Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Rebuilding

Lysette closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the sky as a warm westerly wind blew over the campus of the Domark Cultivation Academy.  Night had given way to dawn and now midmorning, just the same as it had every other day.  It was a fleeting reminder that, despite the warring between the gods and their mortal and demigod supplicants, the world had thus far endured.  It survived the first of many battles still to come.

Which was not to say that it had emerged unscathed.  To the east, where once a lush and vibrant forest had before lay, now stood only desolation.  A massive crater now blemished the landscape, surrounded by broken stumps, ashy ruins, and the corpses of no small number of wildlife, from squirrels and other rodents up to deer and even a few juvenile lesser wyrms.  

Lysette looked out upon the eastern horizon from her favorite rooftop perch, accepting with solemn heart the impact her battle with the former Academy Chancellor had had upon the land.  Nine weeks ago she had been merely human.  Now she was one of those demigods, fighting not just against the forces of the god who’d slain her human family, but also for a future not marred by the conflict raging in the Celestial realm for some five million years.

Fighting, warring for the sake of peace.  It was hypocritical, something she knew and accepted.  And it was a battle fraught with danger.  Not just the danger of annihilation by the hands of powerful Cultivators who still called Aimarion home, nor just the gods who tacitly assented to their dominion.  But the danger of succumbing to bloodlust and the corrupting temptations that her power had already placed upon her.  And one which undoubtedly would continue to tug at her as she continued her crusade for vengeance and renewal alike.

“Oh, there you are, Lyse,” Mirae said.  “I thought you would have been back at the infirmary like you have been for each of the last five days.”

They walked up to her and wrapped both arms around her waist.  Lysette leaned backward, tilted her head back, and allowed her love to pull her into their torso.  The two remained like that, motionless, until Lysette decided to help herself to a kiss on Mirae’s lips.

Mirae was right— ever since Lysette had fully recuperated, she’d spent nearly every daylight hour in the infirmary, tending to the hundreds of students and others who had been injured in the attack.  It wasn’t enough— it never could be enough— but it was the only thing she could do at present to provide aid and comfort to all those who were injured because of her weakness.

“Not right now.  Things are finally settling down at the infirmary.  Most of the doctors and nurses are well enough to be tending to patients, rather than needing to be healed themselves.  Amalia finally woke up late last night.  But while that relieves me beyond measure, she still needs a few days of bedrest and medical attention before she’s fully healed.  So I’m just enjoying a couple hours here on the roof.  A bit of Cultivating, a bit of reminiscing, and a bit of thinking about and planning for the future.”

“That’s good, love.”  Mirae kissed Lysette back.  “Not just that Amalia has regained consciousness.  But also that you’re taking some time for yourself before blitzing forward yet again.”

Mirae turned Lysette around and let her head fall into their shoulder.  “I know it’s been rough these past few weeks.  But I want to remind you that you’re not alone.  Not anymore, and not ever.  And I’d be glad to keep reminding you as many times as you need.  Whenever you’re feeling down, feeling alone, not sure what to do, I’ll be there beside you.”

“I love you too, Mirae.”

“By the way, you haven’t seen Serrena around lately, have you?”

“I haven’t seen her in close to a week.  Not since the morning after the battle with the Chancellor.  She said she wanted to get back to her training straightaway.  Not sure if she flew back to Ciricu or went to undertake some assignments for the Hunter’s Guild or what.  All I know is that Miss Ambition looked like she was going to be sick at the prospect of even thinking about taking time off from her Cultivation.”

“Well, she wasn’t in Ciricu when I went there four days ago, and we didn’t fly into each other either when I flew out there or when I flew back the day before yesterday.  So I think she’s off doing assignments and trying to advance in that regard.”

“Honestly, I can’t blame her.  I’ve been getting a little antsy myself.  Yes, this is absolutely what I need to be doing right now, both for my conscience and to better grasp my Reciprocity.  And yet, what Asterion said still eats at me.”

“That you would never again know peace, right?”

Lysette nodded.

“Maybe this was his goal all along,” Mirae said.  “To scare you with meaningless words that would get inside of your head and cause you to doubt your convictions and your ability to actually follow through on your vows.”

“Maybe you’re right, Mirae.  But we are dealing with Primordial deities here.  I won’t for even a moment underestimate what they might be capable of.  Nor what their followers might do in the name of those gods.”

“Then, what are you going to do today?  We’re going back to the Hunter’s Guild?  It does sound like fun, actually, to do something a bit lower in stakes.  Plus, I think you are about to owe Amalia fifty gold as her monthly stipend as your priestess.”  Mirae giggled.

“I haven’t forgotten.  Quite frankly, after all that I’ve put her through these past few weeks, I owe her a lot more than that, just in hazard pay.  She’s been through a lot.  Far more than I could have known back then.  Still, I’m relieved that we were able to save her life, even if we couldn’t do so for the other two hundred people who died in last week’s attack.”

