Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 232

Chapter 232: The Villainous Savior

As morning approached over the town of Ciricu, Lysette and Mirae released their embrace, ended their session of joint Cultivation across half a thousand miles, and went outside, hand-in-hand, ready to greet the dawn.  A cool wind blew, though, unlike those of previous days, it was not quite cold.  Though, that in and of itself was a reminder that spring was nearing.  The snow patches on the ground would soon be melting.  And the Terean front of the war for Aimarion would soon pick up in full swing.

“Love, don’t be gone too long,” Mirae said.  “And you will, under no circumstances, join in the war, except to defend yourself and the others from immediate danger while heading over there.  We all need you here to do your part.  I need you here.  And you need to get better about delegating what you can’t or shouldn’t do to others, so they can gain experience as well.”

“I know.  And I want to stay here and spend a few weeks or months or years doing nothing but giving you all the attention you deserve that will make half of Ciricu jealous and Serrena feel really awkward if she tries to listen in, but we all have things we need to do, and I’m the fastest flier of us.”

“I expect you here for lunch, and I will be angry if you are not back by then.  I would hope, for your sake, that if you are late, there is a more suitable target available for me to work out any pent-up stress I will have by then.”

“You know, you two,” Serrena said, dropping down to greet them.  “I heard what you said about me just a few seconds ago.  And you two should really make a nice underground bunker.  One you can seal off, teleport in and out of.  And then you can be as loud as you want to be while you’re doing whatever it is that I’m not going to talk, hear, or think further about.”

“That’s a good idea,” Lysette said.  “Something to look into after I get back.  Anyway, it was nice for both of you to see me off.  Though, it seems I have quite the deadline, and I’ll need every minute I can get.”

Lysette shared a kiss on the lips with Mirae, an awkward wave with Serrena, and then sprouted her wings, leapt into the air, and flew off to the southwest.  Faster and faster she flew, pushing the limits of her new strength as she set off for the ruins.

Throughout her Cultivation the previous day, Lysette had chosen to forgo learning any new skills, instead improving the efficiency of her current ones and bolstering her stamina.  And once Ciricu was out of sight, it was time to test out her limits.

With a single mental impulse, Lysette blinked out of existence, appearing five hundred yards to the southwest.  Another impulse sent her jumping just a bit further, and a third further still.  Within the span of five seconds, across three successive teleports, she’d shifted an entire mile, all while barely feeling any fatigue for it.

And so she decided to push a little further.  Half mile teleports in even quicker succession than before, then two-thirds of a mile, and finally pushing herself to shift a full mile at a time.  Each of them was faster but less efficient.  And yet, with her blossoming stamina, even such efficiency losses were a mere minor inconvenience rather than a major deterrent.

Over and over she continued to teleport throughout her flight, splitting space and time apart as she rushed toward her destination, eager to return back to Ciricu before her enemies would realize that she was gone.  And though she began to build up a sweat from hundreds of teleports across nearly as many miles within the span of an hour, she pushed herself further and further until she arrived at the ruins.

As she landed, she took a long pause to catch her breath and recenter her focus.  An hour of constant teleports had, in total, depleted about two-thirds of her stamina and left her body in less-than-perfect shape.  Asterion’s will no longer lingered within the teleportation glyph, eager to tear her body apart with every use.  But the glyph’s binding on her thigh was still imperfect, and some discomfort and internal strain did accumulate.  Nothing her regeneration wouldn’t patch up in short order, but it was good to keep that limitation in mind.

Lysette looked around, taking in the surroundings with her Scrying Stone, wondering if there might have been something she overlooked before.  But an analysis of the Essence moving all about suggested there was nothing worthwhile above the surface.  And so she followed the same path she had the day before, following into the abyss while continuing to scan her surroundings for any signs of danger or potential gain.

Again when she reached the first cavern, she searched around for any signs of the winds which continued to blow throughout.  But unlike before, when she scanned the deepest part of the room, far off to the left relative to the entrance, she saw a massive concentration of Essence, one at least on par with her own abilities, if not exceeding it by a small margin.  Whatever it was, however, seemed content to watch in stasis, and so Lysette continued over the same bridge as she had before, scuttling toward her destination.

A voice echoed in Lysette’s mind, though in the modern human tongue rather than the ancient Aestori language.

“For millions of years, we Aestori have remained the watchers of this world.  Even after our deaths, we endure in artifice.  Ever waking, ever watching, ever vigilant, never resting, never a moment of even the briefest respite.

“We stand as a memorial of what has happened once before.  We stand as a warning of what may yet be again.  Long have we hoped for someone who could finally break the eternal cycle of Aimarion.  Someone who could allow us to finally sleep forever.

“We are tired.  Tired of being unable to act.  Tired of warnings unheeded, of warnings long-since forgotten and discarded to time.  Of Aestori champions led astray, tempted by the promises of life and luxury with the power we have granted.  Of Aestori champions whose lives were cut short in the vicious maelstrom of war.

