— Professor Nyylla Stril, “Demons of the Deep: A Study of Leviathans and Abyssal Monsters,” page 79
By the time they reached the lake, Emily’s heart was pounding so hard she could hear it.
“You all suck!” Ophelia yelled, yanking her shirt over her head and shimmying out of her trousers before kicking them aside. Alaric, already stripped bare, followed her into the freezing water. He grabbed her around the waist from behind and pressed a quick, open-mouthed kiss to the side of her neck before she squealed and dragged him in with her. Cedric and Tristen peeled off their clothes and followed them in, whistling and hollering like a pair of drunken fools.
They all were.
Lux finally let go of Emily’s hand and yanked her dress loose over her head, revealing the full, high curve of her breasts and the dark peaks of her nipples as they tightened in the cold air. Moonlight highlighted her narrow waist in a way that seemed almost ethereal. Emily’s cheeks grew warm, and she quickly looked away, hoping Lux hadn’t noticed her staring. Her heart was beating faster.
The others were practically tripping over themselves as they ran from the shore. Alaric splashed water at Ophelia, who squealed and laughed. “Hey! Watch it!” she said, grinning as she wiped her face. She shoved him into the water, and the others laughed. Alaric sputtered as he resurfaced, glaring at Ophelia.
“You little—” He lunged at her, but she dodged, laughing. “What’s wrong, bitch? Too scared to take a real hit?”
“She’ll kick your ass,” Tristan said.
“Oh, I’ll do more than kick his ass!”
Emily rolled her eyes at them. Her gaze lingered back to Lux as she waded into the water with the smoothness and grace of a dancer. There was a strange warmth in her chest, something she couldn’t quite place.
Lux glanced over her shoulder with a sly grin. “You staring at the moon, or just me?”
Shit.
“I—what?” Emily squeaked. “No! I was just… thinking about… water.”
“Yeah?” Lux teased, “Like how you’re going to get into it?”
“I- I am…” Emily said softly.
Lux turned fully to face her.
Emily’s eyes went wide as she was presented with all her splendor.
“Come on then.”
Emily gulped. Her fingers trembled slightly as she removed her shirt.
Cedric whistled from waist-deep in the lake. “Come on, Emily!”
“Shut it, all of you,” Ophelia said, splashing water at him. “Let her take her time.”
Emily stepped out from the trees, naked. She folded her clothes and set them down carefully, then crossed her arms over her chest. Lux was waiting just a few paces into the water, and Emily could feel her eyes tracing up her long, slender legs, past the dark curls at their apex, over her toned stomach— “Whoa, what the hell are those?” she suddenly blurted out.
Emily tensed and stared awkwardly at herself. “What do you mean?”
Lux waded out of the water and marched over to her. She reached out towards Emily’s stomach, and before she could stop her, Lux’s fingers brushed over the horizontal scars. “These,” she said quietly, then touched the matching scar that streaked across Emily’s left breast. “What the hell happened?” Her touch was soft and gentle, and it caused Emily’s stomach to flutter and her muscles to tense. They were more defined than Lux’s. Her body was slender and delicate with smooth curves, while Emily’s was more awkward and bulky from all the training. Lux’s hands were also soft, not like her own, which were hard like rocks; calloused and scarred. Then again, Lux was an elf. Everything about her was utterly perfect.
Emily took a breath and stepped back. “O-Oh, they’re nothing.”
“Nothing? It looks like someone sliced into you!”
Emily chuckled nervously. “Well, claws tend to do that.”
“What did this do to you? Was it those… I don’t remember what they were. Those monsters that attacked Cresthill last year?”
“I-It doesn’t matter, it’s dead now.”
“I would hope so. Anything that hurts someone as cute as you deserves to be butchered.”
Emily was quiet for a moment. “They don’t look… bad… do they?”
Lux crossed her arms and pursed her lips as she slowly looked Emily over. “I mean… they don’t look terrible. They’re just a bit… distracting.”
Emily forced a smile and wrapped her arms tighter around her torso. The cool night air did little to soothe the heat rising in her cheeks.
