Souls Online: Mythic Ascension

"You know, I don't think I'll miss forests all that much."

"Horo... You do know we'll probably have to go back there, right?"

"Way to bring the mood down. Right, Princess?"

Leo smirked as he listened to Horo and Luna resume their usual banter. It had been so long since he could enjoy moments like this.

The village was just up ahead when Leo suddenly came to a stop.

A quiet feeling of anticipation stirred within him. He had a hunch that once he submitted the request, he'd finally be able to return to the real world.

He took a deep breath of the fresh countryside air, the scent of grass and earth grounding him, but it couldn't quite calm the nervous energy building in his chest.

He shook off his thoughts and caught up to his companions, who were too busy chatting to notice his hesitation.

Lily noticed him lagging behind and shot him a teasing grin.

"What's on your mind, lil bro~? Nervous to be walking around town with these beauties~?"

Horo's ears perked up, and he immediately chimed in,

"I'd like to not be included in the list of beauties, please! Leo may be cute, but I don't swing that way!"

Lily balked, while Leo burst into laughter. Even Luna chuckled at Horo's joke this time.

"Nah. It's nothing like that… I guess I just feel a bit nervous."

"Nervous? We should be excited about a job well done!"

Horo grinned, throwing a fist into the air in triumph. Yet, Leo noticed the tension lingering in his shoulders. Something was clearly bothering him, but he had no intention of speaking up—not yet.

"Is it about the real world? Are you nervous to go back?"

Luna picked up on Leo's unease and playfully punched his shoulder.

Leo simply smiled.

"Yeah… That's right, Sis. You know me too well."

Luna huffed in satisfaction, puffing out her chest while sporting a smug smirk.

"Of course I do! That's part of being a big sister!"

"That's the only 'big' thing about you."

Silence.

Leo felt his blood run cold as he processed what Horo had just said.

Luna's head turned toward the snake with an audible creak, her ruby-red eyes narrowing with a deadly glint.

"Oh fuck. You heard that?!"

Horo realized his mistake the moment he met Luna's ominous glare.

"You better start running… I'll give you to the count of five."

"I—I'm not scared. It was just a joke!"

"ONE."

"You're seriously counting?!"

"TWO."

Horo gulped.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said. Please, have mercy!"

He flashed a pleading look at both Lily and Leo.

They both averted their gazes, pretending not to notice.

"THREE."

Desperation set in.

"Oh wow, what's that?!"

Horo suddenly pointed at something behind Luna.

Curious, Leo and Lily instinctively turned to look. Luna glanced back as well.

"There's nothing there," Lily muttered, frowning.

She turned back—only to find that Horo was already sprinting at full speed toward the village.

Luna's ear twitched.

"FOUR. FIVE! I'M COMING FOR YOU, YA BASTARD!"

Luna charged after Horo, her massive axe gleaming in the moonlight as her ruby eyes glowed like a Reaper in the dark.

"Do you think he will survive, Lil Bro?"

"At this point? It's doubtful. He better hide really well."

Both Lily and Leo chuckled nervously, watching the chase while leisurely walking themselves. Lily took a deep breath as she fiddled with a lock of her hair.

"Sooo…."

Lily's voice was tinged with awkwardness. This was the first time that she had ever been alone with Leo, and she couldn't find a word to say.

"Thanks…"

Leo turned his gaze to Lily, a genuine, heartfelt smile on his face, his jade green eyes seemingly illuminating the night sky.

"What are you thanking me for?"

Lily was thankful for the dim light; she didn't want anyone to know that she was blushing.

"Thanks for being my sister's friend for all these years. I bet it was tough."

"Not at all! Your sister has been there for me more times than I would care to admit. I am happy to be her friend!"

Lily's eyes widened at that biting remark, and she defended Luna as if she herself was offended.

"Oh really? So helping her study for exams made you happy too?"

Lily's mouth instantly shut, and her eyes went vacant as she briefly relived the worst moments of high school: tutoring Luna!

Seeing that look, Leo burst out laughing. He felt gratified knowing that he wasn't alone in his suffering when it came to the education of Luna. However, that soon faded as his doubts gnawed at his mind.

What if, when he logs out, nothing has changed and he is still at death's door? After all, could a game truly affect reality? He wanted to be prepared even in the worst-case scenario.

"No matter what happens, please continue to be there for her, okay? Promise me that… please."

Lily was concerned when she heard that request, but she still flashed him a brilliant smile.

"You don't even have to ask. I would have done so without you asking!"

Even when the world was giving them the worst it had to offer, the siblings always thought of each other.

'How sweet. I wish I had that kind of bond.'

Lily's eyes widened—was she... jealous?

But before she could process that, a notification screen appeared before the both of them.

Bond of the Zodiac: Tiger has reached 10% Completion. Buffs will be applied accordingly. If the player wishes, they may also choose to permanently bind the Bond to the chosen player. Doing so will result in 

Zodiac Bond : Tiger shall be permanently bound to Player: Lily. Zodiac Bond : Tiger Growth shall become uncapped. Total Available Zodiac Bonds shall be reduced to 9.

Do you wish to bind Zodiac Bond: Tiger to Player Lily? 

[Y/N]

"To be honest, I could have done this earlier but I wanted to speak with just the two of us"

Leo gave her an awkward but charming smile. The limit on the growth of the Tiger Zodiac had been lifted when Lily had cried but it had not felt like the right time to bring it up. 

"I see…So me crying my eyes out can make me the Tiger Zodiac? Thats weird…isn't it?" 

"Yeah but even I don't understand the rules this thing has." 

'I object to be called a Thing! I am so much more than that!' 

'I agree with the Brat Boss! We are more than just a thing! We have so much killing potential! 

'Mors! You are NOT helping!' 

The sudden voices of Astra and Mors echoing in his head was an abrupt but welcome news for Leo. 

"Astra! Mors! What happened to you guys! I have so many questions!" 

Lily perked her ears hearing unfamiliar names. 

"Oh right! The bracelets have egos. 2 of them. Astra is Life and Mors is Death apparently"

The explanation left Lily with more questions but she chose to be silent for now. 

'We can answer your questions. But first, don't leave a lady waiting!'

'You don't wanna get stabbed for ignoring a girl right? Say yes already!'

Seeing Astra and Mors in sync on something felt a bit weird but he did agree with them. He pressed Yes on the notification screen. 

"Kyah?!"

Lily let out a surprised yelp as pain shot up her shoulder. Lifting up her sleeve, she saw that a faint emerald colored Tiger tattoo was emblazoned on her upper arm. 

Zodiac Imprint Complete. The following buff(s) are currently in effect. 

Skill: Tigers Poise

Description: When Player remains stationary for 3 seconds, their next support spell (buff or crowd control) gains a slight bonus effect, depending on the type:

Buffs: Last 5% longer.

Debuffs (crowd control): Last 0.5 seconds longer.

This effect resets if Player moves before casting.

Applied to: Lily, Leo

Leo was in awe of this skill while Lily was busy inspecting the tattoo. After a few moments Lily tried to flex her muscles in front of Leo. 

"Doesn't this make me look like a Gangster~?"

If there was an award for the least intimidating gangster, Lily would have won it easily. The silly girl definitely had a few screws loose. Leo then realized why Luna and Lily were such great friends. 

"Birds of a Feather flock together".

His laughing mumble was heard by Lily who tried to act tough in front of him but failing miserably. 

"What's that supposed to mean?!" 

"Nothing! Don't worry about it. Plus we are back. Lets go turn in the quest!" 

They had arrived at the Village Gate.