Damon nudged the door shut with his heel; his shoulders dropped as if someone had just taken a weight off his back.
"What a long day…" His voice came out rough, the words dragging more than his feet had.
Daichi was already completely wiped out and sprawled across the bed when Damon looked over. He snorted, half-amused. The chandelier hanging from the high ceiling shone a steady light across the room, hitting his face as he bent down to lightly pet the sleeping dog.
His bedroom had changed since he first arrived on Eternum, though the dark-blue wallpaper was still there.
They felt smooth and cool, with thin traces of gold running through them in elegant, branching patterns that looked grown right into the material itself. The room was big enough to play a full game of basketball without ever touching a wall.
Speaking of basketball, Damon's eyes glanced briefly at the right wall, and his eyes were fixed above a shelf that was longer in length than height, almost where one would keep a sword. He noticed the basketball Natsuki had given him back on Earth. It was still sealed in its original packaging, hanging on the wall like something sacred.
The dark stone floor radiated a gentle warmth under his feet as he kicked off his shoes and technically shrugged out of his jacket.
He proceeded to strip out of his entire school uniform and changed into loose, comfortable clothes.
He pulled a white short-sleeved shirt from his closet—an elegant piece with intricate black and gold royal designs that were drawn with a familiar Earth-like style—and paired it with simple black trousers.
To his left, a broad single staircase step rose into a second, raised platform. It was a half-floor built directly into the room like an indoor balcony that served as his personal training zone.
Up there stood his workout equipment: a heavy running platform like a royal-grade treadmill, racks of weights sorted by size, resistance bars, a reinforced lifting bench, and a pull-up bar fixed into a gold-lined support beam. It was a setup built to withstand eterna-enhanced strength, and the elevated view let him look toward the sky while he trained.
He swung around the bar once, let the momentum carry him, and dropped cleanly onto the long, deep‑blue couch on the main floor.
Sinking into the soft gold-stitched cushions, he reached down to a built-in drawer on the side of the couch and pulled out the wireless earpods Natsuki had given him as a birthday gift.
Opposite the entrance, the large window sat slightly open, letting a cool breeze stir the curtains.
Beyond the windows was his private balcony, wide enough for two people to watch the distant city lights of Woewyn. Near the windows stood his dark wooden desk and chair, both carved with subtle gold patterns, holding a chaotic but organized pile of papers, notebooks, and scattered pens.
Damon slotted the earpods into his ears and hit play. As the song 'She's Crazy, But She's Mine' began to fill his head, he leaned back with the back of his head on the arm of the chair, and as he looked up to the ceiling with majestic designs, he completely blocked out the rest of the palace.
With his hands behind his head, he just stared out the window, watching the sky darken and capital lights brighten. He let out a long breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. His shoulders sank, chest loosening as if someone had finally untied a knot inside him.
As the song slowly began to reach its chorus, Damon walked to his window and stepped out onto the balcony. The city lights of the capital spread out fully before him, with warm golden glows reflecting beautifully off the surrounding bodies of water. Each light looked like the twinkle of a star at night.
Using his heightened senses and vision, he could see people moving about normally below, going through their daily routines and laughing. In the nearby body of water, a few bioluminescent fish played around, casting soft ripples through the dark currents. He swapped his gaze past a few groups of people, his head beginning to nod slowly to the rhythm of the song running in his ears.
Further down the street, he noticed two young children no older than five—a boy and a girl—holding hands and skipping along the road with completely innocent smiles on their faces.
The sight brought an abrupt thought to his mind:
'Natsuki must be busy today. I haven't heard from her at all. Hmmmmm. Should I go visit her?'
The thought barely finished before a familiar voice slid through his mind, smooth and amused.
"You can calm down, big boy. I'm here."
Damon's breath caught for half a second before a grin broke across his face. "Natsuki!" he said out loud.
Behind him in the room, Daichi shifted slightly in his sleep from the loudness of his voice. Realizing his blunder, Damon quickly switched to speaking telepathically. "How long have you been watching me?"
Back on Earth, Natsuki was sitting at a desk in her bedroom. A laptop sat open in front of her, surrounded by a scattered mess of files, pens, and colored highlighters. In her hand, she was gently holding the necklace Damon had given her—the Shard of Luminaris.
She let out a soft chuckle. "Pretty much since you stepped in. I can hide my presence from you with this pretty necklace you gave me, you know?"
