Chapter 40
Lydia
The Adventurer’s guild building was quite imposing from the outside, and the inside was no different when we pushed open the large wooden doors. Dozens of people moved around the open floor, and I felt Audrey go stiff for a moment through our connected hands before she seemed to relax with a deep breath.
I glanced at her with worry and was relieved to see her eyes still focused, a bit of silver shining around her pupils.
“My sis is probably helping keep her calm,” Azure said, coming to the same conclusion I had.
“I’m grateful for that…” My eyes searched the floor as I kept a hold on Audrey’s hand and conversed with my goddess.
“Our guardians are like family to us. Of course we’d help!” My goddess declared, and I could practically see her in my head puffing her chest out with pride. I couldn’t help but smile a little at that as my eyes found the reception counters.
I led Audrey through the large room, ignoring more than a few gazes that hit us along the way. The reception area was in the back right corner of the entrance, next to what appeared to be a bar or dining area. A row of eight windows separated by wooden frames lined the wall, with a staff member sitting behind each. The left-most desk had a sign above it with the words ‘REGISTRATION’, while the other seven seemed to be for active members.
“Hello, welcome to the Oylutz branch of the Adventurers’ guild! My name is Lynn. Are the two of you looking to register today?” the woman behind the counter said as we approached the desk. Her black and gold uniform was crisp and clean, with nothing out of place. Her long, brown hair was tied up in a bun that matched the professionalism in her voice as she gave us a practiced smile.
“We are, if you’d be so kind as to help us,” I replied, returning her smile.
“Of course! Can the two of you write and fill out your own forms?” She retrieved two papers and pens from beneath the counter, laying them in front of Audrey and me as we nodded at her question. The two of us hunched over the counter to scan the form and let out silent breaths of relief at the information requested.
Name: Lydia
Age: 18
Specialty: Fire Magic, Archery
Party Name:
The form was short and straightforward, and didn’t ask for any background information, which took a load off our shoulders. The only thing that worried me was the last name, but I hoped it wasn’t too uncommon not to have one. I glanced over at Audrey to see her finishing as well. Luckily, she hadn’t put a last name either, but I did raise a brow at her specialities.
Name: Audrey
Age: 17
Specialty: Water Magic, Shadow Magic, Healing Magic, Swordsmanship.
Party Name:
“Hey… is that really a good idea?” I whispered, gesturing to her form. My girlfriend just shrugged.
“Aurora said it would be best to say I just have the rare shadow magic, so nobody questions it. Same with the healing.” She paused for a moment, her eyes blooming a bit of silver as her goddess said something.
“She says that you should do the same, and that Azure should have said something.”
“I-I was just about to!” My goddess defended, even though the two accusing her couldn’t hear. I just chuckled a little, then moved back to edit my paper. The pens had a bit of magic imbued in the ink, so it was easy to erase what I had written already.
“What should I list then? If Audrey has night magic, does that make mine day magic?” I ventured, and Azure hummed approvingly.
“Cute and smart! I couldn’t wish for a better guardian!” She gushed while I just waited patiently. My goddess cleared her throat awkwardly, then continued. “I’ll start teaching you the amazing power of my magic later! But for now, you should just pass it off as ‘light magic’.”
Light magic, huh? I hope that doesn’t cause issues with the spirit church… Like users of holy magic, the church also made a considerable effort to scoop up any traces of light magic. In their eyes, such gifts from the spirits should only be guided by their doctrine. From what I knew, the adventurer’s guild didn’t readily disclose the personal information of its members, but that didn’t mean the church couldn't catch wind of Audrey and me. Had it not been for the war, I’m pretty sure they would have moved on Audrey immediately.
My mind drifted as I finished re-doing my form. Audrey in priestess robes… the image of my girlfriend in the elegant attire was captivating—even more so when those robes started to pool at her feet.
“Ooohh! My guardian is thinking something lewd!”
