A few breaths later, the two youths were sitting across each other with two bracelets at the centre of the table.
Valerio had gone to pick up the dragon pair of bracelets when Aurora stopped him. It turned out that the bracelets didn't conform to norms at all; the dragon was crafted for females, and the phoenix for males.
They picked up the bracelets and injected Lu into them. The bracelets were crafted in a way that allowed them to perfectly fit onto any wrist, but that mechanism, like most in the world, required Lu to activate.
Aurora, with her cultivation of 2nd Plane 4th Tier, practically instantly got the bracelet to a perfect size, whilst Valerio had to use more Lu of his 1st Planar Lu to achieve the same effect. Once Valerio's bracelet was on, a faint shimmer appeared around both bracelets before quickly dissipating.
'Did it work?'
Valerio tried injecting more Lu into the artefact.
Nothing.
"Can you sense me?" asked Valerio while increasing his Lu output.
"Yeah, it's a comforting feeling, " Aurora pointed at Valerio's bracelet, which was shining brighter and brighter as he continued to inject Lu into it. "Don't overextend yourself with that. You need Spiritual Lu to use it, so at least Tier 7."
Valerio immediately ceased channelling his Lu, his hands trembling slightly as he looked up, an embarrassed smile spreading across his face. The expression betrayed a mix of emotions—partly embarrassment at his own lack of strength and partly awkwardness due to the intimate purpose of the gift.
Ever since they were children, Valerio and Aurora had shared a bond stronger than simple friendship, though it had never quite blossomed into something more. Their circumstances didn't allow a perfect relationship, and neither of them had the heart to start an imperfect one.
If this feeling of theirs was going to blossom into something more, it had to be when it could actually reach its full potential. They had such a great bond, such fantastic chemistry, wouldn't it be a waste for it to be lost due to circumstances?
He was well aware of his feelings for her, and just as aware of hers for him, yet the right moment to realise them, the right moment to speak them aloud had never come.
Love—
a word worn thin by mouths that never tasted it.
Some called it affection.
Others said it was sacrifice:
to place another's happiness above your own.
And some—the wisest or the most wounded—
claimed it could not be named at all.
But Valerio…
He had found his definition long ago.
Not from books or poems,
but from her.
It was the ache in silence when she left a room.
The smile in his heart when her laughter filled it.
He let go of definitions.
He let go of all arguments, of all opinions.
Love would not be what the world told him.
Love would be what he chose.
And he had chosen her.
But love, for them,
was not a blaze that burned bright and fast.
It was a slow sun,
a sun peeking through clouds that never fully parted.
A warmth that never turned to flame,
because they both knew.
They knew that to rush it
would be to ruin it.
That when the time came,
if the time came,
it would be incomparable.
It would be real.
It would be theirs.
And so they waited.
For years, he saw her only in passing,
once, maybe twice a year.
A flash of ocean-blue eyes,
hair like sunlit wheat,
smiles exchanged like secrets
neither dared to speak aloud.
Time only deepened the feeling.
But so did the silence.
And so they waited.
Watched years pass in glances,
hellos turned unfamiliar.
The silence between them
grew louder than words.
Love endured.
But so did the distance.
And that—
was the tragedy.
Not that it died,
but that it never began.
And thus, their unspoken affection played out in these small, delicate gestures. The closeness they shared was palpable in every touch, in every playful tease. They allowed each other a level of intimacy that went beyond what anyone else could reach, the boundaries between them soft, familiar. Still, despite the connection, neither had taken the next step, leaving their feelings to simmer beneath the surface, expressed in the warmth of moments like this one.
"Soo? What was the present?" Lucius spoke out from behind Valerio's ear.
Valerio tensed, his head jerking backwards and almost bumping against Lucius' forehead.
Lucius was too fast compared to Valerio, quickly evading his head as his eyes darted between the bracelets on their wrists.
"They allow two people to sense each other's presence in the same galaxy, once he's Tier 7, we'll be able to talk across the galaxy," Aurora explained as he turned her wrist outward, with her other hand, she grabbed Valeiro's wrist and turned his outward as well, showcasing the feathery tail of the two mystical creatures.
"Huh, pretty convenient." Lucius nodded as he swiped a glance at Valerio.
He pretended not to see it.
Lucius sat down as the three lost themselves in conversation and caught up. Before they knew it, the table was full with all the heirs of the four families sitting and laughing together.
Valerio didn't realise when, but he was suddenly sitting with two more presents in front of him. The heirs sat around Valerio, expectantly waiting for him to open the last presents.
He didn't keep them waiting, quickly unfurling the first present.
The gift box sparkled in white and green radiance. This gift was from Felix and Lucy; their eyes traced Valerio's movements, akin to a hawk, they couldn't wait to see if Valerio would like it.
With a soft click, the box sprang open, its four sides folding outwards to reveal a mesmerising orb with a criss-cross texture. Valerio picked it up, curiosity bubbling within him as he contemplated the purpose of this artifact.
To his surprise, it took him only a moment to discern its primary function, thanks to its striking simplicity: it was designed to project sounds. Though the orb's intricate craftsmanship hinted at a deeper complexity, suggesting that while its main use was to project sound, there would undoubtedly be secondary applications to explore. Perhaps it could amplify voices, create echoes, or even mimic sounds from the surrounding environment.
Intrigued, Valerio turned the orb in his hands, marvelling at the crafting for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few seconds.
Valerio couldn't help but shake his head, barely containing his laughter. They'd really got him such a powerful, and surely, expensive speaker. It was absolutely ridiculous to create such an absurdly powerful artefact for playing music, but it was definitely an interesting present. Valerio looked up from the orb in his hand to see two mischievous smiles planted on Felix and Lucy's faces as they thought about the sheer chaos their gift could cause.
The strength of this speaker was strong enough to drown the entire solar system in music; it could be loud enough to shatter planets of lower origin and severely disturb those of higher origin. He didn't know how they'd gotten their hands on this, but he'd make sure to have fun with it.
"Thank you guys," Valerio said, taking a look around him and whispering.
"Let's not let anyone see, Felix, can you transport this into my void ring?" Valerio asked, extending his palm with the speaker resting on it.
"Sure thing."
"By the way, we've dubbed it the [World's Voice]," Felix said with a grin on his face.
"Cool name, right? Anyway, I'll let you discover all of its functions on your own," He added ,his grin growing ever more mischievous. "And don't even ask or mention how we managed to get our hands on it,' said while faking a tired sigh. But Valerio could see through the sigh and into the smirk that Felix and Lucy held proudly. They were proud of how they had managed to get their hands on such an item.
Valerio let out an exasperated but appreciative sigh as a smile crept onto his features. He could only imagine how much effort it would have taken to create or steal such a disproportionate item, yet that made it all the more valuable as a gift.
Felix swiftly took the orb, encasing it in Spiritual Lu before tapping it against Valerio's ring. A soft shimmer enveloped the orb as it vanished into the ring's depths, safely stored away for later use.
With a sense of anticipation, Valerio leaned back, his gaze drifting to the final gift resting on the table. Surprisingly, it appeared to be a wrapped… pan?
Its shape was practically unmistakable beneath the wrapping paper. Curiosity piqued, he couldn't help but wonder what the catch was, especially in a gathering of such extraordinary gifts, not that it mattered if it had a catch, though. No matter how cliche it was, it was the truth; it was the thought that truly mattered.