“Now, come on! You can’t just stay up here on the shore.”
“M-Maybe I should,” Emily said quickly.
“Why? So everyone can oogle you? Just get in the water, it’ll be refreshing!”
Behind them, Cedric shouted, “If you two don’t get in the water, I’m coming out there and dragging you in!”
“You’re not dragging anyone,” Ophelia called, and dunked him.
Emily let out a shaky breath as she looked past Lux and at the water. She thought back to all the previous times she had been forced to swim, and how she could never do it. She nearly drowned last time, for god's sake.
“I…” She hesitated. “I don’t…”
“Don’t what?” Lux asked. “Don’t tell me you still haven’t learned how to swim.”
Emily blushed brighter and looked away, speaking in a soft, quiet voice. “I don’t… know how…”
“What are you, eight? What kind of monster hunter doesn’t know how to swim?”
“The kind that hasn’t had to deal with aquatic beasts yet.”
Lux raised an eyebrow.
“I just haven’t learned, okay!”
Tristan cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey, is she coming or what?”
“Emily doesn’t know how to swim!” Lux shouted back, smirking.
Emily’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly cupped her hand over Lux’s mouth, but it was too late.
“Wait, what?” Ophelia looked genuinely surprised.
Alaric laughed. “Seriously?”
Lux giggled and leaned away from Emily’s hand. “Guys, cool it. Emily’s just never fought anything with gills yet. We can forgive that.”
“So what now?” Tristen asked. “Is she just going to stay up there?”
“Hell no,” Lux said, turning back to Emily and locking eyes with her. “She’s getting in one way or another.” She took Emily’s hand. “I’ll teach her how. You all can swim further out; we’ll catch up.”
The others chuckled.
“You just want some alone time with her, don’t you?” Ophelia teased. She and Alaric were wrapped around eachother in the waist-deep water, her legs locked around his hips while he held her up by the ass.
Lux looked back. “Get going before I come over there and drown you!”
“I’d like to see you try!” Alaric said.
“I’ll do it for you!” She forced him down, dragging them both under, laughing.
Emily gulped as she watched the four of them as they gradually swam further out. She was left alone with Lux, who had started pulling her toward the water. Emily looked at how the reflected stars rippled. The moment her toes touched the water, she shivered, and goosebumps rippled up her flesh. Emily became acutely aware of the cool night air on her naked skin. Her cheeks flushed a deeper crimson. She pulled her arm from Lux and wrapped it around herself.
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Lux teased, wading deeper into the lake.
Emily’s heart was hammering harder. She took a slow, deep breath, trying to steady herself, but her legs felt stiff, and her chest was knotted tight.
“Well? Come on, I didn’t drag you out here just to admire my butt, you know.”
Emily flinched. Her cheeks burned, and she glanced away again. Lux didn’t mean anything by it, Emily told herself, shifting awkwardly in the shallows. Lux says stuff like that to everyone, doesn’t she? After earlier thought, Emily wasn’t so sure anymore.
With a deep breath, Emily stepped further in. A prickling sensation crawled across her skin, and her feet almost felt like they were burning. Slowly, she waded towards the others, stopping once the water had reached her waist.
“You’re doing great,” Lux said as she waded nearby. “You look really natural right now. Well, for someone who’s stiff as a tree branch.”
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Emily gave a tight, awkward laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure I look really graceful.” Another step, and the water climbed to Emily’s chest. The pressure wrapped around her lungs, making her breath come short. Her toes dug into the soft lakebed and caused the muddy sediment to squish between her toes. The last time she’d been in water this deep, it wasn’t pleasant.
“You can still feel the bottom?” Lux asked.
Emily nodded, shivering as the cold water enveloped her shoulders.
“Alright, then we’ll practice right here. Grab onto me and kick your legs.”
Emily nodded again, swallowing hard. Slowly, she let go of the lakebed and clutched Lux’s arm like an anchor. She kicked her feet gently and managed to stay afloat.
“See, you’re getting it. Keep doing that, and move your arms like this, and you’ll stay afloat.”
“I can barely move them right now,” Emily said, still shivering.
