A few hours later, Dylan woke up to a wooden ceiling. He felt a sharp pain in his head. Like, he was hit by a rock. The room was small, but not too small. The walls were lavender, and the floor was colored in a creamy tile. At that moment, Dylan knew where he was. He was at the guardian’s house.

"Good, you're up," said a familiar voice, coming from behind a creaking door. “I put you in the guest room. Thought it’d be more comfortable.”

Dylan shook his head, trying to regain his senses. “What happened?” he groaned. “Oh!”

He looked towards Rose, who had a smirk on her face. She was clearly enjoying this.

“Not funny,” he glared.

“It is to me,” she winked.

Dylan rolled his eyes. His head was pounding, and he didn’t feel like arguing. Right now, he had to take care of something. Something important.

“Hey, uh, Rose,” he stammered. “There’s something I need to say.”

“I know, you shouted it to Heaven high,” she chuckled.

“Listen, I wanted to say I’m sorry,” he started. “I’m sorry for being so shallow, and I want to make it up to you.”

“Really?” she queried, “How?”

Dylan stared at her for a moment. He then proceeded to tell her about a fantastic party. A festival, one could say. It was in another country, but Dylan assured her that it was easy to get to.  He revealed his hidden abilities, which weren’t out of the ordinary for the people of the human world.

There was a moment of silence. Dylan hoped she would agree since a night out would be good, but she decided not to. However, that did not stop Dylan. He continued to ask her, and Rose continued to turn him down. The big blow finally came at sunset when Dylan went hunting with her. Rose was sent to catch a boar, but Dylan made a deal instead. If he saw the animal successfully, then Rose would go with him to the festival.

With a chuckle of disbelief, she accepted.

Dylan was cocky, but he was also strong. He laid in wait for the beast. All he could think about was going to the festival with Rose. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Rose standing behind a tree. She camouflaged herself among the bushes while at the same time being seen by Dylan.

Within a few minutes, the beast came out of the woodworks. Rose expected him to use a weapon, a dagger at least, but she was wrong. The fool went straight for the beast.

Rose’s jaw dropped the moment he lept on the boar. It was pretty funny. The boar tried to shake him off and even ram him into a tree. He kept falling onto the dirt and getting pushed into bushes.

After a few hours, Dylan came back with the boar. He was covered in dirt, bruises, and tree leaves. Meanwhile, Rose couldn’t stop laughing. When she finally calmed down, she accepted Dylan’s offer.

Later that night, she proceeded to get ready. Of course, her family fought with her. However, she was so used to it that she did not care. She would face the consequences later, but right now, she had to enjoy the night.

Dylan came as expected, along with his red face.

“He is kinda cute,” she muttered.

Dylan blinked. His hearing was excellent, and he heard what she said. He asked if she was ready, and she nodded. Eagerly, they left the town and headed to the festival.

When they got there, it was a big party. People were dancing and laughing; vendors made masks and dressed in bright clothes. Rose couldn’t help but smile.

**

After dropping the boar at the house, Dylan took Rose into the forest. He opened a portal and was told to step through. She glanced at Dylan, who guided her hand through the portal. Her feet moved on her own, and before she knew it, she was in another place.

The grass was flat and green, while the trees formed a path decorated with colors. Dylan led her forward, and the closer she got to the end of the trail, she could hear people laughing and singing. Rose began to feel something. She felt excited. Her feelings got the better of her as Rose ran toward the end of the path, leaving Dylan behind. When she reached the end, her mind couldn’t comprehend what her eyes were seeing.

Streamers decorated the houses that stood high above the ground. The trees that led Rose here circled around the back of the structures. They gave off multiple bright-colored lights that twinkled like stars. Along the path, stands of beautiful artworks such as rugs, paintings, clothes, and even food occupied the street. In the middle of it all, people were dancing to the music. They conversed with one another and shared smiles with one another.

“Are you ready?” Dylan appeared, extending his hand.

With a smile, Rose took his hand. The two ran into the chaos and explored every part of the festival. They didn’t hesitate to try the food. It was sweet and delicious. A particular dessert called flan pudding caught her eye. It was the most delightful thing Rose had ever eaten.

There was even a stand for face painting. Eagerly, Rose and Dylan went to the vendor. Rose asked for stars along her cheeks, while Dylan asked for a crescent moon along the corner of his eye. When they were finished, the two complimented the vendor and continued to explore.

Throughout the town, there were people having contests. One of them was an arm-wrestling contest, which Rose couldn’t refuse. She dragged Dylan to the opponent, a strong man well known in this town for being undefeated. Rose sat across from the man at the table.

            “Ready when you are, old man,” Rose sneered, holding her arm in position.

From a glance, Rose could see Dylan standing on the sidelines. His face was a mixture of ‘please don’t hurt the poor man’ and ‘please don’t get hurt, Rose’.

With a ding, the match began. The man had large, strong muscles, but Rose held her own. They kept cheering and betting on who would win. The stone table began to crack as it was losing its strength. Just then, Rose slammed the man’s hand on the table, destroying it. The entire crowd was silent

            “The winner is the young lady!” the referee announced.

The crowd and Dylan went wild. Rose blushed a bit. It was the first time someone complimented her like that.