Caelus and Sylvia went to an arcade first. Sylvia said she wanted to have some fun there. They played a bit of everything: high-speed racing simulators, a holographic rhythm game, dual-wielding arcade shooters, and even a few intense rounds of air hockey.

"Caelus, get me that." Sylvia pointed at the glowing claw machine. There were huge teddy bears inside.

"Leave it to me," Caelus said with a small smile.

He swiped his bank card, transferring the 3 Origin Credits for one try, and grabbed the joystick.

"You got this, Caelus!" Sylvia clapped her hands with pure enthusiasm.

All of this was entirely new to her. She rarely went out like this. Having fun with Caelus uplifted her mood more than anything else.

Caelus skillfully maneuvered the claw. For someone with the Parallel Calculation ability, predicting the claw’s drop and grip strength was effortless. He expertly hooked a teddy bear wearing a tiny top hat and dropped it straight into the prize chute.

Sylvia clapped her hands again and hugged his arm. "Thank you, Caelus!"

"You are welcome," Caelus replied.

He kept a small smile on his face, but his lips twitched slightly. Countless single men in the arcade were staring daggers at him. Their hearts were bleeding just watching the scene.

After leaving the arcade, they went straight for ice cream. Caelus bought her a massive multi-layered cone. Sylvia ate all the different flavors without missing a single beat. Her red eyes brightened like a child discovering sugar for the first time.

Caelus watched her silently as he ate his own. He was having fun. Even more fun than he had expected.

As they walked, voices drifted from a nearby plaza.

"Hey, did you guys see the market today? Player 555 is selling runes and mythical weapons!"

"Yeah, people are buying them up like a swarm. They are way cheaper than the Organization’s prices."

"I heard the Organization is refusing to do durability repairs for anyone who buys from Player 555 just to prevent a market crash."

"They are only making it worse. Are they the only ones with the Blacksmith profession? It is funny how far the Organization is going just to match one man."

Sylvia leaned closer to Caelus.

"They are talking about you, Caelus," Sylvia whispered. A soft, blooming smile spread across her face. She felt incredibly proud.

This was her man. He was the talk of the entire street, and only she got to spend all day and night by his side.

"Come on, let’s go buy new clothes!" Sylvia declared. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

She dragged Caelus into a high-end clothing store. Sylvia tried on a lot of dresses, eventually choosing two. Then, she pulled Caelus straight into the men’s section. She ended up buying two full sets of clothes for him as well.

The amount of casual clothes Caelus owned was very low. Sylvia noticed this whenever she put their clothes into the washing machine. She always saw the exact same pairs.

After shopping, they went to eat the premium steak that Caelus had promised her.

Once dinner was finished, they stood on a large bridge connecting District A and District B of Fortis City. There were many people walking around, mostly couples enjoying the night view.

A gentle wind blew past them. Sylvia slowly turned toward Caelus.

"I had fun today, Caelus. Thank you for taking me out."

As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug.

"I enjoyed our date too," Caelus said softly.

Sylvia looked up at him. A rare look of hesitation flickered in her bright red eyes.

"I know you care for me," Sylvia started, her voice quiet but firm. "But I just want to say it clearly. I like you, Caelus. I like you more than everything else in this world."

A genuine smile formed on Caelus’s face.

"I like you too."

He did not say anything else. He just silently held her in his embrace.

He accepted it fully now. He had fallen for this girl who always tried her absolute best for him. He also knew that the version of him she loved was not the old, broken Caelus from the past, but the man standing right here today.

They were partners for life through their blood-bond. This was always a matter of time. Things were still early for them, a budding romance, but he believed it would develop into something unbreakable.

They silently watched the city lights, comfortable in each other’s arms, for a long while.

Finally, Caelus spoke up.

"Come on. Let’s go meet the City Lord. He said he had something important to tell me, and there is not much time left before the domain opens again."

"Alright," Sylvia readily nodded. She stretched her hand out toward him. "Starting now, you must hold my hand when we walk together."

"Sure," Caelus chuckled.

He tightly gripped her hand. They walked side by side all the way to the City Lord’s mansion.

Caelus swiftly found Leon at the mansion and asked why he had called for him.

"It is related to your parents," City Lord Leon said heavily. He pulled out a tarnished metal pendant. "Jude Kross. He was an acquaintance of mine. Back when we participated in the Ritewing Kingdom War, he was in the same division as me."

Leon paused, his expression turning serious.

"I just want to tell you... your parents are not dead, Caelus."

Leon dropped the news like a bombshell.

"It happened years ago, but I vividly remember it. A massive golden light descended onto their location. Right after that incident, your parents simply vanished."

"Huh?" Caelus wore a deeply surprised expression. "There was such a thing?"

"Yes. The reason I never told anyone was because I did not know if it was a hallucination or reality. All I have left of your parents is this pendant."

Leon handed the cold metal to Caelus.

"I am sure they are still out there somewhere, Caelus. You just need to find them. I wish you good luck. If you find any traces, let me know. I will help you as much as I can."

"Thank you, City Lord," Caelus said.

He clutched the necklace. He could feel a strange, latent power pulsing deep inside the metal. A deep sense of unease washed over his face.

He quickly left, grabbed Sylvia who was chatting with Mia, and rushed straight back to their own mansion.

"What happened, Caelus? Why did we rush back so fast?" Sylvia asked, sensing his tension.

Caelus did not say a word. He swiftly took out the necklace and channeled a bit of energy into it.

BZZT!

A projection flickered into the air. It was a recording of a man and a woman. His parents.

"Caelus, my son..." the man’s voice echoed with heavy static. "I hope you are doing well. We just want to say... we are not dead."

"We are trapped out there in the [######]..."

As soon as the woman spoke those words, their voices violently glitched. The necklace sparked. The message inside was deeply corrupted.

"Find us there... [####] There are endless [########] [#######] [###]."

The hologram warped. The golden light turned jagged and unstable.

"You need to reach the Crown Rank, my son! You need the Crown Rank to break through the illusions... [#####]!"

The audio shrieked with interference.

That was the only clear warning that came through before the projection completely shattered and closed again. The room fell into dead silence.

---

A/N: Hope you all had fun. Now i go sleep. my head hurts. I’ll update the status window after cross referencing everything.