"I will not allow you to come with me to a place where you cannot use your magic."


    With a severe expression, Orion his reasoning.


    "This is asking me to sacrifice you, and for absolutely no purpose."


    Then, he proceeded to tell her about Karteira.


    "I want you to fight Karteira without the use of anything besides your basic daggers. You won''t be able to maintain your magic in there, so this is your only way to prove you are capable of defending yourself."


    "Without the use of your elements, against a horde of these beasts... I don''t even want to imagine."


    His face was incredibly dark.


    "Do you understand now?"


    Pure dismay, fright, and concern invaded Amelia''s mind at the same time. She ended up turning into a mess inside.


    "Orion, this is not a joke, is it? There''s no way you''re going there?! Tell me!"


    Her voice resounded inside the room and into the hallway outside after she lost her composure.


    "Calm down. The situation won''t change even if you lose your self-control. Look at me, I''m also a mess, but I haven''t lost control."


    "If you think I want to do it because I was asked to, you are gravely mistaken."


    It was enough to bring Amelia back to her normal self.


    "You said we came here for an item, a ring. Is it really worth the risk of fighting this many beasts? Why do you need it?"


    Orion turned his head away, and recalled one of the recordings he watched inside the bracelet a few years ago.


    "My parents. They both lost their rings after the fight against Elliott. Father remembers thinking about the fairies before sealing him, but he never explained why."


    -


    "I know I thought about the fairies, but where my ring actually went, I have no idea."


    -


    "That''s what my father said to my mother, which was enough for me to visit the fairies."


    "Mother lost it too, but she does not remember what she was thinking about at that time besides me, so I have no clue about her ring."


    "I''ll have to ask Tiohr-nam for any clues about the three other lights that broke off from the pillar."


    Even with this explanation, Amelia wasn''t satisfied. It was too perilous to accept such an impossible task for a simple keepsake.


    "Orion, stop hiding things from me! Am I not good enough? What about your motives?"


    "Am I not the same as your family?!"


    Tears dripped on Amelia''s thighs. Her pearl eyes gleamed while looking at Orion.


    She clutched her chest, harboring hope that Orion would accept her unconditionally.


    Despite that, Orion did something she wasn''t expecting. He stood up, and moved toward his bag.


    ''I see, he never saw me like that... What was I expecting? He said it, his vengeance will always take precedence over me.''


    The light in her eyes began to dim, as she felt exhaustion take over her. The sadness enveloped her heart, as she slowly closed her eyes.


    But before she could, a book appeared on her lap. The title was ''The Sceneries of Triazils''.


    "Page forty-one. Open it."


    Amelia blinked, confused. Did she not receive her answer when he left her side?


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    She opened the book, and slowly turned the pages. She arrived at the page, before she began reading it.


    Between the two pages, a familiar envelope was there. She picked it up and opened it gently.


    -


    ''Orion, Happy Birthday. Since you are fourteen now, I didn''t know what to do for today, so I made you another cake, I hope you enjoy it this year too!''


    ''Happy sixteen years, Orion! You''re a grown man now, but this year again, there''s a cake for you! I love seeing your smile when you eat it.''


    -


    Many letters were kept inside that envelope. She read the many letters she''d written, when something else fell from in between the letters.


    The moment she saw it, she came to understand everything.


    It was the picture Dylan took with is weird tool when they were eight. She recognized her past self, wearing a glove on her hand where the symbol of the ''Key'' was, with her bangs covering her eyes.


    Tears flowed incessantly on her cheeks, while she looked at the photo with shock. So many important letters she thought disappeared in the fire she had caused.


    "Read the book too."


    Orion pointed at the book while looking away. She read out loud what was written on its pages.


    "Cape of Pearl Waters."


    "The most enchanting place in the whole continent, the millions of sea pearls washing ashore on the northern beach of Eogis left everyone who approached speechless."


    "Millions of oysters come dying in the turbulent waters, leaving behind them a view impossible to witness anywhere else."


    "We recommend coming with your loved ones at sunset, as it is the most satisfying moment, where the rainbow-colored waters mix with the orange of the sun."


    Orion sat next to her.


    "Do you need more?"


