For a second, Arthur was completely mesmerized by Isla. Her radiant beauty that transcended everything he could’ve imagined, her rare smile that captivates anyone who sees it, and her soothing voice akin to a beautiful melody.
Everything about her was simply worth admiring. Yet, by far, what made him lose focus were her words.
‘You and me.’ He thought to himself as he felt his heart skip a beat. For some reason, that particular sentence hit him in a weird spot. It was definitely nothing special, but something about it made him very happy for some reason.
“Arthur?”
“Huh? Oh! Haha, yeah! We should come again in the future!” Snapping out of his daze, Arthur nodded his head vigorously. ‘What was that? I was completely out of it for a few seconds. She really has a lethal smile.’ Arthur sighed inwardly. Even then, he could still feel his heart beating faster than usual. ƒreewebɳovel.com
“Good. Now, let’s go, the ride is over.” She said.
The two left the Ferris Wheel and then walked out of the amusement park. It was already considerably late into the night yet the city was still not fully empty. The curfew time for students was 12:00 AM which was still one hour away. They had plenty of time to go back home.
So, they took their sonic boards and flew into the distance. The weather was not too cold nor too warm and the scenery of the sky above was as gorgeous as ever. The different cosmic colors mixed and blended beautifully, creating a divine painting out of this world.
“Hey, Isla!”
“What?”
“Look up!”
“…” The girl was a little confused at first but then looked up and her eyes immediately widened in surprise. Right above her, she could see several flashes of light as small dots moved through the sky. They appeared as if they were descending slowly from heaven and then disappearing into the darkness.
‘Shooting stars…’ She thought to herself.
“Haha! I haven’t seen them in a long time! Make a wish!” Arthur exclaimed.
“A wish?”
“Yes, have you never done that before?” He asked. “Whenever you see shooting stars, just make a wish and it will be fulfilled.”
The girl stared at her friend for a second, then she nodded her head and looked up again. ‘A wish, huh? I have never really believed in wishes. But… I can try.’
Isla had never really found the idea of wishes enticing as they were simply nothing but… well, wishes. She believed that if someone wanted something then they must work toward it. Wishing will never help them do what they want. However, at that moment, in that mesmerizing atmosphere, she couldn’t stop herself from trying for the first time.
‘I wish…’
For a moment, she contemplated what she wanted. Then, she closed her eyes for a moment. Arthur did the same and both of them thought of their own wish.
“So, what did you ask for?” Arthur asked.
“… I-”
“No, actually, don’t tell me. It’s better to keep the wish a secret. Maybe when you fulfill it, you can tell me. I will do the same.” Arthur cut her off after contemplating his question. “What do you think?”
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“Mm, I’m fine with that.” Isla nodded her head.
***
With that, the duo continued their journey till they reached the point where they had to go opposite ways to entire their dormitories.
After bidding each other farewell, Arthur headed to his own room. Reaching his destination, he walked inside with a smile on his face and threw himself on the bed as he exhaled a long breath.
“I thought the day would be over with me studying… But, I guess this is also good.” He muttered as he blinked slowly. Everything that happened that evening was still very vivid in his head. It was simply too much fun. He could easily say that this was the best time he had in a while, even better than playing Divinity Online.
He didn’t think something as simple as going to the amusement park was that entertaining. Perhaps it wasn’t the amusement park itself but the fact he went there with Isla. She was the main reason he had that much fun.
“Sigh, ok, time to get back to work. Today is a big day.” Arthur stood up as he stretched his arms. “The Divine Tower is waiting.”
It was indeed a big day. After all, for the first time ever, Arthur was going to enter one of the Shard Towers seeking power. This was perhaps the most important moment in his entire journey so far. What he might find inside the Divine Tower was bound to be life-changing.
After resting for a few minutes, Arthur quickly took a shower, ate dinner, and then changed to more comfortable clothes. The entire time, he was thinking about what he was going to see inside that place. What could be hidden within the tower that made people fight to death just to enter it? And more importantly… What was so dangerous that it killed everyone who tried to conquer the gate except for one single person?
“It must’ve been something truly horrific. I can’t wait to see it~” As he dried his hair, Arthur was basically shaking with excitement.
After getting properly ready, he got into the capsule. “Let’s make this the best adventure yet.”
His eyes slowly closed and when he opened them again, Arthur found himself inside the world of DO. The time was night and the weather was cold as usual. The city was bustling with movement since the Colosseum’s second day was about to begin.
The celebrations were still ongoing so the city could’ve never been any more active. Leaving his hidden spot, Arthur looked around him.
“I should head to a potion shop first. My supply of health and mana potions has depleted quite a lot and I haven’t restocked it yet.” Arthur muttered. “I also need to get some food just in case.”
After listing everything he needed, Arthur quickly hurried to his first destination. He knew that he only had a few hours to actually do everything he had to do so he couldn’t waste time. He couldn’t even visit Serko, Finlay, and Sora due to that tight schedule. Especially when he was extremely motivated to work hard and get even stronger.
For the next 30 minutes or so, Arthur roamed the city, buying all the necessary supplies. He bought the best potions his money could afford. They were all potions of the third-tier which was the highest he had ever seen.
The potions of that level could replenish more of his health, stamina, and mana bars and could give him a stronger effect. They were very crucial if he was going to face a huge threat.
Then, he bought a backpack for extra storage. Even though his continuous leveling had expanded his inventory quite a lot, it was still not enough to contain everything he needed. Especially when Arthur was certain he was going to find a lot of things inside the tower he would want to bring back with him.
“Ok, the backpack is strapped. Potions are there, food is there, everything is there.” After checking everything carefully, Arthur finally looked up. “Well, time to have some fun.”
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3