Chapter 461: We Meet Again
Leaving Ilis behind, Serah boarded a train bound for Caelmoor. The journey stretched for hours, giving her ample time to reflect, though her mind remained fixated on what awaited her. When at last the train screeched to a halt and she stepped onto Caelmoor’s platform, she wasted no time. With her luggage slung and her resolve firm, she set out toward the outskirts on foot.
Across her back hung a wooden rectangular box, tightly wrapped in a black leather cloth, secured carefully as though it held something of great importance. In her hand, she carried her luggage filled with essentials and other items she thought she might need.
For nearly an hour and a half she walked, weaving her way along the lonely path until the dense veil of the forest opened before her. The cool shade embraced her as she entered, and it wasn’t long before a deep, steady rumble reached her ears—the sound of rushing water. Her lips curved faintly; it was the sign she was close. Each step carried her nearer to that familiar sound until at last the trees parted, revealing the waterfall in its serene majesty.
She paused, her eyes lingering on the very place where it had all begun. Memories surged unbidden—the night she had first crossed paths with Marcus. How she had intended to kill him without hesitation.Yet Marcus had not been shaken in the slightest. Instead, he had met her with that infuriating grin, teasing words, and relentless jabs that made her falter in ways no opponent had before. It was here, at this very cascade, that she realized something had shifted. Something had begun between them.
"Love at first sight, I guess," Serah muttered under her breath, a smirk tugging at her lips as she set her things down on the rocks encircling the pool beneath the falls.
She shrugged off her long coat and removed her boots, leaving herself in a simple tank top and fitted pants. Rolling the fabric at her calves, she stepped lightly into the water. The chill bit pleasantly at her skin, washing away the weariness of the road from Ilis. She moved deeper, letting the cool flow rinse away the fatigue, refreshing her in both body and spirit.
As she bathed beneath the fading glow, the sun slipped gently past the horizon, ceding its dominion to the coming night. Shadows stretched long over the forest, the steady cascade of water now gleaming under the pale kiss of the rising moon. When she was finished, Serah returned to the water’s edge, drying herself before settling down upon the rocks once more and retrieved a book from her belongings.
With the sound of the waterfall as her backdrop and the cool night air surrounding her, she began to read. Her eyes traced the words, but her ears remained keen, listening for the moment Marcus would arrive.
***
As Serah was lost in her book, her mind half-absorbed in the lines on the page and half-attuned to the soothing roar of the waterfall, a voice suddenly broke through her quiet world.
"Wow, for you to be here this early, you must have really missed me," Marcus’s voice drawled from above.
Serah froze mid-page, lowering the book slowly as her crimson eyes snapped toward the sound. Sure enough, there he was—Marcus—perched on an elevated ledge of the rocky cliff. He crouched casually, that infuriatingly smug smile curling his lips, as though he had been watching her for some time already.
He wore a simple long-sleeved tunic, paired with black leather pants and boots. His long dark hair was tied back in a loose, messy bun, though several strands had escaped and framed the sides of his face. The rugged, careless look suited him—perhaps too well. His onyx eyes locked onto hers, a silent battle of gazes igniting instantly between them.
"Maybe I did," Serah replied smoothly, her crimson gaze unwavering. "I mean, what’s there not to miss? Well, aside from your unbearable ability to be insufferable, of course." Her smirk followed the words like a blade finding its mark.
Marcus tilted his head at her jab, lips quirking higher. "Wow. Look at you. Seems like you’ve grown some confidence with your choice of words, princess."
With that, he pushed off the ledge and leaped down, landing with the grace of someone who had done so a hundred times before. His boots hit the earth softly, though he let out the faintest groan as if the motion had cost him something. Straightening, he looked at her with teasing eyes. "Looks like I won’t be the only flirty one this time."
Serah’s smile didn’t waver. "My thoughts exactly."
"Careful," Marcus said, beginning to approach with a slow, deliberate stride. "If you keep this up, you might just force me to do something I wouldn’t want you to regret, princess."
"Is that so?" Serah tilted her chin slightly, her voice edged with playful challenge. "I might just allow it."
The words hit him harder than any strike. Marcus’s jaw nearly dropped, though he fought to maintain his composure. Still, the joy flickered clearly in his eyes, breaking through the cracks of his smug façade. For once, he looked almost taken aback—until Serah, ever precise, stole back the momentum.
"Only after we’ve had a real talk, of course," she added, her poise snapping firmly back in place.
Marcus raised a brow in mock annoyance, though his smirk never died. "A real talk? Here I thought you came all this way just to spar with the Blood Demon I’ve been keeping alive for you."
