“Oh? Seems like one of their magicians was actually smart enough to set a teleportation rune as a trap…” Solia’s lashes quivered at the sight of the blinding sun as she slowly got up from the patch of sand she laid on.

Brushing off the remaining sand from her hair and garb, she slowly looked around to survey her surroundings, only to discover that there was literally nothing in sight except for the endless waves of sand.

Sighing at her misfortune of having stepped on a dead magician’s trap only to get sent to an unknown location somewhere in this world, Solia started walking beneath the glaring sunlight towards a random direction as she saved her magic for crucial situations.

No longer than half an hour had passed and Solia was already drenched in sweat as she aimlessly walked around. While she did attempt flying high into the sky to get a good view of the desert and its surroundings, the desert was simply too wide as the sea of golden seemed to extend towards the boundaries of the world.

Having enough of this type of torment, Solia decided to take a gamble and cast a teleportation spell herself without pinpointing an exact location as her target, thus basing her direction on whichever way has the most magic since towns tend to be filled with magic as magical tools are used here and there. With that said, her vision blacked out amidst the process of her transfer as she was unable to properly control her magic due to the lack of a target destination.

“Urgh…” Feeling her body ache all over as she landed on something sturdy, Solia groaned as her eyes slowly flickered open. Using her elbow to support herself as she tried to get up, the platform beneath her jolted as a resounding cry rang out.

“Ack-?!” With her ears perking up in surprise, Solia’s face paled as her bloody-red eyes slowly travelled down to her so-called “platform”, successfully meeting a pair of alluring hazel eyes that were staring back at her in shock paired with a face structured by well-defined features as his head of silver gleamed with the sunlight reflected on it.

Realizing that she had actually landed on a young man her age and even jabbed his chest just now with the use of her elbow and weight, it took Solia a few seconds to actually digest the current situation before she calmly stood up and took a deep breath.

“I apologize for this grave mistake of mine due to my miscalculations when I casted my spell” She immediately bowed as she apologized with her hands clasped together by her stomach, her beautiful midnight locks dangling and emphasizing her every move as it framed her charming features.

Meanwhile, the young man remained laying still as he intently observed the beauty who had suddenly appeared in the sky a distance away. Worried that the first thing he’d see in this desert would be a corpse, he threw all hesitations out of the window and bolted towards the petite figure in an attempt to catch her. However, his original plan had obviously failed with the young lady directly crashing onto his chest rather than in his arms which explains their current situation.

“Ah…no, lady you don’t need to apologize. It was just that I made a mistake when I tried to catch you since you suddenly appeared up in the sky somehow” He hurriedly stood up as he showed a crooked smile while still rubbing the spot that was jabbed by Solia’s elbow.

What.. how did I even manage to appear up in the sky when I was supposed to arrive at a destination near a town instead...

With a raised brow, Solia entered into deep thought as she muttered to herself, “I was pretty sure that I’d arrive wherever the nearest source of magic can be found…”, she then turned her head and eyed the man in front of her in suspicion but receded her gaze the moment she met his beautiful hazel irises again.

“It may be because of the tools I carry around with me” Hearing the girl’s mutterings, the man promptly explained as he showed her his bag filled of magical devices, “I can’t use magic and am pretty weak myself so I always make sure to bring these tools around whenever I plan to travel”

“Oh? Where are you currently travelling to?” His words immediately caught Solia’s interest as she had noticed that she was still stuck amidst the desert despite her gamble.

“Uhh…about that…” The young man’s handsome features slightly contorted as his face was painted with distress, “I was actually drugged and kicked out of my household in my younger brother’s scheme to become the head of the family, and I was just lucky enough to have caught hold of my tools before I was sent out…”

Seeing the man lower his gaze to his feet as his head drooped down, it actually gave Solia the urge to pat his head in an attempt to comfort the dejected figure that was a head taller than her, in which she actually did so as she stretched out her hand and placed her palm on top of his silver locks that were surprisingly softer than they looked.

“Don’t worry…what isn’t meant to belong to one won’t stay in their grasps no matter how much they try to hold on to it” With her voice unknowingly taking on a softer tone, she gently ruffled the young man’s hair.

Yes…what isn’t meant for one will never stay with them no matter their efforts of holding on…just like how human warmth never did and never will belong to me...

“No worries lady, I’m not feeling down from having my status as the future head of the family stripped off me…it simply saddened me that it was my younger brother himself who schemed against me…”

The silver-headed youth sighed before he sensed the girl’s movements slowing, hence he lifted his eyes off his feet to take a peek at the young girl’s eyes, seeing a flicker of bitterness appearing before it suddenly disappeared in a mere second.

“Lady, you’re a magician right? And a powerful one at that!” He abruptly grabbed the girl’s delicate hand that was patting his head mere seconds ago with both of his own, and before Solia could even respond, he promptly added as one of his hands headed to his chest to rub the spot that Solia jabbed once again while the other kept the girl’s hand within his grasp,

“Can I call you master and follow you from now on? I actually do have an idea of which direction a town could be found and I have no more place to go back to anyways since I no longer plan on going back to that household of mine that only cared about one’s abilities”

Being reminded of what had just happened, Solia actually felt guilt creeping up on her as she softly voiced her thoughts and hesitatingly avoided his gaze, “But I can’t teach you magic…”

As she took a peek at his sparkling eyes that had been painted the color signifying one’s lack of affinity with magic, she sighed as she looked away once again, for she couldn’t grant his request even as a means of thanking him for actually risking himself to catch her.

“You don’t have to teach me magic, I just want to accompany you in your travels to learn more about the world as a means of securing my safety while looking for a place where I can settle at to live my days peacefully as I build my own happy family” The young man immediately countered her attempts in rejecting his request as he grasped her hand tighter.

Completely convinced by his reasoning for his request, Solia nodded to herself as if coming to a decision before meeting his eyes head-on, “Then…you can tag along with me until you find a place to settle at…”

Trailing off, a boding feeling came over Solia for a moment before she properly emphasized, “Only until you find a place to settle at, alright?”

“Got it-got it~! I’m Servio by the way, since I won’t be going back to my household, there’s no need for my family name anymore!” The silver-headed youth enthusiastically replied to the young girl’s words as he proceeded to introduce himself.

“I’m Solia, no family name attached as well” She promptly replied as her eyes landed on her hand that was still being held by the silver-head.

“Solia?! The Sorceress?” Surprise flitted through Servio’s eyes as he beamed a delighted smile towards Solia, and she who was not expecting this kind of reaction was slightly taken aback before she nodded in affirmation.

“No wonder your eyes were so beautiful! I look forward to our time together!” Smoothly entwining his fingers with hers, he slowly raised her porcelain-like hand towards his lips and placed a kiss on her ring finger.

Being the constant victim of the man’s lack of sense in terms of personal space, Solia simply sighed as one thought crossed her mind.

Why do I feel like I just picked myself up a troublesome dog…