“I-I was not! I just thought she’d look good!” I sputtered at her accusation, quickly shaking the image away.
“Excuse me, miss. Are you finished?” The receptionist, Lynn, broke me from my stupor as she reached for my paper.
“Oh, yes!” I looked over the form one last time for any mistakes, then handed it back to her. I had added both ‘Light Magic’ and ‘Healing Magic’, and after taking Audrey’s paper as well, Lynn raised a brow as she read over them. I thought she might say something for a moment, but she simply stamped them before handing them to another employee.
“With the paperwork out of the way, please allow me to explain a few things about being an adventurer.” The receptionist began as she turned back to us and retrieved another paper from her desk. She pointed at a pyramid diagram as she began. “Adventurers are organized from ranks ‘F’ to ‘A’, with ‘F’ being the lowest—” Her finger landed on the bottom tier of the pyramid, then slid to the peak. “And ‘A’ being the highest.”
She laid the paper on the counter again, then gestured behind us to the opposite side of the open floor, where rows of large bulletin boards could be seen. Groups of adventurers walked through them, pulling papers from the boards and taking them to the reception counters. “The quests an adventurer can accept depend on their rank, and the boards are organized into sections to make it easier. You can accept quests up to one rank higher than yourself, but be aware of penalties for failing to complete a job, so please choose wisely.”
Audrey fidgeted with excitement beside me as we listened intently to Lynn, and I was glad to see her looking better after her episode earlier. During the explanation, the employee who had taken our forms returned with two small cards.
“These are your guild ID cards. Please take good care of them,” Lynn said with a smile as she handed them to us. Our name and rank were listed, along with the branch of our initial registration and a space for a party name. “These cards act as proof of membership, allowing you to enter most cities without paying the entry fee. You also need to present these when accepting quests or rewards.” The receptionist continued smoothly.
“It’s common for adventurers to travel. If you find yourselves in a different city, please check in at the nearest guild as soon as possible. This allows us to keep track of your activity to ensure jobs are being completed as expected. Should no quests be completed within a three-month span, your membership will be declared inactive, and you will need to pay a renewal fee.” Lynn looked at the two of us in turn. “Any questions?”
Audrey and I shared a glance, but it didn’t seem like there were any. “Not at the moment, Lynn. You are quite good at your job.” I praised and smiled a little at the slight blush on the receptionist's face.
“Thank you! Then the last thing is this.” She once again procured another paper from her counter, this time a flyer. “Normally, to rank up, you have to complete a certain number of quests and be active in the guild for a time, but we also hold special rank-up exams for those who want to try and test out of their current rank.” I took the flyer and read it.
“On the 30th, huh?” I murmured, then looked at the receptionist. “What day is today?”
The receptionist didn’t seem to question it as she answered. “Today is the 3rd.”
“I’m pretty good at tests! What’s on this one?” Audrey asked excitedly. She had been silent this whole time, letting me lead, but it seems she could no longer contain herself.
Lynn gave her an amused smile. “It consists of a written test on magic beasts, herbs, and other survival skills. As well as a combat test against a veteran adventurer to gauge your capabilities.”
“I see! Sounds fun!” I giggled a little at her attitude before asking Lynn a question.
“Is there somewhere we can study? A library perhaps?” I asked, and my hopes were granted as Lynn pointed at a staircase a little ways away. “The guild has an archive on the second floor open for all members. Oylutz also has a public library, though it’s not very large.” That made sense, if I remembered right from my studies back home, Oylutz was originally part of a more minor kingdom before the empire conquered it. The city was considered significant compared to the surrounding settlements, but it would barely qualify as a town against the imperial capital or the place I called home.
“Thank you for the information, Lynn. Then I suppose the last thing for us would be claiming a quest, is that possible?” I said.
The woman looked surprised for a moment before schooling her expression. “If you have the completion form from the client, then I can process it for you right now.”
