Dawn at the Wild Rift (Book IV)

Chapter 46

“Harley!”

Hearing a scream that sounds like the end of the world, the now 27-year old mage snaps his fingers and in a blink of an eye, he appears at the doorstep of his mansion.

He blinks a few times, trying to ponder if the woman whose hair is all over the place and the hem of her dress seems to have passed through a shredder is indeed Lylia. He can tell that she is trying to catch her breath with how her shoulders go up and down with her head hanging low.

Meanwhile, Lylia lifts her gaze towards the mage and glares at him.

“Have I not sent a message telling you that I am coming for a visit today?” she asks with gritted teeth.

“Well, I did receive your letter.”

“Then, why the hell did you not put those freaking creatures in a leash? I almost died out there!”

“But you are still alive. Anyway, why did you suddenly visit?”

“The competition just finished so I have nothing else to do. Coming here will surely kill my boredom.”

As the two enter the mansion, Lylia cannot help but feel rather sad everytime she sees the huge place. It is not only for the reason that it makes Harley feel more lonely but the mansion, from its exterior up until its interior designs, is the exact copy of the Vance mansion in Magical City. From that alone, she can tell that he dearly misses his family.

However, when the war against the Black Dragon ended, Harley can barely live in the Land of Dawn. It is as if that place is somewhere he should not be in. It seems like a place rejecting him and his only sanctuary is the Enchanted Forest.

Lylia cannot accept that fact so she visited the Great Dragon to seek for the answer and solution to Harley's situation.

“Harley is a genius mage born once in thousands of years. His exceptional skills could go beyond one's imagination and others would see it as a gift. However, just like what I have told him, he bears great responsibility. And that responsibility is to save thousands of lives even if he has to carry the burden of being forgotten by those he had saved.”

That is the reply she got from the Great Dragon. And that being said, Harley can no longer step out from the Enchanted Forest for the rest of his life.

Lylia finds it truly unfair because Harley did not ask for such excellent talent and brilliant mind yet he has to face such a cruel life. But all the Great Dragon told her is that it is fate. It is a fate that even the most powerful person cannot stop or even intervene.

When they enter the laboratory where Harley mostly spends most of his time, the genius mage notices the sudden silence of Lylia who is usually vocal.

“You know, you should not force yourself to come and visit me here just because you promised me 10 years ago that you won't forget me,” he says without looking at her.

He simply continues to experiment on the different chemicals and is expecting Lylia to tell him something. She has kept her promise for years now but it would be selfish of him to keep her from coming in the Enchanted Forest for his sake.

“You are already in the right age for marriage so you should focus on finding a partner,” he adds.

“If you are so concerned about that, why don't you just ask me out?” Lylia outright responds.

There is a hint of annoyance in her tone of voice because she is just tired of hearing him say those words. She continues to wipe off the water droplets in each test tubes with gritted teeth. She did not like it whenever Harley speaks of that because she feels like he is pushing her away and is wishing to be totally forgotten by the world outside the Enchanted Forest.