Rai and Sin finished their gorgon glacier, and made their way to the nearest dance floor. Given that there were so many dance floors, Rai decided to just go to the closest one. Music was music, and he could easily flow to the rhythm, regardless of what type of music it was.

Sin had danced a lot at the balls she’d attended during her younger years, but she’d always refused a dance partner.

Now, she had Rai.

Sin’s heart thumped so loud that she could hear it beating in her ears. She held Rai’s hand as he walked her onto the dance floor.

The sway of his hair against the vibrant lights in the background was a scene that Sin would never want to forget.

Rai had, fortunately, chosen an area with slow music playing. Which gave them both time to adjust to the tempo.

“You ready?” Rai asked, as they found a clear space to start.

Sin nodded.

Rai pulled her in close. He placed his hands on Sin’s hips, while Sin kept her hands on Rai’s shoulders.

They swayed in tempo, slowly losing themselves in both the music and each other’s gazes. Much like the other couples on the dance floor, they were encapsulated by only one another.

Rai nimbly guided Sin to do a twirl as the tempo increased momentarily.

She giggled, and pulled herself in closer to him following the twirl.

Rai lost himself in Sin’s beauty.

Everything else around him was silent. All he heard was his own heartbeat, the music, and Sin’s breathing. Her joyful smile etched itself into Rai’s memory.

The background behind Sin drowned itself out, turning into blurred colours that only accentuated Sin’s figure in front of him. Even the subtle glitter on her cheeks was visible to Rai now. Her love, her spirit, and her beauty.

It all came together to remind Rai how lucky he was.

Sin’s wide smile and soft eyes captured the moment. They made his heart melt.

Rai would never forget this view for as long as he lived.

Then, the music shifted drastically.

The tempo became upbeat. Many of the string instrumentalists started playing a number of riffs that raised the energy of the entire floor.

Rai and Sin smiled at each other.

They enjoyed the changes in song, and danced to the new beats for a solid half hour.

Neither of them had realised it, but they were now at the centre of the floor, and the rest of the dancers who had tired themselves out were enjoying the show they were unwittingly putting on.

As the song finished, and there was a small gap between songs, one of the instrumentalists grinned at his partners.

They all grinned back.

The next song that they’d started playing was different.

Very different.

Beginning from a slow build up, the song that they performed now was one that was clearly known by the people of Zenith as an Epic.

A song that captures the hearts and minds of all who hear it, a song that tells a tale of hardship, of battle, of glory!

Rai felt butterflies in his stomach. Sin was losing her pace slightly, as the tempo of the music kept changing to match the story it was trying to tell. The strings were so vividly controlling her emotions, as if she was right in the middle of it... but her body couldn’t keep up.

Sin watched as Rai matched the flow perfectly. He matched his pace with the strings, and accentuated the percussionists’ work with his dance.

He moved nimbly enough that Sin was amazed at Rai’s ability to follow the music. Sin decided to give him sole possession of the dance floor, if only to see what kind of magic Rai would pull out for this final dance.

As the music played...

The strings began to flatten.

A violinist joined the number.

Beginning anew, the band brought it all together to follow the violinist.

Rai heard it.

He felt the tale of adventure in his heart. The music took him there with its gentle flow and build-up.

Rai’s movements shifted into the Dance.

He followed the flow with soft, smooth, and efficient movements that he’d previously only used in battle.

When Dancing in battle, Rai had to think about where to use what moves, and how effectively they’d work against his opponent...

But now...

Now, Rai was Dancing a true Dance.

Not one to fight, but one to express emotion.

To tell a story.

For the beginning of the journey, his heart fluttered alongside his body. With each tempo shift, Rai matched it with an equal display to relay the story being told.

In Zenith’s night sky, its lonesome moon shone bright among the stars.

Rai’s Dance basked in its light.

The epic built up to its crescendo, and Rai met it with an equal build-up of his own.

Like a flower in the wind, Rai flowed. He Danced, telling the story of the battle that followed. What began with a light-hearted adventure, resulted in a tumultuous fight that shattered the line between good and evil. At the peak of the violinist’s crescendo, the hero fell.

But he’d won.

And Rai got to tell his story.

In the end, only light was left. The Epic met its final moments, with the resting of its great hero.

Rai’s gentle movements, his flow in motion, and his telling of the epic through dance, brought goosebumps to all around him.