“You’ll get used to it.”
Emily did as she was told. She focused on the feeling of buoyancy and tried moving forward. The muddy lake floor dropped off quickly, and Emily had a sense of deep water. She kicked and flailed her limbs in a panic, but Lux held onto her.
“Slower! Slower!” Lux laughed. Her smile turned into a sly smirk. “If you splash around like that, you’ll just drown. Just hold on to me and practice kicking your legs to stay above water.”
Emily took a breath and held Lux’s shoulders, pulling herself closer. When their skin met, Emily became burningly aware of her nakedness beneath the water. She tried to ignore it and turn her focus to not drowning. It didn’t seem so hard now that she was actually doing it. If it was this easy, why hadn’t she figured it out to begin with? It just made her feel more embarrassed.
“See?” Lux said softly. “Not so scary when you’ve got the hang of it.”
Emily looked back at Lux, smiling a bit. “Y-Yeah, I guess not.”
The air got quiet between them. In the distance, the Ophilia, Tristen, Alaric, and Cedric could be heard splashing and laughing, but Lux remained silent, staring at Emily. She caught on after a while and tilted her head.
“What is it?” Emily asked.
“You’ve never noticed how pretty you are when you’re flustered, do you?”
The words hit like a stone skipping across her heart. Emily’s breath caught, and for a second, all she could do was stare. A strange feeling rose in her gut, and she didn’t know how to respond.
Before she could decide, Lux broke the moment with a soft nudge to her shoulder. “Relax, monster hunter. I’m not gonna bite. Well, not unless you ask nicely.”
Emily choked on her own laugh. “You’re awful.”
“I prefer ‘incorrigible.’” She paused again, but this time, when she spoke, her voice was softer and more genuine, though still laced with a little bit of teasing. “I’m glad you came out tonight.”
Emily rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah… me too.” For the first time in what felt like forever, the ache of doubt and self-loathing in her chest had eased, even if just a little. The night air was still cold, the water still dark and vast, but with Lux beside her, it didn’t feel quite as heavy.
Minutes turned into an hour, and Emily found herself swimming more confidently. The water didn’t feel so cold anymore. A pleasant tingling rushed through her limbs with each stroke. It actually felt liberating. She still hugged the shallower end near the drop-off, but she ventured out far enough to join the others. Emily couldn’t help but laugh and joke around with them as they splashed each other. It was fun! A lot of fun, actually!
Eventually, the splashing died down. One by one, they drifted back toward the gentle slope of the shore until the water rose only to their collarbones. They floated there in a loose circle, kicking just enough to stay buoyant. The moon had climbed higher; It’s silver light reflecting off the faint ripples.
Ophelia tilted her head back, eyes half-closed. “Admit it, Emily, this is nice. Just… being here. Relaxing, feeling the water against your skin, the ground between your toes.”
Emily stretched her toes downward and brushed the silty lakebed. “Yeah,” she murmured. “It is.”
“You had nothing to be afraid of,” Lux commented.
“I’m surprised you haven’t learned to swim till now,” Cedric said.
“Yeah,” Tristen added. “Have you even done anything with water magic? Hydro… something?”
“Hydrokensis,” Emily said, then shook her head. “I’ve been focusing on earth. Henrik’s been staying with us for a while, so he’s helping me with that.”
Cedric snorted, splashing a small wave toward her. “That’s the old knight, right? The one who looks like he’s been chewing gravel for breakfast every day?”
Emily laughed despite herself. “Yeah. That’s him.”
Lux arched a brow, floating on her back with elegant ease. “He looks too old to be a knight. Shouldn’t knights be… I don’t know, shiny? Young? Full of hair?”
“He’d probably kick my ass in a fight anyway,” Emily said, half-joking, half-serious. “Even now. Armor or no armor.”
Lux turned her head. “Nah. You’re stronger, Em. I’ve seen you train.”
Emily’s stomach did a small, warm flip. “I don’t know about that.”
Cedric puffed out his chest, making himself bob higher. “Excuse me, I’m the strongest here. Obviously.”
