Edited by: ASaltedFish
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The robotic woman read from the script, but this time, most of the words were quoted from the Sentinel woman.
[From our records, the Guide lover was a painter. She did not sell her work, but she painted as a hobby. All of her paintings were inherited by the Sentinel woman, and she created this studio so they could be preserved and admired by visitors.
[Here is what the sentinel woman had to say about this studio: "My love, I created this painting studio for you. I picked the room that got the most sunlight, so you can choose to paint here or in the patio connected to the room and bask in the sunlight. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking straight. This place was created by cloud crystals, so we could only open this place at night. You would not be able to paint like you usually do.]
[That's okay, though. This place is temporary and not our true home. Our real home would be one where we could be together without hiding, one where we could be in the light together. While you paint, I will sit by your side, reading a book until you are finished. I love watching you paint. Your slender and smooth hands only knew how to use a paint brush, but when you use those same hands to touch my cheeks, I can't help but think that I am just as precious as your canvas and brush. I hope that you loved me a little bit more, though.]
The two stood in silence for a couple of minutes before Edros finally said. "I hope when they reincarnate, they will be able to peacefully be by each other's side. One painting, the other reading."
"Yes, I agree with you." Juniper leaned on Edros' arm for a bit of comfort. His heart ached every time they listened to the sentinel woman's words of love. "With love like theirs, I feel like it has transcended space and time."
Juniper asked if he could look at the paintings one more time, and Edros was happy to do so. The two took their time. They didn't say much, but they carefully studied the paintings, hoping to see something they didn't notice the first time around.
Once they were done in the studio, they moved on to the solarium, the last of the main rooms. The solarium was a glass-enclosed sun room, but for the Crystal Palace, it wasn't for sunbathing, but to look up at the stars without having to worry about the wind, rain, or bugs.
Along the edges of the room, flowers and plants made of cloud diamonds were meticulously crafted in sections and by height so the viewer could enjoy the different plants and learn about the specific species. Small tablets were in front of each section, talking about each flower or plant. Some could still be found, while others have become extinct.
Juniper and Edros didn't have much of an opinion about plants, but it being made out of cloud diamonds kept their attention. They were in awe of the small details, wondering how the Sentinel woman was able to make items so small and detailed using her spiritual energy.
"This is truly amazing… I wonder how much time it took for her to create this place." Juniper said while sticking his face close to the cloud diamond rose. He could see that there were even small water droplets on some of the petals.
Edros nodded. "I heard it took her a decade, and then she succumbed to corruption. Thankfully, she went to the battlefield instead of damaging the Crystal Palace…"
"Every time I hear stories about this sentinel, the more amazed I get… It makes me want to create something out of cloud diamonds, too."
"Yeah… I heard that at the end of the tour, you can try to create something out of the cloud diamonds. Do you want to try?"
"Yes! I want to try to create Casir."
Edros smiled. "Then I will try to sculpt Lune."
Since they still had time before Edros' proposal, the duo went to the workshop where a master sculptor was waiting for them. This master was also the manager who oversaw the other sculptors.
Since they still had two hours, the master did a quick demonstration on how to manipulate the spiritual power to sculpt the cloud diamond. They watched as the spiritual power chipped away and sliced different sections of the cloud diamonds, but the process was very slow and precise.
After 30 minutes, the master sculptor created a rose with two leaves. To him, it was simple, but for Edros and Juniper, they were excited to see the cloud diamond take shape.
"Master, this is so amazing!" Juniper gently held the rose that the master sculptor handed him. "It looks like the rose bloomed during a gentle rain shower."
Edros put his face close to Juniper's, so it was easier for him to see the rose. He had to admit, even he didn't know if he could use his spiritual power with such precision. "Your spiritual power manipulation is top tier, and you did this so quickly."
"Thank you, your excellencies, for your compliments." The master sculptor was truly flattered that these two incredibly famous people appreciated his skill and craft. "I heard that you both would like to try your hand at sculpting a cloud diamond. What size would you like to try?"
If they could, they would do the biggest size, but they knew that wasn't achievable in a short time frame, so they decided on a cloud diamond about the size of Edros' hand.
As planned, the master sculptor left the room after teaching and giving them tips so they could comfortably craft their desired sculptures.
"Edros, can you summon Casir? I want to make sure I get all of his details right."
"Of course, and you can summon Lune too."
The two of them released Lune and Casir at the same time. Lune sat next to Edros while Casir immediately sat on Juniper's lap, nuzzling Juniper's stomach.
"Casir… Stop that!" Edros was so embarrassed. He picked up Casir, who was wailing around in protest.
Casir was an extension of himself, so it felt like he was the one nuzzling Juniper instead!
Juniper was amused by Casir and Edros. He didn't laugh, but he gently took Casir from Edros and patted him. "It's okay, I don't mind it."
After patting Casir for a couple of minutes, Juniper put Casir on the desk next to Lune and began to study as many details of Casir for the next 10 minutes. Once he felt comfortable, he started to slowly chip away at the cloud diamond, hoping that the statue would look a bit similar to Casir.
Edros started the moment Lune came out. He got the general shape carved out and then stopped to look at Lune from time to time. Sometimes, he would lift Lune up or turn him around. Lune didn't protest and let Edros move him around like he was a rag doll. At one point, Lune yawned, feeling a bit sleepy.
Juniper also yawned. He wasn't tired, but yawns were contagious.
"Sleepy?" Edros asked because he knew they had been out all day. They took a nap, but he wasn't sure if that was enough.
"Not sleepy. It's just I yawn when I see others yawn."
