CHAPTER 44: HOLDING HANDS

Isolde knocked on the door of an apartment twice, waited for a while, and was about to knock again when the door swung inward, revealing a massive golden knight, almost as wide as the door itself!

She was taken aback by the sight, instinctively leaning to look inside, but Mountain’s heavy cloak obscured the gaps, preventing her from seeing anything.

"Uhm, is Godfrey in?"

"Isolde!" Godfrey’s shocked voice rang out, and Mountain stepped aside, revealing him seated in a meditative pose on a sofa. His once calm face, which had carried only mild surprise at hearing her voice, shifted into open astonishment the moment his eyes landed on how she looked.

"Wow." He uttered sincerely, his eyes fastened on her face, which glowed faintly under the orange light spilling from outside. Smirking proudly, Isolde stepped into the apartment.

Her anger and frustrations melted away at his expression. Finally, she felt satisfied.

"We’re supposed to ease our nerves tonight, and you’re doing the opposite." Isolde sat, crossing her legs with a playful huff.

"I don’t have enough mana." Godfrey shrugged.

"You’ve absorbed enough. Can we enjoy the rest of the night... please?" She pouted, her lips curving ever so slightly.

Godfrey scoffed but rose to his feet. "I’ll go dress for the party."

"Not the party. The rooftop of Vegas Prime Resort’s tower is enough for both of us."

Godfrey ended up stunned when he stood at the rooftop of the skyscraper, overlooking the entire resort. They could see the beach party from above, but the most breathtaking sight was the vast lake shimmering like silver glass, making this place in the harsh terrain truly an oasis.

As the wind tousled her hair, Isolde turned, smiling as she watched Godfrey entranced by the beautiful overview.

"I need to show this to those two." Godfrey suddenly said, and two golden diagrams flared to life. From them emerged two knights: one wielding a bow and the other a shield and a sword.

Isolde’s curious gaze lingered on them. "I don’t know the names of your summons. What’s that one’s name?" She pointed at the one holding the shield and sword.

"That’s Mountain. And the other with the giant bow is Ballista." Godfrey replied proudly, only to be surprised when Isolde began laughing silently.

"What?!" He snapped.

"Nothing!" She waved her hand quickly, trying to calm him. "You just... you just have an odd naming sense. But it’s strangely fitting." Her melodious voice carried a breathy softness, her cheeks puffing up as she tried to hold in her laughter.

Godfrey clicked his tongue, annoyed. Meanwhile, Isolde’s sharp eyes gleamed when she saw Ballista turn to Mountain, and Mountain also turned his head in return.

Her eyes narrowed. Were they whispering?

"Your summons are more intelligent than I thought. They’re almost completely human. But humans can’t grow beyond their limit without a summon’s influence, so they must be of a different class under the humanoid category. Only vampires seem to match their level of intelligence."

"Shoo! Look around, don’t watch us!" Godfrey waved them off irritably. Both knight-captains simply walked away, heading in different directions, but not before exchanging a knowing glance.

Isolde smiled faintly.

A white diagram suddenly appeared in the middle of the rooftop, and from it emerged a white wyvern with thick, curved horns protruding from its head.

It growled low, the rows of scaly fin-like protrusions along the length of its neck vibrating. Massive blue eyes, deep and cosmic like a nebula, locked on Godfrey for a moment before turning toward Ballista, then Mountain, baring her fangs in warning.

But she calmed quickly as Isolde transmitted the idea that these ones were not threats. With her powerful hind legs and forelimbs attached to her wings, she padded to the edge of the rooftop and leaped off.

"That’s Grace," Isolde said softly, while Godfrey watched the white wyvern soar around the rooftop. His knights stood calmly, watching her movements.

Drawing closer to him, Isolde nudged Godfrey. "She’s quite cold and usually unresponsive. But Nyx... Nyx is the curious one."

"Nyx? Your other summon?" Godfrey asked. His pupils dilated as a purple diagram flared above the rooftop. It vanished, replaced by a huge dragonfly.

It was massive, with a beautifully armored fifteen-foot-long body and a twenty-five-foot wingspan. Its iridescent wings shimmered in shifting colors as its sleek, slender body gleamed with a deep, dark purple metallic sheen.

"It’s a Giant Null Dragonfly, one of the rarest and fastest aerial summons to ever exist. I call her Nyx," Isolde said proudly. Nyx hovered midair, the mighty beat of its wings forcing their hair and clothes to flutter violently.

Godfrey stared, seeing his reflection in the dragonfly’s glassy compound eyes. It looked quite fascinated by him.

"It looks like it has seen me before," Godfrey muttered, but Isolde only shrugged. "She’s able to see through my eyes."

"Oh." He gazed at Nyx once more before sitting at the edge of the rooftop, the cold breeze caressing his face. "Here." Godfrey patted the spot beside him.

Isolde sat down. "Are you not afraid of such heights?"

"You just introduced the fastest summon in the world, so I’m safe." He replied simply.

Smiling, she took his palm. "I’ve been thinking. What if we create our own hand signs?" Her golden-orange eyes slowly widened with an idea.

"Your palm is quite wide." She measured her palm against Godfrey’s with a small gasp. He, on the other hand, was quietly amazed by the softness of hers. Almost instinctively, he entwined his fingers with hers.

Isolde’s cheeks reddened, but she also did the same.

’This feels good.’ Godfrey thought, averting his eyes from her flushed face to the glittering cityscape of Vegas.

Behind them, Nyx, Ballista, Grace, and Mountain all watched silently.

Another week passed after the beach party, as the Vegas forces made certain there would be no further attacks.

***

"The sophomores are back!" Students in the dormitory whispered as several sophomores moved into their rooms.

Godfrey opened the door to his dorm, his eyes catching the bright lobby before settling on the teen with light curly brown hair doing push-ups.

Hearing the sound of the door, Isaac rose, his eyes widening at the sight of Godfrey.

Godfrey squinted, noticing how buff Isaac looked in his tank top. His muscles were nothing like Godfrey’s own, honed and well-defined over the years, but it was a huge improvement from three weeks ago. The reason for such fast muscle gain was clear, mana.

"Did you lose any fight?" Godfrey asked, his tone sharp and cold, making Isaac flinch.

...

A/N: I hope you enjoy this novel. Support by adding to your library and giving a power stone or two. Thank you!

I will also appreciate a review to keep me motivated!