The Kingdom of Gion was a beautiful place filled with life, laughter, and ecstasy. Deep into the night, the streets are full of people engaging in after-work activities like music, drinking, games, and fun conversation.
Elijah and Niko were cooped up in a public bathroom that sat in the center of attention. This public bathroom was located next to the square of the market district, in an alley with a direct view of the Statue of Orneas.
The bathroom layout and mechanical toilets used the same principle that the toilets used in his past life, but with a completely different outside design aimed at pleasing anyone who took their time to sit down.
Bam! Bam! Bam! "Hey! Anyone in there? I gotta go!"
Elijah and Niko were hurrying as fast as they could to strap the invisible runes underneath their clothes. Once finished, they walked out and received a glare from a burly man with black hair and a hunch. It was a sight they both laughed at once walking out of the bathroom.
"Look at this Elijah. You can't tell me this isn't something you aren't looking forward to!" Niko said while putting his arm around his friend's shoulder. His partner in crime.
"Niko. I can agree with you that this place is awesome, far different from Astraea. But there is so much to be done…"
"Like what Elijah?! What must you do?!"
This question burned a hole in his head, a headache that manifested from feeling guilt within himself.
The point Elijah knew Niko was hinting at was the fact that they could do anything they wanted.
"Ignoring the problems of the world isn't something that leads to any good, Niko."
"I know that, but we are nowhere near strong enough to kill The King, even more so, The Void. The best thing we can do for ourselves is enjoy this life while focusing on growing that strength… I don't know about you, but enrolling into an academy would be quite nice."
Elijah finally decided to give in. It wasn't the temptation that had got him, but the yearning for a normal life while building strength in the shadows.
"It would be nice to knock the heads of those privileged nobles once again." Elijah grew a barely visible smile.
"There you go! And now we will enjoy a peaceful relaxing night without paying even a single Genny!" Niko released his arm from Elijah's shoulder, and walked ahead of him through the thick crowd.
Dozens of finely dressed people their age were seen, while younger families stuck close to each other.
Elijah couldn't help but notice Niko's insensible comfort.
The two walked and talked while gauging the lives of the people, and eventually ended up activating their invisible runes in a secluded alley.
Small droplets of hot water dropped into the sectioned hole full of water that laid on the decline of the mountain. Below them, more people were seen On both sides of the declining waterfall, enjoying themselves.
After touching down on the uppermost spring, they set down their bags and carefully unwrapped their invisible runes off their bodies.
All of the clothing of Niko and Elijah came off their bodies and were neatly placed into the spatial storage rings that they had on their fingers.
Just in case anything happened, Niko and Elijah completely rearranged their spatial storages within the bathroom, placing everything most important inside the bracelet wrapped around their wrists.
Their extra clothes and hunting gear they had bought also went into a ring, but their combat valuables went into their bracelet as they were slightly bigger than the rings.
Niko slowly dipped his toes into the steps of the spring. "Oooo… That temperature is perfect! Elijah?"
"So much life, cries of joy, Victorian and fantasy architecture, magic, superpowers, natural food, and sights I have yet to see… How can I possibly be down in moments like this."
Elijah suddenly found an emotional part of his soul, and bathed in the comfortable template of those emotions. His feet neared the edge of the cliff, while his eyes stared into the infinite horizon between the Greenbelt — gazing through the shimmering Orneas River.
"Niko… Gion is breathtaking."
Elijah slowly walked into the pool with a content expression, and relaxed with his neck inclined against the ledge of the spring.
Ten minutes of uninterrupted peace, laughs, and ideas about the way the kingdom operated was discussed.
That was until barely audible steps brought Niko into a state of fear. Elijah was soundlessly meditating with the aid of the serene sounds of the water.
A girl the same age as them appeared from the winding stone steps, completely unaware that two fully nude boys were relaxing in the spring.
"H-hey! What are you doing here?!" She was startled after she had begun taking off her black robe.
Niko covered his eyes. "Oh shit… Elijah, we have company."
Elijah opened his eyes to see a black-haired girl with wavy long hair and bright hazel eyes reflecting against the many Runetec lamps.
"Hahahaha! I didn't know someone else reserved this spring as well. We won't bother you if you don't mind us staying here." Elijah tried to make the best out of the situation considering he had only been here for ten minutes.
"I know you are lying! Please leave before I grab the enforcers!" She said while crossing her arms.
"Why can't you just ignore us?" Elijah confidently asked while staring into the beautiful distance.
Not bothering to look away, she pouted. "Have you ever been here before? Don't lie, I want to know the truth…"
"Never, so please allow us this opportunity as it seems like you have been here many times in the past." Elijah replied with an uncaring attitude.
Surprisingly, the girl for some reason agreed as if she had some ulterior motive. Her black dress was lifted off her body to reveal a basic black swimsuit without a shred of fine details.
Elijah was seriously surprised and worried at the same time, but luckily, the small amounts of light shining on the top of the water barred anyone from seeing underneath the water. The last thing he wanted was a scene caused by an innocent girl being embarrassed of the people she was in the spring with.
A conversation began with the gathering of names. She had said her name was Saskia, a girl interested in Runetec Engineering — specifically tailored to the needs of the kingdom, not for combat.
Saskia was surprised to hear that brand new hunters could afford to get into the highest spring that came with arguably the best view of the entire kingdom. They explained their motives of chasing strength and exploration, but were surprised when they had learned more of the truth to the war happening within the world.
"I don't know much about it, but Almost all the kingdom's are against each other for reasons only the higher-ups know of… I believe it surely has to do with territory, but there are definitely a few more reasons."
"You sure know a lot about the state of the world. Are you a noble?" Elijah had heard of the hierarchy a little bit from Richter, and asked the obvious question.
"N-no. I am not."
Suddenly, a loud explosion occurred nearby — creating ripples in the water that overflowed into the pools below.
"Has that ever happened before?" Niko asked while pointing to the water spout.
"I don't know… That cou—"
BINGG BINGG
An alarm that caused the stress levels to rise greatly within the three relaxing in the hot spring soon transitioned into an announcement that almost blew the eardrums out of their ears.
"BEAST INVASION! EVACUATE TO SHELTER OR STAY INSIDE!"
"BEAST INVASION! EVACUATE TO SHELTER OR STAY INSIDE!"
This development caused Elijah and Niko to jump out of the pool while taking their clothes out of their spatial storages. Thankfully, Saskia did not react in any type of way and stayed focused on the impending danger.
"STAY CLOSE TO US!!" Elijah really liked this girl as she felt similar to someone he had known in his past life. A character that was not quick to judge, but instead someone who yearned to understand.
"PRINCESS SOHANA! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Loud shouts were coming from the dimly lit staircase by a brute man dressed in all black clothing. However, as soon as his head entered the line of sight of the two boys and a girl, his head disappeared as a white streak was instantly shot over a distance of seventy feet.
Dropping to her knees, Saskia was ridden with fear. "NO! Ca-camden…"
Elijah froze in the midst of the chaos, but soon collected himself. "Void beasts, Niko! VOID BEASTS!!"