She stood up from her chair, walking across the room to close her bedroom door before stepping out onto her own private balcony.
"I know, I know," Damon replied. But right under that response, a single, private thought slipped through his mind: 'I wonder how many times she's seen me take a shower. Does that mean she's seen me naked? When's my turn?'
Natsuki shook her head on her side of the connection, a knowing smirk on her lips. 'Aaannnd we can also hear each other's thoughts.'
Damon didn't even blink, though the corner of his mouth twitched up. "I kinda wanted you to hear that."
They both laughed, though Natsuki's laugh sounded a bit more wholehearted and relaxed.
"Don't flatter yourself," Natsuki said, leaning against her railing. "I have been checking on you a lot more recently, though. Especially since you said the time on Eternum runs the same as Earth's now, remember?"
Damon shifted his weight, resting his elbow on the stone railing of his balcony while the cool evening breeze gently blew the curtains behind him. "Oh yeah. I did say that."
"I have a feeling your room's bigger than it looks," Natsuki said. She used the connection of the shard to look back into his room, her eyes landing on the wall. She blinked in surprise as she noticed the basketball resting there. "Oh. You actually hung it on your wall like you said you would." She said with a satisfied smile.
Damon shifted again. He rested both his elbows on the balcony railing now as he leaned his back against it, looking towards the basketball hanging inside his room. "Yep. You see? I do keep my promises."
"Hmm. You try your best, I'd say," Natsuki teased. "You're even using the earpods I gave you. What song are you listening to?"
As she asked, Natsuki took her own wired earpiece, plugged it into the phone in her pocket, and played a track to fill her own ears.
"I already told you I wouldn't show you my playlist," Damon said, his tone turning playful. "Not yet, at least. Why don't you just sneak your way into my thoughts and find out, hmm?"
"Don't dodge the question, D," Natsuki shot back, though her eyes rolled with a smile. "Why can't you even show me your playlists anyway?"
Damon chuckled softly. "I thought you said you wouldn't ask anymore? I wonder who's the one not keeping their promises now."
"I see what you're doing there, and no," Natsuki smirked, her voice sharp but amused. "I said I wouldn't ask you to show it to me. Now I'm just asking why you won't."
Damon let out a soft sigh, and his voice softened gently, with a patient reassurance. "It's a long story. It's just something I set my mind on doing a few years ago. There's nothing bad to hide, I promise. I will show you later, okay?"
"I'm not satisfied," Natsuki murmured with a playful pride as she pouted with closed eyes. "But as you know, I am the more patient one between the two of us," she said with a smirk.
Damon scoffed automatically. "I beg to differ."
"Keep begging then."
Damon laughed aloud. "Nice one."
A comfortable pause settled between them as Natsuki rested her arms along her own railing. Damon shifted and let his gaze wander across the glowing capital city before he spoke up, his voice dropping into a casual, easy rhythm.
"Did you go to school today? How was it?"
"Nope. We've got study leave," Natsuki explained, stretching her arms. "It's exam season here, remember?"
Damon reached up to ruffle his black hair, a bit embarrassed. The blue highlights caught the light, and as his hand rose, his shirt shifted slightly to reveal the faint glowing scar underneath. "Oh… I forgot we'd normally get study leave at this time. My bad."
Natsuki smiled lightly, her eyes softening as she stared out into the distance. "It's fine. I'm just glad to hear your voice, D. Even though we speak more, I still miss you a lot. When are you gonna visit? I don't wanna keep hugging my pillows."
"Soon. I'll visit soon." Damon said quietly, his gaze drifting back over the glowing golden bridges and waterways of the capital. "I've just got some things to clear up on. But I really do miss you a lot. Every time I wake up and look at your bracelets on my wrists, I wish I could see your face. It's a goodish kinda hurting feeling, I guess." Damon chuckled nervously.
Natsuki's breath hitched for a moment before her lips turned into a satisfied smile, "You're really sweet, Damon. You really are."
Both teenagers stood outside on their respective balconies as they watched the sky. However, their skies were ultimately different.
Damon's sky was a darkness crowded with planets, moons, and stars that twinkled brightly. Natsuki's sky looked like an imitation, matching its exact shape, though smaller, and it only had a single moon. The sun had completely slipped away from two skies that couldn't be more different.
Though between Damon and Natsuki, there was one similarity, the silence didn't feel empty at all. It felt like a soothing conversation that didn't need words.