ARTHUR LEYWIN
The following morning, I'm having a conversation with Regis, who was taking up Caera's whole couch.
"Yes, Regis. We have to go," I annoyingly answer.
"But there are so many hotties out here! All that's in that zone are old grandmas and minors!" Regis complains.
My face falls into a subtle frown at Regis' propensity to make everything about his high libido.
"Interesting conversation. Where's the destination?" Caera asks as she enters the living room.
"Princess here wants us to go into the Relictombs to go see his family and the rest of the Dicathians. One small issue, I can't legally or in good faith observe any of the women there," he continues.
"That sounds cool. Can I come?" She asks, probably knowing the answer already.
"I would prefer you didn't. For starters, I could really use you here as a go-between for me and Seris. Secondly, my mother would pester me with a few-hundred questions at the sight of another girl at my side. I don't want any two-timing rumors," I answer.
Caera closes her eyes and gives a few subtle nods. Her disappointment is evident. I'd be tired of being cooped up in here too. She can't go back to her Blood's house because they'll just pester her day in and day out. But I can't take her to the Relictombs.
'Tough spot,' Regis says mentally.
I feel bad having her be like an errand girl too. I wish I could make the job more exciting, but I don't want to put her in harm's way.
'Nor do I. It would be a crime against the world for a woman like that to be maimed or killed,' he replies.
I sigh internally. Of course that's where your mind goes first.
"I'm sorry Caera. I know you're probably bored, but this is the best spot for you to be for the time being. Not to mention, Seris would probably get angry at me for dragging you along with me," I explain.
"I understand. It's just very frustrating to have all these things that I want to do but can't because of the current state of the continent," Caera huffs, taking a seat on the chair in front of me, crossing her legs, and resting her left elbow on her knee.
"Sorry about that. It was a necessary maneuver, though. Having Cecilia away from Agrona is one of the most important things for the survival of humans," I comment.
"Survival of all humans? What do you mean by that?" she asks.
"I mean that the asuras have decided to get rid of us 'lessers' in order to get rid of Agrona. Their war would level the world. And level it they shall," I answer.
"I-I need to go tell Scythe Seris!" she shouts, bolting to the door, sliding on her boots, and grabbing an overcoat. "I'll be back tomorrow!"
The door slams.
Congratulations mutt, you get another day of stalking women through Caera's window.
'I could not be happier,' Regis replies before becoming a puppy and seating himself on the window sill.
TESSIA ERALITH
I feel like I'm falling. I'm trapped in what feels like an endless void. Foreign emotions leak into my head that isn't even my own anymore. From behind my own eyes, I can see the world, but I can't interact with it. I'm like a second personality that can only be heard through immense despair. I can feel the Elderwood Guardian's will with me in here, too. It craves destruction. I'm trying to fight off its influence, but it's getting harder by the day.
Hopefully, Art can find a way to get me out of here. I can see him through my eyes, but I can't tell him how much I miss him. I can't even hear what he's saying to me. I'm so lonely. I try and talk with the person piloting me, but my thoughts rarely get heard or answered. Can she hear me right now? Can she feel how cold it is in here? Can she feel how hard it is to cope with being a suppressed conscience in your own body?
Her thoughts leak into mine and mine leak into hers. We're loosely bonded through this hellish cycle of foreign emotion. I don't want to be like this anymore. I don't want to have to look at my grandfather or Art again and not get to jump into their arms, telling them how much I love them. I've seen so many faces I want to speak to, but the words won't come out.
I have no control.
How much longer does this have to last? I see Arthur smile like he never used to. Smiles of confidence. Smiles without the mask of emotionlessness he puts on. He looks happy. What changed? And who's that blue-haired girl? She seems to be fond of Arthur. Did he move on? Did he forget about our promise? He couldn't have. He gave me his half of the necklace not too long ago.
I remember him crying into my arms on a few separate occasions. I tried my best to tell whoever is controlling my body to be there for him. Whoever is controlling me, her thoughts have changed. She used to be very contemplative and conflicted. Now she's happy and grateful.
What changed?
I can see him right in front of me.
Please help me, Arthur.
ARTHUR LEYWIN
"Please help me, Arthur," I hear as Cecilia first enters the living room from the bathroom.
I whip my head to her in earnest. What was that?
Cecilia quickly covers her mouth and falls to her knees. She begins to cry and wail with more emotion than I've ever seen from her in either life. As much if not more than my mother did when I told her everything.
