The next few days they spent in Alaris were, in short words, utterly boring. Alaris was little far north of Wilmere where it was already a low density of the uncharted, so invading mana beasts were out of the issue.
Still, Michael and his party took their own time and responsibility to explore and map any places where mana beasts could be lurking and causing the town harm. From small systems of caves, repeating forests, or illegally venturing down into the sewers in case there really was something waiting to eat the town whole.
They found nothing. If shooing away gluttonous rats and trying to resist the permeating smell of waste was the actual quest, then perhaps forfeit wasn't such a bad idea.
Sometimes, Michael would train with Mave in the yard because there really was nothing else to do. The other adventuring parties might have been right. The town had been under a false quest.
Stefan had even questioned some of the other guards to have the same bland answer in response, continuously setting their progress into a stone wall. Other than Luca's outburst against the cathedral, that was the only traumatic event recorded in the past few weeks in Alaris.
***
Michael sat in the middle of Mave's room as Evelyn massaged his shoulders from behind. During their early morning trip scouting through the uncharted, he had fallen down an obscured hole with loose debris and leaves. It wasn't a major injury though, compared to the ones he had suffered the quest before.
Sprained shoulders and the fear of tripping into the sewage waters. It wasn't even about being eaten and chewed apart by mana beasts.
Evelyn pushed around his shoulders more. "Feel better?"
Michael doubted she knew how to massage a body. He sort of figured out that this was her ploy of making him take off his leather armor and shirt.
She leaned slightly closer to his ear. "Michael?"
He didn't answer her as he became engrossed in thoughts. She hasn't helped a single instance with their quest at all. He didn't want to bring up their little mutual promise again but it had reached a point where he couldn't ignore it anymore.
After trying to resist her every night, then eventually giving in, his issued challenge became more of an empty promise. He couldn't kiss her lips, yet it was totally fine if she smothered him in kisses around his face and caressed his body.
His challenge was a joke. Michael Velo was a joke.
She pushed his shoulders harder, trying to snap him out of his thoughts.
He stopped her, turning around with a grimace. "Why haven't you helped us, Evelyn?"
"What do you mean?"
"You promised that if you could help us with our quest, I would let you kiss me."
"Yeah, and?"
"You haven't helped us at all."
"So, me being your ego sword wasn't a help?"
He smacked his lips in frustration. "You said you could find mana beasts, remember?"
"I did?"
"Yes, Evelyn," he said, his voice turning stern. "You said you could help us find the mana beasts."
"I lied."
"You lied?"
"What?" she snorted. "You're surprised that I lied about that? Did you seriously think I have some hidden power to find where mana beasts lived?"
He felt his heart clench. "You lied to me about that?"
"Oh, so it's a problem when I lie to you? You lie to me all the time, Michael, what's the difference if I do it to you?"
"Why—" he stammered. "Why would you lie to me?"
"What's wrong with you?" she tried to cup his face. "Why are you so surprised—"
He moved her hands away, inching back. "You lied and broke my challenge…why would you do that?"
"I never broke your stupid challenge, stupid, we never kissed—"
"You basically did!" he raised his voice. "Evelyn, you…you lied so you could just have your way with me!"
"Of course I did!" she yelled back. "That challenge was nothing but stupid! Why are you even getting mad at me?! You would have just kissed me anyways—"
"No, I wouldn't! You lied to me so you could find a way to satisfy yourself!"
"Oh, really?" she argued back. "It's not like I was the only one enjoying myself every night, right?"
"That's—that's exactly why I wanted the challenge! If you keep doing this, I won't get stronger!"
"You can still do the challenge, Michael! I haven't even touched you on the lips!"
"We're so far from our lips by now!" he stood off the floor. "It doesn't even feel like a challenge anymore because of you!"
"Because of me?" she looked offended. "Did you even remember our promise, or anything that I said to you? Do you even care—"
"I do care!" he shouted back at her. "But you only care about what you want, not about what I need!"
