A day off meant time spent with Kailani; he found it rare for them to not be together. He had asked around the guild what he could do to enjoy his day with someone. It wouldn’t take long before he got his idea for the day. There was a lighthouse by the docks, and it seemed like it was a good place for tourists. Yuurei and Kailani were just that tourists right now, so seeing this would be a new experience. He also heard that it was a nice place to have a picnic and look at the sea. He would have gone to the beach, but he wasn’t ready to see Kailani wearing something as provocative as what he had seen in the pictures.

He had prepared a picnic basket for them as he had made something that would not come out nasty if they took too long to eat. There were also drinks and a blanket inside of the picnic basket as well. Yuurei figured enjoying their day together was for the best. Yuurei’s invitation was extended to his best friend, and she would accept it without a problem. The day was beautiful, the sun out, the docks busy as usual, and the clouds showing that there were no signs of rain today. His attire was the same as always as he wasn’t sure what could happen at any moment throughout the day.

He held the basket in one of his hands as he had made sure not to bring too much on their adventure and he also figured he would tell her what they were going to do.

“So, I heard that the lighthouse was a nice place for tourists to go. It has nice scenery and a great spot to look at the sea.” He said to her as they were getting closer to their destination.

When Yuurei had proposed for the two of them to take a day off, Kailani had been a little skeptical, they'd only just started working, it seemed like an odd choice. However, her mind quickly changed at the mention of the lighthouse, a location she had heard and seen from a distance, but hadn't had the opportunity to see up close. Convincing herself it was important to get used to the lay of the land of the town that would make for their new home she quickly took Yuurei up on the offer.

As they would be relaxing, the wind mage had opted for something comfortable, but still fashionable to wear, choosing some simple, jean shorts, with black stockings underneath to keep her warm and a jacket over her baggy shirt. While the day was nice, there was always a chilly breeze from the ocean so it was best to wear something a little warmer. Being just the two of them Kailani felt quite at ease to simply be herself, allowing her usual formal demeanor to drop.

"Yes, and I heard that if it ever goes out at night there would be many sunken ships!" Kailani pipped up excitedly, "Just imagine the calamity that could cause..." She pondered, not really wishing for it to happen, it was just simply interesting that one building and light was so important in this place.

"Of course, they would never let that happen." Kailani quickly reassured Yuurei, in case he was worried people would get hurt, It was hard to read him sometimes, despite being together most of their lives. Her eyes glanced down to his hands.

"So what snacks did you bring for us?" She'd query, eyeing up the basket eagerly, he was far superior to her when it came to preparing food, and making it themselves meant they'd save money on having to buy some from a stall or shop.

Yuurei laughed slightly at what she said. He did hear about that, and he knew that it would be scary if something like that happen. He hoped that there was someone always taking care of that place or else something bad would happen in the future.

“Yeah I don’t think that will ever happen. I’m pretty sure someone has a job in taking care of the lighthouse throughout the day.” He was trying to keep the mood as positive as he could.

She had asked what snacks he had prepared for them for their little time out. He wanted to surprise her, but she had asked. That meant he was going to tell her everything he brought in the picnic.

“Well I brought us some water as I didn’t have anything to keep the water hot, so that meant tea was out of the question. I brought along some fruits, and I made some sushi for us. It wasn’t hard to make as I followed someone’s instructions. All in all, it tastes amazing, and I think you’ll like it. It’s basically fish and I made various kinds, so you can try them all out. I brought a picnic blanket as well, so we could sit comfortably, but this is all after we take a tour around the lighthouse.” He said to her as he knew that anything he had to cook would need to be eaten while hot or at least warm.

He was glad that they had finally arrived and when he did, he could see that there were people around, but it was full like it should be. That was good because he wanted Kailani to have a good time and not get overwhelmed with many people. Yuurei saw the entrance to the lighthouse and looked over to Kailani once again.

“We should head over to the entrance, and go check the place inside. After we take the tour we can do whatever you want.” He said with a smile on his face.