I quickly take a knee in front of Cecilia and pull her shivering form into my chest.
"Hey, hey, Cecilia, it's okay, it's okay. What's wrong?" I ask.
Through a series of broken sobs, she manages to get out ten words, ten earth-shattering words, "She's...so sad in there... she misses you... so much"
I know what she means the moment the words leave her mouth.
Tess...
"It's alright, Cecil. You'll both be okay," I reassure her, not knowing if it's even true.
'You need to do something, Arthur. Prove that you're still there for Tessia. In fairness, you haven't treated her body the same as you did when her soul was the one in control,' Regis comments.
Shit. Help me out here, Regis.
'I don't know! Do something she'd really like!' he yells internally.
Instinct takes over and I do the only thing I can think of that would calm Tessia down.
I push Cecilia's hair out of the way, exposing her terrified and despaired expression. Putting my hands on either cheek, I place a few-second kiss on her lips.
'Weird tactic, princess, but probably effective,' Regis says.
Cecilia's eyes widen in shock after the fact. Her expression changes from pained, to blissful, to confused in an instant.
"W-What was that for?" Cecilia asks, pulling away from my face.
"I-I panicked and tried to calm down Tess inside of you. I figured a direct approach would be best," I explain.
"Well... it worked..." she mutters, the tears ceasing their onslaught on her turquoise eyes. "This makes our dynamic a bit weird though."
"It's not weird unless you make it weird, Cecil," I reason.
"Whatever you say," she says with an ear-to-ear smile that doesn't represent her tone. "Her emotions are going crazy. She went from immensely depressed to over the moon in a single instance."
"She tends to do that, yeah. It's on brand," I reply.
"She's an interesting girl," Cecilia states.
"That's an understatement," I answer.
We share a laugh for a few seconds before I take my handkerchief and wipe away her tears. I begin getting to my feet and offer a hand to Cecilia. She accepts my aid and stands. It's times like this that I feel like I can see Tess behind Cecilia's eyes.
Cecilia snaps me back to reality when she asks, "So, care to tutor me in mana manipulation for a while?"
"Yeah, I guess. We should wait for Caera to get back so we can say goodbye, anyway," I reply, pulling a small notebook from my dimension rune.
I made this to help Cecilia, but she learns so damn fast I'm already halfway through.
"Today we'll work on canceling spells"
SERIS VRITRA
That boy sure does make things interesting. He kidnaps the Legacy, whisks her away to the Relictombs, and then had the audacity to come back to Alacrya? He likes to play with fire.
"Thanks for the report, Caera. I hope you're not going behind his back," I say.
"No, Scythe Seris. I wouldn't do that," she replies.
"You did spy on him for a while for your Blood though," I toss back.
"Well, that was just a convenient excuse to get closer to him. I even told him I was a spy!" she shouts, clearly embarrassed.
"Relax, Caera. I'm just teasing you," I whisper into her ear. "So, what's his next course of action."
Caera's expression goes from embarrassed to disappointed quickly.
Did I say something wrong?
"Are you okay, dear?" I ask worriedly.
"Not really, Scythe Seris. I'm so sick and tired of being cooped up at Central Academy. The only saving grace I have is teaching my class for an hour or so a day, but even then, I'm reminded of the adventures Arthur is on because the class I teach used to be his," she answers.
I let out a sigh. I can empathize to an extent. I feel bad that I keep Caera cooped up at the Academy, but it's the easiest place for me to put her for her to be safe. It's public enough so that someone can't just blast the thing to bits to get to her while also being enjoyable enough for Caera to at least do activities.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Caera. He was right. I would be a bit annoyed if he brought you with him without asking me. The position of middle-man does work very well for you. I assume whenever he comes to and from the Relictombs, it will be from your room at the Academy, yes?" I question.
"It seems that way. He had me run some errands for him while he was in town too. His list was... interesting to say the least." she replies.
"Oh really? What did he ask for?" I ask again, wondering what that boy could possibly need.
"He wanted a bow that could withstand being enhanced with aether, a collection of manuals on higher forms of runes, and way too many days' worth of dried meat," she responds, giggling at the mention of the absurd amount of food.
"So, he has a few plans then. I'll have to speak with him whenever he visits you again. Make sure to inform me when he comes back. I have a few things we need to go over," I order. "Now that that's out of the way, care for some Sovereign's Quarrel?"
