlight Blades could materialize from the air, razor-thin crescent arcs formed from pure condensed moonlight. They weren't ordinary projectiles; they could phase through solid objects before re-materializing at will, striking from unpredictable angles.
Evolis had barely taken all of that in before she stepped on another branch, and in that instant, she was gone.
It wasn't teleportation, at least, not in the way Evolis understood. It was something else.
Her Lunar Mirage Step allowed her to move in flickering afterimages, slipping between moments of visibility and distortion. One second, she was in front of him, the next, she was way ahead of him, her silver eyes glinting like twin stars in the night. It was infuriatingly difficult to track, even for him, and Evolis had to resist the urge to rub his temples.
And then there was the most unsettling part.
Her Moonshadow Requiem wasn't an attack, it was an existence shift. When she activated it, her body flickered between reality and illusion, as if she were a mirage brought to life. Any attack that should have struck her simply passed through harmlessly, leaving behind only a lingering silver mist. It was the same ability she had unknowingly tapped into before, but now it was fully within her control. Evolis didn't even want to think about how problematic that would be in a fight.
It was like her moonlight affinity was a combination of a bunch of other affinities.
'Wait...' Evolis nearly fell down from the air as he 'flew', 'There's no way that's possible right? Isn't that a bit too overpowered' Our little MC here seems to be a bit oblivious to his own abilities.
For someone who had broken almost every known limit himself, he was surprisingly slow to recognize when someone else did the same.
"H-Hey."
Aeliana's voice snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts. He turned his head toward her, tilting it slightly in acknowledgment—but the moment he caught sight of her face, he froze.
Her silver eyes flickered like molten moonlight, but it wasn't their usual sharpness that caught his attention. It was the deep red flush creeping up her cheeks, painting her normally composed expression with something rare—genuine embarrassment.
"H-How long are you going to keep staring, idiot?"
Her voice was sharp, but there was an unmistakable edge of flustered irritation to it. She wasn't angry. She was flustered.
Evolis was silent for a beat, processing the fact that he had been staring at her the entire time—completely unaware of himself.
Then, he smirked.
"Don't tell me the elven princess is shy?"
A deadly silver gleam flashed in her eyes. Evolis teleported away just as a thin, crescent-shaped slash carved through the space where he had been.
A second later, the tree behind him split in half, its two halves collapsing with a heavy crash.
"I'm not shy."
Her voice was calm and yet, the heat rolling off her face betrayed her completely.
She was adorable when she was like this.
Evolis, never one to let an opportunity slip, pressed on. "So then, you wouldn't mind me staring longer, would you?" His smirk widened. "Or maybe doing something like this?"
He vanished.
Aeliana barely had time to react before she felt it—a strong arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her back into a firm, steady hold.
She stiffened for a fraction of a second.
Then, slowly, she relaxed.
The warmth of his body seeped through the fabric of her clothes, his presence behind her solid and unwavering. She could feel his breath, steady and calm, just above her ear.
Her heart thudded.
"...I do mind," she muttered, but her voice had lost its edge.
She made no move to pull away.
Evolis chuckled softly, his grip tightening just a fraction. "Liar."
Aeliana shut her eyes, resting her head against his chest for a moment. "...Shut up."
But she still didn't move.
And he didn't let go.
As they kept floating along as Evolis used his gravity affinity to accelerate them forward, his gaze turned serious, "We've got company."
"Where?" He was thanking the gods that he didn't have to endure his third-wheeling role anymore.
"About 400 meters in the direction we're heading. It's 'them' again, and it looks like they've sensed us."
"Argh, I hate those stupid beasts. Can't they just find some other poor group to harass." Orion was sick and tired of these things. They'd already encountered them 6 times just on the journey towards the center as soon as they entered the forest surrounding it. It was almost like they were here to protect something.
"Well, since you two clearly look busy, I'll handle them." Orion didn't miss his chance to give a meaningful wink to Evolis as he disappeared fading into the darkness of the jungle.
Evolis was confused but nevertheless he stopped their movement, and landed on a branch of a towering tree, lowering Aeliana out of his arms.
He made sure to keep his Divine Sense active so that they wouldn't be ambushed, and his future sight was ready as his golden eyes swirled, in case something was elusive enough to avoid his senses.
