Honest

Winter on the mountainous area in Ravelith region was not so different than the one Magnus had experienced when he'd gone for vacation in northern Canada, back on Earth. Most days were blanketed in darkness, and the cold knew no mercy. But with Magnus' strengthened physique, he was okay wearing only a shirt and a pair of pants. Of course, these garments were designed in a style unique to the culture of people of Ardeim, a Realm where Magnus had finally settled down and planned to spend the rest of his days in.

He was sitting on a wooden chair on the porch of his small but cozy log house. Next to him was Alana, his dear wife. The amber light from inside the house beamed through the window, illuminating part of her hair and face.

Her whitish blond hair fell loosely onto her waist, with two small braids that were tied together on the back. Her pale green skin—typical of a wood elf—had these very faint veiny lines like those found on a leaf. She was wearing her fur coat, since she had never bothered gaining power like the rest of the people after the Prolog on Ardeim. Besides, she lived far from the center of civilization, so nobody had never given her any trouble. That was, until Magnus had somehow found his way to her home.

She was looking to the sky, but upon feeling her husband's loving stare, Alana's thin lips formed a soft smile. "The sky is pretty tonight, dear. Why are you keeping your eyes down here?" she asked in Ravelithian.

"Sorry, but even the lights in the sky can't compare in beauty to the woman I'm looking at," replied Magnus, also in Ravelithian. Crossing over to other Realms had exposed him to many foreign, non-Earth languages. However, the system had made it much easier for people to learn these languages. It only took him three days to be able to properly hold a conversation with the first Ravelithian he'd met.

Hearing his reply, Alana shook her head and chuckled lightly. "That sounds so…what do you call it in your language? 'Cheesy'?"

Magnus let out a laugh. "Cheesy, yeah. But I don't care. It was the truth, anyway." He then looked up at the colorful lights that flickered and danced in the night sky. They were like giant curtains that covered the world from whatever was beyond the sky. "Back home, we call these lights Aurora. Some also call them the Northern Lights."

"Aurora," mumbled Alana. "It's a pretty name. Very fitting."

She then turned to him. "Speaking of lights, are you sure you want to stay here for the rest of your life? You've come all the way here to look for your yellow light, after all."

Magnus looked straight into her pale brown eyes. "Alana, we've talked about this. What use is a paradise if you're not there with me?"

Showing him a gentle smile, Alana reached out her hand and caressed his cheek. "I know, but it still weighs in my heart a little, that you had to give up on your dream because I couldn't leave this place."

"And I told you I'm perfectly fine with it," he replied, placing his hand on hers. He then lightly leaned his head on her hand. "My place is here with you. That is my honest confession."

---

Today, Magnus was happy. No, he was elated. After taking a bunch of photos around Millennium Park, he and Summer went to grab lunch at a nearby pizzeria. After that, they had fun at an arcade, and then entered a skate shop where Summer browsed for all kinds of things with a variety of expressions shown on her eyes. Usually, girls would go to the mall to look for new clothes, but not Summer. The girl had her priorities straight.

She ended up not buying anything, much to the slight displeasure of the shop owner. But Magnus didn't care. He was happy as long as she enjoyed her time there. Getting out of the shop, they decided to spend the rest of the day walking around the city, enjoying the views and talking to each other.

During all that time, Magnus finally found out what had happened to Summer's mother. She didn't find any problem telling him this. It turns out that her mother got cancer when she was around twelve years old. Her father had to work two jobs to pay for the hospital bills, but in the end, she passed away in her sleep.

Grieving and barely able to cope with her mother's death, Summer locked herself in her room. That was, until Uncle Jim, Mrs. Wang's younger brother, came to her house bringing his skateboard. He then knocked on her door and offered to teach her how to skate. Initially, she wasn't interested. But after a while, she told him she would like to watch him in action. So then, Uncle Jim brought her to a skate park around the neighborhood and slowly got her to warm up to the sport.

After that, she fell in love with skateboarding.

"How about you?" asked Summer, turning her head to look at Magnus. Before them, the golden glow of the setting sun made shimmering reflections on the surface of Lake Michigan. "Tell me about yourself."

"Whew, where do I even begin," said Magnus, wearing a wry smile on his face. "Well, you already know that my favorite food is kebab. But I also like Chinese food. And I think the dumplings I had at Mrs. Wang's were fantastic. Hmm, what else? My favorite number is seven, and uuh, initially I didn't like the color blue. But after being exposed to it for so many years, I stopped being sick of it and started to get used to it. Though, from the look on your face right now, I can tell you wanna know more than just that." Magnus ended his sentence with a slightly nervous chuckle.

He then took a deep breath. "It may be hard to believe, considering my physical age. But I've visited so many places and met different kinds of people. Some were living without much choice in their lives, having to follow the directions that were already made for them. It was as if their paths were scripted. But despite being stuck in such circumstances, many of them didn't mind living that way, as long as they could gain power. Well, for them, I just feel sad.

"But a few of them actually hated it. They hated having their lives in the palm of someone else's hands. Though there was not much they could do about it, at least the anger I could see in their eyes gave me relief. I wasn't sad for such people; I more than empathize with them. I could feel their undying desire to break free, and that was what true strength was. Their spirit was never broken despite of everything they've been through. For such people, I give my utmost respect."

Noticing the attentive expression on Summer's face, Magnus could tell that the girl was trying her best to understand why he started saying all that stuff. But at the same, she also understood the meaning behind his words, somewhat. Magnus thought she probably fitted it into the situations of the under-privileged people she'd seen around and that she'd heard about. Maybe she herself had been in such situation a few times in her life.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sour your mood," said Magnus with an apologetic smile.