Alaric and Tristen both burst out laughing at the same time.
“You?” Alaric said.
Tristen grinned. “Strongest at running his mouth, maybe.”
“You’ll all see one day,” Cedric said.
“You’ve been saying that for years,” Ophelia said.
For a moment, Emily waded there, watching them. “How long have you all known eachother?”
“Me, Cedric, and Ophelia have been here forever,” Tristen explained. “Grew up in the valley together.”
“I moved here a couple of years back,” Alaric said. “Family wanted somewhere quieter. Fewer people, fewer problems. Few towns over, close enough that we weren’t total strangers, far enough that no one knew our business.”
Lux gave a theatrical sigh. “And then there’s me. I would’ve been the last one to join the circus… except now Emily’s here, so I’ve officially been dethroned as the newest.”
“I don’t really feel like I’m part of the group. We hardly ever get to hang out like this.”
Alaric tilted his head toward her. “That’s because you’re always so damn busy. Sneak out more often. It’s fun having you around. Seriously.”
“I’m not that fun,” Emily muttered.
Tristen rolled his eyes. “Says the girl who can literally control fire with her mind. That’s pretty cool. Makes Lux look lazy by comparison.” He shot Lux a teasing grin. “No offense, but for an elf, you’re really not doing much when it comes to learning.”
Ophelia jabbed an elbow toward Lux. “Even the half-breed knows more magic than you do.”
Lux groaned. “Don’t remind me. But I’m still young for an elf. I’ve got decades… No, centuries, maybe, to figure it out. Plenty of time.”
Emily exhaled slowly. “Learning magic’s hard. It takes a lot of effort. I mean, being the Conduit has made it a little bit easier, but that doesn’t mean I can just learn it like that.” She snapped her fingers. “I’ve been trying to get a real handle on earth magic for days now. It’s tricky. I gotta listen to the earth and talk back to it.”
“It has a voice?” Tristen asked.
“What does it sound like?” Ophelia asked.
Emily scoffed. “Silence, for now.”
Lux drifted a little closer. “You’ll get it eventually. I know you will. You’re too stubborn to let dirt win.”
Emily met her eyes for a second, long enough to feel that same quiet warmth from earlier coil in her chest, then looked away. “Thanks.”
After a while, Emily returned to shore. When she climbed out of the lake, she was immediately met with the now unbelievably cold air. She shivered, hugging herself again as she hurried over to where she had left her clothes. It had only now occurred to her that she had nothing to dry off with. She’d just have to wear her clothes wet. Emily only managed to get her underwear back on, though, before something felt… off. Different.
Her eyes drifted toward the forest, and the faint moonlight shining through the canopy. The light wasn’t bright, but it was enough to carve a path through the darkness, as if the forest itself had drawn it just for her.
Curiosity stirred in her chest, and, without thinking, Emily stepped away from her clothes. Barefoot, she let her wet soles press into the soft earth. The damp soil was cold and tender beneath her feet. The grass brushed and tickled her ankles. Pebbles and moss pressed into her toes, and the soil molded to her feet. She could feel the heartbeat of the world beneath her, faint but steady, and the more she walked, the stronger it pulsed. A breeze stirred the branches overhead, and the leaves responded with a quiet, rustling chorus. Cool air licked at her bare arms, coiling around her like a second skin. The sensation sent a ripple of goosebumps over her, but the cold didn’t bother her this time. It only sharpened the moment.
She moved deeper into the moonlit path, the sounds of the lake and everyone else's voices fading until all she could hear was the wild, breathing hush of the forest. The foliage brushed against her calves and thighs, skimming her arms and shoulders, even tangling lightly in her wet hair.
She stopped in the middle of a small clearing where the light pooled the strongest. She listened to the forest and to the earth itself. It was there, the faint, rhythmic beat beneath her soles. For once, she didn’t feel so rigid or focused, merely relaxed and content. She breathed steadily, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. All this time, she had been trying to force her connection with the earth, but now, standing there, surrounded by it, she finally realized what Henrik had been saying. The earth didn’t ask her to be anyone else. It didn’t expect her to be perfect. It didn’t weigh her down with disappointment. It simply existed. And in that existence, it had always been strong. It had always been enough.
