Golden light bounced wildly off the ancient stone walls, creating the illusion that they were standing in the very heart of the sun. Yet, the source of this radiance was no celestial body, but rather a sprawl of treasure so vast it defied reason.
Before Allen, mounds of gold coins, gemstones, ornamental goblets, and pure gold bars rose high like small hills. The treasure piled up, filling nearly the entire capacity of the colossal chamber.
Allen stood frozen in place. His mouth hung slightly open, while his eyes blinked repeatedly, trying to process the scene laid out before him. For a young man who had grown up in destitution, beholding such an abundance of gold felt like a cruel hallucination.
In his disbelief, Allen pinched his cheek quite hard.
"Ouch..." he hissed softly.
The pain was real. Unsatisfied, Allen pinched his cheek once more, even harder. The stinging pain returned, but the mountain of gold did not vanish. What he was seeing was not a daydream. It was a dazzling reality.
While Allen was still grappling with disbelief, Arvin appeared perfectly calm. As if the mountain of gold were nothing more than a pile of gravel by the roadside, he walked casually past it, heading toward the darker end of the room.
Realizing his husband was walking away, Allen snapped out of his daze. "Wait, My Husband!" he called out, rushing to catch up with Arvin's strides, trying carefully not to step on the gold coins scattered across the floor.
Arvin stopped before a seemingly plain stone wall. His hand grazed the cold surface for a moment.
Click!
He pressed a slightly protruding stone, a secret mechanism camouflaged perfectly within the wall.
Grrkkk....
The sound of a heavy mechanism shifting echoed, followed by the opening of a secret door. A strong herbal aroma and a dense magical aura immediately wafted out from the small room behind it.
Inside, rows of ancient wooden shelves stood sturdy and intact. Upon them, hundreds of potion bottles were neatly arranged, emitting a dim glow. There were hundreds of bottles containing bright red liquid that seemed to pulse with life, and hundreds of others clear blue like a summer sky.
However, Allen's attention was immediately sucked toward a specific shelf in the center. There, sat only six glass bottles containing a dark purple liquid, swirling slowly with specks of golden light within, looking exactly like a miniature galaxy trapped in glass.
Allen's face paled instantly. Memories of a potion with that exact same color came rushing back into his mind.
"That..." Allen's voice sounded hesitant. "Isn't that dark purple potion the one you once forced me to drink in class?"
Arvin turned, nodding with an expression that was serious yet calm. "Yes, Allen, you are correct! That potion is the Elixir of Archmage."
Hearing the confirmation, Allen's body tensed. He gripped his husband's shoulder, looking into Arvin's eyes with a mixed gaze, somewhere between fear, confusion, and a plea.
"Are... are you asking me to drink that potion again?" he asked softly. "The potion that made me faint?"
Arvin did not deny it. He looked straight at Allen, then nodded slowly.
"Endure it for your own sake, Allen." Arvin said gently. His hand reached out, cupping his spouse's cheek which was beginning to turn cold. "You already refused to awaken your power. Therefore, this is the only shortcut I can offer so that you can become stronger in a short amount of time."
Allen fell silent. Arvin's words struck deep into his heart. He knew Arvin was right. Arvin always thought of his safety, always tried to protect him in this harsh world. However, the fear of that pain still lingered. But it wasn't the physical pain nor the heartache that hurt the most. It was the sudden guilt swelling in his chest that was far more painful.
The feeling burst forth uncontrollably. His shoulders began to tremble. Unable to hold it back, clear tears dripped from the corners of his eyes, sliding down to wet his cheeks.
Seeing Allen suddenly cry, Arvin's composure wavered. "Allen?"
Deftly, Arvin wiped the trail of tears away with his thumb. His gaze softened, filled with worry. "Forgive me, Allen..." he whispered softly, feeling guilty. "If you truly don't want to drink it, I won't force you. We can find another way."
Allen shook his head vigorously, dismissing his husband's assumption. "No... hic... I'm not crying because of that." he denied between sobs.
