Chapter 110
Xerath smiled and said, "Of course, young people are always rebellious and tend to seek companions who are completely different from their traditional elders, like those charming wanderers or rebellious troublemakers. You, on the other hand... you're like a wild beast who refuses to be tamed." She sighed softly, "I have suppressed you for too long, so I am also... mentally prepared."
Once again, that indescribable feeling of affection swirled inside Sylas's heart. She turned around, gently held Xerath's hand, and whispered, "Do you think I would prefer someone completely different from you?"
"Exactly."
Sylas rubbed Xerath's hand with infinite contentment. The hand trembled, as if it wanted to pull away, but in the end, it didn't.
"You worry too much. My favorite person is still my teacher."
After saying that, she looked up at Xerath. Xerath was lying back, not looking at her. The archmage stared straight ahead, lost in thought, before finally letting out a low sigh.
"Don't you believe me... I'm really serious!"
"Hmm, let's go to sleep." She reached out with her other hand and patted Sylas's back, then closed her eyes.
"But I... but I can't sleep."
Xerath opened her eyes again and turned her head to look at her. "Let me sleep, and I'll chat with you tomorrow, okay? Virgil will come to wake me up for the night watch."
"Night watch?" Sylas widened her eyes, and a faint light outlined the shape of her eye sockets.
"Yes," Xerath's voice made the night sound even quieter. "It's one of the rules for camping. Sleeping outdoors, we might encounter nocturnal attacks from large animals, and other dangers can also approach under the cover of darkness. So not everyone in the group can sleep all night."
"Can't we use something like 'elemental creature'?"
Xerath shook her head, and the sound of rubbing against fabric indicated her meaning. "No, elemental vision is very different from human vision."
"Oh... okay..." Sylas disappointedly curled up, and several times Xerath heard her wanting to speak but holding it back.
They didn't know when they fell asleep. Sylas probably felt cold at night, and when Virgil came to wake Xerath up, Sylas had already snuggled up beside her.
Xerath felt a little nervous, but she discreetly looked up at Virgil. He smiled at her meaningfully, while the archmage gave him a cold and unfriendly look. Virgil shrugged and stepped back outside.
Xerath quickly changed her clothes and added her warm blanket to Sylas's. She sat beside her for a while, hesitating to reach out her hand but then pulling it back.
Finally, she gently touched Sylas's soft and tender face, sighed, and slipped out of the tent.
"Reluctant, huh? archmage?" Virgil took off a fur cloak and gave it to Xerath. "It's clean, I just took it out tonight."
"Virgil, don't joke around, that's low, vulgar." Xerath took the cloak, smelling its clean scent, untouched by Virgil's presence.
"Oh, what are you saying! Don't you appreciate the beauty of young girls?"
"Women of any age are beautiful, why must you be infatuated with young girls?" the archmage spoke without reserve, seeming a bit frustrated compared to Virgil's calm demeanor.
"Don't you find Sylas especially charming? Come on, you've met plenty of young girls, aren't you a fan of many young girls? It's rare to find a young girl like Sylas, with both intelligence and beauty..."
Dots of brilliance overflowed from the archmage's fingertips, golden light resembling fireflies in the night. Virgil wisely kept his mouth shut.
Originally wanted to force out Xerath's feelings, but her current attitude makes it difficult to tell whether she is eager to protect the cubs or anxious about her little lover. Demon Hunter lifted his tent and went inside, saying, "It's up to you now, call me if you need anything."
Judging from the position of the stars, it should be the middle of the night. Virgil yawned and retreated into his tent. The fire ignited in front of him, and mischievous breezes occasionally came in to play with the fiery but feeble fire element. A blue water sphere silently emerged from the crack of elements, standing behind the weary archmage.
She was surrounded by precious black animal fur, shielding her from the slightest chill. She didn't even need to cast a spell to sit comfortably here. However, to prevent everyone from being disturbed by the turbulence, she still cast a large wind shield, covering everyone inside except for an air duct providing fresh air for the fire. The air duct was dug into the ground, extending from the edge of the wind shield all the way to the bottom of the fire pit. It might take an ordinary person a while to dig, but for Xerath, it was just a matter of moving her lips.
That's how mages become lazy. She stretched lazily and looked up at the stars.
She could see the stars in the sky from her room. When she first moved to Aimekotes, she even went to the top of the tower with the crystal to watch the entire sky at night. The desert was vast and lonely, with no one around except her subjects wandering freely on the white desert covered by stars.