“Audrey?” I turned to my girlfriend, but it seemed she was talking to her goddess and not paying attention anymore. I sighed, then dug my elbow into her side until her gaze focused on me.
“What was that for, Lydia?!” She asked defiantly. I just gestured to Lynn, who stood with trembling lips.
“Would you please give the nice lady the paper from Elder Salma?” I asked sweetly.
“You’re treating me like a kid again!” She huffed while reaching into one of her pockets, no doubt obscuring her use of the pocket dimension as she withdrew the completion form. “This one?” Audrey asked as she handed it to the receptionist.
“That’s the one! Give me just a moment to confirm the validity, and I’ll be right back with the reward!” We watched Lynn disappear into the back, and after waiting a few minutes, decided to take a seat nearby.
“After this, we just need to find a place to sleep,” I muttered, and Audrey nodded her head in agreement. The day hadn’t been particularly taxing, yet I found myself exhausted all the same. I let my eyes flutter closed to rest my eyes for a bit while listening to our surroundings, hoping Audrey and I could get our reward and retire for the night without any trouble.
“What are two girls like you doing in a place like this?” A drawling voice grated on my ears mere moments later, and a scowl formed on my face as I kept my eyes closed, trying to ignore it.
Without any trouble? What a joke!
***
Audrey
Lydia had leaned back to rest a little, so I kept quiet and talked to Aurora. At least I was until these guys showed up! I looked up at the three men who had stopped before us, frowning.
“What are two girls like you doing in a place like this?” One of the men asked. He looked the most gruff and was probably the leader. I didn’t respond to him as I complained to my goddess.
“Didn’t anyone tell them interrupting a conversation is rude?!” I whined internally.
“Audrey… How would they know we were talking?” My goddess responded in her usually exasperated tone.
“Hmph! Even if they didn’t, wasn’t it clear we didn’t want to talk to anyone?”
“Some people are incapable of taking a hint, as you’d say.”
“Hey! Don’t ignore me, girlie!” The man shouted, and I glanced at him with a deeper frown, which only served to anger him more as he reached a hand for me. Suddenly, his hand stopped a few inches from my shoulder, and the man struggled to move at all, his hand seemingly stuck on nothing.
“Excuse me, my girlfriend is trying to rest, do you mind leaving us alone?” I asked sharply, glaring at the group.
“Wha— you bitch! What did you do to me?” The leader growled, still desperately pulling on his hand. His henchman looked confused as they stared at his antics.
“Boss? What’s wrong with you?”
“Whattya messing around for?”
The leader was full on pulling on his own arm now, but still couldn’t make it budge. “D-Does it look like I’m playing a prank or something?! The girl obviously did this!” He shouted, drawing more attention from the other adventurers around us, many of whom glared disapprovingly at the group's behavior.
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“I have no idea what you mean,” I stated flatly.
“You didn’t even try…” Aurora scoffed, but I focused on the problem at hand. I clapped my hands together, like I just heard good news.
“Ah, you’re going to leave us alone? How kind of you.” The leader’s hand suddenly whirled to the side, smacking one of the henchmen across the face, and earned a note of laughter from my supposedly resting girlfriend.
“Oi! What was that for!” The henchmen yelled out as he held his face, and snickers rang through the crowd of watching adventurers.
The leader’s face was red with anger and embarrassment, but before he could reply, his hand sent him flying across the tile floor and out the front door. His shout of alarm and the resulting crash into the road were dulled as the large wooden doors shut behind him.
His two minions just stared in shock for a second before they rushed after him, shouting in concern. I leaned back in my chair, refocusing on my goddess and ignoring the shaking of Lydia’s form beside me.
“Anyway, what were we talking about?” I asked, having lost my train of thought.
“Well… I was just saying that your artifact will allow you to use some more powerful spells.” Aurora said, absolutely baffled by my nonchalance.
“Right! Sounds amazing, when are you teaching me?!” The sigh that escaped my goddess was overlapped by Lydia resting her head on my shoulder, still giggling to herself.
