The next ten hours that followed were full of Gaius and Isabelle playing around with each other. There were many things he hadn’t tried yet with Isabelle, things that would be a bit embarrassing to do so in front of Nakama and La-Ti, so he took this chance to experience things like hugging while flying.

There was a limit to things they could do, though, but making out wasn’t one of them.

“You guys done yet?” a muffled voice asked.

Nexus, who had been hiding away in Gaius’ clothes for the duration of the flight, finally spoke up. The little fellow had been helping them to pinpoint the Human God’s remaining familiar spirits, which wasn’t all that hard, since they all had similar behavioural patterns. All four of them — the Preserver had lost many of his subordinates over the years — were floating idly above the oceans, far from the Five Lands.

“Almost,” Gaius replied. “Give us our privacy, please.”

“You can take that privacy and shove it down the great gods’ throat. There’s four familiar spirits brooding above the Never-ending Ocean, waiting for you to save them.”

“Yeah, I know. Still,” Gaius wondered, “why are they all floating above the ocean and brooding sadly?”

“Maybe it’s part of their divine identity,” Nexus replied.

“Shouldn’t they be floating above the capital cities of every nation then?” Isabelle asked. “Because their master is the Human God, right? What does water have to do with it?”

“That is a very good question,” Nexus replied, “but I believe that I am woefully underequipped to answer it. Gaius, please fulfil your girlfriend’s curiosity by asking the next familiar spirit you see, okay?”

“You make it sound easy,” Gaius replied. “You do know that these familiar spirits are afflicted by madness, right? The best I can do is to stop their madness form worsening, and you expect me to ask something that might worsen their condition?”

“You didn’t say it’s impossible, though.”

“Just because I didn’t doesn’t mean that I should, Nexus.” Gaius rolled his eyes. “Why should I deprive the Five Lands of considerable military strength for the sake of satisfying my curiosity?”

“Interesting choice of words there, Gaius.” Nexus chuckled. “But if it’s for Isabelle?”

Gaius decided to end the conversation here by stuffing the little sculpture into his shirt, but Isabelle had already picked up on what he meant.

Isabelle winked. “But would you do it for me?”

“Guh!”

“I’m just kidding.” Isabelle poked his forehead lightly. “By the way — and this is really, really random — can I call you a nickname?”

“A nickname?” Gaius asked. “Like how Galina calls Kolya ‘dear’ and ‘darling’ all the time?”

“Hmm. I guess so,” Isabelle replied. “Why? Do you not want me to do that?”

“Well, if you aren’t feeling embarrassed from doing so, you could try.” Gaius rubbed his nose. “Isa.”

Isabelle tilted her head. “It feels a bit…odd to hear you say my name like that. Try a different area.”

“Bel?”

“I think I like this one better, but—”

“But the way I say your full name is nicer, right?” Gaius cupped his chin. “But I find this more endearing too. Isabelle sounds far better. Your parents chose your name well, if you ask me.”

“Mmm.” Isabelle rubbed his cheeks, and then interrupted his flight by giving him a hug. “I still can’t think of a nickname, since your name is so short…and I’m the one who brought this up in the first place.”

“There’s no need for one,” Gaius replied. “I like the way you call me too. Changing it at this juncture is a bit weird, to tell the truth.”

“Really?”

“Really, really.” Holding her tightly, he decided to increase his speed, descending from the skies to skim above the ocean, which was probably full of mysteries. From what he could remember, the oceans of the Five Lands were actually a unitary entity called the Never-ending Ocean…but was it really never ending?

“Does the Never-ending Ocean really reach all the way into the Wildlands?” Gaius wondered out loud. “I wonder what sorts of life are hidden deep in the seafloor.”

“What do you mean?” Isabelle asked.

“Oh, back on Earth, there was this legend about the Lost City of Atlantis, which was situated underwater. Given that Orb’s civilisation is a hundred thousand years old, is it possible that there’s actually ancient cities hidden on the seabed?” Gaius rubbed his nose. “It might not be possible on Earth, where the two of us flying like this might be treated as gods, but here…”

“Well, if there were such a city,” Nexus said from within Gaius’ shirt, “then it has done a really good job in hiding from the Five Lands, right? Up until recently, a great god of water existed in Orb. If such a civilisation did exist, they wouldn’t have avoided just the humans and the beastfolk, but also a god.”

“Which is rather unlikely,” Gaius concluded. “What a pity.”

He slowed down slightly as the first sign of land — birds — appeared over the horizon. “Looks like we’re there.”

“After only around ten hours of flying and watching you be all lovey-dovey with Isabelle.” Nexus heaved a sigh. “Fortunately, I’m an artificial intelligence who does not have the concept of love, or else I might have flipped out. And why are you slowing down? Do you really want to experience skinship above an ocean all that much?”

“Shush. Let us enjoy this great moment a little while more,” Gaius replied. “Wouldn’t it be fun to tick off the other fliers in Seireiden by doing this?”

“You, my master, have a very evil sense of humour.”

Isabelle giggled, and then pulled Gaius close. In silent accord, they picked up speed, cutting a streak of light towards the capital city of Mi-Zu, Seireiden.