In the days that followed, Akes and Monica were almost inseparable.
Every morning, before dawn had fully broken and the valley was still shrouded in a thin mist, they went together to fetch water from the stream. Monica carried the two wooden buckets, while Akes stood beside her telling jokes to make her laugh. At first, Monica kept a straight face and pretended to be a proper young lady, but she could not hold out for even three days before bursting into laughter so hard that she nearly dropped the buckets into the stream.
In the mornings, Monica tended the herbs in the medicinal garden. Akes sat on a nearby rock and cultivated. He was now at the Saint-level Peak, and had already grasped the basics of the Mysteries of Fire Element. Flames danced and spun in his palm, growing hotter and more flexible in form. Sometimes, he could shape the fire into a little bird that fluttered its wings on his fingertip. Other times, it became a flower with layer upon layer of petals, every one burning without being extinguished. Monica watched in fascination, often forgetting the work in her hands.
"That's amazing." Once, she could not hold herself back any longer. She threw down her hoe, crouched beside him, and stared curiously at the flame. "Can I touch it?"
"Careful, it's hot," Akes reminded her as he lowered the flame's temperature to its minimum, barely warmer than body heat.
Monica cautiously extended her index finger and lightly touched the edge of the flame. It was as gentle as a tamed kitten, nuzzling against her fingertip.
"That's so strange." Monica's eyes sparkled like two water-soaked grapes. "It feels like it's alive."
"Fire elemental essence has spirituality to begin with," Akes explained. "Most people simply can't sense it."
Monica closed