Beyond The System
Chapter 193: Place to Stay

Elric waved me off as I headed back to the beach, which turned out to be an incredible relief. Even though we’d adjusted to the spiritual pressure, you didn’t realize how heavy it was until it lifted.

Thea came with me unsurprisingly, since she had no problem wanting to keep up with her hygiene. Or mine, for that matter. More so lately than before we were more... intimate. I was seriously considering figuring out a way to make personal air conditioning with my ice abilities.

We made it back fast, spiriting at full speed, her slime cradled against her chest, both of us sweating through our clothes. Once we reached the water, it took no time at all to peel off the uncomfortable garments. We claimed the shallows like it was a reward, washing off days of sweat, sand, and whatever else had collected on us.

The washing took longer than it probably needed to. There was a lot of laughter. A few splashes. Some not-entirely-necessary rinsing. And maybe a moment or two when I forgot we’d come there to even do.

But eventually, we surfaced again—clean, glowing, and still tired.

The tropical heat hadn’t let up, the kind that clung to your skin and soaked into your bones. I rinsed out my shirt with a quick sweep of cold water, doing the same for Thea just a few steps away, then started tugging my clothes back on. Thea was just finishing pulling her own top over her head when she caught me staring.

“What’re you looking at?”

“Just getting another eye-full,” I said, grinning while straightening my shirt. Honestly, I missed the sturdier leathers from our old camp. They breathed worse, but at least they lasted. Wonder if that dragon-snake skin would make good armor. Maybe sea-lizards?

She rolled her eyes, though the smile tugging at her mouth gave her away. But she changed the subject anyway. “You know, if this thing with the fire works, we could always ask Mister Ironscribe to use his Earth powers on us. Maybe set up something permanent. We could really stay here. Power up. Rest... Have a life.”

I wandered over to her, brushing a gentle hand across the slime nestled contentedly on the log we’d rolled out earlier. It jiggled faintly under my touch, unbothered and satisfied that no predators approached it.

“We could,” I said, gaze drifting toward the shimmering treetops. “The goal was to get stronger for the competition., but that’s only if everything pans out. And Serith did hint there’s something useful in her library. Something more than just her cryptic smiles.”

Thea smirked. “Other than her boyfriend’s diary?”

I laughed under my breath. “Please. If I picked up on her little excuse to send us there, you definitely caught it.”

She nodded, threading her fingers through mine as we started walking again. Our hands swung back and forth between us, childlike and easy. “We should explore this island more. If there’s a settlement, there’s bound to be fresh water.”

I puffed out my chest with mock bravado and summoned a glistening orb of pristine, sterile water into my palm. “I am our fresh water,” I declared grandly. “No need for wells or rivers while I’m around.”

She gave my hand a squeeze, her expression softening, eyes more solemn now. “This place feels right to me. We could stay. Bring everyone. I mean... really stay, you know?”

I sighed, her words striking something quiet inside me. There was Sia and Lyra, Vel, and the rest still back there. Lyra’s situation was... complex, to say the least. The first island had been safe enough, but this one? It was different. We’d have to figure out how to adapt it for Lyra’s foundation, of course. But it was more than that. She was right, and I felt it too. This place could be something real.

“Yeah. I get it,” I said softly. “All I want is peace. Somewhere we can breathe, learn, grow stronger together. Train without war at our heels, but everything’s gotten so much heavier lately.”

Thea nodded slowly. “And with every step we take, another unpredictable path opens, more dangerous than the last. But back when we were in the State... I don’t even know if we’d have been together.” She looked at me, her voice gentler. “So, II think it was all worth it.”

We fell into a thoughtful silence, letting the ambient pressure return. Our pace slowed as if by mutual, unspoken agreement. I didn’t want to rush this.

Luna was still enduring the torment of her breakthrough in the confines of her own soul, so there was no need to hurry back.

“Speaking of the others...” I began, hesitating. “About, um... Lyra.”

Thea tilted her head, curious. “What about her?”

I scratched the back of my neck, struggling to find the right words. “Well, we’ve been having fun together. And I was just wondering... I mean... the risk?”

She snorted, then doubled over with laughter, nearly wheezing. “Now you’re worried about that?”

“I have been worried,” I defended weakly. Okay, maybe not during, but afterward? Definitely. “Seriously,” I added, a bit quieter. “I do think about it. I’m just... not sure how much I mind, but...”

Straightening, Thea’s laughter faded into a sly grin. “Buuuut?” she teased.

I rolled my eyes, voice dropping to a murmur. “I’m not against it. Like you said, if we decide on staying here...” Saying it aloud felt strange. Where I came from, it wasn’t unheard of to have kids at my age. At this point, I'm either late eighteen or nineteen. Trevor might know the exact number. He was the type to keep track of dates. Either way, most people waited longer.