Maybe… so was she.
The ground beneath her feet responded to her thoughts. The vibration was quiet, like a steady hum against her skin. Slowly, a pillar of stone began to rise beneath her feet.
For a second, Emily panicked, half-expecting the magic to slip away like it always did, but it didn’t. The earth held her steady. A small, amazed laugh slipped from her lips as she looked down at herself. The weight in her chest loosened, and the tension in her muscles melted away. Now that the earth was listening to her, and she to it, she tried something. Emily clenched her fist and ripped a small boulder from the ground. It levitated, and the weight bore itself on her arms. She dropped it after a moment and let out another laugh.
She had done it!
Emily wanted to run to Henrik and show him, but then she remembered where she was. It’d have to wait till morning.
“Emily!” Lux’s voice echoed from the bank.
She snapped out of it and nearly stumbled off her tower of rock. “Y-Yeah?” she called back, her voice cracking slightly.
“Where’d you wander off to?” Lux shouted, her tone light but laced with mock scolding.
“I’m coming!” Emily said, trying to will the stones back down. Nothing happened. The earth, so eager to respond before, now sat as stubborn and silent as an old mule.
“We didn’t need to know that!” Lux laughed through the air.
“Shut up! That’s not what I meant!” Emily awkwardly climbed down, scraping her palms on the rough stone in the process. Of course, she hadn’t mastered it. But she was on the right path.
“If you don’t hurry, we’re taking your clothes and making you walk home without them!”
Emily’s brows furrowed. “What’s that supposed to—” But before she could finish, her bare feet hit the ground, and she stumbled forward onto the moss with a loud grunt. By the time she brushed herself off and reached the bank, the others were already pulling on their clothes.
Hers were gone.
Lux turned to her with a sly smile, pulling her elven gown on. “Too late. Cedric made off with them.”
“What?!” Emily’s cheeks blazed as she instinctively threw her arms around herself.
Ophelia snorted, half bent over, lacing her boots. “Should have moved faster.”
“Guess you’ll just have to spend the rest of the night in your underwear,” Lux teased.
Emily quickly scanned the treeline and spotted Cedric further down the bank. She pushed past Lux and chased after him. “Give them back, Cedric!”
He laughed, glancing back over his shoulder. “Thought you only chased monsters, but looks like you’ve got your sights set on mine!”
Ophelia groaned, slinging her shirt over her shoulder. “He wishes there were a monster down there.”
Emily rolled her eyes, her cheeks now a furious shade of red. “What are you, a child?” She flicked her wrist, and magic surged to her fingertips. Cedric’s trousers ripped to his ankles. He tripped over them, arms flailing, and crashed face-first into the dirt with an audible thud.
The bank exploded with laughter.
Emily’s clothes flew from Cedric's grip and back to hers. She clutched the bundle against her chest with a victorious smirk. “I’m not wasting my time on a monster that small.”
Ophelia broke out into girlish laughter.
Cedric blushed and grinned sheepishly as he scrambled to pull his trousers back up. “Lux made me do it!”
Emily slipped her shirt back over her head, still flushed, but now grinning despite herself. “Oh, did she?” She glared back at her.
Lux stepped back with her hands raised in defense. “It was just a joke!” she said through her laughter.
“You should’ve seen your face when you spotted Cedric running off,” Alaric said to Emily.
“Looked like your soul your her body,” Tristan added, mimicking Emily’s earlier wide-eyed expression. The group burst into another fit of laughter.
Emily narrowed her eyes at Lux. The elf barely had time to blink before a telekinetic blast launched her back into the lake. She hit the water with a resounding splash. Lux surfaced a moment later, hair plastered to her face, sputtering water and swiping her wet bangs away with a dramatic sigh.
“I’m starting to think you don’t appreciate my sense of humor.”
Emily finished adjusting her sleeves, grinning as she looked at the soaked elf. Despite all the worries she had coming into this night, she couldn’t deny that she was having fun.
And the best part was, the night was still young.
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