Allegiance

Chapter 14

Rain continued to pour from the sky as Arthur and Tessia approached the Xyrus Games and Recreation building. Arthur glanced at Tessia, wanting to see how excited she was about entering the building. However, to his surprise, she had her eyes closed and a warm smile as she held him close and leaned her head on his shoulder. Arthur mentally chuckled, and his lips curved, with his eyes tracing her facial features. Thoughts of how peaceful and beautiful Tessia looked flooded his mind as he stopped walking to admire her.

Tessia felt utterly relaxed and safe, holding onto Arthur and relaxing against him. The serene sound of the rain and the warmth from Arthur gave Tessia a heartwarming and soothing sensation in her chest. It was a feeling she had felt with only one other person, and didn't want to lose. Tessia soon noticed she and Arthur had stopped walking and slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze fell onto the large building in front of them, seeing they had arrived at their destination. Looking up at Arthur, her eyes met his, seeing him looking at her warmly.

Arthur blushed heavily when her gaze met his, and he quickly looked away. He cleared his throat, composing himself, and gestured to the building, "Uh, we're here."

Tessia's smile widened in amusement, seeing Arthur get all flustered. She lifted her head, looked at the building, and nodded, "So we are." She looked at Arthur with excitement, "Shall we?"

Arthur chuckled and nodded, "We shall."

'That was so cute, Papa,' Sylvie teased.

Ignoring Sylvie, Arthur and Tessia walked up to the building, and Arthur opened and held the door open for Tessia. Tessia walked in first, with Arthur covering her with the umbrella so she didn't get wet, and he followed her inside while simultaneously closing the umbrella and storing it in his dimensional ring.

Tessia's eyes widened in awe, and exhilaration filled her chest from the sight before her. The inside of the building was massive, with several game stations set up throughout the floor.

On the far right side of the building were several bowling lanes, where a few groups of families and friends were having a good time. Several game stations were set up in the center of the building, which had board and card games, including games where you could bet and win money. Near the back right of the building was a small sparring arena with a protective shield. Two male individuals were currently using the sparring arena, and the shield glowed brightly and buzzed as their spells struck against it, but their spells remained contained. Near the back left of the building was a large play area, where several kids were running around and laughing, having a joyous time. On the far left side of the building were several targets set up against the wall, where you could shoot archery and throw axes.

Tessia's brows raised in amazement, seeing the building full of people of all ages running around and having fun. But she was also curious and confused, as she never expected to see some of these games here in Dicathen.

Arthur looked around with a content smile, seeing people running around, laughing, and having a joyous time. He looked at Tessia inquisitively, expecting to see her looking around in amazement. However, to his surprise, he saw she looked bewildered.

Arthur's brows furrowed slightly, worried she wasn't impressed and didn't like what she saw, "Is something wrong?"

Tessia's gaze flicked to Arthur, seeing him eyeing her with genuine concern. Tessia smiled at him reassuringly and shook her head, "No." Looking back at the games happily, she gestured around the room and said, "It's just a lot to take in."

Feeling reassured, Arthur chuckled, "Sorry to overwhelm you." He looked back at the games before curiously asking Tessia, "Is there anything you want to start with?"