But because he was using his Divine Sense, he could notice Aeliana fidgeting with her hands.
He sent a peek at her, as he asked, "Anything on your mind?"
Aeliana remained quiet, as her hands froze. Then she turned her head upwards and look at his face and took a deep breath. She seemed to be struggling with a decision but eventually she relented as she muttered, "Evolis."
"Yeah?" Evolis turned to face her, as he was wondering what was going on.
"You know we've... we've sort of done a lot of stuff right."
"Well yeah, I mean it does get a bit busy when you're constantly being hunted by the realm your in."
Aeliana had a deadpan look on her face, as she wondered whether he was pretending or if he really was this dense.
"Well I mean other stuff... like kissing, holding hands, staring at the stars together you know?"
"Mhm, we should do stuff like that more often." Evolis said with a teasing smile, as he still didn't understand what she was getting to.
"We should... but don't you think only couples do that kind of stuff?" Aeliana looked him straight in the eyes, as he saw her fidgeting with her hands behind her back.
Evolis blinked.
Wait.
His brain finally caught up to the conversation, replaying her words like a delayed recording.
"Only couples do that kind of stuff."
It hit him all at once. The hand-holding, the staring at the stars, the stolen moments. The way her presence had become something natural to him, how he always felt more at ease when she was around.
And now she was looking at him like she was waiting for something.
Oh.
Ohh.
He nearly groaned. 'How did I not see this earlier?'
In his defense, there had been a lot happening—being thrown into a secret realm, fighting elves, war, his breakthrough, almost dying multiple times. It wasn't exactly the best environment for introspection.
But now? Now there was no ignoring it.
He opened his mouth. Closed it.
Aeliana's silver eyes stayed locked onto his, watching him closely.
The smart thing to do here would be to acknowledge what she was saying. To properly respond.
So, naturally—
"...I mean, we're not a couple, though."
Silence.
The forest suddenly felt way too quiet.
Evolis immediately realized he had fucked up.
Aeliana's fidgeting stopped. Completely.
Her hands, which had been nervously shifting behind her back, stilled. Her expression didn't change at first, but something about the way her eyes darkened ever so slightly made Evolis feel like he had just stepped on a landmine.
"Ah," she said softly, too softly. "Right."
Evolis felt danger, the kind his future sight couldn't even warn him about.
Her gaze flickered downward for half a second, then back up, the faintest tightening at the corner of her mouth the only indication of emotion.
'Okay, okay—' This wasn't good. He needed to fix this.
"W-wait, that's not—"
"So," Aeliana interrupted, her voice perfectly neutral, "what are we, then?"
Evolis had fought against life-threatening enemies. He had stood on the battlefield, faced overwhelming odds, and defied the very limits of reality.
None of that prepared him for this moment.
"I mean—" He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling the pressure of a thousand years of expectations weighing on him. "We're… you know, partners?"
Aeliana inhaled deeply.
The temperature in the area dropped by a few degrees.
"Oh. Partners," she repeated.
Evolis frowned, sensing he had made yet another mistake. "Yeah, I mean—"
Aeliana turned away, exhaling slowly, so slowly that Evolis swore he saw a tiny wisp of cold air escape her lips.
He was so confused.
She clenched her fists at her sides. "You absolute—" She cut herself off, visibly stopping herself from finishing that sentence.
Evolis was about to open his mouth again, but—
She spun on her heel, stomped up to him, and before he could even react—
She pinched his side.
Evolis flinched. "Ow—"
"Idiot," she muttered, shaking her head before jumping off the branch and landing on the next one below.
Evolis was left standing there, hand on rubbing his side, thoroughly confused.
"What… just happened?"
Aeliana didn't answer.
From somewhere deeper in the forest, Orion's voice floated through the trees.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Evolis flinched. "What the hell are you laughing at?!"
"Oh nothing!" Orion's voice rang with pure amusement. "I just think you should invest in some self-awareness, dumbass!"
Evolis scowled. "I am self-aware!"
Aeliana let out a long sigh, still walking ahead of him. "No. No, you're really not."
He narrowed his eyes, jumping off the branch to follow after her. "Wait—what does that even mean?!"
Aeliana didn't answer.
Orion was still laughing.
And for the first time since almost dying in the last fight, Evolis had a sinking feeling that he was now actually in trouble.