Even until now, she often felt this way. The human world seemed dull, and the elemental world felt lonely. She didn't belong to any group.
This may be a common conflicting thought among all creatures. When there are no similar beings nearby, you long to encounter even one creature that has just a little similarity with you. But when everyone around you is similar, you hope to stay away from them as much as possible.
On the surface, Aimekotes was a good place for her. She could leave through the teleportation array when she wanted to return to the mortal realm, and she could come back when she wanted to leave them.
However, not all "humans" are "similar"...
"Teacher?" Xerath was attracted by the call, and a little head popped out from the tent. There was a rolled-up hair on her head due to deep sleep, making her look even more adorable.
Xerath smiled and waved at her. "What's wrong? Did I wake you up just now?"
Sylas obediently shook her head. "No, I remember the teacher said to keep watch, so I woke up thinking about it."
Xerath tilted her head slightly. "So it's still because of me that you woke up. Aren't you going back to sleep? It's cold outside. Were you warm when you were sleeping earlier?"
"Warm." She didn't mention that she later snuggled into Xerath's blanket, sniffing the lingering warmth from her and rolling excitedly for several rounds, making it impossible for her to fall asleep again.
"Go back to sleep, we're here with Hyectra."
Sylas obediently curled back, and Xerath sighed, continuing to daydream. In fact, mages often engage in this kind of meditation to restore their magic power and clear their minds. It is similar to sleeping (just at a lower intensity). The meditation of a powerful mage is usually also very powerful. Legends say that some legendary mages even almost lost their lives because they became too immersed in their own vivid meditation.
Indeed, powerful meditation can create a realistic and tangible illusion, to the point where one can actually be harmed, just like in a fantasy. However, the archmage is only in the shallow realm of meditation. Weaker mage adventurers rely on shallow meditation to endure the long night watches, while guarding duties are left to water children or water lords to handle (not everyone has a water lord, though).
But this shallow meditation was soon interrupted by the reappearance of small creatures. She rushed out of the warm tent with a blast of hot air, sitting next to the archmage wearing only her daytime robe.
"Why isn't magic working?"
Sylas explained, "Hmm... because it's not cold."
"Nonsense, how can it not be cold?" Xerath frowned at her and reached her hands out from the fur, ready to cast a spell. However, Sylas grabbed her hand and stopped her from writing the incantation.
"I saw that even the teacher didn't use magic, so I thought it wouldn't be too cold outside."
"I have this." Xerath showed her the warm animal skin. She wasn't an expert in this area, but fur garments could be made from the furs of many small animals or from the fur of a large animal. So, she couldn't tell what kind of animal it was, but judging by its rough texture, she leaned towards it being bear fur. "It might be bear fur or another type that grows in the north. It's really warm with such long fur, and they need it more in that region."
Sylas stared at the fur, her round olive-shaped eyes filled with excitement, while the gaze of the archmage watching her became softer.
Virgil was right, she was a very special girl, with the innocence of youth and a charm that was about to bloom...
"Want to give it a try?" She stood up and draped the large fur garment on Sylas's shoulders. The black, oversized fur looked even more alluring against her fair skin.
Sylas clasped her hands in front of her chest, holding the ridiculously large fur garment that trailed all the way to the ground. Hyectra quietly held onto it from behind to prevent it from getting dirty by touching the sandy ground.
The small furry creature continued to watch Xerath, and the archmage asked, "What's wrong? Is there something else you want to say?"
"It's so big," Sylas exclaimed. The fur on the inside absorbed the scent of the archmage, similar to a blanket, but somehow different. She said to Xerath, "I think it's spacious." She sat down on the rocky ground surrounding the fire.
Xerath naturally sat down next to her, but Sylas persistently leaned against her. Suddenly, a gentle breeze made her feel cool, but she was soon enveloped in a warm and hazy sensation.
Sylas lifted the fur, covering herself within it. The thick fur temporarily blocked her vision, and at the same time, a familiar scent that didn't belong to her surrounded her.
Due to their age difference, it had always been Sylas in charge of taking care of Sylas. Sylas had always accepted it cautiously. However, since coming back from school, Sylas seemed to have become better at taking care of others. To be honest, this kind of behavior touched Xerath. Everyone hopes for their efforts to be rewarded, right? And it would be even more worthwhile if there were some surprises in return.
It would be even better if this didn't result in an unusually close behavior. The archmage sat stiffly, while Sylas came closer without any hesitation, pressing against her tightly.
