Jayden stood on the balcony to the ballroom with her gorgeous blue dress, her untied dark blue hair waving in the wind and the bright moon shining on her face, nothing but the sounds of crickets to occupy her wondering ears.

That was when she heard a sound… Turning around to see exactly who she was waiting for.

"What took you so long?" She pouted with slight annoyance.

"Oh, I stopped by to check up on Abby,"

As soon as she heard Moby speak, her expression completely took a turn.

"Oh I see… How is she?"

"You don't need to worry, she's doing better than ever!"

"Is it okay with me to go see her then?"

"I'm not sure about that yet…" He chuckled. "Maybe hold off a bit."

There was a slight silence as they both looked out into the garden before Jayden spoke.

"So… You wanna go back inside and dance?"

"Huh? Are you kidding me! My legs are killing me! Dancing is so much harder than martial arts could ever be!"

"So… What do you want to do then?"

That was when Moby took a deep breath and readied himself to tell her the truth.

"Jayden, do you know why I called you out here?"

"No… Why?"

"Well, I have something important to share and I thought you should know first… But, since I'm going to elite school, I won't be able to come back and visit for a year… No calls, no texts, no nothing,"

"Wait what!? They holding you hostage or something!? Why is that!?"

Moby could not help but smile at her reaction before once again going dead serious.

"They said it's necessary training… Elites like us are usually sent out on long missions away from home for months or even years so they are saying this is preparing us for when that time comes,"

"But mind-link will still work, right?"

"Ah… I think so. But, I'm not exactly sure yet,"

"Then it should be fine then!" She laughed hartley, almost overly exaggerated.

Moby was taken aback at how casual and carefree Jayden seemed about what he revealed. He had imagined her to be far more... emotional.

That was when he noticed small cracks in her laughing figure… Tears were falling down her face, which made Moby instinctively react by hugging her tightly.

"It's only for 1 year… It's gonna be okay…" Moby whispered softly in her ears before Jayden's laughter became even louder, breaking out of his grasp.

"1 year? Is that a joke?! Just you watch! I will grow strong enough to join you up there in less than 6 months! You got that!? So wait for me! And don't you dare hit on or fall for those elite girls just because they are richer, stronger, or prettier than me… Okay!!"

"..."

"..."

"AHAHAHAHAHAH!" Moby clenched his stomach as he burst out laughing. It was one of those moments where Jayden boosted herself up trying to keep herself positive.

"W-what's wrong? Did I say something bad?" Her expression turned all nervous, which made Moby laugh even harder.

"Who do you think I am?! Of course, I won't cheat on you! And I like that spunk! Prove it to me and join me up there!"

"Hey! Don't laugh at me like that! I was being serious!"

"And I'm being serious too!" He continued laughing, which eventually Jayden gave in and joined him.

The once dark, and gloomy air of the balcony suddenly turned bright and playful. Such was what usually happened when the two were together alone.

That was when their conversation shifted.

"Hey… Want to go on a date? This party's gone on long enough and it's been kinda boring…"

"Right now? Shouldn't we tell the others you won't be here for a whole year?"

"Nah, that can wait for later…" He smiled. "Now I want some alone time…"

"Well, we haven't gone on a date for a long time so… Why not!" She smiled back.

"I have a few places in mind to go and only 1 of them are in this house. Do you think your father will get mad if we leave?"

"Nah! I'll just text him that I'll be gone! I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Jayden responded, making Moby look at her with an eyebrow raised.

*************************

They hopped down from the balcony and into the open grassy fields filled with flowers and well-maintained grass sculptures as far as the eye could see.

However, they had seen the Griffith family garden so many times now that its beauty and grandeur no longer impressed them.

That was when they decided to leave the mansion's lands, disguising themselves wearing other clothing as they went to a nearby teleporter hub and used a special card that Jayden had to go to a certain part of the country.

The roads were far dirtier, stray animals were able to be seen and the streets reeked from the smell of garbage. The cars were of less than good quality and the racket of the loud yet ominous neighbourhood felt all too nostalgic.

However, they did not come simply to visit some run-down neighbourhood. Walking together, they eventually reached a park that looked way too well maintained for a place such as this…

A luxurious patch of grass was flanked by similar hedges, bushes, and shrubs. A pagoda stood to the right of the field of tall, overgrown grass that held small patches of grapevines. The flowers and plants were trying to take all the attention in the park, and succeeding to a large extent too, highlighted with bright lights shining through the night sky.

A single path, marked with round stones, curled around the garden presented visitors with an elegant way of discovering the different places, such as a duck pond that Moby oh so fondly remembered.

The pagoda in the center was for all intents and purposes the centrepiece of this garden, and therefore the most appealing part other than the duck pond, of course.

Wondering around the empty park, Moby could not help but reminisce about many things… This entire park symbolized his past while the beautiful girl to his side symbolized his future and how far he had come…

He remembered how much he loved coming here every week with his parents, back when everything was seemingly perfect...

It was peaceful, more than it should have been… nothing but the sound of wind, crickets and birds filling the air.

They sat down at the bench beside the duck pond, and with extra food from Moby's inventory, they fed them, admiring their cuteness. At one point, Moby kidnapped one of the baby ducks to show to Jayden up close, only to be attacked maliciously by the mother that harboured absolutely no fear.

That was when they laughed it off and went to the pagoda, Moby subconsciously admiring the nature of that mother duck and if his mother would have done the same…

The building itself was locked to the public for the most part. But, who needed entrance when one could simply jump onto the roof? There, at the top, they were able to see a magnificent overhead view of the entire park. The duck pond they were on only a few minutes ago now seemed so minuscule in size.

Moby sat down on Jayden's soft lap as they enjoyed the fresh air and the company of each other. It felt so calming and peaceful yet so sad every time they thought about how times like these were never going to last for another week. So, they could not help but become rather intimate.

"I love you…"

"..."

"I love you too…"

They kissed on the top of the tall pagoda, the moonlight shining directly on them as they stared passionately into each other's eyes, wishing that the moment could last forever… It was to the point that behind Jayden's back, Moby used his freezing time skill until his mana ran dry, just so the moment could last longer in his mind…

However, of course, it did not last forever and there were other things that they had planned before the night was over…

Reluctantly, their lips were split apart rather naturally as they hopped off the top of the pagoda and strolled out of the park and back into the dirty streets that felt as fond if not even more so than the park.

Moby was almost able to imagine his small, past figure running on the exact same sidewalks and roads for his daily 10-kilometre run, which made him not help but smile as he reminisced.

And, before he even knew it, he had finally reached his destination. A destination that made him almost shed a tear and wonder… So, with a flick of his wrist, he controlled his demon energy to blow the dust off the sign at its front.

"Welcome, to the way of the blissful demon dojo! Sign-ups = $100 a month for children and $150 for adults! We hope you join us and enjoy your stay!"