Yuurei truly wanted to see what it was like inside of the place.

Kailani scowled as he started to explain what the basket contained, "I'm sure you could have gotten something for hot water..." she muttered under her breath to herself clearly upset over the lack of tea but continuing to listen intently to what else he had packed to make up for it. The mention of fruit wasn't overly impressive, that was fairly usual for them, still, Kailani did enjoy it quite a bit depending on the type and perhaps he had gotten his hands on some new or even exotic ones for them to try for the first time.

As she was contemplating that, the word 'sushi' made her head tilt in thought, that was definitely something new. A food made out of mostly fish? Well, they were definitely in the right place for gathering fresh ingredients like that. It was definitely enough to pique her curiosity and forgive him for the lack of tea.

"I suppose I can forgiv- wait did you say tour?" the wind mage blurted out, cutting her own sentence short as her eyes grew wide with excitement. They weren't just going to see it up close they were going to learn all about it as well? This definitely made up for the plain beverage choice.

"Yes, yes!" Kailani answered with enthusiasm as she picked up her pace as she rushed towards the entrance, forcing her friend to quicken his too if he wanted to keep up, "Hurry up, this is gonna be so awesome!" she squealed, practically hopping from one foot to the next unable to keep her excitement contained in the slightest.

"Are we getting to go inside? How far up? All the way to the actual light? Will we get to see how it all works?" The questions came flying, one after the other, not even giving the boy a chance to reply, "Oh, will they even light it up for us even though it's daytime... Should we come again for a night tour as well? Wait... do they even do night tours...?" She contemplated, speaking more to herself than actually looking for a response from Yuurei at this point.

Yuurei’s eyebrows twitched when he heard her response about the hot water. He figured that she wouldn’t be happy about that, so he hoped everything else he had said would change her mood. And through it all he was right; she was excited about taking a tour inside of the lighthouse, and it seemed like she had let the fact that he didn’t bring tea for her slide. This was good and he had a smile on his face as she was talking out loud about everything they could possibly go through inside of the structure. His pace had quickened as well as she seemed eager to enter the lighthouse now.

“Yes we will be going inside and making it to the top. I’m pretty sure they will show us how it works, but I don’t think they’ll turn it on for us. Still, we will be here at night time, so we will be here when it lights up.” He said as he was thinking about whether or not they do night tours.

He wasn’t sure about that, so he didn’t answer that because he didn’t want to give her the wrong answer. The two would finally make it to the door and Yuurei would open the door allowing her to enter before he allowed the door to close and followed behind her. A woman would make her way to the two of them and she would wave at the two of them with a smile on her face.

“I assume you two are here for the nice show around of the lighthouse? I’m Amira, my grandpa takes care of the lighthouse and I’m basically his apprentice. So follow me and I will show you around.” She said as she started walking in a certain direction.

Yuurei would follow behind her making sure that he didn’t leave Kailani behind either. He was pretty sure she would want to hear everything that the woman had to say.

“So the way this lighthouse works is fairly simple. We have different magical mirrors that when activated at night lets out the store light that comes from the outside. It is then used to bounce around all the mirrors through the entire lighthouse and when it makes it to the top of the lighthouse shines upon the entire sea for sailors who are traveling through the night.” She said this as she made it to one of the mirrors that were on the first floor.

Yuurei wondered who was smart enough to make something like that because he wouldn’t have wanted to be in a lighthouse all night to use his light magic to light it up. Still, it was fascinating to hear how they did it and he looked over to Kailani to see her expression.

"Yes, I suppose you are probably correct." Kailani nodded at her friend's logical answers. He was probably correct, as it is what she too had assumed. The wind mage's overexcited attitude returned to a more disciplined and refined one as they stepped inside and were greeted by the young lady that would be their tour guide. Despite her posture change, her eyes were clearly still gleaming as they followed along, glancing around as they were brought over to the mirror on the first floor and told how it worked. Such an intricate process, yet incredibly effective.

