After squeezing out all the information they needed, Atlas' emerald eyes sparkled on the mage. The cheerful man speaking with his supposed long-lost sister suddenly froze. His limbs twitched a few times before dangling along his body, deprived of any power. His eyes dulled, and his smile crumbled.
"Did you really have to develop such a creepy ability?" Prometheus said, his mocking voice as sharp as knives.
"I didn't ask for this! And it's incredibly useful, so stop belittling my work!" Atlas shot back, his brows twitching with irritation.
However, with a single move, Prometheus made him sweat buckets.
"Oh? Want me to blast your eyes? I'm curious to see if the thing you seal in them will come out or if they'll die," said the hateful masked man, a raucous show of exploding light taking place in his palm.
"Alright, that's enough, both of you," Luna interjected, shaking her head at their antics. At this point, she started to believe they liked each other but were too proud to become good friends...
She sighed before focusing on what mattered and continuing after seeing them gaze at her.
"I analysed his mana-gathering technique and adapted it a little. Prometheus, you are the only one who can use it to progress."
She paused for a moment, walking to him as a multicolored booklet appeared in her hand. Then, she extended it.
"I want you to return to the surface for a year. Don't cut me off!" she commanded, noticing his trembling hands gripping the chair. "If you absorb mana related to your affinity, you'll progress much faster. So, go outside, find vortexes and mix their energy with the radiation covering the planet. Don't worry. We'll hold the fort in your absence!"
A tense silence lingered as Prometheus stared at her through his chitinous mask's holes like a hawk.
After a moment, he finally rose to his feet and walked to the door.
"Is it a part of your plan?" He asked, his back facing her.
"Yes. I need you to reach what the mage calls the arcanist tier this year. If you can't..."
She didn't need to end her sentence. If he couldn't, the chances for humanity to survive would most likely disappear in a puff of smoke.
"Sigh. Catch!" He said, retrieving three carved bones from his belt and throwing them at Atlas. As the young man caught them, he continued, "You're in charge of everyone's safety, boy. I count on you."
Then he left, not wasting time on goodbyes or questions. Why would he? Luna had been planning without him anyway. Truthfully, he didn't know how to feel. Like a tool? Like a puppet?
'Sigh. It was easier when I was alone,' he thought, scratching his head and his lips stretching into a wry smile. But at least this year of solitude would help him turn back to who he was. A ruthless egoist focused on surviving. What about being used? Why would he care as long as he survived?
His eyes narrowed as he walked through the boisterous streets, the noisy sound of horns filling his ears and the smell of gas drifting to his nose. That's when he noticed a promotional poster for a popular romance story, Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted. He didn't have time to read it but recognised the title.
And he fixed it for a moment because he understood. He understood the problem came from this stupid cracked box of emotions that let them seep out like a sweet mist poisoning his resolve. What could love bring him when Earth was about to collapse? What was the use of loving a dream in the first place? Because that's what Luna was: a living dream.
His heart hardened as he reached this thought. He would use this year to seal his emotions again and forget about this city. After all, even if Atlas was an arrogant kid, he knew he could trust him to defend it. He would also focus on the nearby vortexes to reduce the menace.
With this plan in mind, he hastened his steps, reaching the city's gates ten minutes later.
However, a complex grimace stretched his face as he saw Luna waving at him.
"I couldn't let you leave without proper goodbyes!" She said, her lively grin stretching her lips before showing him the mage's staff.
"I imbued another gem with atomic mana to replace the old one. I knew I could be the best artefact crafter!" she said, raising her nose in pride. "Take it with you. It'll help you protect yourself."
He gazed at her radiant smile, feeling gloomy. Still, he took to the staff without saying a word and continued.
"I know how you feel. But I really can't tell you everything yet," she said, her shoulders slumping and her eyes softening as he passed her by without a glance.
"How can you make mana gems?" He murmured, his voice sounding louder than an explosion in her ears before darkness engulfed his silhouette.
She stood frozen, her thoughts engaged in a silent battle. After contemplating for a moment, she muttered, "Why are you so sharp? I really care about you. But I must also protect what they are searching for..."
A tear rolled down her cheek as the last five years replayed in her mind. She knew he loved her. At some point, despite his appearance, he tried to hide, despite his bizarre fixation on survival, and despite the sensation of danger she felt around him, she began to love him, too.
She loved his unbending will to survive, deep empathy hidden under layers of menacing words and serious demeanor.
Yet, she could also see the strain gnawing at his body. He didn't realise it yet, but with each passing day, the scale representing his life tilted a little more in the wrong direction, and he would die in a year.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes sparkling with the seven colors of the rainbow. She, too, understood him better than he thought. And within a year, she would emulate every choice he could make before the creatures reached "it."
She nodded, her eyes firmly fixing his distant form before she vanished like a dream.