Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 430: More nighttime fun

The silence that followed wasn't empty.

It was comfortable.

Their hands remained intertwined as the sun completely disappeared below the horizon, leaving behind deep shades of violet and blue. The first city lights began to illuminate below them—lanterns, lit windows, the harbor gaining a soft golden glow that reflected on the sea.

Kael was the first to let go of her hand, only to rest his elbows on the stone parapet.

"I find it curious," he said, his voice low, "how the whole world seems poised to crumble at any moment… and yet, here, now, everything seems stable."

Eva watched him in profile.

"Veirona has always been like this," she replied. "A fixed point. Even when the Empire shifts, even when wars come and go."

She took a step closer to him, standing shoulder to shoulder.

"My mother used to say that some places survive because they refuse to spin at the same speed as the rest of the world."

Kael smiled slightly. "She seemed wise."

"She was." Eva closed her eyes for a moment. "And annoyingly perceptive."

They stayed like that for a few seconds, just listening to the sea.

"Kael," Eva said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"You're afraid."

He hesitated. Not because he disagreed—but because she was right.

"A little," he admitted. "Not of you. Not of this." He made a vague gesture between them. "But of what comes after."

Eva turned completely to face him.

"Of growing up?" she asked.

"Of the consequences." He sighed. "Whenever I accept something good, the world seems to charge interest."

She stared at him in silence for a moment too long to be casual.

Then, she reached out and touched the center of his chest, two fingers pressing lightly.

"Listen," she said.

He frowned.

"What?"

"This." She kept her fingers there. "It's still beating. It's still yours."

She raised her hand to his face, touching his cheek with the back of her fingers—a surprisingly delicate gesture.

"The world will collect anyway, Kael. It always does." Her gaze softened. "The difference is whether you'll pay alone."

The air between them shifted.

There was no warning. No grandeur.

Just closeness.

Kael took a deep breath, as if about to pierce through something invisible.

"Eva… I don't know if I'm good at this."

"At what?"

"At this." He gave a half-smile. "At dates. At simple choices. At things that don't involve saving someone."

She tilted her head, amused.

"Great. I hate predictability."

Before he could answer, Eva took another step closer.

Now there was no more room for hesitation.

"So let's establish one thing," she said, her voice low and firm. "Today isn't about eternal promises. Nor about intertwined destinies. Nor about the future."

She lifted her face, standing dangerously close.

"Today is only about now."

Kael felt his heart race.

"I can handle now," he said.

"I know."

Eva kissed him.

It wasn't abrupt. Nor restrained.

It was safe.

The kind of kiss that doesn't ask permission because it's already been granted long before. There was a second of surprise—just one—before Kael responded, his hand hesitantly rising to her waist, as if still learning where he could touch.

Eva smiled against his lips.

"See?" she murmured. "It's going very well."

When they pulled away, there was no awkwardness.

Just breaths too close to feign normalcy.

Kael rested his forehead against hers.

"That definitely confirms it was a date."

"I'd say it raised the bar," she replied.

The distant bell of some tower struck the hour.

Night had finally fallen.

"Want to continue?" Eva asked, a curious glint in her eyes. "I haven't shown you the best part of the city at night yet."

Kael chuckled softly.

"Is there a better part than this?"

"There is." She took his hand again. "And it involves music, cheap wine, and questionable choices."

"That sounds dangerously specific."

"Veirona is built on that."

She began to pull him along the path back to the illuminated city.

Kael followed without resistance.

And, for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel like he was being led.

He felt like he was going—of his own free will—alongside someone who didn't demand that he be more than he was.

Just that he keep walking.

They descended from the lookout point, laughing softly, as if sharing a secret the city hadn't yet discovered. The streets of Veirona were different at night—no longer bustling like the port at dusk, but alive in a more intimate way. Stained glass lanterns hung between the buildings, casting warm shadows on the stone walls. The air was fresher, heavy with salt and spices.

Eva guided Kael effortlessly, navigating through alleys and small squares as if walking through a place she knew like the back of her hand.

"You walk around here as if you've never left," Kael commented.