Summer shook her head. "No, it's okay. You looked so serious talking about that, and I think I understand what you feel."

Magnus turned his smile into a cheerful one. "Thanks. Now," he said as he got up. "Shall we go have dinner somewhere?"

After walking around trying to decide where they would have dinner, they settled on a moderately-priced Korean restaurant. They enjoyed some Korean barbeque while talking about light topics. With their stomachs full, Magnus paid for the bills, and then they enjoyed a night walk around the city.

Along the way, they encountered a band of street musicians performing some jazzy tunes by Frank Sinatra. Feeling the right kind of atmosphere, Magnus stopped walking a distance away from the band. Next to him, Summer also halted her steps, wondering why he suddenly stopped.

Magnus then moved to stand in front of her. "Hey uuh, Summer," he said, trying not to sound too nervous.

"Yeah?"

"Close your eyes, please. I have a gift for you."

At first, Summer looked curious and a bit reluctant. But then she shrugged and closed her eyes.

Seeing her following his request, he smiled and grabbed her left hand. Summer flinched a little, but kept her eyes closed. And then, Magnus brought the gift out of his Inventory, stared at it wistfully for a moment before gently putting it around Summer's wrist. "You can open your eyes now."

Summer could already feel the object wrapped around her wrist, and when she finally opened her eyes and saw it, a delighted smile bloomed on her lips. It was a brown leather bracelet that somehow emanated a dim green glow. She couldn't even begin to wonder how it produced such glow, but she found it pretty, therefore didn't really mind it. "It's beautiful. Thank you, Magnus."

Magnus was really happy to hear that. The bracelet, called [Forest's Wish], had actually once been Alana's. He'd taken it off her wrist before burying her and had since kept it in his Inventory. The glow itself was sent out of the tiny inscriptions engraved within the leather. Well, they glowed because they automatically kept absorbing mana from the air, producing an enhancing effect for the wearer's affinities to light and earth elements—Alana's affinities.

Magnus didn't know if Summer would have the same affinities, but he sure hoped so; he didn't want the bracelet to become obsolete. And also, maybe he secretly still couldn't—or didn't want to—separate the two individuals that were Alana and Summer. At least not yet.

The item was also supposed to give a boost for Agility, but Summer's non-awakened state prevented the magic inscriptions to take effect.

"Listen, Summer," Magnus said, telling himself not to stutter or look nervous during what he was about to say next. "You've known, for almost two months since we've met now, that I'm into you. I've always worn that emotion on my sleeve, anyway.

"But I also know you have your doubts, and that some of the circumstances so far have felt a little strange. I can tell that you've noticed. And I haven't exactly been totally transparent with you, about everything. Yes, I do have my secrets, and no, I can't tell you what they are just yet. Even though I so badly want to tell you.

"But Summer," he paused for a moment to grab both her hands, "despite all your doubts, I just want you to know that, every time I smile when I look at you, it's always been a genuine smile. Every time I text you goodnight, the same smile always appears on my face. I'm happy when I'm with you, not because of some superficial reasons that you must've secretly been suspecting. You make me happy because you're…you, as cliché as it sounds." He then smiled happily while observing the growing blush on Summer's cheeks.

"The emotions that I've shown you," he continued, "I've always been honest about them. And I'm being completely honest with you when I say, that I'm in love with you."

Magnus then went silent for a moment, hoping Summer truly understood the sincerity behind his words. After watching the mixed emotions in her eyes, he finally said, "And whatever questions and doubts you have right now, you'll know all about it in time. I promise. But for now," he gently squeezed her hands, "Will you give me a chance? Please?"

Looking into his eyes, Summer could see the genuine emotions behind them, and it made her heart skip a beat. He really was being honest, and she had always been proven time and time again that the guy in front of her did like to show his emotions when he was with her. She had already been familiar with this side of him. Which was why, she felt as if her own emotions were resonating with his. Slowly, she began to accept the feelings she'd had for him for the longest time.

Summer too, was in love with him.

Watching as her face rapidly shifted from hesitation to a more relaxed expression to a light smile adorned with soft rosy cheeks, Magnus was beyond ecstatic. Even though these expressions changed in a matter of milliseconds, he was able to perceive all of them and carve them into his memories.

Squeezing his hands back, Summer looked into his eyes for a moment, raised her feet to a tiptoe, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Magnus was immediately in heaven. But he still had the audacity to say, "Aww, I was hoping you weren't going for the cheek."

Summer chuckled shyly in response.

He then let go of one hand and placed it on her cheek. Leaning closer to her, their faces were now only a few inches apart. "May I?" he asked.

Understanding what he meant by that, Summer's heart drummed even faster. If she said yes, this experience would be her first. But even then, she had assured herself that she was ready and told herself to stop acting so pathetically. She needed to be assertive. So, Summer nodded gently at him and closed her eyes.

Seeing that, Magnus didn't wait any longer. He neared his lips and felt them touching hers, sensing their softness. At first, he could feel her awkwardness, but soon after their lips began dancing with each other more naturally.

That night, for just a few moments, Magnus was able to forget about everything. There were just him and his now-girlfriend.

As the noises of the city faded into the background of the couple's minds, only sounds remaining were each other's heartbeat and the muffled singing from the street band's vocalist.

"~They have the time, the time of their life.

I saw a man, he danced with his wife.

In Chicago, Chicago, my hometown~"