"I did," Serah admitted, her tone calm yet steady. "That was the plan six months ago. But things have changed since then. Now, I’ve realized there’s something else—someone else—I want to understand. And that is you, Marcus. You are the main reason I came here."
Marcus blinked once, twice, and then laughed softly. "I’m touched, princess. Really. And since you sound so damn passionate about it, I guess I can’t turn you down, can I?"
"You couldn’t turn me down even if you tried," Serah shot back with a sly smile.
"I see how it is," Marcus scoffed lightly, shaking his head with mock defeat. "Well then, grab your things. We’re leaving."
Serah narrowed her eyes, confused. "Leaving? To where?"
"Can’t tell you yet," Marcus replied casually, his tone almost careless. "But it sure as hell won’t be here."
"I thought we were going to handle everything here," Serah countered, her voice sharp with mild suspicion.
Marcus chuckled, his laughter rolling like low thunder. "Here? Oh, never. I’m reckless... but not so reckless. Having you fight a Pureblood here wouldn’t endanger you, but me? It’d be a nightmare once your people pick up on your presence. And while I don’t mind risk, my current condition makes me... cautious." He smirked, his eyes narrowing wickedly. "Well, cautious about most things. Except one, of course. If you know what I mean." He finished with a deliberate wink.
Serah let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Fair point. And please don’t. You wink beautifully, Marcus, but your sexual jokes are intolerable."
"Yes, ma’am," Marcus replied with mock obedience, though the gleam in his eyes betrayed his amusement.
Serah bent down and collected her things, straightening with a raised brow. "So then, where to? Which direction are we going?"
Marcus’s lips curved faintly. "Oh, we’re not walking. I’m far too weak for long treks right now."
"Then how exactly do you plan to get us to where you plan to take me?" Serah asked, suspicion flickering in her gaze.
Marcus’s smile deepened, his voice lowering just slightly as he took another step closer. "Tell me, princess... have you ever been embraced by shadows before?"
***
Far off to the southwest of Solara, deep within a dense forest where the pale glow of the moon pierced through the thick canopy, streams of silver light illuminated the earth in broken patches. The air was quiet, still, save for the faint rustling of leaves in the wind. In the heart of the forest, a wide clearing stretched open, completely empty, until the shadows along the ground stirred.
Slowly, the darkness twisted, rising like liquid smoke, forming shapes that grew taller, and denser. Within moments, the silhouettes of two figures solidified. When the shadows finally receded, they revealed Marcus and Serah standing side by side in the clearing.
Marcus stood with his hands casually buried in his pockets, his expression smug as ever. Serah, meanwhile, still clutched her luggage until she dropped them at her feet, her wide crimson eyes scanning the clearing and her lips parting slightly in disbelief at what had just transpired.
"Well?" Marcus’s voice broke the silence, his grin unmistakable. "How was your first Voidstep? Cool, right?~"
"Uh... yeah. Cool, sure," Serah said, though her voice was a little uneven. She rubbed her temples with her fingertips, her body swaying slightly. "But it’s... a bit disorienting."
Marcus chuckled, the sound low and amused. "Yeah, that’s the first-time side effect. Don’t worry—it fades pretty quick."
"I hope so," Serah muttered under her breath, lowering her hand. She exhaled before casting her eyes across the shadowy grove. "By the way... where are we?"
"Tnaji," Marcus replied without hesitation. "Zone 19. Don’t bother racking your brain—you wouldn’t know it. No one does." His smirk widened. "But that’s why it’s perfect. Safe. Hidden. Neither demons nor humans come here. Which means you can go all out with your new fighting buddies."
Serah’s eyes lingered on the towering trees surrounding her, the sheer greenery mesmerizing her senses, but his last word finally caught her attention. She blinked and turned to him, narrowing her gaze. "...Wait. Did you just say fighting buddies?"
"Oh yeah," Marcus said as if it were the most casual thing in the world. "There was a little... inconvenience. Long story short, I had to capture three Purebloods. No big deal." He shrugged lightly, as though such an impossible feat were just another day’s work.
Serah’s lips parted as she stared at him in disbelief. "Three—? You..." but she cut herself off, shaking her head, realizing it was useless to argue with someone like Marcus.
"Anyway," he continued, brushing off her reaction with that infuriating smile, "let’s get moving. My cabin isn’t far from here, and I can’t exactly have the princess of Solara camping out under the moon like some vagabond."
With that, Marcus turned and began walking casually into the trees, the path seemingly obvious to him though nothing but shadows lay ahead.
Serah stood there for a moment, watching him, her expression caught between irritation, curiosity, and reluctant admiration. Finally, she sighed, bent to grab her things once more, and followed after him into the depths of the forest.