|Cordelia|
The morning arrived, and according to Jude's directions, it was time to enter the first main relictomb. As it turned out, he had already ventured into one in Dicathen. We had acquired the location of the four major ruins, and now it was time to proceed with our plan.
Prior to setting out, Seris inscribed fake runes on his back. With his ripped physique, my face quickly reddened before I averted my gaze. Once the runes were done, I bestowed upon him a disguise rune and instructed him, "Your new identity is Adam, a powerful mage with three regalia. However, you need not worry since it will be just the two of us ascending."
Just as we were about to depart, the front door opened, and my sister Caera arrived. She was taller than me, with navy blue hair cascading down her hips and scarlet eyes as red as her puffy lips. Caera was already an experienced ascender, and I intended to use her identity for our plan.
"Are you going on an ascent with him, Cordelia?" Caera asked, eyeing Jude behind me.
Jude stepped forward, briefly locking gazes with me before I telepathically informed him, "You can reveal your real name. She's trustworthy."
"My name is Jude, and I hail from Dicathen," he introduced himself to Caera.
Although she raised a brow, she didn't question further, and her lack of feelings for Alacarya made her perfect for the role. "So, why did you call me here?" she inquired, curious.
I tossed a powerful disguise relic to her, the strongest one I possessed. "You'll be assuming my identity for the few months I'll be ascending relictombs with Jude," I explained.
Her eyes widened in shock as she stammered, "But I'm not nearly strong enough, even if the relic can disguise me as you."
"Don't worry," I reassured her. "I usually conceal my strength and never release my pressure. Seris will cover for you if necessary."
She looked at me with a mix of bewilderment and betrayal, but after contemplating for a moment, she sighed. "Alright."
With that settled, I used my disguise rune to transform into Caera, and Jude altered his appearance as well. His jet-black hair morphed into a golden hue, and his emerald eyes shifted to amethyst. Although his features changed slightly, he still looked handsome.
I blushed slightly before urging, "Let's go."
Jude and I made our way through the portal, using the spatial coordinates he had provided. As we emerged on the other side, I conjured my identification documents to show the guardians. Once verified, we were granted entry into the massive relictomb. Jude looked around in awe, taking in the grandeur of the ruins.
But as we ventured deeper, the darkness enveloped us, making it impossible to distinguish between open and closed eyes. The air was frigid, and I could feel the chill creeping into my bones. Without hesitation, I summoned white flames to illuminate our surroundings, casting light on a cavernous chamber.
Suddenly, Jude's voice broke through the stillness. "There's a powerful blizzard outside," he said, causing me to glance at him. To my surprise, his disguise had worn off, revealing his true form. I couldn't help but chuckle at his comical expression.
I reached up to touch my hair and felt a jolt of panic when I discovered it had turned pink instead of navy blue. Quickly, I scanned the area for any potential threats, but all I saw was hail battering the entrance like a barrage of missiles.
"We should wait for two days until the storm subsides," Jude suggested. Nodding in agreement, I withdrew our supplies from my spatial ring, which included two bedrolls, a warming artifact, and a supply of rations.
Setting up camp, we positioned the warming artifact in the center of the cave, allowing the temperature to gradually rise to a comfortable level. Despite being stranded, we were adequately prepared for the unexpected.
As everything was set up, the silence between us grew heavier by the second. I fidgeted nervously, trying to come up with something to break the awkwardness. But before I could even speak, Jude started talking.
"When I was first reborn, Cordelia, you were always on my mind," he said softly, his voice laced with emotion.
My eyes widened in surprise. He had thought of me during his rebirth? My heart raced as he continued to recount his life. He spoke of losing his younger brother, training under Galahad, falling in love with Kathyln, his school life, and his battles in the war. The more he spoke, the more I could hear the pain and sorrow in his voice.
I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, and I tried to hold them back. But as he talked about killing Lucas, threatening the Council, and suffering the loss of his father, my vision blurred and hot tears streamed down my face.
Jude looked at me in shock, his hand reaching up to gently wipe away my tears. "Don't cry," he said, his voice heavy with guilt.
I buried my face into his large hand, feeling his warmth and comfort. He looked pained as he watched me cry, his fingers lingering on my lips before retreating.
The silence between us grew even more uncomfortable before I cleared my throat, determined to reciprocate his openness. "When I was reborn, I only thought of you too, Jude," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
I proceeded to tell him about my life, how I trained under the tutelage of the strongest scythe, Cadell, after it was discovered that I had Vritra blood. I recounted my life after being adopted into Denoir High Blood and how I quickly became a retainer from a young age before rising to become a scythe.
Though my life had not been as thrilling as Jude's, it had been fulfilling in its own way. I hadn't found anyone to love despite the numerous proposals I received, but I had found a second family with Seris and Caera.
As I finished, Jude looked at me with a tender expression. "You did good, Cordelia," he said, and I felt my face flush with embarrassment.
But before I could even respond, he pulled me into a tight embrace, and I cried into his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat and the warmth of his body. He held me for what felt like hours, and I stayed in his arms until my tears finally dried up.
|Jude|
I slowly stirred from my slumber to find Cordelia sleeping on my head. I couldn't help but smile at how peaceful she looked. As I tried to shift, she woke up with a yawn and noticed our close proximity. Her face immediately turned red as she scrambled out of my grasp.
To ease the tension, Cordelia suggested we play a game called Sovereign's Quarrel. She pulled out a marbled hexagonal board with four different types of pieces: deep red stone for one side and thundercloud grey for the other.
As she explained the rules of the game, I listened intently, trying to wrap my head around the various types of pieces - Strikers, Casters, and Shields. Cordelia then explained that the objective was to either capture the opponent's sentry or reach their hold, which was called a true win.
"What's the difference between a normal win and a true win?" I asked, intrigued.
"True wins are much more difficult to obtain, so they're considered a great achievement," Cordelia replied.
"Let's begin!"
As the game progressed, I could see Cordelia's competitive spirit coming out in full force. Her moves were always strategic and she was constantly trying to outmaneuver me. Despite her best efforts, I managed to secure a win in the first game, causing her to pout in frustration.
"Another round?" she asked, already setting up the pieces for a new game.
I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. We continued playing, each game becoming more intense than the last. Cordelia was a formidable opponent, and I had to stay on my toes to keep up with her tactics.
As the final game approached its climax, I made a bold move that caught her off guard. Her sentry was exposed, and I could see the realization dawn on her face that she had lost. I lifted her sentry off the board, grinning at her in triumph.
Cordelia let out a groan of defeat but couldn't help but laugh at my victory dance.
"You're still a crazy genius, Jude," she said, playfully rolling her eyes.
I laughed along with her, feeling a sense of joy that I hadn't experienced in a long time. Cordelia's competitive spirit was infectious, and I couldn't help but feel grateful for this moment with her.
As our laughter died down, we sat in comfortable silence, the game board between us. For a moment, I forgot about everything else going on in the world. It was just me and Cordelia, playing a game and enjoying each other's company.
"Thanks for playing with me, Jude," Cordelia said softly, breaking the silence.
"Anytime," I replied, a smile still lingering on my face. "I had a great time."
And with that, our game of Sovereign's Quarrel came to an end, but the memory of this moment would stay with me for a long time.(A/N: That is a little bit of interaction between Cordelia and Jude. Now, this relictomb is similar to the one Arthur and Caera went to but way harder because of the power gap.)