Extra's Ascent

Fun?

Aldrich had fun.

It has been a while but he did manage to let his thoughts off of whatever burden was weighing him down and just... To have fun like Dante suggested he should.

With those who had accompanied him, they dove headfirst into every thrill the amusement park had to offer, racing down towering water slides, soaring high on the Ferris wheel, even trying their hand at horseback riding. Laughter had been their shared language for the day, and for the first time in a long while, Aldrich allowed himself to simply exist in the moment.

It had been, in every sense of the word, enjoyable.

Eventually, the group decided to part ways, agreeing to reconvene at a specific spot later in the evening. The plan was simple, yet intentionally done to give Aldrich and Fiona their own time, their own space, to simply be together. As a couple.

So now, side by side, the two of them stood quietly. The sun was starting to dip, painting the sky in soft amber and pink hues, casting warm light across the open plaza of the park. Children darted across the square, laughing and chasing each other with painted faces and half-melted ice cream cones.

Aldrich glanced sideways at Fiona, a crooked smirk tugging at his lips. "So, here's the deal, Miss Wonder Girl and shining jewel of the Helmswogh legacy… care to take the lead?"

He wrapped the question in playful sarcasm, hoping to lighten the air.

Fiona rolled her eyes, arms folded as she turned to face him. "Not you too," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Don't start calling me that."

"Why not? I think it suits you. You are, after all, the duchess of Upstate."

He said it with mock grandeur, hand gesturing toward her like a knight pledging fealty.

Her eyes narrowed. "Is that how you want to play this? Fine then." She stepped closer, smiling as she struck back. "Shall we proceed, Duke of Eldora High? Conqueror of the Second Year? Oh, mighty Kyle Dandada-slayer?"

Aldrich visibly winced. "That's not a title, that's slander dressed up in formalwear," he muttered.

"Now you know how I feel," Fiona replied smugly, crossing her arms with victorious satisfaction. "You don't like your so-called title either, do you?"

Aldrich sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"It's different," he murmured, voice softer now. "Yours is a reflection of what you've actually achieved, earned even. While mine? People applaud it on the surface, sure, but behind closed doors… they think it was a fluke. A one-time flaring moment. Something I'll never be able to replicate."

There it was.

The vulnerability he rarely allowed anyone to see.

Fiona studied his expression, her teasing falling away into quiet concern.

"You really think that?" she asked gently.

He nodded, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. "I don't just think it, I know it's the truth. I bet even Saldrich sees it that way."

But Fiona's face told a different story.

There was no doubt in her gaze, no hesitation. She stared at him like she saw something he couldn't.

"You really don't believe I think it was a fluke, do you?"

Her voice was firm, not questioning, she was confronting. Aldrich blinked, thrown by her certainty.

"You don't?" he asked, as if needing confirmation.

"I watched that match, Al. Start to finish. Nothing about what you did was luck."

He scoffed. "If I hadn't awakened to my second clover during the fight, I wouldn't have stood a chance. That alone tells you it was chance, nothing more."

Fiona shook her head.

"Kyle had Dwayne as a friend, remember? The same Dwayne Aldaman who possesses your exact ocular ability and not just one, but three awakened clovers. You think Kyle wasn't briefed? That he didn't run simulations or prepare for every scenario he could imagine? That he didn't study you?"

She didn't wait for him to answer.

"He had every advantage. Your bloodline, your ability. He knew it inside and out with Dwayne's insight and still, he didn't win. You held your own against someone armed with everything and still matched him. You don't call that a fluke. You call that strength."

The silence between them lingered, not uncomfortable but heavy with her words taking charge of thoughts and emotions swirling in Aldrich's head.

Aldrich looked away for a moment, his gaze drifting back to the children playing.

The clover awakening… it wasn't exactly spontaneous. Not entirely. It was said to occur when an Aldaman faced overwhelming pressure, circumstances that demanded growth or failure. And he had known Kyle was going to fight with everything on the line, desperate to preserve his name, his pride, his seniority.

So maybe it hadn't been a coincidence.

Maybe awakening during the fight had been the inevitable result of being pushed to his limit.

And Kyle? With a resource like Dwayne beside him, someone who understood the intricacies of their bloodline far better than Aldrich ever had… he'd had all the knowledge he needed to prepare. To exploit any weakness.

And still…

The duel had ended in a draw.

Aldrich exhaled, long and low.

"Alright. I get your point," he admitted. "You don't think it was a fluke. Fair enough. But can we make a deal? Don't bring it up to tease me again. That whole fight… it's the only notable thing I've done since coming to Eldora, and getting reminded of it every five minutes? It's embarrassing."

Fiona arched a brow. "Then let's make it fair. I won't mention it if you drop the whole Duchess of Upstate thing. I'm Fiona Helmswoth. Just Fiona. Any other achievements are a result of being a Helmswoth, not of my own actions."

He grinned. "Bossing me around already?"

"Damn right. And if you don't want to be bossed around by the boss lady, you'd better keep in line."

He gave a playful bow. "Yes, ma'am. So, where to next, my not-so-duchess Fiona? Let's go find something ridiculous to do so we can forget everything else for a while."

She hesitated.

"I… actually don't know," she confessed with a sheepish smile. "I feel like I should, but I don't."

Aldrich tilted his head. "Why not? You are Fiona Helmswoth, aren't you?"

He meant it teasingly, but she caught the underlying meaning. Someone from wealth and influence, surely she had experience with days like these?

But she shook her head.

"That should be the case," she said quietly, "but it isn't. I've never really let myself get drawn into things like this. My father always said I was the kind of child who thought too far ahead… constantly thinking years beyond my age with little in-the-moment substance to balance it out."

Aldrich looked at her, really looked at her.

This was the Fiona no one else got to see, the one who carried significance behind her smile and responsibilities stitched into her identity like armour.

"Well then," he said, offering his arm with a small, sincere smile, "how about a walk?"

She blinked.

"A walk?"

"Yeah," he said. "No titles, no expectations, no reputations. Just you. And me. And a chance for me to hear more about you, about how you were growing up. What do you say to that."

She hesitated, thinking through what he was asking of her.

After careful deliberation, Fiona looped her arm through his.

And they walked.

Together not as heirs to legacies, not as ranked mystics or top students but as Aldrich and Fiona.