"I definitely wouldn't have guessed this is how it was done..." Kailani murmured as she inspected the mirror as closely as possible without actually touching it, "Impressive choice... Much better than simply using a ton of light magic and wasting a ton of magical energy." the wind mage added with a small nod. Her theories were completely incorrect, the combination of science and magic combined was truly fascinating causing her mind to wander about other possibilities and inventions they were yet to experience. Kailani turned to Yuurei with a big smile, clearly over the moon about being here.

"We should definitely learn about more magic-based technologies of the human realms on our future days off." The wood elf stated cheerily. The people of their homeland were not the kind to use stone and minerals to create things in this way, most of their everyday objects were made of nature's resources and the natural magic of the enchanted forest.

"So how many floors in total are there?" Kailani wondered aloud as she noticed the stairs leading upwards, her focus trailing away from the mirror in front of her. The building had certainly towered above them from the outside, but it was difficult to estimate just how far up they had to go to reach the tippy top.

Amira heard Kailani’s words and she would chuckle at the idea of what the wood elf had said. Yuurei nodded in agreement about learning more on technology-infused magic. It could be useful for them to have some of that on their side. They didn’t fight anybody, but they were still learning about the outside world. Amira would listen to the question that was being asked, but wanted to speak to Kailani about other things as well. She had moved to the gear with the intent to explain the history of these mirrors first.

“There are four floors in this lighthouse. The fourth is where the light shines out to the sea. But before we get onto that, your statement earlier was fascinating. Did you know that in the past the lighthouses were lit up that way? We had light mages work all throughout the nighttime with their magic so that way nobody out in sea could get lost or have their ship sunk.” She paused for a second catching her breath.

“These magical mirrors are fairly new compared to what we used in the past, but it is much better than using a lot of mana to cast light magic.” She said to Kailani as she turned to Yuurei to see if he had any questions.

“I’m fine Amira. I’m just happy I don’t have to use my light magic to turn this lighthouse on.” He said as he chuckled nervously.

“So you use light magic. Interestingly, we still have the contraptions we used to use for mages. So, if we ever need backup on lighting up the lighthouse I know who to go.” She said as she started climbing up the stairs.

Yuurei hoped that never happened because he wouldn’t want to expend his mana to just light up this place. He followed Amira up the stairs as she was ready to talk a bit more about the lighthouse.

“The second floor is home to the storage unit we have for the lighthouse. We have a backup just in case anything malfunctions in the lighthouse. Besides the mirrors, I don’t think there is anything special. The structure of the building is made well it is able to handle almost every impact that comes to it. The third floor is where my grandpa and I stay as this is our home as well.” She said to them moving up to the fourth floor.

Yuurei nodded his head as he understood how the lighthouse was able to be well kept and that they could make sure that nothing went wrong here for nighttime. Still, it was good to know that they wouldn’t be aimlessly walking through floors and were heading to the best part of the lighthouse.

Four floors, less than she had expected, but she had never been great at being able to tell based of the height of buildings before. She always has to count the number of windows at the different heights and even then sometimes they were off if a floor was windowless for one reason or another.

Despite only just meeting her, Kailani had begun to feel somewhat comfortable around their tour guide, perhaps it was that it was just one person, or maybe it was the fact they reminded her somewhat of her first human friend. Either way they found them relaxing to be around, something that didn't happen with many people at all for the young wind mage, let alone after only just meeting them.

"Oh wow, that would have been exhausting." Kailani gasped at the idea of having to use their magic constantly for long hours at a time. Plus they'd have to have extra light mages on stand-by as well, definitely not the most practical of plans. Still, it was better than not having any warning at all for the ships to be careful. Life prior to the lighthouse would definitely have been far more difficult for sailors.

Following their guide up to the second floor, there wasn't anything overly new or interesting, it was simply just as Amira described. However, the additional information on the building's structure was curious. The way humans used metals and stones for their structures never ceased to amaze her, although she had to admit the forest homes made within the trees using magic were definitely their own sight to behold, they were just far too used to it being the norm.