"So, you want to beat me too? I already have my hands full with Arthur. Regis beats me sometimes too, but I think that's because he'll cheat by asking Arthur. And that Cecilia girl is almost as good as me in just a few days," Caera blurts, annoyed by the rapid growth of her companions' abilities at her favorite game.
"Well, maybe I can teach you a few things. I know how you can beat Regis at least," I say, walking over to her and unbuttoning the top button of her shirt. "That's all that lecherous wolf needs to give up a true win."
Caera sighs at the mention of Regis' libido, but giggles, knowing that I'm right in my assumption.
"It wouldn't work on Arthur, though. I could try unbuttoning Cecilia's shirt though. Maybe that would work," she replies.
"That's a decent strategy, but I think Scythe Nico would be a bit uncomfortable with that," I let out with a chuckle.
I walk over to my cabinet and grab my Sovereign's Quarrel board. Its pieces are made of immaculate ivory with small gems encrusted into them to signify their designations: Emeralds for Casters, Rubies for Strikers, Sapphires for shields, and Citrines for the sentry at the back. On the way to place the board down on the small tea table between the two couches, I grab an eight-year aged vintage and two glasses. Taking a seat on the couch opposite Caera, I place the board on the table before she begins to set the pieces up while I open the bottle. I place the two bottles on either side of the board and gesture to Caera, asking if she wants a glass.
"I don't see why not, Scythe Seris. If it boosts my confidence and reduces your ability to think 12 moves ahead, all the better," she comments, grabbing the glass by the stem for me to begin to fill it.
I fill her glass to just below halfway and do the same to mine.
She'll figure out soon enough that this stuff is 18%.
We begin our match with a coin flip to decide who goes first- I receive the honor. The game passes as expected. I take her Sentry in 4 moves while she huffs about how I'm supposed to take it easy on her. The second game takes longer, but I still ended up winning in 7 moves.
"If you can win a game off of me, I'll answer any single question you ask. No exceptions," I tell her, hopefully giving her an incentive to try to her utmost potential.
"Deal," she replies, a fire burning deep within her.
Our third game takes much longer. We go at it for nearly 30 minutes before I finally take the win by jumping over her Sentry.
"That was a good match, Caera, I'm impressed," I compliment.
"Thanks, Scythe Seris, but I've still yet to win a game. One more?" she asks.
"Last one, your cheeks look like they're on fire. This wine is 18%," I reveal while finishing off my third glass.
"Vritra's horns, 18%?! What kind of psycho are you?" she slurs.
"The kind of psycho that likes to see you stumble about my office and through your sentences," I chuckle, recorking the bottle so it can be disposed of.
"No fair, Scythe Seris. Your Vritra blood is more potent than mine so you have a higher tolerance..." she mutters.
"You were the one who accepted my offer. Now onto the final game," I respond.
This game ended much quicker than I anticipated. I'm not sure if it's the alcohol or if it's just skill, but Caera got a true win.
Am I going soft?
"YES! I DID IT!" she shouts at the top of her lungs, causing me to plug my ears.
"Congratulations, but you don't need to burst my eardrums," I say louder than I normally would have because of my ringing ears.
"So I get to ask a question, right?" she excitedly asks.
"Yes, that was the deal. Ask away," I answer. Hopefully, the question isn't too difficult to answer. I'd hate to have to lie.
With a hiccup, Caera starts her question, "What's the real reason you let Arthur live whenever he was losing to Uto?"
My gaze rests firmly on her stern face which seems to already be devoid of inebriation.
"Hmm. That's a complex answer, Caera. Do you want the overarching answer or the obvious one?" I ask.
"I know you saved him because he was losing. That's the obvious answer. So what's the theoretical one?" she replies.
"I'm beginning to think you faked your drunkenness," I comment while she begins to snicker. "Clever girl. The answer is largely dependent on one supposition I have: That both the High Sovereign and Lord Indrath will lose in the end. I think that Arthur has the potential to topple everything that those asuras ever created. Now that the events at the Djinn Sanctuary have happened, I think I'm correct. Lord Indrath stepped on Arthur's toes, and now Arthur will bring the fight to Epheotus after he turns Agrona into an example. I think he has not only the potential to do all of that but the justification to do so. That's why I saved him. I knew he could do things beyond the scope of a normal human or even a normal asura," I explain
"So you think it's all going to end with Arthur at the top?" she asks.