Holding a long, final note, the strings brought the Epic to its conclusion. Rai held his final position as the song ended.

Silence followed.

*Clap... clap... CLAP CLAP CLAP*

For that one moment, Rai saw but a single thing.

Sin, in tears. Clapping for him.

It was just like when Rai’s mother had watched Jin’s Dance with him when he was a kid.

I... I’m there... Jin... my Dance is beautiful... just like yours!

Rai’s eyes blurred. Tears welled up in them.

The instrumentalists put down their instruments and clapped for the performance.

Sin ran at Rai and hugged him as he got up.

“You... were so beautiful! I’ve never seen you like that before!” Sin said. She wiped away Rai’s tears.

Rai did the same for her. He smiled at her.

“You weren’t too bad yourself.” He said with a wink.

“Ha ha. I’d say I was pretty good, if you asked me!”

The people around them began to disperse.

“Whew. That was really fun! We should dance more often I think.” Rai said.

“Well if you’re gonna pull that out every time then I’ll happily join you! Dancing is so much fun! I didn’t realise it could be so fun dancing with someone else like that!”

“Eh? Didn’t you dance a lot when you were younger, because of those balls and events and stuff?”

“Well... technically... but I always danced alone, since I didn’t like any of the other boys.”

“Y’know... that makes a lot of sense. At least now you have me. And I’m a great dancer, so I’ll show you how it’s done!” Rai declared.

“Yes yes I get it, you were trained by the best. But really... your Dance is amazing.”

“Thank you... I really only have Jin to thank for it though. He taught me a lot. I owe a lot of my strength to him.”

“... Speaking of Jin... I need to speak with him soon, but I don’t know how I’d do that...”

Rai’s face brightened. He’d been waiting for an opportunity like this.

“I know! That history assignment where we have to go to another region, you can’t go to your own one because you’re Kallad’s daughter, right?”

“... Right... Where are you going with this?”

“Why don’t you come home with me? We can explore Udra’s capital, and stop off at the farm for a few days! You can talk to Jin when we do!”

Sin stared at him.

Then she got really excited.

Then she got really anxious.

“Wha... What if your mum doesn’t like me?! I... I don’t wanna make a bad impression!”

Rai brushed his hand through Sin’s curled bangs, pushing one side behind her ear.

“She’ll love you.” He said. “I know she will. Don’t wo... wo...”

“... Rai? You okay?” Sin asked as she stared into Rai’s clearly distracted eyes.

They were looking somewhere behind her. Sin turned around to see what Rai was looking for.

She froze.

Sin couldn’t believe it.

The white haired man from the tailor square. He was here. At one of the bars. He was talking with one of the bartenders, when he glanced around for a second.

The man did a double take.

He looked directly at Rai and Sin...

He smiled.

“Run...” Sin muttered.

“... Huh?” Rai asked.

“RUN!” Sin repeated.

Rai used Stormflow and grabbed Sin. But it was already too late.

“I knew I’d run into you two again!” The man shouted from his seat. He got up and started walking over to Rai and Sin, who he’d trapped in a conjured enclosure of inward-pointing blades.

“I didn’t want to let you two escape so easily again, and this spell works great against speed types! Wouldn’t you agree, little monkey?” He snarled.

The people around them noticed the spell, and panicked. They ran away, fearing for their lives.

Some people, however, didn’t run away.

The ones that didn’t run all looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

“Dem outfits dey ave on musta costed dem lotsa money, I want em!” A lumbering oaf of a woman said.

“Quiet Jill! No one cares what you want!” The white haired man hissed.

“Oh, sorry Jacky.” Jill replied.

“But you are right... they look pretty rich for a pair of children, don’t they?! Why don’t I rip that dress off the girl, while you have your way with the boy? I reckon the officers here would enjoy such a show, wouldn’t you say so Jill?”

“Hehehe, look at dat one ova der. He’s sleepin on da job! He’s a right tosser!”

“Wonderful Jill, thanks for your observation. I really needed that. Ahem. Boys! Get to work! I want them stripped, battered, and used by the time B.D. gets here! Shut down the ports, the rest of you!”

A group of thugs chuckled, and began closing in on Rai and Sin.

“Sin...” Rai whispered.

“What? Do you have a plan?!...” Sin whispered back.

Rai shook his head. He turned to look at Sin.

He glared at her. Rai beheld a quiet fury in his inverted eyes.

“That woman... she has to die.”