Learning that the lighthouse keeper living within the lighthouse itself was definitely intriguing, however, it did make a lot of sense. It was clear that it was well maintained and cared for.

"So your grandfather works all night I suppose?" Kailani asked, fairly certain that must be the case, to ensure it was lit the entire time. Then he'd probably sleep through the daytime, meaning they should probably be a little quieter now if they were about to walk through their home.

Yuurei didn’t have any questions to ask, and it was because he was excited to see how everything looked from on top of the lighthouse. He also knew that if there were any questions being asked, Kailani would be the one to do it. While they were walking, she would ask a question, which brought Yuurei to smile because he knew that he could count on her. Amira looked back at Kailani with a smirk on her face.

“He does work all night, but you don’t have to worry about him. He’s out cold right now, and he won’t be waking up anytime soon. It’s why I’m up in the daytime to make sure that everything is working properly and to take on any visitor who wants to check out the lighthouse.” She paused for a second before continuing on.

“So you don’t have to worry about being noisy around here. He won’t be waking up. We do change our schedules weekly as he has been teaching me how to take care of it all in the nighttime.” She said to Kailani as they would reach the top floor.

Yuurei would look at his best friend and he was glad that he had taken her here. It was fascinating to see the questions she could ask people. It was especially better if she was comfortable around them, which he could see that right now.

“Kai’s very excited about this lighthouse. We usually live in houses that were built on trees. It's pretty cool as well, but we aren’t used to structures like this.” He said to Amira.

“I see, and it makes sense, and I’m fine with answering any questions she needs an answer to. Still, we are here. I will let you guys go up there alone, so you can enjoy the scenery. I’ll be right here.” Amira said.

Yuurei would walk up the stairs that led to the final floor of the lighthouse. He would look back at Kailani with a smile on his face.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for. So, let’s go I doubt you would want to miss this.” He said to Kailani as he went on ahead of her.

The wind mage breathed a sigh of relief, at least it sounded like there was no risk in waking someone with such an important job. She would never be able to forgive herself for being the cause of him making a mistake. Brushing her purple fringe behind her ear she'd have a quick look over their living room as they passed by and up the stairs. It was filled with so many things. Her family had been so minimalist, they didn't both with knickknacks or anything that could be viewed as clutter. She knew not every elven family lived like that, but many did, it was what came naturally when living with the land. You only really kept what you needed.

She did have a number of questions about how they lived, but it didn't seem appropriate for right now. They were here for the lighthouse, not to learn of people's living habits, they could perhaps return for a nice tea and chat another time. A thought that made her smile to herself as she began to make her way up the winding staircase, following just behind Yuurei who called out to her.

"Of course I'm not going to miss out!" Kailani cried out after him, picking up her pace now to catch up, not wanting to be left behind. The view from the top caught her by surprise, leaving her completely breathless for a moment. The water on the horizon was seemingly endless, it was a similar feeling to the first time she saw the ocean or when she stared out into the star-filled night sky. Completely mesmerizing.

"Beautiful...." She mumbled, her eyes wide as she finally managed to peel them away from the horizon and step closer to the edge of the glass in the room and peer down at the rocky shore below. The waves crashed as they met the rocks, causing seafoam to form.

Yuurei chuckled when he heard what she had said. That was good and he figured she would react that way. The light mage would look at the horizon in front of him. He wondered how long it went, for it was the first time he had ever seen something like it. His eyes were glued at the beauty in front of him. It was something that they wouldn’t have experienced if they stood inside the forest for their entire lifetime. The breeze could be felt as it would pass both. Yuurei’s hair would move along it as he would turn to see how Kailani was doing.

He could only smile because he was happy to be experiencing this with her. She was his first and closest friend; they were basically family, but could he honestly think of her like that? It was hard to just think of her as only that, but he that his feelings couldn’t be relayed to her. He was a half-elf and she would only get in trouble with even being with him in that type of relationship. He would sigh as he would look forward ahead again as he continued to enjoy the scenery.

