"Thanks! Don't mind if I do!"
Drake snatched a juicy meat skewer, took a bite, and instantly lit up like a fireworks show.
"MMMM! Where have you been all my life?!"
Elsa giggled, twirling a strand of her brown hair around her finger.
"You're impossible, Lorenzo."
Drake munched happily, his face bright with pure delight. Elsa watched him for a moment, her expression softening like morning frost touched by sunlight.
*This boy's really something else... not like the others who grovel or put on airs. I want to know him better.*
She smiled gently and took her first bite of the honeyed meat.
"Mmm, delicious... It's been forever since I had one of these," Elsa said, savoring the smoky sweetness that danced across her tongue.
Drake looked up mid-chew, watching the way joy sparkled in her sapphire eyes like captured starlight.
"What are you staring at?" Elsa asked, catching his lingering gaze.
"Nothing, just a little girl enjoying her food," Drake teased with a mischievous smirk that could charm angels.
"Hey! Who are you calling little girl?!" she snapped, cheeks puffing like an indignant chipmunk. "I'll have you know I'm older than you!"
"You wish," Drake said, pointing his fork at her with theatrical flourish.
"Fine. I'm eighteen. And you?" Elsa said, raising one perfectly sculpted brow in challenge.
Drake froze mid-bite, his fork suspended in air.
*Wait, what?! Eighteen? With curves that could make goddesses weep in envy?*
His eyes widened in sheer disbelief. *Those mature, sultry vibes and she's only eighteen?! What kind of cosmic joke is this universe playing on me?!*
Elsa noticed his stunned expression and chuckled like silver bells in winter wind.
"Surprised by my age? Told you—I'm older."
Drake's lips curved into a sly grin. *Alright... time to get her back.*
"Well, sorry to burst your adorable bubble, but I'm actually nineteen. Thank you very much."
"Shut up, liar!" Elsa said, narrowing her eyes into dangerous slits.
"Think what you want. Still older," he said smugly, stuffing another bite into his mouth with victorious satisfaction.
"Hmph. Whatever." Elsa rolled her eyes and continued eating, but Drake caught the hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
*This is my chance to know her better,* Drake thought, setting down his skewer.
"Elsa."
She looked up, honey glaze glistening on her lower lip. "What?"
"I keep hearing people call you 'Lady Elsa' around here. Are you like... some kind of big deal or something?"
Elsa paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. *Huh... strange. I never told him about my family. Guess it's time for the truth.*
"Well, since you're absolutely dying to know," she said, flipping her hair with a playful smirk that could stop traffic, "come a little closer."
Drake leaned in like a moth drawn to flame.
"Closer..."
Their faces drew near until they were sharing the same breath. Their noses almost brushed. Lips separated by mere whispers of air.
Both faces bloomed with matching crimson blushes.
"Too close," Elsa said quickly, retreating like a startled deer.
She cleared her throat, composing herself. "I'm the only daughter of a noble family. My father is Lord Umbra Leclair."
Drake blinked, processing the elegant name.
"He, along with the King of Sidonia and a few other brilliant minds, helped develop the MirrorNet system. So yeah," she shrugged with false modesty, "I'm kinda a big shot."
Drake choked spectacularly on his food, coughing like a dying dragon.
"You okay, Lorenzo?" Elsa patted his back gently as he coughed violently, his face turning alarming shades of red. He grabbed his water and gulped desperately.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" he wheezed. "But dropping a bombshell like that? Who just casually mentions they're practically royalty?!"
"Well, I was about to tell you in the carriage... before our little detour," Elsa said, her smirk turning wicked.
Drake's mind flashed to that mortifying moment when he'd accidentally groped her.
*Oh, right... the legendary boob incident. Damn, I'm lucky she didn't blast me through the carriage wall and into the next kingdom.*
*I've groped her... more than once, and she hasn't slapped, arrested, or vaporized me. Could it be... love?*
He sighed internally. *Meh, not possible. She's more the 'tease-you-until-your-soul-leaves-your-body' type. Love? Please. That's pure fantasy territory... Though, a man can dream.*
"Are you still hungry? We can order more," Elsa offered sweetly.
"No, I'm completely stuffed. Thanks," he replied, still processing her noble revelation.
"Then what's that brooding expression for?"
Drake shrugged with practiced nonchalance. "Nothing major. Just that... I've spilled my entire life story to you, but you've been keeping your cards closer than a royal vault."
"Wow, you say 'nothing' but your face screams 'something,'" Elsa teased, her voice warm with affection.
He sighed again, looking away. "Forget it."
Elsa reached across the table and gently tapped his forehead with one delicate finger.
"Don't sulk like that. I really did want to tell you everything. I just didn't get the chance before chaos struck."
Drake's expression softened like butter in sunshine. "Thanks. That means... more than you know."
But then—something extraordinary caught his eye.
