The carriage continued steadily beneath the moonlight while cold air drifted softly through the forest around us.

For a long while after the bandit attack, neither of us spoke.

Lillith rested quietly beside me with her head against my shoulder while the wagon wheels rolled endlessly across the dirt road beneath us.

The forest outside had grown dark by now, illuminated only by pale moonlight filtering through the trees.

Eventually Lillith suddenly broke the silence.

"You know..."

I glanced down toward her.

"In noble society, most people are already promised to someone by our age."

I blinked slightly.

"...Really?"

Lillith nodded calmly.

"Most noble daughters are engaged by fifteen."

A faint smugness crossed her face afterward.

"Some even earlier."

"That sounds horrifying."

"It’s practical."

"For who?"

"The families."

I rubbed my forehead tiredly.

"That somehow makes it significantly worse."

Lillith ignored my suffering entirely.

"And marriages usually happen around sixteen."

I immediately narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"...Why do I feel like this conversation is becoming dangerous?"

"Because it is."

There it was.

Lillith slowly shifted closer until her head rested more comfortably against my shoulder.

Then quietly—

"When are you finally going accept your feelings for me?"

I nearly choked instantly.

"What?"

Lillith looked completely serious.

"My patience is nearing its limit."

"That sounds deeply threatening."

"It is."

I sighed heavily.

Honestly, after everything recently, dodging these conversations had become almost impossible.

For several moments I stayed quiet trying gather my thoughts properly.

Then eventually I spoke honestly.

"...I do want to settle down someday."

Lillith’s eyes immediately brightened.

But before she could respond, I quickly continued.

"Just not yet."

Her expression fell slightly. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

I leaned back against the carriage wall while quietly staring upward toward the moonlit ceiling.

"For almost my entire life, I’ve been stuck inside the Aldric territory."

My voice came out softer than expected.

"The only places I’ve ever really seen are the capital and the Nightbane territory."

Lillith quietly listened beside me.

Meanwhile my thoughts drifted toward everything beyond Valenor’s borders.

"There’s an entire world out there."

Kingdoms.

Ruins.

Ancient cities.

Different cultures.

Unknown inventions.

Unexplored lands.

"I want to see all of it."

Lillith remained silent.

Then quietly I smiled slightly.

"And honestly..."

Her purple eyes lifted toward me again.

"I want dangerous adventures too."

The moment those words left my mouth, her expression darkened immediately.

"I hate hearing you say that."

I ignored the interruption and continued anyway.

"Right now I’m weak."

The truth tasted unpleasant.

"I can barely defend myself properly."

My hand unconsciously drifted toward my missing leg again.

"If it wasn’t for other people helping me constantly, I’d probably already be dead."

Lillith’s eyes softened slightly at that.

"But eventually..."

I looked down at my hands quietly.

"Once my inventions progress far enough..."

Images filled my mind again.

Engines.

Steel.

Vehicles.

Factories.

Firearms and explosives advanced enough stand against powerful mages and monsters.

"...I want to become strong enough travel anywhere."

Lillith silently watched me while I spoke.

"And once that happens..."

A faint smile slowly crossed my face.

"I want to gather everyone together and just explore."

"Explore?" she repeated quietly.

"Yeah."

I smiled faintly.

"You could come with me."

That immediately caught her attention fully.

"And we could bring Finn and Clara too."

The thought honestly sounded nice.

"Imagine it."

I laughed quietly.

"Finn complaining every five minutes while Clara stops him from getting us killed."

For a brief moment, Lillith’s expression genuinely softened.

"...That sounds nice."

I smiled slightly.

"Right?"

But then—

The softness slowly faded from her face again.

Lillith lowered her eyes slightly while her fingers tightened around mine.

"...You said something similar before."

I blinked.

"What?"

"The second time we met."

Her voice had become quieter now.

"You probably don’t even remember."

Honestly—

I didn’t.

Lillith continued softly while staring down at our intertwined hands.

"You talked about wanting to travel the world."

Fragments of memory slowly resurfaced.

A younger Lillith sitting beside me quietly while I rambled endlessly about inventions and kingdoms beyond Valenor.

"I remember thinking..."

She hesitated slightly.

"...That you were too bright."

I frowned slightly.

"What does that mean?"

Lillith looked toward me again.

"You always looked forward."

Her deep purple eyes reflected faintly within the moonlight.

"You talked about places beyond the horizon like they were waiting for you."

Her fingers slowly tightened around mine.

"And that scared me."

The honesty in her voice surprised me slightly.

"I thought one day you’d leave me behind in this world."

The carriage grew quieter around us.

"Whether by your own choice..."

Her voice weakened slightly.

"Or by death."

A cold feeling settled slowly inside my chest.

Lillith lowered her head afterward.

Then very quietly—

"...So part of me hoped your mana capacity would be weak."

I froze.

Lillith herself looked disturbed by the words leaving her mouth.

Like she knew she shouldn’t say them.

But continued anyway.

"I thought maybe if you stayed weak..."

Her voice trembled faintly now.

"...You’d eventually give up on those dreams."

The carriage wheels continued rolling softly beneath us.

"And then maybe..."

