The cabin fell quiet after their first conversation, which had occurred half an hour ago.

Raviel leaned back in his seat, feeling the comfort and took out his console. He started playing the game which he had downloaded yesterday without much thought.

It was his way of killing time.

Since neither of them had pulled the divider till now, they could see each other clearly.

Across from him, Ezio took out a slim pad from his storage ring. He rested it on his knee and began typing with serious expression. Whatever he was typing, he didn't pause even once.

Neither of them spoke.

The helicopter, kept moving forward, cutting through the clouds. Every now and then it shook — just slightly enough, due to the winds present outside, their currents reaching around 140 knots.

Raviel's drink, which he had kept on the counter, spilled down on his pants. Seeing this, he grew tense as he only had three more set of pants bought with him.

"Fucking turbulence." He muttered, while using the tissue to clean the damp mess.

As the silence grew unbearable, Ezio finally did something — tried to do anything at this point.

"Sup" he called out, sounding a little nonchalant. "What game are you even playing."

Raviel's eyes stayed on the console. "Vesper Royale."

Ezio blinked in realization. "Hmm..."

"Nope. Never heard of it before."

Raviel slowly side-eyed him, like he'd just said something unforgivable — which he had, because Vesper Royale was currently ranked top 1 in games globally.

"Do you have any cherry flavoured drinks on your side of the bar?" Raviel questioned.

Ezio leaned back, and checked. "Nah, just three more cans of sparkling water."

"Tch," Raviel clicked his tongue and went back to his game.

A few seconds passed, then Ezio spoke again, this time more serious as he stroked his chin in thoughtful posture.

"So… why do you want to be powerful? Like what motivates you?"

Raviel looked at him and and then at the game, leaving the game lobby, he thought.

'Just how bored can he be?'

Outwardly, he saw Ezio looking at him seriously, so Raviel pressed his palms together in a mock praying gesture with the console in between them.

"I want to reach the immortal level in mana cultivation," he said casually. "That's my reason."

Ezio burst out laughing. "Damn you."

Raviel smirked. "Then what about you? Why do you want to be powerful?"

Ezio went quiet. He stared at the intricate decor on the floor for a few seconds, thinking.

"…To protect something important," he finally said.

Raviel nodded slowly, then turned back to his screen, thinking to himself:

'Dao of pure bullshit.'

Raviel stayed quiet for some time, then sighed and put the console away.

He glanced at Ezio, remembering the novel, one thing had always bugged him. He still didn't know how Ezio and Isabelle ended up together as their story wasn't explained that much in the novel.

For the sake of plot proggression, the author had used timeskip to turn them from just friends — to just... lovers

Though, he liked the novel, as it was also famous for having no harem and now Raviel really wanted to know something interesting.

Seeing Ezio sitting there, Raviel smirked as he had found his target.

"So," Raviel said casually, "tell me, young master… how did you find your young mistress?"

Ezio frowned. "What?"

Raviel raised one finger and pointed at Ezio, then pointed another imaginary finger somewhere else, and slowly brought them together, made a kissing motion, and then tilted his head like a question mark.

"This is what I mean." Raviel stated.

Ezio froze for half a second. Then his face turned red slightly and for the first time, the Azathoth heir lost his composure.

"F-fuck you! Why does everyone think that?" he snapped. "Can't we just be friends?"

Raviel nodded seriously. "Yes, young master, you're correct. Things always start with friendship and then somehow end in a relationship."

Ezio looked at him and saw the grin on Raviel's face. "You're enjoying this way too much," he said, then smirked. "So tell me, Heavenly Demon… how many maidens have you conquered?"

Raviel leaned back. "Good question."

He stroked his chin dramatically. "I have been with at least thirty jade beauties… but I abandoned them all to pursue my dao."

Then Ezio burst out laughing. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He wiped his eyes. "Teach me this dao too. Senior"

Before Ezio could say something.

Raviel sneered. "Don't deflect my question."

Ezio scratched the back of his head and looked down as he started mumbling. "It's not like that. It's just…umm... after meeting her, I kinda lost interest in looking at other women—."

Screech—!!

Raviel slowly raised the divider between their seats.

The whirr sound filled the space.

He leaned forward, peeked around it, and asked seriously, "So… are you, like into gay stuff now?"

"I can feel your gaze, young Azathoth. Sorry! man, but I am not into that kind of stuff."

Then he rolled the divider all the way up without waiting for an answer.

Ezio stared at the divider, stunned. "At least hear the whole thing," he muttered.

Suddenly a screen lit up in front of both their seats.

[ Estimated time remaining: 1 hour. ]

....

Zwoosh—!!!

Both, Raviel and Ezio felt the helicopter getting stable.

Thuk—!!

After the final bumping sound, the helicopter was completely resistance free.

They had finally landed.

When Raviel and Ezio stepped out, both of them froze.

They were inside a massive plane hangar, but that wasn't the shocking part. Beyond the open gates, as far as their eyes could see, stretched endless meadows — rolling green fields under a sky that was slowly darkening. The sunlight was fading, turning gold and then orange.

"Damn.." Raviel muttered in awe.

Before either of them could say more, the pilot's door opened.

Swoosh—!!

A man stepped out, his face fully hidden behind a dark mask. He didn't greet them.

He walked straight up, opened a metal suitcase, and held it out.

Inside were two simple-looking earrings.

"Prepared by Jeanne," the man said in a flat voice. "Wear them during the operation. They'll change your appearance and suppress your mana signature."

Ezio frowned slightly, listening carefully.

"Only B-rank or above can see through it,"

the man continued. "Five hours per day. Usable fifteen times total."

He closed the suitcase, then handed them two metallic keys.

"Your bikes are in Hangar Two. Make sure they aren't damaged during the mission."

And just like that, he walked back into the helicopter and took off silently in the dark clouds.

Raviel blinked. "That's it?"

Ezio shrugged.

They headed toward Hangar 2, their footsteps echoing in the massive space. The sheer size of the hangar made even the bikes inside look small from far — until they got closer.

The bikes were sleek, aggressive-looking, clearly custom-made.

Raviel looked at the number plate and nodded in satisfaction.

With a final call, both of them picked the helmets from the bike's trunk.

Without another word, they rode out together, heading straight toward their destination—

'The Church of Seralyn.'

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