Tales of Berseria The X: Beyond Calamity

Chapter XXI: The Wise Grimoirh

Among the calm waves of his dream, Avernus heard a mellifluous voice, humming a tone.

The air and environment felt strange. Avernus struggled to open his eyes. Still sleepy, he soon found out he was at the beach.

"Rise and shine, big boy."

The sudden greeting startled him, nearly jumping up. He turned and saw Tia sitting behind him, with a crossed leg and watching him intently.

"Good morning," Avernus mumbled.

"Oh? You expected someone else, your highness?" Tia teased.

Avernus brushed a hand over his face. "No, but I wasn't expecting to find myself lying on the sand."

Tia sighed at Avernus's neglect of his sleep. "You keep forgetting you're a human and need sleep. Even Velvet now knows how irresponsible you are. Although I think she enjoyed it, having a helpless Shepherd under her sharp claws."

Avernus rubbed his forehead, trying to ward off his morning dizziness, "Tsk, stop with the teasing and tell me what happened already."

Tia mocked a smile. "You fell on her lap. Velvet stroked your hair from time to time, looking at the moon. She did that for a bit, then she left."

Avernus, imagining the scene, unintentionally smiled. "That's not half-bad. Although Velvet did leave me at the end."

Tiamat sneered at his ridiculous smiling face. "You should be happy with what you get. The way she is, I doubt anyone can get away with the things you do so easily."

"Maybe she likes me." Avernus presumed, his smile getting more prominent.

Tia decided to face him with reality. "Bad news, Avernus. Velvet does not care. She told me a few days ago that nothing supersedes her revenge. I was just worried that you might get hurt. You, humans, are all naive and stupid."

"Velvet is right," Avernus agreed. "She was imprisoned for three years, doing nothing but devouring daemons. I admire her. If it were me, I probably would have gone insane."

Tia's eyes gleamed with curiosity about Velvet. "You never specifically told me what made you interested in that peasant girl who made you risk it all."

Avernus rose on his feet, staring into the horizon. The seagulls flew above, ocean churning on the shore, giving Avernus a nostalgic vibe. "When I first met Velvet, my first impression of her was a normal and simple village girl. Then, she showed compassion towards Laphi, towards Arthur, and for a time, even towards me. I envied them. For the first time, I was jealous of something others had. I wanted that freedom and their love. Those simple pleasures. People like her are now rare."

Avernus remembered the dreadful events of Advent again. "Velvet was sixteen, still young. She hadn't seen the world. But she was thoughtful and supportive of her family. Laphi, her brother, was so talented, a free soul who you'd never expect to find in that corner of the world. Those memories are painful, even to me. I thought for once in my damn life. I could save someone and not be a killer. But it's the same thing again. It's like a curse."

"At least we have a chance," Tia comforted him. "I know that you're living in the moment, kind of guy, but remember that women are manipulators and Velvet is a daemon, so that goes double for that girl. Act accordingly." Tia emphasized the last part.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle it."

"Good. Let's get back to Van Eltia. We need to resume our search for Grimorih." Tia suggested, gesturing at the town.

The duo made their way back to the ship.

Near the docks, they saw everyone already disembarked and ready. Eizen spotted them and scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "There you are. I hope you rested enough because we have a long day ahead of us."