She hesitated again.

"...You’d stay with me forever."

Silence completely consumed the carriage afterward.

For several moments I genuinely didn’t know how respond.

Then eventually I quietly spoke.

"...Lillith."

She slowly looked up again.

"You know that’s selfish, right?"

"...I know."

"But I also understand it."

Her eyes widened slightly.

I sighed quietly before leaning my head back again.

"Honestly, part of me wants that too sometimes."

Lillith froze completely.

"A peaceful life sounds nice."

I looked toward the moonlight filtering through the carriage opening.

"No wars."

"No danger."

"No struggling."

"Just living quietly with people I care about."

For a moment, the image genuinely tempted me.

A peaceful palace.

A workshop.

Lillith beside me.

No fear.

No danger.

But then—

I slowly shook my head.

"...But I know myself."

Lillith quietly listened.

"If I stayed locked away somewhere forever..."

I smiled weakly.

"...I’d eventually hate it."

The truth hurt slightly admitting aloud.

"I want live properly."

"I want struggle."

"I want build things nobody else has."

"I want see kingdoms beyond Valenor."

"And yeah..."

I laughed quietly.

"I want dangerous adventures."

Lillith stared at me silently for a long time afterward.

Then finally she spoke.

"...No."

I blinked slightly.

"What?"

"You won’t."

Her voice sounded calm again now.

But something underneath it felt frighteningly firm.

"You aren’t going on dangerous adventures or any adventures at all."

I frowned slightly.

"Lillith—"

"No."

She slowly moved closer again until our faces were only inches apart.

"You’re weak, Leo."

The words weren’t cruel.

Just painfully honest.

"You have no mana."

Her fingers gently touched the side of my face.

"You nearly died this time."

A faint tremble entered her voice again.

"And if I had arrived even one day later..."

She couldn’t even finish the sentence.

For several moments she remained silent trying steady herself.

Then quietly—

"I can’t do that again."

I stared at her silently.

Lillith slowly rested her forehead against mine.

"So no."

Her voice softened.

"You’re not leaving."

"You’re not wandering across dangerous kingdoms."

"You’re not throwing yourself into wars or ruins or adventures."

I could hear desperation slowly returning beneath her words.

"I won’t allow it."

I frowned.

"You can’t decide my entire life for me."

The moment I said that, something shifted inside her eyes.

Not anger.

Fear.

Raw fear.

"You almost died!"

Her voice cracked slightly now.

"I found you chained inside a dungeon barely recognizable."

Her hands tightened against my clothes.

"You were starving."

"You couldn’t even stand."

The carriage felt cold again.

"And all I could think when I saw you..."

Her breathing trembled.

"...Was that I was almost too late."

Silence followed.

Then very quietly—

"I would rather you hate me while alive..."

My chest tightened instantly.

"...Than having loved me while dying somewhere far away."

Lillith slowly looked upward toward me again.

Tears had begun gathering faintly within her eyes.

"If I have to destroy every invention you’ve ever made to stop you leaving..."

Her voice became softer.

"...Then I will."

The sincerity in those words genuinely terrified me.

Because I knew—

Without question—

She meant every single one of them.

Lillith slowly wrapped both arms around me afterward before burying her face against my chest.

And for the first time since meeting her—

I realized something terrifying.

Lillith Nightbane did not fear losing her own life.

She feared losing mine.

And that fear was strong enough that she would burn the entire world down before allowing it to happen.

For several long minutes, neither of us spoke.

The carriage rolled onward through the moonlit forest while Lillith remained pressed tightly against me like if she loosened her grip for even a second I might disappear.

Eventually I quietly exhaled.

"...You know threatening to destroy my life’s work isn’t exactly helping your argument."

Lillith didn’t lift her head.

"I’m serious."

"I know."

"That’s why it’s frightening."

Her fingers tightened slightly around my shirt.

"I don’t care about your inventions more than you."

"That’s not the issue."

"Then what is?"

I stayed quiet briefly trying gather the right words.

Then eventually—

"If you lock me away forever because you’re scared..."

I looked down toward her quietly.

"...Would I even still be me after that?"

Lillith froze slightly.

I continued softly.

"The reason I survived this long is because I kept moving forward."

"Building things."

"Learning."

"Trying."

"If all of that disappeared..."

I smiled weakly.

"...I think eventually there wouldn’t be much left of me."

The carriage became silent again.

Then after a long pause, Lillith finally whispered:

"...I don’t know what I’m supposed do then."

For the first time since meeting her—

She sounded lost.

Not powerful.

Not terrifying.

Just scared.

"I can protect you from kingdoms."

"Armies."

"Mages."

Her voice weakened slightly.

"But I can’t protect you from yourself wanting to chase dangerous things."

Something painful twisted in my chest hearing that.

Because honestly—

She was right.

I slowly lifted one hand before gently placing it against her head.

Lillith immediately stiffened slightly.

Then slowly relaxed into the touch.

"I’m not trying to leave you behind."

Her grip weakened slightly.

"I know."

"I mean it."

Silence followed.

Then quietly she asked:

"...Then why does it always feel like the world is trying to take you away from me?"

I didn’t have an answer for that.