Ash looked at his fingers, there he could still feel the softness of Elizabeth’s lips, the faint sensation was enough to pull his thoughts back to that moment for a brief second, but he soon came out of it when he felt a stabbing glare from his sides, Eva’s silent gaze carrying a clear sense of judgment that made the atmosphere feel slightly awkward.
To dismiss the awkward atmosphere, Ash instantly called out Eric who was standing outside, not giving that silence any more time to stretch.
{What are you standing there for, idiot. Come inside.}
Ash transmitted these words to Eric who was standing outside.
-Ding!!
The door of the shop opened and Eric soon stormed in.
"What happened here? Why was that person here...?"
There was a visible tension on Eric’s face as he asked this question as soon as he entered, his voice controlled but his eyes clearly showing concern as they quickly scanned the surroundings.
Ash just waved his hands towards him as he replied, "Nothing, Elizabeth and I just became friends, you don’t have to worry too much about it."
Eric who heard that heaved a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly as his thoughts settled, I see, they just became friends, there is nothing to-----wait--
"---What?"
Eva who was watching all this drama sighed and appeared before both of them, her expression showing that she had already expected this kind of reaction.
{Don’t worry little brother, let me tell you what happened. Basically....}
While Eva went through everything that has happened, explaining it in a steady flow, Ash ignored them and looked at the crystal in his hands.
The Crystal was pure white in color, smooth and clear, with some runic formations on it, faintly etched across its surface, and with his discerning eyes he could understand what these runes were used for without much effort.
These runes were basically used to preserve something for long time, protect it from outside meddling, and mainly used to store memories or information in a stable form so that nothing inside could be altered easily.
And after one use, they are bound to get destroyed, their structure collapsing once their purpose is fulfilled. Even if someone wants to change these runic formation, it is impossible to do it without destroying the content inside, making it a strict one time use.
Even for Ash, he was not confident that he won’t destroy whatever information was stored inside the crystal if he tried to change some runic formation on it.
Hmm, it’s not like I have the need of the crystal after using it once either way....
But, now that Ash held this crystal, it would be a lie to say that he was not excited. More than excitement, there was a sense of anticipation.
After all this was a Legacy crystal.
Which was given to him by Elizabeth, against all odds she decided to befriend Ash and trust him with this Crystal, but Ash could tell she was just taking another long approach to make him join the Transcendent Circle, choosing patience over force.
But he was not going to hinder her plans in anyway, as long as it could benefit him, it would be fine. After all, even he has taken a gamble with the sudden appearance of Elizabeth, but still it worked out for better than he expected.
Now he had the way to awaken his Soul Flame.
Indeed, the Legacy Crystal contained the process of how one can awaken their Soul Flame, a method that now rested quietly in his hands.
One could not get their hands on a Legacy Crystal even after entering and joining the Transcendents, because this was something personally made by the Eternal Supreme for Elizabeth when she first awakened her Soul Flame, making it extremely rare and valuable.
She got three of these Crystals in total, but she used two of them to understand the content inside and awaken her Soul Flame, while the last one was left unused, which she gave to him.
All this was told to him by Elizabeth, and Ash was really, really shocked to hear that, mainly because of how casually she handed over something so important. Though, he could guess she wanted him to feel indebt to her with this favor and it would be a lie to say that he was not.
Although Elizabeth took two Crystals to grasp the process to awaken the Soul Flame, Ash was confident he could do it in one, trusting his own abilities.
And with his Soul Library, even if he does not understand it in one try, he could try again.
After all, when his Soul Library can hold the information related to Runes, why can’t it store information related to just a Soul Flame awakening.
Other than the Legacy Crystal, there was another thing that Elizabeth left for him, it was an emblem, with the symbol of a golden white flame etched on it, with countless invisible runic glyphs present all over it, faintly pulsing as if carrying some hidden authority within.
Through the use of this emblem, he could enter the most prestigious academy of the Realm of Eden.
Eden Realm Academy.
Where the geniuses of a myriad of races go to become stronger, with countless resources in hand, Eden Realm Academy nurtures these geniuses into powerhouses capable of holding the skies, but the competition there is even more insane, pushing even the most talented to their limits.
What’s more, Eden Realm Academy is situated at the center of the Realm of Eden, that’s why Ash had never heard of it till today, as his reach had never extended that far before.
No thanks, I don’t wanna spend time amidst hot headed arrogant immature kids, I am done with that bullshit. I don’t have the will to spend even a single bit of my time with students there....
Ash tossed that emblem into his Soul Vault without giving it a further glance, like a garbage getting thrown into a trash bin.
And he was not even familiar with the Eden Realm Academy, the game he played had nothing like that, which was another reason for him to not go to the academy, as unknown variables were something he preferred to avoid unless necessary.
But, if someone like Elizabeth is a student there, that makes me think about the level of the teachers of the Academy...
Still, even if the Eternal Supreme himself were to teach there, Ash would still not go there.
I just hope this friendship does not get too much expensive for me...
Ash looked at Eric, who was now finished listening to everything and was standing there with Eva, and seeing him like that, a teasing smile appeared on his face as he remembered something.
He walked up to him and put his hand around Eric’s neck, pulling him a little closer as he asked, "How did your date with Saskia went...?"
Hearing this question, Eric’s face became red with embarrassment, the reaction coming instantly. Even Eva’s mood shifted from her earlier dissatisfied one to something filled with curiosity, her attention snapping toward Eric.
"D-D-Date...? It was not a date, I was just accompanying her."
Eric lied with a straight face, though his blushing face betrayed everything, making his words feel even less convincing.
Ash’s smile widened seeing that as he knocked his head lightly with his other hand, "You brat, don’t lie to me. Did you forget who taught you these things. If you are in love just say so fearlessly, why are you hiding it from me."
{He is right for once, little brother. You should not hide from us, we are your family, you can tell these things to us.}
"What a rude remark. I am right most of the times."
Ash refuted Eva’s words, but she just ignored him.
Eric’s face was really red, but then something, or perhaps some memory, passed through his eyes as his expression slowly became normal and then turned stern as he shook his head.
"No, I am not in love. I was just embarrassed about you guys asking something like that."
He freed himself from Ash’s grasp and walked away, his steps a little quicker than before as if he wanted to leave the conversation behind.
Ash looked at his retreating back as his smiling face slowly turned neutral once again, the playful mood fading just as quickly, and then he looked towards Eva, who simply shrugged her shoulders without saying anything.
....sigh....why do I feel my shadow being reflected from Eric.....
Although he didn’t want to admit it, he could not deny it either. But there was no way he could go ahead and give Eric some advice when he himself had done something similar, and not just once, but twice.
And he was still searching for information regarding her and the World of Akumia, something that remained unresolved in his own life.
Looks like, I need to contact Elizabeth very soon once again, it’s good that I asked a communication stone from her, although it’s not widely used, people still use these things, although very rarely. Although it might make me appear suspicious, there is nothing I can do, not unless I can somehow interfere with the Universal System....and for that I need to comprehend the Runes....
Ash shook his head, because who could understand better than him how well men are at hiding their feelings deep inside their hearts, while showing that everything is fine on the surface.
Ash could understand what Eric might be feeling, he could understand the restlessness building inside him, but he was also a man, and he knew that giving unnecessary advice at times like this would only make things worse.
What a cursed thing male ego is...but that curse in itself makes us what we are...
***