He looked at Arvin with wet, glassy eyes. "I am crying because of my own selfishness! Forgive me for always burdening you! Forgive me for being so weak!"
Hearing that reason, a sincere, loving smile blossomed on Arvin's face.
"I don't mind at all, Allen. Quite the opposite." Arvin said, his voice sounding so steady. "I feel happy. Very happy to be able to do all of this for the person I love in this world."
Allen's defenses crumbled completely. He threw himself into Arvin's embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around his husband's waist, burying his face in that comfortable shoulder.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he sobbed, his tears beginning to soak Arvin's shoulder. "I... I am so happy to be your spouse. You are the best husband there ever was."
Arvin returned the embrace just as tightly, resting his chin on Allen's shoulder.
"If I am indeed the best husband for you, I only ask for one thing in return." Arvin said softly.
He loosened the hug slightly, creating space so he could look at Allen's face. "I just want to always see that cute face of yours smiling in front of me. Because that is the source of my happiness from you. Allen, can you do what I hope from you?"
Allen wiped the remaining tears with the back of his hand, then nodded firmly even though his breath still hitched from the crying. "Yes... I promise. I will always smile just for you. Forever, I will show you the smile from this face that you love!"
"Thank you, Allen. I love you so much..."
"I love you too... so, so much, My Husband!"
They embraced again, longer this time, as if wanting to absorb each other's warmth, forgetting for a moment that they were underground and in the middle of an assignment from their homeroom teacher. It felt as though the world belonged only to the two of them.
However, reality slowly returned.
Allen took a deep breath, calming himself. He released the hug and looked at his husband's handsome face. A sweet smile, keeping true to his promise was etched on his lips. A smile that made Arvin's heart flutter warmly, causing him to immediately reply with a smile of his own.
"Now..." Arvin brushed away the last tear from the corner of Allen's eye. "We don't have much time. I must gather everything here for the future of the three of us, and then we must leave before anyone gets suspicious."
Allen nodded in agreement, a new determination shining in his eyes.
Arvin raised his hand. In the blink of an eye, the hundreds of potion bottles containing the red, blue, and purple liquids vanished, entering his dimensional storage space. The shelves were now completely empty.
Then, they walked back out toward the main chamber. Allen stared at the mountain of gold that had stunned him earlier.
"Then, what about all that treasure?" Allen asked to make sure. "Are you going to take that too?"
"Of course!" Arvin answered without a shred of doubt, his eyes glinting with calculation. "Love is important, but finances are the main foundation for building a comfortable future for the three of us!"
Allen chuckled at his husband's pragmatic honesty. Images of the future began to dance in his mind.
"I can't wait to live together with you and Alrain!" Allen exclaimed enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling. "The atmosphere will surely be much livelier. Just imagine, someone as eccentric as Alrain being in our midst every day."
Arvin laughed out loud, his voice echoing off the cavern walls. "Hahaha! I can't deny your words, Allen. He is indeed a very noisy, blunt, and sometimes shameless person."
"Right?" Allen joined in with a crisp laugh. "He will definitely make our home very lively."
While the couple discussed their future filled with laughter inside the ancient ruins, far away in another place, someone seemed to sense something.
The atmosphere in the Merchant Guild lobby that afternoon was quite busy with the hustle and bustle of merchants conducting transactions. However, the commotion was pierced by a very loud sound.
"ACHOO...!!!"
A young man with bright green hair sneezed so violently that several papers on the receptionist's desk flew into the air. Alrain rubbed his reddened nose roughly.
Yonna, who was sitting next to him reviewing documents, immediately turned with a worried look. His older sister put down her quill.
"Alrain, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Yonna asked, her hand reaching out to check her brother's forehead.
Alrain gently swatted his sister's hand away while grinning sheepishly. "Ah... calm down, Sis! I'm just fine!" he answered, going back to rubbing his nose with his index finger. "It seems some naughty dust got into my nose. Hahaha!"
Without him realizing it, far away in the deep forest, his name was being mentioned by two people important in his life.