A comfortable silence settled between them, broken only when Rina finally spoke.
"What are you thinking about so seriously?" she asked, tilting her head. It was a simple gesture, but it made her look incredibly cute.
"Oh, nothing much," Leo replied, leaning his weight lightly against her. She didn't push him away. "Just the upcoming Blessing Ceremony."
"The Blessing Ceremony, huh…" Rina murmured, her expression softening into contemplation.
It was no trivial event. Over a century had passed since the Great Advent reshaped the world, flooding it with a new energy called Mana. The mundane era ended, giving way to a reality straight out of a fantasy tale. Animals evolved into monsters, and new, enigmatic races—the so-called celestial races—manifested. At the center of it all was a mysterious entity known only as "God," the architect of this new age.
To help humanity survive, this "God" bestowed Gifts—unique abilities that awakened during the Blessing Ceremony on one's fifteenth birthday. It was a rigid threshold; any younger, and the human body wasn't strong enough to withstand the power, resulting in a fatal strain. One's entire future, their very potential, was decided in that single, defining moment.
Yet these changes also brought new horrors. Alongside the evolved monsters, humanity now fought the Void Monsters—terrifying beings that emerged from dimensional rifts. Their power was catastrophic; the weakest could destroy a village, and the strongest, like the Void Dragon, could annihilate entire nations. Their origins were unknown, though some believed they came from a dead world, drawn to our planet's abundant mana. For now, it was only a frightening theory.
With their fifteenth birthdays and the Blessing Ceremony just a month away, a shared sense of anticipation hung between them.
"What kind of Gift do you want?" Rina asked.
"I'll probably get something related to fire, like the rest of my family," Leo answered, still nestling his head comfortably against her shoulder. "I just hope the grade is the same as my big brother's."
While Gifts weren't strictly hereditary, elemental affinities often ran strong in powerful bloodlines like the Roschilds. The clan was renowned for fire, though other elements occasionally appeared. Leo's brother, hailed as the genius of their generation, had manifested an SSS-Rank Fire Gift—one grade above their father's SS-Rank ability. Gifts were ranked from D to the legendary EX-Rank, and while Leo didn't dare hope for the mythical EX, he dreamed of matching his family's prestigious legacy.
"I see. I have faith you'll get something awesome," Rina said, gently caressing his hair—a feeling Leo found quite pleasant.
"What about you?" Leo asked, turning the question back on her.
Though not as prestigious as the Roschilds, the Ellis family was well-respected, known for a strong lineage of Water-affiliated wielders. Rina's father, in particular, possessed an S-Rank Water Gift that had earned the family significant recognition. It was all but expected that Rina would follow the family tradition.
As for the grade of her future Gift, that remained a mystery. Still, Leo had a strong hunch—it would not just match her father's, but far surpass it. Deep down, he was certain Rina's Gift would be something extraordinary.
"I'm hoping for an Ice-related Gift. At least SS-Rank," Rina confessed openly, her pink eyes shimmering with a mysterious glow as if reflecting her own ambitions.
"Ice, huh?" Leo smirked. "Well, you don't really give off the 'ice queen' vibe to me. More like… the tsundere next-door childhood friend."
Predictably, his teasing earned him a sharp pinch on the cheek.
"Ow—ow! Mercy!" he cried out, making her laugh.
Their voices carried with the summer breeze, mingling with the rustle of leaves above. For a moment, the two simply basked in the warmth of the day, sharing laughter while quietly looking forward to the future that awaited them.
Suddenly, as if he remembered something Leo raised a question.
''Where is that asshole Artur?"
For some reason, Rina's body stiffened at the mention of that name which Leo found unusual, there must be something going on.
''H-he must be training or something.'' Rina stuttered as she responded, Leo's eyes turned into a crescent form. There was definitely something going on.