A Reunion of Laughter and Surprises

"Don't act strange. Luka mumbled to himself, "Act normal... Hooo," as he attempted to bring himself back to his regular state. It was only Lyara, the young Elf girl that I had previously encountered two years earlier. "Luka, stop being so confident. Keep your cool and behave civilly. Are you ready? "1... 2... 3... I'm almost there!"

"Greetings, Loraine... Oh, hell no. Hello, Lyara! It's great to see you again after all this time. Oh, what was it that I said? "I did something stupid," Luka muttered to himself.

"Hahaha, who's Loraine?," the elf laughed. "Luka, is that your girlfriend?" she asked. Lyara asked the question with a wicked twinkle in her eyes.

"No, no, and no more. I am truly sorry. "I guess I'm just a little bit nervous," Luka stutters.

"Why are you so tense? I'm here to be your friend right now. Are you able to recall that?" The elf made some inquiries.

"Sorry, it's just been so long that I'm not, you know?"

"You know, Luka, I'm kind of bashful too. Do you know what I mean? But it is your birthday, and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me because of that. "And in addition to that, I miss you," she replied in a hushed tone.

"What was it that you said? However, I would like to thank you for coming. It's been such a very long time,"

Where exactly is that dumass feraling? It's not fair that he picks on me,"

"Oh, now I see. That Kael mentioned that he will arrive just a little bit late. "There was a commotion in the woods he had to deal with," Lyara added.

"What commotion?"

"He said Verana wants to come and keeps forcing him to come here."

"Huh, so Verana is making her way over here? Absolutely not! Luka made an exclamation.

"Well, in a way. But I have no doubt that Kael will handle the situation. And could you please explain why you don't want Verana to come here? Lyara mocked the boy, saying, "You sure do have a good history with her."

"Oh no, my special day is turning out to be such a disaster. Lyara, if you don't mind, let's go inside. Mom is standing there; she is excited to meet you.

As the night progressed in the House Alistair, which was full of celebrations and surprises, the King and the Prophet engaged in a serious discussion in the Eldenwood Castle, which is located in the center of the Capital.

King Aldric handed Separius something and said, "Separius, please take a seat right here."

The king questioned his subjects, "Did you see what's in my hand?"

"As you say, it is a mask, my king. What exactly is going on, my lord Aldric? Separius made some inquiries.

"Oh, Separius, let's cut to the chase and get to the meat of the matter. I need you to track down the person who wears this mask and bring him right here to me.

"May I inquire as to why? Was that proprietor responsible for some sort of misdeed in the kingdom? Separius expressed his confusion.

The king proclaimed, "No, Separius, but he's done something even more terrible than that," before slamming the table and causing it to shatter.

"All right, all right, sir, but just relax. "I will locate the person who wears this mask, and I will make it a point to bring him to you," Separius promised.

"I am grateful to you, Separius. There is no doubt in my mind that I can rely on you. "You may leave now," the king said in response.

Back at House Alastair, the joyous celebration continued, and Luka proudly introduced Lyara to his family.

"Hey, Mom! This is Lyara, my friend. "She's the one that I've been telling you about, the princess of Sylvanaria, and I made friends with her," Luka beamed as she spoke about her old friend.

"Oh, yes, I do recall... you have such a stunning appearance. Seraphina taunted, "I'm sure you'll make a good wife to my son—what a pretty lady," adding, "And, Luka, remember what I told you: don't break girls' hearts, okay?" Don't pay any attention to what Miguel has to say.

"Ughh, Mom, she's just my friend. And actually, we're too young for that kind of thing," Luka protested.

Lyara whispered back to Seraphina, "Yes, ma'am, we're too young," as she blushed.

Oh, it's quite sad, but I totally get it. Luka, you need to watch your behavior. "I'm keeping an eye on you," Seraphina warned.

"Ah, Mom, did you find Lilian now?"

"Of course, honey. Once more, she is in your room, playing again with your old toys.

"Ughhh, okay. That little devil again, messing with my room. But I'm used to that. I'll just let Mom take care of that. Now, Lyara, let us come to the backyard, and I will show you something."

The two of them ventured to the backyard, where Luka picked up his wooden sword.

"Now, Lyara, watch this!" Luka shouted, executing a precise sword strike. "Avida Slash!"

"Oh, marvelous, Luka! You sure perfectly illustrate that move. Did Farzan teach you that? But what about that move grandpa taught you? Will you also demonstrate it to me?"

"I'm not perfect with that, Lyara, and my mana can't handle it right now."

"All right, all right, now I get it. But is it possible that we take a break for a while? "I'm exhausted from the trip," Lyara insisted again.

"Alright, so we sit right here." They were talking to one another while sitting near to a tree. Lyara questioned, "So, Luka, how are you doing after all of those years? Have you achieved mastery of what Farzan instructed you to do? How are things going?

"Shhh... don't make any noise, Lyara. You and I are the only ones who know the truth about Farzan.

"Okay, I get it, and I'm sorry, Luka. "So, how are things going with your life over here?"

"Ah, a typical day in my life: I spend each day practicing, assisting Mom, and watching Lilian. What a boring life. Luka heaved a sigh and confessed, "I miss Farzan."

"Oh, I'm so sad to hear that. What do you say we go to Farzan?"

"Not at this time, Lyara. After our most recent meeting, he informed me that he plans to travel around Thaloria and investigate other regions. He claimed to have some unfinished business, which is why there is now no one in the tower. Even Barnaby came along with him.

"Oh, I remember that Barnaby, that cute little owl!" Lyara let out a chuckle.

"Did you mean that evil vermin?"

"You're too harsh, Luka."

"I apologize, Lyara. It's just because you remember? Now, let's go ahead and head inside. I have no doubt that Amara is finding you at this point.

As they walked inside, they heard someone approaching from the back door of the yard.

"Hello, my old friend! How I miss you. You sure look handsome."

"Ahhh, Kael, you dumbass. You have unfinished business with me, right?"

"Wait, bro, bro, relax. And I have a surprise for you. Look who I brought here," Kael replied.

Suddenly, the three of them heard someone running toward them.

"Happy Birthday, SweetyPie! Why didn't you invite me? I'm quite offended. You sure forgot your wife. I also have a gift—kisses are coming!"

"Ughhh, Verana, stop! Please. Like I said, I'm too young."

"You sure hurt my feelings, but it's okay. Let me hug you instead."

Then, the Beastkin princess hugged him tightly, and The boy struggled to breathe because of how large her bombers are.

"Hahaha, you know what I mean," the author said.

Back in the heart of the capital, Cedric knocked on the king's room.

"My king, my king! Separius has arrived."

"Wait, Cedric, I'm going. Tell him to wait in the throne room."

The king went to the throne room and addressed Separius, "So, Separius, did you find the owner of that mask?"

"Yes, my king. I know where the owner of it is. I simply tracked the mana of the owner stored in this."

"You sure impress me, Separius. Now tell me, who owns it?"

"It's a boy who lives in the land of pines, my lord. He's a boy from Pinevele."

The revelation left King Aldric intrigued as the mysterious puzzle began to unfold.