“I can’t believe you just watched,” I said with a pout, and Lydia’s emerald eyes turned up at me.
“I knew you’d handle it, I just wasn’t expecting it to be so humorous.” Her lips trembled as she spoke. “If they had an ounce of magic talent… or even a brain at all, they would have realized what you did.” It seemed my girlfriend had noticed the small, almost invisible layer of water in which I had covered the man’s hand. Even a novice mage would have broken through, since I hadn’t put much power into it.
We stayed leaning against each other quietly, and a minute later, a flustered-looking receptionist came speed-walking out of the back. Lynn’s eyes quickly found us, but her worry turned to confusion as she came over with a little cloth bag in hand.
“I was told you were in trouble… But it seems the problem’s been resolved?” She asked.
“It was nothing to worry about,” I said with a grin. “Some guys were just asking for directions to the street.”
Lydia started giggling on my shoulder again, and even Lynn cracked a small smile.
“I see. Regardless, please be careful.” She warned, and I nodded cheerfully. After that, we got our reward for taking care of the bandits. The total was five silvers, more than Elder Salma had said it would be. “That group of bandits had been a thorn in the guild's side as well, so we’ve been contributing to the reward in hopes someone would take the quest.”
I slipped the pouch of coin into my pocket, since Lydia made no move to take it. “We’re just glad we could help out.” My girlfriend said as the two of us stood up. On the way out, Lynn pointed us to an inn that was within our new budget of five silver coins.
A wave of fresh air hit us as we left the adventurers guild, and I couldn’t help but take a deep breath. The market was much quieter now since the sun was going down, though I was still a bit anxious after what happened earlier.
“Are you alright, Audrey?” Lydia asked. Her eyes were worried, so I gave her my best smile.
“I’ll be fine…” I feigned a yawn and stretched my arms up. “I think we both just need some sleep.” It had been an eventful day, and I was ready to flop into bed.
A wry smile graced my girlfriend's face as we walked down the steps and across the large marketplace. “We’re finally registered as adventurers, you got your artifact, and I finally connected to Azure.” She recounted. “It has been an eventful day, to say the least.” I nodded my head in agreement, then we fell into a comfortable silence as we walked across the cobblestone streets.
Luckily, the inn was only a few minutes walk from the guild, and we soon found the building. A sign with a bird’s nest painted on it hung above the door, and a middle-aged woman greeted us with a lively smile as we entered.
“Welcome to the sparrow’s nest inn! What can I do for you, lovely ladies?”
“Lynn from the guild recommended your establishment. We’d like a room if you have any.” Lydia said politely, and the woman nodded her head.
“Freshly registered, are ya? I do have some rooms open, how many would ya like, and how long will the two of you be staying?”
“Just one room is fine,” my girlfriend said. “How much do you charge?”
“The usual rate is two and a half silvers a night, with breakfast and dinner included.” The innkeeper said, but then winked playfully. “But for newbies, how does two silvers sound?”
“Thank you for your generosity.” Lydia bowed her head slightly, and I pulled the money from my pocket and handed it to the lady. “We only have five silvers right now, so we’ll do two nights to start.”
The older lady hummed in thought as she poured the coins into her hand, then grinned. “Tell ya what, for being so polite, I’ll give you three nights for the five silver.”
Lydia’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? The first offer was enough…”
Our hesitation to accept her goodwill made the innkeeper laugh loudly. “Don’t worry about it, little miss! It’s an adult's duty to help kids like yourselves! I have a good eye for people, and I can tell the two of you are the honest type.” She looked the two of us up and down with a glint in her eye. “Make sure to work hard so ya can stay longer!”
This time, we both answered as we smiled happily. “We will!”
After that, she handed us the key and directed us to a room on the second floor. The wooden floorboards creaked as we climbed the stairs and found the room at the end of the hall to the right. There was a simple wooden bed, a small desk, and a little wardrobe. There was no light, so Lydia created a flame above her hand until she noticed a lamp sitting on the desk, which was promptly lit with her magic.
