Chapter 54 - The Legend

The couple walked away from the tower and entered the old city center, with Elania's arm looped comfortably through his. The evening air was cool and pleasant, carrying the scent of street food and expensive perfumes. 

Wide cobblestone streets lit by magical lamps stretched between fancy stores and mansions, marking this as the finer part of the city. A group of nobles laughed outside a wine bar, and children in pristine clothes chased each other while their nannies watched carefully.

That had changed from Artorias’s time, when this was just another residential district with quaint shops spread about. It had been a comfortable but unremarkable part of the city.

"The property price on my house must have gone up a lot." Daniel couldn't help but grin at the thought. "I always knew I had a knack for business."

"Oh, sure. It's not like you're the reason it went up." Elania's tone was dry, but also amused. She squeezed his arm playfully.

“Ooh, that gives me a great business idea.”

“...Buy a bunch of houses, save the continent, then wait another thousand years in a seal?”

“Shh, don’t let others steal it!” he whispered, leaning closer to her. She let out a wonderful laugh, cutting through the chatter of the crowds.

"Ahh, it's so nice to finally be able to laugh about it…" She took a deep breath, as if savoring the relief of it. “Speaking of business ideas, you did create the most successful product in history.”

“Psh, this old thing?” He held up his index, careful not to force her to let go of his arm. A boring silver design, since he cared little for form. “I guess it’s one of my better ideas.”

"Do you have any idea how much the original index would be worth?" Elania's voice dropped to something more serious, though still playful. "You're walking around with a royal treasury on your wrist."

"...And I don't even care. Impressed?" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She chuckled again, warming him more than the evening lamps. "Wow, I had no idea I was dating such a big shot."

“Don’t worry, I treat my ladies right.”

“You treat your lady right.” Her grip on his arm tightened, more playful than threatening, but with an edge of possessiveness.

Instead of playing it off as the joke it was meant to seem like, Daniel took it seriously, stopping in the middle of the street to turn and look in her eyes. People flowed around them like water, giving them space. “There’s only room for one in my heart… My romantic heart, at least.”

She smiled, then raised her hand to playfully boop his nose. “I know, Art. But I still don’t know Daniel that well.”

"Daniel always hated cheaters with a passion, and did not like the idea of open relationships." He spoke earnestly, wanting her to understand. "We're of one mind, there. In most things, honestly."

How lucky that I gave Artorias so many of my own values.

"Then I'm glad." She started walking again, pulling him gently along. She looked at her left hand, at the fancy modern index on her wrist—one that must have cost a fortune. "I still have the one you made, though it stopped working a few decades after you disappeared."

“Yeah, they had some flaws still. Yours were all simpler versions.”

"And still they spawned a business empire." There was a hint of pride in her voice, as if she'd been following the growth of his invention through the centuries. If she could, without being reminded of her loss.

Daniel let out a silent sigh. “I’ll give Seb some of the credit. He had a knack for business and marketing.” 

"That greedy bastard…" Elania's tone was affectionate despite the words. "But yeah, without him, there probably wouldn't be any indexes around now."

“Probably?” He couldn’t imagine Valkor starting any kind of business, which only left her. “Did you have similar plans?”

“A girl’s gotta eat.”

He laughed, imagining that world for a moment—Elania as a businesswoman, selling indexes door to door or running a manufacturing operation. It didn’t quite fit her image, he thought. 

Then he started thinking of all the small changes back then that could have changed the world. How his best formations could have advanced technology, how the original index could have become so much more than it is. 

“I feel like I could have done more for the world back then, if I’d known when it would end.”

“The world is in a good place. Better than ever, even, now that you’re back.”

The way she looked at him, the sincerity in her voice… The air suddenly turned warmer, especially around his face. 

Daniel cleared his throat. "...Do you want to tell me what play we're watching?"

"Oh, an old classic. You'll recognize it." Her smile turned mysterious, almost mischievous.

“Yeah? Oh, like The Seven Princes? Or that one about the kind dragon?” Both were plays from a thousand years ago, and they’d seen the former on a much earlier date.

"It's a secret." 

The clever smile on her lips told him she was enjoying this secret a bit too much.

“How can you keep secrets from this intensely curious mind?”

"We're almost there now."

The street grew busier as they approached the theater district proper. Groups of young people clustered together, excited for their evening entertainment.

Daniel followed her lead for a few more streets, taking in the shifting atmosphere. Posters advertised various shows—comedies, tragedies, and historical epics. Then Elania pointed, and Daniel froze in the street as he saw their destination.

“Are you serious?”

In big bold letters above the entrance, glowing with formations and magic, was the name ‘The Legend of Artorias.’ 

