Master Kaelen Minohara strolled to the edge of the training circle, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Oh wow, what a pair!" he teased. "What are you two doing alone?"
"Nothing!" both Zen and Lucy shouted simultaneously. The defensive quickness of their reply only made Kaelen smile wider.
Kaelen held up his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, but training is over. You both should go home now."
They gathered their gear and left the cavern silently, the awkwardness thick between them.
An hour later, Zen's phone vibrated in Lucy's hand. She snatched it up, her heart already racing, and saw the notification from their secure chat app.
Zen: Hey Lucy, come to this place after two hours.
Lucy's breath hitched, a gasp of pure, crazy happiness escaping her lips.
Lucy: THANK YOU, ZEN!
Zen: Oh, not a problem, but keep in mind I have some work to do, so I won't be there.
Lucy: No, I am not a kid anymore.
Zen: Best of luck.
After another hour, Zen took off his stellar mask and reverted to his original face and personality.
Meanwhile, Lucy had already arrived at the location, waiting for 5 minutes, when she saw a guy with black hair and silver eyes wearing a mouth mask approach.
"Hey, you are Lucy, right?" he asked.
He took off his mouth mask.
Lucy was shocked and about to call out his name, "L-le—"
The man, Leo, said silently with a "Shhh," "Please be silent. Don't call me. I don't want people to hear me."
"Okay, Sir Leo," Lucy whispered in a low volume that no one except Leo could hear.
"Zen said you are a human," he said without emotion, like the Stellars.
"Ye-yess, Sir Leo," Lucy said, her voice shy and her cheeks blushing.
Leo ignored her shyness and kept his tone practical. "Oh, not a problem. So, what did you want to say? Zen said it was important, so I came here for him."
"I will tell you," Lucy began, her voice dropping slightly, "but I have a question first: Do you hate humans?" She held her breath, hoping for a 'No.'
"What if I said yes?" Leo replied, still emotionless.
"Noo!" Lucy stumbled, her face falling. "I mean, yeah, it's up to you..."
Leo let a small smile touch his lips. "Just kidding. I mean, Zen is human and he's my friend, too, so you can say I don't hate humans. Understood?"
"Really? Master Leo, thank you so much, sir!"
Lucy shifted nervously. "By the way, I... I just wanted to meet you. Sorry if I wasted your time, but tomorrow is your birthday, and I just wanted to wish you well." She felt instantly awkward.
"Oh, that's the matter," Leo observed, his silver eyes fixed on hers. "Well, you know Zen is such a good friend of mine, so that makes you my friend, too." He paused, his smile widening slightly. "Also, would you like to join my birthday party at my house?"
Lucy gasped, excitement bubbling inside her. "Really? I can't believe it! You're a Stellar, and I'm just a human! I promise I won't become a burden for you."
"Then we will teleport to Leo's house at one minute before Forty-Six O'Clock," Leo announced, starting the teleportation machine on his wrist watch.
"What? Wait... I forgot you are a Stellar, you can use that machine!"
They both teleported to Leo's place. The moment Leo entered the room, Max was there and shouted, "Happy birthday, Leo!"
"Oh, Max, thank you so much," Leo replied.
At Forty-Six O'Clock, every Stellar in Arcana started posting birthday wishes to Leo. He received so many notifications.
"Wow, just like before," he murmured.
"Wow, Leo, you are so popular," Max said, forcing a small, dry laugh.
"Ohhh, brother, don't say things like that."
"By the way, meet her." Max gestured to Lucy. "She is Lucy."
"Lucy, he is Max," said Lucy, still overwhelmed.
"What?! He's Max? The second most powerful Stellar on the planet?" Lucy exclaimed, shock widening her eyes again.
The designation "the second powerful Stellar" visibly disappointed Max, darkening his mood instantly. He hated the ranking system. "Yeah, you can say that," he muttered, his reply cold.
"Nice to meet you. I can't believe I met you both." She turned to Leo and Max. "You both are best friends?" she asked, her voice timid.
"Yeah, you can say that," Max repeated, the coldness lingering.
Max then turned to Leo, his tone shifting abruptly back to business. "By the way, Leo, are you coming or not? The Earth. You remember?"
"Maybe," Leo replied, forcing a slight, casual laugh after the statement. "But not now." He then dropped the unexpected news. "Lucy will come too."
Lucy was instantly flustered, her face blushing deeply. "But—but, Master Leo, I can't go with you! I am Human, and you are Stellar!"
"Do you think it's a good idea?" Lucy asked them both, her blush intensifying.
Max replied dismissively. "Why not? We don't care about civilizations, you know, right?"
Leo interrupted them, his voice firm and final, cementing the plan. "You are coming, and it's confirmed."
After an hour of tense, guarded conversation and Max's delivery of the hot chocolate (Max's surprise gift), Leo was finally alone.
He had barely registered the quiet click in his delivery box. He found a parcel waiting for him, having been teleported directly from the Arcana Protocol headquarters. The box was meticulously packaged, a pristine white cube, and tucked beneath the good packaging was a letter.
He quickly opened the sealed letter. It read:
"Hey Leo, this is your parents' last recording. They left it before leaving and told us to give it to you on your eighteenth birthday. Only you can open it."