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"It's alright," Elio said softly, Ember chirping reassuringly on his shoulder. "I understand how much this means to you and your family."

Lila looked at him, and for a moment, Elio saw something more than gratitude in her eyes. The intensity of her gaze left him breathless for an instant.

Elio found himself lost in Lila's gaze for a moment, his heart beating a little faster than normal. Ember, sensing his heightened emotions, nuzzled closer to his neck.

He cleared his throat.

"Uh... well," he began, his voice a bit hoarse. "As I was saying, we'll review your case and see what we can do."

Lila nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. Her salamander, perched on her shoulder, seemed to relax, its scales returning to their normal golden hue.

"Thank you, Elio. It really means a lot to me... to us."

Elio put a hand on the back of his neck, a nervous gesture he couldn't contain. 'What's wrong with me?' he thought. 'It's just Lila. Beautiful, kind, grateful Lila... No, focus, Elio. You have to tell her...'

But the words refused to come out.

Instead, Elio found himself searching for another topic of conversation, he had to say anything to ease the discomfort he felt. Maybe then he could regain his composure and tell her later.

"You know," he began, his voice a bit firmer now, "these aid systems we've implemented... they're not going as well as we hoped."

Lila looked at him, concern replacing the warmth in her eyes. Her salamander shifted uneasily on her shoulder. "What do you mean? I thought they were working very well."

Elio sighed, finding a certain relief in prattling about concrete problems. Ember seemed to sense his shift in mood, settling more comfortably on his shoulder.

"They work, yes, but it's not sustainable in the long term if the majority doesn't reach level 3. At the rate we're going, the mana won't last forever... Although it would last a few years. And all the support we give won't mean anything if the barrier turns off for too long."

"But why would the barrier turn off?" asked Lila, genuinely interested.

Elio looked at her, surprised that she didn't seem too worried...

"Aren't you afraid that monsters will get in?"

"Well... You take care of us, so you won't let them pass," Lila replied, her salamander nodding in agreement.

He liked this girl more and more, and that only made him feel guiltier about what he had planned to tell her.

"The population limit that now everyone knows exists," he explained. "We're close to reaching it. And with Fathoran's children being born, the population is increasing faster than normal... That seems to be affecting the functioning of the barrier and more monsters than normal are getting in."

Lila frowned, processing the information. "That sounds... terrifying. Is there anything we can do? Anything I can help with?"

Elio felt a wave of affection towards her. Here she was, a level 1 girl who could barely support her own family, offering to help with the problems of the entire city.

"Well, don't worry for now. Since we have more than double the level 3 soldiers now and everyone, even those at level 2, can now use their summons, the wall is defending quite well," Elio began to reveal information to escape his nerves, before he could think better of it, "there's something I'm going to do soon too... Something that could fix everything."

Lila looked at him expectantly, her blue eyes shining with curiosity.

Elio took a deep breath. "I'm going to enter the sea of monsters very soon, maybe tomorrow."

Lila gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. Her salamander let out a small, distressed cry. "What? But... You said that in your speech, but you're our leader now, isn't it incredibly dangerous?"

"It is," Elio admitted, Ember puffing up slightly as if to show its readiness for the challenge. "But it's necessary and I'm going to lead the efforts. We need more cores, more power. And I found the location of the mana deposits mentioned in the information from the Genesis book that I made public... they could be the key to saving the city."

"But," Lila seemed to struggle with words, her salamander curling closer to her neck, "when? I thought you'd prepare more first... That's what they announced, months to perfect your techniques and leave the city functioning, right?"

Elio shook his head, Ember letting out a small, determined chirp. "I've brought it forward due to the situation. Before a week, I'll already be entering the sea."

Lila looked at him, fear and admiration mixing in her eyes. Her salamander's scales flickered between gold and a worried blue. "Elio, that's... you're so brave. But I'm afraid for you."

Without thinking, Lila took Elio's hand in hers.

Their salamanders seemed to mirror the gesture, Ember and Lila's salamander touching tails briefly.

The contact sent an electric current through Elio's arm, and he found himself looking at their intertwined hands.

"I'll be fine," he said softly, although he wasn't sure of it himself. "It-It won't be my first time... I'm made for this."

Lila nodded, but didn't let go of his hand. "I know. You're strong, you're... incredible. But promise me you'll be careful, okay?"

Elio looked at her, feeling a lump in his throat. The genuine concern in Lila's eyes, the softness of her touch, the way the sun made her hair shine... all of it made his heart race.

He looked at Lila, really looked at her, and realized that something had changed. He no longer saw her simply as the shy girl who needed help. He found himself genuinely interested in getting to know her better, in understanding what motivated her, what made her smile.

For a moment, they stayed like that, looking into each other's eyes, their hands intertwined. Elio felt lost in those blue eyes, so full of kindness and concern for him...

"I promise," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

But then, the image of Zara appeared in his mind. Zara, strong and brave. Zara, who challenged him and made him want to be better. Zara, whom he had hurt with his careless words.

At that moment, a fragment of memory hit him like lightning. Zara, years ago, talking about something. The memory was blurry, incomplete, but strong enough to snap him out of his reverie.

Elio blinked, confused by the sudden intrusion of the memory. 'Why am I thinking about that now?' he wondered. But the thought of Zara had brought him back to reality, reminding him of the complexity of his current situation.

Elio reminded himself of his situation. 'It's not the time for romance,' he told himself firmly. 'I have a city to protect, a sea of monsters to face. Any decision about... this... will have to wait until I return.'

With that resolution in mind, Elio prepared to speak. He had to tell Lila that, although he appreciated her friendship and support, he couldn't offer her anything more at this moment. That he needed to focus on his mission, on saving the city.

But Lila seemed to be thinking about something too, so they both spoke at the same time:

"Lila," he began, his voice a little shaky, "I... there's something I need to tell you."

"Von Elio," Lila began, her voice barely a whisper. "I..."

But before they could continue, a strident sound filled the air. The city alarm was resonating, but there was something strange about it.

The sound was irregular.