They continued sculpting the quantum beasts, occasionally stopping to talk and check on each other's progress. When they were done, they put their sculptures down at the same time and looked at the quantum beasts and then back at the statues.
"I think we did pretty well for our first time." Edros nodded, satisfied with their work.
The perfectionist inside of Juniper wanted to scream that his statue was ugly, but when he saw how excited Edros and Casir were about the little statue he made, he didn't have the heart to voice those feelings out loud. Even if it wasn't perfect, Edros and Casir liked it. Plus, the more he looked at it, the more he realized it wasn't too bad. The shape was good, just some details he couldn't get right, but it was hard to notice unless he pointed it out.
"I also think they look good."
Edros liked the two statues more and more. Maybe in the future, they could come back here and practice craving cloud diamonds, but for now, they had more important things to do.
"Let's go to the last spot of the day." Edros smiled, inviting Juniper to take his hand.
"Okay, I can't wait!"
Hand in hand, Edros guided Juniper to the central courtyard. They followed the pathway made out of cloud diamonds that led to the large gazebo in the center of the courtyard. Along the pathway, there were small lights and small flower bushes leading toward the gazebo. There was only one path to the gazebo, while the rest of the courtyard was either flowers or other plants scattered around for people to admire.
It was getting close to dawn, so Juniper didn't stay on the pathway for too long, letting Edros guide him to the gazebo.
When they finally got to the center, a soft instrumental began to play, creating a romantic atmosphere. It sounded like the wind was gently passing by their ears.
Edros was nervous, but he knew that Juniper wanted to marry him too, so that took some of his anxiety away. He took a deep breath and looked at Juniper, who gave him an expectant look.
"Juniper…" The speech he prepared went out the window. He could barely remember what he wanted to say because he was so nervous!
Maybe winging it and saying words straight from his heart at the moment was better than any speech he could prepare.
"Did you have fun?" He wanted to check in with Juniper to make sure he was still feeling alright.
"Yes! I had a lot of fun. It's always fun when we are together."
"That's good. It's the same with me. I always enjoy our time together."
Juniper smiled happily, taking Edros' breath away. Truly, those who rarely smile always have the most breathtaking smiles.
Edros took both of Juniper's hands and asked, "May I?"
Juniper was a bit confused, but he nodded.
He planted a soft kiss on Juniper's fingers. One kiss for each hand.
With the moon and stars' gentle light overseeing his proposal, Edros took out the ring box from his storage ring. The people of the Zephyrus galaxy didn't have the habit of going down on one knee to propose. They always saw their partners as equals, so they would stand together as equals as they proposed to their partners.
It was a bit different from what Juniper was used to, but he liked it. He didn't like how one partner had to be on one knee to profess their love, like they were lowering themselves to be with you. It always left a bad taste in his mouth.
"The way we officially met was rough, but I always feel like I have to thank you for not only giving me a chance, but for forgiving me. I've never told you this, but when I experienced your spiritual experience for the first time, it felt like there was someone comforting me by the fire. I like to think that it's you, telling me everything will be alright as we watch the fire flicker in the fireplace and sip on hot chocolate. It was the first time I felt that I would be able to live a long and happy life. I wouldn't have to leave my loved ones, and I could watch them grow older, protecting them until I pass from old age." At the last sentence, his voice quivered from thinking about the what-ifs. What if he hadn't met Juniper? He couldn't imagine what he would have done.
Juniper quietly listened to Edros, knowing how daunting it was for him to be the only person to guide him. It must have been scary to know that your death was coming, just not knowing when. He could only die on the battlefield, like the other soldiers who experienced spiritual corruption beyond repair. Then he realized, if he didn't reincarnate, Edros would have no one to guide him.
No, he couldn't think like that. He was here now with Edros…
Edros continued after gathering his thoughts once more. "I went into our friendship hoping that one day, we would be together. I didn't care how long it took, as long as you were by my side. After our first guide session, I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life."
"Thank you for being here. Thank you for taking the time to think about our life together. I… I love you so much, Juniper."
Even though he knew that Juniper would say yes and that this was a planned proposal, he was still nervous.
"Will you marry me?"
Juniper, whose hands were still being held, felt shy but happy. "Yes, I would love to marry you…" For some reason, tears began to fall even though he was smiling. "I love you too, Edros."
When he thought about love, he thought about the love between his parents. Through sickness and in health, his father loved his mother so much that he could not bear to be apart from her after she passed. His father's mind was clouded by grief, and he could not see that Juniper, as their child, needed him as a father to be there with him.
Would his love be like his father's? His love was passionate and unwavering, but almost obsessive because he could not live without her.
It took a long time for Juniper to realize that he was not his father, and his past life was in the past. He would forge a new way to love, hoping that it was as gentle and warm as Edros.
Edros didn't know why Juniper was crying, but he quickly wiped his tears. He was a bit clumsy, so he almost hit Juniper in the eye, but Juniper didn't mind it and let Edros clean up his face.
He put the ring on Juniper's finger, and then Juniper put the other ring on Edros' finger. When the rings were put together, they were like mirror images of each other. The rings were made from a platinum band with two small inlaid gemstones. Juniper had Edros' colors, while Edros had Juniper's.
After he was done, Edros asked, "Can I kiss you?"
Juniper always appreciated it when Edros asked him about physical contact. He never did anything that made him uncomfortable.
"Yes!"
Edros leaned in and saw that Juniper had closed his eyes already, so he closed his eyes as well and gave Juniper a long, but gentle kiss.
As the moon slowly left the sky and the sun peeked out from the horizon, the two stayed together until it was time to go back home and continue their life together.
[This is the end of the main text]