    Amelia clenched her chest, not knowing what to think. It wasn''t difficult to understand Orion''s feelings through all of this.


    ''He''s just clumsy with his words, so he used something else...''


    Now that she was left with all of Orion''s emotions laid bare before her, she felt at ease. Every single part of her was now at peace.


    She never realized it herself, but she was reluctant to give herself fully to him either. While Orion never accepted any of her advances, it made her anxious, and afraid of pushing their relationship further.


    ''I love him...''


    She grabbed Orion''s right arm, and hugged it tightly.


    "Why haven''t you said anything until now? Why did you keep all of this to yourself? I was persuaded everything burned during that accident."


    Placing her cheek on his shoulder, she looked inside his tired eyes.


    "I said it before. I keep the important stuff near me all the time, this is why I don''t have many possessions to begin with."


    "These are the only important items I have, and it''s embarrassing to show that even at my age, I keep your letters."


    While hugging his arm, she began to laugh.


    "Also, what is this about the ''Cape of Pearl Waters''?"


    Orion scratched his cheek with his free hand.


    "The first time I saw your eyes, this is what it reminded me of. The most beautiful sight in the world. It''s terrible saying it like this, but it''s my honest thought."


    A little tint of red appeared under his eyes, which she noticed.


    "I see now. Let''s go there one day, I need you to say which one is the most beautiful."


    "Maybe one day. There''s still a lot to do."


    She nodded, feeling completely relieved of her previous worries. She let go of his right arm, and instead, Orion touched his arm that was now free.


    "I''m baffled... What did you do?"


    "What do you mean, did I do something? I just hugged your arm?"


    Piecing two and two together, Orion explained his thought to her.


    "I was subjected to your tears in two different situations, and it seems as if it awakened another ability. That makes it the second time now."


    When she gathered the meaning behind his words, she grabbed his arms and intently stared at it.


    "Is it burning badly again?! Let me see!"


    "It''s not as bad as the first time, and I don''t have a situation where I have to fight for our lives, so I''m fine."


    It still seemed to hurt, as he was gripping it rigidly.


    As the pain subsided, a familiar voice echoed in their mind.


    "Right Arm, First Lock opened."


    "Are you joking, Orion? You just got another power just like that?"


    "Hey! Don''t throw the blame on me! I didn''t mean to make you cry, alright? I just wanted to cheer you up a little."


    Suddenly, the mood changed and became more pleasant.


    "I don''t know what happened for you to unlock another ability of the ''Shackles'', but since I have something new to train, I won''t complain."


    When he said that, the familiar voice of the Key''s ego was heard once again, to Amelia''s dismay.


    "The power of love was the reason for this unlock. Don''t forget to pamper her for more power."


    "AaaaaaaH!"


    A shriek escaped Amelia''s mouth, echoing into the entirety of the mansion.


    "What have you done! Why did you say that! Oh, my word!"


    With a swift movement, she turned her back to Orion, completely red.


    But she wasn''t the only one, as Orion looked away while scratching his cheek. He stood up and walked to the nearest wall, before placing his left hand on the wall while putting his head against it.


    "I''m not going to ''pamper'' you for more power. What was that about? Since when is the ''Key'' able to speak like that?"


    Without waiting, the ''Key'' answered him.


    "Since you''ve unlocked a tenth of my power. Her mind wasn''t ready to bear the burden of the ability, so I locked it firmly until now. But seeing as she as accepted you and your goal fully, it was enough to wake my ego."


    Amelia stood up from the bed, and looked at the ceiling, swiping her arm in disapproval.


    "Stop talking! Stop giving him so many details about my thoughts!"


    "I believe it is fair, since he laid all of his cards in front of you earlier."


    Her arms slumped at her sides, as she slowly nodded.


    "Well, yes... No, wait! Go back to sleep! Don''t try to make me the villain!"


    "As you wish, I''ll be waiting for your improvements, Masters."


    The voice died down, leaving an embarrassed Orion and an exhausted Amelia on the spot.


    "I think we should go and take a walk. I''ll tell you know why I want to get my parents'' rings back so much."


    "Good idea."


    They both left after tidying the room, and stepped outside the building.