Do you want to go back?

Normal days of sorts, where the yellow sunlight hits the humble abode of Mel. During those times, Hazel would visit her for tea times and discussions.

Ranging from commodities of the Soren kingdom or magic that Hazel has yet to learn. Mel was quite interested in the dark magic books that the duke possessed. Those books were rare, finding them in a store or any people's home was like finding hay string in a pool of needle. She might die before she can even find one.

They were rare due to the Solicia region, and in extension; The Lumenian continent condemned dark equilibria long ago. A few people still practiced such arts, but none made a significant impact that can change the current doctrines of the church and the eyes of the people.

These books dated back to eight hundred years ago, protected by a dark spell that prevented it from deteriorating,  the author's name was still visible.

"Tenebria?" Mel asked in a lax attitude. "Such a strange name if you ask me."

Hazel shifted her hair out of her eyesight, she put a darkened book on the table.

Thud!

"Could be the case considering it was eight hundred years ago." Hazel said.

She followed up with a question.

"Are you familiar with her?"

The alchemist's face scrunched up in confusion. Though she did not dare to elaborate on it. "There was someone I saw in the academic text. Well, the name 'Tenebria' is only mentioned once. The text referred to her as the Consumed Witch. And based on what you said and the text, I can surmise the Consumed Witch is the same person as Tenebria, as she existed eight hundred years ago in the continent of Terrlumn."

"Could she be a powerful mage to create these potent spells?"

"It could be."

Their conversation extends to arts and issues. Mel does enjoy Lady Hazel's company as she was an avid fan of magic itself. So naturally, as magic rich Hazel is. She naturally hit it off with her.

When the sun retreated from the skies, and the stars had replaced the bright blue backdrop. Hazel would reapply the curse to Stanzi and Arise to keep Alexandris off their tails. 

Stanzi always hated the feelings of the suffocating sludge aura that came out of Hazel when she casted the curse. It felt sickening, like his stomach being pulled upside down. But he knew it was necessary for their survival. 

Especially for Arise's condition for the entire week. He remained immobile in his own room. The damages he sustained during his battle with Lord Alexandris severely gashed his body with deep cuts. His legs were as useless as a wet noodle, as far as healing goes, it cannot rapidly heal nerves like how it does heal muscles. So he had no choice but to wait for his nerves to heal slowly. As agonizing as it might be.

And much to his luck, he has a knight in shining armor, angel as he called it. Stanzi.

Stanzi took it upon himself to take care of Arise while he was bedridden. 

The smell of old wooden furniture lingered as the bed creaked at each movement made by the Arise. He looked outside the window as the sky progressively ladened with twinkling stars like sands going on shore. At the time, he wore baggy white clothes, his lower half covered in cloth like a mummy, each stand applied with a sticky healing salve Mel prepared earlier that day. While bedridden, Arise still hatched some plans after his confinement in the room. 

'The amount of money I could've made if those merchants and Hazel's brother didn't attack... Would propel my bank to hundreds of thousands.'

Arise sighed, he gripped the smooth bedsheet as the warm crackle of the igniology rune inside the room sweltered. 

Creak!

Arise glanced at Stanzi as he followed a stone construct reminiscent of flesh entered the room. The food hung above his hand, littered with perfectly uneven cracks as it set the food on the bedside table.

The plate clanged on the wooden table as Arise laid down. He saw a porridge, it was milky white as it tumbled around the bowl with the consistency of molasses dragging onto a spoon. 

Faust left the room, the door creaked close. While Stanzi picked up the rough wooden spoon off the table.

Stanzi took a scoop of the goopy liquid, it was soggy and sticky, while it may smell sweet, it was an illusion to mask its tasteless flavor, if one could even call that flavor.

"Engh!" Arise squinted his eyes in disgust as he stuck his tongue out. But he forced it down his throat like a sweeper to the dust pan.

Stanzi's mouth parted as his face filled with worry. "Arise... Are you okay?"

Quickly, he replied, not to sound like a rude guest. "Yes, I'm fine. However, if I'm being honest... It was quite tasteless."

"Why did you gag?"

"I don't know myself either."

Stanzi covered his mouth with his hand and giggled slightly. "You're unbelievable, you know?"

"I am?"

"Yeah, haha."

"I guess that's true, that's what my friends told me back then."

A memory popped out to mind, when both Arise and Eishi were in high-school. Arise always bought obscene amounts of chemicals that would have brought him trouble. Naturally, Eishi scolded Arise about his spending habits, he said that just because he was a minor back then, his possession of controlled chemicals would be forgiven. Where does he even get those?

Then like a burning paper, the embers of memory faded. Arise did not understand why that memory emerged from his mindscape, it does not correlate to any of their topics at the moment. He found it strange to say the least.

Then, a voice of curiosity escaped Stanzi's lips. "Is your world's food flavorful?" He asked; Stanzi scooped another.

Arise smiled nervously, he kept inching away from the spoon. Stanzi brought it to Arise's lips carefully. His mouth filled with tasteless sludge with an unpleasant texture. 'I don't like eating this sludge...'

'Well... I don't have a choice, a carbohydrate meal is still a carbohydrate meal. Be grateful you have food.' For a moment, a squelching sound filled the room. He felt random bits of potato in the sludge, it felt like eating a spoonful of mud, with other contaminants like rocks. 

His eyelids hung heavy as he forced the porridge down his throat. His throat felt drier than the desert, confused as his meal was a wet dish. He resigned questioning as the mere thought of analyzing such a dish was a waste of time.

He grumbled, "T-thanks"

Stanzi's lips propped into a smile as he put away the spoon to the near empty bowl.

In a few seconds, as he felt like throat clear up from the unpleasant stickiness, he answered: "Yes, in fact, it is one of the aspect I liked about my world"

Stanzi posed another question, he seemed eager to learn from Arise's past. What world he lived in, what kind of person was he back then. "Do you want to go back there?"

For a second, Arise's mind was filled with a void of silence. Like his thoughts were getting sucked into a blackhole. It was a tough question, while his world was advanced and entertaining. It was also stricken with war and petty disagreements.

Not that this world lacks any of it. For him, it was better to start all over again than go back to the hell-hole called Earth. And besides, there's so many novel things he wanted to discover, not like magic existed on Earth. Well, not that he knows of  anyway.

"While my world is fun, it is also plagued with problems on its own. I'd rather stay here, find my friends who came here with me and start anew. And I get to stay with you and Mel, so I would not exchange it for some guaranteed hell on the other side."

Hearing his answer, Stanzi looked away. His lips shifted in embarrassment as his face was as pink as a strawberry.

"Stanzi, are you listening to me?"

"Y-yes" Stanzi stammered.

"Why are you looking away?"

"I caught something in my eye, I just don't don't want you to see my ugly sides."

Arise chuckled, "What kind of reasoning is that?"

Then the young man added. "But, I will never find you ugly... The opposite actually. I actually admire your eyes."

Stanzi's eyes shone a bright blue like the vast ocean, it gazed into Arise's returning it to his purple eyes- then he suddenly looked down, tinkering his hand as if he was embarassed of making a mistake in front of the man. His nervousness is palpable, not many people had complimented him; well because of his isolationism, not many people know him.

"Thank you... Not many people knew me enough to say that..." Stanzi said, as he grasped Arise's hand. His eyes twinkled.

'He's like a puppy, adorable!' Arise smiled as he ruffled Stanzi's hair.

He lowered himself in, Stanzi liked how smooth Arise's hand was. It felt warm, like freshly cooked rice. 'I wish this could last forever'