The soft yellow glow filled the room as I flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. I’m exhausted… The panic attack I had earlier had worn me down more than I thought.
“I don’t think what happened could be considered a mere panic attack, Audrey,” Aurora said seriously, and I let out a heavy sigh.
“Let me live in denial, merciful goddess.”
I hadn’t taken my armor off before lying down, so it was a bit uncomfortable, but I didn’t have the energy to take it off right now.
“Audrey, can I have the bags from the villagers?” Lydia asked while doing what I couldn’t. Without saying anything, I opened the shadow at her feet and pushed the small packs out. “Thank you~” She mused, then a quiet rustling noise as she bagan stripping.
Loose golden hair obscured my vision a minute later as my girlfriend looked down at me. She had changed into the nightgown the villagers had let us keep. “Aren’t you going to change, my dear Audrey?” She asked.
“That sounds like a lot of work…” I mumbled, and a mischievous glint appeared in her eye.
“Then… Want me to change you?” I met her gaze with a dry look.
“... Yes, please.”
At my consent, she reached down and pulled me up by the hands. After taking my armor off, she undid the buttons of my uniform. “Hands up.”
I did as instructed, and she lifted the top away. Then she pushed me back down and took off my boots and socks. “Legs up.”
Again, I did as I was told, and she pulled the pants off me with a smirk. The embarrassment started to hit me at this point, and I covered my face as I blushed.
“Why would I agree to this? I feel like a baby…” I said quietly, which only made Lydia laugh as she left me stripped to my underwear on the bed.
“I’d say refusing to change on your part makes you exactly that.” She scoffed. She turned away to rummage through the packs, then held my nightgown above me. I lifted my hands again, and she carefully pushed the fabric over my head until I was clothed again.
“Thanks, my Lydia,” I said gratefully, but before I could lie down, Lydia crawled onto the bed behind me. She lifted the covers once she was settled and patted her chest.
“Come here.”
“You really like ordering me around,” I stated, but moved to lie down on top of her anyway. Her scent filled my nose as I buried my face in the crook of her neck, my arms snaking beneath her.
“I would be lying if I said it wasn’t fun having such a beautiful girl at my beck and call.” She said with a gentle laugh. Her hands rubbed my back as we just held each other.
“Make sure you take advantage of me,” I murmured, nuzzling against her.
“Aren’t you supposed to say ‘don’t you dare do anything weird!’?” Her voice went high-pitched as she mimicked my voice.
I pushed myself up just enough to stare into her emerald eyes with a serious frown. “But we’ve already had sex.”
Her cheeks tinged pink as we stared at each other. Lydia lost the staring contest as her eyes flicked away. “I-It’s just something I’ve read in many romance novels…” I couldn’t maintain the serious expression, and my lips turned upward triumphantly. “Y-You were teasing me?!”
“You started it,” I whispered, then lowered myself again, this time claiming her lips. She melted into the kiss instantly, pulling me against her. The longer the kiss, the more we lost control, so I broke the embrace before things could escalate. Even though I want to, I’m just so tired.
A noise of disappointment escaped my girlfriend as I slumped against her again, finding a comfortable position. “I’m going to sleep just like this,” I said, already falling asleep as I focused on her heartbeat and breathing.
Her hand ran through my hair gently. “It’s alright. I won’t allow any nightmares near you.” I smiled a bit at that, then let the world fade away.
***
Lydia
I watched peacefully as Audrey’s eyes closed and her breathing slowed in sleep.
“I wonder if I can fall asleep like this…” I said.
“I’m not sure I’d be able to… Though I suppose that just shows how close the two of you are.” Azure said, the humor evident in her voice.
Audrey was lying across the top of me, her face buried in my neck. She wasn’t heavy by any means, and I could feel her heartbeat against mine, which was nice.