"And what exactly do you need? Because you seem to enjoy anything I give to you!"
"I need—" he groaned out loud, unsure of his next words. "I need time away from you."
Her expression changed into immediate shock. "What?"
"I can't think straight when I'm with you, Evelyn, it's driving both of us crazy."
"You don't want to kiss me, and now you don't want to be around me? Michael, stop, it's not even funny anymore."
He stared off with a pained face, refusing to look in her direction.
"You're serious?"
He bit his tongue, trying to stop himself from talking back. That subtle crack in her voice had made it even more difficult.
"Michael, that's basically impossible. We're eternally bonded, how are you going to spend time away from me? Who's going to be your sword if I'm gone?"
"I'll—" he tried to stop himself. "I'll buy a new one."
She forced out a dry laugh. "No, you won't."
"I would."
"You…don't mean that."
He averted his eyes even more. It still felt like someone was poking his heart with a searing steel rod, over and over, the longer this silence continued.
Then the bathroom door opened as Mave walked out, fixing her hair.
"We have thin walls." she said before sitting down at the dresser.
Michael stood still.
"Go bathe, boy," Mave ordered him. "We're going to head out once you're done."
He turned around and walked towards the bathroom.
Evelyn tried to grab his hand. But he shook her away and closed the door behind him.
Mave glanced at the two of them through the mirror. They were supposed to be inseparable. It was even unusual watching one of them be alone.
***
Michael laid low in the bathtub, allowing the waters to rest at the edges of his mouth. This was the first time ever where he willingly chose to be left alone from Evelyn. She would always follow him, no matter the destination, and was always in a hand's reach.
But now, he chose to place a wall between them.
It was needed, he thought to himself, he knew he would regret everything the moment he would look into her eyes.
She was intoxicating, as much as he was ashamed to admit it, and he wouldn't have gotten enough of her. Michael wanted to thrash around in the waters after hearing her voice break, he wanted to pull out his hairs for yelling at her, and he wanted to apologize.
He couldn't. If he did, then it would have been all for nothing. That was why he felt like his heart had been ripped apart when she lied to him. What did she even see in him? Another boy to play with? Another chance to wreck loose because she knew he wouldn't resist?
He was deeply in love with her and that made him her prisoner.
Michael wasn't furious at her by how she's been treating him, he's furious because of how much he's allowing it. Every kiss, even if it wasn't on the mouth, felt just the same and passionate.
His challenge didn't even matter anymore. That road to fight for a kiss was nothing more than a delusion. He was going to remain the same. The same weak boy, starved with affection and consumed by infatuation, running back to his girlfriend when things felt unbearable. It was pathetic because he knew, deep down, he would just forgive her again.
Should he just drown himself, he contemplated, he would rather die than walk out those doors again to face her.
He sat up, leaning over his own reflection in the water. It was quiet, despite his thoughts being bombarded. At least the two of them can both reflect on their issues with each other.
Maybe it was his stupidity at fault, thinking an ego sword had the capabilities to track mana beasts. She was a being that could grant magical properties, not a detector of rabid organisms.
He stepped out of the bath and properly dried himself, noticing some of the bruises taking place where he had fallen. After putting on his clothes, and strapping his armor, he hesitated on wearing his sheath.
He slowly opened the door, looking through the gap as he scanned the room.
Mave was already gone, most likely waiting for him in the lobby with the rest of the party.
But for Evelyn, she sat frozen in the same spot where he left her. Her face looked dejected, devoid from that carefree spirit she was supposed to carry. He wanted to hug her, desperately apologizing to forgive him.
Instead, Michael kneeled in front of her, holding out his hand.
She lifted her head, afraid to meet his eyes.
"Can we just forget about it?" he asked. "About everything? My stupid challenge and our stupid promises. Just…forget about it."
Without a word, she held his hand and flashed back into an ego sword. He sheathed her, sparing her from his own battling thoughts.