A formidable group of adventurers strode past their table with the confident swagger of legends. A complete elite squad: tanks clad in obsidian armor that seemed to drink in light, robed mages radiating crackling arcane energy, swift rogues who moved like living shadows, and serene healers whose very presence felt blessed.
Each warrior exuded overwhelming presence that made the air itself feel heavier.
But that wasn't what made Drake's soul nearly leave his body.
Floating gracefully beside each adventurer were tiny, mystical creatures—animal-shaped beings that pulsed with raw mana like living constellations. A miniature tiger with stripes of pure lightning, a luminous hawk whose wings scattered stardust, a small bear wreathed in earthen energy, and even a majestic floating lion crowned with solar flames.
"What in the seven hells are those?!" Drake pointed with trembling finger, his voice cracking with awe.
Elsa turned to follow his gaze. "Oh, those? Those are Echoforms."
"Echo-what-now?" Drake blinked rapidly, his brain struggling to process the magical overload.
"Geez, do you know anything about the world you're living in?" she said, laughing like tinkling chimes.
*Well... good food, magnificent bosoms, and an enchanting girl. That's been more than enough education so far,* Drake thought with zero shame.
"Echoforms—also called Spiritbinds by scholars—are mystical, sentient companions born directly from their master's very soul," Elsa explained, her voice taking on an almost reverent tone. "They're infinitely more than simple pets. They embody the deepest essence of their owner's spirit, their hopes, their dreams, their core nature made manifest."
"That's... incredibly poetic," Drake muttered, his eyes still wide as dinner plates.
"These magnificent beings can transform into powerful, soul-infused weapons, their forms shaped entirely by the owner's psyche and innermost desires. They bond with their wielder in ways no earthly forge could ever replicate—a connection of soul to soul, heart to heart."
"So they're like... living weapons with personalities?"
"Exactly! But so much more," Elsa's eyes lit up with passionate enthusiasm. "They allow you to channel mana with unprecedented efficiency, amplify your spells beyond normal limits, and even grant special abilities depending on their elemental nature—blazing fire, howling wind, crackling lightning, steadfast earth, crystalline ice, flowing water... and dozens of rarer elements."
She leaned forward conspiratorially. "They're the ultimate magical conduit, the bridge between the physical and spiritual realms."
"But I didn't see any when we first arrived in town."
"That's because they can remain in weapon form indefinitely—hidden in plain sight like sleeping dragons. Unless their user commands them to return to Echoform state, they appear as perfectly ordinary weapons. A sword, a staff, a bow—no one would ever suspect the incredible power dormant within."
"Can anyone get one?" Drake asked, practically vibrating with curiosity.
"Absolutely not. You cannot buy, steal, borrow, or inherit an Echoform. They awaken naturally at a specific age—usually around eighteen—but only for those whose souls burn bright enough to forge such a bond. If you're blessed with an awakening, you're considered a 'Chosen Soul'—essentially the kingdom's pride and ultimate treasure."
"So what happens to people who don't awaken one?"
"Nothing terrible at all," Elsa reassured him with gentle kindness. "They live perfectly fulfilling lives. Echoforms aren't everything, despite what some nobles might claim. There are countless ways to find purpose and happiness."
Drake scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "So... did yours awaken yet?"
Elsa raised one elegant eyebrow, her lips curving into a knowing smile. "Of course it did. Don't tell me you've been completely oblivious this entire time."
"Wait—don't tell me..." His eyes widened in dawning realization. "Your staff?!"
Elsa's grin turned absolutely radiant. "Took you long enough, genius. Yes. My staff is my Echoform."
She reached gracefully for her silver-blue steel staff, gripping it with the practiced ease of a master mage. The weapon seemed to hum with anticipation.
"Alright, FLUFFBUN—PHASE SHIFT!"
The staff erupted with brilliant blue-white light that painted the entire street in ethereal radiance. Warm, comforting energy enveloped the weapon like a loving embrace, and in a spectacular flash—
FWOOOOOSH!
The staff dissolved into thousands of sparkling motes of light that swirled and coalesced into—
A floating, snow-white rabbit with shimmering sapphire eyes and delicate starry markings across its fur that pulsed like a tiny galaxy. It hovered beside Elsa's shoulder like a celestial guardian spirit, radiating gentle warmth and unmistakable intelligence.
Drake's jaw plummeted to the metaphorical floor and kept going until it reached the planet's core.
"Drake, meet my Echoform—Fluffbun the Celestial Hopper."
The ethereal rabbit turned toward Drake and somehow managed to look dignified despite being adorably fluffy. It offered what could only be described as a regal nod.
Drake stared at the glowing bunny, completely slack-jawed and speechless.
"I... I have approximately seventeen thousand questions..."
Elsa winked, her smile more brilliant than sunrise. "Then you'd better stay by my side. I'll show you absolutely everything this world has to offer."
*And maybe,* she thought, watching his wonder-struck expression, *you'll show me a few things too.*