“Well… I don’t usually sleep on my back.” I grumbled.
“You did this to yourself, Dia.” She pointed out.
I paused for a moment.
“Dia?” I asked, and I could feel her beaming happily through the bond.
“It’s your new nickname! Be grateful!” She laughed. “I spent a long time choosing it!”
“But it’s just the last part of my name? Do you do this for all your guardians?” The idea amused me.
“That’s right! And for all of Sis’s guardians too!”
“Do you have one for Audrey, then?” I was very curious to hear this. My girlfriend's name wasn’t easy to shorten.
“Ah… Um… Audrey… Auds?” I snorted at her conclusion. “Fine! I can do better! Aud… Rey… Drey? No, that sounds like a boy's name. Um, let’s see…” My goddess was putting a lot of effort into this, which was fine because I wasn’t all that sleepy right now. I just mindlessly petted my girlfriend while I waited for Azure to finish her mumbling. “Audrey… Audrey… Rea? No! I got it! Her nickname will be Ree Ree!”
“Pfft! Ree Ree?!” I tried to stop myself from shaking too much so Audrey… No, Ree Ree wouldn’t wake up, but it was just so funny! “R-Ree Ree?! Sounds like something you’d name a dog!”
“B-Be quiet! I don’t see you coming up with anything!” She defended.
“I’d just call her ‘Darling’ or ‘My love’ or something.”
“That just applies to you! You’d burn anyone else who tried that!”
“Of course I would.”
Azure sighed with exasperation. “I’ve never had such an issue with a nickname before. What a tough one.”
“Does she even need one? Her name’s pretty short already…” I said. I loved calling Audrey’s name, so I didn’t think I’d use a nickname even if Azure did come up with one.
“Of course she needs one! It’s how I show my affection!” We bickered back and forth about names for a while after that, and when I started yawning, the conversation died out until my eyes fluttered closed.
“Goodnight, my goddess,” I murmured in my head.
“Yep! See you soon!” With sleep looming over me, I didn’t think too much of her words. Audrey’s weight on me was surprisingly comfortable once I started drifting off.
Then darkness.
Then, there was an endless blue sky as I stood in the grassy fields of Azure’s divine plane. Ah, that’s what she meant. I couldn’t help the smile on my face as I turned to find myself next to the tree where I had first met my goddess.
Azure stood there looking no different than the first time. Beautiful gold-platinum hair with shining silver eyes, and a pristine white robe. This was the first time we’d actually seen each other since my initial awakening.
“I’m so happy to see you, Dia!” She said with a giddy smile, wrapping me in a warm hug. Hearing my new moniker in person filled me with a weird restlessness. I quite liked the name my parents gave me, so I’d never considered a nickname. But it’s not so bad… If it’s my goddess.
“Me too, my goddess,” I said, returning her hug. I basked in her warmth for a minute before the hug ended, and we just stood together. There wasn’t much to talk about, since she had been watching through me even before we could talk across our bond.
However, I could tell she was nervous about something, and I prodded her to tell me as we watched the lazy clouds pass by.
“Is something bothering you, my goddess?” I asked gently, and the goddess’s face flushed a bit.
“Ah… You could tell? Am I that easy to read?”
“A little, yes,” I stated bluntly, causing her to giggle a bit.
“Well… the truth is, I’ve been thinking a lot about my sis and our previous guardians.” Slowly, she sat down on the grass, and I followed suit. “I haven’t told you what happened, right?”
“You were pretty vague at the time, I didn’t want to pry.”
“Well, I was quite the mess when you suddenly showed up…” My goddess looked down in embarrassment, then began to explain what had happened with the last Divine Guardians of night and day, and how Aurora’s last guardian had died.
