Verdamona stepped out of the Fast Travel Building and inhaled Rome's dry summer air. The heat was different from the Antarctic cold she'd gotten used to. The crisp, biting chill and the training in the Argemenes Estate had sharpened her focus. control over her new Primal Synsiline Treasure. Her boots clicked lightly on the floor as she brushed a few strands of hair from her face. It was a month and a half. Had it really been that long since she managed to see the group together?
The maid who came to fetch her was quiet, polite and strangely nervous. Verdamona followed in silence, her hands clasped loosely behind her back. Another maid took her suitcase to her room.
'He didn't even text me once this whole time.'
She tried not to let that thought stick, but it wouldn't let go. Phaser always kept in touch, always sent jokes or updates or something to make her roll her eyes. Back at the university, they were inseparable. They were practically friends who stayed up too late in study halls laughing about nothing. Now he was busy and distant than ever.
And the name that kept popping up whenever anyone mentioned him?
Princess Hinesia Ahmose Rameses.
"Of course it's a princess."
The maid led her into the main living hall. Her eyes found Phaser immediately. She froze at the door.
Phaser sat on the couch laughing as Princess Hinesia spoke animatedly beside him. Hinesia was beautiful.too beautiful amd Verdamona saw that. Her heart twisted in a quiet, invisible knot. Xaessia and Thales were sitting nearby, examining the Azure Sword on a glass table, oblivious to the storm brewing behind Verdamona's eyes. It was Thales who noticed her first. He grinned.
"Guys, she's here."
Everyone turned. Phaser's gaze lifted from Hinesia's face to meet Verdamona's and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.
"Verdamona! You're finally back."
She took a few steps forward, forcing a smile.
"I guess I am."
Before she could say anything else, she noticed someone new.
A woman was sitting casually on the arm of a chair with wolf-cut gray hair framing sharp eyes. Tattoos curled down her arms and over her collarbone. She wore a simple tank top and cargo pants, somehow making both look intimidating and elegant at once. The woman tilted her head with interest.
"So this is Verdamona. You're prettier than I expected. No wonder he mentioned you."
Verdamona blinked. "I—who are you?"
Before the woman could answer, Phaser chuckled.
"She's the one who had the second fragment of the Azure Sword back then. Her name is Haruno Nishikata, a Japanese fugitive with a bounty of more than a hundred million dollars."
Haruno's face went red. "You don't have to say it like that!"
Xaessia laughed under her breath. "Still embarrassing her, huh?"
"Just stating facts," Phaser said with a grin.
Haruno crossed her arms, muttering, "Anyway, I'm not here to impress anyone. Just glad to finally meet the famous Verdamona. You're cuter than I expected."
Verdamona felt a strange warmth of embarrassment. Compared to the three young women around her, she was fairly average.
"Thanks… I guess. You look, um... different than I imagined."
"Different good or different bad?"
"Different intimidating."
Haruno laughed, tossing her hair back.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
The conversation carried on lightheartedly, but Verdamona's focus drifted. Her eyes kept returning to Phaser. He wasn't the same guy who once talked to her or are together. He was someone people looked to. And he was still sitting close to that princess.
"So," Phaser said suddenly, looking at Verdamona. "How was the training?"
She blinked, startled out of her thoughts.
"Oh. Uh—good. I'm getting used to the weapon. It's… intense. Takes a lot out of me."
Phaser nodded. "I can imagine. Primal Synsiline Treasures are a handful."
He rubbed the back of his neck, a small smile appearing again.
"I'm sorry for not keeping in touch. Things have been well, hectic."
Verdamona wanted to be angry. She wanted to say that he could have just sent a message. But looking at him now, with that tired sincerity in his eyes, she couldn't. Instead, she found herself smiling faintly.
"It's fine. You've always got too much on your plate."
"Still, you look like you've been doing great."
"I had good motivation."
"Yeah?"
She hesitated, then shrugged, pretending to be casual. "Someone told me once I'd never get stronger if I kept pretending I was a hero."
"Sounds like a smart person."
"Maybe. Or an idiot."
They shared a look, one that lasted a second too long, filled with the quiet nostalgia of nights spent training, arguing and laughing. Haruno broke it with a whistle.when she saw the two of them.
"You two have history, huh?"
Phaser coughed. "Something like that."
Verdamona chuckled quietly. "It's complicated."
"Everything's complicated with him," Xaessia muttered from her seat. "Trust me, I've been in this group long enough."
That made everyone laugh, even Verdamona. For a brief moment, it felt like before. Like nothing had changed.
Phaser leaned closer to her, lowering his voice.
"If she ever bothers you," he whispered, nodding toward Haruno, "just tell me. She's a bit annoying sometimes."
Verdamona blinked, then smiled for the first time in a while.
"You haven't changed at all."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Just… glad we're back together again."
Phaser looked at her for a moment longer, his expression softening before he chuckled.
"Yeah. Me too."
And though the air in the room was filled with laughter, warmth, and teasing remarks, Verdamona's chest still ached. Because as much as she tried to tell herself she was happy just being there again, a small voice inside whispered what she didn't want to admit.
She wanted him to notice her again.
Still, she laughed when he teased her next. And when their eyes met again, even if it was for a moment, it felt like the old days, like the distance between them hadn't grown quite so far after all.