I texted Llewellyn as soon as I was back in my flat. His reply came soon after:
Llewellyn: I took Lumos out for a walk. You could join, if you like?
Why not? I grabbed my coat.
Ryo: Sure, where should I teleport to?
Llewellyn: If you're ready, I'll let you in.
Huh? Let me in? Let me in where?
My coat and shoes were on and Penguin was in my pocket.
Ryo: Ready
I felt the warp of the System teleportation and I was suddenly standing next to Llewellyn under a streetlamp, on a paved path near a beach. However, as for where this was…
"What even is this place?" I asked, looking around.
On my left, there was sand and the sea, tranquil under the early night moonlight. On my right, pretty close, was a lovely town, maybe a small city, with shops, warm lights, and, from what I could see, bright screens scattered around, but… it was empty.
[System Notification: Welcome to Partner Llewellyn's Core Partition! Partner granted access.]
What?!
"This is your Core Partition?" I asked, looking around, speechless. Hey, wait a moment. "Why do I only have a room?!"
Llewellyn raised an eyebrow. "Did you try to explore the building the room is in?"
I closed my mouth.
I… hadn't. Had there even been a door to leave the room? I hadn't noticed one.
Still, that wasn't the most important thing right now.
"This is your Core Partition," I asked, a little stunned. "And you just... let me in?"
Llewellyn eyed me and looked away again.
"It's not a big deal," he said. "I was here, you know I have Core Partition access, and you've been in my apartment. Why would this be different?"
I didn't know, but… it felt different.
Llewellyn kept his eyes on Lumos who came rushing from the beach when he saw me, his little face bright.
Penguin chirped happily and jumped out of my pocket to greet him.
"Don't go too far," I told Penguin. "Be careful."
"It's safe here," Llewellyn said as I patted Lumos, who was half trying to climb my leg, half wagging his tail at Penguin. "The System will look after them. Want to take a walk?"
I straightened up and looked at Llewellyn properly. I still hadn't recovered from seeing him in that state at the cemetery, even though we'd since met to discuss the auction with TAPESTRY and visited Gléonwon—but… he looked okay now.
"Sure," I said.
Under the moonlight and the warm lights of the town, the beach seemed to be painted in silver and gold, the waves crashing and fizzling on the shore.
Penguin and Lumos had rushed ahead, chasing each other near the water's edge, with Penguin shifting between forms a few times before climbing on Lumos's back, chirping.
I grinned.
"Watch the water," I called out when Lumos got too close to a wave. He barked and scrambled back, tail wagging madly.
"So what else is here besides the beach?" I asked Llewellyn.
He gestured toward the city. "Shops, cafés, a library. They're all functional, but empty. There used to be NPCs, but I found it frustrating because they reset each time and almost never remember previous conversations."
Huh.
Yeah, I could see how that would be annoying.
"Also whenever I ask for an NPC now I usually get Alberan, so I stopped asking."
I snorted.
"What," I grinned, "no attractive boy or girl?"
"Only if you're into ones with animal features," Llewellyn said, raising his eyebrows.
I laughed. I wondered why that was the case? The pirates had been human after all. Though it was also true that that had been a modded dungeon, so maybe that was why it'd been different.
Or maybe it had nothing to do with that at all. This was a Core Partition after all, not a System generated Dungeon.
The path curved slightly, following the shoreline. Up ahead, I could see what looked like a pier stretching into the water, lit by more streetlamps.
"Does the System usually let people into each other's Core Partitions?" I asked.
"No idea," Llewellyn said. "I've never asked anyone before."
I glanced at him. His ears had gone slightly pink again.
Damn it. I really, really liked him. Sometimes it just sat in the background, and then it hit me again.
I swayed closer and bumped his shoulder.
Lumos came racing back with something in his mouth—a piece of driftwood, it seemed. He dropped it at Llewellyn's feet, tail going wild.
Llewellyn picked it up and threw it down the beach. Both Lumos and Penguin went tearing after it, though Penguin quickly got distracted by something shiny in the sand.
I grinned.
"Can we check the town?" I asked Llewellyn.
I was curious. This felt like when I was a kid and used to dream of hiding in a mall after closing hours so I could ransack it thoroughly and take everything I wanted.
Llewellyn looked a little amused.
"This way," he said, turning away from the water.
We headed up a small slope toward the buildings. The sand gave way to smooth stone, and suddenly we were walking between shops with lit-up windows.
I could spot a bookstore, a grocery store with perfectly arranged fruit in the window, a huge Elemental Café…
Everywhere you looked, things felt alive. In the flower shops, watering cans were flying around, watering the plants, and in the pastry place next door, the dough was kneading itself on the counter. A bit further along, in front of a tailor shop, a flying measuring tape tried to take my measurements, snapping noisily, before Llewellyn waved it away.
"Can you actually buy things?" I asked, peering into a shop selling what appeared to be magical equipment.
"I can take whatever I want," Llewellyn said. "Everything is free. But I can't take anything out of the Core Partition."
Right. That was the same for me, too. Thinking about it though… What was the point of all this, then? Maybe it was about the experience, not the material objects.
The streets were wide and well-lit, and I could see a small park in the distance.
"Do you have any idea why your Core Partition looks like this?" I asked.
Llewellyn sighed. "I think the System was trying to make me go out and get some air without being worried about running into unstable people."
I snorted.
That made sense.
"Where do you even leave Lumos when you have to fight a Knot?" I asked, frowning. It didn't seem right to leave him out in the streets.
"There's a small bungalow near the beach," Llewellyn said. "It has an outside enclosure if he needs to go out, a small dog door, and everything inside is dog-proofed. The System gives him food and plays with him. He seems to like it."
Mhh, well. This place was great and it was certainly better than waiting alone.
"Why did you even get a dog?" I asked, curious. "Since you're away so often."
Llewellyn hesitated.
"I rescued him from a Distorted Realm," he said. "I intended to ask TAPESTRY to help me rehome him, but—"
"You didn't have the heart," I guessed.
Llewellyn paused. "I realized I was fighting all the time," he said, "but I… didn't really have anyone to protect, indulge, or make feel at home. It seemed… I could do that for him."
We were walking past a cinema. The air smelled of popcorn and glazed sweets, and my feet just… stopped.
I don't know what was up with me or why that hit me so hard.
Most people would have said they got a dog because they wanted unconditional love, but Llewellyn was basically saying the opposite—that he got one because he wanted someone to take care of.
I remembered him at Baekhaven cemetery, sitting there with red eyes, clearly heartbroken. Alone.
I swallowed.
Llewellyn stopped too and turned to look at me.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
In the light of the streetlamps and bright screens around, hands in his pockets, coat around him, he looked…
My heartbeat was very fast.
I couldn't help it. I couldn't have stopped if I tried.
My body moved.
I stepped forward, my hands still in my pockets too. I leaned in and, with the sight of Llewellyn's widening eyes burned into my retina, I closed my eyes and kissed him.