The soft flames burned, with chatter in the background.

Staring at Aisha's soft, pink lips, Nero found himself lost in deep thoughts.

A strange flame was ignited in his loins as memories of the luscious, softness graced his mind.

He shook head and returned to the present.

'We need to talk.' Is what Aisha had said to him.

However, what from he could tell, she didn't seem keen on talking at the moment. Instead she had her palms clasped as she sat just a few inches away, not even willing to look into his eyes.

Nero sighed mentally.

Then he turned his gaze back to the bowl in front of him. The murky brown liquid with a few floating objects in it swirled viscously in the amber light.

He decided to give her a much needed push,

"What did you want to talk about?"

Aisha froze.

Then she finally turned to face him.

Her beautiful eyes seemed to contain a myriad of emotions.

However, the most obvious one was concern.

And then anger.

He couldn't tell if the rage was focused at him or not, which filled him with no small amount of fear.

He gulped down the spoonful of food nervously.

They both stared without saying a word for a long time.

Then Aisha spoke,

"What do you plan on doing once you get in into the City?"

Nero was silent for a moment,

"I don't know. Maybe try my luck with the Templars?"

Aisha frowned but said nothing to that.

Nero thought about it a bit more then shook his head,

"Or I'll simply become a hunter."

When she heard this. Her gaze darkened and she turned to face him.

Seeing this, Nero smiled bitterly.

"What? Do you want to discourage me?"

Aisha's expression mellowed down to a soft frown. The look on his face said it all.

He was absolutely not willing to back down.

She pursed her lips and leaned forward,

"I still have a sizeable portion of inheritance from my father, which includes a small house in the eastern district of the city. We can live together with Geor as well..."

A blush crept onto her face.

Nero felt his heart stir once again.

He truly was tempted. A quiet life with a beautiful girl.

He could even get a job and would live out his days away from the danger and death.

But...

Such a life.

The moment he thought about it, he felt a deep repulsion. A sense of rejection from the depths of his very being. An unconscious hate.

He took in a deep breath and tore his gaze away from Aisha.

His eyes widened when he felt something warm envelope his hand. A burst of fragrance wafted into his lungs. A fragrance he was accustomed to by now.

He could feel her heart beating through his skin. And he was sure the same was true the other way around.

Nero exhaled sharply.

Despite the warmth of the fire, the warmth between them seemed stronger.

"Do you believe in fate and destiny?" Nero said all of a sudden.

Aisha looked up at him. Then she nodded,

"I do."

Nero smiled wryly. Then he shook his head,

"I believe it is the world's way of screwing us over. We can't escape it. And we can't fight back. The more we try to, the deeper we sink in. An inescapable prison."

Aisha remaining silent.

Nero huffed,

"As much as I think spending my life with you would be a wonderful thing, for some reason, I can't do it."

Indeed. That was no his destiny.

His destiny, was to witness the end of everything as the one true Heretic.

He would be there when everything turned to ash and when the dust settled.

At least according to the Divine Will.

And to live to see that day, he would need power. Power that could no be gotten from lying on his ass in a cottage nestled in the warmth of the City.

Aisha's body froze.

Nero felt a pair of hands wrap around his face.

And then, a pair of soft lips slowly pressed into his.

A small tongue wriggled its way into his mouth.

His heart thumped wildly in his chest.

Soft strands of energy bled into his body, replenishing his reserves.

Slowly, their lips separated with a thin line of saliva between them.

Aisha sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder,

"I wish this could last forever."

Nero was silent for a moment. Then he sighed deeply.

Times like this, he truly wished he wasn't so stubborn.

'Maybe there might be room for compromise?'

His resolve had already begun to shake. After all, who wouldn't want this warmth?

No one truly wanted to always dance on the edge of death's lonesome abyss.

He was the same.

He sighed again.

'Oracle...'

He paused for a moment.

'Nevermind.' He thought to himself.

There was nothing the Oracle could do abis inner conflicts. That strange, austere mechanism should have absolutely no idea or interest in the mundane struggles of man.

If he wanted advice, he could only get it from another human. Nero pursed his lips.

Sudden movement from his side caused him to jolt up.

All of a sudden, Aisha had moved from his side and now stood right in front of him with one hand on her waist and the ither pointed at his nose,

"If that's the case, then I'll be a Hunter too!"

Nero blinked, "That..."

He had no idea what she was talking about.

Aisha pursed her lips,

"I won't let you die off in a corner of the forest all alone. If you have to go die off somewhere, then I'll follow you and we can die together!"

Upon yelling that out loud, she spun around and marched off, leaving behind a rather dazed Nero.

"What in the seven Hells..." He muttered to himself.

"Ah, to be a kid in love..."

Nero turned around, "Obed..."

Obed chuckled as he walked towards him and took the spot Aisha had just left.

Nero sighed. Then he raised a brow,

"How is your arm?"

Obed raised the arm that was now out of the sling but still wrapped in bandages and shrugged confidently,

"It's healing properly. Perhaps I can make a full recovery."

Nero chuckled,

"Aye, that's good to hear..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.