“But you, made with the Spark of a demon, the heart of a mortal, and the strength that will soon rival the gods?  You, with an implacable desire to see change brought to the world, to save it from its unending curse?  You may be our last, best hope.  Our villainous savior, who can free the world and set it on a course of freedom, one with no set future.  Can you do this?  Can you carry our hopes and dreams on your shoulders?”

“I cannot.” Lysette said.  “I want to.  And if there were no other option, I certainly would, but I made a promise.”

Lysette received no acknowledgement of her refusal, but briefly thought she heard a loud, rumbling growl.

“It’s not that I don’t want to.  If I understand correctly, we both have the same goal.  Stopping the war of the gods.  Ending the cycle of destruction and re-creation.  Discovering the truth behind Omnia’s goals with this world, and freeing Aimarion from the flaws of her system.  But I promised my love that I wouldn’t do it.  Not alone, anyway.

“What good is it if I slay the gods, only to replace their tyranny with a second, stronger Lilit?  I know as well as you do that that is a possibility.  And moreover, Lilit, for all of her strength, failed to stop the gods.  So another approach is necessary.”

“You will still be seen as a monster by many.  Maligned as the demon you are.  Hated and feared and opposed by the masses.  Masses who have placed their faith in the gods who now are.  Regardless of your methods, you and you alone will have to bear the hatred of millions.  Hatred unearned.  Hatred undeserved.  For to be a demon is to oppose the gods.  It is part of a demon’s very nature.”

“But it is not a part of a demon’s nature to stand alone and isolated,” Lysette responded.  It can be, but it is not tied to her being.  I’ve seen and experienced that even we can form bonds, just the same as humans and other demigods.  And that those bonds are a source of strength and connection, both empowering us and tethering us from our baser impulses.

“I accept that I will be feared and opposed by many.  Including many who would benefit from the change we all want for this world.  But my heart and mind are resolute.  I will do all in my power to see Aimarion freed.  To see Aimarion’s future decided by its people, not by its creators.”

The projection from before reappeared as Lysette again approached the central sanctum.  But rather than the masked form of Lilit, this form was maskless, a wizened yet powerful and confident woman who offered her hand to Lysette.  And Lysette, recognizing the woman as Lavenna, took her hand as the two made their way inside.

“For everyone in there,” Lavenna said, pointing toward the elevator shaft.  “Be their savior.  For everyone out there, be the villain they need and deserve.  For everyone up there…”  Lavenna paused, and Lysette understood she referred to the gods.  “Be their unmerciful scourge.  Be their undoing, or there will undoubtedly be even more war and conflict and death on their account.”

“It’s not enough,” Lysette said.  “It’s not enough just to destroy.  To be a villain, to be a scourge, to be the bringer of ruin.  If that were all that was necessary, Lilit would have succeeded in our goals.  It has to be accompanied by building something new in its place.  Building something with everyone’s help, something better and greater than the sum of all of us.”

Lavenna smiled.  “Be what I could not, Lyse.  Be Aimarion’s Villainous Savior.”

Lysette Reciprocated.  “I will, Lavenna.  For everyone.”

With one more mental impulse, Lysette vanished from the upper floor, appearing down below an instant later.  With her Scrying Stone, she could see in the near-pitch-black room as clear as if it were day, and she noticed two things right away.  First, the glint of a pair of rings enchanted with powerful artifice.  And secondly, that Dani and Ari were— despite being awake for more than a full day at this point— still Cultivating with frightening efficiency, not showing even the slightest arousal to her main body’s presence.

Lysette tiptoed around her oldest and newest disciples as she went over to take what had been gifted to her.  A pair of silver rings, each with a carved inscription in the Aestori language.  But, perhaps owing to Lavenna’s presence throughout the chamber, Lysette could still sense the meaning of the script:

“Two souls, once separate, now bound by love, by fate, by purpose forever lasting.  May our bearers have and love each other forever and always.”

Lysette’s eyes watered as she held the rings in her hand.  Her mind wandered toward Mirae, and just thinking about eternity by their side filled her with a sense of contentment that she couldn’t express in words.  And in that moment, she knew, unequivocally, without a doubt, that an eternal marriage to them was something she needed as much as she could need anything else in the world.

“Ari, Dani,” Lysette messaged.  “I’m proud of both of you.  But it’s time for us to end our session and return to the surface.”

“Return to the surface?”  Ari stretched and yawned.  “Ugh, I’m…  tired and hungry and sore and I–”

Lysette pulsed her regenerative aura through both of her disciples.  It would do little to ease the root causes of their fatigue, but it would hopefully ease their soreness and stiffness temporarily, long enough to return to the garrison to get food and rest.

“How will we get back?” Dani asked.  “I don’t remember the way to the surface”

“We’ll teleport.” Lysette said.

“You can teleport?” Ari asked.  “Why didn’t you say so before?”

“Because my avatar lacks the artifice to do so.  And because I wanted to see you both with my original self as well.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ari said.  “Let’s save the reunions for the surface, if it’s all the same.”

The three of them locked hands, Lysette standing opposite herself as her two disciples took the other two sides.  One deep breath later, and the four vanished from the innermost chamber.

Chapter 231: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113503574

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101896170

Chapter 233: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113620671