Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 117 - Elaru's Practical Exam

Previously:

Kiel's practical exam ends and the entire world around him turns into motes of light. Mageheart tells him that he will see his score two days from now. When he exits the room, he finds Elaru and Arion waiting for him. Kiel subtly extracts information from Arion about Zor Arite, finding out that he died a heroic death 18 years ago which had a great impact on the Arite family, especially Rine Arite who was close to Zor. Elaru admits that her artifact is called the Seed of Aegis and that its original creator was Zor Arite, however, she refuses to reveal how her father got his hands on the artifact.

Episode 117 – Elaru's Practical Exam

◈ The Purge headquarters, Ashar ◈

Nelaira Helyot stared at the items placed in front of her with a blank expression. Her gray hair fell around her head messily giving her a frightening appearance even when she was trying to look amiable.

Although, she certainly wasn't trying to look amiable right now.

"What is this?" She picked up a pink crayon and stared at Nalen Talath with a baffled expression.

In response to her shock, he smiled a smile that made Nelaira's hair stand on end and responded in a sickeningly sweet voice. "It's a crayon."

You don't say! Nelaira gawked at him strangely for several seconds, but in the end, she managed to swallow down all the witty remarks and settled for: "Why did you bring me...crayons?"

"Because you asked for a tool with which you can draw and write, of course." Nalen Talath responded in a tone that suggested that the answer was obvious.

"I asked for a pen or a pencil. Bloody meep, even quills would do! Why in the name of the gods did you bring me crayons?" Nelaira's voice broke midway.

"Pens, pencils, and quills all have sharp tips and can be dangerous if used (in)correctly. The damage you can do with crayons, however, is quite limited." Nalen explained patiently as if he was explaining that one plus one equaled two.

Nelaira rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "What could I do? Poke a hole through layers of solid metal?"

"Better be safe than sorry." Nalen Talath shrugged, which looked odd, considering that he still had his hands clasped behind his back.

"Are you worried I would commit suicide?" Nelaira asked in a low voice, avoiding looking at the slits that were Nalen's eyes. He, however, just wordlessly smiled.

"I assure you, if I really wanted to commit suicide, I could still do it, even with crayons." Nelaira spoke grudgingly, her forehead creased in a frown.

"Do you want me to take away the crayons too?" Nalen still continued to smile amiably, his tone seemingly containing no sign of a threat.

However, Nelaira knew better. As a Purger, she had a keen sense of danger, and no matter how close to her deathbed she was, her mind was still clear enough to pick up on it.

Her face darkened, and she changed the topic, for the time being, pointing to the thing next to the box of crayons. "What is that?"

"It's a romance novel you asked for." Nalen resumed in the same tone as before, as if he was talking to a child who had trouble understanding what he thought to be obvious.

Nelaira looked at the cover, her lips pressed tightly together. Is he testing me by bringing me such novels? If I didn't complain...would that be suspicious?

She fidgeted slightly, before musing: "This isn't romance, it is erotica..."

Nalen's lips curled into a smirk. "My mistake. I don't know my way around romance fiction. If you don't want it, I'll just take it away."