“Beautiful indeed. I’m glad we decided to leave the forest after all. We can do a lot for the outside world, and when we go back to the forest we can teach them so much about what is and isn’t good outside of the forest.” He said to her.

They would stare into the horizon for a couple of minutes longer, but it would seem like they were letting time go by and keeping someone waiting. Yuurei would chuckle a bit as he looked over to Kailani as figured it was time to go.

“I think we should head back downstairs and find a good spot for us to enjoy our lovely meal. I also don’t want to have Amira waiting for us all day.” He smiled as he was looking at Kailani waiting for her to finish taking everything in and head back.

"I don't think they'd care. " Kailani whispered in reply, her face contorting at the thought of returning to the forest, she didn't want to go back to live there, not ever. They all just seemed so narrow-minded, at least the ones she interacted with, but perhaps there was a chance they'd listen. If it hadn't been for the fact she had promised her father she would at least return once every few months she wouldn't have even thought of going back at all. She would just by lying to herself if she said she hadn't thought about just breaking that promise and never returning though.

She'd take one last longing look out to the endless ocean before sucking in a deep breath and turning to face Yuurei with a smile, not wishing to put a damper on things after all the effort he had put in to make today enjoyable. There was nothing she hated more than potentially making her best friend upset. He deserved to live a happy life filled with only joy in Kailani's opinion, especially after all the hardships he'd already lived through.

"Yes, let's go enjoy that delicious... er... what did you call it? Sushi?" She'd ask cheerily, skipping merrily back towards the stairs as if she hadn't just had depressing thoughts of home. Forcing the thought of trying new delicious food to take over her mind, it had been something she'd been looking forward to since he'd mentioned it prior to their arrival at the lighthouse. By the time they were back on the third floor, the wind mage was all smiles again, as if her mood hadn't even been the slightest bit soured. Instead, her usual cheery disposition was shining through as she looked around to thank Amira for letting them not only into the lighthouse but into her home.

Yuurei heard her words, and she was probably right, but if he found his parents alive, they would probably want to return to the forest. He knew that his father was a human, but his parents were isolated from the rest of the forest, which was probably how they disappeared so easily in the first place. Still, their next stop was to eat the sushi he had made for them, and he had a smile on his face when she mentioned it.

“Yes, let’s try out some sushi. I think you’re going to like it and I have a variety of them as well.” He said as he followed behind his best friend

They made it to the third floor, and Kailani had thanked Amira for her time and taking them up to the top floor of the lighthouse. Amira would welcome them without a problem and tell them that if they ever wanted to come up here again to visit her. Yuurei would bow slightly towards her for taking the time out of her day to show them around. The half-elf found himself outside of the lighthouse soon after as he was looking around the lighthouse. He was trying to find a perfect place for them to sit down and enjoy their time and meal together.

“Follow me I have a good place for us to sit and relax while eating.” He said to her as he started walking off in a certain direction.

Yuurei found a spot, it was filled with grass, and it was near the edge of the lighthouse. It was like a front view for the sea and if they looked up, they would have a perfect view of the lighthouse for when it turned on. The light mage would open the basket and he took out a blanket and placed it on the floor for them. They were used to sitting on the grass without anything, but he figured it would be nicer to do it this way. He even prepared a second blanket just in case it got cold.

When he was done placing the blanket down, he started taking out the fruits that he brought along with him. He cut up some watermelons for them and various other fruits that they were used to. Then he brought out the sushi as well, which were in Bentos, and inside of them were a lot of freaking sushi. There were three of each kind and he was making sure that whichever she enjoyed she could have two of them instead of the single one of tasting. He brought out her water container alongside his before he could finally take a seat down.

“Now I’m done you can sit down and we can relax and enjoy our time together and eating of course.” He laughed a bit as he took some strawberries and started munching on them one by one.

He wanted her to try the sushi first before he could indulge in them as well.

Much like Yuurei, Kailani also gave her thanks with a small bow before asking if perhaps she could meet up with them for some tea to chat about various things another time as long as Amira was free to do so. It seemed the young woman was more than willing as she too was curious about how wood elves lived in the forest. Knowledge for knowledge, always a reasonable trade. Shortly after the wind mage found themselves leaving alongside her friend as he beckoned her to follow him.