“It was our fault, yknow? Mine and Ezekiel’s… It was a reckless fight that could have been avoided. Sis and Ulysses had said it would be better to wait before confronting the enemy.” Tears pricked at her vision, and her breath hitched. “The war had been going so well. We were on a high of constant victory, which made us overconfident. Zeek and I argued that waiting could allow an opening for the previous guardian of war to escape or regroup…” She brought her knees to her chest in shame. “We were just impatient. The truth was the so-called demon king had nothing but herself left. No armies, no influence, it would’ve been fine to take our time finishing her off.”
“Azure…” I mumbled, but there was nothing I could say. What could I possibly say to comfort a literal deity that’s been alive several times my lifespan? Instead, I reached out and gently took her hand in mine.
“Uly and Zeek were close siblings. They loved and respected one another more than anything else.” My goddess bit her lip in hesitation. “But ugly jealousy can exist, even in such a relationship… Because of those feelings, they faced the divine guardian of war without their artifacts. When the situation turned for the worse, Uly made the ultimate sacrifice. By weaponizing every drop of divinity in his body, he managed to kill Yaevera at the cost of his own life.”
I thought about my own brothers. It was true that they meant the world to me… But I’d be lying if I said I’d never once felt jealous of them.
“Zeek was never the same after that. Even though we had won the war, and he established the very kingdom you were born into, he never once forgave himself for pushing Uly into that fight. For leading his brother to death. Even mentioning Ulysses was enough to send Ezekiel into a frenzy.” She shuddered so hard I felt it through our joined hands. “The people around him decided it was best to erase Uly’s existence entirely, to maintain their hero’s sanity. Slowly but surely, my sister’s guardian was erased from history. My own guardian never truly recovered from his grief, and our guilt and regret compounded until it was the only thing left, until the very day my guardian died.”
I just sat in shocked silence as she filled in the details Audrey had been missing. Who knew our kingdom was built on such horrific events?
“My sis and I have existed for eons… with countless guardians joining and leaving us. We’re no strangers to tragic deaths, but the face my sister made as Ulysses forcefully shattered their connection… The way she cried and sank to her knees… I’d never seen it before. And it was my fault. To this day, it haunts me when I close my eyes.”
The tears were running freely as we both wiped at our faces. “I-I’m so sorry…” The words may have been hollow coming from me, but I meant them all the same.
“You don’t need to say anything, Dia, " she said with a tired smile through her tears. There was nobody to blame but Ezekiel and me. I had no idea how to face my sister after that… and then my guardian followed his brother. I was left with the weight of our combined regrets. The thought of seeing her... of my other half blaming me, or even worse—forgiving me… I couldn’t bear it.” Her eyes looked distantly to the horizon, as if she saw something else entirely.
“So I hid… and I pushed her away. My dear sister tried—and is still trying—to see me. Yet, the more time passed, the easier it was to convince myself being alone was my punishment.” My goddess turned her head, and her silver eyes refocused on me. “Then you appeared in front of me. My new guardian was waiting for me to get it together.” A small chuckle escaped me at her words.
“I don’t want to sink another one of my guardians into the depths of despair again.” She said seriously. “And to do that, I need to face myself and my sis!” Her tears seemed to dry as she pumped her fist in determination. She stood suddenly, then extended a hand back to me. “As the source of this change, will you please come with me?”
I grinned and clasped her hand with mine to stand up again. “I’m your Divine Guardian. Of course I will!” I paused as a thought hit me. “Plus, I’ve always wanted to meet Audrey’s goddess!” I think Azure feels the same way Audrey did about meeting Sasha at the academy… I had failed to help my girlfriend with those feelings. If I could do it over again, I would lock the two of them in a room right after the entrance ceremony instead of worrying about the politics of it all. I’m glad Azure is willing to take that first step.
“Are you ready? I’ll take us to my sis’s divine plane.” I shook thoughts of the past away at her question and smiled with excitement. It’s too late to change the past—
“I’ll follow my goddess anywhere.”
—So I’ll only look forward from now on! Just like my goddess and the woman I love most.
Then Azure snapped her fingers, and the world flashed white.
The best Nickname for Audrey?
