The Epitome of Algedonic Love

9: FACULTATIVE MUTUALIST

'Beneficial symbionts that demonstrate a free-living stage in their life cycle, like Rhizobium spp., are facultative mutualists that can coexist with and live independently from their host.'

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

❆ CLÍODHNA EISDRACHEN POINT OF VIEW ❆

She's offering me power, and passionate feelings. She's driving me to fully reveal who I am. To get washed along the current of uncertainties. I want to abuse that power and I want to be greedy but my conscience forbids me from taking her as my prize or using her as my trophy.

I won't achieve anything worthwhile through my gluttony. I'll only fool myself and hurt Athena. I don't want that. I respect her. I can't let my emotions invalidates my values and principle in life. That's not who I am.

"Athena" I mumbled, almost out of breath. My inside feels so hot and so as my eyes.

She looked up at me, only to see my eyes watering from confusion. Confusion between my morals and desires. Between my holistic devotion and satanic lust for freedom.

"Clio, I'm sorry," She said and cupped my face. My eyes were bloodshot and crimson, and then I bit my bottom lip.

Summoning all the strength I could muster, I inhaled deeply and felt a tremor ripple through my body. I knew that it was time to let go, to abandon the fortress I had meticulously built around my heart. It was a monumental decision, one that required me to expose my vulnerability in all its raw and fragile glory. With a touch of trepidation, my hands shook as I slowly, gingerly, removed the artfully constructed mask that had become my second skin and concealed my true self.

As the imaginary mask slipped away, revealing the intricate tapestry of my emotions, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my weary shoulders. The self-imposed barriers that had kept me confined were finally crumbling, and the floodgates of authenticity burst open. In that moment, I could no longer suppress the powerful surge of emotions that had been hidden beneath the surface for far too long.

Tears welled up from the depths of my being, an uncontrollable stream of crystalline droplets that mirrored the intensity of my longing for release. Each teardrop that trickled down my cheeks bore witness to the immense desire to cast off the shackles of my burdensome emotions, to embrace the unfiltered truth of who I truly was. In their silent descent, those tears became an eloquent plea, begging to be seen and understood, and offering a glimpse into the depths of my soul's yearning for freedom.

"Shh, relax it's okay, take a deep breath. There's no need to worry because you're safe with me. I'm sorry if I made you feel overwhelmed, but you really need to let yourself feel everything that comes your way - whether it's confusion, anger, despair, or any other emotion. Embrace them all, because sometimes the only way to heal is by facing the pain directly. It's like ripping open a wound and letting it bleed - only then can you begin to rediscover the vivid shades of life that have been hidden away from your sight." Her voice was like a gentle breeze, calming, and reassuring. It was a voice I never knew I needed, but one that I would never forget.

"I'm so sorry Athena. I wish I could, but I can't. I didn't mean to reject you, my heart aches for someone else. Please don't think that you're undesirable. I just can't get my heart to accept anyone else than Hera." I cried between the lines as I spoke.

"Ano ka ba Clio, hawak lang ang ni-reject mo hindi buong ako. Cheer up, hindi ako nasasaktan." She assured me.

"That is something I frequently say. I'm a pretender, too. It won't help if you sugarcoat your words to try to make me feel better" I said my mind, unfiltered, without disguising anything, and without trying to conceal anything. That's how frail I am.