'Hmm... did he scout this place out earlier? But when would he have even had had the time to?' Kailani wondered but decided against verbally questioning him, instead just glancing to the side towards his direction as she trotted along in pursuit. It didn't take long, they weren't going all that far as the wind mage noted the nice grassy patch that the young light mage decided to set the blanket upon before setting up all the food.

With each platter that he pulled from the basket, Kailani would grow more eager and more impatient, practically drooling at how delicious everything seemed to be. The moment he gave the okay her hands were like lightning grabbing the closest piece of sushi she could find and popping it in her mouth. The mixture of rice and fish was not one she had ever thought to mix. They just didn't seem like the kind of thing people would put together, but boy was she glad they had.

"Itsh delicshoush!" The wind mage chirped, mouth still half full of food, deciding to swallow the mouthful before speaking again, "What kind was that one?" She'd ask, pointing to what remained of the piece she had taken. She would have to take note of all of them and decide which were her favourites in case she ever got the opportunity to order them, or Yuurei decided to make more.

Yuurei would watch her take on the new type of food that she was eating. It would seem like she would enjoy them quite a bit, and he was happy to have created such a meal for her. While she was eating, he was also eating the fruits that he had brought with them. It wouldn’t take long, but she would finally ask him what was in the sushi she was holding. He would look at it and he would rub his chin as he had remembered what he had put inside of the sushi. He would finish his fruits before speaking up to her as she was stuffing her face and he was fine with it.

“The one you’re holding is a spicy tuna roll.” He said this as he figured he would name the rolls for her, so she would know which one she would enjoy the most.

His finger pointed at the first one in the bento he had and started the naming of sushi.

“This one right here is a california roll, this one is what they call a rainbow roll, this one is a spider roll, but there are no spiders in there, this one is a shrimp tempura roll, this one is a dragon roll, right here we got a king crab roll, and I made a cucumber roll just to see how it would go.” He said this as he wondered which one would be her favorite.

Yuurei had taken one of the spicy tuna rolls that were in the bento and he would take a huge chunk of it out with one bite. He would close his eyes and groan at how amazing these things were. His taste buds going off the roof he couldn’t help but be happy he learned how to make this. Still, nothing beat the expressions that Kailani made. It was just the fact that he knew she enjoyed his cooking, which made him even happier than he should be.

“I saw this spot when we were looking at the sea. It looked like the best place to be, so I decided it was best we got here before someone else took it from us. That’s why we didn’t have to look around for a place to sit.” He chuckled as he figured his closest friend would be wondering how he had picked out a location for them so quickly.

Yuurei was comfortable here and if it were for the fact that his parents were possibly still out here he would have enjoyed staying here forever with Kailani by his side.

Kailani nodded as he told her the names of each one, making mental notes for each one as she finished the spicy tuna roll. Yuurei had certainly outdone himself today, the wind mage couldn't dispute that. Picking up the one he called a rainbow roll she'd pop it in her mouth, it was just as scrumptious as the last, but she definitely preferred the spiciness of the last one.

"Oh wow, always thinking one step ahead aren't you?" The wind mage teased but ultimately blushed a little, growing embarrassed that she hadn't even thought to look down away from the sea while up at the lighthouse, She had to admit she could be a bit of an airhead at times, she wasn't necessarily lacking in intelligence, she just often failed to consider her next move unless she had the time to prepare. Even when it came to using her magic, it was more reactive than proactive. However, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, she just struggled with reading other people, either assuming the best due to her optimistic nature, or the worst if her anxiety took hold of her.

Taking yet another piece of sushi, this time the one he called the spider roll, she'd lean back a bit, resting her weight on one hand, to balance herself as she ate with the other. She'd glance up at the sky above, a serious look on her face as she thought for a while. Chewing slowly she'd remain quiet until finishing the mouthful this time.