"Some places don't let you really leave," she replied. "They just… wait."

They stopped before a small staircase that descended to a lower part of the city, almost at sea level. There, the music could already be heard—strings, light percussion, laughter. It wasn't an enclosed tavern, but a kind of open courtyard, surrounded by old buildings, with tables scattered haphazardly and a small group of musicians playing near a fountain.

People were dancing.

Not in a rehearsed way. Nor elegantly. They just danced.

Kael stopped reflexively.

"Eva."

"Hm?"

"I don't dance."

She looked at him, incredulous.

"You confront ancient entities, traverse dimensional rifts, and have even discussed strategy with three generals at the same time…"

"All of that is simpler than dancing."

Eva laughed, loud enough for some people to look in their direction.

"Perfect," she said, pulling him by the hand. "Then that's exactly what we're going to do."

"Eva—"

"No running away," she warned. "Today you choose mild discomfort, not deep trauma."

Before he could protest again, she led him to the center of the courtyard. The music was fast, cheerful, full of improvised variations. Eva let go of his hand only to spin once on her own axis, her red dress following the movement like a living flame.

She stood before him again.

"Don't think," she said. "Just follow."

"That's terrible advice in general."

"Trust me for five minutes."

Kael hesitated. Then he took a deep breath.

And he tried.

At first, he was clumsy. His steps were too calculated, his body rigid as if expecting an invisible attack. Eva noticed immediately.

She moved closer.

"You're fighting the music," she murmured. "Don't do that."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. The other held his firmly.

"Look at me."

He looked.

The rest of the courtyard seemed to disappear a little.

"I'm here," she said. "Nothing will hit you."

Something inside Kael gave way.

Not completely—but enough.

His movements became less tense. Less precise. More real. He missed steps, stumbled once, laughed at himself. Eva laughed along, twirling, pulling him, changing the rhythm without warning.

And, at some point, he stopped thinking of it as "dancing."

It was just movement. Closeness. Shared rhythm.

When the music ended, Kael was breathless—not from exhaustion, but from something akin to euphoria.

"I survived," he said.

Eva leaned forward, hands on her knees, laughing.

"See? No serious injuries."

"This can still leave psychological scars."

"I'll take responsibility for that."

They moved away to one of the tables, where someone offered them two glasses of dark wine, served in simple glasses. Eva accepted without ceremony, raising a light toast against Kael's glass.

"To questionable choices."

"To conscious choices," he corrected.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Look at that. You're already learning."

They sat side by side, observing the patio. The atmosphere was relaxed, almost intimate, as if everyone there shared the same night, even without knowing each other.

"Eva," Kael said after a while, his voice lower. "Can I ask you something?"

"You always ask."

"Why now?"

She brought the glass to her lips, taking a second longer before answering.

"Because you've changed," she said finally. "You haven't just gotten stronger. You've become… whole."

Kael frowned slightly.

"I still feel broken in many places."

"Yes," she agreed. "But now you know where the cracks are. Before, you just pretended they didn't exist."

He considered this in silence.

"And you?" he asked. "Why stay?"

Eva smiled slightly.

"Because I'm tired of running from things that matter."

She leaned in, resting her shoulder on his.

"And because, against all my better judgment," she added, "I like who you are when you're not trying to be a symbol."

Kael closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing the gentle weight of those words.

The music started again, slower this time.

Eva looked up at him.

"Want to try again?" she asked.

Kael smiled.

"Now that my dignity has already been compromised… why not?"

She laughed and stood up, pulling him by the hand once more.

And that night, in Veirona—far from the capital, far from the Empire, far from the destiny that always pursued them—Kael realized something simple and terrifying at the same time:

He wasn't just being followed.

He was being chosen.

And, for the first time, he chose to stay.

…

"What a drag…" A woman said, sitting in her armchair while waiting for something; being a teacher was a drag!

"HEY, what the hell do you want?" She answered a message on the orb. "KAEL IS IN THE EMPIRE?!" She jumped up immediately.

Erika, the Sword Queen… She was truly happy.