Vastarael stumbled through the doors of the elven palace late at night after we assassinated three thousand Scavenger Rank Krepsunas in Cassandra.
I hovered above him, observing every move, silent in my digital ghost form. Black blood stained his Nanorune Armor. The same dark liquid gleamed across the edge of Calimostria. He reeked of Krepsuna, though I knew Vastarael didn't care about it.
We moved slowly and reached the room he shared with Elyonari. He hesitated at the door before finally closing it behind us. And of course, because the universe has a sense of humor, or perhaps because Elyonari simply cannot resist a dramatic entrance, she was already there. She had that… perfect stance of someone who had been waiting for precisely this moment.
Her hands were clasped in front of her and her eyes narrowed with irritation. She cleared her throat.
"Where have you been all day?"
Vastarael's answer was predictably foolish.
"Nowhere."
I couldn't resist scolding him because what the hell was that?
"Really, Veneri? Nowhere? You're covered in Krepsuna blood. It's not a new fashion trend you know."
He froze slightly, turning his gaze toward the whisper that was me. Elyonari's eyes, however, didn't shift. She stepped forward and sighed.
"Strip."
"Excuse me?"
"Strip. I won't ask again."
He let out a resigned sigh.
The protective layers of his suit disappeared, leaving him in nothing but pants. Elyonari raised an eyebrow. And then, without shame, she said:
"Take the pants off.too."
"Um… this is—"
"Sexual assault?"
He stripped them anyway, muttering under his breath, "I hate you."
Finally, fully naked, he stood there, trying to maintain his usual unshakable calm poise. Elyonari moved closer, inspecting him like a sculptor examining a statue for cracks. She sighed, a sound I could almost hear in a physical sense, one that suggested relief and exasperation at once.
"You're not injured. Thank goodness."
"I have Body and Soul Reconstruction—"
"I don't care."
Knowing him, the thought of putting himself in danger was something that should always be treated as an emergency. If I wasn't there, I would be concerned too.
She turned toward the shower. Vastarael followed, still dripping in black streaks of his afternoon's work. The bath had already been prepared. Water was steaming in a massive, gleaming tub. She removed her nightgown as though it were a simple inconvenience.
"I'll have to do a body inspection."
"There's no need—"
"You've got a long history of arguing. I'm trying not to argue so, please, don't. I'm not exactly happy right now."
She didn't look at him when she said it, and yet the force behind her words was enough to make him reconsider literally everything.
°°°°°
The water swirled around them, rippling with the motion of Elyonari's careful hands as she scrubbed away the traces of Krepsuna violence from Veneri's body. I hovered above them. He could never quite shake the sense that I was always there and, truth be told, he never really tried.
"Where were you today? You didn't answer this the first time."
He opened his mouth, preparing to make his usual evasions and half-truths but Elyonari noticed. She didn't wait for the lie or the excuses.
"I know you hide things. I've always known, Veneri. And I hate it."
I floated above them, amused at the way he twitched at the word hate, which, coming from Elyonari, carried more weight than most.
"I… I didn't want to burden you."
"I don't care about burden—"
"I care."
Oh, Veneri, always careful with words and truths but sometimes careful in all the wrong ways.
"I am the High Priestess of Mintherenia. More than a million elves were teleported here together with my Dynasty. I carry responsibilities that dwarf anything you could conjure. You think hiding from me is less weight?"
"And my responsibilities are being handled. My siblings and Adelasta are managing Richinaria while I'm gone. I can focus on what I need to without adding more burdens to you."
Elyonari's hands paused, hovering mid-stroke as she turned her gaze on him.
"Is it too hard to rely on me and trust me enough to let me shoulder part of it?"
"No. It's not too hard to rely on you. But it's not my responsibility to add more burdens to you. Not when you already have a world on your shoulders. And not when right now, we have no idea what the Second Epoch Cycle has in store. If it goes like last time, we're going to suffer. And I cannot add more to your plate. Even if you asked, I wouldn't tell you. My burdens are mine to carry."
"You share them with Phaenora."
I chuckled softly at that, hovering a fraction higher.
"Yes. I share them with him. Always have. Always will. We do everything together. He's reckless, determined, infuriating and brilliant in equal measure. And unlike… the others, I am always with him. I'm always observing, guiding and scolding. You do understand, Elyonari, that he carries me as part of himself? As part of his choices?"
He tensed slightly at my interjection, which amused me endlessly. He always reacted to my commentary like I was some mischievous wind trying to pry his secrets open. Not that Elyonari can hear me anyway.
"It doesn't matter if you share them with Phaenora. I know that. But it's not up to you to decide what burdens I can carry. I—"
"I actually can, Elyonari. It is my decision whether you take on what I bear. Because if you don't willingly, then you risk yourself and I won't allow it. I will not add to your suffering."
"You can't—"
"Yes, I can and I have. That is my choice. My burden is mine. You have your Dynasty. You have your people. You have your responsibilities. I will not interfere so please don't do in mine, for your sake."
Her hands clenched as she rose rapidly.
"I can't let you decide for me! It's not your place to determine what I can or cannot bear!"
"And I'm telling you, Elyonari, it is. Because I know you. I know your limits, strengths.and your stubbornness. And if I try to force you into a burden, then I fail at protecting you. I protect you by letting you live your path."
She glared at him, turned and left the bath. Sheesh, I have never see her that mad before.
He sank slightly back into the warm water, letting the ripples lap over him in slow, gentle waves, and finally, after a long pause, he muttered under his breath.
"She really doesn't like it when I do that, does she?"
"No. She does not. And she's completely right to hate it. You, of course, think you're subtle. You're not."
"She always thinks she should carry more than she can. I can't let her. Even if she could, I wouldn't. I've learned the hard way that her sense of duty doesn't need reinforcement from me. She's formidable enough on her own."
"Formidable yes, but stubborn and occasionally infuriating, as you are well aware."
And with that, we stayed in silence for a few moments.