"Do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like if we hadn't gone through the hardships we did?" Kailani pondered aloud, referring to them both losing so much. In her opinion, if her mother had never disappeared she wouldn't have ever dreamt of leaving home. She may have never gotten to experience the sight of the ocean throughout her entire lifetime.

Yuurei laughed a bit when he heard what she said about him. He needed to be one step ahead of everyone else or else there would have been a lot of things that would have gone differently for him. It was a good thing that he made a habit and he wouldn’t change it. She continued eating, and he would also eat alongside her. He was making sure that he didn’t take any of the sushi that she didn’t try yet, and when he ate them he could only become happy. The food he was eating was something that he needed. He didn’t eat all day and it was because he was waiting for this part of the day. While he was chewing his foo, he would look at Kailani who had asked him a question.

The half-elf would slow his chewing as he was thinking about how he would answer her question. It was not something he thought she would ask him, but it was a question he figured he could get an answer to. He allowed his mind to think about it and he shook his head side to side as he was finishing his sushi that was in his mouth. When he swallowed it all he would look over to Kailani once again.

"I have wondered about it a few times and it's quite simple. We would have stood in the forest. I would like to say we wouldn’t have been as close we are today though. I wouldn’t have thought about leaving the forest because my parents would still be with me. Our mom would still be here with us, but I don’t think she would be my mom then if my parents were still here.” He paused for a second.

“Either way I don’t think we would have left the forest until another two hundred years. All this hardship did was bring us to explore the world outside of where we live in.” Yuurei said this as he took his drink and drank some of the water he brought.

When he finished drinking a lot he would place it down on the blanket and he would look at Kailani.

“I’m glad I’m here with you Kai, and I think that is all that matters. We cannot change the past and who knows what kind of ripple effect things would have we actually could change the past. I know one thing for sure and is that we make our lives better now and for the future.” He said as he grabbed another sushi and started to devour the food.

His attention was still on Kailani as he was glad she was here. He appreciated her through everything he went through growing up. She was there for it all and she prevented a lot of horrible things that would have happened to him in the past.

Kailani chuckled at his answer, so serious and straightforward as always. It was true that they only grew closer having practically grown up as siblings, but she didn't doubt they'd still have at least been close friends. As for leaving the forest, she completely agreed on that part, they might never have left at all, there wouldn't have been any reason for either of them to.

"I too am happy that I'm here with you." The wind mage responded as a cool ocean breeze swept past them, causing her hair to dance in the wind momentarily before settling back down. Brushing the hair out of her face she'd slowly grab some more food, staring silently out at the ocean waves. Just as the light mage had said, sure their lives could have been easier, but then they'd have missed out on all these unique experiences.

"I suppose you're right though, there's no point dwelling on the past..." Kailani murmured as she instead thought about what the future may hold for them. She was now aware of her friend's plans, he wished to grow strong enough to confront a monster of a being. A thought that worried her, she didn't want to lose him. Therefore, there was only one correct choice of action.

"So, I've been thinking." She'd pause, making sure he was listening properly before continuing, "I know it will be dangerous, and I know I was mad at you for not telling me about everything earlier, but I want to be there to help you. You know with your plans to uncover what happened to your parents." she'd force her lilac eyes to look up at his, determined to show him she was serious about this and he wouldn't be able to persuade her otherwise. She was rather stubborn after all.

Yuurei was glad to hear her say that. It put warmth into his heart, and it was honestly all he needed. They were enjoying their time outside and he was looking at the ocean view that they had. His hair would move violently as the breeze would past them both. He felt like this was for the best, and he could only imagine what their future would turn out to be. The young man would just stay in silence until Kailani spoke up again. His head turned to her so that he could hear what she had been thinking about.

He had a smile on his face when he heard that she wanted in on his plans. He wouldn’t mind that, but would that be for the best? He wasn’t too sure, but at the same time, he needed to be smart about it. Yuurei knew Kailani and if he had told her she couldn’t, she would be angry with him and at the same time she would just end up following him. The half-elf needed to keep her around, so that way her appearance wouldn’t catch him off guard.