A large poster showed a heroic figure that looked vaguely like him if he squinted. People streamed toward the entrance, dressed in their evening finery.

Elania grinned as she pulled him along into the short line that had formed in front. “Isn’t it perfect? I hear they made songs and everything.”

"...Elle, isn't this kind of narcissistic?" Daniel kept his voice low, very aware of the crowd around them.

“Not at all! I definitely need a refresher about how we met and everything that happened after.”

"But they're not gonna get anything right." He could already imagine the dramatic liberties, the invented dialogue, the impossible feats of heroism. He would be depicted like a holy figure, a savior—Jesus, again.

"Exactly! I can't wait to see how wrong it is!" Her enthusiasm was infectious.

…Well, that does actually sound fun. Really fun, even.

A sudden flashback to his first time watching ‘Life of Brian’ almost made him burst out laughing.

“You’ve changed my mind. But we’ll be laughing at every serious moment.”

"That's why I got us a private lounge," she replied, pulling two tickets from her index. The tickets materialized in her hand, embossed with gold lettering. "I'm sure you can put up a barrier if we get too loud."

She presented the tickets to the man behind the counter—a middle-aged gentleman in formal attire who looked like he'd been doing this job for decades. The man picked them up, studied them for a second, then his eyes went wide with recognition. 

"Oh, it's Mr. and Mrs. Grifantes! Of course, of course, come right this way." He stepped away from his desk, leaving his colleague alone to deal with the rest of the crowd. 

Daniel and Elania followed after, through a fancy door marked "Private Lounges" and down a hallway with a red carpet running along the floor. The walls were decorated with portraits and scenes from different plays, presumably all famed classics.

Daniel glanced at her, lowering his voice as they walked. "Mr. and Mrs. Grifantes? Did we get married while I slept? And you even took my name?"

"You've always been a heavy sleeper, dear." Her tone was perfectly innocent, the kind of innocence that was anything but. "But this is just a small favor from Lucian."

"Ah, one of your errands?" The pieces clicked together.

“He deserved a visit. And he barely had to lift a finger to make this happen; the Grifantes' name lets you go anywhere in this city.”

“Well then, give him my regards next time.”

They soon arrived at a door, marked with the number 1. The man opened it and bowed deeply for them to enter. “Drinks will be served after the first act, then you can order anything you want from the maid. I hope you both have a most pleasant experience.”

“Thank you,” Elania replied, walking first through the door. “We hope the same.”

Daniel followed, nodding briefly to the man. The gesture was probably too informal for "Mr. Grifantes," but he couldn't bring himself to care. Then the door closed behind them with a soft click, leaving them to their own devices.

“Oh, it’s already soundproof. And heavily protected even.” He could sense the formations woven into the walls. Unimpressive, but with the right power supply, they would do their job.

“Ah, they’ve upgraded since my last time here. But that was decades ago, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.”

The room was large enough to fit five seats, but there were only two. Both looked quite comfortable, with soft red velvet covering every surface. The scene was perfectly visible through a floor-to-ceiling barrier, strong enough to withstand most attacks the average mage could produce.

Most of the theater seats were filled now, visible through the barrier, but people were still trickling in. The curtains were drawn on the scene, ready to reveal the first scene.

Wonder what that will be… Me in Barrelton? Would they tell the whole story?

“Excited?” Elania asked, casually taking one of the seats. She was very good at it, sitting in seats. Especially in that dress.

“I’ll manage. Looking forward to the play, though.”

It took her a second to catch the insinuation, but then a sultry smile spread on her face as she followed his eyes. “It comes off quite easily. But let’s keep it on a while longer. Sit, dear.”

Daniel almost made the mistake of talking about the undressing function in his new index and how helpful it would be. But instead, he kept his mouth shut and sat beside her. The seat was comfortable indeed, designed to let someone relax for hours of performance.

"Speaking of," he said, settling in and trying to focus on practical matters before the play started, "I arranged a quarter for you right next to ours if you'd like to live nearby. I need to let Felicia get to know you before you can move in."

"Oh, that could be nice." She shifted slightly, angling toward him. "I do have six floors in the tower to myself, so you could move in there if you'd like. Both of you, of course."

"Well, I would love to, but I think a stable environment is important for her now. Plus, she's a student, and I'm a professor." The logistics were complicated, but Felicia's needs came first.

"Of course, I understand. I'll come live in the academy, then." She said it simply, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Thank you, Elle.”

Then the lights in the hall dimmed, a gradual darkening that drew everyone's attention to the stage. The crowd quieted almost instantly, and the curtains parted, revealing the opening scene.

The play was about to begin.

Ch.53 --I-- Ch.55