Goodbye For Now

"Val..." Zane stared dumbfoundedly at his sister on the other side of the cell for some time, before a smile crept up on his face. "Val!" Zane swiftly stood up and jumped towards the cell bar. Zane tried to hug Valentina but his hands stopped due to the impact between the chains of his shackles and the cell bars. "Ugh.." he cried out with a frown on his face due to the bruise on his wrists.

"Brother, I'll help!" Slem cried out as he ran up to Zane. He puffed his face as he tried to use his ability and help Zane, but it didn't work. "If you're trying to use your abilities, stop." Edana spoke calmly. "These are Veilirion Manacles, your <Arcane > won't work while you're shackled with these."

"It's okay." Zane patted Slem head and turned back towards the cell bars. Now that he was calm, he could see Edana, Cadell and Ouida behind Valentina. He turned towards Valentina and found her looking at him. She had a complex emotion on her face. Zane smiled softly, "How have you been Val?" She clenched her teeth and smiled back. "I'm fine..."

Zane sighed as he looked at his sister. "I'm sorry you had to see your brother like this Val." Valentina opened her mouth, but no word would come out. She had thought about what to say after meeting Zane for the whole day, but now that she was in front of her brother, she couldn't say anything knowing what awaited him.

"Ahem.." Zane let out a light cough. "I think it will be hard for us to see each other after this.." He said with a guilty smile. Hearing this, Valentina's eyes widened as she looked at Zane in horror. "How..." She spoke while gritting her teeth. "How can you say that so casually!" She screamed.

"It's okay Val.. It's not a big deal right?" Zane also clenched his teeth. His words didn't match his true feelings as he also didn't want to part from his sister. "I'll be fine as long as I know you're safe and are living well." He shot a meaningful glance at Cadell before looking at his sister again.

"No!" Val retorted. "I want you to live too.." Her eyes were full of tears. "I don't want you to....die..." She said softly as tears streamed down her face. "Die?" Zane had a face of confusion as he looked at her. Before he could say anything, Valentina jerked her head up and looked at the cell door. It was clear what she was thinking. She wanted to break her brother out.

Seeing this, Edana was about to step ahead but before she could move, Zane stopped Valentina. "Stop." He put his hand on Valentina's shoulder. She stopped and looked at Zane, but her gaze was still filled with determination. "Val..." Zane sighed. "I'm not going to die." Valentina tilted her head but didn't say anything. She wanted Zane to elaborate what he meant.

Shaking his head, he glanced at Edana before speaking again. "I struck a deal with the Sacred Order." He smiled.

"What!?" Everyone widened their eyes. "What deal?" Edana appeared beside Valentina. Zane looked at Edana, "I thought you'd know about it." He gave Edana a grin, revealing his sharp teeth. "I'm going to help you guys find the Saint and go free." Edana had a complex emotion on her face for a moment before smiling. It was hard for her to go against what she had been taught all her life, but she was happy for Valentina.

"Really!?" Valentina brightened up. Zane smiled and patted her head. "Of course! So don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He assured her. "But the churches are not kind to rogue seekers. That's why I said it'd be hard to see each other from now." 

Valentina fell into silence for a while. Then she looked at Zane with resolution in her eyes. "It's okay brother. Just be sure to stay safe. I'm sure we will be able to live together again!", she paused, "Just like before!", she smiled. Zane smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah..."

'The church...' Valentina thought in her head. In that brief moment, Valentina had created a new goal for herself. She would make it so that one day, she and her brother could be together again. "Brother, that lady keeps staring at me..." The silence was broken by a cute voice coming from beside Zane. All this time, Slem had been standing beside Zane, his hand grabbing onto the end of his shirt.

Slem was now pointing at Ouida in the back, and everyone turned their heads to look at her. Her cheeks were now flushed red with embarrassment. "I.. I was just looking at how cute that kid is." she explained herself to them. Everyone's attention was now at Slem. Valentina and Cadell only noticed the kid hanging onto Zane now.

"Who's that kid brother?" Valentina pouted. Zane looked at her and smiled. "Right... This is Slem. He healed me and helped me many times. You can think of him as your younger brother." Zane patted Slem's head which made Slem happy.

"Oh.." Valentina's eyes softened. "Thank you for taking care of my brother Slem." Valentina kneeled and she also patted his head through the bars. Slem felt Valentina's warm hand on his head and felt a familiar feeling. Her hand was like Zane's and he could feel her genuine feelings. "I hope you'll take care of my brother in the future too." Slem crossed his arms and puffed his chest out. "Of course sister! You can count on me!" 

After that, they chatted for a bit more. Zane also talked with Cadell and Ouida, and after a long time, the moon had already come up, and it was finally time for them to return. "You better take good care of Val, Cadell. Or else I'm coming for you!" Zane gave Cadell a terrifying grin. "O-Of course!" Cadell gulped and answered. 'He's still insane!' He thought.

Zane then softened his expression. "Thank you, you three. Thank you for looking after my sister." He looked at the three behind Valentina with a genuine smile on his face. With the moonlight coming down from the window bar shining on his face, this sweet smile of Zane made him look charming like the devil. Edana and Ouida blushed and nodded, both of them avoiding eye contact with Zane. "She can be a handful, but I hope you will keep looking out for her."

"O-Of course!" Edana replied. "I'll do my best!" Ouida nodded frantically. "Don't worry brother Zane. We are here for her." Cadell smiled at Zane after recovering from shock. He had never seen Zane look like that. Valentina softly punched Zane with a smile and eyes full of tears. She then proceeded to hug Zane through the cell bars. Zane opened his mouth in surprise, then he smiled and began patting Valentina on the head. "Take care Val.. This is goodbye for now." He whispered while Valentina nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

After their farewell came to an end, Valentina and the group left the cell and went back to their home. Zane and Slem were now alone in the cell. Zane sat down on the rough bed and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes for a while and sighed before opening them. "Then I better prepare myself too.."

He closed his eyes again and began actively absorbing the slug inside his body. He was now almost finished absorbing the essence of the slug. He could feel that he was about to break from the peak of Heart core to Eye seeking. He suddenly opened his eyes which was now crystal clear. The whites of his eyes was clearly separated from the black, which made him give off an otherworldly feeling. He then grinned with a fierce look in his eyes, "Wait for me a bit more, Szal!".