Yuurei could only chuckle a bit though because this was a predicament, he didn’t think he would put himself into. He shouldn’t have said anything right? No, she wouldn’t have trained like him and if she show up the day he ever bumped into the Vampire, without proper training then it would be even worse. He would calm himself down as he would soon come to a sigh of relief as he looked at her.

“As long as you train and keep up with me, then how can I say no to you. The only thing I ask for in return is this. If it ever gets too dangerous you leave me behind, I won’t be able to rest in peace knowing that you died because of me.” He said to her with a smile on his face as he spoke about death when he hadn’t even lived a fraction of his entire life.

Yuurei would pick up another sushi and he would eat his food. It was interesting to know that they were going to be training to get stronger. The light mage was thinking about what he should do with his magic. He needed to get stronger magic and the magical light that he could conjure was nothing compared to a monster.

“I guess the first thing in our agenda is becoming stronger with our magic.” He said as he remembered what she said at the beginning of her proclamation to help him.

“So you were mad at me after all.” He said as he was poking fun at her to get a reaction.

It looked like he wasn't going to try and stop her. Good. Because there was no way she was ever going to let him go alone, even if he didn't require her assistance. Otherwise, she'd be stuck waiting and nervous and not knowing how he was going would drive her completely insane.

"Train and keep up with you? Pfft, good luck keeping up with me." Kailani teased back as she popped another piece of sushi into her mouth, "When have you ever managed to outrun me?" She grinned, knowing full well that she clearly had the upper hand due to being a full wood elf. That and speed was her main focus when it came to training figuring if they couldn't catch her, then her enemies couldn't harm her.

"And yes, I was. Well, sort of." She glanced up at the sky trying to find the right words, "It wasn't that you spoke to someone else or did your own thing. It's that it felt like you didn't trust me enough to tell me earlier. Like you thought I'd get in the way, or something, I don't know, it's hard to explain." The wind mage confessed with a heavy heart, at least now everything was out in the open, it was better than keeping her emotions all locked away behind impenetrable walls.

"But, after thinking about it, I do understand why you might have been hesitant, or afraid to mention it. It is not an easy thing to talk about." She added, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a small squeeze, "And I am thankful that you felt you were able to in the end." She'd sit up slightly while pulling him towards her, stretching out her other arm to wrap her arms around him and embrace him in a tight hug whether he wanted to or not.

Yuurei smiled at her when she said that. It would seem like they were going to keep each other motivated, which was a good thing. She mentioned outrunning her, which was something that he could never do. He didn’t mind because where he lacked on that, he was stronger somewhere else. The half-elf could easily overpower her, and she knew that. He never said anything instead listened to her. He nodded as he understood where she was coming from. In the end, she was glad that he was able to tell her and that was all that mattered. He would place his hand over her hand with the same smile he always carried around.

“I see, I do trust you always. I just didn’t know how to bring it all up, and that was my issue. When you told me your reasoning I figured it was now or never to tell you everything I been wanting to tell you.” He said to her as he let go of her hand.

Yuurei would find himself laughing a little bit as he would grab some more food for him to eat. He would look at her, but before he would indulge in more of his food, he would look at her once more.

“I’m just glad you aren’t upset with me anymore. And as for being in the way, you would never be in the way, I think of you as more of motivation. I got to train hard to make sure nothing happens to you as it happened with everyone I love.” He said to her as he stuffed his mouth with food.

His parents had been taken away from him, his second mother, who was Kailani’s mother, had been taken away from him. The light mage couldn’t stand for more of that and he wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t repeat with Kailani. The two of them would enjoy their picnic together and they would talk more about the new things in the outside world. The conversation would last up to the night, which meant they would be able to see the lighthouse turn on.

It was a sight to see, beautiful in every way. Yuurei who had light magic couldn’t hope to one day be able to do something as beautiful as that. He was happy to spend these new moments with his closest friend and family, Kailani.

[EXIT]