The red-orange lanterns were released by the villagers, one by one, slowly ascending toward the sky.
The stars filled the vast expanse above, while the beautiful moon shone down upon the village, watching over them like a silent guardian.
The sounds of happiness and joy echoed through the air, filling the village with warmth.
Yet, in this very moment—this second—time seemed to stand still.
In this moment, Sebastian saw someone. Someone he had loved deeply for a long time.
"Sebastian!" she yelled from across the green fields—the only patch of greenery in a desert world. It was a place where the earth defied the harshness of the surroundings, and it seemed as though the greenery itself was a reflection of her presence.
He watched her walk over, no thoughts clouding his mind—just her, just this very moment.
Elijah, standing off to the side, smiled, watching them.
"And there it is…" he muttered to himself with a soft grin."Let's not ruin their moment."
With that, Elijah walked away slowly, giving them their space.
"Sebastian!!" she waved, her pink kimono fluttering in the gentle breeze. Little white rabbits decorated its fabric, and her long pink hair, free and untied, swayed with each step she took.
"Where have you been?" she asked, her voice pouting in playful frustration.
Sebastian stammered, unable to find the right words. "I… I…"
"I've been here… waiting for you" he said with a calm tone and a gentle smile
her face light's up with a smile. "Guess the wait is over then, huh?"
"Maybe," Sebastian replied, turning away slightly. "Who knows?"
Sapphire chuckled, the sound like a melody in the quiet night.
"Let's go then?" she asked, her eyes bright with excitement.
Sebastian smiled, a soft, genuine smile that reached his eyes. "Yeah… let's go."
Meanwhile, Sirius, standing a little further away, spotted something he had missed dearly—his long-lost love.
"My love!!" he yelled as he caught sight of the glass of beer on a table from afar, as if it had been waiting for him all this time.
"Ohh, how much I've missed you!!" he exclaimed, rubbing the glass against his face like an old friend.
Klaus, emerging from behind, raised an eyebrow. "Going to keep all the fun to yourself?" he smirked. "That's unfair."
Sirius grinned widely. "By all means, help yourself."
"When the time comes I will" klaus sits down
"By all means" sirius grins looking at the beer
Not far from there, Sukiro stood quietly, arms crossed, gazing up at the stars. Suddenly, a boy slapped him on the back.
"Whatcha doing alone?!" he asked, as if they were old friends reunited after years.
"Nothing much, just watching the stars," Sukiro replied, a little taken aback.
"Watching the stars? Sounds oddly boring," the boy grunted, clearly not interested in such a passive activity.
"Yeah, maybe," Sukiro said with a shrug.
"How about we do something less boring, like exploring the stalls?" the boy suggested, his eyes shining with excitement, as if he couldn't wait for Sukiro to say yes.
Sukiro glanced at him, contemplating the offer. The boy's eyes were pleading.
Sighing, Sukiro finally relented. "Fine… let's go."
"Yaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" the boy shouted, jumping up and down. "I knew you would say yes!"
"Sorry, my bad," the boy said, suddenly realizing he hadn't introduced himself. "My name's Weston Banks. And you?"
"Sukiro. My name's Sukiro."
"Nice to meet you, Sukiro," Weston said with a wide grin, offering a handshake.
Sukiro took his hand, returning the gesture. "Nice to meet you too, Weston."
---
Elsewhere, Klaus adjusted his glasses as he joined Sirius at the table.
"Very well," Klaus said, the nerdy smile still on his face. "If you're so eager to be defeated, fine by me."
The two raised their glasses in a toast, the night's festivities beginning to blend into something far more meaningful than they had expected.
Elijah, who had been wandering the stalls with a carefree attitude, glanced up at the sky and smiled to himself.
"Maybe this time around… some of us will win," he mused under his breath.
"Sebastian, I sure as hell hope you do it today."
Suddenly, a distant yell caught his attention.
"Mr. Elijah!!"
He turned quickly, scanning the crowd. His eyes widened. "Wait, is that...?"
"Mr. Elijah!!" a hand waved frantically, nearly lost in the sea of people.
"It's me!!"
Elijah's eyes went wide with recognition. "Christian?"
He began pushing through the crowd, the faces around him blurring as he focused on the one person he hadn't expected to see here.
Pushing away the people one by one
Suddenly, someone collided with his chest.
Christian, looking up at him with a hand over her nose, slowly spoke. "It's… you."
She said Draped in a cyan kimono kissed with white petals, she moved like spring wrapped in silk.
Each step stirred the blossoms.
"Well, someone skipped drinking their milk when they were little, didn't they?" Elijah teased, his voice playful.
Christian smiled, her lips pouting as she folded her arms turning back on him. "I never liked it anyway."
"You wanna play?" Elijah asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
She gave him a side-eye, clearly not interested.
"Okay then, if you don't want to, that's fine by me," Elijah shrugged, feigning indifference.
But Christian spun around in a hurry, still not speaking, her actions answering for her.
He grinned. "I'll take that as a yes, then."
"Hell yeah!! I caught the damn goldfish!" Weston shouted from a nearby booth, exhaling a sigh of relief. "After so long."
Sukiro, still scooping water with his net, looked over at Weston, a frustrated frown on his face. "I think this game is rigged."
"You can't catch anything for your life, can you?" Weston smirked, clearly enjoying the tease.
"This game isn't fun anyway," Sukiro muttered, tossing his scoop aside as he stood up.
"Okay, okay, as you say, Commander. How about we try the Mana Blast game?" Weston suggested eagerly, his eyes practically begging Sukiro to agree.
Sukiro sighed, clearly worn out but giving in. "Fine…"
"Finally, man!! That took a decade!! That was a good game!" Weston said, excitement radiating off him as he high-fived Sukiro.
Sukiro raised an eyebrow, watching Weston claim his prize. "Most of the games here are rigged for sure," he muttered under his breath as he walked away.
"Sukirooooo!! Wait for me!!" Weston yelled, running to catch up.
Back with Sebastian and Sapphire, they wandered through the bustling crowd, the villagers gazes following them.
"I wonder why they're staring at us?" Sebastian asked, his voice laced with curiosity
"It's not common to win so much, you know?" Sapphire replied, her face barely visible as she struggled to carry the tower of prizes she had won.
"They were too easy. I don't understand what was supposed to be difficult," Sebastian muttered, his arms barely holding the overflowing prizes.
"Let's keep them there on that hill," Sapphire suggested, her face completely hidden behind the pile.
"Yep!" Sebastian agreed, not bothering to adjust the stack in his arms.
"We won a lot, didn't we?" Sapphire marveled, her voice full of disbelief, yet her grin stretched from ear to ear.
"It's around 50," Sebastian said, his tone light. "We can give it to everyone."
"Yeah, we certainly can." Sapphire smiled, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"They're preparing to light up the fire blasts," she pointed to the distance, where a group of villagers was getting ready for the spectacular display. "It's one of my favorites."
Her eyes reflected the starlight as she gazed into the distance, captivated by the night. The sounds of the crowd, the warmth of the moment, it all felt so real.
Sebastian watched her, his gaze softening. He smiled. "Yeah… it's my favorite as well."