"One question, Caera. My lips are now sealed," I answer with a smile as her face contorts into an aggravated scowl.
"You take some things too seriously, Scythe Seris. Maybe this is why you're still single," she shoots back.
I'm taken aback by her comment. She must be drunk. I'm not as angry at her remark as I am shocked that she brought up the conversation of my love life.
"An audacious observation, Caera. Remind me how much experience you have in that area, would you?" I reply with a tinge of annoyance in my tone.
"None, but you'd think someone who's as pretty and influential as you would be bogged down with suitors. I'm not nearly as powerful or influential but my family calls me home to meet with Highblood snobs around once a month," she answers while standing and taking a seat next to me.
She usually has a lot more respect during our meetings. It must be the alcohol that has her this bold. I don't exactly mind though.
Caera takes a seat next to me as our shoulders begin to touch. She places her head against her mind and lets out a sigh.
"I just want you to be happy, Scythe Seris. You always look so gloomy. I swear you have this aura around you that can bring the level of happiness in a room down by three notches," she says.
"That hurts a bit, Caera," I reply with a faux-offended tone. "But thank you, I want the best for you too. That's why I try my hardest to keep you away from Agrona's clutches."
"Thanks, Scythe Seris. In that respect, you're more like a mother than Lenora could ever be," she mutters.
"Someone has to do it, Caera. If I have to be your surrogate mother to keep the Agrona from experimenting on you as he did to me, I'll gladly do it a hundred times," I whisper back.
As I take a glance down at her face, her closed eyes are complimented by a huge goofy grin. It's not long before her breathing becomes rhythmic and she falls completely asleep on my shoulder. I rest my head on top of hers and close my eyes as well, intending to take a nap alongside her.
Is this what motherhood feels like?
ALDIR
It's only been half a year since that Vritra half-breed, Seris informed me of Arthur Leywin's survival. His presence on this planet makes the tides shift in whichever way he chooses. While Kezess and Agrona have this battle amongst themselves, he gets stronger. Should he become something we can't control, I fear the whole of Epheotus will resemble Elenoir's current state.
"It's good to see you again, Aldir. We Pantheons need to stick together. It's quite turbulent times," I hear as a man approaches me from behind.
"Nice indeed, Kordri. I was just thinking about said turbulent times. I used to wonder if there was a way, we could peacefully resolve this issue. I'd bet there may have been at one point but Kezess and Agrona are too interested in killing each other that they passed it up," I reply.
"You would probably be right about that. Though, what makes the wise Aldir, wielder of the World-Eater Technique, think of such questions?" Kordri asks.
"A certain human who is no longer completely human. A human with an incomprehensible amount of potential. A human who, if born an Asura, would have put Agrona in the dirt ages ago," I answer.
"High praise, coming from you. I have an inkling of who that human is. There's only one who could make a stalwart man like you spew such profound words," he says.
"You definitely do know who I'm talking about. He's the most dangerous human to ever be born. The most genuine threat to Agrona or Kezess that had ever been conceived. I believe an analogy I once heard describes that human perfectly. There are two sides to every coin. When it flips, it will always land on one side," I ponder.
"What does that have to do with this?" Kordri asks.
"There is a third factor to take into account in that analogy," I say, turning to face my fellow Pantheon. "That third factor is the most important. The one who flips the coin."
Kordri's eyes widen ever so slightly before he brings his hand to his chin in a contemplative gesture. I observe his movements while trying to discern what's going on inside his head.
"I think I understand what you mean. There's a third force at play. One that trumps either side of the coin. Because the coin flipper has the power to flip or not flip the coin," he postulates.
"Very wise, Kordri. However, there is more to the picture than that," I add.
"How do you mean?" he questions.
"The coin flipper could also melt that coin into raw metal. Then it would be unrecognizable in comparison to how it looked before," I finish, giving Kordri a knowing glance.
"I see. That's most terrifying," he mumbles. "Is there a way to appeal to the flipper to not melt the coin?" Kordri asks.
"No. But you can help him melt it."
A/N: I know this chapter was all over the place with Pov's, but I wanted to tie up some loose ends and plant some seeds. It's also a little bit shorter than usual. Sorry about that too.
This series has become my pride and joy, and I'm so glad so many of you come back every day to read it. Thank you so much for your votes and supportive words. It means so much to me.
Once again, enough with all the sappy stuff.
Naz out!