Warmth Beneath the Dusky Skies

18, Entwined Resolve

As Katherine finished packing up their snacks, the pair went out to the front door and looped around the house. They then boarded Katherine's shield, activated its stealth field, and hovered across the other side of the river. And upon reaching the line of trees past the riverbank, they used the shadows as cover, walking along the river until they reached the village's outskirts.

Marice thought it was ridiculous for two grown-ass women to be sneaking around like that just to ditch a party, but she knew she wouldn't hear the end of it if the others saw her and Katherine wanting some alone time together. Katherine looked giddy with this little adventure of theirs at least, walking beside her with extra pep in her steps.

And so, the two of them continued their walk, branching off to an uphill path that led to the northern sea cliffs. Just ahead of them, a good number of tricolor fireflies had gathered under the moonlight, lazily drifting in the air. Katherine went ahead to take a closer look at them, but the insects were elusive as ever, hovering just outside her reach.

"Looks like we lucked out," Marice said. "I've never seen this many in one spot before."

Katherine walked closer to a few fireflies on a nearby patch of flowers and shrubs. "They even have different color patterns! So pretty!"

"Yeah, I had a few of these when I was a kid."

"You're allowed to catch them?"

"If you could get away with it. And honestly, it's not worth the trouble."

"Yeah, they're surprisingly agile."

"And they self-destruct three days after you catch them, producing this horrid stench that you can only get rid of with cleansing magic."

"R-Really?"

"We weren't able to use the tree house for a few days when mine blew up."

"Well, I'm fine with just looking. And I dunno why, but staring at them feels mesmerizing somehow. Like, they're beckoning at you to follow along or something."

"Ah, that's when they get you actually."

"Huh? What do you—wahh!"

Katherine fell forward, shielding her face as she fell into a prickly-looking shrub. "Owowow!"

With a sigh, Marice pulled her up and brushed off the leaves and twigs that found its way in her hair. "Told you."

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Uh, what? Didn't they teach in your survival training that you shouldn't follow any strange lights you see out in the wilderness?"

"Urgh...! They're surprisingly mean!"

"Well, not on their own at least."

"Huh?"

As Marice activated Stellar Glare, she heard a faint giggling behind them. She then charged up lightning to her index finger and trained it in that direction, causing four small shadows to hightail out of the flower shrub.

"Playing pranks on ordinary humans is one thing, but actively provoking someone who has the means to get back at you? You elementals can be too arrogant for your own good, aren't you?"

"Hmph, look who's talking," the diwata in a blue-colored dress said, dispelling their cloaking magic.

"Yeah," the white one chimed in, "have you already forgotten the horror you brought upon our forest!"

Marice stopped charging her spell, glancing to the side. "Oh... that..."

The green one gasped. "So you still haven't repented after all these years! Curse you!"