Mirae pulled Lysette closer.  “Please, love.  I know you’re concerned and worried about everyone, but please, remember.  You know from experience that even the gods aren’t perfect.  So why do you hold yourself to a standard that even our creators themselves don’t?”

“Because, Mirae.  I want to be better.  And it’s not like our creators hold themselves to a particularly high bar.  I’m pretty sure the Chancellor easily clears it, and he’s six feet under now!”

Mirae laughed, a deep bellowing laugh that seemed to make even the sun and skies brighter.  “No thanks to you, love.  So, about that date?”

“If you’d like it to be a date, Mirae.  Honestly, that sounds pretty nice.  With everything going on here and elsewhere, we’ve not really had a chance to just sit down and enjoy a date between the two of us since…  Iguence?”

“Seems like it’s been about that long, love.”

“Well, I think we have a plan.  We go on a mission with the Hunter’s Guild, then if everything goes well, we go on a nice date tonight.”

“Well, I’m not going to hold my breath until we have our date.”  Mirae kissed Lysette.  “I still remember what happened the last time the two of us underwent a guild mission.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, love.  It’s not like I could have planned on being led into the ruins of an ancient, long-dead civilization and tortured for two days straight.  I appreciate the experience and the perspective it’s given me, but still, do not recommend.”

“Don’t be sorry, Lyse.  I’m glad everything happened, and I’m glad I got to see your hometown and learn some more about your past.”

“Still, I hope everything works out a little better than last time.  I’d like to have a quiet and uneventful date with you, too.”

“Shall we be off?”

“Before we do, I want to get in contact with Saffron and let her know that we might be gone for a few days.  At the very least, after everything she did to help us out, I do feel like I owe her at least that courtesy.”

“Actually, Lyse, there’s something I’d like to try, if you don’t mind.”

“What’s that?”

Mirae hummed an unfamiliar tune as they wrapped their arms around Lysette.  They closed their eyes, and as they did, Lysette noticed the flow of Essence changing around them.  A portion of the thin haze that permeated the entirety of Aimarion coalesced into a thin strand.  One strand wrapped around Mirae and Lysette both, while the other flew off at blinding speed to the northwest, where the palace lay.

“What sort of technique are you using?”

“I figured I needed to be able to communicate with my friends when I’m away.  And my love as well.  So I’ve been gathering Essence these past few days and I finally had a breakthrough with this new technique.  It’s a different form of telepathy from the one you have.  One that combines with my ability to sense the presence of others to communicate over long distances.”

“That’s wonderful, love.  Are you able to get in contact with her from here?”  Lysette maintained the telepathic link between the two of them and waited.

Mirae didn’t answer.  Lysette didn’t want to disrupt their focus, instead leaning into them and truly taking in their presence with all of her formidable mental faculty.  Their scent, a mix of mint and lavender with a rich, cooling scent.  The refreshing chill that permeated her being whenever in their embrace, along with their well-sculpted muscles that had only gotten firmer and more toned since their recent transformation.  

More than anything, Lysette felt safe.  Physically yes, but even more so mentally and emotionally.  Around Mirae, Lysette felt comfortable, relaxed, willing to be herself, lower her guard, and speak openly and freely about anything and everything.  It was a bulwark of normalcy, of humanity that she desperately needed.  

She smiled at that last part.  Even though neither of them was human anymore, or even mortal, for that matter, when the two of them were together, the tensions of everything else seemed to fade away for just a bit.

“Mirae?  Is that you?”  Saffron’s voice permeated the telepathic link between Lysette and Mirae.

“It is.  I’m with Lyse right now, and she’s feeling some mental fatigue after spending so much time at the infirmary helping to heal the wounded.  Now that the situation has calmed down somewhat and most of the medical staff are back at work, she and I are going to go down to the surface for a bit.  Get some different scenery, maybe go on a date, and just refresh our minds and bodies alike.”

Lysette followed up with a general agreement to everything they’d said, mostly so Saffron could confirm her presence.

“Alright, thanks for keeping me in the know.  Fortunately, the situation here at the palace is starting to cool down some as well.  Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I think a few days without you being on campus would do me some good as well.”

“I think I understand.  The commoners are beginning to get ideas that I’m the one responsible for all the calamity that’s happened these past couple of months.  The fact that I slew a well-respected man— regardless of motives or the underlying facts— doesn’t help matters.  If anything, it makes things worse because now a number of the nobility are going to start getting the idea that I or someone else is going to start going around picking them off as well.”

“That about sums it up.  I do appreciate your help and the forewarning about the attack, as well as all your help tending to the wounded these past few days.  I apologize that this is the only way I can thank you.  Anyway, best of luck in your endeavors, and I hope you two enjoy some quality time together, hopefully without any distractions.”

“Thanks, Saffron,” Lysette and Mirae said in unison.

“Well, you heard her, Lyse,” Mirae said, taking her hand in their own.  “Shall we be off?”

Lysette sprouted a pair of icy wings upon her back, and Mirae followed suit.  “I’d love to.”

Chapter 160: https://www.patreon.com/posts/108502388

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

Chapter 162: https://www.patreon.com/posts/108863679