Lost Fantasy-The Flowers of Stelis (Arc 2) [Hiatus]

Chapter 2

The winter rain sprayed down on the world, lowering the already chilly temperatures of Astra. Due to the rain, when one leaves the comforts of one's shelter, they wear cloaks to protect themselves from the elements. However, when the heavy rain soaks through the cloaks and wets the clothing underneath, no more protection will be bestowed by the cloaks. The cold rain water complements the chilling wind, producing a bone chilling frost on one's body. Due to this heavy rain, the usually busy streets of Astalan is quite empty, with the only sound being the raindrops pounding against the ground.
 
Loganel sat in the living room of his dorm, reading from a book on dark magic and dispelling curses. Nearby in the fireplace, a warm cozy fire blazed on, providing his dorm with desperately needed heating. On his lap, Mazriel lay curled up as it slept in the cozy warmth of its master. As Loganel read from the book in his hands, he brought the cup of hot chocolate to his mouth, took a small sip, and returned it to the coffee table. Then, he would stroke Mazriel's warm fur with a gentle motion before returning his focus to his book.

It has been about two days since he had bought out Iry from her status as a prostitute, restoring her freedom. However, she still resides at Sister Lori's since finding a reasonably priced living space is not an easy task. Loganel knows that this should've been his responsibility, but he needed the time to study the art of the Arcane and hone his skills in order to be able to tackle stronger monsters and bring in more money. He is ashamed of himself for pushing the task of settling Iry down to Lori, but Lori forgave him and even offered to take full responsibility for finding Iry a place and help her settle down in the normal world.

It has been a few hours since Loganel had started reading and he had just finished with the book in his hands. He closed the book, looked up, and stared out the window at the downpour outside, which along with the gray clouds overhead, dyed the world a bland yet somewhat gloomy gray. In this weather, all colors seemed to have lost their vividness, becoming more and more dull. However, it is also due to this effect of the heavy rain that one appreciates the warmth of a fire and also...the warmth of companionship.

At the moment, in those numerous houses down yonder and in the many dorms of the Academy, friends and family gathered as they shared the comfort of each other's presence before a pleasant and warm fire. They probably would dine over a common table, chatting about recent events in their life as they dispelled the loneliness contained within them, creating a miniature sun that shined through the gloomy clouds in their minds. However, as for Loganel, he often lacked the presence of a close friend to share such a moment with. That is, if he was still the Loganel that had existed a year ago.

A gentle knock on Loganel's door signaled the arrival of a person who shall offer Loganel his or her companionship. Loganel gently displaced Mazriel from his lap, placing the cat on the couch with its furry stomach facing up, and walked over to answer the door. As the door slowly opened, it revealed Tetsuya and Kaz.

"Hey!" Tetsuya and Kaz greeted Loganel, who walked to the side to offer them passage into his house.

The two entered and began taking off their shoes so as to not get the shiny wooden floors of Loganel's dorm dirty. Kaz, since he resides in the normal dorms, had journeyed from there to the special dorms. Therefore, the rain cloak that he wore is soaked by the heavy downpour. This prompted him to hang it up on the special hook on the outside wall by the door.

"Man it's raining hard out there," Kaz left out a sigh of relief as he entered the dorm and immediately went over to the fire to toast himself up. "How're you doing, Mazzy?"

He started gently stroking Mazriel's tummy after realizing that the cat was just laying there. As a demi-human, Kaz belongs to the Felinoran group, which is a sub-race of demi-humans that share feline characteristics. Due to this, Kaz gets along extremely well with Mazriel.