The calm recesses of one's own mind was a fascinating place to be. Ryker found himself lost within his own not so infrequently. Of course, he was also keenly aware that this fascination was all his own. Everyone around him seemed to be enraptured by all that was fresh, new and stimulating. But, he found that resting peacefully on a soft stretch of grass like this was just as valid as a pastime compared to anything else.

The slowly creeping lights of dawn hung over the horizon, rolling over the hills with beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange. Ryker laid atop one of these hills, his hands clasped behind his head and a dried weed hanging from his mouth. He crossed one leg over another with his eyes closed. It seemed that even with such a gorgeous sight before him, he found his own mind to be far more interesting.

Anyone who could be within Ryker's mind, though, might be able to understand why that was. He seemed to jump from profound thoughts of life to ruminations on love to the artistic conceptions of poetry. But then a vivid image of a voluptuous pair of breasts would imprint itself into his mind. The projection would be so clear that Ryker would almost think they were right before him, causing a sly grin to spread across his face.

"Ah!"

A bullet of water fell on Ryker from above, drenching his clothing and hair through.

"Was that necessary?"

Ryker didn't need to look to know who had assaulted him. He had already begun to complain even as he wiped his face with a hand. As for the lament he felt toward the forgotten breasts he was daydreaming of, he could only bury it in his heart.

"Hmph, you know what you were smirking about."

A confident and dauntless voice responded to Ryker. It held the light inflections of a young lady but the valiant air of a robust middle-aged housewife waving around a rolling pin.

"I'm innocent of all charges," Ryker finished wiping his face and began defending himself.

Was the treasured hub of a man's own mind no longer sacred? If he couldn't even protect this much, he could forget about his thoughts of world conquest and dreams of grandeur.

Ryker looked up to find a gorgeous young lady standing before him. Her hands were placed on her slender hips, pulling at and tightening the top portion of her dress. The action extenuated her ample assets to a spine-tingling degree. It was just unfortunate that her modest style hid everything but an enticing silhouette.

The young lady had a head of white hair done up in an elaborate arrangement and reflective blue irises. Even beneath the dim reds of the rising sun, her eyes shone like two sapphire gems, sparkling with a mystical light. She was quite tall for a woman, standing at over six feet. But, she had delicately carved features and an adorable button nose that seemed reserved for petite girls.

Above the shoulder of the young lady was a floating seahorse. Its lower half was covered by a blue cloud while its upper body was layered in reflective blue scales. It was quite a beautiful creature if one got over the fact it could drench you like it had Ryker.

If others had seen the casual use of such a Spirit Beast, they would be shocked. It wouldn't just be about using a creature meant for battle in such a superficial way, but rather the value of the creature itself.

This floating seahorse, despite its adorable appearance and seemingly harmless attack, was known as the Blue Cloud Seaking. It was a rare Dual Type Variant of the Water and Spirit Types. A person might not ever see such a Variant Spirit Beast in their lifetimes, let alone seeing it used in such a blasé manner.

"Don't give me that."

The young lady didn't buy Ryker's story. With her hands on her hips, her eyes locked onto the young man like a hawk observing his every reaction.

Ryker stood, rubbing his nose. He couldn't say that he wasn't used to this feeling. But, compared to the other things he had to deal with daily, he found these moments to be quite soothing.

With a bright smile, he took a step forward and swept the young lady's slender waist into his arm.

"You're wet!"

The young lady struggled, placing a strong palm on Ryker's broad chest and pushing him back. One would have expected such a young lady, regardless of her taller than average height, to fail in this endeavor. But, Ryker was quite easily pushed away. His larger stature and size seemed not to matter much at all.

Ryker rubbed his chest, feeling wronged.

"Is this how you treat your fiancé?"

"Oh, so you remember that I'm your fiancée now? Good. Come with me, then. We have some errands to run."

"Come on, Jaana. You can't still be mad about that, right? I already told you that I was framed! I really am innocent!"

Jaana's delicate brows shot up, her button nose wrinkling. She always had the habit of doing this when she lost her temper.

"You think I'll believe that you slipped and stumbled into that brothel under the 'schemes' of some criminal mastermind?"

"Yes." Ryker nodded with a stern expression.

"And you also expect me to believe that you just so happened to stumble again into napping on that prostitute's breasts?"

"Yes." Ryker nodded in affirmation again.

"And, finally, you want me to accept that this criminal mastermind also set you up so that I would find out about this as well?"

"Yes. Yes. You got it –!"

Another bullet of water hit Ryker's face. But, this time, it stung much more than the first time around. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that he received a tight slap.

"I surrender!"

Ryker put his hands up, spitting water from his mouth and blinking furiously in hopes of clearing his vision.

"Good. Be obedient and come with me."