“It’s still dangerous,” she said, though her voice had lost its edge. If anything, she sounded more hopeful than hesitant.

I shrugged, weariness creeping back into my limbs. “It might always be dangerous. We could wait—” My thoughts drifted again to the warnings from Asumund and Janus, to what they said about my lifespan. “But I think it could be... good.”

She squeezed my hand tighter, anchoring me. “You don’t think it’s too fast? That we’re being naive?”

I closed the space between us, drawn by the quiet pull of her presence, and pressed my lips to hers. When we parted, I lingered just a heartbeat longer before stepping back with a smirk. “Of course it is. But seriously, we still need to lock down the basics—food, shelter, survival checklist… Still, I don’t plan on slowing down our act—”

“I get it,” she interrupted, already turning away and tugging me along by the hand. She didn’t say anything else, but I caught the flush blooming across her neck, creeping up to the tips of her ears.

“Theeeeaaa?” I called teasingly, stretching her name like a thread pulled tight.

She growled low in her throat, the sound barely hiding her laughter, which only made mine burst out. “Wha—AH!”

With a playful yank, I pulled her back toward me. She let out a sharp yelp as she stumbled into my arms. Her eyes snapped up at me, annoyed, electric as ever, stormclouds with lightning waiting.

“So? Not a no?” I asked, eyebrows raised.

She dropped her gaze, resting her forehead against my chest, arms wrapped tight around my middle. We stayed like that, unmoving, sharing warmth in the quiet. Finally, her voice emerged, muffled but sure.

“Not a no…”

I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed, earning a groan.

“Uuggh,” she muttered, though it came with a half-laugh as she pushed off slightly. She raised a warning finger between us, narrowing her eyes. “But! We really should wait… and actually be careful.”

My eyes widened at the implication, tone turning mock-betrayed. “You’re the one who always starts—”

“WE will be more careful,” she said firmly, cutting me off with that particular emphasis.

“Sure."

We walked the rest of the path side by side, our hands swinging again, ridiculous grins stretched across our faces. Every now and then, one of us would break into a quiet laugh for no reason.

Then a thought slipped in, sobering but real. “We can’t exactly have a child here,” I said, glancing at her. “Anyone untrained would get shredded by the pressure.”

Thea tapped her chin, thoughtful. “Maybe Drake’s not completely off with this whole Kingdom idea. Easy solution: just claim all the islands and fold them into our territory. Then we find a way to travel between them easily. We should talk to Griffith, see if he knows anyone with magical construction blessings.”

“Oh, yeah… I think I remember hearing about that,” I mused. “They’re the ones who make enchanted tools and stuff, right?”

Thea nodded. “Exactly. Not just tools, though. Bigger things too. Like... gates.”

I shuddered involuntarily, tripping slightly over an exceptionally dry leaf, or that’s the excuse I’d stick with. “I don’t think we need gates for our Kingdom. Feels too... rigid. People should travel freely. Meet each other, explore.”

Thea laughed again, warm and amused. “We’ll need something if we ever plan to govern anything efficiently.”

She was getting way too into this Kingdom fantasy.

“It’s just a sect,” I reminded her. “A small group of cultivators trying not to die. I don’t think we need to start drafting anything yet.”

“You don’t have to use the gates if you don’t want to,” she said, chuckling. “Who knows? By the time we’ve built anything real, you might be fast enough to just swim everywhere.”

I smiled, but my thoughts drifted past gates and territory to the memory of flying ships. And the people who flew without them. When would we have something like that?

By then, we’d already arrived at the edge of the village, the ruins silent and sun-drenched, whispers of old lives baked into crumbled stone.

“You think the people here had to deal with the pressure?” Thea asked, her gaze scanning the skeletal remains of homes. “If they were just regular merchants... they wouldn’t have lasted, right?”

I slowed, considering. “Hard to say. After we opened our Inner Spaces, the pressure eased up. Maybe the locals had a built-in shield or something like a Harmonic Foundation. Maybe they were able to Spirit Refine. Either way, it’s not really worth puzzling over. The pressure’s just... there.”

“We should think about it,” Thea replied, arching an eyebrow. “If we want to counter it, or decide whether we even want to.”

“True, maybe—”

PETER! Luna’s voice slammed through my head like a lightning bolt.

“AH!” I yelped aloud, flinching hard enough to make Thea jump in surprise.

Are you insane? I snapped at Luna, mentally staggering.

I turned to Thea, mouthing sorry. She gave me a knowing look, already guessing the culprit.

You did this to me recently, Luna shot back. You’re the one who reinitiated the battle.

...Yeah. She was right. Truce? I offered, sheepish.

...For now.